or in particular it should note the sinnes of the stubborne Jewes who offended in word when they blasphemed Christ and denyed him But I rather take it as here it is translated and so it notes the causes why many men fall into scandall and from thence into despaire viz. because they bring ill hearts to the Word of God they have mindes that are rebellious and will not be subject to the Gospell but intertaine it with diseased and cavilling mindes Those persons are likely not to receive any good by Christ that quarrell at the word of Christ. Now that this may not be mistaken or neglected I will shew first what it is not to stumble at the Word leâ—t some weake ones should be dismayed then secondly how many waies wicked men stumble at the Word For the first To be grieved in heart for the reproofes of the Word is not an offence but a grace so wee are troubled not with dislike of the Word but of our owne sinnes Secondly to inquire of the truth and that which is delivered and to trie the doctrine by turning to the Scriptures as the Bereans did this is not condemned here nor is it a stumbling at the Word to put a difference betweene the teaching of Christ and the teaching of the Scribes and Pharisees Secondly but men are said to be offended at the Word when their hearts rise against it or they ensnare themselves through their owne corruption by occasion of the Word To speake distinctly wicked men are offended at the Word with a threefold offence First with the offence of anger when they rage and fret at the Word or the teachers thereof because their sinnes are reproved or their miseries foretold And this offence they shew either when they envie the successe of the Word Acts. 4.2 or raile and revile Gods Saints as Ahab did Michaiah for telling him the truth or when they mocke at the Word as the Pharisees did Luk. 16.14 Secondly with the offence of scandall when they take occasion from the doctrine they heare to fall off from hearing or from the true religion or from the company of the godly Thus they stumbled at those hard sayings of Christ that departed from him for that cause or reason Ioh. 6. Thirdly with the offence diabolicall when men pervert the good word of God to inflame themselves the more greedily to sinne making it a doctrine of liberty or taking occasion to commit sin from the Law that rebukes sinne Uses The use may be first for information and so two wayes For first we may hence see the reason why many hearers profit not by the Word It is not because the Word wants power but because they stumble at it They nourish cavils and objections against it they oppose reason to faith Secondly we may hence take notice of the difference of a regenerate and unregenerate heart To the one the Word is a savour of life to the other it is a deadly savour and full of offence to them And withall this may humble wicked men For this is a sure truth that so long as they are offended at the Word so long they have no part in Christ and withall it may comfort all those that love the Word and receive it with joy constantly For that is a meanes and signe of their interest in Christ. Being disobedient These words containe another cause why Christ was no better rellished by them and why they found such an ill taste in the word of Christ it was the wickednesse that was in them Sinne had marred their tastes Sweete meates have but an ill rellish with those who have corrupt and diseased stomackes and the cause is apparent the ill humors in their stomackes and nothing in the meates they eate But of their disobedience before and therefore this shall suffice in this place And thus of the cause in themselves The cause in God followes Whereunto they were appointed There is much difference of the reading of the originall words in the translations Some read thus They stumble at the Word and beleeve not in him in whom they are placed or set and expound it thus In whom they live move and have their being some read in stead of disobedient They beleeved not but for these words read them as here But then their meaning is that the Jewes beleeved not though they were thereunto appointed that is though they had the promise of salvation and were a people separate thereunto and so it is an aggravation of their unbeliefe This sense and reading is not to be despised But I take it as I find it in the translation and so the sense is That these men whether Jews or Gentiles that are here spoken of were appointed to this misery by the decree of God and so they are words that expresse the substance of this part of Gods decree which Divines call Reprobation And so it is to bee observed from hence That wicked men are appointed from everlasting to the enduring of the miseries which are inflicted upon them in this life or in hell This is a doctrine which is extreamly distasted by flesh and blood and proves many times more offensive to the common people and is alwayes to be reckoned as strong meat and therefore that I may fairely get off this point I offer two things to your considerations First the proofes that plainly avouch so much as is here observed Secondly I will set downe certaine infallible observations which tend to quiet mens minds and perswade them against the seeming difficulty or absurdity of this truth For the first the Apostle Iude saith that the wicked men he treateth of were of old ordained to this condemnation Iude 4. and the Apostle Peter saith that the ungodly were reserved unto the day of judgement to bee punished 2 Pet. 2.9 and vers 12. he saith that they are naturall brute beasts made to be taken and destroyed and it is manifestly implied 1 Thess. 5.8 that God hath ordained wicked men to wrath so Rom. 9.22 For the second though this doctrine seeme wonderfull hard yet to assure us there is no hard dealing at all in God there be many things may confirme us and ease our mindes though for the present we cannot understand how this should be and perhaps are much troubled about this point and therefore seriously consider First for thy selfe that if thou have truly repented and doe beleeve in Jesus Christ and hast in thee the signes of a child of God for thy part thou art free from this danger and out of all question art in safe estate and therefore oughtest not to grieve but rejoyce with singular praise to God Secondly seeing God hath comforted us with many doctrines and trusted us with many cleere points of knowledge can we not be contented that God should speake darkely to us in one point especially when wee are told beforehand that there is an Abyssus a depth yea many depths in this doctrine Shall we bee wayward because
the blood of the Paschall Lambe Exod. 12. the third was of the bullock by the High Priest cleansing the Tabernacle Levit. 16. the fourth was of the blood of the burnt offering at the ratification of the covenant and that these things may be made more plaine I would take liberty to explaine those types as they lye in the text though the explication thereof will in some things containe a little digression from this Text. And first for the sprinkling mentioned Numb 19. The Israelites by their wicked murmurings had brought the plague of God upon themselves In their distresse they cry and seeke reconciliation the Lord makes an ordinance and shewes a way how he may be pacified where many things may be noted 1. That of necessity the expiation must be made in blood which was a type of the blood of Christ God will never be friends with offendors till they bring him the blood of his Son to make attonement and this is of such absolute necessity that in the second verse the direction is called the ordinance of the law commanded of the Lord. Note an ordinance a law and commanded to shew the peremptorinesse of the Lord in this point wee must lay hold upon the blood of Christ or God will never turne away his displeasure from us 2. That this expiation belongs only to the house of Israel 3. That they of the house of Israel that is the members of the true Church need to be called upon in this point he must speake to the children of Israel verse 2. 4. That Christ that should be the true sacrifice must be one taken out of the Congregation one that lived amongst men on earth and should bee offered up in the flower of his youth and should likewise take the very infirmities of our nature upon himselfe This was shadowed by the Hâ—ifer taken out of the heard 5. The Heifer was red to shadow out the bloody passion of Christ The Church sayes of Christ my love is white and ruddy white in respect of the righteousnesse of his life and ruddy in respect of his passion unto blood 6. The Heifer was without spot and blemish to signifie that Christ should be without sinne He was indeed in the similitude of sinfull flesh but had no sin in his flesh It is somewhat that the Heifer must be such as had in her selfe no blemish Note in her selfe for it is true Christ had no fault in himselfe but his members were not without fault For no flesh in this life is without sin but the flesh of Christ. 7. The Heifer must be such as upon which never came yoke and that fitly and significantly required For such was Christ for he never bare the yoke in that he never sinned he came to deliver those that were under the yoke and servants of sin but knew no sin himselfe Besides the yoke was not put upon his flesh because he had power uncompelled to lay downe his life and to take it up againe Some say that a Heifer was to be offred to expiâ—â—e the idolatry in the Calfe and it was to be brought to Moses because Aaron had sinned and must be without yoke to note that the Israelites had cast off the yoke of Gods law but the former sense is the right 8. This Heifer was to be brought to Moses and why that not onely to signifie that Christ should be condemned under pretence of the breach of Moses law not onely because he should dye by the appointment of the Magistrate but to import that Christ must be offred up to God the Father the Law-giver who was the party offended 9. Who must bring this Heifer to Moses Answ. All the Congregation of Israel they must all get them a red Heifer that is a bloody Saviour or else they can never be accepted This is the best yea the onely present they can bring to God to pacifie his displeasure toward them 10. Ver. 3. It is said He shall give her to Eleazar the Priest Who delivered up Christ to be slaine In the letter the Iewes in the mystery the Elect. But why delivered to the Priest to note as in all other sacrifices the priesthood of Christ by his eternall spirit offering up himselfe to God Heb. 9.14 perhaps to foretell that the Priests should kill Christ. But why to Eleazar rather then to Aaron Some say because Aaron had offended in the Calfe But other say to note that the passion of Christ should not only serve for that time or the time under the law but for their successors and all successions to come and to note that this was a doctrine to be delivered downe by all Ministers one after another 11. It must he without the campe to prefigure that he should suffer without Hierusalem and thereby leave us a warning to withdraw our selves from conversation with this world and beare our reproach Ioh. 19. Heb. 13. 12. Shee must be slaine before Eleazars face The flesh of Christ was slaine before the face of the Priests of the Lord in the new Testament or rather Christ was offred up before the face of God the Father that which in the sight of the world was a punishment in the sight of God was a sacrifice 13. Ver. 4. Eleazar must take of this blood with his finger to note that men may not rudely with blinde hopes thrust in their hands into this sacred blood it must be touched or applyed with great discretion and reverence and the blood of Christ is to be touched with our fingers or hands not with our mouthes or hearts onely To note that our practise should bee dyed in the blood of Christ and savour of the vertue of his death and our applications of it that so wee may imitate his passion as well as know it 1 Pet. 2.21 14. The blood must be sprinkled directly before the tabernacle of the Congregation 7. times Some understand the Jewish synagogue upon which the curse for the effusion of Christs blood came most exquisitely according to their owne desire when they said His blood be upon us and our children But rather hereby is signified that the Church of God onely hath the benefit of Christs blood applyed and then 7. times notes both the perfection of Iustification and the often need we have of the renewing of the application of it and also the continuance of it to all ages 15. The skin flesh blood and dung of the heifer must be burnt Ver. 5. By the skin flesh and blood may be meant the substance of the flesh of Christ and by the dung the base indignities and contumelies which were cast upon him and these were all offered up and sacrificed in the fire of his passion 16. Ver. 6. Cedar-wood hysop and scarlet are not without their signification The Papists reach high here that can finde in these three to bee meant three persons suffering with Christ By Hysop should be meant the Virgin Mary and by the Cedar Iohn the Evangelist and these
creature Here while we are present with the bodie and the blessings of life we are absent from the Lord the infinite life of our lives but there we shall enjoy him as fully as our hearts can desire 2 Cor. 5.8 Here we want our crowne whatsoever else we enjoy but there our honour and glory and majestie shall be so great as if all the Kings of the earth did bring their glory to one man it would not equall what every one shall have there 2 Tim. 4.8 Rev. 2.24 3.21 we shall reigne in life Rom. 5. And this Crowne is the more glorious because it shall not consist of some precious thing without us but of royall excellency with which our soules and bodies shall shine as the Sun in the firmament our very bodies in qualitie being altered to such an expression of majestie and beautie and Angelicall excellencie as now exceeds all mortall language being rather like spirits than earthly bodies And for the measure now we have but little tastes of joy and if these tastes be unspeakable and glorious what are those rivers of joy at Gods right hand Psal. 16. ult And for continuance they are for evermore as the Psalmist there speakes whereas now they are gone from us like lightning in an instant and our lives are afterward assaulted almost continually with causes or occasion of sorrow so as the world in the best place is but like a vale of teares but there shall be no sorrow no death no crying nor paine but God shall wipe away all teares from our eyes for ever Rev. 21.4 6. Thus of the differences of life on earth and life in heaven What men must doe that they may enter into life followes And about this point our Saviour tells us two things before hand First that the way to life is a narrow way and the gate is exceeding strait men may be mis-led by a thousand by-wayes and the worke to be done is a very hard worke Secondly that there are but few that finde the right way yea but few amongst those that seeke it and seeme desirous to know what they should doe for either they understand not the directions when they are given or by taking time to thinke of them they forget them or else when they have the answer they goe their waies like the young man in the Gospel and are sorrie the conditions be so hard and so give over all further care and rest in the estate they were in before And therefore we had need to attend the more carefully and resolve to doe whatsoever God requires of us whatsoever it cost us and not be troubled at the difficulty of the worke considering the excellency of eternall life and the many helps we have to further the worke Of which afterwards This then is the question What should a man or woman doe that he might be sure to enter into life Answ. 1. Thou must lay the foundation of all in Jesus Christ thou must disclaime all trust in any thing in heaven or earth in thy selfe or thy owne workes or any other creature and relie upon the merits of Jesus Christ as the onely meanes of pacifying Gods anger or procuring eternall life Acts 4.12 Iohn 3.16 and thou must inwardly lay up Christ in thy heart so as spiritually ever to eat his flesh and drinke his bloud by applying all he hath done or suffered for thee in particular Iohn 6.53 1 Iohn 5.12 2. Thou must pray hard to the God of life Psal. 42.8 and with great importunity beseech him to give thee the spirit of life that is Jesus Christ and with the more encouragement because he hath promised to give even his holy Spirit to them that aske him Luke 11.13 3. There will be no life in the soule if thou dost not repent thee of thy sins Acts 11.18 And this is the harder worke because first to confesse thy sins will not serve turne unlesse thou forsake them and overcome them Rev. 2.7 so as the power of them be mastered and thou doe from thy heart desire and resolve to leave them If thy lusts passions disorders of life in drunkennesse swearing sinnes of deceit or the like be not mended thou canst not live this life 1 Cor. 6.9 Gal. 5.22 23. At the best without an apparent victorie there will be little comfort in life Secondly in turning thou must turne from all thy transgressions so as thou be sure thou leave no sin thou knowest but thou wilt endevour to judge thy selfe for it and strive to forsake it Thy heart must be turned from it Ezek. 18.21 Yea if some of thy sinnes for profit or pleasure be to thee like thy right eye or right hand thou must cut them off or pull them out or else thou canst never enter into life Mat. 18.8 9. As in the case of rich men the way of life is compared to the eye of a needle and their hearts to a great cable now there is no way for thee to enter into life but by untwisting the great cable till it be made like small threeds which is done by great humiliation Iames 1.10 And withall thy heart must continue affraid in the least thing to offeâ—d God This feare of the Lord is required to the very beginning of this life Pro. 14.27 4. Thou must deny thy selfe extremely in outward things thou must look for persecution yea and perhaps be put to it to forsake father and mother house and lands wife and children yea and life it selfe so as to hate and lose this naturall life in comparison of the gaining of eternall life Marke 10.30 Iohn 12.25 5. Thou must be tied to walke in a strict course of life all thy dayes resolving to walke in the way of righteousnesse and let the word of God be the rule of allâ—thy actions and by patient continuance in well-doing to seeke encrease of happinesse and holinesse for life is only in the way of righteousnesse Pro. 12.28 Rom. 2.7 8. Ezek. 33.15 16. Now though this worke be very hard yet thou hast many helps if thy heart be right and willing to obey for 1. God will give thee his holy Spirit to worke all thy worke for thee and to cause thee to walke in his statutes and keepe his judgements and to doe them and will mortifie the deeds of the flesh and teach thee in all truth and comfort and support thee and make thy workes acceptable to God as hath beene shewed before 2. Thou hast the help of spirituall armour that is mighty through God to cast downe strong holds 2 Cor. 10.3 4. thou wilt find a strong supply from every ordinance of God the Word and Prayer and Sacraments all sâ—rve to help against the difficultie of this worke and so will the societie of the godly as was shewed before 3. Thou wilt have the benefit of Christs prayers and intercession for thee in heaven Iohn 17.15 which is of unspeakable force and power to helpe thee 4. The greatnesse of
God hath given of his free grace and shall be fully brought upon you at the last day when Christ shall bee shewed in his glory to the world Now there are six reasons which may induce you to the care of a holy conversation intended in the former dutyes 1. The first concernes the image of God ye are the children of God and therefore you should live so as becomes Gods children and expresse in your cariage the resemblance of the nature of God not given your selves over onâ— of the liking of sinne to the service and obedience of any of those corruptions which either your selves lived in before your calling or are usually found in such onely as know not GOD. But as God who by the power of his word hath converted you is holy so should you strive with respect of all his commandements to resemble the praises of God in all your carâ—age striving in every duty to follow your patterne And the rather because this hath beene anciently required in the old Testament of Gods people to propound unto themselves the imitation of Gods holinesse and to detest sinne because they would not be unlike to God 2. A second reason may be taken from the judgment of God For the time must certainly come when God whom we call a Father and call upon as a Father in this life will summon us before his Tribunall certainly and speedily and then no man shall escape but shalt be dealt with without partiality or any corrupt respect according as mens workes have beene either good or evill and therefore it behoves us that are in this world but as sojourners for a time to spend our daies in all carefulnesse and godly feare 3. A third reason may be taken from the consideration of our redemption which hath many important motives in it For it cannot bee but yee all know that your misery by nature was so great that yee could not be ransomed if all the treasures of gold and silver in the world had been given for you and when you were redeemed a chiefe respect was had to the freeing of you from the viciousnesse of your conversation in which vainely yee spent your times and which corruption in many things yee sucked in from the sinfull examples and precepts and ill education of your Parents and ancestors But especially if yee consider what a matchlesse price was given for your ransome even the pretious blood of Christ who as a most absolute sacrifice for our sinnes was without all soule of nature or life and so the full substance of all the ceremoniall sacrifices and in particular was the true lambe without blemish or spot that makes attonement for the sinnes of the world And the rather if yee consider that from all eternity God had ordained that Christ should dye for you and when the fulnesse of time came that God was to reveale his Sonne as the Saviour of the world hee shewed him in the flesh and caused him to be preached unto you and for your sakes with far more evidence and clearnesse than in forâ—er ages To you and for your sakes I say that doe constantly put your trust in Gods mercy through his merits that God that to shew he was fully paid the uttermost farthing of our debts came to the prison doore and let him out which he did when he raised him from the dead and besides exalted him to wonderfull glory when hee ascended up into heaven that so for the time to come you might beleeve and trust upon Gods goodnesse and favour to you without all feare or doubting 4. And the rather in the fourth place should you be carefull of the former exhortation if you consider your relation to the godly to whom ye are 〈◊〉 For seeing that by the spirit of God your soules are purified from the leprosie of inward evills by the holy course you have held in clensing your hearts of those evills which might hinder your internall sanctification in that obedience you yeeld to the truth of God and inasmuch as the end of all this reformation was that there might be a holy communion and affection without hypocrisie and dissembling among such as feare God who are all the children of one Father therefore see to it by any meanes that yee order your lives and hearts so that you may love one another both with ardent affection pure sincere hearts which you never doe unlesse you gird up the loines of your mindes and live soberly be setled in the assurance that yee shall altogether one day raigne in heaven 5. And fiftly the immortality of your soules should perswade with you you were made new men not as you were made men by a naturall propagation but inspired with a life that should never cease having the seed of this eternall life cast into your hearts by the word of God which in it selfe and by effect in you liveth and abideth for ever And lastly if you consider the mortality of your bodies All in a mans outward estate is but vaine and transitory the bodies of all men are but as the grasse which is to day and tomorrow is cut downe and cast into the oven Man is quickly and suddenly gone nor is the glory of mens outward estate better than their bodies For all the riches pleasures c. of this life in which men glory most they are but as the ' flower of grasse His body withereth like the grasse decaying in a short time till he have nothing left but the very roote of life and as for his riches and pleasures they like the flower fall off so as they are never recovered againe many times in this life but alwaies in death But on the other side the word of God upon which men should set their hearts continueth in the efficacie of it in the sense of it and in the fruit of it for ever and that you may not be mistaken this is that word of God which is daily preached unto you AN EXPOSITION OF THE FIRST EPISTLE generall of PETER CHAP. I. verses 1 2. 1. Peter an Apostle of Iesus Christ to the strangers that dwell here and there throughout Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bithynia 2. Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father unto sanctification of the spirit through obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Iesus Christ Grace and peace be multiplied unto you THe purpose of the Apostle in this Epistle is to confirme the Christians to whom he writes in the faith and to assure them that it was the true grace of God they had received and to perswade them to all possible care of sincerity of life becomming the Gospell and to constancy in tryalls The Epistle stands of three parts 1. The salutation Chap. 1. ver 1 2. 2. The body of the Epistle Chap. 1. ver 3. to Chap. 5. ver 12. 3. The Epilogue or conclusion Chap. 5. ver 12.
we might partake of his holinesse and live and there is much fruit in the afflictions of the godly all working together for the best unto them If God spare wicked men it is because they are bastards and not sonnes and yet there is a great deale of difference betweene Gods usage of wicked men and of godly even in their trouble For he spares and pitties his owne children as a man will spare and pitty his owne son He never strikes them but it is in measure and in their branches He doth not make a full end of them to confound them as he will doe with wicked men Heb. 12. Esay 27. Ob. The world sees no such excellency in them or in their Estate Sol. The world knowes them not because it knowes not God their father they are now the sonnes of God but it doth not appeare what we shall bee but we know that when Christ shall appeare we shall be all like him 1 Iohn 3.1 2. This doctrine of Gods fatherly love to his people may serve for instuction 1. To godly men 2. To carnall men 3. To earthly fathers 1. Godly men should learne here to live like the children of God and so they'doe if they looke to three things 1. That they live without sin and not shame their father by their wicked lives their workes should shew and beare witnesse by their care to finish them that God is their father and set them about them Iohn 5.36 Their righteousnesse must exceed the righteousnesse of civill men in this world Mat. 5.20 and therefore their daily prayers unto God should be that hee would establish them in holinesse before him till the comming of Iesus Christ 1 Thess. 3.13 2. Secondly that they live without care having such a heavenly father to provide for them Mat. 6.25 c. 3. Thirdly that they live out of the society with wicked men cleaving only to the houshold of God 2 Cor. 6.18 they should love their fathers house Psal. 27.4 and deny utterly the love of this world Iohn 2.15 16. 2. Carnall men should hence take notice if it may be to be better advised and not meddle with the godly no not to despise the least of these little ones Their Angels alwayes behold the face of God for them and their heavenly father will requite their wrongs Mat. 18.10 c. 3. Earthly parents should here learne of God God cares for his children before they were and shall not they care for their children when God hath given them to them Gods greatest care is to provide holinesse for his children and should not they learne of God therein Lastly this may serve for reproofe both of some of the godly and also of the wicked that live in the Church of God some of the godly doe greatly forget themselves about this point that is such as stirre not up themselves to take hold of God and to call upon his name in their distresses but sit downe dismaide and dead hearted as if there were not the compassion care or help of a father in God this is reproved Esay 64.8 Those sons of Belial also that live in the Church and call God father but live like the Devill who indeed is their father whose workes they doe those I say are most bitterly reproved in these and such like Scriptures even from their daring to call God father Mal. 1.6 3. ult Ier. 3.4 c. Mat. 3.9 7.21 Iohn 4.23 8.38.41.44 1 Iohn 3.15 2 Iohn 9. Through sanctification of the spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Iesus Christ. There is difference of senses about the understanding and dependancy of these words amongst Interpreters Some take sanctification in a large sense for mans righteousnesse in generall and obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Christ as the two parts or kindes of it by obedience understanding mans righteousnesse or holinesse in himselfe and by sprinkling of Christâ— blood that righteousnesse of Christ that righteousnesse I say made ours by imputation both which are applyed or wrought by the spirit of God Some others make sanctification the end and obedience and sprinkling the meanes and so conceive that before mans sanctification there goes two things in God Election and fore-knowledge and two things in Christ obedience and sufferings and all this in both that we might be sanctified Others understand sanctification of the heart or spirit of man as a means intended in Gods Election for the fitting of us unto obedience of life and the fruition of the benefits purchased by the blood of Iesus Christ and thus I take it it is meant here The summe seemes then to be this that our lives may bee obedient to Gods will and that we may enjoy the benefit of Christs death we must be sanctified within in our spirits Sanctification of the spirit Man is said to be sanctified or made holy three wayes 1. Of not holy privatively and so man that was once without holinesse is made holy by regeneration and justification 2. Of lesse holy and so Gods children are daily sanctified by proceeding from grace to grace 3. Of 〈◊〉 holy negatively and so Christ as hee was man was sanctified For there was a time when Christ had not this holinesse in his humane nature viz. when his humane nature was not Spirit is taken sometimes for the holy Ghost sometimes for an evill Angell 1 Kings 22. Luke 10.20 sometimes for the Gospell which hath adjoyned to it the spirit or working of the spirit of God 2 Cor. 3.6 sometimes for the soule of man and so it is taken sometimes more strictly for the understanding the Queene of the soule the reason of mans minde and then the soule is taken for the feare of affections Ephes. 4. â—3 1 Thess. â— 23 sometimes more largely for the whole inward man the whole soule with all the faculties of it and so I take it here Divers things may be noted here in the generall 1. First that without sanctification we can never have comfort of our Election by our obedience others may discover our Election and by inward holinesse we may discerne it of ourselves 2. That our sanctification hath some dependance upon Gods election and that 1. as he hath ordained the rules of good workes we should walke in Eph. 2.10 2. as he hath bound himselfe by his decree to guide his people to the holinesse he doth require of them 3. That an outward civill life will not serve the turne God requires especially the sanctification of the heart of man 1 Sam. 16.17 when God looks for the markes of his owne people he trieth the heart and reines Ier. 11.20 4.14 Prov. 4.23 23.16 Gods wayes are in the blessed mans heart Ps. 84.5 4. That there is flesh in the best of Gods Elect in this life their spirits onely are sanctified Thus in generall More particularly concerning the sanctification of the spirit I propound two things distinctly
in Christ he tooke the true nature of his brethren true flesh and blood that he might serve and satisfie God in the same nature that had offended 2. This blood was shed If you aske who shed it I answer Iudas by selling it the Priests by advising it the people by consenting to it Pilate by decreeing it the soldiers by effecting it Christ himselfe by permitting it and after presenting it to God Heb. 9.14 our sinnes that chiefly caused it If any aske for whom it was shed I answer briefly for the Church Act. 20. not for himselfe nor for impenitent and obstinate sinners that dye in their sins 3. It is not enough that the blood of Christ bee shed to make us happy unlesse it be applyed also which the word sprinkling notes 4. This effusion of blood was solemnly prefigured or foretold by the sacraments and sacrifices of the Law For this word sprinkled is a Metaphor borowed from the legall sprinkling which shewes us two things 1. The great account that God and good men make of it in that it was so solemnely and anciently typed out 2. That the ceremonies of that Law are now abolished seeing we have here the true sprinkling of the blood fore-shadowed out 5. That our estate in Christ is better now than our estate in Adam was For God here in his eternall counsell is brought in over-looking that first estate in Adam and setting up his rest in this estate purchased in the blood of his Sonne If any man marvell at this he shall be thus satisfied Our estate in Christ is better than our estate was at the best in Adam even in this life and therefore much more in the world to come In this life it is better onely in two respects 1. That wee cannot fall from this happinesse 2. That Christs righteousnesse imputed to us is better then that righteousnesse was inherent in Adam Now for the world to come heaven is better then paradise 6. We can never discerne our comfort in the blood of Christ till we be sanctified in spirit and set upon the reducing of our lives into the obedience of Christ. Iustification and Sanctification are inseparable Thus much for the generall In particular concerning this sprinkling of the blood of Christ I consider two things 1. What benefits the Christian enjoyes by the blood of Christ which is here noted as the end of his sanctification 2. The mystery of this sprinkling or applying of the blood of Christ as it was shadowed out by the legall sprinklings The benefits which flow from the effusion of the blood of Christ are either generall or particular The generall are 1. The purchase of the Church Acts 20. 2. The ratification of the new Testament or covenant of grace Heb 9.18 3. The breaking downe of the partition wall betweene Jews and Gentiles and the adopting of the abject Gentiles the free denizing of the Gentiles and repealing of all statutes of aliens Ephes. 2.13 c. 4. The reconciliation of all things both in heaven and earth and the dissolving of that enmity which came in by sin Col. 1.20 The particular benefits which flow from the blood of Christ to every converted Christian are 1. Iustification which hath in it 1. the pacification of Gods anger Christs blood is the propitiatory like the cover of the Arke that hides the law from the sight of God Rom. 3.25 2. the pardon of all sinnes 1 Iohn 1. 7.9 Ephes. 1.7 3. prevention of Gods eternall wrath or the losse of heaven Rom. 5.9 4. the garment of imputed righteousnesse or putting on of robes made white in his blood Rev. 7.14 2. Sanctification and the cleansing the conscience from dead workes to serve the living God Heb. 9.13 14. 3. The sanctification of all the meanes of help to the beleever both spirituall and temporall the very booke of God is sprinkled with the blood of Christ that it may be opened and of use to the faithfull and so all meanes else in his generall and particular calling Heb. 9.19 20. 4. Intercession the blood of Christ speaking better things then the blood of Abel pleading daily for the godly and procuring the establishment of favour in God and acceptation Heb. 12.24 5. Victory over Sathan who is overcome by the blood of the Lambe and the word of the testimony Rev. 12.11 so as his molestations and temptations shall not prevaile 6. The destruction of him that had power over death so as now the beleever needs not feare death nor can he be hurt of it Heb. 2.14 7. Entrance into the most holy place even within the Vaile that is into heaven Heb. 10.19 20. you may see more Iohn 6.53 54 55 56 57 58 59 c. All this may serve for divers uses As 1. For singular consolation to all the godly Oh what an honor is it to be descended of the blood of Christ How doth a Christian mans new birth in this respect excell all the nobility of birth in the world Iohn 1.13 What reason have we of thankfulnesse for so happy a condition what should we complaine of what matters it what we lose or want if wee neither lose nor want the blood of Christ How incomparable are these benefits beyond all the glory of this world if we have eyes to see them and hearts large enough to conceive of the glory of them The Lord from eternity looking upon the blood of his Son sets up his reâ—t there as having provided a sufficient portion for all that shall be sanctified by his spirit 2. For instruction we should every one of us be incited to all possible care of assurance that Christ dyed for us and get it ratified to our hearts by all the testimonies we can There be three witnesses of a mans happinesse 1. the water 2. the blood 3. and the spirit 1 Iohn 5.6 The water of repentance the blood of expiation in the passion of Christ applyed by faith the spirit of sanctification testified by saving graces and new divine gifts 3. For terror to all wicked men that sin against the blood of Christ by despising and neglecting the grace of the covenant by swearing by unworthy receiving the sacrament and by their obstinate unbeleefe and impenitency Shall the blood of Abel cry for such vengeance and shall not the blood of Christ much more What a blood-guiltinesse doe these men draw upon themselves that sinne against the blood of Christ If Iudas burst his heart with despaire for betraying it how can their case be better for despising it Thus of the benefits which come by the blood of Christ Now it followeth that I should open the meaning of those ceremoniall legall sprinklings and shew how they did in their kinde fore-signifie the mystery of this sprinkling of the blood of Christ. There was a â—ourefold legall sprinkling 1. the first was of the blood of the red Cow and of a water made of the ashes of the red Cow Num. 19. 2. the second was of
that was himselfe the onely begotten Sonne and heire of God by 〈◊〉 that God and man might be one in covenant This one is made God and man in person 2. For instruction we may learne divers duties 1. To blesse God for our Saviour Christ as the foundation of all our happinesse Shall 〈…〉 talke of his righteousnesse all the day Shall not everlasting joy be upon our heads Psal. 103.1 2. 71.23 Esay 35.10 1 Cor. 30 31. Eph. 1.6 7. 2. To seeke redemption in him both from the guilt of our sins Rom. 3. 24 25 Esay 44.22 and from the power of them and from the punishment of them Psal. 1 30.7 Iob 19.25 Psal. 34.19 c. Esay 63.16 50.2 Psal. 31.7 55.18 Hos. 13.14 3. Therefore we must serve him in holinesse and righteousnesse all our daies Luke 1.68 74. Esay 59.20 Tit. 2.14 4. Let us follow the example of his humility and let him that would be great amongst us be the servant of all Mat. 20.28 Coherence 5. Honour the redeemed of Jesus Christ and ever say what one Nation is like to Christs people By his bloud Hitherto of the person by whom we were redeemed now followes the manner We were redeemed 1. by the passion of Christ 2. by the obedience of Christ and well are they joyned together for the justice of God required both and it hath ever been the nature of the Devill and the world to powre out flouds of tribulation after innocency especially in the eminent As it was with Christ so it is with all his members who are conformed unto him both in sufferings and obedience and as any are more innocent so is their passion the greater but let that passe The first point here intended is that the Holy Ghost would have us to know and knowing to be deeply affected with it that wee were ransomed by bloud yea by the bloud of Iesus Christ God and man For the explication of this point foure things briefly would be considered 1. That it is 2. What it is 3. Why it is 4. How it is 1. The first that our ransome was to be payed in bloud was foretold continually from the very fall by sacrifices in bloud and is proved by expresse Scriptures Heb. 9.13 14. Act. 20.28 2. For the second The bloud of Christ is diversly taken sometimes sacramentally and so the wine in the Sacrament is his bloud Mat. 26. sometimes mystically and so the bloud of the Martyrs is the bloud of Christ and so they are said to fulfill the rest of the passion of Christ sometimes imputatively and so the Saints have their robes made white in the bloud of the Lambe Revel 7.14 but most an end properly for his naturall bloud and so it is taken here For no Saints nor bloud of Martyrs can make atonement for our sinnes But by his bloud He syneâ—dâ—chically meanes all his passion even all that hee suffered of the malediction of the law as the surety for our sinnes 3. For the third If any aske why Christ in suffering endured this kinde of suffering I answer 1. Expiation for sinne was a way universally conceived of to be fittest done in bloud 2. Hereby he fulfilled both the Scriptures of the Prophets and the types went before of him 3. It was not onely for example but also for the sanctification of the like sufferings in the Martyrs of all ages 4. It was one of the curses of the law 5. It was his good pleasure hereby to shew his matchlesse love to us If we aske why this part of the passion of Christ is so much stood upon and so often remembred I answer 1. To shew the extremity of Christs humiliation 2. To shew the full accomplishment of all types 3. To confirme our faith in the assurance of the compleatnesse of our ransome 4. To settle our hearts with more affection to him 4. For the fourth Christ shed his blood for us many times As first in his Circumcision as the first fruits and pledge of the rest 2. In his sweate in the garden 3. When hee was crowned with thornes and whipped 4. When he was nailed on the Crosse. 5. When his side was pierced with a speare The last is chiefly intended The Use may be divers 1. It may informe us of our extreame misery by nature men must think upon it their native condition is most servile else there had not needed such a ransome by such blood 2. It may import the horrible misery of wicked impenitent sinners when they shall fall into Gods hands If Christ being but a surety for others suffered such extreame things oh what mercy can wicked men expect The very dolours of Christ should teach them how miserable their case shall bee 3. To consider that Christ hath bought us to himselfe by his blood should compell our affections to resolve more unchangeably and unfainedly to devote our selves to his service that paid so deare for us Shall we not live to him in all sincerity that was faine to shed his blood before he could redeeme us to himselfe as a peculiar people If any thing will doe it this should kindle the zeale of good workes in us 4. It may comfort us many wayes 1. It shewes that Christ wonderfully loves us 2. That the satisfaction of our debt is fully made 3. That his intercession daily for us must prevaile since his blood cryes in heaven for us and speakes better things then did the blood of Abel 4. That our nourishment to eternall life shall bee surely effected because he hath given himselfe as bread and his blood as drinke for us 5. It should teach us patience in all our afflictions or combats with sin seeing we have not resisted unto blood as the author and finisher of our faith did Heb. 12.3 4. Precious blood The blood of Christ is commended for the marvellous preciousnesse of it which may appeare besides the expresse affirmations of Scripture 1. By the continuall view of the slaine sacrifices 2. By the amasement of the creatures when it was shed The Sunne eclipsed the vaile of the Temple rent the rockstorne the earth trembling c. 3. By the admirable effects of it it appeased Gods anger Rom. 3.25 it purchased the Church Acts 20. 28. which all the gold and silver could not doe it ratified the covenant therefore called the blood of the covenant Luke 22.20 Heb. 9.18 it is our drinke indeed Iohn 6. it makes a holy consanguinity betweene Iew and Gentile they are all allyed in the blood of Christ Eph. 2.13 it overcomes the Devill Rev. 12. it saves us from the destroying Angels Heb. 11.18 it makes intercession for sins after calling continually in heaven Heb. 12.24 it purgeth the conscience from dead workes Heb. 9.14 and it opens the holy of holies and gives an entrance into the kingdome of heaven Heb. 10.19 Quest. But whence comes this preciousnesse into the blood of Christ Answ. I answer many wayes 1. Because it
Church is thankfull for it to God Revel 2.6 and 5.10 And the rather should we rejoyce in it because God hath promised to take us to himselfe as his portion and peculiar treasure Exod. 19. 6. And it is his promise also to satiate the soules of his Priests with fatnesse Ierem. 31.14 And what a priviledge is it to have accesse unto the Lord and to stand before God daily which the Priests not onely might but were tyed to it by their office But then for conclusion of this point let us all be sure we have our part in the first resurrection Revel 20.6 and be carefull to be like the Priests for obedience and sanctity Exod. 19.5.6 and to get knowledge plentifully into our hearts Col. 3.16 and in the cause of God to blowe the trumpets of zeale and resolution carrying our selves with all humility and readinesse to doe good and so becomming instruments of blessing to the people And which I had almost forgotten we must remember to be like the Priests for teaching and confuting and reproving and informing our Familiars and friends as we have fitnesse and occasion Thus of the Priest-hood of Christians in generall In particular hence is further to be considered first their worke secondly their honour Their work is To offer up spirituall sacrifices their honour is Acceptation and high account with God through Iesus Christ. First then of the work of Christian Priests which is To offer secondly what they must offer viz. sacrifices thirdly the difference of those sacrifices from those in the Law of Moses they are spirituall which word notes both the substance of Christian sacrifices viz. that they are such sacrifices as were not according to the letter but according to the mysticall significations of the sacrifices of Moses Law and withall the manner how they must be offered up viz. spiritually or after a spirituall manner The maine thing here intended then is To avouch that Christians have their sacrifices which they must offer and that in a spirituall manner Now for the clearer opening of this doctrine two things must be distinctly considered of First what sacrifices can remaine to Christians since the Law of Moses is abrogated and secondly what things are requisite to the offering up of these sacrifices For the first There are divers sorts of sacrifices among Christians Some are proper to some Christians onely some are generall to all The sacrifices that are proper to some Christians are such as three sorts of men must offer First Ministers secondly Martyrs thirdly rich men First Ministers have their sacrifices which they must with all care offer to God and their sacrifice is the soules of the hearers Thus Paul was to offer up the Gentiles to God Rom. 15.16 And thus it was prophecied that in the time of the Christian Church the Elect should be brought in as an offering to God out of all Nations Esay 66.20 Ministers sacrifice their people either in this life or at the day of â—udgement In this life in generall when they perswade them to their attendance upon the House of God and breed in them a care to come before the Lord in â—erusalem Esay 66.20 In particular when they work repentance and true conversion in their hearts and when they make them goe home and mortifie their sinnes and tender their vowed service to God And thus two things are implyed for our information The one concernes Ministers the other concernes the hearers First Ministers may hence take notice of it that there can never be hope they should perswade with all their hearers for sacrifices were here and there once taken out of the whole Herd And besides the hearers may hence see that they are never so effectually wrought upon till they can give themselves over to their Teachers and to God to obey in all things though they perswade them to leave the world and binde them to the cords of restraint in many liberties they tooke to themselves before yea though they let their hearts blood by piercing their soules with sorrow for their sinnes even to the death of their sinnes 2 Cor. 8.5 and 7.15 Secondly At the day of â—udgement also Ministers shall offer up their hearers to God so many of them as are found chaste virgins unto Christ to whom they had espoused them before in this life 2 Cor. 11.3 And thus Ministers before they dye must make ready their accounts for the soules of their people Heb. 13.7 And thus of the sacrifices of Ministers Ministers have another sacrifice too viz. the particular texts or portions of Scripture which they chuse out and divide to the people as consecrated for their use For divers think that that phrase of cutting the Word of God aright is borrowed from the Priests manner of dividing the sacrifices and especially from the Priests manner of cutting the little birds The little birds is his text chosen out of the rest and separated for a sacrifice which he must so divide as that the wings be not cut asunder from the body that is he must so divide his text that no part be separate from a meet respect of the whole Leviâ— 1.17 and 5.8 2 Tim. 1.15 Secondly The Martyrs likewise have their sacrifices and that is a drink-offering to the Lord even their owne bloud this part is ready to be powred out as a drink-offering to the Lord for the Church Phil. 2.17 2 Tim. 4.6 and though wee cannot be all Martyrs yet wee should all denie our owne lives in the vowes of our hearts to performe our covenant with God if ever we be called to die for Christs sake and the Gospel Thirdly The sacrifice of rich men is almes and well-doing and those sacrifices they are bound unto to offer them continually Heb. 13.16 Phil. 4.18 Pro. 3.9 Almes is as it were the first fruits of all our encrease But then we must remember that our almes be of goods well gotten For else God hates robbery for burnt offering Isaiah 61.8 And in giving wee must denie our selves and not seeke our owne praises or plenary merit in it for it is a sacrifice cleane given â—way from us and consecrated onely to God and the use of his spirituall house the Church And thus of the sacrifice proper to some Christians There are other sacrifices in the Gospel now that are common to all Christians And these are divers For first Christ is to be offered up daily to God as the propitiation for our sinnes God hath set him forth of purpose in the Gospel that so many as beleeve may daily runne unto him and in their prayers offer him up to God as the reconciliation for all their sinnes and this is the continuall sacrifice of all Christians Without this there is the abomination of desolation in the temple of our hearts This is the end of all the ceremonious sacrifices the substance of those shadowes Those sacrifices served but as rudiments to instruct men how to lay hold upon
he is not more unperfect in generation than any other creature for First the Virgin Mary did beare Christ-man in her wombe and Christ-man is said to be of the seed of the Virgin and yet his soule was created of God as hath beene shewed before Secondly though there bee some dissimilitude in the generation of man and of a beast yet it doth not follow that man is more unperfect As for instance The beaâ—t begets his young and brings him forth strong covered with a hide able to feed himselfe presently full of leaping and other actions But man brings forth an Infant weake crying naked unable to feed it selfe What is man therefore more unperfect No for the perfection of generation doth not consist of these things or in these things For here man excels all other living creatures in the world in generation because he is Gods instrument for the begetting of a body fit to be united to such a soule God also doth hereby commend the generation of man and dignifie it that he is pleased so to worke in mans generation as he doth not in any other creature vouchsafing to give unto mans generation such an admirable soule to his body For therefore was the creation of the first man more excellent than the creation of other creatures because God having framed his body of the dust of the earth did infuse such a soule into him Object 3. It is a peevish objection that some make thus If God create the soule in all men then when any is borne of Adulterie God should cooperate with the adulterer and so be either the author or the approver of sinne that will give the soule to such a wicked generation Sol. Some answer thus That God is not the author or approver because out of evill he onely workes good for his owne glory Others answer That God onely cooperates with the action not with the sinne of the action or the evill of the action or the evill which is in the will of the agents But the best answer is theirs that answer by a similitude thus The earth hath received her nature and vigour from God to nourish and bring forth the seede that is cast into it without difference whether the seed be lawfully taken out of the barne or stolne by fraud The stolne graine doth not cease to grow in the earth nor is it to be expected that nature should cast out such seed and yet the earth doth not justifie the action of him that stole the graine so is it with God that workes according to the grounds of nature and his owne decree and providence Hee is not to bee blamed for the evill of the action when hee workes according to the rules of nature and will glorifie himselfe by raising a frame of good out of that which by men was ill done Object 4. Wee see that children resemble the vertues or vices of their parents and therefore as from the bodies of their parents they receive a likenesse to them in body so is it that from their soules they receive this similitude of their vertues or vices Solut. Experience shewes that this is not alwaies true For many children have no resemblance in them of their parents qualities Secondly where this is true it is not because their soules are derived from the soules of their parents but they have it from the bodies of their parents For the soule after suffers from the sympathie with the bodie as by reason of certaine humours in the bodies of parents that incite wrath or griefe or lust or the like may come infection to the child but not from their soules Thirdly rather the argument may be retorted upon them that in asmuch as the soules of all children are not like in qualities to the soules of their parents that therefore they receive not their soules from their parents Ob. 5. Gen. 9. Lev. 17. The soule is said to bee in the blood Now it is evident that the blood is from the parents Solut. The soule is in the blood but how By the effect of it which is life otherwise the soule is neither devoured in the blood nor depends upon it in it selfe Ob. 6. It is said Gen. 2. That God rested from all his workes Now if hee did daily create new soules then he rested not from all his workes but continues creation still Solut. The meaning of Moses cannot be that God rested simply from all creation For then it must needs follow too that the soule of Christ was not created but propagated which cannot be true But his meaning is that hee rested from creation of things in specie hee made no more new sorts of things That hinders not creation in individuo which is a worke of God preserving those sorts he had made at the first by creating successively a new supply as in this case of the soules of men That God did not rest absolutely is plaine by the words of our Saviour Christ My Father worketh hitherto and I worke Ioh. 5. Hitherto of the originall of the soule The union of the soule with the body followes which is a consideration of no lesse difficulty than the former no lesse needfull to be knowne no lesse certaine That it is united to the body so as to make it one man is apparent by the words of God in the creation Hee breathed into him the breath of lives and so Adam became a living soule Hee became then a man or a living creature distinct from other creatures upon his conjunction of the soule with the body And by this union with the body doth the spirit of man differ from the Angels who are spirits separate and such as exist without relation to a body whereas the soule of man in the creation of it and the disposition of it also tends unto this conjunction with the body and doth not fully exercise it selfe living without the body and that is the reason why man is not absolutely perfect after death in his soule till the day of judgement For though the soule doe enjoy an estate free from sinne or paine or misery yet two of the faculties of the soule are without exercise till it be united againe to the body viz. the faculties of vegetation and sense which cannot be exercised but in the body The manner how the soule is united to the body is full of difficulty to expresse The question is whether the soule worke upon the body from without and so is by that meanes joyned to it or whether it be placed in the body and worke there and from thence This latter is the truth for the soule doth not worke from without which I shew by a comparison The light and the eye are joyned together in seeing But how The light from without extends it selfe to the eye and so is joyned to it so is not the soule joyned to the body but is seated within the body which appeares so partly by experience for we may all perceive that our thoughts
this is the divels speciall sinne to bee an accuser of the brethren and from thence hath his name in other languages And wilt thou make a devill of thy selfe or discover such a divellish property in this nature Fourthly if they consider the effect of this sin of reproaching slandering the godly either to the godly or to themselves First to the godly what mischiefe do they Evill words are compared to swords and razors It is a kind of murther it is as hatefull as if they did cut or pierce their bodies and besides to what grievous contempts and indignities many times doest thou bring them by thy lies and slanders Secondly to thy seâ—f consider what thou bringst by speaking evil of the godly 1. Though thou doe it never so secretly behind their backes yet it is over-heard and will come out how wouldest thou be ashamed if hee of whom thou speakest stood behind thee when thou didst slander him O man consider though the godly man never heare thee yet God doth heare it and all thou sayest thou must beare thy shame for it 2. Observe what interpretation God makes of it he cals this sin blasphemy for so the word is in the originall Col. 3.8 to note thereby that hee is vexed at this sinne of vilifying his people as if it were the reproaching of himselfe 3. Consider what a shame it will be to thee when God shall cleare the innocency of his servants how wilt thou be confounded when they are justified 4. Consider what hurt it doth thy self and others it is a great means to set you further off from the Kingdome of God and to harden your hearts against the cares of your owne reformation and salvation Evill words corrupt good manners Thou losest so much even of naturall honesty as thou admittest of evill in thy tongue 5. Consider the punishment from the Lord. This is a sinne that God hath grievously threatned as these places shew Psal. 50.20 and 109.29 Esay 51. 18. Psal. 31.18 Esay 41.11 12.1 Pet. 4.4 5. And as it is evill to speak evill of those that are godly as it appears by these reasons so it is monstrous to be guilty of speaking evill in any of the cases following as 1. To speak evill of the absent that cannot defend themselves 2. To speak evill of such as God hath humbled and afflicted and doe judge themselves for their sinnes 3. To speak evill of such as have been friendly to us and shewed their loving respect of us and done us good 4. To speak evill of our superiours as godly Magistrates good Ministers 5. To speak evill of such as are neerly linked unto us as of our parents and so it is monstrous uncomely when wives speak evill of their husbands and contrariwise 6. To speak evill of any simply for godliness sake 7. To speak evill of others and yet be guilty of the same offences themselves 8. And so it is monstrous when men speak evill of such behinde their backs to whom they speak fair before their faces this hooding of hatred and cursing with lying lips is abominable So then this doctrine against evill-speaking doth in a speciall manner light upon such persons as are guilty of any of those waies of evil-speaking And thus of the uses that concerne wicked men Secondly godly men bee also instructed from hence For since this doctrine tells them that it hath been the lot of godly men in all ages to bee evill spoken of in all places where they live they should thereby bee made carefull to order themselves aright in bearing reproaches in a right manner as resolved to prepare for the triall of this affliction if they be not scourged with it for as the divell when he gave over to tempt Christ is said to cease but for a season so if wicked men hold their tongues we must not think they will be quiet alwaies for till God turn their hearts they are apt to speak evill Now that a godly man may be rightly ordered in respect of reproaches hee must look to three things First he must be sure he be free from this evill himselfe that hee help not the wicked against the righteous and by his owne intemperance raise evill fames by reason of which Religion is evill-spoken of for railing cursing slandering censuring and the like will make the very godly look like wicked ones yea like the divell himselfe Shall it be accounted a Paganish offence and shall a godly Christian bee guilty of it Especially such Christians should be extremely abased for their evill natures that raise evill reports of other Christians in cases where wicked men themselves are silent Secondly that he carry himselfe in a holy manner when he is reproached and so he must remember two things 1. That hee render not reviling for reviling but if he find himselfe stirred with David to go to God and betake himself to praier Psal. 109.4.1 Pet. 3.9 2. That he strive to confute them by reall apologies and so he doth if hee endeavour to put them to silence by his good works and a carefull course of conversation Thirdly because the godliest men may have their passions and may bee stirred up with such indignations as appeares Ier. 8.18 21 he must labour to sense his owne heart with store of arguments that may make him patient comfortable under this crosse and thus it should comfort him to consider 1. That no reproaches can make him vile in God's sight how vile soever he seem to bee unto men yet in God's eyes he is honourable Esay 43.4 2. That thou art but as an evill doer not an evill doer It is not miserable To be as an evill doer but it is miserable To be an evill doer 2. Cor. 6.8 9. 3. This is not to resist unto bloud Heb. 12.3 This is a farre lesse crosse than hath been laid upon many of the best servants of God they have lost their lives in the defence of pure Religion 4. That howsoever it go with thee in this life yet in the Day of Jesus Christ thy innocencie shall bee cleared and thy faith and sincerity shall bee found unto praise and honour and glorie thou shalt have aboundant praise in that Day 1. Pet. 1.7 Thus of the use that concernes either wicked men or godly men There is yet a use that concerns all men and that is To take heed oâ— receiving evill reports against the godly for seeing it is so usuall for ill-minded men to devise and divulge evill reports of them all men should be wary and take heed of receiving the evill speeches that are bruited or spoken of any in the businesse of godlinesse The receiving of false reports is forbidden in Scripture as well as the devising or divulging of them Exod. 23.1 And it is made a signe of a wicked disposition To give heed to false lips and that man is himselfe a lyar that harkneth to a naughty tongue Pro. 17.4 And therefore God will plague in hell
restlesnesse by the grievous distempers of the body or failing of their senses being for the time as Iob saith brought under the king of terrours Iob 18.14 What a wofull case Belshazzar was in you may reade Dan. 5.9 These terrours are the fansies the Gentiles so much dreamed of The fourth is desperation An evill Conscience in sinne many times brings them to hellish despaire of all mercy and pardon thus Cain rageth and blasphemeth like a frantick man And these effects of an evill Conscience are so muâ—h the more great 1. Because the Conscience can lash a man without noise it can secretly inflict torments when no eyes shall pity him 2. Because there is no escape from Conscience a man can neither drive it away nor run from it it cleaves to the offender inseparably From a tyrant or ill master some men run away but from an ill Conscience there is no flying 3. Because Conscience it selfe is a thousand witnesses to prove the fault though never so secret and the offender is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 condemned of himselfe and goes up and downe with a heavie sentence upon him in his bosome though all the world should account him innocent 4. Because an evill Conscience is such a damnable disease and the griefe raised by Conscience is such and so lasting that the grieved dies before the griefe can be removed yea so violent is the confusion which despaire bringeth into the thoughts that out of the grievous mistaking and impatience many times the offender makes away himselfe as Saul Achitophel and Iudas did and many in our times doe 5. Because death it selfe doth not abate the torments of an evill Conscience but the living worme gnawes them even in hell for ever and with so much strength and power there that one said wittily Hell were not hell if it were not for the gnawing of this never-dying and never-ceasing worme 6. Because unto the making up of the compleat misery of the impenitent sinner the sentence of Conscience and the testimony of it shall be heard and admitted at the last day before the Tribunall of Christ. For though an evill conscience shall never disgrace for some effects as for that of working despaire of mercy yet for the maine body of the proceedings of Conscience it shall be not only allowed but justified by the voice of Christ to the eternall shame and confusion of the offender And though it be true that the worst of the effects before mentioned arise from a stirring Conscience yet is not the man safe that hath a still Conscience if it bee evill For first hee is in continuall danger of the awaking of that conscience of his that now is asleep What ease can that mans heart be at if he had all pleasures round about him if he were tied to a Beare or Lion or mad Dog though he were then asleep for hee may awake every moment and then where is hee The stilnesse of an ill conscience is but like the sleep of a frantick man Secondly there can be no true peace unto the man that lieth in sinne without repentance Isa. 57. There is no peace to the wicked saith my God Though hee bee friends with himselfe for a time yet God is not friends with him nor is sinne and Satan at peace with him though there be an uncertaine truce for a time Thirdly the danger of a still conscience is the greater for the terrours of a troubled conscience may prepare a man for Christ and compell a man to seeke helpe from Christ but in the case of a still conscience there are these two usuall miseries the one that men take a still conscience to be a good conscience and the other is that a man runnes onely blindefolded so long till death and hell may seaze upon him Thus of the effects of an evill conscience the meanes how conscience may be made good follow That an evill conscience may be made good two things must bee looked into first that wee get a right medicine to heale it secondly that we take a right course in application of the medicine First the medicine for the curing of an ill conscience is onely the bloud of Christ the disease of conscience is of so high a nature as all the medicines in the world are insufficient nothing but sprinkling it with bloud will serve the turne and it must be no other bloud than the bloud of the immaculate Lambe of God as the Apostle shews Heb. 9.14 The reason of this is because conscience will never be quiet till it see a way how Gods anger may be pacified and sinne abolished which cannot be done any way but by the bloud of Christ which was powred out as a sacrifice for sinne Now unto the right application of this medicine foure things are requisite First the light of knowledge Secondly the washing of regeneration Thirdly the assurance of faith Fourthly the warmth of love First knowledge a man must have both Legall and Evangelicall for they must know by the law what sinnes lie upon the conscience and trouble it and they must know by the Gospel what a propitiation is made by Christ for sinnes And for the second an evill conscience will never bee gotten off unlesse our hearts be sprinkled and washed from the filth and power of the sinnes which did lie upon the conscience Heb. 10.22 1 Tim. 1.5 Now unto such removing of such sinnes from the heart two things are requisite First that by particular confession wee doe as it were scratch off the filth of those sinnes that soule the heart and trouble the conscience Secondly and then that wee wash our hearts and daily rinse them with the teares of true repentance and humiliation before God for those sinnes Thirdly assurance of faith is necessary to the cure of an ill conscience because faith is the hand that layes on the medicine A man must apply the sufferings of Christ to himselfe and beleeve that Christ did satisfie for those sinnes that lie upon the conscience and must accordingly all to besprinkle the conscience with that bloud of Christ and then of an evill conscience it will presently become good but men must looke to one thing and that is that their faith be unfained For conscience will not be satisfied with the profession of faith they must beleeve indeed and with their hearts and with sound application of the promises of the Gospel concerning the bloud of Christ or else conscience will not be answered Heb. 10.22 1 Tim 1.5 Fourthly the heat of love must be added a man must so apply the bloud of Christ as that his owne bloud be heated in him affection with both towards God and Christ and Christians Christian love doth put as it were naturall heat into the conscience and makes it now receiving life by faith to bestirre it selfe in all the workes either of service to God or duty to men 1 Tim. 1.5 Heb. 9.24 knowledge bringing it light mortification making it cleane faith
curing it and putting life into it by sprinkling it with the bloud of Christ and love infusing or rather inflaming it with the heat of life All these things are requisite though I stand not upon the precise order of the working of every one of these Thus how conscience may bee made good Now I might adde a direction or two how conscience may doe her worke aright that is a good conscience and not doe ill offices in the soule Two things I say are of great use for the guiding of a good conscience First that in all her proceedings she must follow the warrant of Gods word Secondly that she doe not mistake in judging of particular actions she must bee sufficiently informed about our Christian liberty for unlesse the conscience discerne that wee are freed from the malediction of the law and from the rigorous perfection of obedience and have restored unto us a free use of all things indifferent and the like shee may be over-busie and troublesome disquieting the heart and restraining the joyes should refresh and support a man Thus of the meanes how conscience may be made good the signes of a good conscience follow First by the opposition it makes against the remainders of sinne in the godly It maintaines a constant combating against the law of the members having at command the law of the minde It doth not only resist grosse evils but even the most secret corruptions in the heart of man This Paul discerned in himselfe Rom. 7. of doing God service Secondly by the manner of exacting of obedience for a good conscience First doth incline a man to doe good duties not by compulsion but a man shall find that he doth them by force of an internall principle in himself Secondly it cannot abide dead works a good conscience abhors all cold and carelesse or luke-warm or counterfeit serving of God it puts life into all good dutes it exacteth attendance upon God in doing them Heb. 9.14 Thirdly it more respecteth God than all the world or the man himselfe and therefore will compell a man to obey against profit and pleasure and liking of the world 2 Cor. 1.12 Fourthly it requires an universall obedience it would have all Gods commandements respected and therefore Paul saith I desired in all things to live honestly Heb. 13.18 The allowing of one sin shewes the depravation of the conscience if it bee a knowne sinne and still tolerated As one dead flie will spoyle a boxe of pretious oyntment I say one dead flie though many living flies may light upon a boxe of oyntment and do it no great hurt so a godly man may have many infirmities and yet his conscience be sound but if there be one corruption that lives and dies there that is such a corruption as is knowne and allowed and doth by custome continue there it will destroy the soundnesse of the best conscience of the world and doth usually argue a conscience that is not good Fiftly a good conscience doth require obedience alwaies thus Paul pleads I have served God till this day It doth not command for God by fits but constantly Acts 23.1 A third signe is that a good conscience is alwayes toward God it still desires to bee before God it seekes Gods presence it reckons that day to be lost and that it did not live as it were when it found not the Lord or had no fellowship or conversation with God A good conscience is like a good Angell it is alwayes looking into the face of God Acts 23.1 Thus of the signes The benefits of a good conscience are many and great for First it is the best companion a man hath all the daies of his life it is ever with him and speakes good unto him and comforts him A man that hath no company needs not to be alone for he may converse with much delight with his owne conscience and it is the surest friend a man can have for it will neither hurt him by flattery nor forsake him for any carnall respects and being an internall agent is out of the watch of all outward hinderances and is alwaies a messenger of good things to a man and fits him and fills him with peace that passeth all the understanding of all men that want a good conscience Secondly it gives a man assurance of the best treasures it makes a man certaine of his salvation for a good conscience will not be quiet till it know the love of God and the promises of grace in Christ and the assurance that conscience gives is a better assurance than any man can have for his lands or any estate on earth because it is so highly honoured that Gods owne Spirit doth not disdaine at any time to witnesse with it and to it Rom. 8.15 16. Thirdly by reason of that new acquaintance and affinity it hath with the holy Ghost it brings us into a familiar friendship with God as being an immediat Agent with the holy Ghost in all things that concerne us for Gods Spirit treates with the conscience and the conscience treates with the Soule Fourthly it is a continuall bulwarke against the divell and all his fiery darts whether he tempt us to sinne or to feare and doubting for so soone as the temptation is cast in a good-conscience by her reasoning presently throwes it out reserving principles both of precept and promise alwaies in a readinesse to that end so as by contrarious reasoning within us it both hinders us from yeelding to sin and supports us against all doubts and feares Prov. 28.1 Fiftly against all afflictions and disgraces and reproches of the world a good conscience still comforts a man and makes him rejoyce by the force of the testimony thereof 2 Cor. 1.14 So as it is most true that a good conscience is a continuall feast he never fares ill that hath a good conscience Psal. 7.8 Acts 24.16 Rom. 9.10 Sixtly and the greater is the comfort of a good conscience because it will comfort us and stand by us and for us when all other comforts faile It will never leave us in sicknesse or in death and so is better than a thousand friends or wives or children yea it will goe with us to the Judgement feat of Christ with this assurance that as a good conscience speakes to us now so will Christ speake to us at that day Rom. 2.16 Thus of the sorts or kindes of consciences The last point is about the bond of conscience what it is that can binde a mans conscience and the doubt ariseth from this and other Texts because here a servant is bound in conscience to submit himselfe to a froward master both to his command and to his punishments and other Scriptures speake of his obedience to superiours for conscience sake For answer hereunto we must know that God and his law have power simply and absolutely to binde conscience that is to urge it to require obedience of a man or to accuse
his office he is carefull to prove that he hath given knowledge to the men God gave him to prepare them for eternall life Iohn 17.6 7 8 26. Fifthly by the relation it hath to God himselfe it is a part of the image of God in the new man Col. 3.10 Sixthly by the contrary it is accounted a great sinne and a curse to want knowledge Hosh. 4.11 and other gifts or services are rejected as vaine if this grace be not had as Zeale Rom. 10.2 Sacrifice Hos. 6.6 and therefore such as want knowledge should shake off profane sluggishnesse and vaine objections and seeke to be rich in knowledge as the men in the world doe to abound in wealth Pro. 4.7 2.4 And such as have knowledge should strive to encrease it and be thankfull to God for his great mercy in giving them knowledge and the meanes of it Doct. 2. Knowledge is required of all sorts of men Not of Ministers only but of private men of all husbands yea and of all men before they be husbands because so soone as they have wives they are charged to shew their knowledge Iohn 1.9 1 Cor. 8.1 1 Tim. 2.4 This condemnes the sacrilegâ—ous humour of those persons that are like the wicked Lawyers our Saviour speakes of Luke 11.52 which take away the key of knowledge from private men either by their opinions hindering others from seeking knowledge with their errours mudding the cleere fountaine of Gods Word or by their power restraining the meanes of knowledge from the people And withall this should stirre up all sorts of men to seeke knowledge and use all meanes to attaine it as they will give their account unto God of the use of their time at the last day Doct. 3. Knowledge is given us for use and practice not for idle speculation it is given as other gifts of the Spirit to profit withall it is a light to lighten our paths Our knowledge should be after godlinesse Tit. 1.1 It should some way help forwards the worke of godlinesse that we get by hearing should be shewed by practise Iames 1.22 23 24. They that have knowledge and will not use it shall have that knowledge taken from them Mat. 13.11 Nor is the use of knowledge only for discourse but for conversation The words of knowledge or utterance is given to some Christians onely 1 Cor. 12.8 And such as cannot talke much may yet have comfort if they have knowledge to stay their hearts in faith and that they can shew their knowledge by a good conversation Doct. 4. The knowledge seated in our minds should have a commanding power of our actions all should be according as a mans knowledge faith Those parcels of divine truth put into our minds should rule us and dispose of us and make us ordered according to them Those lawes in our mindes should make us master all that rebels against them and make the members be subject to them to obey them Our knowledge should be lively and indued with soveraigne power This is the honour we should give to the light that is in our minds to let it rule us in all things And this point may much humble all sorts of Christians for want of stirring up their knowledge or for want of obeying it Most Christians have their knowledge so feeble that the Divell or the world may lead them aside to all sorts of temptations and yet their knowledge makes not opposition and doth not take arms to subdue what exalts it self against the light of it as it should do 2 Cor. 10.4 Now if men would hearten and give life and power to those notions of knowledge are in their minds and would have their knowledge to have full power they must observe these rules 1. They must daily wound and mortifie and resist the law of the members that is such humours in them as are wâ—nt to be incorrigible Most persons have some faults in their natures that they are guiltie of with a kind of wilfulnesse such faults as must be allowed such as if they be crossed in there will be no peace but open rebellion such faults as sticke so fast to them as if God and man must let them alone in them these members must obey them as a law Now these men must find out and be sure they resist them or else the lawes of the minde will be but feeble and sacred notions infused will starve and wither and never appeare in their life and power 2. Men must be sure they study profitable things and avoide such knowledges as are fruitlesse as belong not to them 1 Tim. 6.20 2 Tim. 2.23 Tit. â— 9 There is knowledge that will puffe up 1 Cor. 8 1. But men must be wiâ—e for themselves and strive to understand their owne way Pro. 9.12 3. They must pray God to put a spirit and life into their knowledge and give them grace to shew all good conscience in their obedience and withall they must pray hard for their Teachers that their word may be a word of power to give fire to the sparkles of light are already in their minds Finally let all men that professe the knowledge of Gods word remember that their knowledge should make them differ from all other men Their lives should excell others according to the knowledge in which they differ from them A man must hold forth thâ— life and light of the knowledge he hath Phil. 2.15 They have a great taske to doe that have received much knowledge much is required of them if they doe ill their example may doe much mischiefe 1 Cor. 8.10 11. Doct. 5. True knowledge makes an impression upon every part of a manâ— life it makes him better in all his wayes both towards God and man as here true knowledge makes a man a better husband He must carrie himselfâ— as a husband according to his knowledge he hath of Gods word Truâ— knowledge enricheth a man in every thing 1 Cor. 1.5 The favour of our knowledge should be manifest in every place 2 Cor. 2.14 The knowledge that will not doe thus is falsely so called 1 Tim. 6.20 There is use of knowledge in the most ordinarie things of the life of man as meats marriage and the things of our calling 1 Tim. 4.3 and therefore this should stirre up all godly Christians to shew this proofe of their knowledge and to pray that they may abound in knoâ—ledge and all judgement Phil. 1.9 Câ—l 1.9 and gives cause to Christians of ill behaviour in their callings or private carriage to mistrust that their knowledge is noâ— tight and in particular wives should pray God to give their husbands knowledge of his Word and to blesse all meanes to that end for that will make them the better husbands Doct. 6. It is an ill thing for men to transgresse against their knowledges when they doe things that are not according to their knowledge or leave undone things they know they should doe The servant that knowes his masters will and
preservation of life we have need of many things as first we need meat drinke raiment sleep marriage physicke the light of the Sun by day and the Moone by night Yea the life of grace though it consist not in these things yet in a remote consideration hath need of these that we may be the better able to serve God in body and soule But in heaven we shall need none of these we shall be as the Angels of heaven and God himselfe shall there be all in all and shall fill us with his goodnesse 1 Cor. 15.28 Our life shall subsist in God himselfe who shall satisfie us out of the plenty of his owne glory In that Citie there will be no need of the Sun to shine by day or of the Moone to give light by night for the glory of the Lord doth lighten it and the Lamb shall be the light thereof and there shall bee no night there Rev. 21.23 22.5 Secondly in this world wee need the helpe of superiours as Kings Rulers Parents Husbands Teachers c. But in that world inferiority and subjection shall cease when we shall sit downe with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of God Mat. 8.11 and so all the first things shall then be done away Rev. 21.4 Thirdly in this world we need spirituall meanes for our soules and the help of divers gifts in the Spirit which serve for our furtherance in the way to eternall life Our soules cannot live without a Temple on earth without the Word and Prayer and Sacraments but in that new Jerusalem St. Iohn saw no Temple in it there is no preaching nor praying there we shall not need any nor have cause to mourne for the want of it as many times we doe now for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple thereofâ— from God we shall have an infinite supply in stead of all these things Rev. 21.22 Here we treat with God by meanes at a great distance there we shall enjoy him immediately yea those gifts of the Spirit that suppose imperfection in us or misery in others shall there be done away The gifts that suppose imperfection in us are faith and hope and repentance we shall not need promises to imply either faith or hope because all shall then be performed and we shall have actuall possession 1 Cor. 13. ult Nor shall we need sorrow for our sins because all our iniquities shall then be done away The gifts that suppose misery or sin in others are such as these holy feare anger jealousie care hatred griefe pitie or such like now all these shall then be put off for ever because in that kingdome shall be nothing that is either uncleane or wretched or in danger to fall away Yet notwithstanding this hinders not but that God may delight the soules of his people by wayes unknowne to us after a most glorious maner which seemes to be shadowed out by eating of the tree of life which beares so often fruit and by drinking of the water of life which runs like a river pure as chrystall and proceeds from the Throne of God Rev. 21.6 22.1 For the third There is great difference betweene the company with whom we live here and those with whom we shall live there and that in seven things As first in the sorts of peoples Here our life is made grievous by the evill ones that either molest us with their oppositions or grieve us with their wickednesse or infect us with their evill examples but there shall be no wicked ones no Divels to tempt us no divellish mento slander us or persecute us no abominable persons either to grieve or pollute us All these enemies shall be cast into the Lake of fire Rev. 11.8 20.4 22.14 wee shall never be troubled with them more and the people there are all righteous Esay 60.23 Secondly in the dignity of the friends we shall finde in heaven They are usually but meane persons we must sort withall here but there they are such as exceed all the glory of this world our friends and companions shall be glorious Angels and blessed Patriarkes and Kings and Prophets and Apostles and the Martyrs of Jesus and in generall all weare Crownes of glory Thirdly in respect of the number of our friends Here we have scarce one friend we have reason much to admire or can safely relie upon there we shall have an innumerable company of Angels of the spirits of just men a huge congregation of the first borne even the generall assembly of all Gods elect Heb. 12.22 23. Fourthly in respect of disposition both theirs and our owne Here our life with our friends is made often grievous by reason of envie suspition offence passion pride forgetfulnesse and private discords or our owne indisposition at some times to take delight in the presence of our friends but in heaven the spirits of just men are made perfect Heb. 12.23 and charity will be enflamed on all hands to performe exactly all those properties mentioned 1 Cor. 13. Fiftly in respect of constancy Our friends herâ— are not only mortall and must leave us but mutable and may forsake us but there all the company is immortall and being perfecâ—ly sanctified are as God himselfe immurable and so their love is not only perfect but everlasting charity there will abide for ever 1 Cor. 13. ult Sixtly in power to content us and satisfie us Alas here on earth many things befall us wherein our friends though they would yet they cannot help us but in heaven there is all-sufficiency of power to solace and content one another â—o all eternity Lastly in their relation to us On earth we lose daily such as are neere and dâ—â—re to us in heaven we shall have them all and it is very probable we shall know them all and one by one Adam in his innocency knew his wife and could call her by her name without any body to tell him And Peter and Iohn in the Transfiguration on the Mount knew Moses and Elias and yet had never seene them how much more in heaven shall our knowledge be perfected to know and to be knowne perfectly and as it were by name For the fourth Our knowledge which is our life differs greatly now from that it shall be both in respect of the ground of it and in respect of the manner of it and in respect of the measure of it The ground of it is our union with God by which we partake of his light Psal. 36.8 Now in heaven we shall be made one with God after an unspeakable manner in such a neerenesse as we cannot conceive of now This is that which our Saviour praies so earnestly for Ioh. 17.20 21. Secondly in respect of the manner of it Now God treate with us by meanes as by the Word and Sacraments c. but then without meanes immediately Now we see by the help of a glasse or as an old man doth by Spectacles but
for evill Note there three things first that hee gives this as a speciall charge as a thing most hatefull or ill-beseeming a Christian. Secondly what he saith No man must doe it Great men have no more liberty by private quarrels to revenge their dishonour or hurt than meane men Thirdly that he saith To no man wee must not render evill to any man of any religion condition or estate whatsoever the injurie bee So Rom 12.17 the like charge is given and two excellent reasons against private revenge One because vengeance belongs to God onely it is his office And it is best God should revenge because he gives recompence to every transgression and besides he gives a just recompence Heb. 2.2 whereas men that will perform their owne revenge give or seeke many times an unequall revenge as when our Gallants will have blood for a reproach this is not equall that a mans life should be taken for a supposed wrong to their reputation And further God hath never failed to execute vengeance whereas men many times fail and cannot perform the revenge they seeke but rather the contrary Gods vengeance falls upon them for taking his office out of his hands as many of those that seeke the bloud of others in revenge lose their owne Heb. 10.30 Also it is worth the noting that in that place to the Romans the Apostle adds another reason against private revenge which greatly crosseth the proud and passionate spirits of our times and that is couched in these words Be not overcome of evill but overcome evill with goodnesse which words import That he is over comâ—â— and hath lost his honour that will revenge and contrariwise he doth overcome that will render good for evill If this point were seriously considered it would mightily subdue that unruly pride and passionâ— that discovers it selfe in the most men and it doth directly prove that Duels or single combats are simply unlawfull and intolerable in any well governed Common-wealth and should warne all Christians to take heed of allowing themselves in the desires or projects of revenge Nor is their sin the lesse that seeke revenge but it is closely and much dissembled while they watch for an opportunity to be even with them that have wronged them Nor reviling for reviling Observe 1. That people that are ungodly are very prone to reviling This we may see in the conversation they have among their neighbours what brawling and scoulding from day to day and also in the case of religion how doe they continually reproach and slander the true Christians so in family affaires with what disgracefull and hatefull termes are all the businesses almost of the household dispatch But of this I spake before 2. That reviling and railing is a very hatefull sin It is here accounted a great suffering to suffer reviling Our Saviour reckons it murther in his exposition of the sixt Commandement Mat 5. And if godly men be reviled it is termed blasphemie in divers places of Scripture in the Originall It proceeds from vile and base natures Heb. 12.14 15. Iames 1.21 3.9 Gods spirit is a Spirit of meeknesse and evill words corrupt good manners 1 Cor. 15.16 The Use is therefore for great reproofe and shame to all those that are guilty of this sin especially such as have their mouthes full of cursing and bitternesse Rom. 3.14 and such as revile men for this very reason because they follow goodnesse calling good evill Esay 5.20 21. 1 Pet. 4.5 and such as revile those that are neere unto them in the strong bonds of nature or covenant as when wives revile their husbands or children their parents 3. That though we be reviled yet we must not revile againe because reviling is a sin and God hath flatly forbidden it in this and other Scriptures and besides we have an excellent example of our Saviour himselfe that suffered all sorts of reproaches and yet was so far from reviling that he threatned noâ— 1 Pet. 2. and all sorts of godly men have endured reviling that were many degrees better than thou And further what knowest thou but God may blesse thee for their cursing as David said And therefore all that are true Christians should be effectually warned from hence to resolâ—e against bitter words and reviling though they be never so much provoked Thus of the rules the Apostle gives for avoiding of troubles Now followes the arguments for the confirmation of those rules especially of the later and the first is taken from the estate or condition of a Christian in this verse the second from the Prophet David ver 10 11 12. and the third from the probable event or effect of such a course ver 13. In the rest of this verse he infers from their calling to Gods blessing That they should be so far from cursing and reviling that they should use no other language than blessing even to the wicked and their adversaries But contrariwise This very terme imports That the life and discourse of a true Christian should be not onely different from the life and language of wicked men but in many things contrary And it must needs be so because the godly and wicked arise from a contrary fountaine the one borne after the flesh the other after the spirit Gal. â—4 and their words and actions flow from contrary principles for the one is led by the old man the other by the new manâ— and they have from without contrary leaders the one led by the Divell Eph. â— the other by the Spirit of God Rom. 8. and further they trade about contrary commodities the one for earthly things only iâ— the â—ther for heavenly the one for things of this world the other for things of another world and lastly they goe contrary waies the one to hell the other to heaven and therefore there can be no agreement betweene them no more than between ligth and darknesse Christ and Belial This point serves for great reproofe of some weake Christians for comming so neere the waies of carnall men as they can hardly be distinguished from them that looke so like them Such were those Corinthians Saint Paul reproves 1. Cor. 3. 1 2 3. Blesse It is required of all true Christians that they should blesse their conversation should expresse blessing continually Now for the understanding of this point wee must know that man is said in Scripture to blesse â—ither God or man He blesseth God when he praiseth his mercy and acknowledgeth his blessings he adds nothing to Gods blessednesse but onely acknowledgeth Gods blessed nature and dealing towards man This exercise of blessing God began betimes in the world as Gen. 14.20 and was constantly continued in all ages among the godly But in this place the Apostle meaneth it of blessing man and to blesse man is either a vice or a vertue There is a vicious blessing of men which must be separated from the doctrine of this Text. Now it is vicious first when a man blesseth himselfe
wicked men must be considered more generally or more specially generally all the daies of the wicked are evill both because he is a transgressour every day and because the curse of God is upon him all his daies even then when he lives longest and enjoyes most prosperous times Esay 65.20 Every day the wrath of God hangeth over his head and every day God judgeth him Psal. 7. either in soule or body or name or estate either by with-holding his blessings or by mingling the curse with the good things he enjoyeth Psal. 7â— 33 as the Israelites under censure of death from God More specially the daies of the wicked man are evill either in this life or after this life In this life his daies are evill in two speciall senses either in respect of the shortning of them or in respect of the afflicting of them It is a speciall evill to some wicked men that their daies on earth are shortned Some men live not out halfe their daies and die in the middest of their daies Psal. 55.24 Ier. 17.11 and so it is a curse that his daies are few Psal. 109.8 Eccles. 8.13 Againe the daies of wicked men are said to be evill in respect of some speciall judgements of God to be poured out upon them for their sins These daies are called the daies of Gods wrath and anger and daies of Gods visitation Esay 10.3 the day of vengeance Esay 61.2 which God proclaims against all wicked men and by an excellency The evill day Amos 6.3 And these daies are in speciall called the dayes of wicked men and they are theirs because properly no day is theirs till it be evill Ier. 50.31 After this life comes that most speciall evill day even that day of eternall misery in hell of which Solomon said God made the wicked for the day of evill Pro. 16.4 This doctrine of their evill dayes should much astright wicked men not only with the consideration of what they suffer now but of what they are liable to in the daies to come Little doe they dreame of the misery may befall them such daies may come as will burst their hearts with exquisite griefe their hearts shall not be able to endure Ezek. 22.14 therefore they should take heed of putting far from them the evill day Amos 6.3 and in time repent and reconcile themselves to God in Jesus Christ that they may prevent the evill dayes may yet fall upon them and know that their uncircumcised heart is the cause of all the evill brought or to be brought upon them Ier. 9. ult Thus of evill daies in the life of the wicked The godly mans daies are evill divers waies 1. The daies of spirituall famine are evill daies when a man cannot enjoy the meanes of salvation in the life and power of them In this case David said his teares were his meat day and night Psal. 42.2 2. The daies in which God is displeased with them or hideth himselfe so as he will not heare their prayers or not let them discerne it These are bitter dayes to the godly Psal. 102.2 3. 90.9 3. Daies of temptation in which they are to wrestle with principalities and powers are evill daies Eph 6. 4. All daies of trouble are in some respect evill daies Psal. 49.5 50.14 41.1 2. especially those daies are evill when the Lord turnes wicked men loose upon the godly and leaves them as it were in their hands to be reproached and oppressed all the day especially when himselfe will not appeare to help them Psal. 102.8 10 11. Esay 37.3 and most of all when the just man seemeth to perish in his righteousnesse Eccles. 7.15 But yet here is a great deale of difference between the evill daies of godly men and the evill dayes of wicked men because God sanctifies the evill of his daies to the godly man so as he is blessed when God chasteneth him for he thereby teacheth him his law Psal. 94.12 Heb. 12. Secondly God will deliver him out of evill if he call upon him Psal. 50.15 yea though his troubles seeme desperate Ier. 30.7 Thirdly though God may seeme to delay for a time yet he will make haste to performe his deliverance After two daies he will returne and the third day he will revive them Hos. 6.3 Fourthly God will make them glad according to the daies he hath afflicted them he will make them amends for all their evill daies Psal. 90.15 To conclude this point There be daies that are called evill which are common both to good and bad and such are the daies of old age Eccles. 12.1 when the Sun Moone and Starres are darkned that is all sense of prosperity is removed and the infirmities of old age come thicke one upon another like clouds after raine ver 2. when the armes which are the keepers of the house shake and the thighes and legs which were like strong men now bow and bend under them and their teeth which were the grinders or chewers of their meat now cease working because they are few and the eies which are the windowes of the body grow darke ver 3. when the doores shall be shut in the streets that is when upon the losse of his appetite he shall have no delight in any thing at home nor minde to goe abroad but his owne house shall be his prison and when he shall be so unable to rest in his bed that he shall rise with the first voice of the bird and be waked with the least noise that is and that he hath no delight in musicke of any kind as Barzillai said When they shall be affraid of every straw in their way they shall goe so weakly and their Almond tree shall flourish that is their heads shall be white as the blossomes of the Almond and they shall be so sore that a very Grashopper shall be a burthen to them to touch them shal be grievous and all the things they were wont to love they cannot now find any comfort in and thus they are passing to their long-home which is the grave and they are so neare as if their very mourners were ready in the streets to carry them to their graves yea they will not continue long but the silver cord will bee loosened that is the marrow of their backes be consumed and their golden Ewer which is the braine-pan be broke and so will the Pitcher at the Well that is the veines at the liver and so will the Wheele at the Cisterne be broken that is the head which drawes the powers of life from the heart and the dust returns unto the earth as it was and the spirit to God that gave it Thus of the daies that be evill daies Now it remaines that we enquire which be good daies and so we shall finde that there be daies that be good in the judgement of the inward man and sometimes daies that be good in the judgement of the outward man Only thus much we
preaching of the Gospell he being diversly shaked to and fro in the divers manners of propounding of Christ in the Gospell 3. The moving of the lips of the sinner in his confession and prayer before God 4. It might note the trembling of the Christian when hee comes first unto God and the various conflicts in his soule with which he is shaken and yet Christ is accepted as an offering for them before the Lord for all their feare and doubtings and tossings of temptations for the Christian holds his sacrifice in his hands for all his feares 3. The pinte of oyle that was to be waved also may note 1. That there is abundance of joyes will follow care and conscience in faith and repentance for trespasses 2. That before we can get abundance of joy it must be waved before the Lord that is Christ must beg it for us in heaven and preach it often to us in earth we must heare joy and gladnesse 3. It may perhaps note that marvellous feare and sorrow of heart for sinne which a Christian feeles when he is most joyed by the holy Ghost He rejoyceth with trembling Psal. 2.11 VERSE 13. The killing of the lambe followes amplifyed by the place and the person to whom it belonged and the worth of it Foure things were here signified 1. That Christ must be killed for us and in his death is our sacrifice 2. That the place where being the holy place notes 1. That Christ was slaine onely by and for the Elect. 2. That Christ crucified is taught and knowne onely in the Church 3. In that the Priest must have all the offerings is noted 1. That Christ onely can make an atonement 2. That the honour of our sanctification belongs to the Ministers 4. In that it was most holy is noted that this way of holinesse in Christ is an absolute way as ever was devised VERSE 14. The sprinkling followeth and is twofold 1. Of the bloud ver 14. 2. Of oyle ver 15. to 19. 1. The sprinkling of bloud noted the worke of God and the Gospell applying CHRISTS bloud to the distressed sinner 2. The sprinkling of the eare hand and toe noted that our hearing of the Word the principall meanes is sanctified by the bloud of Jesus Christ so as our unworthinesse shall be no barre to our successe in the meanes Secondly that our practice likewise is sanctified in the bloud of Christ. Thirdly that our progresse also and perseverance depends upon the merit and vertue of Christs passion and these are the three things Christ undertakes for the penitent sinner VERSE 15 16 17 18. The sprinkling of oyle followes where note 1. Who doth it viz. the Priest 2. How he doth it He poureth into his left hand and dippeth his finger 3. How many wayes he doth it 4. Where he doth it 5. Whâ—t he doth with the remainder 1. The Priests sprinkling of the oyle noted that Christ and his Ministers are the chiefe fountaine of our joy 2. The warinesse of the Priest in the manner shewes that God would have his consolations warily propoundâ—d unto men 3. He was to sprinkle both before the Lord and upon the party 1. The sprinkling before the Lord noted the joyes of Gods presence and that he is privie to all the comforts befall us 2. In that it was done many times is noted 1. The perfection of the joyes God hath prepared c. 2. Our imperfection in beleeving it 3. The sprinckling upon the partie noted the particular interest of the penitent in the joyes of Christ. 4. The sprinkling of the eare thumb and toe assured comfort in hearing practice and perseverance and in that it must be put upon the bloud of the trespasse offering it signified that wee cannot have true joy but in the sacrifice of Christ and the application thereof It is all merited in his death and to be applyed by Pâ—ith 5. The remainder was to be poured out upon the head of the person which might note either 1. The fulnesse of joy which Christ our head hath in heaven the same with ours saving in the measure 2. That our consolations are given us that we might comfort others by the running downe of our c. 3. That we were abundantly consecrated unto God and annointed as Priests Kings and Prophets unto the Lord and shall have everlasting joy in our callings Esay 35. ult So that that joy upon their heads was shadowed by this type Quest. But why joy upon their heads Answ. Though the seat of joy be the heart yet the cause of joy is in the head and that is the understanding of our happy estate in Christ. Where he addes that the Priest shall make an attonement for him wee must understand it thus that the Priest hereby shall ratifie the attonement 〈◊〉 in the sacrifice of Christ c. These joyes shall abundantly settle his heart in the assurance of Gods favouâ— in Christ and so it notes that usually Gods servants have not that setled peâ—swasion of their happinesse in reconciliation with God untill they have had abundance of experience of the joyes of the holy Ghost in the knowledge of their calling in Jesus Christ. VERSE 19 20. Quest. Now that the 〈◊〉 iâ— satisfied in Gods goodnesse and favour what is more to be done Answ. There must be yet a sinne offering and a burnt offering For after he hath taken a course for outward sins by which he trespassed against God and man he returnes and finds a marvellous deale of drosse in his nature and of secret corruptions that hang upon him daily and therefore now he needs a new application of the sacrifice of Christ to comfort him against his sinnes that hang on so fast though he be freed from grosse sins or outward trespasses that men take notice of The repetition of his clensing from his uncleannesse imports that for sinnes after calling a child of God is afresh humbled with a loathing of his impurities of heart as he was at his first setting out his daily corruptions and frailties make him seeme wonderfull uncleane in his owne eyes and therefore he seeks a new atonement Now when he addes And afterward he shall kill the burnt offering it was to signifie either 1. That God in this life after long conflicts doth at length reveale Jesus Christ in a great measure so as the Christian is fully satisfied in the application of all the merits of Jesus Christ as knowing his discharge from all his sinnes in him 2. That at our death Christs sacrifice shall fully free us from all the guilt and staine of sinne The repetition that the Priest must offer all these offerings shews wee need still both Christs intercession in heaven and the ministery of Christs servants to preach him crucified while we live in the world The meat offering annexed to the burnt offering shews either that Christians grow marvellously in this life after they have full assurance of their pardon for all sins or else that Christ will
be their eternall food in heaven The meat offering must be upon the Altar to signifie that we can have no hope of nourishment but from the merit and vertue of the sacrifice of Christ as all meanes are sanctified by it VERSE 21. to 32. Hitherto of the sacrifice for the richer sort Now followes the course to be taken for the poorer sort which in effect is the same with the former save that he must take Turtles or Pigeons instead of two of the Lambs The things here to be noted are 1. That in the application of Christ God puts no difference the poorer sort if they be penitent may be justified as well as the richer 2. That without Christs sacrifice no man can be justified be hee of what condition he will 3. That in the receiving of Christ all are not alike qualified for the measure of grace and discerning and faith 4. That the endevour is accepted for the deed for the poore is excused if he provide a sacrifice according to his labour of his hand 5. That if wee through carelesnesse neglect the meanes of further grace that is a just exception therefore it is urged three times If he cannot get so much ver 21 31 32. Hitherto of the digression into the explication of the doctrine of clensing the Leper And thus of the nature of this work of sanctification The subject followes Your soules Your soules It is true that by the soule synecdochically hee meaneth the whole man for he that is truely sanctified is sanctified in soule in body and spirit 1 Thes. 5.23 The medicine is applyed and goeth as far as the disease and Christ dâ—ed as well for the body as the soule and both must be purged before we can enter into the Kingdome of heaven and therefore wee are charged to abstaine from all filthinesse both of flesh and spirit 2 Cor. 9.1 and our bodies must be offered up as a sacrifice to God Rom. 12.1 yet notwithstanding the soule is named as that which God chiefly stands upon though he require and worketh both for the holinesse of the heart is that he calls for to have given him Ier. 4.18 and we do perform the most immediate worship by our spirits Ioh. 4.24 and the sanctity of the heart is the fountaine of all the outward holinesse as the impurity of the heart is the cause of the outward impurities of life Besides the soule is the seat of all holy graces that are saving graces they dwell there though their imployment must sometimes be without and further the sanctification of the soule is characteristicall for that is the holinesse that distinguisheth betweene the godly and the wicked This then is the observation that the chief seat of true grace and holinesse is in the soule of man The Use is divers 1. For Information From hence it is manifest 1. That they are grossely deceived that think inward inordination of thoughts and affections are no great faults whereas the infection of the soule is most dangerous because it is the fountaine of all the rest and is more usually committed and more hardly cured Psal. 78.8 â— 66.18 95. c. 2. That God lookes not at the outward appearance of men hee askes not what houses clothes fare friends c. they have but what grace they have in their hearts yea it is certainâ— that outward reformation will not here serve the turne Hypocrites that make so much adoe about washing the out-side are deceived in their reckoning God will not be deluded with painted sepulchres hee knows what is within and the civill honest man is in the same case 3. That true grace may be where there is not an outward shew of it the truest sanctification is in the heart yet this gives no liberty to wicked men For it is not true that a wicked life may be found where there is grace in the heart therefore call thou not that uncleane which God hath purified 1 Cor. 4.5 4. That it is a grievous sinne to infect the soules of men by example counsell provocation corrupt opinions c. They that would poison the bodies of men were worthy punishments in all mens judgements how much more they that wilfully poyson many soules 5. There is no need of any purgation after this life for God takes an order to purifie the soules of his people even in this world Secondly for Instruction 1. Therefore this should strongly perswade with us to seek inward holinesse If there be so much adoe in the world to get cleane and cleare faces what should our care be to have cleane soules seeing God looks at that Psal. 7.9 God searcheth the heart and reines The chiefest thing wee can get for our soules is the purifying of them Ierem. 44.14 what profiteth it to winne the whole world if thou lose thy soule for the foulenesse of it and it is certaine no beauty of the face can allure a man so much as the cleannesse of the heart doth allure Christ. But this inward holinesse chiefly consists 1. In casting out the vices of the soule evill thoughts ignorance pride inordinate affections stubbornnesse of will and humour with whatsoever drosse hypocrisie security malice c. 1 Pet. 2.12 circumcise therefore thy heart Col. 2.11 2. In attaining new gifts of the spirit of grace such as are illumination discerning faith zeale love of God softnesse of heart affections of worship c. Heb. 13.9 2 Cor. 4.6 Rom. 5.5 3. In the exercise of these in the daily coâ—rse of our lives looke to thy heart when thou dost any work to God â— In the reformation of the heart wee must looke to it that we be sanctified throughout it is not enough there be some gifts in some of these faculties but there must be grace in all and so of the sinnes of the soule to be mortified 3. This doctrine may be a great comfort to the godly that have set their hearts to serve God in their spirits and labour for the true grace of Christ in their soules though they abound with infirmities and the world speak evill of them it should comfort us against the many aspersions of men Psal. 17. 4. c. though it be true as Prov. 20.9 yet God accepts of the desire c. Rom. 8.27 Quest. But how know I whether I have the true grace of Christ in my soule Answ. By this text thou maist know it by three things 1. If thou seeke inward purity as well as outward 2. If thou find an alteration in every faculty of thy soule 3. If thou be like unto God that hast most care of what shall become of thy soule and art most carefull of meanes for thy soule Quest. But what shall one doe to get a cleane heart Answ. 1. Examine your hearts as Psal. 4.4 for the heart is deceitfull Ier. 17.9 c. 2. Pray to God to create a new heart in thee 3. Attend upon the meanes that are powerfull to clense the heart our
yet it is so rich as the tongue of man cannot utter if it be in any measure true and sincere Besides how should this fire our desires after wisedome and spirituall understanding in the world of Christ seeing it is our life and in the same degree we encrease in eternall life that we encrease in acquaintance with God in Christ and therefore above all gettings we should be getting understanding And finally it shewes the wofull estate of ignorant persons that are carelesse of the studie of the Word of God and of hearing of the Gospel preached This is their death and will be their eternall death if they prevent it not by repentance and sound redeeming of the time for the service of the soule about this sacred knowledge Now for the fourth point the things that nourish life are greatly to be heeded both to shew us what we should apply our selves to and with what thankfulnesse to receive the meanes of our good herein 1. We must know that the principall cause of the nourishment and increase of spirituall life is the influence of vertue from Christ our mysticall head by the secret and unutterable working of the spirit of Christ which is therefore called the spirit of life because it both frees us by degrees from the feares of death and from the power and blots of sin Rom. 8.2 and withall it quickens and encreaseth life in us for the better exercise of righteousnesse Rom. 8.10 2. The contemplation of Gods favour and presence doth wonderfully extend and inflame life in us To marke God any where or by any experience to find effectually his love and to taste of the sweetnesse of his goodnesse this is life from the dead better than all things in naturall life it doth a godly mans heart more good than all things in the world can doe as these places shew Psal. 30.5 63.7 8. 36.3 16. ult with coherence 3. The entertainment God gives his people in his house is one speciall cause of encrease of this life in us as it encreaseth both knowledge and joy and all goodnesse and satisfies the heart of man especially amongst all the things that are without us the Word of God as it is powerfully preached in Gods house is the food of this life called the savour of life unto life 2 Cor. 2.16 Christ words are the words of eternall life Iohn 6. see Psal. 36. 8. Iohn 12.50 Pro. 4.22 4. Fellowship with the godly is singular to quicken and excite the life of grace and joy and knowledge in us therefore it is an amiable thing for brethren to dwell together in unity because there God hath commanded the blessing even life for evermore Psal. 133. ult Pro. 2.20 The mouth of the righteous is a veine of life Pro. 10.11 Yea the very reproofes of instruction are the way of life Pro. 6.23 And therefore weake Christians should be instructed from hence with faith to rest upon the God of their lives who by the spirit of Christ can enable them to eternall life and with thankfulnesse to embrace all signes of Gods favour and presence and above all things in life to provide for themselves powerfull meanes in publike and good societie in private and not to be turned off from either of these by slight either objections or difficulties and to resolve to labour more for these than carnall persons would doe to have their naturall lives if they were in distresse or danger It is also excellent counsell which Saint Iude gives in this point concerning eternall life he would have us looke to foure things The first is to edifie our selves in our most holy faith striving to get in more store of Gods promises and divine knowledges and to strive to establish our hearts in our assurance of our right to them The second is to pray in the holy Ghost for he knew that powerfull prayer doth greatly further eternall life in us The third is to keepe our selves in the love of God avoiding all things might displease him chusing rather to live under the hatred of all the world than to anger God by working iniquity The fourth is to looke as often and as earnestly as we can after that highest degree of mercy and glory we shall have in the comming of Christ Iud. 1.19 20. I will conclude this point with that one counsell of Solomon Keepe thy heart with all diligence for thereout come the issues of life Christians that would prosper in spirituall life should be very carefull of the first beginnings of sin in their thoughts and desires and be very diligent in nourishing all good motions of the holy Ghost preserving their peace and joy in beleeving with all good consciences Pro. 4.23 Thus of the fourth point 5. Now for the differences of life in these degrees especially the first and last degree they are very great for though eternall life in the first degree be a treasure of singulaâ— value yet the glory of this life doth greatly excell as it is to be held in another world I intend not to compare life in heaven with naturall life here for that is not worthy to be mentioned in the ballance with that eternall life of glory but with eternall life it selfe as it is held by the godly only in this world And so the difference is very great 1. In respect of the place where the godly live in each degree 2. In respect of the meanes of preservation of life in each degree 3. In respect of the company with whom we live in each degree 4. In respect of the quality of life it selfe 5. In respect of the effects of life eternall in each degree For the first There is great difference betweene the life of grace and the life of glory in the very place of living Here we live in an earthly tabernacle in houses of clay there we shall live in eternall mansions buildings that God hath made without hands 2 Cor. 5.1 Here we live on earth there in heaven Here we are strangers and pilgrims far from home Hâ—b 11. there we shall live in our Fathers house Here we are in Egypt there we shall live in Canaan Here wee live where death sorrow and sin and Divels dwell there we shall live in a place where God and immortality and all holinesse dwels 2 Pet. 3.13 Here we are but banished men there we shall live in the celestiall Paradise Here we have no abiding City but there we shall abide in the new Jerâ—sâ—lem that is above The glory of the whole earth can but shadow out by similiâ—ude the very walls and gates of that Citie Rev. 21. Here wee can but enter into the holy place there we shall enter into the most holy place Heb. 10.19 To conclude there we shall enter into the heaven of heavens which for lightnesse largenesse purenesse delightfulnesse and all praises almost infinitely excells the heavens we enjoy in this visible world For the second In this life unto the