Hebr. 2. 17. He was made like unto his brethren in all things that he might be a mercifull high Priest Christ is therefore a mercifull high Priest because he was made like us in our infirmities It is a great invitation to mercy to see one in the same condition that we our selves have been in As she said Haud ignara mali miseris succurrere disco she Dido Lib. 3. Aenaeid had learned to pity others because she had born the like miseries her selfe As a woman that hath had a Child can more pity women that are in Travaile because she hath suffered the like pains than other women can that never have brought forth any Children at all So the Lord Jesus hath felt the like infirmities the penall not the sinfull therefore he is likely to pitty us when we lie under them Exod. 23. 9. Thou shalt not oppresse a stranger for ye know They that have suffered can best pitty them that are under sufferings the heart of a stranger seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt Christ knoweth the heart of a man under his infirmities when they are onely painfull and not sinfull because he himselfe did undergoe such in the dayes of his flesh Therefore this may comfort a man as in generall so in diverse particular Cases when we wrestle with infirmities suppose sorrow of heart it was Christ's owne case Time was when he cried out Matth. 26. 38. My soul is exceeding sorrowfull even to death The consideration of his sorrow may help to sweeten thine when thou art afflicted in body and pinched It was Christ's case He himselfe hungred in the wildernesse and was a thirst at Jacob's well He was buffetted and scourged yea Crucified in the end He felt the nails and spear Therefore saith Luther I am ashamed that men should count my sufferings any thing when I think of what Christ indured So be our sufferings never so great we are thereby made conformable to him who suffered the like things for us And so for poverty 2 Cor. 8. 9. Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who though he were rich yet for your sakes he became poor that you through his poverty might be made rich The like may be said in many other Instances whatsoever infirmity it is we may expect Christ will relieve us against it But the soul saith Still you except sin I would have that taken away If Christ take not that away I am undone Object This doth not so much lie in my Text now yet I shall speak a word to it I told you Christ took our painfull infirmities and not Answ our sinfull And yet I must tell you he took our sinfull infirmities As Christ took our painfull infirmities by inherency so our sinfull infirmities by imputation too in another sense not in the same way as he took the other He took our painfull infirmities in a way of Inherency and our sinfull ones too in a way of Iniputation Quicquid sustulit tollit whatsoever Christ took away he took He took away our sins therefore he took our sins in one sense or other He could not take our sins as our sorrowes It was impossible that sin should be inherent in Christ His Divinity was a protection against all sins yet He took them away by imputation Therefore It is said by the Apostle God hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin He knew no sin and yet is made sin How Not made sin by committing sin for Christ was not in a Capacity of sinning but made sin by bearing the Imputation of sin and so took upon him the guilt of sin and not the Inherency of sin There be two things in guilt a worthinesse of being punished and a destination to punishment The Demerit and the Destination It is false to say That Christ took the guilt upon him in a way of Demerit as if Christ himselfe had been worthy of being punished For all Demerit implieth sin either naturall or personall Now in Christ was neither originall Corruption nor actuall Rebellion But the other thing in guilt which is Poenae obligatio an obligation and destination to punishment In this sense Christ took guilt not because of any naturall Demerit but because of his Communion in that nature of which the Demerit was found He voluntarily became our Surety and took our Nature that in that nature He might suffer for our sins And in this capacity God doth destinate him to punishment in this sense He took our sinfull infirmities And thus ye see what matter of comfort this truth affordeth It affordeth us likewise matter of duty Lessons of piety and Lessons of thankfullnesse First Lessons of piety Oh If Christ the second Person 1 Lessons of piety in the Triuity did put on man how carefull should men be to put on Christ Put ye on the Lord Jesus saith the Apostle not making provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof Rom. 13. 14. If Christ assumed our human nature how should we wrestle with God to be made partakers of the Divine nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and pretious Promises that by these you might be partakers of the Divine nature having escaped the corruptions that are in the World through lusts If Christ became thus one flesh with us how zealous should we be to become one spirit with Christ 1 Cor. 6. 17. Even as man and wife is one flesh so he that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit So she is married to Christ and God looketh upon such a soul as his owne daughter now it is married to his Son therefore dealeth with it as Caleb did to Achsah He giveth her not onely the upper Land and nether springs not onely outward blessings and accommodations but comforts and refreshments with them not onely the nether springs of Ordinances but the upper springs of Comforts and Refreshments in and by those Ordinances Secondly Here are Lessons of thankfullnesse too Was the Word made flesh Did Christ take our nature yea 2 Lessons of thankfullness did he take our nature at the worst after the Fall What exceeding great cause have we to blesse his Name for ever for this Condescension of his Should all the Princes in the World have come from their severall Thrones and have gone a begging from door to door it was not so much as for Christ to become man for our sakes And he took our nature not in the integrity of it as in Adam before his fall but in the infirmities of it which came to it by the fall As for a man that can live of himselfe to wear a Noble man's Livery while this Noble man is in great favour in the Court and hath the King's eare this is no such great matter But when this Noble man is proclaimed a Traitor and is cast out of his Prince's favour then for this man to wear his Cloath and owne him this is
word Power for it rather signifieth as the Margents of your great Bibles have it Right or Priviledge or as the Geneva hath it The Prerogative What is this to the Point of the Power against Free-will Read it so and the colour for their pretence is taken off and so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 often signifieth Right and Priviledge as in that 1 Cor. 9. 5 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Have we not power to eat and to drink and to lead about a sister a wife as well as other Apostles and have not we power to forbear working that is right and priviledge as well as the rest Thirdly Suppose we should read it Power to become the 3. Power and Priviledg signifie one and the same thing sons of God as our Translation hath it yet this Power will imply no more than the word Priviledge doth As if a man should say That the Pope had a speciall eye to those Bishops that wrought for him in the Councell of Trent and gave them all power to become Cardinalls that is he gave them this priviledge to be so What is this to Free-will Lastly read it Power and suppose it to imply some liberty 4. This Power is given to Believers not to them in the state of Nature of will yet it serveth not their turn neither For the power here spoken of is a power received by those that formerly believed in Christ What is this then to the power of of them that are yet in the state of nature To as many as believed in him to them gave he power It is not Free-will if not set free by Christ But to avoid all ambiguity we shall take it for a Right or Priviledge or Prerogative which indeed is the better reading And so I ground this Observation from hence That for the sons of men to become the sons of God is a very high priviledge To as many as received Observ him to them gave he this priviledge this right this prerogative to become the sons of God When God would set forth his favour towards David to the heighth in that goodwill which he would bear to his son Solomon mark 2 Sam. 7. 14. I will be his father and he shall be my son he could not promise him a greater prerogative than this When Saul would encourage some of his Army to undertake the Duell with great Goliah that defied the Host of the living God What is the motive I will give him my daughter to wife and he shall be the King's son in law When God will encourage men to fight it out against the world and to separate from the sins thereof he useth this motive I will make them sons and daughters if they do so and so He holdeth that forth as the great prerogative 2 Cor. 6. 17 18. Come out from amongst them and seperate your selves saith the Lord touch no impure thing then will I receive you and I will be unto you instead of a Father and ye shall be to me instead of sons and daughters saith the Lord that is Almighty This will appear to be a very high prerogative If we consider first The estate from which we are raised to become sons secondly The state to which we are raised by becoming sons First this Sonship will appear to be a great priviledge 1. The high priviledge of being the sons of God if we consider from what estate we are raised That we may become sons from a state of bondage and death misery and slavery from being sons of perdition Children of wrath as the Apostle calleth it Ephes 2 3. We are by nature the children of wrath even as others For God to take children of wrath and make them children of love Heirs of perdition and make them heirs of Heaven what a rise is here It was a great matter for Pharoah's daughter to cast an eye upon poor Moses when he lay in the Bull-rushes ready to be drowned in the water and to adopt him for her owne son The Scripture speaketh of it as a great priviledge and therefore raiseth the commendations of Moses By faith Moses refused to be called the son of Pharoah's Hebr. 11. 24. daughter yet this Adoption of hers would not have made him heir to the Kingdome Here is an higher priviledge men are taken not out of the water but out of Hell-fire that is our portion by nature and deputed to be heirs to the King of Heaven and so as that they are made heirs to a Crown of Glory for all deputed children are heirs of the Kingdome Matth. 13. 38. The good seed are the children of the Kingdome If sons then heirs heirs of God joynt-heirs with Christ Rom. 8. 2. It will appear to be a high priviledge if ye consider that estate to which we are raised by being sons It is a wealthy and honourable and free and sweet and safe estate All this raiseth the price of it in our esteem First It is a wealthy state God doth not adopt us to a 1. Our estate by Christ is a wealthy estate poor Inheritance but to a rich as the Apostle speaks Ephes 1. 18. That you may know what is the hope of his Calling and what the riches of the glory of his Inheritance in the Saints Here is riches in this Inheritance So many times riches when there is no honour Ignoble spirits scrape a great deal of Wealth together in which they place their happinesse 2. Here is honour but here is not onely wealth but Glory to and he Glory of a Kingdome There is not such an honourable incorporation in the World as this to have God the Father for his Father and Jesus Christ for his Head and Governour and all the Saints for his Members a body politique that â—ath the eternall spirit of God for the soul of it The society of Saints is an honorable Society Here is both wealth and honour which may sometimes be where there is no liberty It is but Splendida serviâ—us a glittering slavery for men to be rich and honourable and yet in slavery But here ye read of a glorious liberty of the Sons of God 3. Here is liberty not onely riches and honour but a glorious liberty Joh. 8. 31. If the Son hath made us free we shall then be free indeed from the service of sin and bondage of Satan free from Temporall afflictions and free from the danger of eternall wrath There may riches and honour and freedome meet in some one person who yet cannot have content nor doth he live a Comfortable life for all that Therefore this in the fourth place is a Sweet state as well as wealthy 4. Here iâ— a sweet estate and honourable and free There lieth a great deal of sweetnesse in the name of a Father when the soul can say howsoever things go in the World I can look up to Heaven and say doubtlesse Thou art our Father there is so much sweetnesse to be
John knew neither Jewes nor Gentiles would indure the tearm of the Son of God They could not indure to hear of a sonship in the Deity and Godhead but with this tearm Word applied to the Godhead they were well acquainted both Jewes and Gentiles But John had often met with it in the Old Testament in this sense for the second person in the Trinity I shall shew you a place or two Psal 33. 6. By the Word of the Lord were the Heavens made and all the hosts of them by the breath of his Mouth Here is JEHOVAH the Lord and the Word of the Lord for the Second Person and the Spirit of his Mouth for the Third The Creation is ascribed to the whole Trinity So here is Word In the same sense ye shall find Jesus Christ is called the Word 2 Sam. 7. 21. in that speech of David For thy VVord's sake and according to thine own Heart hast thou done all these great things What is that For thy VVord's sake 1 Chron. 17. 19. Compare these two places O Lord for thy Servant's sake and according to thine own Heart hast Thou done all these things Thou hast done them for thy VVord's sake saith Samuel Thou hast done them for thy Servants sake in the Chronicles And who is that Servant but Christ My servant whom I have Chosen and in whom I delight c. There is a place in Haggai that calleth Christ the VVord Haggai 2. 4 5. Yea now be strong Oh Zerobbabel saith the Lord and be strong Oh Joshua son of Josedeck the High Priest and be strong all ye people of the Land-saith the Lord and work for I am with you saith the Lord of Hosts according to the VVord that I Covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt so my Spirit remaineth amongst you fear ye not Here is JEHOVAH and VVord and Spirit according to ye may see by the Character is not in the Originall it is in another Letter in our Translation of it Therefore thus according to the Originall or more neerly I am with you saith the Lord of Hosts with that VVord in whom I covenanted with you In quo vobiscum pepegi I am with you together with that VVord in whom I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt So that God promiseth the Church deliverance in the Name of God the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost Well then the Jewes you see were well acquainted with this tearm of VVord applied to the second Person in the Trinity They had it in the beginning and in the Chaldee Paraphrase which is applied to JEHOVAH it is rendred the VVord of God What JEHOVAH is said to do they translate it The Word of God did it applying the Word of God to Christ Yea the very Heathens whom John would likewise take and therefore baiteth his hook accordingly the Heathens had a strong notion of the Word They said There was an eternall Mind from which proceeded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Word which was the Creator of all things Ye have it in Plato Trismegistus and divers of the Philosophers yea the very Oracle Pheuros the King of Egypt sendeth to the Oracle to know Who should be the greatest in the World hoping the Oracle would have named him But he received this answer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 expressing the whole Trinity clearly and expresly First God saith the Oracle then the Word and together with them the Spirit So then this tearm Word being known and applied to God both by Jewes and Heathens and St. John knowing that Ebion and Cerinthus were better versed in this Philosophy than in the Scriptures of God he to win them baits his hook with this expression of the Word whereas the expression of the Son of God would have angred them In this sense John practiseth what St. Paul confesseth to become all things to all men He setteth forth Christ under the term of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Word which they would better receive Whence the third Quaerie doth arise which is the main How doth it appear that Christ is fitly called by this Quaerie 3 term The Word We must distinguish There is a two-fold Word There Respons is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A word conceived in the mind I pray you set you selves to understand it As when ye read The fool hath said in his heart There is no God Here is what the fool thought He said that is within himself When the mind speaketh to a man's self that is a word conceived Secondly there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word delivered that is two-fold either verbum quod or verbum quo The word delivered is either that word which is one's mind expressed that is the thing which he hath spoken Then it is said he keepeth his word when he hath done the thing uttered And then there is the verbum quo that is that thing by which a man's mind is expressed Yet more plainly take it thus There is a three-fold word Verbum mentale A word conceived Verbum reale A word uttered Verbum orale A word uttering The word conceived verbum mentale is the Apprehension that a man hath in himself which we call a Notion or a Conception The word uttered verbum reale is the thing that is spoken In the Originall see Luk. 1. 37. With God nothing can be impossible 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with God no word shall be impossible So in the Originall There is nothing that God hath spoken but it shall come to passe Ye have a very clear place for that Matth. 4. 4. Man doth not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God As I take it the most proper meaning of that place is By every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God we understand every creature which God hath ordained for food And ye will be of that mind too if you see Deuter. 8. 3. He humbled thee and suffered thee to hunger and fed thee with Manna which thou knewest not nor thy fathers before thee that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread onely but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God Whatsoever the word of God maketh food whatsoever God appointeth to be instrumentall as he did Manna here There is verbum reale Then verbum orale the word uttering is the expression by which that thing is delivered That is the end why God hath given us speech If we were to deal onely with God we should need no tongue or speech because God knoweth the thoughts of our hearts If we were to deal onely with our selves we should need no speech for every man knoweth Why the use of Speech is given to man what himself thinketh But because we are to deal one with another therefore God giveth us the use of speech that there might be a word uttering and declaring to one another what one another thinks Psal 139. 4. There
is not a word in my tongue but lo O Lord thou knowest it altogether Now Christ is therefore called the Word because he resembleth all these He resembleth the word conceived as being the expresse Image of his Father's Person even as our conceptions are the image of our minds Again He resembleth the word uttered as being that Thing which is the very suhstance of all his Father's Revelations and Promises And again He resembleth the word uttering as being the Interpreter of his Father's will in all Ages In all these three respects Christ is called the word First in reference to a word conceived Look as the word conceived in the mind is the image of the mind or 1. Christ is the Word conceived in reference to his Father's Person conception or notion it representeth our understanding to the ful So the Lord Jesus Christ He is the Image the express Image of his Father's Person Heb. 1. 3. therefore his Father's word There is no such representation of a man as his conception No such representation of God as Christ the expresse image of his Father's Person Mark that I pray you There is a great deal of difference to be put between a Shadow a Picture and a Statue A Statue to which this expression seemeth to refer He is the engraven image of his Father's Person A Shadow that is a kind of a sleight representation of a body but not a clear one and such a representation of God is all the Creatures We see something of God even in the Grasse and Trees and Beasts of the field A Picture that representeth him a great deal more lively than a Shadow can it hath usually a man's feature and complexion which a Shadow hath not And there is a kind of Picture of God drawn upon the Souls of Men and Angels But there is a further representation than either of these that is in a Statue A Character that representeth further than a Picture a Picture may shew but half the face or half the body to the middle but a Statue that represents the whole man Cap à pe from top to toe Whereas a Picture though you may have one drawn more fully yet is for the most part so framed as to represent though the whole body yet not in its full proportion not the limbs so big as in a living man That also Statues have above Pictures they represent not onely the shape but the proportion of every limb Christ is the Character of his Father's Person Thus he doth not onely hold forth God but whole God altogether Christ is Omnipotent as the Father and Omni-present as the Father and Omniscient as the Father And thus be is fitly called the Word in reference to the word conceived as being the expresse Image of his Father's Person Secondly In reference to the word uttering to the 2. Christ the VVord uttering as the Interpreter of his Father's will verbum orale because Christ is the Interpreter of his Father's will Look as we expresse our selves one to another by our words so God in all Ages hath expressed himself to the world by his Son The great Interpreter of His will in all Ages hath been Christ Matth. 11. 27. All things are delivered to me of my Father saith Christ And no man knoweth the Son but the Father neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him God that dwelleth in the light inaccessible had been for ever hidden to the eye of the world and unknown to them if the Lord Jesus Christ had not been the word to reveal him Joh. 1. 18. No man hath seen God at any time but the onely begotten Son in the bosom of the Father he hath declared him All the knowledge we have of God in the world we may thank Christ for it He hath declared him We should never know one another's minds if we had not the use of speech to declare our selves Christ is the word by which God declareth himself to man He it was that was the word uttering The first Promise that ever was that which was made to Adam in Paradise The Gen. 3. 15. seed of the woman shall break the serpent's head He it was that delivered the Law to Moses and that spake by the Prophets and in them 1 Pet. 1. 10 11. Of which salvation the Prophets have enquired and searched diligently who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you searching what and what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signifie c. It was the Spirit of Christ in the Prophets that signified whatsoever they foretold And so in the Apostles after them Christ was the Speaker in them 2 Cor. 13. 3. Ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me which to you-ward is not weak but is mighty Christ the Church's Oratour to God and God's Oratour to the Church in you This word in the Text as it is the Church's Orator to God so he is God's Orator to the Church He speaketh to God for the Church and to that end he sitteth in Heaven at the right hand of God interceding for us And he speaks from God to the Church and in all Ages hath made known the will of the Father And so resembleth the word uttering Christ is resembled by the word uttering the verbum orale as being the substance of all his Father's Revelations and Promises the sum of all that God hath uttered since the beginning of the world and the Product Christ himself to be the summa totalis of all God's Revelations What was the thing promised to Adam in Paradise The seed of the woman What to Abraham Christ who was the seed in whom all nations should be blessed All the Types of the Ceremonial Law What was the substance of them Christ Indeed the Ceremonial Law was the Jews Gospell Christ the Substance of all God's Revelations Every thing pointed to Christ the substance of all those Revelations of God To him give all the Prophets witnesse The Prophets and the Law both It is the speech of Nathaniel Joh. 1. 45. We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and the Prophets did write Jesus of Nazareth The sum of all Divinity is the Scripture the sum of the Scripture is the Gospell the sum of the Gospell is Christ He is the word uttering in all What is the world but God unfolded What is the Scriptures but Christ unfolded As the Prince of Antwerp one of that House a Prince and yet a Preacher by Profession It is said to be his expression Scripturae sunt faciae in quibus involutus est puer Jesus All the Scriptures are but swadling-clothes in which Christ the Child Jesus is wrapped up So he is likewise resembled by the word uttering as being the substance of all his Father's Revelations and Promises For in him Christ all the promises are Yea and Amen 2. Cor. 1. 20. This for Explication
of that term The Word which ye have twice in this Verse Let us now Apply it before we come to any of the Predicates First In that Christ is here called the Word in reference Vse 1 to the word conceived as being the expresse Image of his Father's Person as our thoughts are the image of the mind Let us learn from hence First to be helped here to understand something of that Eternall Generation What the Son of God is who of himself is inexpressible Who can declare his generation Isa 3. This may help us to conceive better of it than any expression in the world When we compare Christ with the conception of our own hearts there is nothing commeth so near the nature of that eternall generation of the Son of God The understanding that conceiveth a notion without difficulty without passion without agitation and stirring There is no conception no procession of any thing so purely inconcrete and simple and unmixt as the proceeding of the thoughts of our Understanding Such is the generation of the Son from the Father at least this of all things we can take into our imagination is the fittest to expresse Him And indeed if it were possible for a man to contract all his notions into one mark it if it were possible for him to conceive at once whatsoever he apprehendeth then that Conceit that he conceiveth in his understanding it would be that man's wisdom and that man's truth because it containeth whatsoever he hath in his heart Such a word is Christ in reference to his Father Whatsoever there is in the Father of wisdom it is expressed there whatsoever excellency is in God it is in the Son Thence it is that Christ is Christ both Wisdom and Truth so frequently called Wisdom and set forth by that name Prov. 8. And he is called Truth I am the way and the truth and the life And there would be the whole of a man's wisdom in that notion which will contain all his apprehension at once So it is in Christ which is the wisdom of his Father That is one thing It may help us something in conceiving the unconceivable and unexpressible Generation of the Son from the Father Secondly It may help us to conceive of the Father according to what we read of the Son and to conceive of the Son according to what we read of the Father because the Son is the expresse Image of the Father's Person Therefore it is of great use for poor penitent sinners that with the Publican stand afar off and dare not lift up their eyes to Heaven For howsoever they conceive some hope in regard of Christ yet they are affraid God the Father will never pardon them They look at Christ as a Saviour all of Bowells Many poor souls have strange apprehensions of God the Father as if he were altogether a consuming fire therefore no pardon to be expected from him But here is for thy comfort Christ Comfort to penitent sinners whatsoever he is is the expresse Image of the Father's Person therefore what thou findest in Christ thou maist find in the Father Was Christ so full and free-hearted as to be ready to help every poor soul in the daies of his flesh He is but the Father's Image and thou maist find the same disposition in the Father Thou maist go to God as to Christ if he were here in the flesh On the other side If any man Terrour to stubborn sinners be a stubborn and presumptuous sinner that dareth go on to walk in the lust of his eyes and pride of his heart and flatter himself with these thoughts Lord have mercy upon me will save him on his death-bed Howsoever there may be some rigour expected from the Father why Christ will have mercy upon him Christ dyed for him and will save him And he needeth make no question of the love of Christ of his affection and readinesse to help him though he walketh in the stubbornnesse of his wicked heart Let such a one know That God as he will by no means clear the guilty so nor will Christ too Mark that place for this Exod. 23. 20. Behold saith God there I send an Angel before thee to keep thee in the way and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared That Angel was Christ for it is said that they provoked Christ in the Wildernesse Therefore it was Christ Now mark Beware of him and obey his voyce provoke him not for he will not pardon your transgressions Why for my name is in him Christ is just as I am saith God the Father here and as severe to sinners as I am Therefore provoke him not he will not pardon Kisse the Son lest he be angry The Son can be angry as well as the Father Though he be the Lamb of God yet that Lamb will turn Lion against them that disobey him and refuse to obey the Gospell of Christ The Lamb will be so angry as to make the great ones of the earth to cry Who shall deliver them from the wrath of the Lamb Rev. 6. Secondly In that Christ is called the Word in reference Vse 2 to the word uttering because he is the Interpreter of his Father's will and declareth the Father's mind to the sons of men Let us learn from hence to blesse Christ for all the knowledge we have of God and the things of God it is from him we have it he is the Word that hath declared it The onely begotten Son in the bosome of the Father he hath declared him Joh. 1. 18. If men think themselves so much beholding to their Tutors and School-masters that discover to them the hidden things of Arts and Sciences If Alexander was so much bound to his Master his School-master Aristotle his Instructor that he made a question Whether he were more bound to him for his teaching of him than to Philip his father for begetting of him Then what do we owe to Jesus Christ the great Tutor to whom we owe all our Learning Tutors and Fathers too for all Relations meet in him and all Duty is due to him And if He be the word uttering let none be ashamed of that work of the Ministry Some Gentlemen think it scorn to make their sons Ministers God the Father made his Son a Minister ye see and setteth the Lord Jesus Christ his onely Son to be a revealer of his will to the sons of men And if so something else may be learned from it Let us all take heed to what we hear It is Christ that is the word uttering What we find in Scripture and hear delivered according to the Scripture it is the word of Christ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom The power of the Word Preached Col. 3. 16. Ye must give me leave to tell you when men speak Scripture to you rightly interpreted and ye refuse to hear ye do not refuse men that speak from the
the Father because there is distinction of Persons and yet a personall Co-existency The word was with God So ye have the meaning of that Proposition Let us now make Use of it First Take notice here of the distinction of Persons in Vse 1 the Godhead a distinction without their Divinity Here is the Son the word with God and the Son with the Father not divided from him And yet one Person with another and so distinct one from another With him not without distinction and in him without division As in the night-time if a man set up three Candles in a room all these concurr to the lightning of the room yet there is but one light So but one Essence in the Divinity Yet here are three Candles that give that Light but no man can say that this light is peculiar to the First Candle and this to the Second for all shine together and yet the light of the second Candle is with the first but the light is all one But O the depth It is no wading here farther than a man hath footing out of Scripture for fear of being past our standing and be drowned The Word of God is with God and one Person with another but the manner How as Basil said when he met with some knots of difficulty in this Mystery I believe saith he I do not busie my self in searching over far what we cannot make out in plain reason we must make out in believing where we have the Scripture for our bottom onely take notice of such a thing Certainly there is a distinction of Persons in the Trinity Here is One with Another The word was with God Secondly Learn from hence to worship God according Vse 2 to a distinction of Persons Learn we to worship and look at Christ as a Person distinct from the Father and the holy Ghost or else we worship not Christ but our own fancies If we conceive him not as he is as he is distinct This is the great difference between the Christian and the Turkish Religion I might say the Jewish too for the Turks and Jews agree in that they hold one God but deny a distinction of Persons in the Godhead We Christians according to Scripture acknowledge that too There are three that bear record in heaven the Father the Word and the Spirit and these three are one And some kind of necessity appeareth in a way of reason which we may take notice of for the strengthning of our faith in this great Mystery that there should be a distinction of Persons God The benefit of the distinction of Persons the Father was the Person offended Reconciliation was to be made None but God hath enough in him to satisfie God Therefore it was requisite there should be a Person to satisfie the Person offended That the second Person the Lord Jesus undertakes and goeth through with it But how shall this be made known Poor man is as far off as ever he was if he be left here he hath no power in his own nature to reach this Therefore there is a Third Person the holy Ghost who discovereth this and applieth it So that the Salvation of Man is by the concurrence of the whole Trinity But I must here again take off my self with O the depth as Bernard did Hoc magnum est Mysterium This is a great Mystery a Mystery rather to be adored than searched into Well saith he Quomodo esset Pluralitas in Unitate unitas in Pluralitate How there should be a Plurality in Unity and how a Unity in Plurality three Persons and yet but one Essence Scrutari temeritas est It is rashnesse to search too far into it Credere pietas it is piety to believe it Cognosâ—ere vita aeterna It is life eternall to know it We can never have a full comprehension of it till we come to enjoy it Thirdly This may serve to Answer that Question which some make What was God a doing before he made the Vse 3 world Object It might suffice to Answer them as Augustine did in Answ the same case with a short Answer He was a making Hell for such as put these Questions But there is a fairer Answer in the Text which telleth you That the Word that was in the beginning before the Creatures were made that Word was with God God was delighting himself in his Word God and his Word were a contriving the Redemption of Mankind and had thoughts of peace towards the Elect from all Eternity That place Prov. 8. speaketh something to it When he appointed the foundations of the world vers 30 31. then I was by him as one brought up with him or as a Nourisher in Intention or decreeing of the Creatures that were to be made or out of the Church that was to be gathered out of the world I was daily his delight rejoycing God delighting in his Son before the world was alwaies before him This God was a doing before the world was made he was delighting in his Son this Text saith so clearly So saith Peter 1 Pet. 2. 19 20. The pretious blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot who verily was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world but was manifested in these last times for you Before the foundations of the world what was God a doing Plotting as I may speak with reverence the work of mans Redemption projecting my Redemption and thine Before we were he had thoughts of peace and mercy towards us Therefore we may trust him as long as we live When we think little of him he thinks much of us The fourth Use we may make of this is this It should Vse 4 teach us and I pray God we may all learn infinitely to prize the love of Christ I say to prize and adore the love of Christ Who though he were from all Eternity the Word with God yet was pleased in the fulnesse of time to become Emmanuel God with us What an act of respect and love was it in Moses to his Country-men the Jews Moses his exceeding love to his Country-men the Jewes poor Hebrews in sore bondage and he in Pharaoh's Court brought up in all the learning of the Egyptians adopted by the King's daughter full of honour some say Lord Treasurer of Egypt and they build their conjecture upon that because it is said He forsook the treasures of Egypt It was a great thing for him to leave the Court and sort himself with poor Labourers at Brick-kilns yet that he did Here is an act of great condescention in Moses of much respect to his Country and love to the poor Hebrews But what is this of Moses to that of Christ who was with God in the Court of Heaven taken up with the mutuall delights which the blessed Trinity had in each other To leave this all this for a time and to come to be Man with us To leave his Mansion which was Heaven and to pitch his
us such a glorious piece as this is and shall not we consider it with a Contemplative eye An Artist thinketh himself negglected when he hangeth forth a Picture to be viewed and no body give it the beholding All creatures are active upon the stage of the world but Man is a Spectator as well as an Actor therefore they should observe not themselves Man is not to observe himself onely but what God doth in other Creatures onely but whatsoever God doth in other creatures and towards other creatures as well as in and towards themselves To this end God hath fitted them with Sense to let the consideration of him into their Understandings and set them in such a place of the world as that they are compassed about both with lasting works of Creation Sun Moon Stars Beasts Plants and the like and also with transient works of Providence that passe over their heads daily O therefore that men would praise the Lord and glorifie him in and for all these things that he hath made That is the Use we should make of it Rev. 4. ult Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour and power for thou hast created all things For thee they are and were created Rom. 1. 20. Therefore give him the glory of his power Who but God could have created such a Palace as Heaven and Pond as the Sea and Pavement as the Earth Give Him the glory of His wisdom O Lord how manifold are thy works In wisdom hast thou made them all It requireth wisdom to manage a great Family much wisdom to martiall a great Army What wisdom is it in God not onely to make but to govern all the host of all the Creatures In wisdom hast thou made them all in wisdom dost thou govern them Let all therefore give Him the praise of his Goodnesse for the next words there say The earth is full of thy riches namely of his goodnesse to the sons of men because for us were all these things made and we were made for God as ye heard before And therefore made after his own Image Now my Brethren What doth God expect from us in a way of requitall for all these things but that as they serve As the Creature serveth us so we should serve the Lord. us so we should serve him That seeing we are made after his own Image we should represent him in our dispositions and carriages towards the sons of men in being holy and meek and loving even as God himself is Whose image and superscription is this will God ask one day that is upon thy soul Is it God's after which thou art made or is it Satan's If the Devill 's give to Satan that which is Satan's God will give the Devill his due one day If he findeth his own Image spunged out of us and the Devill 's stampt upon us wo be to us As it is said of Queen Elizabeth that passing by the streets and seeing some of her Pictures hang for Signes that were not made like her she was angry and caused them to be pulled down and thrown into the fire Brethren I speak it with trembling Should any of you carry souls about you that do not look like God they must be thrown down and cast into the fire Thus have I run over a sort of Considerations from the great and glorious work of the Creation The next thing is to discourse of Christ as the Maker the Efficient Vers 3. All things were made by him and without him was made nothing that was made Vers 4. In him was life and the life was the light of men The Divinity of Jesus Christ under the tearm of the Word hath been asserted in the former Verse In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God And this our Evangelist proveth by an Argument taken from the Creation First Generally from the Creation of all things All things were made by him and without him was not any thing made that was made Secondly More Especially from the Creation of living things living Creatures In him was life And Particularly from the Creation of Man The life was the light of men That part of the Argument which is most Generall lyeth in the third Verse Where ye have two things The Argument first Propounded And secondly Illustrated Propounded All things were made by him Illustrated Without him was not any thing made that was made In the Proposition are two things Here is the Effect All things made The Efficient By him Of the Effect I have spoken already I proceed now to the Efficient Christ the Eternall Word was the Maker of them All things were made by him The Eternall Word was the Creator of all things Ye shall have this truth established in the mouth of two or three witnesses Ephes 2. 9. Who created all things by Jesus Christ The Epistle to the Hebrewes will afford two pregnant testimonies Heb. 1. 2. He hath in these last daies spoken to us by his Son whom he hath appointed heir of all things by whom also he made the worlds This may seem something difficult because he speaketh of Worlds whereas we acknowledg but one Let it be considered whom he writes to the Hebrews whose custome it was to style God Rabboni Dominus mundorum The Lord of the Worlds They were wont to speak of three Worlds the lower World the higher World and the middle World The lower World containeth the Elements Earth and Water and Aire and Fire The higher World that containeth the Heaven of the Blessed And the middle World that containeth the Starry Heaven We now being acquainted with this Language and the Apostle writing to them he saith That God by Christ made the Worlds those worlds which they were wont to speak so frequently of And whereas one scruple might arise from this expression in the Text By him were all things made that in the Ephesians God created all things by Jesus Christ this to the Hebrews By whom he made the worlds As if Christ were onely an Instrument in the Creation and not the principall Efficient Therefore another place in this first Chapter will clear it which speaketh of Christ as the principall Efficient of all things Heb. 1. compare the 8th and 10th Verses together To the Son he saith Thy throne O God is for ever and ever And Thou Lord verse 10. hast laid the foundations of the earth and the heavens are the work of thy hands Namely thine that is the Son which he spake of before There is no great distinction here in all Objections for this Praeposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not alwaies signifie an Instrument but sometimes it noteth a principall Agent It is said of God Of him and through him and to him are all things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 11. 36. by him which we render through him Ye will have a more clear place Gal. 1. 1. Paul an Apostle not of man neither by
man but by Jesus Christ and God the Father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Who was the principall Efficient not Paul the Apostle then certainly Jesus Christ and God the Father he is said to be an Apostle by Them So then Christ is the principall Efficient of the Creation And in this sense it is said By him were all things made not as by an Instrument but as by the chief Efficient No more of the Proposition By him till I come to make Use of it I come now to the Illustration of this And without him was not any thing made that was made These words are considerable three waies First as an Hebraism a manner of speech borrowed from the course of the Hebrews in their Writings Secondly As an Addition to what Moses had said concerning the works of Creation Thirdly As an Explication of the former Clause By him were all things made First Look at them as an Hebraism which this Evangelist is full of Ye must know that amongst the Hebrews there was nothing more usuall for the heightning of an expression then to joyn an Affirmative and Negative together in one sentence when they had first affirmed a thing positively then to joyn another clause that should deny the contrary I will give you an instance or two to make it clear that in Isa 39. 4. Hezekiah answered All that is in mine house have they seen there is the Affirmative There is nothing in my treasures that I have not shewed them there is the Negative and both make up one compleat sense Jer. 42. 4. And it shall come to passe that whatsoeever thing the Lord shall answer you I will declare it to you there is the Affirmative I will keep nothing back from you here is the Negative And the sense is inforced by it Just as it is here All things were made by Him and without Him was not made any thing that was made Secondly If ye look at them as an Addition to what Moses had mentioned concerning the Creation He had made an expresse mention of all things visible Our Evangelist All things visible and invisible created by Christ intending to carry the Efficiency of Christ to the making of all things that receive a being whether visible of which Moses speaks or invisible therefore he contenteth not himselfe by saying By Him were all things made but addeth further without Him was not made any thing that was made The former clause hath reference to what Moses said The latter carrieth it further All things visible and invisible Colos 1. 16. By him speaking of Christ who is the Image of the invisible God by Him were all things created that are in Heaven and Earth visible and invisible whether Thrones or Dominions or Principalities or Powers All things were created by Him Thirdly These words are considerable especially as an Explication of the former clause By him were all things made wherein are two things to be noted The Efficient and the Effect Here is something to explain both The Effect first These words without him was not any thing made that was made Any thing that was made helpeth to explain That these words limit All things in the former clause to all created things all things that receive a being whereas otherwise God himselfe God the Father the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost these are in the number of all things The three Persons in the Trinity God the Father Son and Spirit have the most excellent beeing have the most excellent Beeing But some have brought desperate arguments from this Text That Christ is a Creature because in the number of all things Now say the next words without him was not any thing made that was made Ye must limit the first words All things that receive a being not that have a being As the Apostle argueth in another Case so we may reason in this 1 Cor. 15. 27. He hath put all things under his feet but when he saith All things are put under him it is manifest That he is excepted that put all things under him So all things are created by Him But when He saith All things are Created by Him it is manifest that he is excepted by whom all things are Created Secondly Here is something to explain the Efficient from these words without him was not any thing made It implieth a kind of Co-partenership in the work of Creation Christ alone doth not make all things But Christ together with the Father and the Holy Ghost yet so as without the Word without Christ was nothing made by any of the other Persons This wisdome challengeth as the Prerogative of the Son of God Prov. 8. from the 27 vers to the 31. When He prepared the Heavens I was there when He set a compasse upon the face of the deep and stablished the Clouds above when He gave to the Sea his decree then I was by Him as one brought up with Him and was daily His delight rejoycing alwayes before Him It excludeth onely Creatures not the Co-operation of the other Persons in the Trinity to what was made without Him was not any thing made It is an usuall distinction amongst Divines God hath two sorts of works some Opera ad intra works terminated upon some Person in the Trinity works within And these are done by some one person not by another So the Father begetteth That work is terminated upon the Son he is begotten the son begetteth not The Holy Ghost proceedeth the Father doth not That is a proper work Adintra But works Adextra Works without God And these are all common to all the three Persons The Father createth and the Son createth and the Holy Ghost createth and yet but one Creator because it is a work that proceedeth from the Will of God and the will of God is the same in all the three Persons and accordingly though the work be ascribed to every Person yet they make but one Creator because all Three have but one Essence But because they have different Subsistencies the Father a distinct Person from the Son and the Son from the Holy Ghost therefore they have a distinct manner of working even in this businesse of the Creation In all things the Father works All matters of Inchoations are ascribed to the Father of Dispensations to the Sonne of Consummations to the Holy Ghost But I will no longer dwell upon that you see the meaning of these words Let us now come to apply them All things were made by him that is by Christ and without him was not any thing Vse Of Instruction made that was made To passe from more knotty difficult matter to what may I hope come home to the conscience Here are both Instructions and Consolations and Directions to be borrowed from hence Three Instructions four Consolations and five Directions I shall give you from this truth That Christ is the Creator of all things and without him was made nothing that was made First It instructeth
Christ who is the heir of all things The Father hath committed all judgment to the Son And our errand is to beseech you to go over and leave your own father's house and forsake all your lusts and worldly Correspondencies and be married to this Jesus This is the end of our Ministry to perswade men to believe in Christ because we know there is no other Name under Heaven by which we can be saved Acts 4. 12. Neither is there salvation in any other No there is no other Name given under Heaven by which men must be saved We might tell you as they do in the Church of Rome Popery a foppery of Pardons Indulgences and Pilgrimages but this is but to still Children with rattles We might tell you of your own works of praying and reading and giving of Alms but this is but to send you to Hopâ—er and Arpad the Rivers of Damascus for there is no salvation to be had but by Him Therefore the end of our Ministry is that all might believe in him because As there is no other Name but his by which we must be saved So no other way to lay hold upon him but by believing The just they live by faith The Righteousnesse of God is revealed from faith to faith Ye know how it was with the Woman in the Gospell that came to Christ in the crowd and got healing from him No question in such a crowd many touched Christ for He was in the midst of the throng as well as that Woman But none received healing but that woman because she believed that if she could but touch him she should be healed So it is here There is a crowd of Professors that seem to come to and follow after Christ but none receive healing but those that believe indeed and to them cometh a healing vertue Well then if this be the end of all Ministers witnesse-bearing that through them their hearers might believe in Christ First learn from hence to look at these Ministers as Ministers to be accompted publick blessings publick blessings here is one John the Baptist A man sent from God that all through him might believe All that were within the compasse and reach of his Ministry if they were not wanting to themselves might be the better for him That all through him might believe It is no small matter this whatsoever people may make of it the Apostle happily setteth a high price upon it All are yours who in the first place whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas He reckoneth up the Minister as a great part of their goods there Ephes 4. 11 12. speaking of the Ascension of Jesus Christ and setting Him forth as a great Prince he telleth you what gifts He gave Princes are wont in the dayes of their Coronation to give largely to their Subjects Christ was Ascended and Crowned with Glory He led Captivity Captive and was in his Triumph He ascended up on high and gave gifts to men what gifts He gave some Apostles some Prophets and some Evangelists these were gifts indeed They were men of infallible spirits But he gave Pastors and Teachers and Ministers for the edifying of the Body of Christ Secondly seeing this is the end of their witnesse-bearing learn to give heed to their Testimony because they are Their Testimony to be received sent by God on purpose that you through them might believe They are Instruments as of your faith so of your happinesse Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God Rom. 10. 14. The Philosophers make hearing the sense of Discipline The Apostles make it the sense of faith Faith cometh by Hearing Those that cry out of too much preaching are as if they were afraid of too much faith Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God It is the great ordinance that God hath appointed to beget faith in the hearts of men Unbelief came by hearing by Eve's harkening to the Serpent So God will have faith come by hearing that we might beat the Devil at his owne weapon Eve heard the serpent and was drawn aside from God We by hearing of the Ministry of the Gospell are brought home to God As Calvin saith sweetly That we who were deceived by the subtilty of the serpent might be saved by the foolishnesse of God so the Scripture calleth the preaching of the Gospel 1 Cor. 1. 21. It pleased God by the foolishnesse of preaching to save them that believe This is not an arbitrary businesse that ye may take or leave without danger or losse to them that teach you rightly It must cost you dear For out of the witnesses mouths cometh fire to devour their Enemies Revel 11. 5. If any man would hurt them fire proceedeth out of their mouths and devoureth them These Sermons which are so sleighted at present may be as fire in your consciences another day It was the manner under the Law for the Witnesses before a Malefactor was stoned to lay their hands upon his head they were the first men that stoned him Levit. 34. 34. Bring forth him that is to be stoned without the camp and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head and then let all the congregation stone him This the Witnesses did to make it appear that they translated all the guilt from off themselves and laid it where it ought upon the head of the Malefactor So may Ministers do that come to be Witnesses to the Light they may say as Paul did I have declared to you the whole counsell of God I am free from the blood of all men They that have faithfully preached Christ in any place may safely say We have delivered our own souls and done what in us lyeth to deliver yours if you would believe We come to bear witness to the truth that all men through us might believe So I have done with his Office as it is directly laid down Secondly It is laid down in opposition to a false conceit The Jews falsly conceit John the Messias that the Jews had of John as if he had been the Messias To meet with this He was not that light saith the Evangelist here This conceit of theirs ye shall find Luk. 3. 15. As the people were in expectation and all men mused in their hearts of John whether he were the Christ or no. Now to meet with this and to clear it saith the Evangelist here He was not that light He was a light indeed but not that light He was as Christ himself saith a burning and a shining light he said so of John the Baptist Joh. 5. 35. He was a burning and a shining light and ye were willing for a season to rejoyce in his light There may be a Candle that is not lighted a Candle may be lighted and burn and yet give but a small light But here John was a burning light and a shining light too Therefore the greater wonder perhaps why it is said here He was not
Saviour telleth us there was none greater than John excepting Christ who had not a naturall generation Matth. 11. 11. Verily I say unto you Amongst them that are born of a woman there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist This great John the first What is his Employment Certainly so honourable a Person must be called to some honourable service It is The employment of the Ministers of the Gospel is an honourable employment Luk 2. 11. Mar. 16. 6. To bear witnesse to the light than which no service is more honourable It is that which Angels have not disdained They ye know bare witnesse to Christ's Incarnation they tell the shepheards That to them is born in the City of Bethlehem a Saviour which is Christ the Lord. And then they bore witness of his Resurrection to women at the Sepulcher God the Father and the holy Ghost thought it no disparagement to them to bear witnesse to Christ God the Father at his Birth This is my beloved Son in whom I am well Matth. 3. 17. Matth. 17. 5. pleased and at his Transfiguration in the Mount And it is the great work of the holy Ghost in all his negotiations to the sons of men to testifie of Christ Joh. 15. 26. When the Comforter shall come whom I will send to you from the Father even the Spirit of truth he shall testifie of me There is his work I will not insist long upon this Let us learn onely from hence every one in his and her place to bear witnesse to Christ Ministers by preaching Christ as Paul did who desired to know nothing amongst his people but Christ and him crucified therefore he is called a Chosen vessell Paul is But to what end Act. 9. 15. The Lord said to him Go thy way for he is a chosen vessell to me to bear my name before the Gentiles and Kings and children of Israel Here is the Minister's work to bear Christ's name before the people like those Pitchers of Gideon Judg. 7. earthen pitchers indeed and so earthen vessells as Paul calleth them but they have a Lamp in them and are chosen vessells to bear the name of Christ to witness to this truth And so Believers in their conference should bear witness to Christ by telling one another what great things he hath done for their souls discoursing of him as the Disciples in the way to Emmans their talk was of Christ As people when they come from Market they tell of their penny-worths When people How to bear witnesse to Christ come from Sermons they speak what they have heard and what a good bargain Christ is All of all sorts are called to witness for Christ by their living and if they be called to it by their dying living to him dying for him there is witness born to Christ both these waies All are not indeed called to Martyrdom and so to testifie of Christ by their death but all are called to Testifie of Christ by their Life As ye read of some that professed God in their works so some confesse Christ in their lives those that shew forth the grace of Christ as Peter speaketh who are called out of darknesse into his marvellous Light Those that can carry themselves meekly towards the malitious and humbly towards the proud they may hereby by their Carriage bear witnesse to that meeknesse and humility which they receive from Christ as the head and fountain of it Whosoever hath received Christ Jesus the Lord truly he will walk in him not onely talk of him but confesse him not only with his mouth but his life Here is a way of witnessing to him That ye may be incouraged to witnesse for Christ take two Considerations First If we do not witnesse for Christ now Christ will one day witnesse against us Mal. 3. 5. I will come neer to you in judgment and I will be a swift witnesse against such and such sinners as he there mentioneth Christ himself will be a witnesse against us if we be not witnesses for him and a swift witnesse too And now beloved Consider with your selves what astonishment seized upon the souls of Joseph's brethren as soon as he stept up to witnesse against them and said I am Joseph whom ye sold into Egypt And yet he did this meerly to inform them and not to affright Gen. 45. 3. them Who can tell the horrour and amazement which will fall upon the souls of men when Christ will at the last day say I am Jesus whom ye Crucified and whom ye refused to believe and whose Word and Gospell ye have trampled under your feet Secondly Consider That if we do witnesse for Christ we shall have Three witnessing for us in whose Testimony we shall receive aboundance of Comfort First We shall have a witnesse without us and a witnesse within us and a witnesse above us Without us That is the Testimony of men that fear God If we witnesse for Christ They will witnesse for us even the Consciences of wicked men will be inforced many times to witnesse for us when their words witnesse against us But though they should not yet by faith the Elders obtained a good report Hebr. 11. 2. The Saints will have a good report amongst them that are Saints like themselves Jonathan will witnesse for David though he incurre Saul's displeasure for so doing Secondly We shall have a witnesse within us That is the Testimony of our Consciences Though there should be storms without yet there will be a calme within And it is the wind within that maketh the Earth-quake And the wind within that maketh the soul to quake Conscience is a witnesse within us Thirdly God is greater then our hearts He is a witnesse for us so saith Job Job 16. My witnesse is in Heaven and my Record is on high Though men upon earth should witnesse against him and though he should not at all times have the peace of his Conscience speaking good things for him yet he hath a witnesse above all His witnesse is in Heaven and his Record on high As Augustine saith Deus major Conscientia pro nostra Conscientia testatur That is one end why God will have men witnesse for him because he might have occasion to witnesse for them if time serve what a comfort is here to have him witnesse for us who is our Judge whose sentence will never Certainly go against his Testimony I have done with that and proceed now to another argument which the Evangelist useth to prove That Christ is the Fountain of Light namely from the effect of Illumination generall Illumination Vers 9. That was the true Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the World Here is both the Agent the Act and the Subject The Agent Christ under the name of true Light The Act Lightning The Subject Every man that cometh into the World That was the true Light Light ye know was the first distinct Creature that God made And as
found in this Relation as to take away the bitternesse of all other dispensations and providences though in other respects very averse Our Chroninicles tell us of King Edward the first when he was in forraigne parts newes was brought him at once both of the death of his father and of his son The King was exceedingly struck into sadnesse at the relation but especially at the death of his father For saith he I may have more sons but never another father We may have more friends and more estates if we lose our friends or estates but we can have no more fathers if we once lose our God we shall never have such a Father as he lose him once and all is gone Am not I said Elkanah to Hannah better to thee then ten sons Well may God say to us Am not I better to you then ten thousand sons and ten thousand times ten thousand estates All sweetnesse concenters in this Relation God is our Father we are his Children But there may be a great deal of wealth and honour 5. It is a safe estate and freedome and sweetnesse and yet no safety may attend this condition This is a safe estate that is the commendations of it This honour and riches and freedome and sweetnesse they shall all continue The servant he abideth not in the house for ever but the son abideth ever saith our Saviour Joh. 8. 35. Therefore fear not little flock saith Christ It is your Fathers pleasure to give you the Kingdome Nothing shall intervene so as to hinder a son from the Inheritance It is his Fathers good pleasure and his will shall stand to give them a Kingdome in the issue So it is clear that this is an high priviledge What use shall we make of it First examine whether we be thus preferred yea or Vse 1 no. It is that which almost every one in the visible Church Examine our selves wherher we be sons or not pretendeth to be a son and daughter of God It is therefore worth the while to try whether the Lord Jesus Christ hath made us partakers of this priviledge It is a use both for the assurance of the Saints and for the discarding of Hypocrits that are but pretenders to it They favour even those men of whom Christ saith You are of your father the Devill They pretend sonship to God Joh. 8. 41. We say they be not born of fornication we have one Father even God And yet Christ saith to them ye are of your father the Devill We are of God say they ye are of your father the Devill saith Christ One way to try this and the onely one that I will name is by the spirit of adoption If we be sons then God hath sent forth into our hearts the spirit of adoption by which we cry Abba Father This ye have expressely laid down in so many words Gal. 4. 6. Because ye are sons God hath sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba father Wheresoever there is sonship there will be crying Abba Father Crying implyeth fervency of spirit as Why cryest thou to me faith God to Moses when he was in a great strait at the Red-sea Because both the profane persons and formall professors will put on for a share before we can break the childrens bread we must discard them from the comforts of this If crying Father and if praying argue my sonship Formality and Prophaneness reproved then I am a son saith the profane person for I say my prayers ever and anon Alas what is this to the purpose Thy praying is but craving yea thy praying is but houling in God's esteem Isa 7. 14. They have not cryed to me with their hearts when they houled upon their beds How irksom is the houling of dogs to the ears of men such is that which profane persons call Praying in the ears of God The truth is their praying is but a driving of contradictions because their life all the while giveth their tongue the lie Our Father saith the profane person which art in heaven and in the mean while he serveth his father the devill which is in hell Hallowed be thy Name so say his lips but in the mean time he dishonoureth God in swearing and lying and whoring and drinking and prophaneness Thy kingdom come and in the mean while he opposeth the Kingdom of Christ in his heart and in the lives of his Saints and doth what he can to hinder the comming of it Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven and in the mean while he doth the will of Satan that will which the damned do in hell Give us this day our daily bread seemingly acknowledging that he receiveth all even his outward mercies from God and in the mean while perhaps sacrificeth to his own net commending his own skill for the estate he hath gotten Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespasse against us and in the mean while he goeth on in malice and envy sinning to his very hour of death as it were Lead us not into temptation in the mean while he tempteth the devill to tempt him He cryeth Deliver us from evill and delivereth himself up to evill while he saith so He layeth the reins upon the neck of his lusts that run away with him into all mischief Call you this praying I but saith the formall professor I pray and that frequently not in distress onely but haply keep a constant course of prayer Surely I must go for a child of God That we be not deceived let us consider It is one thing to draw nigh with the heart and another thing to draw nigh with the lips You know the complaint of Isaiah compare two places together Isa 1. 15. When ye so read forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you and when you make many prayers I will not hear you And yet he complaineth of them by Isaiah Isa 4. They make many prayers and yet none heareth that prayer Why Because Isa 29. 13. This people draw near to me with their mouths but remove their hearts far from me Therefore they pray and their prayers are no prayers because their hearts are not in them I will not deny but many a formall professor may have attained to the gift of prayer but that which I make an argument of Sonship was a spirit of prayer the spirit of adoption by which we cry Abba Father What that is ye may see Zach. 10. 12. I will pour out upon Jerusalem the spirit of grace and supplication How worketh that They shall look upon me whom they have pierced and mourn for me as one mourneth for his onely son Wheresoever the spirit Spirituall Prayer looks up to Christ of prayer is there will be a looking up to Jesus Christ in all our devotions The spirit of Adoption that commeth from the Son guideth to the Son and taketh us along with him in all our addresses to God They that
take it and drink it because it is mixed by Him who will be sure to put no poyson into his Children's Cup. Fithly It should teach us a lesson of reverence If I 5. It teacheth us reverence be a Father Mal. 1. 6. A son honoreth his father and a servant his master If then I be a father where is mine honour The children that will be playing the waggs happily together if the father come into their presence he husheth all the noise and the respect they bear him taketh them off from their vanity The Reverence we owe to God should take us off from all unseemly Carriages It was a report made of Luther by one that lived much with him and observed his devotion Tanta reverentia cum Deo Tanta fiducia cum Patre He goeth to God saith he with so much reverence as a man that cometh to a Lord above him but with so much confidence as a man that goeth to a Father 6. It teacheth us to seperate from the iniquity of the World Lastly It should teach us a lesson of seperation from the folly and iniquity of the World This ye have in that place 2 Cor. 6. and the two last verses Come out from amongst them and be ye separated and touch no unclean thing and I will be a father to you God expecteth a great deal of holinesse in his Children that they should nor run into the like excesse of Riot with the men of the World We should all be separatists in this sense namely from the pollutions of the world we should not behave our selves unbeseeming the sons and daughters of God It was an excellent advice given by a Philosopher to a young Prince under his Tuition and Care The Prince was to go abroad into a place where he knew he should meet with some naughty Company he desired his Tutor to teach him how he should govern and behave himselfe He giveth him this rule Memento te silium esse Regis Remember Thou art a King's son when thou comest there do nothing but what becometh the son of a King Could we alwayes carry this Memento along with us how pure would our Conversations be Thou art a son and daughter of God be sure to do nothing unbeseeming this relation and thou wilt do well enough Is this thy son's Coat say they to acob when they brought it home imbrew'd with blood When we see a mans Carriage defiled with lust and scurrility and bitternesse is this the Coat of a Son is it the badge of an heir of Heaven and Child of God He that will do nothing unworthy of this relation must be sure to walk unspotted of the World Thus I have run over the Observations that flow from the first particular of the Text namely The benefit The power or priviledge or prerogative to become the sons of God Secondly The next thing is The Benefactor that is 2. Christ our Benefactor giveth power to become sons Christ He gave them power to become the sons of God Sons of God in a speciall way not onely sons by Creation so all men are Mal. 2. 10. Have we not all one Father Hath not one God created us Nor onely sons by profession so all the members of the visible Church are Gen. 6. 2. The Sons of God saw the daughters of men Nor onely sons by Deputation So all Magistrates are according to that Psal 82. 6. I have said ye are Gods and all of you sons of the most High But sons of God by adoption That which the Apostle telleth us of Gal. 4 5. That we might receive the Adoption of sons Of which there are two sorts A naturall Adoption and A personall Adoption A naturall adoption That belonged properly to the Naturall adoption properly of the Jewes Jewes who were in that respect called the first-born sons of God Exod. 4. 22. Thou shalt say to Pharoah Thus saith the Lord. Israell is my son my first-born Therefore the Adoption is said to belong to Israell Rom. 9. 4. Who are Israelites to whom pertaineth the Adoption namely this naturall Adoption Secondly There is a personall adoption that of which Personall adoption properly is to believers I told you out of Gal. 4. 6. As many as received Him gave He the priviledge to become the sons of God Here is the benefit and the Benefactor He gave it it is the gift of Christ He made us adopted Sons Thirdly The Persons on whom the Father doth bestow 3. The persons upon whom God the Father bestoweth Chtist the gift of Christ being described by their faith I shall wrap up all in this one Observation which will take in all the remainder of the verse namely that It is given to all such as truly receive Christ by faith to become the sons of God by adoption For the explication whereof four things are to Observ be demonstrated First That Christ should be received To as many as received Him Secondly That to the true receiving of Christ there must be a speciall concurrence of Faith Even to them that believe in his Name saith the Text. Thirdly That all such as do receive Christ by faith are adopted ones To them gave He power to become the sons of God as many as received Him Fourthly That this sonship is a free gift He hath given them power to become the sons of God These all lie clearly in the words when I have explained them I shall come to apply them First Jesus Christ should be received Col. 2. 6. As ye 1. Christ should be received and how have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk ye in him Walk in him but receive him first Therefore it is that Christ is compared to such things in Scripture as do import a receiving of him conveying of him to mens souls He is called the Bread of life Joh. 6. 35. If bread be not eaten it nourisheth not if Christ be not received he saveth not We are said to put him on as a garment As many as have received Christ have put on Christ A garment must be taken and applied to the body or it cannot warm it to sence it from the weather He is said to come with healing under his wings Mal. 4. 2. Christ bringeth medicines with him salves for sores medicines for diseases But the salve must be applied to the sore else the salve healeth not and the medicine to the disease else it cureth not Christ is the husband of our souls Thy Maker is thy husband By marriage there must be a mutuall receiving of each other else it is no marriage All these expressions imply the receiving of Christ and not to receive him is the greatest folly and madnesse in the world As Who would not think that man besides himself that having a violent disease upon him when the best medicine in the world shal be offered him and which will infallibly cure him shall refuse to take it That is our case
I undertook for the explication of this point Come we now to apply it Vse First let us all learn from hence to extoll and magnifie 1. Learn to glorifie God for so great a gift as adoption is and adore the goodnesse and bounty of our Lord Jesus Christ in giving the poor sons of men so great so excellent a gift as this of adoption is To them that receive Him to them gave He power dignity priviledge prerogative to become the sons of God You see it is a free gift Look to all the progresse of salvation from first to last and you shall find free grace running through every passage of salvation even as blood runs through every vein in the body of a man Christ himselfe is the great gift of God and all other things are the gift of Christ God together with him giveth us all things else Have we any newnesse of heart in us It is He that giveth it He taketh away the heart of stone and giveth an heart of flesh Have we Ministers after Gods owne heart It is God that giveth the increase Have we any thing to suffer or to do To you it is given to believe and to suffer To the first This great priviledge of Adoption What but free and undeserved love could have moved Christ to bestow such a favour upon us He himselfe was the onely begotten Son of God and might have contented himselfe with this dignity for ever and yet He is pleased to become the first begotten of many Brethren The naturall Son of God made way for the poor sons of men that they might receive the adoption of sons It is a greater favour then any Adam had to thank God for this that we receive from Christ Adam was rather in the condition of a servant then of a Son He lived under the Covenant of works Do this and live And therefore it was that Adam was in a possibility of falling from his happy Condition as ye know he did and of being turned out of the house The servant abideth not in the house for ever but the son abideth for ever Joh. 8. 35. If ye will say he was a son as indeed he was it was but a son by Creation He bore the Image of God had the divine stamp upon him but here is a further sonship by adoption There is a mysticall union of believers to Christ as their head which Adam had not But if ye will distinctly see the heighth and excellency of this priviledge that so we might know what we have to blesse and magnifie Christ for so much the clearer Let us compare this Divine adoption with Civill adoptions which are in use amongst the sons of men And see how farre this Excellency reacheth in four or five particulars First in Civill adoption there is alwayes some need on 1. In civill adoption there is some need on the Adopter's part the Adopter's part No man will go and take a stranger's son and adopt him unlesse he want a son of his own or unlesse his owne son be so unworthy as he thinketh him not fit to be trusted with an estate But it is seldome done but in case of Orphany where there wanteth Children The law saith That adoption is Actus lega is naturam sequens c. A legall act Imitating nature Invented for the comfort of them that have no Children of their owne But now look to this spirituall adoption and ye shall find God had no need he had a son of his owne The Son of his bosome the Son of his love the Son of his delights in whom he did take pleasure from all Eternity and might have taken pleasure to all Eternity though there had been no such Creature as Man made in the World And yet He was pleased to adopt the sons of men not because He wanted a son but because we wanted a Father And therefore in this respect we have great cause to say as the Apostle doth Behold what manner of Love the Father hath shewed us that we should be called the sons of God 1 Joh. 3. 1. Secondly there is commonly on the Adopted his part 2. On the adopted his part there is expected some worth some worth As there is some need on the part of the Adopter so some worth in the Adopted When men make their choice either they have regard to some excellency or some relation or something that is a motive to their affections to pitch upon such a child rather than another to adopt for an heir When Pharaoh's daughter adopted Moses it is said Moses his beauty moved her the Text giveth you that hint Act. 7. 20. Moses was exceeding fair When he was cast out Pharaoh's daughter took him up and nourished him for her own son The very beauty of the Child had an operation upon the Lady's heart So Mordechai adopted Hester What was the reason First she was near akin to him then very beautifull Hest 2. 7. He brought up Haddassah which is Hester his uncle's daughter for she had neither father nor mother and the maid was fair and beautifull whom Mordechai when her father and mother were dead took for his own daughter So here is something in the Adopted that moveth the Adopter But what is in us to move God unlesse we speak of moving him to indignation Beauty we have none for we are defiled all over with sin over-spread with a leprosie all our faculties are in sin and all sin is in our faculties our very Righteousnesse is as a menstruous cloath What then are our Abhominations Our Civilities and Formalities are but as dung as the Apostle accounts of all for Christ If they are but as dung What then are our oaths and lies and prophanenings of the Lord's day The truth is we have nothing lovely in us and yet behold we are called the sons of God What love is here Thirdly The adopting father may leave an Estate but 3. The Adopter cannot convey a Disposition to inable to manage the Estate rightly he cannot convey a disposition to him whom he adopteth to inable to manage it aright therefore is there often mistakes they think they pitch well and it proveth ill Such as are adopted they come leightly by their estates and they set leightly by them But herein lyeth a further and higher excellency of this divine Adoption God together with an Inheritance conveyeth a Disposition that rendreth one fit for the managing of such an estate Ye have an expression that soundeth that way Col. 1. 12. Giving thanks to the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light He doth not onely give us an inheritance but maketh us meet to be partakers of that inheritance Our adopting Father stampeth his own Image upon every adopted son He maketh every believer Patrizare to imitate his Father which is in heaven which the other cannot do Fourthly In Civill Adoption the Adopted son cannot 4. The
were not some Havens and Harbours to strike into in a storm so no living in the World if there were not some comfort to be fetched from Heaven Look through all the Scriptures and ye will hardly find a safer harbour than this The relation between God and believers He is their Father they his Children They receive Christ and so become sons This will afford comfort to us in severall Cases which I shall briefly run over First In case of weak abilities and performances when they shall think that God is their Father and therefore is 1. Receiving Christ affordeth comfort in case of weak Performances willing to bear with them though their performances be but weak and their abilities small according to that Psal 102. 13 14. Like as a father pittieth his children so the Lord pittieth them that fear him For he knoweth our frame he remembreth that we are but dust God consider what mould we are made of that we are Men and not Angels sinfull men and not men in a state of Perfection Therefore when we follow on to know him and go lamenting after the Lord as it is said of the men of Israel Jer. 9. though God discover a great deal of weaknesse in our services yet we find a great deal of acceptance in him when he looketh upon us as children The truth is though our faith be weak our God is strong and from thence commeth our safety As when a father carrieth his little child in his armes the Infant with his little feeble arms layeth hold upon the father but the safety lyeth in the father's holding him and not in his clasping about the father So we hold Christ by the feeble arm of our faith but Christ holdeth us more strongly by his Spirit and our safety commeth from thence It is true our faith is weak and so our services are accordingly weak but still look at God as a Father Suppose a man have a son in forraign parts sent abroad for his education before he hath well learned the Language he writeth a Letter home to his father He is but a scribler what he writeth is written but in broken language and badly writ But it commeth from a child and therefore the father taketh it well and passeth by all the faults The father biddeth the child shoot at such a mark the child draweth the bowe and letteth go the arrow falleth a great deal short of the mark yet he is encouraged by the father because he hath done his best As men are in a condition of belief so accordingly in a condition of As our Faith is so is our Comfort comfort If I can but go to God as a Father though with a great deal of infirmity I may hope to find successe Indeed Lord Lord is often sent away without a blessing they cried Lord Lord and had no blessing But Father Father that alwaies proceedeth from the Spirit of Adoption by which we cry Abba Father that is never sent away without an answer Deus non negavit sua petentibus saith Augustine sweetly God that freely offereth himself to those that ask not for him will be sure to give his good things to them that ask him because he is their Father Secondly As in the first place it ministreth comfort thus 2. In case of sinful failings in case of weak abilities and performances so In case of sinful failings We are not onely weaklings but sinners in what we do But yet Look at God as a Father and consider that Mal. 3. 13. I will spare them as a father spareth his own son that serveth him If we be sons serving-sons that go on to serve our Father according to what we have received from him he will spare us as a man spareth his son that serveth him Doubtless many are here that know the bowells of parents let those that do not consider David's carriage towards his sinfull son Absolom Absolom taketh up arms against his father and endeavoureth to deprive him of his Estate Crown and Life An Army commeth against him and messengers come and tell David that Absolom is overthrown What enquiry doth David make How fareth it with the Host No but Is the young man Absolom well And when a second messenger came and told him Absolom was slain How do his bowells break out at his mouth My son Absolom my son would God I had died for thee Let us judge by this how God looketh at a failing child whose bowells are infinitely much more large than those of David's Ye know the Parable of the Prodigal Luk. 15. he had run a wild course but resolving with himself to take up I will go to my father saith he and say unto him Father I have sinned against heaven and before thee He doth so And this word Father breaketh the heart of him to whom he made his addresse as ye know the story He fetched the robes and the ring and killed the fatted calf Though a prodigall yet a son still Our Saviour knew the comfort of this Relation and therefore directeth us to make use of it in his Prayer Our Father which art in heaven for give us our trespasses That is a melting word and therefore this must needs be a comfortable Relation Thirdly This affordeth Comfort to Believers In case of 3. In case of temporall sufferings temporall sufferings and want and losses and dangers Whatsoever our sufferings be they come from a Father And the holy Ghost calleth upon us again and again to consider that Deut. 8. 5. Thou shalt a so consider in thy heart that as a man chastiseth his son so the Lord thy God chastiseth thee The father will call for a rod to correct his son but will not turn him out of doors Ye have it at large Heb. 12. from the 5th verse to the 11th Ye have forgot the exhortation which speaketh to you as unto children My son despise not thou the chastening of the Lord nor faint when thou art rebuked of him for whom the Lord loveth he chastiseth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth For they verily for a few daies chastise us at their pleasures but he for our profit that we might be partakers of the holinesse of God All chastisements tend to make men partakers of the holinesse of God As for the wants of Believers whatsoever they be here is comfort for them they do not want a Father It is the great consolation that Christ gave to his Disciples when he was to depart from them in regard of his corporall presence Joh. 14. 18. I will not leave you comfortlesse but I will come to you That is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the word in the Original signifieth I will not leave you orphans or fatherlesse A child though he be a son and heir yet in his minority is often kept short a servant haply the steward of a family hath as good allowance as he The children of Christ here are in minority therefore they are
in some wants but here is their comfort they have an inheritance laid up for them and that is a rich one They are now in their nonage when they come to heaven they shall have enough In all dangers let it be considered what care their Father taketh for them because they are his children Are they not all ministring spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation An heir of a great family what shall he need to fear so long as he is conversing among his fathers servants All the creatures are such to God and thou being a child thou art amongst thy Father's servants and therefore needest to fear no danger from them Fourthly In case of spirituall faintings and fears and 4. In case of spirituall faintings fears and desertion desertions The soul of a believer sometimes fainteth away for fear David saith My heart and flesh fail me Here is now a swounding child consider what fathers are wont to do in such cases how they send out for help presently all the house is little enough to look after a child in such a condition God himself pittieth his swounding children and sendeth his Ministers yea his own Spirit to speak comfort to such and to administer some Aquavitae to them some water of life that he may fetch them again out of their faintings Sometimes fear possesseth a child of God perhaps of falling into desertion as it is possible such may befall the dearest of God's Saints as with Heman who thought himself free amongst the dead God sometimes doth this but sal 88. 5. still as a Father As a father that seeth his child ready to run into a river or into the mire he will take the child and make him believe he will throw him in but it is to make him fearfull of being thrown in So God makes his children believe that he will throw them into hell it self but it is for this very end and purpose that they may never come there for this fear will keep them from the waies of hell Yea sometimes God is pleased to desert his own children Sion saith My God hath forgotten me as it is in Isaiah but then it is no more but as when a father goeth behind a door and suffereth his child to cry after him and hideth himself on purpose to try the affections of the child to make him the more eager in the pursuit of his father which done then he discovereth himself Just so it is with God He withdraweth the light of his countenance not on purpose to keep it so for ever but to make it more endeared to his children As the Prophet speaketh In a little while I hid Isa 54. 8. my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy God and thy Redeemer Lastly Here is comfort in case of approaching death a 5. In case of approaching death time when men stand much in need of comfort when they are to leave all their outward comforts in this world therefore they had need of better Now if a man can say in assurance of faith as Christ did Father I commend my spirit Luk. 23. 46. into thy hands Here is an everlasting consolation a Fort that all the devills in hell cannot batter A man that in his life-time hath got acquaintance with God may with confidence commend his soul to God as to a Father when he dieth Other people may leave an estate behind them and men may look after that A man may commend his estate to his friend and his body to the grave and some may have so much charity as to interr that But whom shall he commend his soul to It is not for every man to think to commend his spirit to God with confidence Upon what acquaintance will God say can you do this Will we trust our Jewels to any but our best friends will we put them into the hands of those that we never saw in our lives No. But a man that hath known God for his Father he will with confidence say Father into thy hands I commend my spirit I do not onely lay my Jewell at thy feet but put it into thy hands that so it may be safe in thy custody I commend it into thy hands out of which all the devills in hell shall never be able to pull it With this confidence Paul believed Happy is that soul that is able to say as our Saviour did before his Ascension to his Disciples I go to my Father and to your Father and to my God and your God When a man is able to look his friends in the face though with a dying look and shall say Be of good comfort I shall be no loser I go to my Father and your Father Blessed are the people that are in Joh. 20. 17. such a case Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord. Blessed are the people that have received Jesus Christ aright and so are become sons of Adoption I have now done with that Point and shall go on Vers 13. Which were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God This verse containeth a further description of them that received Christ They were described in the 12 Verse by their faith And in this 13 Verse they are described by their birth To them that believe in his Name which were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God Their birth concerning which we are here told First what is not the efficient Cause of it Secondly what is First what is not the efficient Cause of it Three things are here removed 1. Blood 2. The will of the flesh 3. The will of man Secondly what is God and God onely I shall take the Clauses as they lye in order First I shall shew That Believers as such are not born of blood Secondly That they are born not of the will of the flesh Thirdly not of the will of man But Fourthly they are born of God First Believers as such They are not born of blood 1. Believers are not born of blood what is that Ye know in our ordinary manner of speech we are used to make mention of base blood Noble blood blood Royall and accordingly they are said to be born of blood to intimate that they have not grace from their Ancestors It doth not come to them by descent We say of many diseases that such and such come of a blood because they are derived from parents They are not born of blood to shew that the work of grace is not derived from one's Ancestors Therefore the word in the originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we are not born of bloods We may think it on purpose to be put in to meet with that mistake of the bragging of the Jewes who still boast to be the sons of Abraham Joh.
Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us that is Conversed amongst men as a man And therefore that of Cajetan hath no validity in it for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth sometimes signifie on as well as in Act. 18. 11. He continued there a year and six months teaching the Word of God amongst them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so our Translators well have it here Dwelt not in but amongst us Well then The word made flesh pitched his Tent upon earth and dwelt amongst men If ye will have it in a way of Observation that must be so Ye have the Emphasis of the originall words For the explication of this Three sorts of men were wont to dwell in Tents And the allusion here may be to all three Shepherds Sojourners Souldiers Shepherds First Isaiah 38. 12. Mine age is departed and is removed from me as a shepherd's Tent. Sojourners Secondly as the Israelites in the wildernesse they dwelt in Tents and in memory of that they after kept the feast of Tabernacles Psal 120. 5. Wee is me that I sojourn in Mesheck that I dwell in the Tents of Kedar Souldiers Thirdly And David said to him Go home unto thine owne house But Vriah said to David Is the arke of Israel and Judah abiding in Tents And my Lord abiding in the open field And shall I go home to my house Now Christ was all these three a Shepherd a Sojourner and a Souldier and therefore is said to dwell in these three respects as in a Tabernacle First As the great and good Shepherd for both these 1. Christ the good Shepherd terms are given to him Joh 10. 11. I am the good shepherd saith he the good shepherd giveth his Life for his sheep That is a good shepherd indeed Other shepherds they provide food for their sheep but they cannot give them a fleece Christ provideth both food and fleece for his sheep And whereas other shepherds sell their sheep to the slaughter that they themselves may be maintained by them here is a shepherd slaughtered for his sheep I am the good shepherd the good shepherd giveth his Life for the sheep Some other good shepherds may venture their life for their sheep As David run a hazard to venture his Life to rescue the sheep from the Lion But Christ did more than run a hazard for He gave his Life Then Christ dwelt in Tents as a Sojourner Ye have a 2. Christ a Sojourner distinction of Viatores and Comp chenso es amongst Divines They say that all the people of God in their Pilgrimage towards Heaven are Viatores and the Saints above in the state of Glory are Comprehensores in that they are at home now the Lord Jesus Christ he is both There is that difference between a Saint in Heaven and a Saint on this side Heaven Christ in the dayes of his flesh was at once a Traveller and a Comprehensor For he alwayes had the fruition of God in that respect he was a Comprehensor and yet in the 33 years of his abode in the flesh he was a Viator and a Traveller in the way therefore he is said to have drunk of the brook in the way He speaks of a sojourner as one going to and fro Joh. 16. 8. I came forth from the Father and am come into the World and again I leave the World and go to the Father Here is his Jistes as it were severall journies that Christ took in the dayes of his Pilgrimage as a Sojourner Thirdly He pitcht his Tents here amongst men as a 3. Christ a Souldier Souldier for indeed so he is Ever since the fall the World hath been divided into two parts all shall be united then but now the Devill goeth away with the greatest part as the Prince of this World and the Lord Jesus appeared on the other side as the Captain of our salvation Ye have him under that notion Hebr. 2. 10. It became him from whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sons unto glory to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings Accordingly he appeared to Josuah Jos 5. 13. with a sword in his hand as the Captain of the Lord's hosts Therefore it is that when a man is excommunicated the Apostle's phrase is That he may be delivered up to Satan because he is now cast our of the visible Church and so deduced again unto Satan's government In all these respects ye see both as a Shepherd a Sojourner and a Souldier Christ is properly said to pitch his Tents amongst us which is the importance of the Greek word in the Text. I shall not passe this over without some Application Vse 1 The consideration of Christ's dwelling amongst us may be of use to let us see the Faithfullnesse of God for our Incouragement and the Condescention of Christ for our Imitation First The faithfullnesse of God for our incouragement 1. Gods faithfulness for our incouragement Be pleased to look into Exodus and Leviticus you shall find an old promise that God would come and dwell amongst his people It is said in Exodus 12. 43. I will dwell amongst the Children of Israel and will be their God It is said Leviticus 26. 12. I will walk amongst you and will be your God and ye shall be my people Now this promise is of the nature of diverse in the Scripture that have their graduall accomplishments and are fulfilled by piece-meal by degrees I will dwell amongst you saith God He promised then when the people of Israel were in the wildernesse The first fulfilling of this promise was when the Tabernacle was made in the wildernesse that was a Testimony of the presence of God A further fulfilling of this promise was when Solomon built the Temple 2 Chron. 6. 2. I have built an house and habitation for thee and a place for thy dwelling for ever But when Christ came in the flesh here was a farther fulfilling of that promise Then came He of whose Body the Tabernacle and Temple were but types Destroy this Temple saith he and I will build it up in three daies speaking of his body now here is the promise fulfilled in a remarkable way and yet there is to be a farther fulfilling of the same promise still That ye may see that God maketh good the same promise many times diverse times over Revel 21. 3. Behold the Tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himselfe shall be with them and be their God There is a farther state of happinesse yet to come wherein this promise is to be made good That God will dwell amongst men Secondly see the Condescension of Jesus Christ 2. Christ's Condescension to dwell amongst men though He was the delight of his Father from all Eternity Prov. 8. Yet to shew his delight to the sons of men he will come and dwell amongst them Prov. 8. 31. I
Christ seen in his Oracles In his Oracles In his Miracles First In his Oracles namely his discourses and Sermons and Heavenly sayings that proceeded out of his mouth They came from him with such a glory as amazed the hearers and made them acknowledge that he spake with authority Matth. 7. 28 29. It came to passe when Jesus had enae these sayings the people were aston shed at his Doctrine For he taught them as one having authority and not as the Scribes Here was a dazelling glory shined out from the words of Christ in so much as they could scarce apprehend him they had not power to lay hold on him but returned and said Never man spake like this Man What was flatteringly said of Herod is true of the Lord Jesus Christ in regard of his Ministry The voice of God and not of man not of meer man but of him that was both God and Man So this glory the Apostles saw in his Oracles for they conversed with him Secondly In his Miracles Divine glory shined in them 2. In his Miracles As it is said of the first Miracle he did Joh. 2. 11. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Canaan of Galilee and manifested forth his glory and his Disciples believed on him And so when he had raised Lazarus from the dead it is said Joh. 11. 4. This sicknesse is not to death but for the glory of God that the Son of God might be glorified thereby The Lord Jesus Christ intended his owne glory in raising of Lazarus And so by all his other Miracles This was a Divine glory Because never any raised the dead as he did Other instances ye have of others raising some dead ones as Elisha the Shunamites son 2 King 4. â—3 34. and Paul Eutychus Acts 20. 10. But here is the difference Christ raised them by his owne power they by the power of Christ So The glory as the onely begotten of God appeared onely in his Miracles and not in theirs Luk. 14. 7. It is said of Christ He touched the bier and they stood still And Christ said I say to thee Arise Here Christ speaks to men I say to thee whereas what the Apostles did they acknowledged it done not by their owne power but by Christ Acts 3. 12 13. And when Peter saw it he answered unto the people Ye men of Israel why marvail ye at this or why look ye so earnestly on us as though by our own power and holinesse we had made this man to walk The God of Abraham and of Isaack and of Jacob the God of our fathers hath glorified his Son Jesus whom ye delivered up and denied him in the presence of Pilate His Name through faith in his Name hath made this man whole So as it was the Glory of Jesus that appeared even in the Miracles of the Disciples These are the things wherein he did especially appear For the times they are these two 2. The times when The time of his Transfiguration The time of his Ascension First The Disciples beheld his glory as the glory of 1. At his Transfiguration the onely begotten of the Father at his Transfiguration of which ye read Matth. 17. When his Face shined and his Raiment glittered having Moses and Elias James Peter and John there who were the spectators of all This Moses had begged long before and said Lord shew me thy Exod. 33. 13. glory Some piece of an answer God gave him when he passed before him and shewed some piece of his glory But here God sheweth his glory upon mount Tabor when Christ was Transfigured We beheld his glory namely at the Transfiguration John was one there and Peter was another as well as John And he speaks dearly of it 2 Pet. 1. 17. For he telleth you of the voice that came from the excellent glory saying This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased hear him Referring to that time and that place the time of our Saviours Transfiguration upon that Mount Mark 9. 2 3 4 5. vers And after six daies Jesus taketh with him Peter and James and John and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves and he was transfigured before them and his raiment became shining exceeding white as snow so as no fuller on earth can whiten them And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses and they were talking with Jesus The second time wherein they beheld this glory of Christ was the time of his Ascension which the Disciples 2. At his Ascension were spectators of Acts 2. 9. And when he had spoken these things while they beheld him He was taken up and a Cloud received him out of their sight This cloud was Veh culum Regale a Royall Chariot wherein Christ rode up to glory And glory was not onely the terme to which he went but he went in a glorious way As you may understand that in Timothy Great is the mystery of godlinesse God manifested in the flesh seen of angels believed of in the world received up into glory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 You see by this time the truth of the Proposition Let us see what use we can make of it and then proceed First take notice of one great end of Christ's Incarnation Use 1 which was That his glory might be seen He was made Christ was incarnated to shew his Glory flesh and dwelt amongst us and we beheld his glory Till then the glory of Christ was invisible but now by taking flesh he exposed himself and his glory to view God manifested in the flesh 1 Tim. 3. 16. Indeed the flesh of Christ was a vail to him but a mirror and glasse to us To him a Vail to observe the glory which he had from all Eternity with God the Father as the Son of God but to us a Mirrour in which we beheld this glory of God which was never till now exposed to view or not so fully As God is invisible so his glory is too dazling for our weak eyes But we that cannot behold the Sun in its sphear may behold the Sun in a bason of water We that cannot behold the glory of God as in it self may behold it in Christ in the veil of his flesh Therefore he was manifested that he might be seen Secondly Be exhorted from hence to take a view of 2. Let us take a view of his glory as the Disciples did the glory of Christ as the Disciples did We cannot in the same manner yet we have one way wherein we may do it For Christ exposeth himself and his glory to believers in the glasse of the Gospell 2 Cor. 3. ult But we all with open face beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory even aâ— by the Spirit of the Lord. To that end he hath appointed the Ministry of the Word and furnished his Ministers with gifts 2 Cor. 4. 6. God who commanded light
Essence goeth a great deal further into the knowledge of God than Reason can and yet we cannot apprehend God in his essence no not by the eye of Faith Thence it is that faith is opposed to sight 2 Cor. 5. 7. We walk by faith and not by sight Implying that all the while we have no higher principle than faith in us all that while we come short of God to see him face to face 1 Cor. 13. 12. Now we see through a glass darkly but then face to face Then speaking of a time after this life when that which is perfect is come and that which is imperfect shall be done away Then face to face not till then Here by the eye of faith we see as through a glasse darkly These are two excellent expressions though something darkned by the Translation For it is as through a glasse in a riddle here is the glasse to the eye and the riddle to the eare both imply that faith giveth us but a dark knowledge of God in comparison of the light of glory What we see in a glasse we see by reflection The Angels see God face to face by direct beams We see him as in a glasse the glasse of the Creatures and of the Scriptures There shall be no need of these glasses in Heaven where all Ordinances shall cease and God shall be all in all But here as through a glasse and as in a riddle What men apprehend in a riddle they may have true apprehensions of it As in the riddle that Sampson put Judges 14. 14. forth But it doth not convey a thing so clearly as if it were spoken in plain words Whatsoever we see we see it as in a glasse Whatsoever we hear we hear as in a riddle but then face to face saith the Apostle then we shall see him as he is 1 Joh. So now ye have had an explication of this proposition according to the first sense That no man hath seen God at any time That is No man in the state of mortality hath a beatificall vision of God in his Essence I proceed now to the second That No man here attaineth No man attaineth a scientificall vision of God here in reference to his Counsell to a Scientificall vision of God in reference to his Counsell That also is proper to Christ Compare if you please Joh. 6. 46. with Luk. 10. 22. In John thus of that No man hath seen the Father save hâ—â— which is of God he hath seen the Father What is that Luk. 10. 22. All things are delivered to me of my father and no man knoweth who the Son is but the father and who the father is but the Son and he to whom the Son will reveal him Seeing is usually put for knowing in Scripture and seeing of God for the knowing of his Counsell This onely Christ doth Therefore called the wonderfull Counsellor Isa 9. 6. He could not be a Counsellor to us in discovering the great secrets of God if he were not first privy to Gods secrets Who but Christ could have made known that way of salvation which he hath opened through his owne flesh to the way of Heaven It was impossible for Angels or Men to have found out a way to have been recovered to God when man was once fallen had not Christ revealed it This knowledge of God no man hath For he saith Rom. 11. 34. having said vers 33. Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdome and knowledge of God How unsearchable is his wisdome He addeth Who hath known either the mind of the Lord or who hath been his Counsellour That is proper to Christ No man may assume it I say no more of it here because it will come in again in the next Clause The onely begotten Son who is in the bosome of the Father Come we now to the Observation of the invisibility of God for Application First By way of reproof we might from hence take occasion of lashing the Papists in the first place And in the Vse 1 next place the disputers of this World and especially the Arminians The Papists First and that both in point of their Idolatry Popish Idolatry reproved and of their boasting of their Idolatry First No man hath seen God at any time And yet they presume to make Images of Him visible shapes of the Invisible God Deut. 4. 15 16. Take ye good heed to your selves for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire lest you corrupt your selves and make you a graven Image the similitude of any figure the likenesse of Male or Female If we will be worshipping any Image of God let us worship Christ who is the expresse Image of his Father's Person And no Image of God but Christ may be worshipped They were wont to kisse their Images of old Ye know what God saith of so many souls who have not bowed the knee to Baal nor kissed him In reference to 1 King 19. 18. this kisse the Son Psal 2. No man hath seen God at any time And yet if you believe them they tell you strange stories of some of their Grandees that have seen the blessed Trinity as they say of one Matinius that was continually incompassed with the glorious light either of the whole Trinity or of some glorious Person of the Trinity As he said of a Jesuite That he lay a long time in prison because during his life-time he had not earnestly desired to see the glorious Trinity They shall never make me believe that God will discover to any Jesuite of them all what he denied to his servant Moses I come to what is more for Edification to refute the Arminians refuted great disputers of this World and especially the Arminians that speak as if they were privy to the Counsels of God and had a Scientificall vision here below and therefore will believe no more then they can bring within the compasse of their owne reason Not considering what Job saith Job 33. 12 13. Behold in this thou art not just I will answer thee That God is greater then man why doest thou strive against him for he giveth not account of any of his matters Two Queries are made by Paul that might stop the mouths of all over-curious Quaerists in the World Nay but oh man Who art thou that repliest against God There are too many that are ready to reply against God to chop logick with their Maker when they will not believe what God revealeth because they cannot fathome it 1 Cor. 1. 20. Where is the Wise and the Scribe and the Disputer of this World The disputer of this world and Emphatically Of this world because there will be no disputing in the next World Then cometh the day of 〈◊〉 Revelation of the righteous judgements of God as Paul speaks Rom. 2. When God will make it apparent to every man that whatsoever he
hath said is True and whatsoever he hath done is Just whether we can believe the truth of the one and consent to the Justice of the other yea or no. Therefore it is good to take the counsell of Augustine Vis tu disputare mecum Potiùs admirare mecum Wilt thou be disputing with me rather wonder with me and cry Oh Profunditas Oh the depth Let us both thou and I agree in fearing and trembling at the Counsels of God lest we both perish for our Curiosity in searching too farre into them And of all Disputers none more guilty in this kind than the Arminians therefore I name them Men that take upon them to state the Decrees of God as if they had been of his Councill when he made them men that seem to wade where Paul was past his depth which made him cry O the depth They make it clear to you to give you a reason of all God's Decrees if you take for granted what they say If you ask them Why Peter was elected and Judas not they say Because God foresaw Peter would believe and Judas not Why Peter was saved and Judas not Because Judas willed to persevere in sin and Peter did not Are not here men of God's Council that leave nothing unsearched Saith Paul when he was discoursing of these high points Rom. 9. 13 14. It is written Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated What shall we say then Is there unrighteousness with God God forbid He speaketh as a man puzl'd and non-plussed at the thoughts of this how God should come to chuse Jacob and hate Esau He saw no unrighteousnesse with God God hath done it and therefore Just And yet these people speak as if they could have fetched Paul out of his non-plus which is but to say That God foresaw that Jacob would believe and Esau would not therefore he loved the one and hated the other So as a man according to this reckoning may learn more in Arminius his School in a few daies then Paul had learned in the third heavens Let us take this for a conclusion As God cannâ—◠〈◊〉 seen in his Essence so not known in his Counsels to any man on this side Heaven 2. The second Use is this No man hath seen God at any time Why then let us all from hence be set to long for Use 2 heaven where we shall enjoy that which is not attainable by any man here below a sight of God a beatificall sight a scientificall sight ye shall have them both there in one place 1 Cor. 13. 12 13. Now we see through a glasse darkly but then face to face there is the beatificall Now I know in part but then shall I know even as also I am known there is the scientificall St. John tells you in another place a speech that might set the hearts of the people of God a leaping within them for joy to think of that day 1 Joh. 3. 2. Beloved now are we the sons of God and it doth Excellent things are spoken of the City of God not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is Who would not long for this day and for this appearance When he shall appear we shall see him as he is No day so joyfull as this to the people of God The Sabbath that is a joyfull day therefore the Saints have learned to call the Sabbath a delight as it is in Isaiah Behold here a rest for the people of God an eternall Sabbath a Sabbath that hath no working-day after it a Sabbath which whosoever hath once arrived at shall rest from his labours for evermore It was a joyfull day that when the people of Israel passed over Jordan and got into the land of Canaan which they had been so long looking for Think of that spirituall Canaan of which the other was but a type flowing with better milk and hony in likeness to God and vision of God We shall be like him and see him as he is If Moses longed for that think what cause the people of God have to long for the other because there they shall have the sight of God The year of Jubilee was a joyfull time before the appearing of Christ When we shall be restored to that we fell from in Adam we shall partake of the glorious liberty of the sons of God as the Apostle speaketh But that which is so joyfull is the sight of God which cannot be attained till then The very sight of Ghrist in the flesh afforded much joy Simeon got him in his arms and desired to die Now let thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy salvation The Greeks Joh. 12. they came to Philip and said Sir we would see Jesus It was a joyfull sight to see Christ even in the flesh What is it then to see Christ in his glory and God in his Essence as far as a finite creature can be capable of such a sight If the Disciples upon the Mount were so over-joyed with the sight of Christ and two glorified creatures with him Moses and Elias so as Peter forgot himself there What joy will there be in the souls of men that come to see Christ attended with thousand thousand times ten thousand Saints and Angells not Christ transfigured but Christ in his utmost glory Wonder not if I speak but Balbusantèr of these things for all words come short let us make it up in affections Learn to long for this sight and for that place where it is attainable But then take this with you before I leave the Point Caution how to walk that we may see God Be carefull as you desire to have that which you cannot attain here a beatificall and scientificall sight of God be carefull to walk in Purity and in Peace for the sight of God is promised upon these conditions First In Purity Matth. 5. 8. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God It is not for every eye to see 1. In Purity God the pure in heart they shall see him Sore eyes cannot endure to see the light impure souls shall never be honoured with the sight of God The Jews whom Christ was speaking to here were men that stood much upon legall purifications He putteth them off from them and saith Blessed are the pure in heart A man that was not legally pure might not come to see God in the Sanctuary so will morall uncleanness much more keep us from the sight of God in Heaven Walk in Purity I and in Peace too so saith the Apostle Heb. 12. 14. 2. In Peace Follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. As not without holiness so not without peace He that hopeth to see the Prince of peace in another world to his comfort must carry the Son of peace here That of Augustine is an
excellent speech which he writeth concerning this subject of seeing God in his hundred and twelfth Epistle where he had disputed largely about this thing he taketh himself off and saith Let us be wise â—o sobriety and not be too full of heat In the carrying on of this Argument let us dispute fairly lest while we seek in a way of contention and bitternesse how God may be seen we lose that peace without which God cannot be seen Follow peace and holiness without which it is impossible to see the Lord. I come now to the second thing the Intimacy of Christ The Intimacy of Christ with his Father with the Father which lyeth in these words The onely-begotten Son which lyeth in the bosome of the Father Christ is the onely begotten Son that is in the bosom of the Father that lyeth clearly in my Text. Of his being the onely begotten Son I shall need to say nothing now because I spake before to it upon the fourteenth Verse And the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us and we beheld his glory as of the onely begotten of the Father full of grace and truth This expression is to be opened here Which is in the bosome of the Father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is not which was to be before the Incarnation or which was to be in the bosome of the Father after the Ascension but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is in the bosome of the Father When these words were uttered and in every moment of time yea from eternity Christ is in the bosom of the Father The phrase I take it implyeth these three things The unity of Natures The dearnesse of Affections The communication of Secrets First It implyeth unity of Natures and so there is something 1. To be in the bosome of the Father implyeth unity of Natures more in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more in unity of Natures then distinction of Persons In the bosome of the Father The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But for the unity of Natures they use 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus the bosome is the child's place Look to the Scripture-expressions Ye find Moses speaking of himself as a father carrying Israel as a child in his bosome Numb 11. 12. Have I conceived all this people have I begotten them that thou shouldest say unto me Carry them in thy bosom And so in Nathan's Parable 2 Sam. 12. 3. A poor man had nothing save onely a little ewe-lamb which he had brought and nourished up and it grew up together with him and with his children it did eat of his own meat and drank of his own cup and lay in his bosome and was unto him as a daughter A daughter in the bosome And so accordingly here The onely begotten Son that is in the bosome of the Father to shew the unity of Natures that is between the Father and the Son Christ being God co-equall with the Father Secondly As it implyeth unity of Natures so it implyeth 2. It implyeth dearnesse of Affection dearnesse of Affection Bosom as it is for children so for nearness of Relation The wife of thy bosome and The husband of thy bosome Deut. 28. 54. His eye shall be evill towards the wife of his bosome and verse 56. Her eye speaking of a wife shall be evill against the husband of her bosome Because of those dear affections which that nearnesse of Relation as that of Marriage calleth for between man and wife John the beloved of the Lord ye find him lying nearest Christ even in his bosome Joh. 13. 23. And there was leaning on Jesus his bosom one of his disciples whom Jesus loved The posture of leaning upon Christ's bosome was an argument that Christ loved him In this sense Jesus is the Son of the Father's bosome because the Son of the Father's love He shall translate us into the kingdom of the Son of his love This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased saith the Voice from heaven Matth. 3. 17. Thirdly Being in the bosome implyeth communication 3. It implyeth communication of Secrets of Secrets the bosome is a place for them It is a speech of Tully to a friend that had betrusted him with a secret Crede mihi c. Believe me saith he what thou hast committed to me it is in my bosome still I am not ungirt to let it slip out But Scripture addeth this hint too where it speaketh of the bosome as the place of Secrets Prov. 17. 23. A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosome to pervert the waies of judgment speaking of a bribe Prov. 21. 14. A gift in secret pacifieth anger and a reward in the bosome expiateth wrath Here is secret and bosome all one as gift and reward are one So Christ lyeth in the Father's bosome this intimateth his being conscious to all the Father's secrets So have ye an opening of this phrase Much is to be learned from it 1. Give the same Worship to Christ as to the Father First Seeing Christ's being in the bosome of the Father implyeth unity of natures this should teach us to give the same worship to Christ as we give to the Father because there is the same nature in both It is that that Christ expecteth and calleth for Joh. 5. 23. The Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgment to the Son that all men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him Jesus Christ requireth the same honour which we give to God the Father it is fit he should have it and it is fit this honour should be pleaded for now in this age wherein many plead against the Divinity of Christ We should give him the same honour that we give to the Father Heb. 1. 6. When he bringeth him in as the first-born of the world he saith Let all the Angels in heaven worship him If they then how ought all the world to worship him We should give him the honour of Invocation praying to him as Stephen did when they stoned him he called upon God and said Lord Jesus receive my spirit As with Worship and Invocation so with Faith It is said that Abraham gave glory to God by believing in him We should give honour to Christ by exercising the act of believing in him this he called for Let not your hearts be troubled ye Joh. 14. 1. Christ the proper object of Faith believe in God believe also in me He is the proper object of faith as he justifieth Circumferentia fidei est Verbum Dei sed Centrum est Deus The whole Word of God is the circumference of faith every thing learned in it is to be believed But the center of faith as the Word justifieth that is the Word God that is Jesus Christ blessed for evermore Secondly His being in the bosome
with faith in us that is a secret To keep the Sabbath is a common thing but to call the Sabbath a delight that is a secret Would we be acquainted with the secrets of the power of godlinesse let us go to Jesus Christ who is onely conscious to all the secrets of God seek to him that he would reveal them to us by his Spirit for He is in the bosome of the Father So I have done with the second thing I come now to the third thing concerning the discovery of the Father by Christ He hath declared him You have heard of a two-fold sight of God a Beatificall and Scientificall vision A Beatificall Vision in Reference to his Essence A Scientificall Vision in Reference to his Counsell And that Christ the onely begotten Son may not be excluded from either of these the next Clause implieth Which is in the bosome of his Father I say It implieth That Christ the Son hath a beatificall vision of God the Father even in his essence here while upon the face of the earth amongst the Children of men And besides this He must needs see the essence of God that is essentially God himselfe And His lying in the bosome of the Father implieth That he could not but have the scientificall vision of the Father Hence we inferre that none is fitter to declare the Father then he that saw the Father and none more able to shew forth the mind and the Counsell of the Father then he that lay in the Father's bosome The onely begotten Son which is in the bosome of the Father He hath declared him The word in the Originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There is an Emphasis in the expression and Erasmus noteth that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 de eo dicitur qui res alioqui latentes obscuras planè ac dilucidè declarat It is oftentimes spoken of him that revealeth obscure and hidden things and maketh manifest things otherwise not to be revealed And it is properly to be applied to Divine and Heavenly Mysteries Hence there ariseth a difference between 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The first is properly applied to divine and heavenly mysteries the other to vulgar and things more obvious and common And some think that Christ in the beginning of this Chapter is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Word because he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Father's Interpreter or he that declareth the mind and will of the Father So then Concerning the discovery of the Father by Christ two things are to be observed First The person declaring Christ Secondly The person declared the Father First The person declaring From hence note two things The Fitnesse of the Messenger The Fulnesse of the Message First The fitnesse of the Messenger by whom in these latter times the deep mysteries of the Father's Divine essence and will so farre as is necessary to Salvation is declared For Jesus Christ the onely begotten Son of God that lay in the bosome of the Father who is the expresse Image of his Person Heb. 1. 3. hath shewed to us the Invisible glory and made it visible so farre as we are capable to behold it An expression you have to confirm this out of the mouth of Christ himselfe Matth. 11. 27. All things are delivered unto me of my Father and no man knoweth the Son but the Father neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son and he to whom soever the Son will reveal him Joh. 6. 46. No man hath seen the Father save he that is of God he hath seen the Father Secondly The fulnesse of the Message that Christ hath declared which is indeed Every thing necessary for man's Salvation and whatsoever Christ hath declared is true profitable wholesome and sufficient Therefore no leaving the Word of Christ and flying to human Traditions for saith he Joh. 3. 11. Verily verily I say unto you we speak that we do know and testifie that we have seen And Hebr. 1. 1. God who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the Prophets hath in these last dayes spoken unto us by his Son The words in the originall are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by piece-meal darkly by riddles and visions formerly but now he hath clearly declared not onely himselfe by his Son but whatsoever else so much as our frail natures and weak capacities can reach unto tending to the salvation of all the Elect of God Secondly The next thing is the Person declared That is the Father or the mind and will of the Father or more plainly Christ that lay in the bosome of the Father hath declared from the Father's bosome the glorious mystery of man's Redemption his Justification by faith and the way to everlasting happinesse and glory I now go on to as brief an Application First Doth Christ declare the mind of the Father get then Intimacy and Familiarity with Jesus Christ Take Him into thy heart that lay in the bosome of the Father For what greater stay can we have in the time of trouble and what more supporting Comfort and consolation in the hour of Temptation than to be acquainted with and united to him that is the Churches Head and our Lord and Saviour the onely begotten Son of God and to lye in the bosome of the Father Secondly Take notice of the Dignity of a Christian that hath so able and so gratious an Interpreter even the Eternall Son of God He it is that to us declareth the will and layeth open the whole Counsell of his Father Thirdly Let dignity oblige you to duty If Jesus Christ declareth the will of the Father then upon the life of your souls it exceedingly much concerneth you diligently to observe and carefully to attend unto what Christ declareth Learning alwayes to submit to the will of the Father thus declared by his Son that his Name alone may be glorified and our souls Eternally saved FINIS
that publish the truth of the Gospel against the incroachments of Antichrist They are called two Witnesses two Olive-trees two Candlesticks But two Witnesses to import that Few witnesses to the truth in the daies of Antichrist those that bear witnesse to the light in the daies of Antichrist are but few if ye compare them with them that went the wrong way And yet two Witnesses that is a sufficient number in all ages to hold forth the truth because two witnesses would serve to give testimony under the Law In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall the truth of every thing be established Though but two yet two in the worst times And thus Two Olive-trees because God by them conveyeth the oyle of grace into the hearts of his people And two Candlesticks because they hold forth the light of the truth Now this may serve as a touch-stone to discern between The true Ministers of the Gospell true and false Churches and true and false Ministers They that are sent of God they bear witness to the light they set up Christ in their Ministry they are content themselves to stand in the croud and to lift up Christ upon their shoulders content not to be seen themselves so Christ be exalted They lift him up as the Serpent of old was lifted up upon the Pole in the Wilderness Men in this respect are like Trees that receive their influence from Heaven and raise up their tops towards heaven in a way of acknowledgment whence they had their grouth Men sent from God and having received all from Christ return all to Christ in their dispensations But now look into false Churches for instance that of The false ones of Rome Rome Popery is in effect nothing else but an under-hand close witnesse-bearing against Christ Antichrist opposeth Christ in all his Offices under shew of witnessing for him he doth indeed witnesse against him both as King and Priest and Prophet As King because the Pope maketh himself the Head of the Church which is proper onely to Christ One that sat 1 Rome against Christ as King in that Chair was not afraid to call himself Sponsum Ecclesiae the Husband of the Church As Priest In that Office to which belongeth Satisfaction 2. As Priest and Intercession see how they go against Christ who offered himself once for all their Priest must offer him up daily in the Mass and unbloody Sacrifice So in his Intercession they bear witness against him too because they joyne other witnesses with him as they acknowledge them Saints As Prophet In that Office they add Traditions to the 3. As Prophet Word and the Council of Trent saith they are to be received eâdem devotione with the same devotion that Scripture is to be received with This touch is but by the way to fill your hearts more and more with detestation against that way of Popery If it be a dangerous thing for a man to bear false witnesse against his Neighbour What is it then to bear false witness against his God Now the End why he was sent is That all men through The End why John was sent him might believe There is no more in the Originall but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That all might believe but men is put in into the Translation How should all men be saved by John's Ministry if it did not extend it self to all men His Ministry was confined to the Land of Judea he preached onely to the Jews Therefore Men not being in the Text certainly the universall tearm is to admit of some restraint I shall interpret it unto you in that of Matth. 21. 26. which is something parallel where the debate was concerning the Baptism of John Whether from heaven or of men If we shall say From heaven he will say to us say they Why did ye not then believe him But if we shall say Of men we fear the people for all hold John as a Prophet What All the world No there were millions and millions of millions that never heard of John But All that were acquainted with his Ministry they all held him as a Prophet That all through him might believe that is All his hearers All believe and through him not in him as the Object of their faith but through him as the Instrument of their faith That all The meaning is That all his hearers through him might believe in Christ Through him but In the other You have it clearly expressed Act. 19. 4. John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance saying to the people That they should believe on him which should come after him that is on Jesus Christ Here is through whom and on whom through John the Baptist and on Jesus Christ John Baptist's Office was to make a way for Christ As the custom is amongst great Princes when they are to go to any place they send before them their Harbingers to prepare the way to tell the people who it is that cometh to them and what is expected at their hands Gen. 45. Joseph when he was advanced and went in the streets a man went before him crying bow the knee And so Hester 6. There was a man went before Mordecay and proclaimed before him What shall be done to the man whom the King delighteth to honour So it was done to Christ by John And so shall it be done to him whom God delighteth to honour To the Mediator whom God delighteth to seal He came thus preaching Christ that all hearers might believe through him in their Stations which affords us this observation That the end of good Ministers witnesse-bearing to the light is that all the hearers through them might believe in Christ That was the end of the Prophets-Ministry in the place afore cited Acts 10. 43. To him give all the Prophets witnesse that through his Name whosoever believeth in Him should receive remission of sins That was the end of the Apostles both Preaching and Writing Joh. 20. ult These things are Written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that ye might have life through his Name That is the end of our Ministry to this day Me-thinks Our work is something like that of Abraham's Rebecca by Abrahams servant wooed for Isaac servant when he was sent to get a Wife for his Master's son He goeth on his errand and telleth them of the family he came to and where he found Rebecca that his Master was a great potent Prince that he had an onely son Isaac whom he made heir of all his Estate and that he was sent on purpose to perswade Rebecca to come over and be espoused to this son Such is our work we are sent to woo souls for Souls by the Ministers of Christ wooed to Christ Christ We tell you What God is and how glorious in himself and all his attributes and that he hath an only Son the Son of his Love the Lord Jesus