such a case it is time to correct our selves and say yea happy is the people whose God is the Lord Psal. 144. 15. Take heed the devil doth not gain this advantage over you to make you follow the world with the greatest earnestness and spiritual and heavenly things in a slight and overly manner Esteem desires resolutions of worldly Greatness though not upon base conditions begin the Temptation You think it is a fine thing to live in Pomp and at ease to swim in pleasures and begin to resolve to make it your business The devil hath you upon the hip it is a hour of Temptation 2. His next course is to make large offers and promises by his instruments or your own thoughts that though you neglect God and Heaven and do engage in some sinful course you shall do well in the world and enjoy full satisfaction There is a double evil in Satans Offers and Promises 1. They are false and fallacious All these things will I give thee Satan maketh fair offers of what he cannot perform He promiseth many things but doth only promise them he offereth the Kingdomes of the world to Christ but cannot make good his word he sheweth them to Christ but cannot give them And this is the devils wont to be liberal in promises to fill the minds of those that hearken to him with vain hopes as if he could transfer the Riches and Honours of the world to whom he pleaseth whereas they are shamefully disappointed and find their ruine in the very things in which they sought their Exaltation and their projects are crossed for the earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof 1 Cor. 11. 26. 2. All the devils offers and promises have a spightful condition annexed He pretendeth to give but yet selleth at the dearest rates It is but a barter and exchange a flat bargain but no gift He must have our souls God is dishonoured his Laws broken his Spirit grieved The devil staineth his grant with unjust covenants and exacteth more than the thing is worth Two wayes then must we defeat the Temptation 1. Not believing his Promises that I must be beholding to sin to make me happy Those that by unlawful means get up to honour and wealth seem to have accepted the devils offer they think he is Lord of the world and all the Kingdoms and the Glory thereof Do not look upon wealth as the devils gift as a thing to be gotten by fraud flattery corruption bribery alas it is put into bags with holes Haggai 1. 6. It is called the deceitfulness of riches Matth. 13. 22. They promise that contentment and happiness which they cannot give There is sure dependance on the Lord's but none on Satans promises Young men that are to begin the world take up this resolution take what God sendeth but resolve never to take wealth out of Satans hands what God sendeth in the fair way of his Providence by his blessing on your lawful endeavors Prov. 10. 4. The hand of the diligent maketh rich And Ver. 22. The blessing of the Lord it maketh rich and he addeth no sorrow with it When you deal righteously and do not barely heap up treasure to your selves but seek to grow rich towards God to subordinate all to heaven and a better pursuit otherwise God can find a moth and a thief for your Estates 2. The other way is to consider what a sad bargain you make by gratifying the devil and hearkning to his Counsel Matth. 16. 26. What is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul A man never gets any thing with Satan but he shall lose that which is more precious he never maketh a proffer to our advantage but to our loss and hurt Follow the world as hard as you can lie cosen cheat and you shall be rich put the case it is so but I must lose my soul not in a natural but legal sense Iob 27. 8. What is the hope of the hypocrite though he hath gained when God taketh away his soul He hath far better things from us then we have from him a Birth-right for a mess of Pottage the hopes of Heaven for an opulent condition here below The Bird buys the Fowlers bait at a dear rate when his life must go for it Thy soul must be lost which all the Gold and Silver in the world cannot redeem and recover 4. I observe again that Christ by his refusal hath taught us to tread the world under our feet and all the glory of it should be an uneffectual and cold motive to a sanctified soul. If we have the same Spirit that was in Christ it will be so All the Kingdoms of the World and the Glory of them was far too little to make up a Temptation to him A mortified heart will contemn all this in comparison of our duty to God and the comfort of a good Conscience and the Hopes of Glory Surely they have not the Spirit of Christ who are taken with small things with a Babylonish Garment or some petty Temptation USES The Use is to teach us how to counter-counter-work Satan 1. Since he worketh upon the fleshly mind we are to be mortified and grow dead to the world We profess Faith in a Crucified Lord we must be like him Crucified as he was Crucified then shall we glory in the Cross of Christ when we feel the vertue of it and are planted into the likeness of it Gal. 6. 14. God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Iesus Christ by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world Grow more dead to the Riches Honour Pomp Pleasure the Favour Fear Love Wrath Praise and Dispraise of Men that we may readily deny these things so far as opposite to the Kingdom of Christ or our duty to God or as they lessen our Affections to him We die as our esteem of those things doth decay till the mans temper be altered there is no hope to prevail by Argument onely they that are made partakers of a divine Nature do escape the corruption that is in the world through Lust. 2. Since he worketh by Representation and Promise you must be prepared against both 1. As he worketh by Representation or the fair shew and splendid Appearance of worldly things you must check it 1. By considering the little subsistance and reality that is in this fair appearance 1 Cor. 7. 31. The fashion of this world passeth away 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is but a draft an empty Pageantry so it is called Psal. 39. 6. Avain shew an Image shadow or dream that vanisheth in a trice So Prov. 23. 5. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not It was not a-while ago and within a little while it will not be again at least to us it will not be we must shortly bid good night to all the World 1 Pet.
we may lean upon this word of God keep our selves from indirect means and in a fair way of Providence refer the issue to God 2. Some take the Word for the word of Promise which indeed is the livelyhood of the Saints Psal. 119. 111. Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever they are the rejoycing of my heart Gods people in a time of want can make a Feast to themselves out of the Promises and when seemingly starved in the Creature fetch not only Peace and Grace and Righteousness but Food and Rayment out of the Covenant 3. Rather I think it is taken for his Providential word or commanded Blessing For as God made all things by his Word so he upholdeth all things by the word of his Power Heb. 1. 3. His powerful word doth all in the World Psal. 147. 15. He sendeth forth his commandment on the earth his word runneth very swiftly he giveth snow like wool And then in the 18. ver He sendeth out his word and melteth them As the word of Creation made all things so the word of Providence sustaineth all things This word is spoken of Psal. 107. 20. He sent his word and his word healed them and delivered them from all their destructions 'T is dictum factum with God if he speak but the word 't is all done Math. 8. 8. Speak but the word and thy servant shall be whole So Luk. 4. 36. What a word is this For with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits and they come out So of Ioseph 't is said Psal. 105. 19. untill the time that his word came the word of the Lord tryed him That is his power and influence on the hearts of the parties concerned for his deliverance Well then the power of sustaining Life is not in bread but in the Word of God not in the means but in Gods commanded blessing which may be conveyed to us by means or without means as God pleaseth There is a powerful commanding word which God useth for Health Strength Sustentation or any effect wherein the good of his people is concerned He is the great Commander of the World If he say to any thing go and it goeth come and it cometh Thus you have the History of the first temptation Now for the Observations 1. Observe That God may leave his children and servants to great streights for Christ himself was sorely an hungred so God suffereth his people to hunger in the Wilderness before he gave them Manna Therefore 't is said Psal. 102. 23. He weakneth the strength of the people in the way He hath sundry tryals wherewith to exercise our Faith and sometimes by sharp necessities Paul and his companions had continued fourteen dayes and had taken nothing Acts 27. 33. Many times Gods children are thus tryed Trading is dead and there are many mouths to be fed and little supply cometh in yet this is to be born none of us more poor then Christ or more destitute then was Christ. Secondly That the Devil maketh an advantage of our necessities when Christ was an hungred then the tempter came to him so unto us Three sorts of temptations he then useth to us the same he did to Christ 1. Either he tempteth us to unlawful means to satisfie our hunger so he did to Christ who was to be governed by the Spirit to work a miracle to provide for his bodily wants at Satans direction so us Poverty hath a train of sinful temptations Prov. 30. 9. Least I be poor and steal and take the name of my God in vain Necessities are urging but we must not go to the Devil for a direction how to supply our selves least he draw us to put our hand to our neighbours goods or to defraud our Brother or betray the peace of our Conscience or to do some unworthy thing that we may live the more comfortably You cannot plead necessity 't is to relieve your charge to maintain Life God is able to maintain it in his own way No necessity can make any sin warrantable 't is necessary thou shouldst not sin 't is not necessary thou shouldst borrow more then thou canst pay or use any fraudulent means to get thy sustenance If others be unmerciful thou must not be unrighteous 2. To question our Adoption as he did the filiation of Christ If thou be the Son of God 'T is no wonder to find Satan calling in question the Adoption and Regeneration of Gods Children for he calleth in question the Filiation and Sonship of the Son of God though so plainly attested but a little before Heb. 12. 5. Ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as Children my Son c. Certainly what ever moveth us to question our interest in Gods fatherly love bare afflictions should not for to be without afflictions is a sign of Bastards God hath no illegitimate Children but God hath degenerate Children who are left to a larger Discipline 3. To draw us to a diffidence and distrust of Gods Providence this he sought to breed in Christ or at least to do something that might seem to countenance it if he should upon his motion work a miracle Certainly 't is Satans usual temptation to work in us a disesteem of Gods goodness and care and to make us pore altogether upon our wants A sense of our wants may be a means to humble us to quicken us to prayer but it should not be a temptation to beget in us unthankfulness or murmuring against Gods Providence or any disquietness or unsettledness in our minds And though they may be very pinching yet we should still remember that God is good to them that are of a clean Heart Psal. 73. 1. God hath in himself al-sufficiency who knoweth both what we want and what is fittest for us and is engaged by his general Providence as a faithful Creator 1 Pet. 4. 19. Let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing as unto a faithful Creator but more especially as related to us as a Father Matth. 6. 32. Your heavenly Father knowest that you have need of all these things And by his faithful Promise Heb. 13. 5. He hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee And he will give us every good thing while we fear him Psal. 34. 9 10. O fear the Lord ye his Saints For there is no want to them that fear him The young Lyons do lack and suffer hunger But they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing And walk uprightly Psalm 84. 11. For the Lord God is a Sun and a shield the Lord will give Grace and Glory No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly And seek it of him by prayer Matth. 7. 11. Ask and it shall be given you seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you But you will say you Preach only to the poor and destitute I Answer
had a peculiar Angel to guard him and look after him then when he was in great trouble and detained in prison it doth not follow that every person and every where should have an Angel-Guardian Besides an assertion in Scripture must be distinguished from men introduced speaking in Scripture it sheweth indeed that it was the Opinion of the Iews at that time which these holy men had imbibed and drunk in Or it may be the word Angel is onely taken for a Messenger sent from Peter why should an Angel stand knocking at the door who could easily make his entrance And is it credible that the Guardian Angels do take their shape and habit whose Angels they are It is enough for us to believe that all the Angels are our Guardians who are sent to keep us and preserve us as it pleaseth God But what is their Ministry and Custody It is not cura animarum care and charge of Souls that Christ taketh upon himself and performeth it by his Spirit but ministerium externi auxilii to afford us outward help and relief It is custodia corporis they guard the bodily life chiefly Thus we find them often employed An Angel brought Elijah his food under the Juniper Tree 1 King 19. 5. An Angel stirred the waters at the Pool of Siloam Ioh. 5. 4. An Angel was the guide of the way to Abraham's servant Gen. 24. 7. He will send his angel before thee and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence Angels defend us against Enemies Psal. 34. 7. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him and delivereth them 2 King 19. 35. The Angel of the Lord went out and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand An Angel opened the Prison doors to the Apostles Acts 5. 19. and 12. 7. But were not all these services extraordinary and Miraculous which we may not now expect Answ. The visible Ministry was extraordinary proper to those times but the invisible is perpetual and ordinary as Abraham's servant did not see the Angel in the journey The devil worketh in and about wicked men invisibly so do the good Angels Secondly Reasons Why it is so 1. To manifest the great Love and Care which God hath over his people therefore he giveth those blessed Spirits which behold his face charge concerning his people on Earth as if a Nobleman were charged to look to a Beggar by the Prince of both 2. We understand the operation of finite Agents better than infinite God is so far out of the reach of our commerce that we cannot understand the particularity of his Providence 3. To counterwork the devil evil Angels are ready to hurt us and therefore good Angels are ready to preserve us Well might the devil be so well versed in this place he hath often felt the effects of it he knew it by experience being so often encounter'd by the good Angels in his endeavors against the people of God 4. To begin our acquaintance which in Heaven shall be perfected Heb. 12. 22. Ye are come to an innumerable company of Angels USES 1. To shew the happy state of Gods people No Heirs of a Crown have such Guards as they have Christ dwelleth in their hearts as in a Throne Eph. 3. 17. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith The Holy Spirit guardeth them against all cares and fears Phil. 4. 7. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Iesus Christ. And the good Angels are as a Wall and Camp about them Psal. 34. 7. The Angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him and delivereth them Mat. 18. 10. Despise not one of these little ones for verily I say unto you that in heaven their angels do alwaies behold the face of my father which is in heaven If the Angels make an account of them surely men should not despise them Yea rather God esteemeth so much of the meanest of these little ones that the good Angels who daily enjoy Gods glorious presence are ministring spirits appointed to attend them If the Lord and his Holy Angels set such a price on the meanest Christians we should be loath to despise and offend them 2. It should breed some confidence and comfort in Christians in their sore straits and difficulties when all visible help seemeth to be cut off This invisible Ministry of the Angels is matter of Faith 2 Kings 6. 16 17. And he answered Fear not for they that be with us are more than they that be with them And Elisha prayed and said Lord I pray thee open the young mans eyes that he may see And the Lord opened the young mans eyes and he saw and behold the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha These were no other but the Angels of God which were as an host to defend them Open the eye of Faith you may see God and his holy Angels to secure you 3. Take we heed how we carry our selves because of this Honourable presence In Congregations there should be no indecency because of the Angels 1 Cor. II. IC In all our wayes let us take heed that we do not step out of Gods way Do nothing that is unseemly and dishonest they are spies upon us And it is profitable for us that they may give an account of us to God with joy and not with grief SERMON IV. MATTH 4. 7. Iesus said unto him It is written again Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God HEre is Christs Answer to the second Temptation where two things are Observable First That Christ Answered Secondly What he Answered First That Christ Answered Christ answered the more to convince and confound this old Deceiver that he might not think that he was ignorant of his sleights or that he fainted in the conflict as also to instruct us what to do in the renewed Assaults of the Devil to keep up our resistance still not letting go our sure hold which are the Scriptures Secondly What he Answered It is written c. But would it not have been more satisfactory to have said It is sufficiently manifest to me that I am the Son of God and cared for by him and that it is not for the children of God to run upon Precipices I Answer It is not for Humane Wisdom to interpose and prescribe to Christ who was the Wisdom and Power of God His Answer is most satisfactory for two Reasons 1. It striketh at the Throat of the Cause 2. It doth with advantage give us other instructions 1. Christ cutteth the throat of the Temptation by quoting a passage of Scripture out of Deut. 6. 16. Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God as ye tempted him in Massah If we must not tempt God then it doth not become Christ to tempt his Fathers Providence for a new proof of his Filiation and care over him Therefore the devils temptation was
thou hast loved me and ver 26. That the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them that is by the gift of the Spirit and Everlasting Glory Though Christ was the beloved Son yet his state was but mean and despicable in the world he was afflicted a man of sorrows pursued to the Death even a shameful painful accursed Death yet all this while he was full of the Holy Ghost of his Graces Comforts and afterwards received to Glory and so will he love us At this rate and Tenour his love bindeth him not to give us worldly greatness but if we have the Spirit and may be welcomed to Heaven at the last we have that which is the true discovery of Gods Love So he manifested his Love to the onely begotten Son and therefore the adopted children should be contented with this Love if by the Spirit they may be inabled to continue with Patience in well-doing till they receive Eternal Glory and Happiness 3. The next thing is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in whom I am well pleased This is to be interpreted of Christ as Mediator or God Incarnate for this was twice spoken at Christs Baptisme Mar. 3. 17. and now at his Transfiguration both imply his Mediatorship For his Baptisme had the notion of a Dedication he did then present himself to God as a Mediator for us to be the Servant of his Decree as we in Baptisme dedicate our selves to fulfil the Precepts which belong to us and as we are concerned to promote his Glory in the World Christ presented himself as a Mediator that is as a Prophet to acquaint us with the way of Salvation as a Priest to pay a perfect Ransom for us as a King to give us all things and defend and maintain all those who submit to his Government till their Glory be perfected and they attain unto their final Estate of Bliss and Happiness Now then God from Heaven declared himself well pleased and now again when Christ had made some Progress in the Work confirmeth it for the assurance of the World This then must be Interpreted 1. As to Christ. 2. As to those who have benefit by him and interest in him 1. As to Christ. He was well-pleased Partly as to the Design the Reparation of Lost Mankind Partly as to the Terms by which it should be brought about Partly as to the Execution and Management of it by Christ. 1. As to the Design God was well-pleased that lapsed Mankind should be restored at the first God was pleased with his Creation Exod. 31. 17. on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed that is recreated in the View of his Works as the effects of his Wisdom Power and Goodness And Psal. 104. 31. The Lord shall rejoyce in his works The Lord saw all to be good in the beginning and working not to be repented of This was Gods Rest and Sabbath to take delight in his Works When he looked on it altogether behold it was exceeding good but afterwards Man the ungrateful part of the Creation though the Masterpiece of it in this visible and lower world fell from God his Creator and preferred the Creature before him to his Loss and Ruine then God was so far displeased that he had Reason to wish the destruction of Mankind it is said Gen. 6. 6. That it repented God that he had made man That is he was displeased with us estranged from us no more contented with us than a man is in what he repenteth of For properly God cannot repent but this is an Expression to show how odious we were grown to him Psal. 14. 2 3. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand and did seek after God They are all gone aside they are altogether become filthy there is none that doth good no not one Alas there is a lamentable appearance of Mankind to Gods sight now nothing good to be found in them an universal Defection both in Piety and Humanity But then Christ undertook the Reparation of Mankind and the Design was pleasing to God that he might not lose the glory of his Creation and all flesh be utterly destroyed Col. 1. 19 20. It pleased the father that in him should all fulness dwell and having made peace through the blood of his cross by him to reconcile all things to himself The restoring of fallen Man to Friendship with God and all things tending to it were highly pleasing to God namely that Jesus Christ the second Person in the Trinity should become a Mediator for that end he had a great Affection and liking to this thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is the same word used here the thing is highly pleasing to God that the Breach should be made up that man who had lost the Image Favour and Fellowship with God should be again restored by renewing his Heart reconciling his Person and admitting him again into Communion with God who was was so justly provoked by him God stood in no need of our Friendship nor could any loss come to him by our Hatred and Enmity onely it pleased the Father to take this way Isa. 53. 10. For it pleased the Lord to bruise him he hath put him to grief when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin he shall see his seed he shall prolong his dayes and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands 2. He is pleased with the Terms God who is the Supream Governour of the world and the offended Party stood upon these Terms that the Honour of his governing Justice should be secured and the Repentance and Reformation of man carried on Strictly these must be done or else man must lye under his Eternal Displeasure if one be done and not the other no Reconciliation can ensue Now that God is highly pleased with the satisfaction and compensation made to his governing Justice Heb. 10. 6 7. In burnt-offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast no pleasure Then said I lo I come to do thy will O God Ver. 10. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Christ once for all God rejected all other sacrifices but was fully satisfied with this as enough to expiate the sin of Man Christ delighted to give it and God delighted to accept of it He paid a perfect ransom for us besides or above which he craved no more but rested fully content in it for the other the Renovation of Mans Nature to put him into a capacity to serve and please God for God would not admit us to Priviledges without change of heart and disposition Acts 5. 31. God exalted him to be a prince and saviour to give repentance and remission of sins In short God is so satisfied with these Terms that 1. He seeketh no farther amends for all their wrongs Rom. 3. 25. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to
because that God sent his onely begotten Son into the world that we might live by him That God should bestow his Son upon us to procure our salvation God tried Abraham's love in sacrificing his son but manifested his Love to us in sending his own Son he spared him not but delivered him up for us all Now that such a Remedy and Ransome is found out for us it should leave an Impression of Gods love on our Hearts that we may love him again who first loved us 1 Ioh. 4. 19. Think nothing too dear for God who thought no rate too dear to purchase our Life and Peace As our salvation was precious to him let his Glory be dear to us onely let me tell you this Love must not be confined to a bare act of our Reason but you must pray to God to shed abroad this love in your hearts by the Holy Spirit Rom. 5. 5. that so you may study to love and please God prize Christ and his precious Benefits above all things in the World and live to him who died for you that you may feel the constraining Efficacy and Force of Love SERMON VI. MATTH 17. 5. This is my beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased Hear ye him 1. THe Design and Intent of this Scripture is to set forth the Lord Jesus as the great Mediator as appeareth 1. From the occasions upon which this Voice came from Heaven at his Baptisme which was Christs dedication of himself to the work of a Redeemer and Saviour and now at his Transfiguration to distinguish him from Moses and the other Prophets and publickly to instal him in the Mediatory Office 2. The matter of the words shew his fitness for this Office for here you have 1. His Dignity not a servant but a Son Heb. 3. 5 6. Moses verily was faithful in all his house as a servant but Christ as a son over his own house Now the old Prophesies foretold the Union of the two Natures in his Person and necessary it was that our Mediator should be God-Man There is a Congruity between his Person and Office one fit to be familiar with Man and naturally interessed in his Concerns and yet so high and near the Father as may put a sufficient value upon his Actions and so meet to Mediate with God for us 2. The Dearness between God and him my beloved son Christ is the Object of his Fathers love both as the second Person in the Trinity and Mediator The one is the ground of the other for because he loved him he intrusted him with souls Ioh. 3. 35. The father hath loved him and put all things into his hands the Elect and all things else all power that conduceth to their salvation Afterwards loved him as Mediator Ioh. 10. 17. Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life that I might take it again Now such a beloved Son is fittest to Mediate for us and to come upon a design of Love to demonstrate Gods great Love to wretched sinners and to be a pledge of that love which God will bestow upon us who are altogether so unworthy of it 3. His Acceptableness to God who is well-pleased with the Design the Terms the Management of it II. This work of Mediator Christ executeth by three Offices of King Priest Prophet For he is Head and Lord of the renewed state a Priest to offer a sacrifice for sin which having once offered he for ever represents in Heaven he was also to be Teacher of Mankind to acquaint us with the way of salvation These Offices are often alluded unto in Scripture Rev. 1. 5. The faithful witness the first begotten from the dead the prince of the kings of the earth So Heb. 1. 2 3. God hath spoken to us by his son he having by himself purged our sins sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high The effect of them is more briefly described Ioh. 4. 6. I am the way the truth and the life The way was opened by his Passion and is kept open by his Intercession Truth as a Prophet Life we have from him as Prince of Life or Head of the renewed Estate So the effects 1 Cor. 1. 30. But of him are ye in Christ Iesus who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness sanctification and redemption Wisdom as a Prophet to cure our Ignorance and Folly Righteousness and Sanctification as a Priest Redemption as the King and Captain of our Salvation The same Benefits which he purchaseth as a King he bestoweth as a Priest revealeth as a Prophet These three Offices were typed out by the First-born who were Heads of Families and also Prophets and Priests 3. That though all the three Offices be imployed yet the Prophetical Office is more explicitely mentioned partly as suiting with the present occasion which is to demonstrate that Christ hath sufficient authority to repeal the Law of Moses which the Prophets were to explain confirm and maintain till his coming But now Moses and Elias appear in Person to certifie their consent and God his Approbation from Heaven to that new Law of Grace which Christ should set up Partly because it is not necessary that in every place all the Offices should be mentioned sometimes but one as where Christ is called either King Priest or Prophet sometimes two together Heb. 3. 1. Prophetical Sacerdotal Consider the apostle and high priest of our profession Christ Iesus sometimes his Prophetical and Kingly Isa. 55. 4. Behold I have given him for a witness to the people and for a leader and commander to the people Partly because if Christ be received in this one Office he will be received in all the rest for as a Prophet he hath revealed that Doctrine which establisheth his Kingly and Priestly Office for he hath revealed all things necessary to salvation and therefore his own sacrifice and Regal Power Lastly some think all expresly mentioned here thus Christ is Gods beloved Son and therefore the Heir of all things and Lord and King in whom he is well pleased that is pacified and satisfied with his offering as a Priest or appeased by his compleat sacrifice Hear him as the great Prophet and Doctor of the Church This premised I come now to observe Doct. That Christ is appointed by God the Father to be the great Prophet and Teacher whose voice alone must be heard in the Church I. That Christ is the great Prophet and Teacher of the Church appeareth 1. By the Titles given to him he is compared with Moses the great Law-giver among the Iews The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of you like unto me unto him shall ye hearken Deut. 18. 15. He was to be like a Moses but greater than Moses a Lawgiver as he a man as he one that saw God Face to Face as he a Mediator as he but far other in all respects a better Law a more glorious Person a more
Their Comfortable and Gracious recovery by Christ verse 7. 3. The Event and Issue of all verse 8. 1. Their Astonishment they fell on their faces and were sore afraid their falling on their faces was not out of Worship and Reverence but consternation as those Iohn 18. 6. As soon as he said to them I am he they went backward and fell to the ground The causes of their fear must be enquired into These were holy men the flower of Christs Disciples they were men in an holy action for Belshazar in his cups to tremble were no news they were not in the presence of an angry God it was a Gospel-voice that they heard This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased hear ye him They had not a full dispensation of his glory but only a glimpse of it and that under a cloud and revealed in Mercy yet they were sore afraid Upon any Visions and Apparitions of the divine Majesty Gods Servants fell to the Earth Ezek. 1. 28. When I saw the appearance of the likeness of the Glory of God I fell on my face Paul when Christ appeared to him from Heaven he fell to the Earth Acts 9. 4. Rev. 1. 17. When I saw him I fell at his feet as dead Abraham was cast into great horrour Gen. 15. 12. when God appeared solemnly to enter into Covenant with him So Isa. 6. 5. Then I said wo is me for I am undone So Daniel chap. 10. 8. 9. When I saw this great vision there was no strength in me for my comeliness was turned into corruption and I retained no strength yet I heard the voice of his words then was I in a deep sleep upon my face and my face was towards the ground Now I shall give the special reasons why the manifestation and appearance of God to his great Prophets did breed this astonishment and Fear 2. What general Note and Observation may be concluded hence for our profit 1. The special Reasons why these manifestations and appearances of God to his great Prophets do breed this astonishment and fear they are Two 1. To humble them to whom he vouchsafed so great a favour To humble them least the Glory of these heavenly Visions should too much puff them up Therefore there was ever some weakness discovered in those that did receive them Iacob wrestled with God but came off halting and maimed though he prevailed Gen 32. 31. when he came off from seeing God face to face he halted on his thigh Paul was wrapt into the third Heaven yet presently buffetted with a messenger of Satan least he should be lifted up with the abundance of Revelations 2 Cor. 12. 7. Corruption remaineth in us and we are not able to bear these favours which God manifesteth to his choice Servants and therefore there is something to humble them in the dispensation and to keep them from being puffed up with pride something that is a ballance to the great honour wherewith God hath honoured them 2. All those that received Visions from him to teach his people God would season them by leaving a stamp and impression of his excellency upon them This was the preparation of the Prophets and a preparation of the Disciples to fit them for the work of the Gospel A due representation of Gods glory and excellent Majesty doth qualifie them for their duty they are fittest to carry Gods message and describe him to others who are thus qualified and prepared and have some reverence and awe of God impressed upon their own hearts and have felt the power of his great Majesty 2 Cor. 5. 16. Knowing the terrors of the Lord we perswade men The General Conclusion and Observation which we may draw from thence is this Doctrine That God is of such glorious Excellency and Majesty that we are not able to bear any emissions or extraordinary Representations thereof in this state of frailty 1. I will prove that God is a great God and of glorious Majesty 2. Give you the Reasons why we are not able to bear the extraordinary manifestations thereof in this state of frailty 1. That God is a God of great Majesty and ought to be reverenced by all that have to do with him The point being a matter of sense and evident by natural light needeth not to be proved so much as improved 1. Scripture representeth him as such Dan. 9. 4. He is called the great and dreadful God so Deut. 7. 21. A Mighty God and terrible and Nahum 1. 5. A great and terrible God is he and again Job 37. 22. With God is terrible Majesty 2. This eminently shineth forth both in his Works of Creation and Providence 1. Creation in the stupendious Fabrick of the Heavens Ier. 32. 17 18 19. Ah Lord God behold thou hast made the Heaven and the Earth by thy great power and outstretched arm and there is nothing too hard for thee c. In that mighty Collection of Waters in the Sea we cannot look upon that vast expansion of the Firmament that huge body of Waters in the Sea without some religious horrour what is the God that made all this Ier. 5. 22. Fear ye not me saith the Lord will ye not tremble at my presence which have placed the Sand for a bound to the Sea by a perpetual decree that it cannot pass it and though the waves thereof toss themselves yet can they not prevail though they roar yet can they not pass over it 2. Providence whether in his way of Mercy or Judgment Mercy what a Majestick description of God is there Ps. 50. 1 2 3 4 5. yet there his presence in his Church is described The drift of the Psalm is to set forth Gods Power and Majesty when he comes to call the Gentiles and to set up the Evangelical way of his Worship when the light of the Gospel shall shine forth from Sion Psalm 5. 5. by terrible things in Righteousness wilt thou answer us Oh God thou God of our Salvation Though God is a God of Salvation yet the way of his delivering them carryeth Majesty and Terror with it So his Works of Judgment Psal. 119. 120. My flesh trembleth for fear of thee and I am afraid of thy Iudgments when the wicked of the Earth are put away like dross A Lyon trembleth to see a Dog beaten before him and it is imputed as a fault to the wicked that they do not take notice of it Isa. 26. 10. They will not behold the Majesty of God 3. His Greatness and Majesty is such that we cannot comprehend it Iob 36. 26. Behold God is great and we know him not nor can the number of his years be searched out The Greatness of God cannot be known but only by way of Negation that he hath none of those infirmities which may lessen his being in our thoughts or by way of comparison that he is above all God is greater then man Ier. 36. 12. 4. So great that he is fain to put a covering