reason will affections c. do discover themselves within us and it is manifest that God infused the soule not upon the body but into the body seating it within us The soule then is within the body and so joyned to it But how Divines have sought out divers similitudes to expresse their mindes And first to shew how it is not joyned First not as water and the vessell that holds it are joyned by contact or touching one another for the soule is not a bodily substance and therefore cannot be joyned by touching nor doe the water and vessell make one thing as the soule and body do one man nor do they worke together as the soule and body do for the water doth all the worke thereof in watering or clensing without the vessell Secondly not by mixture as water and wine are mingled together For things mingled ceaâ—e to be what they were for there is no longer water nor wine now they are mingled nor is the soule materiall to suffer such a mingling Thirdly not as the heat of the fire is united to the water when the water is heated for though the heat be joyned to the water as the former yet it is but an accidentall forme and they are one by accident not per se. Thirdly not as the voyce is in the aire for though the voice be dispersed abroad the aire and doth likewise carry something to the understanding besides the sound yet doth not this reach to expresse the union of the soule with the body For the voice is not the forme of the aire nor is it conceived in the aire without the breaking of the aire and besides it presently vanisheth whereas the soule is a substance and doth not easily depart out of the body Fifthly nor as the Mariner is in the shippe with the Governer for the dispatch of his journey for though the body bee as a tabernacle wherein the soule dwells yet that similitude doth not expresse this union because the soule and body make one thing whereas the ship and the Mariner do not make one thing but are two distinct sorts of things yea the soule and body are soone that by sympathie what one suffers the other feeles whereas the wounding of the Mariner is not the tearing of the ship or contrariwise There are two similitudes that doe more neerly reach this secret The first is of Christ. For as God and man make one Christ so the soule and body make one man But I will not meddle with the breaking open of that dreadfull mysterie The other is of the light of the Sun in the aire for there are many things in this comparison doe fitly resemble this divine light which is our soules as they are joyned to our bodies 1 This light doth fitly resemble the soule because it is a thing that cannot be corrupted or divided 2 This light doth so pierce into and penetrate the aire that they are both made one and are not separated so doth the soule the body 3 The light and the aire though joyned together are not confounded or mingled together for the light remaineth light and the aire the aire so is it in this union betweene the soule and the body 4 The light is so in the aire that the aire being smitten yet the light is not touched nor divided nor carried about as the are is so doth the soule remaine unpierced though the body bee wounded and fall yea and die too 5 As the light is onely from the Sunne so is the soule onely from God 6 As the aire without the light is as it were dead because it is darke and cold and will putrefie so is the body without the soule 7 As no man can shew by what bands the light is fastned to the aire so is it extreamly difficult to shew how the soule is fastened to the body This similitude we see doth in many things fit this case but yet not fully For the light is not the essentiall forme of the aire onely this comparison doth in many things satiâ—fie the question in that it shewes that the soule is in the body by penetration or immeation as they call it it pierceth thorow the whole body Onely we must take heed of two things First that wee imagine not the soule to be in the body as in a place or as contained of it For the soule cannot bee circumscribed by the measure of a place wee may not imagine that the soule is just as bigge as the body and no bigger For though it bee true that the soule is in the body and the whole soule too yet it is not contained there as bodies be contained in their places for rather the soule sustaineth the body Secondly God is said to be in us and so is the soule but not alike For God is in us by his vertue and grace and operation but not as our former whereas the soule is the forme of the body and both make one man Quest. But some one will say Can it not be shewed by what band the soule is tied to the body Answ. Some Divines and Philosophers undertake to determine that and say that God hath created in the body of a man a certaine humour which is fitted for this union and so they say the soule is united to the body by the vitall spirits which are of nature mixt partly corporeall and partly spirituall For as those vitall spirits doe consist for the matter of them of the radicall heat and moisture in man so they are corporeall and as they have an unexpressable nimblenesse in working or sparkling in the body so they draw neere to the nature of the soule and by these vitall spirits thus enlived are the soule and body joyned together Quest. There yet remaineth another question and that is Where the soule resides in the body in what place is it centred Answ. The most say that the whole soule is in the whole body and the whole soule in every part of the body Others say it is a vaine question seeing the soule is not in the body as in a place For it cannot be measured by length breadth or depth but it is in the body as the essentiall forme is in the matter which cannot be locally Others say that the soule is seated in one principall place of the body as the chiefe palace and seat of residence and is in all other parts by diffusion of vertues through the instruments thereunto fitted and placed of purpose by God in the framing of the body and thus the soule reasons in the head wills and affects in the heart sees in the eyes c. The chiefest mansion of the soule seemes to be in the heart because it is the last that dies in us Hitherto of the union of the soule with the body The faculties of the soule follow There are three faculties or powers of the soule by which it workes or there are three things which the soule effects viz. 1 Vegetation 2 Sense 3 Reason
sleep in the strength of that it hath sucked and further if it be a true desire it is after the word as it is milke and sincere it affecteth plainenesse and acknowledgeth no wisdome like Gods nor effectualnesse of speech more powerfull then the words of sacred scripture and lastly it is such a desire as intends growth in knowledge wisdome utterance prayer grace and holy duties Thus much of the signes The consideration of the glory and necessity of the worke of our new birth may exceedingly reprove the wretched and wilfull neglect of it in thousands of people especially of such as be continuall hearers and cannot be ignorant of the doctrine of it how many are the souls that like the blackamoores will not be made white the spots of whose sinnes are like the spots of the Leopard which will not be gotten out These have had promises to allure them and precepts to divert them and threatnings to humble them and yet are never a whit the better woe unto them they have not sought their peace in the day of peace yea are there not many who heare their own lets opened and yet goe away unreformed Oh the depth of the deceitfulnesse and wickednesse of mans heart Vnto a lively hope c. Foure things may be here noted three of them I will but touch First that there is hope unto the righteous He can be in no such estate or distresse but there is hope the poorest Christian hath his hope and if hee were inclosed with crosses yet he is a prisoner of hope and therefore wee should pray God to shew us the hope of our calling and should the more willingly suffer afflictions rejoycing in hope Secondly none have hope but converted Christians For all carnall men are without hope in the world I meane without true hope For the hope that wicked men have though they leane upon it is but as the house of a spider and therefore woe unto them for their hope when they shall most need it will be as the giving up of the ghost Thirdly there is one hope unto all Gods children they hope for the same glory as they have the same faith and therefore we should live and love so together as they that hope to raigne together in heaven But the fourth thing is the chiefe and that is that there is a lively hope and a dead hope For the one is expressed and the other is manifestly implied There is in godly men a lively hope there is in wicked men but a dâ—ll and a dead hope Now if any aske what difference there is between a lively hope and a dead hope or between the true hope and the false I answer that they differ in six things First in the use of the meanes for a lively hope will use all the meanes that are appointed of God and not that only but it seeketh and expresseth the affections requisite to the right use of the meanes and it will be painefull and patient Now the common hope of carnall men betrayes it selfe in this that they thinke to gâ—e to heaven though they never use the 〈◊〉 or 〈…〉 nor with any paines or patience Secondly in adversity a lively hope plainely shewes it selfe For it will make a man to runne to God and powre out his heart before him resting satisfied if it can get comfort and a promise from God whereas the dead hope is of no use when miseries and adversity comes It delights not in prayer and will not brooke to come in Gods sight it runs to carnall and devillish helps and if it faile in them it excites impatient murmuring or despaire Thirdly a lively hope is attended with lively joyes when God workes the hope of heaven he workes also at some time or other more or lesse the joyes of heaven which hee utterly denies to wicked men Fourthly mans hopes may be tryed by â—he object Aâ—ke a wicked man what is the thing he would have in heaven and he must answer it is the joyes and happinesse of heaven But aske a godly man what he would have in heaven and he soon answers it is the holinesse of heaven hee would be there because he would sin no more but the wicked would be there because they would suffer no more it is righteousnesse that hope waiteth for Fifthly the true hope will acknowledge the truth which is according to godlinesse but the false hope thinkes it enough to know it it will not adventure it selfe to be so forward as to professe it Lastly whosoever hath the true hope purgeth himselfe that he may be pure as Christ is pure but the dead hope cannot abide much mortification The use of all this may be to instruct both carnall men and godly men Carnall men should take notice of this difference that so they might addresse themselves to seeke this true and lively hope which that they may obtaine or attaine they must shun hypocrisie and deny all ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and labour for true grace for the hypocrites hope shall perish and we can never attaine unto the blessed hope unlesse we resolve to live soberly and righteously and religiously in this present world and this everlasting consolation and good hope is had onely by grace and the godly should here learne to hold fast their lively hope as one of the excellentest fruits of their regeneration and their daily refuge should be to nourish and strengthen themselves in it and to that end acquaint themselves constantly with the comforts of the scripture which were penned especially to that end that they might have hope And thus much of the third thing By the resurrection of Iesus Christ from the dead Concerning the resurrection of Christ as it may here be considered of â— propound foure things 1. In what sense it is here to be understood 2. How his resurrection hath relation to us in that our new birth is here haâ—â—ed upon it 3. I answer a question or two which here may be moved and then I make use of all For the first Some have understood by the resurrection of Christ here synecdochically the whole worke of redemption Some understand the words of his spirituall resurrection in our hearts by faith through the operation of the spirit of grace for as he dyeth in us by infidelity so he riseth in us by faith But I â—ake it here as it is commonly taken even for the resurrection of his own person even for that work by which he did shake off the power of death and quicken his dead body restoring the soule to it and receiving to himselfe in his humane nature a blessed celestiall and glorious life In the beleefe of this we differ from Pagans They can beleeve that he dyed but we must beleeve that he rose againe This was solemnly foretold by David and foreshewed by Ioâ—ah manifested by an Angell recorded by the
God and yet in Princes courts 1. Not entertained â— ut many times repulsed 2. Not knowne many times of any body 3. Not dwell there 4. Not favoured of the King or his sonne 5. The Lords will not attend us to carry us to the King or shew us all c. 6. Soone are we cloyed with the glory of it if we had all we would 7. In the Kings court we see the glory of others not â—ur owne But contrary to all these it is in heaven as it shall be with the righteous Which things the Angels desire to looke into In these words the grace brought unto us in the Gospell is commended by the adjunct desire the Angels have to looke into it if such glorious creatures see such worth in these things then they are certainly to be highly accounted of and rejoyced in but the Angels doe so as saith the holy Ghost who is acquainted with the desires of Angels as wel as with the thoughts of men Therefore c. Before I enter upon the particular consideration of these words I must in generall observe one doctrine from the coherence viz. that as any are more holy and happy so they doe more admire the grace brought unto us in the Gospell it is much that the Prophets give such testimony so is it that the Apostles and Ministers of the Gospell spake such glorious things of it but if that may not confirme us the holy Spirit of God and the Angels of God shal be brought in to deliver not their opinions onely but their desires also Which may serve 1. For singular reproofe of the madnesse of our natures that cannot be won to know or regard wherein the chiefe good lies but are so infinitely distracted with endlesse hunting after the riches or pleasures of life Oh how are our hearts sunke deepe in rebellion when neither the verity of these things nor our owne mortality nor such abundant testimonies from heaven can move us But woe unto us for two reasons from hence First wee shall be made inexcusable since God hath warned and instructed us with such undeniable testimonies Secondly here we see the cause why wee seek not after the grace of Christ in the Gospell it is because we are alienated both from holâ—nesse and happinesse For if we had experience in either we would judge as â—he Angels of heaven doe 2. For singular strengthning and incouragement to every one that hath true grace let him rejoyce in his portion the Gospell is the best riches it were â—ot bâ—ught deare if a man sold all he had to purchase it we should rather take the judgement and opinion of one Angell then of a thousand worldly persons 〈◊〉 is no matter what they say they know not their felicity flesh and bloud hath had no revelation in these things it is the Spirit of God onely thaâ— can shew us the things given us of God it is the scope of this place to confirme the consolations ver 3 4 5. Thus in generall now in particular there are foure things to be considered of 1. What these Angels are 2. What account God makes of them 3. What affection they beare to men in that they are said to desire c. 4. What their knowledge is in that they are said to looke into c. 1. Now for the first you must understand that all creatures are of one of tâ—eâ—e three sorts 1. Invisible 2. Visible 3. Both visible and invisible Man is both visible in respect of his body and invisible in respect of his soule The heaven and earth and seas and beasts and foules c. are visible the invisible creatures are these Angels The estate of this invisible world of glorious creatures is in the greatest part 〈◊〉 unrevealed to us yet some things the Scriptures for our good hath let fall and theâ—efore to this question I answer two waies 1. By considering what they are in name 2. What they be in nature 1. The names given them are of three sorts 1. Some expresse their nature and so they are spirits 2. Some expresse their excellency and dignity and so they are called principalities and powers c. 3. Some expresse their office and employment and so they are called Angels in this place which signifies Messengers because they are sent to minister to them which are heires of salvation Heb. 1.14 2. Now for their natures Angels are spirituall substances invisible and immortall subsisting of themselves indued with singular understanding and freedome of will created of God for his glory in his service in the world especially in the Church But why are they called by the name of office more usually then by the names that expresse their natures It is because God delights in them for their seâ—vice and they themselves are more glad of well-doing then of their happinesse in nature from whence we may learn that it is not enough to get singular gifts and excellent estates unlesse we be industrious in the use of them our glory lieth not in excellent parts but in the fruitfull use of them We should learn then of Gods Angels to obey as they obey that Gods will may be done on earth as it is in heaven that is 1 willingly 2 speedily 3 constantly For so the Angels obey else we may be as the Angels of God for gifts and yâ—t goe to hell But are all these incorporeall spirits here meant No for some of them fell away and stood not in the truth it is onely the good Angels called the elect Angels 1 Tim. 5.21 are here meant but it is worth the noting what sinne hath brought upon the Devils they have not onely lost their nature in respect of purity but their names to so as usually when the Scripture calleth Angels it meaneth it of good Angels they have lost the dignity of their very title this is the fruit of pride or envy or disobedience or whatsoever else was their sin Some say it was pride in affecting divinity some say it was envy stirred by the decree of exalting of mans nature above Angels in and by Christ some say a transgression of some commandements in particular not exprest as Adams was Thus of their names and natures 2. Now for the singular account God makes of them it may appeare divers waies 1. By the excellent titles given them aâ— are stars of the morning sons of God principalitieâ— and powers c. 2. By the place he sets them in hee placeth them next his owne person in the chamber of his owne presence to be alwaies about him even in heaven the fairest roome in the whole building of the world 3. By the trust he hath put in them hee hath committed the charge of his Elect unto their protection and care Psal. 34. 91 Heb. 1. 14 4. By the singular grace of confirmation that now in Christ they 〈◊〉 of all the creatures should never have experience in their own nature of any evill
of man is as the flower of grasse and so the proposition shewes that he is mortall The repetition shewes how he is so His body withereth as grasse and his glory falleth away as the flower From the coherence with the former verse I might note two things 1. That man is a creature both mortall and immortall mortall as he is borne of his Parents immortall as he is borne of God mortall in respect of his naturall life and immortall in respect of his spirituall life mortall in repect of his flesh and spirituall in respect of his soule 2. That the consideration of the mortality of our bodies will quicken man unto a care of the immortality of his soule But I passe from these All flesh is grasse The words of the proposition are all plaine taken in their proper signification save that by flesh is ment the nature of man in respect especially of his body but for the doctrine of these words three things would be weighed 1. The affirmation concerning the body of man that it is like grasse 2. The extent of the affirmation when he saith all flesh is grasse 3. The consideration of the time when he saith in the present time It is grasse not it shall be For the first the word rendred grasse is translated sometimes the blade of wheate as Mat. 13.26 sometimes hey as 1 Cor. 3.12 but most usually grasse and so the sense gives it here Now for the phrase of speech It is true that sometimes it is spoken in the praise of Gods Elect that they are like grasse viz. for their growing and flourishing in grace and happinesse as Esay 44 4. Psal. 72.16 Rev. 9.4 but usually in scripture it is taken to signifie the misery of all men by nature And so it notes especially the fraile condition of man in this life he is like grasse because as the grasse is to day and to morrow is cast into the oven so is man to day and to morrow is cast into the grave he is suddenly gone and in short time spoiled of all his earthly glory The world of men might be resembled to a field of grasse in many respects but this is that the Holy Ghost cheefely aimes at So then the first doctrine is that a man by nature is like grasse for the brevity of his life and the suddennesse many times of his death The Uses are divers First for reproofe of three sorts of men 1. Of all those that minde onely the things of the flesh why do men so studie for the provision of the flesh can men remember that their flesh is as grasse and yet seeke great things for this life onely let all men know that they that sow to the flesh shall certainly of the flesh reape corruption 2. Of such as place their trust and hopes in man for this reason he is cursed that maketh flesh his arme seeing all flesh is grasse 3. It reprooves divers of Gods children too for their too much feare of the rage of wicked men The Apostle when he said we wrastle not with flesh and blood meant to shew that we should not be so much distressed for that kinde of combat as teaching that it were better to wrastle with ten adversaries than with one temptation but most plainely Esay 51.12 Secondly there is matter of consolation too and that divers waies For first though our flesh be as grasse yet that hinders not Gods love to us for he clâ—theth the very grasse of the field and shall he not provide for us also Secondly the Lord is pleased to use the consideration of this doctrine as an argument to move him to pitty us he knowes our frailty and therefore will not deale rigorously with us as these places shew Ps. 103.13 90.6 78.39 Esay 40. c. Thirdly the mortality of the flesh should occasion us to rejoyceâ— in the immortality of our spirit and to bee glad at heart that we are borne againe not of the bloods of mortall men but by the will and word of the immortall God that so we may be comforted against the sense of the decaies of our bodies by remembring that we have a building made of God without hands e ternall in the heavens though the earthly house of our Tabernacle be dissolved Lastly it may comfort us if we consider that the Lord hath beene pleased to resolve with himselfe to take the care of us and our posterity after us because he knowes we cannot continue alwaies with our children for so the Prophet David assures the godly that though their flesh be but as the grasse yet God will establish his mercy to them that are left behinde them the Lord will deale righteously with their childrens children Ps. 10â— 15 18. Thirdly wee should all therefore learne to crucifie the bootlesse lusts of the flesh and to compell our selves so to thinke of saving our spirits in the day of Christ as to forbeare to entangle our selves with the cares of life seeing it is all in vaine we must dye and goe hence and that suddenly and shortly â—especially we should provide that Christ may live in us by faith that so we may be provided to continue when our flesh will faile us yea thirdly seeing in this world it will never be better with our bodies therefore wee should reach our flesh that great lesson of resting in hope even wee should learne to waâ—â— for the resurrection when even our flesh shall be made spirituall and this corruption shall put on incorruption Thus of the affirmation it selfe Now the extent of iâ— is in the second place to be considered viz. that all flesh is grasse All flesh Not onely the flesh of beasts of the field and sowles of the ayre but even the flesh of man is grasse and amongst men there is no difference The flesh of Princes is as mortall as well as the flesh of peasants the most mighty helpers must stoope to the power of death There is a great deale of difference in grasse a thousand formes in one medow or pasture yet all alike in this that they must wither The outward difference of mens places in the world makes no difference in death The rich and the poore both meet together in the grave as dies the begger so dies the King Riches will not ransome from death no price can be a redemption from the grave Healthfull bodies are as grasse as well as sickly bodies such as abound in the helps of physick must dye as well as they that are destitute of all meanes to preserve life The strongest must stoope to death as well as the weakest the longest livers must dye at last as well as the creature but of a dayes continuance If men then should live 900. yeeres and more yet at length it must be said of them they died yea godly men must die as well as wicked Psal. 102.12 The people are but grasse Esay 40.7 yea the flesh of the
things that they have not their owne bodies in estimation nor allow themselves the fit use of the things they possesse Eccl. 6.2 2. That the bodies of men doe not utterly perish as doth the glory of men For the flower falleth off whereas the grasse onely withereth the roote is alive within the earth when a man dieth he shall never see his riches or pleasures of this life any more but yet his body hath a roote and when the spring of the last resurrection comes it will revive againe which should in force upon us a more through contempt of all these earthly things and the rather if we consider further what may be added concerning the glory of men For besides that once it must faile and that speedily First it is all stained and durtied already with mans sins and also the Lord usually sets himselfe so to staine the pride of all glory that it is scorned and despised even in the prime of it but especially when it begins a little to decay Besides who knowes how sudenly all may be gone the glory of many men we see is but as the hasty fruit before summer which while he that looketh upon it seeth it whilst it is yet in his hand he eateth it up Esay 28.4 Further we may observe the manner how the Lord doth bring downe the glorious beauty of many great men as it were with a tempâ—â—â— of â—aile their afflictions comming in as thick as haile and a destroying â—â—orms as a flood of mighty unresistable waters overflowing so doth the Lord cast them downe to the earth and tread their glory in the dust yea and many times turne their great glory into surpassing shame Esay 28.2 Ps. 7.5 Hos. 4.7 Verse 25. But the Word of the Lord endureth for ever and this is the word which is preached among you HItherto of the vanity of man in his flesh and outward condition The eternity of the word followeth in this verse The hearts of all men naturally tend to the admiration and care for the body onely and the things thereof yea in the Church of God the faith of Christians is wonderfully deformed and disgraced by such cares while men professe they beleeve in Christ for a better condition their practise continually proclaimes the flesh still for the idoll of their hearts therefore it is needfull that this wretched pertinacy should be disgraced by a discovery of their vanity therein which is done in the former verse Now if men be put out of their way in the projects of the flesh it is expedient they should bee informed what better things to settle their hearts upon else it will never perswade with them to leave the love of the flesh and this present life if no better happinesse bee set before them This therefore is intended in this verse briefely to tell men upon what they might spend their time better than in the cares of the flesh The question then is since nothing in mans flesh or outward estate is worth the care and labour of attendance what then is the chiefe thing in this life to be sought after If we marke the direct Antithesis to the former verse it should have beene thus Mans flesh is grasse c. but mans spirit endureth for ever and so the soule of man should have bin the maine thing his heart should have beene set upon But thus there had beene great danger of mistaking still for God would have the body saved as well as the soule and the holinesse of the body as well as the soule thought of and besides the soule naturally is as corrupt as the flesh and it is no more safe to follow the lusts of the soule then the appetites of the body For the spirit of man is as much polluted as the flesh and the body is but the instrument of the soule therefore the scripture leadeth man cleane out of himselfe considered as he is in his present state of nature that he may be fully humbled for his misery Quest. If yet any say what then is the maine object of our cares and service in this life Ans. I answer that it is diversly resolved in divers scriptures In Ps. 102. 11 12. it is thus Man fadeth and withereth like grasse but the Lord endureth for ever and so that place shewes us it is God we should know admire love care for provide for and set our hearts upon In the 103. Ps v. 15.17 it is thus The dayes of man are as grasse and as the flower of the field flourisheth but the love and kindnesse of the Lord endureth for ever to them that feare him where we are guided to know in particular what in God wee should most seeke and that is the assurance of Gods mercy which will stand us in stead for eternity Here it is the word of the Lord endureth for ever and this comprehendeth all the former It is the word of the Lord that revealeth God and directeth our hearts to the love of God and the assurance of his mercy It is the word of God that clenseth and sanctifieth the soules of men So that then the chiefe doctrine of this verse is that in this life we should especially set our hearts upon the word of God that should be our maine care It is the word we should be most busied about and our hearts should specially be set upon we should meditate in it day and night Ps. 1.2 It should be our portion and heritage It is that we should provide for whatsoever we want Ps. 119. For the word of God perfects our natures and sanctifies us Ioh. 17. By the word wee have communion and fellowship with God and Christ on earth Ioh. 14.21 Rev. 3.10 It is the word that comforts us in all tribulation Ps. 119. It is the word that directs us in all our waies It is the light to our feete and laâ—thorne to our paths Ps. 119. yea it is the word that maintaines our lives for man liveth not by bread but by the word and prayer It is the word that fits us for immortality and brings salvation to us and in the meane while nourisheth us up to eternity 1 Pet. 1.23 2.2 Act. 26.18 4.16 This may serve First for information concerning the estate of two sorts of men 1. Of such as want the word or the love of it what shall it profit them to winne all the glory of the world for the flesh when for want of the word their spirits and flesh must perish for ever 2. Of such as follow the word and search the scriptures and have nothing more in request this justifies them they have chosen the better part with Mary and it shall never be taken from them Secondly for instruction we should all learne to glorifie the word Act. 13. 48. to receive it with all meekenesse Iam. 1.21 to hunger and thirst after it as our appointed foode to embrace it presse to it and never be ashamed of it Ps.
but with great difference for 1 The godly man may be intangled with evill desires but the wicked man is more For he burnes in lust yeelds himselfe over to his hearts lusts Hee is given up to his lusts he takes care for the lusts of the flesh to fulfill them He serves his lusts c. Rom. 13.13 and 1.24 Tit. 3.3 Ephes. 2.3 2 The godly man if he be overcome of his lusts for a time yet he humbleth himselfe and judgeth himselfe for them and grieves for them whereas the wicked boasteth himselfe of his hearts lusts and placeth his contentment in them Psal. 10.3 3 The godly man if he be yet overcome he will breake off his iniquity by repentance whereas the wicked in his lusts is like the divell Hee is incorrigible no ill successe or judgement or reproofe can breake off his desire of transgression yea his lusts are called The lusts of his father the divell Ioh. 8.44 Thirdly all godly Christians should learne from hence to be seriously bent to preserve themselves in the purity of Christian Religion and to keepe their hearts from these soule annoiances Quest. But what should we do to be preserved from lusts Answ. First thou must avoid the occasions of lusts such as are 1 Evill company and therein evill example and evill counsell Psal. 1.1 2 Idlenesse and solitarinesse 3 Excessive desire after and delight in riches 1 Tim. 6.9 4 Ignorance 1 Pet. 1.14 5 Intemperance drunkennesse and fulnesse of bread and deliciousnesse of fare and apparell 6 Hardnesse of heart Eph. 4.17 18. Secondly we must walke in the Spirit cherishing all good motions and pure imaginations yeelding our hearts over to the government of Gods Spirit doing all duties with the powers of our soule Gal. 1.16 Thirdly wee must crucifie them if they arise among our selves with the same mind was in Christ and resolve to suffer in the flesh by the sound practise of mortification Fourthly we must strive after contentation 1 Tim. 6. Fifthly we must get knowledge for as ignorance brings them in so knowledge fils the heart and dares them out Thus of the manner of avoiding them The motives follow and the first of them is Yee are strangers and pilgrims A stranger is hee that lives in a place that is not his owne Country or Kingdome or Nation whither by right he belongs so Abraham was a stranger Gen. 21.23 and the Israelites in Egypt Exod. 2.12 Now a pilgrim is he that resteth not in a place but travelleth onward from place to place Godly men are said to be strangers and not strangers in divers respects It is said they are not strangers in respect of freedome to the City of God and the Common-wealth of Israel Ephes. 2.29 They are strangers in respect of their absence from the heavenly Canaan which is their owne home to which they were borne by regeneration In this world then all the godly are but strangers and pilgrims which may serve First for reproofe even of divers godly men and that in divers respects 1 For their too much minding of earthly things Why do our hearts carry us away after the world considering it is but an Inne to be in for a little time 2 For their meddling with other folkes businesse A stranger onely thinkes of his owne affaires and doth not interpose himselfe in the affaires of others so should we study to be quiet and meddle with our owne businesses 3 For discouragement of heart under the sense of our owne weaknesses and wearinesse in spirituall things we must expect in such travell much weaknesse and wearinesse 4 For impatience either under the crosses of life cast on us by God whereas strangers arme themselves to beare all weathers or under the scornes and contempt of the world whereas we should looke for it that the world should gaze at us and deride us as usually men doe at strangers Nor should Christians be at leasure to stay their journey by seeking revenge for their wrongs or be troubled if they cannot get preferment in the world Secondly for instruction It should wholly impose upon us the care of carrying our selves like strangers and pilgrims 1 By having our conversation without covetousnesse 2 By our language speaking alwayes as may become the people of God and heires of heaven that the men of this world may perceive by our speech that we are not of this world 3 By our circumspection and desire to live without offence as a stranger is very heedfull of his wayes in all places where he comes 4 By our daily enquiring after the particular way to heaven 5 By our thankfulnesse for the favours we finde while we are in the world seeing it is a place we are not to looke for much in 6 By our apparell If â—â—rangers be knowne by their garments then is it a great fault for Christians to be found in the fashions of this world 7 By our delight in good company we should be glad of any that would goe with us to heaven 8 By our affection homeward our mindes should still be in heaven Nor should godly men be overmuch troubled that they are strangers here in this world and pilgrims in the condition of travellers for First they are not strangers in the Common-wealth of Israel and in the Kingdome of Christ though at the same time they are strangers in respect of their condition in this world Secondly they are well provided for at their Innes God provides their resting places and no good thing will hee with-hold from them That God which commands men to regard strangers and shew them mercy will himselfe much more be carefull for his strangers Thirdly their pilgrimage will not be long Fourthly they have good company all the godly travell their way Fifthly God hath appointed them guides yea Christ himselfe will bee their way Sixthly by prayers they may send home continually Seventhly it should much comfort them to thinke what a glorious condition they shall be in when they come home in the new Jerusalem Thus of the first reason Secondly the lusts must be avoided because they are fleshly Fleshly These lusts are fleshly in divers respects First because they please after the flesh which is the corrupt nature of man they hold no delight or shew of profit but to the flesh they are exceeding noisome and grievous and foolish to the Spirit Secondly because they raigne onely in fleshly persons they be the lusts of Gentiles and such as are strangers from the life of God Godly men complaine of them as an extreame misery Rom. 7.1 Pet. 4.3 Thirdly because they arise most from the body which is but a servant to the soule and it is an extreame unmanlinesse for the soule to be at the command of her servant the body which concludes against the lusts of uncleannesse riotousnesse drunkennesse vanity of apparell c. Fourthly because they proceed from the old man or corruption of nature or the flesh considered as the enemy to
God and mans salvation and so it is an argument taken from the hatâ—â—ulnesse of the flesh and her working in us The lusts and desires of the flesh ought to be hatefull and we should suspect and abstaine from the projects of the flesh if we consider 1 That the flesh savoureth not the things of God Rom. 8. 2 That she opposeth all good wayes partly by objecting against them and partly by making evill present when we should performe them 3 That her wisdome is against God her fairest reasons are pleaded for things that are hatefull to God such also are her excuses and extenuations and promises 4 That if shee be followed she will lead us by degrees into all abominations as whoredomes murders debates heresies c. these are her fruits Gal. 5. 5 She will betray us to Sathan that he may by himselfe set up strong fortifications in our soules and her treason is the more dangerous because shee is a domesticall enemy and by his working in secret our hearts may become a very cage or stie of uncleane spirits 6 She hath already spoiled the Image of God in us and made us looke most deformedly 7 If shee once get power shee is most tyrannicall no respect of credit profit no nor salvation it selfe can stirre shee will be served whatsoever come of it 8 We should abhorre her for the very mischiefe she doth to our posterity we cannot looke upon our children but wee may see what wofull hurt shee hath done by the infection they received in their propagation Uses The use may be First for reproofe of such as lay the blame of their faults upon their evill lucke or evill counsell or the divell whereas they ought to lay the fault upon their oâ—ne flesâ— even their owne ill nature The divell noâ— the world could never hurt us if the flesh did not betray us by defect or consent or evill action Secondly for information We may see what we should mortifie and abstain from Religion doth not binde men to mortifie the substance of the flesh but the lusts of the flesh we are not to destroy any faculty of the soule or in the soule or part of the body but the inordinate appetite and desires of either we are not to abstaine from the necessary meanes of life as house lands diet apparell company c. but the evill concupiscence about these Thirdly for instruction It should teach us therefore to restraine the flesh as much as we can and therefore we shall with the same labour restraine the lusts of the flesh and to this end 1 Wee must with all feare and jealousie watch our owne natures as mistrusting 2 We must silence the flesh and not suffer it to plead for sinne 3 Wee must by a daily course of mortification judge the flesh that so wee may be as it were condemned in the flesh 4 We must keepe from it what may pamper it as idlenesse excesse of diet apparell recreation c. Which warre against the soule These words may bee considered either in their coherence or in themselves in their coherence and so they are the third reason taken from the evill effects of those lusts In themselves there are two things to be opened both what the soule is and what this warre in the soule is The point is cleare that fleshly lusts do much hurt the soules of men and so both the soules of wicked men and of godly men First of wicked men These lusts hurt their soules 1 Because they provoke the wrath of God upon them The Israelites were not estranged from their lusts and therefore the wrath of God came upon them Psal. 78.29 30 31. 2 Because they make us resemble the divell Ioh. 8.44 3 Because they hinder the power of the Word from them they will never come to the knowledge of the truth 2 Tim. 3.6 4 Because it brings the soule in bondage so as all the conversation of the soule is in a manner about those lusts of the flesh Eph. 2.2 5 Because they make all their prayers abominable Iam. 4. 6 Because sometimes they are scouâ—ged with a reprobate mind being given up to their lusts Rom. 1. 7 Because they may drowne the soule inperdition 1 Tim. 6.9 If godly men entertaine these inward evills in their thoughts and affections many evills will follow 1 They hinder the Word 2 They grieve the good Spirit by which they are sealed to the day of redemption 3 They harden the heart and blind the understanding 4 They hinder good cuties Gal. 5.17 5 They wound the soule 6 They make the mind soule and lothsome they defile 7 They may bring outward judgements upon thee or inward terrours of conscience Use. The use may bee partly to declare the misery of such Christians as are fallen away from the acknowledgement of the truth by intertaining these lothsome lusts of whose fearfull estate at large 2 Pet. 2.18 to the end Partly it should worke in all the godly obedience to the Counsell of the Apostle here in abstaining from these lusts as grievous hurts to the soule or their soules they shouâ—d put on the Lord Jesus in sincerity and never more take care to fulfill these lusts of the flesh Rom. 13.13 Thus of these words in the coherence The sense will be more full if wee consider more at large two things in the words First what the soule is Secondly what this warre in the soule is Two things have made the inquirie about the soule exceeding difficult The first is the nature of the soule For it is a spirituall essence and therefore wonderfullhard to be conceived of There be three things cannot fully be conceived of or defined by man first God secondly an Angel and thirdly the soule of man Now besides this transcendencie as I may call it of the soule the fall of man and custome in sinne and the remainders of corruption in the best have made this doctrine so hard that wicked men scarce discerne that they have a soule and godly men are very ignorant and impotent in conceiving the condition of the soule This word Soule is diversly accepted in Scripture for it signifies sometimes The life of man as Matt. 6.25 Be not carefull for your soules what yee shall eate c. Christ because looke what the soule is to the body that is Christ to the whole man so Psal. 16.10 Thou wilt not leave my soule in hell that is Christ Act. 2.25 29 c. and 13.35 36. The dead bodies Levit. 19.28 The whole man to Gen. 46.26 by a Synecdoche But here it signifies that part of man which is called his spirit By the soule then we understand that part of man which is invisible and invisibly placed within the body of man Now the things which are fit for us to inquire into and know concerning the nature and excellency of the soule may be comprised briefly in this description of the soule The soule of man is a substance incorporeall invisible
and immortall created of God and united to the body and indued with the admirable faculties of vegetation sense and reason to this end principally that God might be of man truly acknowledged and duly worshipped Every branch of this description containes an excellent commendation of the soule and should much affect us with admiration of Gods workmanship and his love to us in making us such excellent creatures and withall it should breed in us the care which the Apostle here cals for of avoiding all things that might defile our precious soules The soule is the abridgement of the invisible world as the body is the abridgement of the visible world man is rightly said to be a little world God made man last and in man made an Epitome of all the former workes For all things meet in man who consists of a substance partly corporeall and partly spirituall For all things which God created besides man are either such creatures as are discerned by sense being bodily or such creatures as are removed from sense being spirituall as the Angels Now I say man may resemble both sorts of creatures the visible in his body and the invisible in his soule Now the former description of the soule of man doth commend the soule for seven things First that it is a substance Secondly that it is incorporeall Thirdly that it is immortall and cannot die Fourthly that it is created of God immediately Fifthly that it is joyned to the body after a wonderfull manner Sixthly that it hath these excellent faculties Seventhly that hereby man hath honour to know God and his workes which all other creatures in this visible world want The first thing then to be enquired after is what the soule is in respect of the being of it And this I must answer first by removing from the consideration of it what it is not First the soule is not the harmony or right temper of the harmonies of the body as Galen that great Physician is said to affirme which appeares evidently by these reasons 1 That then every body in which the harmonies or foure elements are tempered should have a soule in it and so stones should have soules yea such as man hath indued with reason c. And therefore simply the soule cannot be the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or temperature of the elements or humors 2 It is apparent that the soule governes the excesses which arise from the humours of the body as a man that by temper is apt to be angry or heated yet hath something within him which bridles this anger notwithstanding the heat of his body 3 If the soule were nothing else but the temperament of the humors then it were but a meere accident in that it can bee present or absent as the corruption of the body but wee see that cannot bee For remove the soule from the body and it ceaseth to be a living body 4 By Scripture it is evident that when the body was formed the soule as a thing distinct from it was infused into it by God himselfe Gen. 2.7 Secondly the soule is not a power force or facultie infused into the body by which it is able to live or move or worke For then removing the body from it it cannot subsist whereas wee shall prove afterwards that the soule will subsist without the body and therefore cannot be an accident in the body or a power onely of the body Besides the soule is the subject of vertues and vices of sciences and arts Now no accident can be so Thirdly the soule is not the life of man that is apparent in Scripture when a difference is put betweene the soule and life as what soule shall be blessed in life So 2 Sam. 11.11 By thy life and the life of thy soule The soule then is a substance of it selfe put within us by God distinct from the body this may be evidently proved First God after he had made the body is said to breath into it the breath of life to note that his soule was a substance distinct of it selfe Secondly because it can subsist without the body as is apparent in the soule of Abraham Lazarus and Dives Luk. 16. And of the soule of the theefe on the crosse it is said This day thou shalt be with mee in Paradise Thirdly God is said to have formed the Spirit in the midst of man so it is a substance of it selfe Note he saith in him not of him Fourthly those words of David and Christ prove it Into thy hands I commit my spirit the body being committed to the earth there remained a substance delivered to God Fifthly that place of Ecclesiast Chap. 12. is most plaine The body returnes to dust and the Spirit to God that gave it therefore there is in man a Spirit which returnes to God Sixtly Paul desires to be desolved and to bee with Christ so there was a substance which should enjoy the presence of Christ Phil. 1.23 The second thing to be proved is that the soule is incorporeall It is joyned to the body but it is no body it informeth the matter of man which is his body but it is without matter it selfe it is immateriall it is wholly a spirituall substance It is not a bodily substance no not a most subtile or pure body but altogether incorporeall This is a high doctrine and shewes the soule to be an admirable kind of sustance Now that the soule is void of matter and is no bodily substance may be plainly proved though not easily explicated First it is expresly said to be a Spirit now spirits are not flesh and bones or any like bodily substance Psal. 31.6 Eccles. 12.7 and Zach. 12.1 It is reckoned one of the wonders of Gods creation that he made in man a spirit Secondly the soule is after the Image of God and hath imprinted upon it the similitude of the goodnesse wisdome and holinesse of God Now it were not like God if it were a body nor were it capeable of such habits which can be stamped upon meere naturall or bodily things Thirdly the soule performeth those actions which depend not upon the body and are done without bodily instruments for it understandeth and willeth Fourthly if the soule were a body then it must be corpus animatum or inanimatum but to say it is without life is sense-lesse because it enlives and animates the body and to say it is animatum enlived it selfe it must then be so by some other body All which the same questions might be asked and so run into an infinite The third thing is that the soule is invisible This shewes the transcendencie of the nature of it and experience in all men proves this for who ever saw a soule Obj. The soule of Dives in hell saw the soule of Abraham and Lazarus and Iohn saw the soules of those that suffered for the testimony of Jesus Revel 20.4 Sol. These soules were seene by the eyes of understanding not
as he is the efficient cause It is true that some have imagined that the soule of man was made of the substance of God because it is said God breathed into man the breath of life Gen. 2.7 as if he infused into him somewhat from himselfe as a part of his divine substance And the Apostle Paul saith Act. 17.18 We are the Progeny of God and Saint Peter saith We partake of the divine Nature 2 Pet. 1.4 Now this opinion cannot be true and was worthily condemned by the Fathers as hereticall for Then man should be God For whatsoever God begets from himselfe is God and therefore we say Christ is God Then some part of Gods nature should be infected with sin and ignorance and be damned in hell too which is wonderfull blasphemous to beleeve Now for the places alledged That in Gen. 2. must be understood figuratively for God hath not properly breath but he meaneth that God after a wonderfull manner did infuse the soule into the body And for the place in the Acts we are said to be the progenie of Godâ— not in regard of substance but in respect of resemblance in gifts with which mans nature is adorned And for the place in Peter we are said to partake of the divine nature in the same sense namely as we are qualified with gifts as wisdome goodnesse holinesse in some kinde of likenesse of God It remaines then that we are of God effectually because God hath created our soules and formed them in us This then is the truth that God doth create the particular soule of every man and inhere it to the body when it is formed and distinguished in the parts thereof This may be proved diversly First it is cleare it was so done with the soule of Adam for his body was already framed and then his soule breathed into him Now if the soule of Eve and of all others had another manner of beginning than the creation of God it would have beene mentioned in the Scriptures but that is no where mentioned Secondly Moses calls God the God of the spirits of all flesh Num. 16.22 and 27 16. Thirdly David saith the Lord fashioneth the hearts of all men alike Psal. 33.15 It is Gods worke then to create the heart Fourthly Solomon saith Eccles. 12.7 The body returnes to the dust and the soule to God that gave it in the dissolution of all things they returne to the first causes and matter As the body may be proved originally to be of the earth because it returnes to dust so must the soule be of God because it returnes to God which is said to have given it Fifthly the Prophet Esay useth this phrase concerning God and in his name The soules which I have made Esa. 57.16 Do you aske how the soule comes into the body The Lord answers I made it Sixthly the Prophet Ezekiel shewing how man becomes a living creature speakes thus Thus saith the Lord to these bones I will cause a spirit to enter into them and they shall live Ezek. 37.5 Seventhly the words of the Prophet Zecharie are yet more cleere Thus saith the Lord the Lord which spreads out the heavens and foundeth the earth and formeth the spirit of man in him Out of these words it may be proved that God created the soule of every man and that it is his onely worke For first he saith expresly God formed the spirit in man Secondly this worke of God is compared to two other workes viz. the spreading out of the heaven and the laying of the foundation of the earth Now it is evident that those two things he did of himselfe of nothing without any meanes Lastly that place in Heb. 12.9 is most cleere The words are these Wee have had the fathers of our flesh which chastised us and we reverenced them how much more should we bee subject to the Father of our spirits and live Where is a manifest antithesis betweene the flesh and the spirit and the fathers of our flesh and God the Father of our spirit we had our flesh from our parents and our spirit from God I might adde the reason taken from the manner of giving of the soule of Christ for he was made in all things like to us sinne onely excepted Now it is evident that Christs soule was not begot by carnall propagation and therefore it was created of God Ob. 1. Now against this is strongly objected that if the soule be created immediately of God then it is created either pure or sinfull if pure then how is it that the soule is guilty of originall sinne if impure then how can it be avoided but that God must be the author of sinne Answ. This reason drave divers of the Fathers in the time of Hieromâ—â— especially the Westerne Fathers to beleeve that the soule was propagated from the Parents and Saint Augustine is doubtfull which opinion to take to the inconveniences of each opinion seemed so great But other Divines answer this objection in this manner First that the soule is created of God pure but joyned to a body conceived in sinne which is no injustice in God because he delivers the soule but into such an estate as man had cast himselfe into by his owne wilfull sinne bringing this corruption not onely upon himselfe but upon all his posterity who fell in him Hee by agreement with God being as the common sort of mankind was with him to stand or fall in that generall respect Nor may it be doubted but that the body may worke upon the soule as we see by experience when the body is full of cholericke humours it inclines the soule to anger and so when the body is burdened with melancholy humours it evidently makes sadnesse even in the very minde c. Another answer may be this God creates the soule pure but yet that soule is guilty of owing though not of doing debendi though not agendâ— it is charged with the debt of Adam as children may be charged with their fathers debts Now this is one part of originall sinne As for the other of corrupt inclination it is to answer modestly if we say we understand not being assured of two things the one that God is the Father of spirits and the other that all men are infected with sinne from the wombe Both are to be beleeved though in this life we cannot explicate it And what hurt is it if wee be ignorant how sinne entred into our natures seeing it concernes us to know it is there and to learne how to get our natures recovered Ob. 2. Other living creatures beget the like to themselves both in body and in soule too and therefore by this doctrine men should be more unable and unperfect than any living creature For if he do beget but onely the body he doth not beget one in specie like to himselfe Answ. Though God create the soule yet it followes not but that it may be truly laid that man begets a man and that
And thus the soule may be considered either as it workes upon or by the body onely or as it workes in and by it selfe chiefly Upon the body and by certaine instruments in the body it workes vegetation and sense and by it selfe without the necessity of using the body it workes reason The first power then is vegetation by which the soule workes foure things distinctly upon the body 1 Life 2 Nourishment 3 Growth 4 Procreation The first thing then by the vegetative power of the soule wrought upon the body is life which is in respect of the body nothing else but the kindling the radicall and vitall heat in the body through the conjunction of the soule with the body and the continuation of that heaâ— untill the time appointed of God for the dissolution of it So that life is two waies to bee considered first either in the breeding of it secondly or in the continuance of it The breeding of it is in the very first moment of the union of the forme with the matter and by that instrument of the vitall or radicall heat The continuance of it is nothing else but the preservation of the motion and duration of the working of these vitall spirits The second thing wrought upon the body by the vegetative power of the soule is nourishment and this power of nourishing is a faculty by which food taken into the body by the force of naturall heat is turned into the substance of the body for the repairing of that which is consumed in the body And this is a worke to bee admired For the soule by the use of naturall heat is faine to subdue the nature of the food received and having melted it as it were in a furnace it casts out what is contrary to the body and extracts for the use of the body so much as is now made like unto it The third thing which the soule workes upon the body by the vegetative power is growth And this it doth by imploying that part of the food which is now made like to the body unto the extension of the body unto the dimensions thereof even to the increase of bignesse and force which increase for the convenient actions of the body and this worke is done upon the body but unto a certaine time of mans age or till about thirty yeares and then because nature tends not into infinitenesse she gives over this worke Lastly procreation is the fourth worke of the vegetative faculty of the soule by which it raiseth up seed in the body and formeth in it a meere substance like unto the body from whence it comes unto the perpetuall preservation of the sort of the creature And this is an admirable power For hereby living creatures do approach unto eternity and are made as it were immortall For though the body die yet by procreation it is as it were kept alive and so the kind of creature is perpetuated for the other two workes of nourishment and growth onely serve for that body in individuo but this power of procreating reserves the sort or species from ceasing to be Thus of Vegetation Sense followes The second thing the Soule workes either upon or by the body is Sense and by this faculty a man in his body is enabled to discerne things without himselfe and accordingly to desire and move to them which the former faculties did not reach unto Now as the soule workes sense upon or by the body it must be considered two wayes First as it workes either apprehension secondly or motion The apprehendnig senses wrought upon the body by the Soule are of two sorts first either outward secondly or inward Outwardly the soule workes upon the body five senses or five wayes of apprehending things by sense The body of a man is enabled by the soule to discerne of things without it selfe by outward helpes five wayes viz. By 1 Seeing viz. By 2 Hearing viz. By 3 Smelling viz. By 4 Tasting viz. By 5 Feeling And these waies of discerning are not to be contemned For admirably ought it to bee conceived of Gods wisedome in and towards man even in these For first by the sight through the benefit of light which God hath caused to shine upon his whole creation man may see what God hath wrought whereas else if the light be taken out of the aire or sight from man the workes of God are buried as it were in the darke yea the body of a man is as it were but a dungeon without sight and what the Sunne and Moone are in heaven that are the eyes in man shining in his head as these Starres in the firmament The fight is a chiefe helpe for all the great imployments of life in all callings The eyes are as watchmen set on high in their watch-Tower to discover the comming of enemies The eyes are also as the true windowes of the soule by which the Species or formes of things are taken into the soule For God hath caused all substance in the World to cast out beames as it were which have the pictures of the things themselves carried about and these comming to the sight are by it above all other senses taken in and delivered to the Soules within the eyes being a looking glasse that resemble the things seene And this noble sense may put us in minde of Gods knowledge if wee marke the degrees of seeing The eye of man discernes at once a great share or quantity of things together The minde of man will take-in a farre greater quantity and number and yet is finite for it cannot reach to all things that God hath made at once Now Gods understanding is infinite and beholds all at once For the second the sense of hearing is worthy to be thought on if wee consider either the benefits come by it or the manner how it is performed for by hearing is let into the soule and body not onely sounds of delight or wonder but also sounds of necessity both for naturall life by letting in speech and discourse and for eternall life by letting in the Word of God First the manner of hearing is admirable Sound is the breaking of the aire stirred up by the dashing or collision of sollid bodies and is spread in the aire as a stone cast into the water makes and drawes from it circles Thus the sound being brought to the eare the hollow turnings in the eare gather and hold the sounds as it were canes The sound at length rusheth upon a little bone or gristle like a hammer which moved smites upon another bone like an Anvill by which stroake the spirits in the hearing move and are stirred up and so they take in the sound and carry it to the braine the feat of inward senses These two are the most noble outward senses yet there is great use of the other three Thirdly for by tasting we discerne of meates profitable or hurtfull for the body Fourthly by smelling we receive in those delightfull
3.9 Phil. 2.2 3. 5. Men miserably neglect thankfulnesse to God for the good they receive daily from his mercies Col. 3.17 6. Many faile publikely and shamefully in want of care to come time enough to Gods service Zech. 8.21 Esay 60.8 In these things Christians should be admonished to mind their wayes and their workes and to strive to walke as becommeth the Gospel and the death of Christ that they may hold fast the light of the truth and shew out better the glory of a Christian life And thus of living to righteousnesse Now followes the third forme of speech By whose stripes we are healed The healing of our sicknesses is reckoned as another fruit of the Passion of Christ or else it is the same with the former exprest in other words These words then are borrowed from the Prophet Esay ch 53.5 who doth chiefely understand the spirituall healing of our soules of our sins as the coherence shewes in the Prophet but yet the Evangelist saith Mat. 8.17 and understands of the healing of our bodies also And therefore I consider of the death of Christ both in respect of soule and body And first as this healing is referred to the soule divers Doctrines may be observed Doct. 1. The soules of all men are diseased by nature even the very soules of the Elect are so till they be healed by Christ. The soule is diseased divers wayes especially by sorrowes and sins it is the disease by sin is here meant Quest. It would be inquired how the soule comes to be sick of these diseases and why sin is called sicknesse in the soule Ans. This spirituall sicknesse comes into the soule by propagation Adam hath infected all his posterity and every man hath increased the diseases of his nature by his owne wilfull transgressions Now sin is called sicknesse because it doth worke that upon the soule which sicknesse doth upon the body for sin hath weakned the strength of the soule in all the faculties of it which all men may discerne and observe in themselves by nature Besides it causeth spottednesse and deformity in the soule as sicknesse doth in the body and therefore sin was likened to the leprosie in the Law Further it often causeth pain and torment in the soule as wounds and diseases do in the body for there is no peace to the wicked especially when God fighteth against them with his terrours Besides it will cause the death of the soule as sicknesse will of the body if it be not helped and so men are said to be dead in sins Use. The Use may be to shew the fearfull negligence of worlds of people that are exceeding carefull to help their bodies to health but never think of the poore soule that lieth lamentably full of diseases And withall it shewes that all wicked men are men of ill natures because their dispositions are all diseased though there be degrees of ill nature or of this evill in men natures as there is difference of sicknesses in mens bodies And godly men should be compassionate when they see the grievous diseases in the natures and lives of other men remembering that they also were by nature subject to the same diseases as well as they Doct. 2. The diseases in the soules of men by nature are very grievous which is here also implied in that God was faine to send his owne Son to help and heale us Now that the diseases of mens soules are so grievous may appeare many wayes First because such a multitude of men are infected not some one person in the whole world in the body of mankind not on some part but from the crowne of the head to the soale of the foot all full of sores and diseases There is no man that sinneth not and so no man that is not sick and that is the reason why men feare the pestilence because it makes so many sicke Secondly because the soule of man by nature is sicke of a multitude of diseases at once for even sin is a sicknesse and so our sicknesses are innumerable because our sins are so And hence it is that in Scripture so many metaphors are used to expresse the sicknesse of the soule as leprosie wounds plagues poyson gall c. Thirdly because the disease lieth in the soule it selfe Of diseases those are most mortall that get into the spirits and doe most enfeeble man how much more when it is in the soule Fourthly because in respect of our selves our sins or our diseases are incurable we can give our selves no remedy that can help us Ier. 30. Fiftly because in the Colledge of spirituall Physicians there is scarce one of a thousand that can help the poore soule out of these diseases Iob 33. Sixtly because there be but certaine seasons onely in which men can be healed as it was with the lame man at the poole of Bethesda and if men misse these seasons they are in danger to dye of these sicknesses There be seasons of grace and dayes of salvation and men must not harden their hearts while it is called To day Use. The Use should be to awaken wicked men to a serious consideration of their danger and at length to thinke of helpe for their soules being thus diseased as they would doe for their bodies if they were desperately sicke Ob. We feele no such diseases in our soules Sol. First wicked men have a kinde of spirituall lethargie upon them and so are in grievous danger but by reason of their spirituall sleepinesse they feele it not Secondly though they feele not their diseases now they shall doe hereafter and then thinke what a paine it will be unto them when God awakens them whether they will or no. It may be it will be in this life as it was with Cain and Iudas and then a wounded spirit will ake so who can beare it Thirdly the matter is not altogether so easie with wicked men as they pretend fâ—r they doe feele so much as may shew they are very sicke Sometimes they feele their consciences galling and paining them at the very heart for the time and what are the passions and perturbations of their soules but as so many fits ofâ—a Feaver And that they are grievously sicke may appeare by the want of their spirituall senses they can hardly see or heare any thing Besides they may know they are sicke by the potions of afflictions which God gives them who doth nothing in vaine Doct. 3. That in Christ the diseases of our soules may be healed Esay 53.5 Mal. 4.2 Luke 4.18 He is a sure Physician for our soules God hath undertaken it that he will cure and heale us he challengeth it as a glory to himselfe which he executes by Christ Iob 5.17 18. Deut. 32.39 Now in as much as our diseases may be healed by Christ and that he is our Physician appointed by God we may gather many arguments of great comfort even from hence that he is the Physician First because
it a thing almost beyond beliefe that the applying of medicines to the sword that wounded a man shall make the wounds heale in a man But this here is a mystery that onely the Christian Religion can tell of of which there never was president in nature that the wounding of one man should heale another or that the stripes of the Captaine should cure all his diseased souldiers and yet thus it is even thus is the Lord pleased to glorifie the power of his working Secondly we may hence be informed of the precious use of every part of Christs sufferings not his dying only doth us good but every thing he did endure His stripes cure our wounds his shame wrought our honour his temptations drave the Divels from us not any thing was done to him by his adversaries but God made it worke for our good Shall we then dare to take offence at the crosse of Christ Have we not reason to glory in it above all things Thirdly doe we not here see how hatefull sin is in Gods sight and how foule our diseases are when nothing can cure us but Christs blood and that must be fetched out of him with the best stripes which the hands of the wicked inflicted upon him Oh the hardnesse of our hearts that can see Christ thus used for our sins and yet are not perswaded that sin is hatefull to God! Oh how should we be sorry for our Saviour and mourne to thinke of it as we would for our only sons Would it not grieve us at the heart if we should see the young Prince the Kings son basely whipped by our adversaries onely for our affaires Oh what hearts have we that as bad as they are would be melted to see this done to a Kings son and yet are not troubled to know it was done to Gods son Fourthly we may see what wicked malice will doe if it be not restrained to disgrace our Saviour to get a sentence against him to bind him hand and foot yea to kill him will not serve their turnes unlesse they may most basely scourge him before he dies That malicious men now doe not alwayes so is not because their malice doth nor tend to it but because either God or man restraines them It is a most divellish humour and therefore to be avoyded and detested of all those that love the Lord Jesus Use 2. Secondly how many wayes should this instruct us what care the Lord Jesus requires of us what should not this make us willing to doe Oh how should we love him with all our hearts above all the world that could endure to be thus abased even unto stripes for our sakes when he could have prevented it if he had pleased what a shame shouâ—d it â—e to us to be impatient or to thinke much of our crosses who though we had suffered many things yet not so grievous as those things befell our Saviour Yea further it should encourage us to â—uffer any thing for Christ and the rather because we have not resisted to stripes or bloud nor cannot now suffer the thousandth part for him of that he hath suffered for us Thus of the healing of our souâ—es These words also may be expounded of the healing of our bodies as we shewed before and so the like doctrines may be observed as Doct. 1. That the bodies of all men by nature need healing For sin hath brought upon man the sentence of deformâ—â—â—â— and infirmities and diseases and we see God doth inflict diseases upon many and that of divers sorts and many men that for the present â—râ— free from the paines of diseases yet have their enemies in their bodies in divers parts of them laid as it were in garison which may and will breake out upon them at a time they know not or if they were not there the Lord from without can send diseases upon them The world is every where full of occasions of sicknesse or if there were not outward meanes to worke them yet God can strike men from heaven Use. The Use should be to warne such as are in health to walke humbly For they know not how soone sicknesse may seaze upon them Secondly such as have their friends taken away by sicknesse or are yet afflicted should submit to Gods will for this is the case of all men even the greatest yea and Gods elect are liable to such a condition by nature Doct. 2. The diseases of the body are grievous and therefore Christ takes notice of that kind of distresse to provide for the healing of our bodies We see by experience that of many sorts of crosses it is most grievous to be are the paines that arise from the wounds or sicknes of the body and it is the more grievous partly because no men are priviledged from diseases but either have them or are in danger of them as was said before and partly because God hath armed such a multitude of sorts of diseases to which the body of man is liable Use. Therefore the use should bee to take warning from these paines of the body to prevent eternall paines in hell by reconciling our selves to that God that can so fearefully afflict both bodie and soule and as wee feele the outward man to decay the more to labour for the health of the inward man especially by those harbingers of death to provide for the time when our change shall come Doct. 3. Christ is a Physician for the bodie of man as well as for the soule in Christ our bodies may bee healed Christ provided healing for mans bodie as well as for his soule and mens bodies he heales either in this life or in the generall resurrection First in this life some he hath healed by miracle as he did multitudes in the daies of his flesh while hee was here in this world which he did in execution of his office as having charge of mens bodies and some he healed by meanes giving his blessing unto the medicines provided in nature and applied by the skilfull to the diseased yea he undertakes the healing of all Gods Elect in their bodies as this place imports which hee doth promise and will performe if it bee good for them Many times to heale the bodie would hurt the soule or keepe the Leaper from heaven and then Christ will not heale them else he undertakes and is bound to heale the bodie as well as the soule But the especiall healing is at the resurrection when all the bodies of the Saints shall be healed perfectly of all diseases and freed from the very disposition yea the very possibility to have any diseases Use 1. The use should be for great comfort to the godly when they are distressed they may and ought to looke up to Christ and say If it be good for me my Saviour will heale me and the rather because Christ is such a compassionate Physician and hath had the feeling of our infirmities and paines that way and besides he is such a Physician
brought to light none can reach to it but such as God endues with speciall wisedome for Solomon long since had observed that life is above to the wise only Pro. 15.24 The things I would consider of about this life are these 1. The degrees of it 2. The originall of it 3. A ghesse at the nature of it 4. The things that nourish it 5. The differences betweene this life on earth and as it is in heaven 6. The meanes to attaine it or what we must doe if wee would enter into life 7. The signes to know whether it be in us 8. The properties of it 9. Lastly the Uses of it 1. For first we must understand that this life hath three degrees into which we enter in at three gates as it were The first degree of eternall life begins at the first spirituall acquaintance with God in this life when his favour is made knowne to us in Jesus Christ by the Gospel so as we are truely justified and sanctified being reconciled unto God having all our sins forgiven us and our natures made new and into this degree we enter by the gate of regeneration Thus our Saviour saith This is eternall life to know God and whom he hath sent Iesus Christ Iohn 17.3 Thus he that heareth Christs words and beleeveth is passed from death to life Iohn 5.24 The second degree begins at our death and continueth the life that the soule separated from the body enjoyes till the resurrection at the last day And concerning the estate of the soule in this degree of life we have no absolute revelation but yet are taught in Scripture that it returnes to God that gave it to the body at first Eccles. 12.7 and that it is with Christ Phil. 1.23 that it is in the hands of God and in Paradise Luke 23.43 and lives in unspeakable joy Luke 16.25 and is freed from all miseries of this life and enjoyes the honour of all good workes Rev. 14.13 the bodie resting in the grave from all paine and labour as in a bed of rest till the resurrection Esay 57.2 And into this degree of life eternall we enter in by the gate of death The third degree of life eternall begins at the resurrection of our bodies at the last day and is enjoyed by body and soule for ever comprehending all possible consummation of felicity and glory in the heavens And into this we enter by the gate of resurrection which is a kind of new begetting of us and therefore is called the resurrection of life Iohn 11.25 and so the blessed in heaven are called the children of the resurrection and by that way the children of God Luke 20.36 In the first degree life is imperfect in the second it is perfect in the third it is consummate And the Use of this first point should be to warne men to looke to it that they enter into the first degree of eternall life while they are in this world or else they shall never get to heaven when they die and therefore should strive for saving knowledge and to become new creatures or else it is in vain to hope for heaven 2. For the second which is the originall of life it is greatly for the praise of it that it flowes from that life which is in God himselfe which is an unspeakable glory to the creatures that enjoy it With thee is the fountaine of life saith David Psal. 36.9 So he calls him the God of his life Psal. 42.8 Naturall life is but a sparkle that flowes from the life of our Parents but spirituall and eternall life is kindled from that infinite light and life of God but yet not as Christ received we this life for he had it by naturall generation we have it by a way unspeakable from God but yet by Jesus Christ. In him was life as the life was the light of men Iohn 14. He that hath the Son hath life Iohn 5.12 and he it is that is eternall life viz. to us ver 20. As there is no light in the visible world but from the Sun in the firmament so there is no life in the spirituall world but from God in heaven which hath caused it to shine in our hearts by the Son of righteousnesse Christ Jesus Thus our life is called the life of God Ephes. 4.18 and Christ is said to live in us Gal. 2.20 Which should teach us greatly to admire and adore the excellency of Gods goodnesse and make us to rest our selves for ever under the shadow of his wings Psal. 36.7 8 9. But that this point may be more cleerely understood we must consider of the originall of this life from God three waies First in respect of ordination and so it flowes from Gods decree he hath ordained us unto life Acts 13.48 and our names are written in the booke of life Phil. 4.3 Secondly in respect of merit it was bought of God by the death of the flesh of Christ. I give my flesh for the life of the world Iohn 6.51 This life will not be had without his death that we might live in eternall life he must die a temporall death And shall not this greatly inflame our hearts to love the Lord Jesus that gave himselfe for us that we should not perish but have everlasting life Thirdly in respect of operation or inchoation and so the fountaine of life is either without us or within us without us is the Word of Christ that is the immortall seed by which we are begotten unto life 1 Pet. 1.24 and so is called the Word of life Phil. 2.15 And the Word is so as it is the Word of Christ that is Gospel My words saith he are spirit and life Iohn 6.63 And that Word considered as it is preached to the dead soules of men the dead shall heare the voice of Christ and live Shall heare it note that Iohn 5.25 which should make us greatly to esteeme the preaching of the Gospel Within us the fountaine of life is the Spirit of Christ which is called the Spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus Rom. 8.2 Now the Spirit of Christ that we may live doth two things viz. it quickens the seed of the Word and unites us unto Christ as members of the mysticall body and then looke how the soule of man doth give life to every member of the body so doth the Spirit of Christ to every soule as a severall member of the mysticall body 3. For the third Wee shall not exactly know what the nature of eternall life is still it be perfected in us or consummate yet by divers words God hath let fal in Scripture we may ghesse at the nature of this life and in generall I thinke it is a kind of celestiall light falling into the soule that doth to it that which naturall life doth to the body This Saint Iohn shewing how Christ was the life of men saith he was the light of men Iohn 1.4 And David having said
one way to come in And further we can find no meanes that hath sufficient power to make a man live God hath so reserved the power of life in his owne hands that none of the means we use to preserve life can doe it to make it hold out for a moment if God doe not from above give speciall assistance Man liveth not by bread Mat. 4. and if a man had abundance of all worldly things yet a mans life consisteth not in that Luke 12.15 c. The fourth reason may be taken from the profession of a Christian or his state or relative calling or condition in this life First we are Christs spirituall souldiers Now men that goe to warre intangle not themselves with the things of this life that they may please them that have chosen them to bee souldiers 2 Tim. 2.4 Secondly we are pilgrimes and strangers in this life and therefore nothing should be more easie to us than to be wearie of the present condition and to long to be at home Thus did the Patriarches Heb. 11.13 Thirdly in this life we are but poore cottagers that dwell in poore houses of clay and shall we love to bee here rather than in those eternall mansions 2 Cor. 5.1 Ioh. 14.2 The fift reason may be taken from the sinnes of life Even sinne is a disease and a loathsome contagious one Now then see what life is thou thy selfe hast innumerable sinnes and there is no man alive that sinneth not in the whole world Now if every man have innumerable contagious diseases what a loathsome pest-house is this world to live in The thoughts of a man can reach to the depth and length of this argument but inconsideration buries all wholsome counsell and motives But besides this respect of sinne a Christian finds from his owne sinnes if there were none else in the world great cause to be wearie of life first because sinne argues the imperfection of his nature both in soule and body and so long as he is in this sinfull life he can never have a perfect nature now a man that loves himselfe for this reason would never love life Rom. 7.23 Secondly because sin is an offence to God now a child of God should therefore loath life because by sinning be doth injury to God his mercifull Father and in the most holy Christians this argument hath extraordinary force The sixth reason may be taken from the crosses of life Hath not every day his griefe Is there any estate or degree of men free from them Are not those whom God loves corrected yea and perhaps more than other men Seriously thinke of what thou dost suffer in thy particular What diseases or infirmities are in thy bodie What unquietnesse and vexation dost thou suffer in the house where thou livest What crosses doe follow or feare thee in thy calling Yea doth not thy religion breed thee trouble If the reproaches and oppositions be considered of which godly men sometimes suffer we might say with the Apostle Of all men they are most miserable 1 Cor. 15.19 Paul saith he was a man crucified while he lived Gal. 2.20 and did alwayes in his body carry about the dying of the Lord Jesus 2 Cor. 4.10 Besides consider of the danger of what may come upon thee in life What if war come or the pestilence or sudden poverty that cannot be cured or with fearefull diseases that will fill thee with horrible pain Nay what if thou shouldest fall into some shamefull fault Oh what were the misery would follow upon it The seventh reason may be taken from the extreme vanity of those things that seeme to be felicities in life all the things in life that with any colour of reason can be made objects of thy love are either the people of the world or the commodities of the world Now for the first of these thou hast no reason to be in love with life for the people of the world with whom thou livest for 1. Amongst all the thousands of men and women thou seest in the world it may be there is scarce one that loveth thee entirely scarce one from whom thou maist enjoy delight or comfort They are poore things thou canst have from the rest whether they be neighbours or strangers More than thou givest thou shalt not receive unlesse it be in poore complements of salutations and ceremonies of life 2. If thou didst excell in the priviledge of being loved by friends kindred wife or children yet reckon how small a portion of thy life is refreshed from them there is sometimes more delight in one poore dreame than will be had this way in a long time 3. Thinke of it what changes and losses thou dost or maist suffer if there were any thing worthy thy love in friendship or acquaintance thy friends may be daily lost either by the change of their minde from thee or by distance in habitation or by death and the pleasure is had by thy acquaintance is made not worth the having either by interruption or by discord and taking of offence or want of power or will to help when thou hast most need 4. Who would not hate life for this very reason which I now give Let a man consider by experience in all others how little the world cares for him If thou wert to die what would the world care or almost any in the world Let it be thy wife children neighbours hearers dearest friends yea thy religious friends what would any of these care for thy death Looke not at their words but note it in their deeds How few will be sorry for thee or for how short a time and how soone wilt thou be cleane forgotten or how poore a thing is the greatest memory any man hath when he is dead Dost thou live to heare this and yet wilt be so mad as to love life for the love thou bearest to any other 5. The evill thou sufferest from the world is greater than the good thou canst get by it thinke of the reproaches injuries oppositions contempts persecutions infections thou maist finde from unreasonable men How many thousand would triumph over thy poore fame if thy feet doe but slip Lastly the company thou shalt have of Angels and spirits of just men in another world should make thee loathe all these things in this life whether thou respect number or power or dearenesse in friends even in such as must be companions of thy life and therefore for the company that is in the world thou hast no reason to love life The commodities of the world are lands houses money honour credit beauty pleasure and the like now mâ—n have no cause to be so in love with these if they consider 1. How small a portion they have of these If a man had won the whole world and the glorie of it yet it were not worth the having if he must lose his own soule May if it were all had upon the best conditions yet it would not
This imports that he shall not be known in the day of Christ oh how wofull will that sentence be when he shall say away from me ye workers of iniquity I know you not Mat. 7.27 Hitherto of the foundation The founder followes who is described by what he is himselfe viz. God and what he is to us viz a Father Of God To be elect and knowne before others is a great benefit but to be chosen of that dreadfull and immortall being and that when nothing was must needs adde to this prerogative If God choose them it matters not who refuse them If God know them it matters not who is ignorant of them If God honor them it matters not who disgrace them He that foâ—nded our election in his owne eternall praescâ—eâ—â—e is â—ee that founded this earth and spread over it this great heaven Iehovah Eloâ—im is his name and spirituall incomprehensible immortall infinite almighty is his nature The immense fountaine of all love mercy holinesse justnesse goodnesse wisdome and bounty It is he that before guided the wayes of eternity as he now doth of times What God hath done in time is done that we might know and praise him but what he did before time is without our measure and as it commeth neerer to Gods nature so it goeth farther from our apprehension at least till we be glorified in heaven But this is a sea over which no ship hath failed a Mine in which no spade hath delved an Abyssus into which no buckâ—t hath â—unke our sight is too tender to behold this sunne our understanding too finite to comprehend this glorious and infinite being and therefore I passe from what hee is in himselfe to consider what he is to us The Father God is Father to Christ to Angels to Men To Christ he is Father by nature as he is God and by personall union as he is man To Angels hee is father by creation and to faithfull men by adoption As hee is father to Christ I consider of it ver 3. here onely as he is father to the faithfull God hath an everlasting fatherly care and compassion over the faithfull and elect and this may serve for three sorts of uses 1. For consolation to the godly God useth them and ever will use them like a Father both for the affections of a father and for the provisions of a father he both loves them and provides for them as a father for his children Gods affection to the godly is a fatherly affection for it is 1. free and 2. tender and 3. constant 1. A fatherly love is a free love there needs no argument to a father but that this is my childe so it is with God 2. A fatherly love is a tender love it hath much compassion and care in it such is Gods love to the godly Looke how Parents pitty their children so doth God pitty them that feare him Psal. 103.13 yea God is troubled in their troubles and his bowels are turned in him in their discouragements and griefes Esay 63.8 Ier. 31.18 19. 3. A father still loves his childe so doth God and much more then all fathers or any of them For he loves with an everlasting love Esay 49.14 and is called an everlasting father Esay 9.6 Adde unto these that a father will love his childe though no body else doe so can God love us though he love alone Though naturall fathers and kindred forsake us Psal. 27.5.10 and spirituall fathers forget us Esay 63.16 17. yet God will never cease to love us hee will never leave us nor forsake us Onely we must ever remember that Gods love is a pure love For it hath not in it hurtfull indulgence he will not marre his children with too much fondnesse He can hide his face and though he will never take his mercies from them yet if they sinne he will scourge them with the rod of men he will afflict them though it be but for a short time Psal. 89. Esay 67.7 8 9. As is the affection of God so is his provision for the godly a fatherly provision he provides for them like a father yea like a heavenly father in their 1. attendance 2. dyet 3. preservation in trouble and 4. portion 1. For their attendance he provides for them better then the great men of the earth can doe for their children He hath given his Angels to bee ministring spirits to all these heires of salvation and these pitch their tents round aboâ—t them Psal. 34. Heb. 1.14.2 And for dyet they are fed with the food that perisheth not yea such food as he that eateth thereof shall live for ever John 6.27 3. And for preservation in trouble the power of God doth so keepe them that a haire of their heads cannot fall to the ground without the providence of their heavenly father Mat. â—â— and â—o that 〈◊〉 all the haires of their head are numbred and the spirit of God is given them to teach them to comfort them and uphold them 4. And for portion he hath blessed them with all spirituall blessings ìn heavenly things and since the earth was forfeited into Gods hands againe he hath restored the inheritance of the earth to none as is the opinion of many learned but to them Other men hold without any title from God Ephes. 1.3 Esay 45.11 17 18 19. and in the world to come they shall shine as the starres of heaven and as the sun in the firmament Mat. 13.43 Ob. But God hath so many sonnes of this kinde how can hee provide for them all Sol. Our hearts are not troubled for that we beleeve in God and beleeve in Christ also In our fathers house there are many mansions if it had not been so Christ would have told us and he is gone before to make our places ready for us John 14.1 2. Ob. But they have so many adversaries without and within that there is great danger lest they be pulled out of their inheritance Sol. God that hath begotten them and given them to Christ is greater then all no man can plucke them out of his hands John 10.29 Object But they are for the most part a people of many and those continuall wants there is scarce any moment wherein they want not something and therefore must either be uncomfortable in themselves or burthensome to God Sol. Whatsoever they aske the father he will give it them It is no trouble to God to receive Petitions from them continually he delights in it and rather blames them for asking so seldome and so little Iohn 16.23 Ob. God himselfe plagues them with troubles as much or rather more then he doth other men Sol. The fathers of our flesh correct us and shall not the father of spirits do it and the rather if we consider that he shewes his love therein a man will correct his owne son more then another mans and he doth correct us for our profit that
or in us There shall be no war no unquietnesse no violence no fraud no sicknesse paine weaknesse old age no terrors no sorow 3. Because this happinesse shall never expire it is immortall there is no death there hence the word is rendred by some immortall 4. Because it is an estate of all perfection and blessednesse and so some thinke it is the genus to the two other words The second thing affirmed of this inheritance i◠〈◊〉 â—â—defiled and so it may be said to be in five respects 1. Because there we shall live separate from all polluted things such as are the devill the grave hell and wicked men all things that might offend shall then be removed from us no temptations no tares shall be there left 2. Because there we shall bejoyned to God that most undefiled essence the fountaine of all holinesse whence will flow two admirable felicities First the continuall Vision of God in respect of which we shall behold him immediately we shall converse with him no more by scriptures creatures signes or other meanes but by an admirable way not now revealed unto us There shall the pure in heart he perfectly blessed when they shall see God face to face as he is in his glory Secondly the participation of the divine nature not by a powring out of the divine essence but by the communication of divine qualities such as are immortality wisdome glory justice vertue c. Thirdly because we shall there enjoy the fellowship with unspotted Angells and blessed soules and that after an undefiled maner with all purity concord and quietnesse 4. Because we our selves shall be cloathed with perfection of nature being made like unto Christ-man and that both in soule and body In soule Gods image in undefiled graces being perfected without mixture either of defects or corruptions yea our very bodies shall be made like the Christâ— For they shall be without death shame weaknesse or trouble some drowsinesse or unweildinesse For so the Apostle to the Corinthians excellently sheweth by opening foure dissimilitudes betweene the sowing and the raising of the body It was sowen 1. in corruption 2. in dishonor 3. in weaknesse 4. a naturall body but it is raised 1. in incorruption so as it cannot putrifie or die any more 2. in glory so as it shall never be shamed or dishonoured either through deformity or reproch they shall â— shine as the sun in the firmament 3. in power being delivered from all weaknesse or infirmities 4. a spirituall body because in divers respects they shall be as the spirits or angells as 1. in continuing without meat or mariage 2. in swiftnesse or agility able with unconceivable nimblenesse to passe through the ayre or heaven 5. Because as our natures so our service shall be perfect we shall serve and worship and praise God day and night without either weaknesse or wearinesse The third thing affirmed of this inheritance is that it withereth or fadeth not and well is this happinesse praised for this For how should it wither 1. if we respect the presence of God and the Lambe who will be all in all Can the Sun in nature refresh the creatures and shall not the brightnesse of Gods presence doe it much more Was it such a priviledge to eate at Davids table or to sit downe in the kingdome with Abraham Isaac and Iacob what then shall it be to be refreshed with the fulnesse of the sweete presence of God 2. If we respect the fulnesse of all joyes and contentment which shall for ever support the hearts of the Elect their joyes shall never be dryed up nor grow into loathing as all earthly joyes doe 3. If we respect the perfection of all things round about them they shall inherit all things and those made new also The use is first for information For here is implyed the wretchednesse of our earthly condition there is nothing here in this world but it will corrupt and is defiled and will lose his glosse and beauty An estate that is incorruptible undefiled and that withers not wee shall never have till wee come to heaven Secondly for reproofe Oh doe not men now know what a kinde of place heaven is why then doe they turne the glory of such an incorruptible estate into the similitude of corruptible things while they prefer the thingâ— of this world before the glory of that which is to come and why do◠〈…〉 they not that the un 〈◊〉 shall not enter into heaven and this corruption shall not inherit incorruption Oh why doth silly man suffer himselfe so to be bewitched as with incurable doting to pursue these withering earthly things and neglect those immarcessâ—ole felicities in heaven Thirdly for instruction and so the thought hereof should espâ—â—ially affect us with a desire to seeke this immortall and undefiled happinesse and to this end we should first begin our separation here from the wicked â— 2. we should subject our selves to the incorrupt ordinances of Jesus Christ if we would have God to be a father of immortality we must acknowledge him first the king of all ages and let him make us and frame us by his ordinances 3. we must mortifie our corrupt natures and refraine from all things that may any way corrupt us 4. we must put on Christ for he onely hath immortality 5. and lastly we must continue in well-doing as the Apostle shewes Rom. 2.7 we must begin our incorruption hereby sincerity of life for so this word is â—endred Ephes. 6.24 Lastly it may serve for singular comfort to a Christian in all distresses but to thinke what a wonderfull glorious estate is provided for him yea even the more he hath experience of the vanity and wretchednesse of this world the more he should admire the happinesse he lookes for yea it may be one reason that the Lord will have his servants throughly tryed with the miseries of this life that so they might know the worth of that rest and glory they looke for in the life to come Oh what reason have men to desire to dye and to hast to the comming of Iesus Christ to long for it to pray for it to be even impatient in the fervent expectation of it to sigh after it But before I passe from this point one thing may in generall be noted that is that all these properties doe equally belong to all the Elect the whole inheritance and every part of it hath these praises which hinders not but there may be a proper reward unto every man but it is sure that the worâ—t lot in this inheritance shall have the fulnesse of the perfection of these praises Which is reserved c. We have the right and title in this world but the inheritance it selfe is in the fathers keeping and possessed as yet by some of our elder brethren wee are in our minority in this world if
him 3. Revealed knowledge is that illumination by which God many times communicates the mysteries of his will to the Angels otherwise hid to them 4. Experimentall is the knowledge which they get by experience and observation in the world especially in the Church as things daily fall ouâ— But that this point may be yet more cleare it will be profitable to declare it by considering the severall things they know and the rather because they know them not all one way All things Angels know are either 1. God 2. or the creatures 3. or the mysteries of the Gospell 4. or the thoughts of men 5. or things to come Now these things they know but after a diverse manner How doe they know God For opening of this I mist shew it by the eye of man three waies By sight we know things first mediately as by a glasse expressing the proportion of the thing we see though we see not the thing it selfe Secondly by the presence of the thing in the eye or rather of the likenesse though the thing it selfe be not in the eye as when we look upon a man some what distant from us Thirdly when the thing seene is present in the essence of it in the very eye so the light is in the eye of man Now by the first way the Saints see God on earth that is to say by means as by a looking glasse not face to face By the second that is by some signe or likenesse of Gods presence the Angels did see God by creation By the third way that is by the lightsome presence of the glorious essence of God is Godseene of the Angels face to face as they are confirmed in Christ and so also doe the blessed soules see God 2. Now for the creatures of all sorts the Angels know them two waies 1. In the glasse of Gods essence in which they perfectly are resembled 2. By certaine likenesses of things put into them immediately after their creation whereas man hath his knowledge by degrees and they view things as it were in one view not successively as we doe but at once as it were by a sudden coruscation as I may call it they see what is in the creatures as the heavens had their perfection all at once so had the Angels and as the perfection in the heavens is alwaies actually so is the knowledge of Angels alwaies perfect in act so there is no time wherein they know not any creature God hath made 3. As for the mysteries of the Gospell it is probable that the maine heads of salvation of the Elect by Christ they knew it shortly after the creation else how could they discharge the guardianship of the Elect if they knew nothing of their salvation It was their function to minister to them that should be heires of salvation and they did often attend upon Christ as the Saviour of the Church when he appeared yet the severall branches and determinations and the circumstances of time and their employments or the persons in severall ages that should be called as for example the calling of the Gentiles or the like things that concerned either their ministeries or the mysteries of Christ they did not know by nature but by grace of revelation after Eph. 3.10 4. For the thoughts of men I must distinguish some thoughts are so secret and still in the mind as they make no impression upon the body at all some thoughts are so boyling and working that either by gestures or by the impressions of some affections raised by them they leave some print upon the body The first kind God onely knowes of the second kind a wise man will know much by ghesse much more the Angels of God 5. Lastly as for things to come they must be considered either as they hang in their causes necessarily or probable in nature or as they are expressed in the prophesies of Scripture or as they are secret in the counsell of God Things to come of the first two kinds the Angels doe know respectively The third sort onely God knowes Thus briefly of the nature account affections and knowledge of the Angels The maine use of all is that which is here intended viz. that the desire of these noble creatures should incourage and settle us in the assurance and estimation of the grace brought us in the Gospell Thus of the 12. verse and so of the first part viz. matter of Consolation The matter of Exhortation followes to verse 8. of Chap. 3. Verse 13. Wherefore gird up the loines of your minde be sober and trust perfectly on the grace that is brought unto you by the revelation of Iesus Christ. HItherto of the first maine point of the doctrine of this Epistle viz. matter of Consolation Now followes the second viz. matter of Exhortation from ver 13. of this Chap. to ver 8. of Chap. 3. The Exhortation is twofold generall and speciall generall concerning such duties as belong to all Christians as they are Christians to ver 13. of Chap. 2. speciall concerning particular duties as they stand in speciall relation to others ver 13. of Chap. 2. to ver 8. of Chap. 3. The generall Exhortation is likewise twofold For either it concerns the matter of holinesse in this Chap. or the meanes of holinesse Chap. 2.1 to 13. In these words and the rest that follow to the end of this Chapter two things may be noted First the things to which he doth exhort Secondly the reasons by which he doth enforce this Exhortation The things to which he doth exhort are three 1. The first concernes the renovation of the minde gird up the loines of your minde 2. The second concernes the moderation of life Be sober 3. The third the confirmation of hope Trust perfectly c. The reasons are sixe taken 1. From the image of God ver 14 15 16. 2. From the judgement of God ver 17. 3. From the redemption in Christ ver 18. to 22. 4. From the relation to the godly ver 22. 5. From the immortality of the soule ver 23. 6. From the immortality of the body ver 24 25. Thus for the order From the coherence divers things may be noted First that we are seldome comforted but we had need to be exhorted so apt are our hearts to security and so usuall is it that deadnesse of spirit should follow lively joyes Besides Sathan is aptest to cast in his base injections after any comfort as it was with Paul after his revelations Secondly that the best use of Consolation is to stirre us up to godly conversation and the setling of faith and hope and thereby wee may note a difference betweene the illusions of Sathan and the true comforts of the holy Ghost Thirdly that the meditation of the desire of the Angels and the true Prophets of God should make us ashamed of the slownesse of our hearts and quicken us to gird up the loines of our minds Gird up the loines of your
Christians thrive not and who also is it whose case some one of these seaven is not Let us every one examine our selves for a thousand to one we are kept back by some one of these It were singular wisdome to note which it is and to strive to amend that we may not be such starvelings in godlinesse still The point then is cleare that most Christians are but as new borne babes Now what use should we make of it First It may serve to humble many of us that have had time enough and abundance of meaneâ— and helps to have beene like teachers and yet have even now need to be taught the principles again To us belongs justly that reproofe in the fift to the Hebrewes 13. Secondly many dâ—ties must be vrged upon us if we grant our selves to be but as new borne babes For 1. We must therefore be teachable and tractable obeying them that have the oversight of us bearing their words of admonition and loving them with a singular love 2. We must therefore be the more willing to beare the chastizements of God that father of our spirits For if we have had the fathers of our flesh which in our young yeares have corrected and that often for our profit to subdue the faults in us which that age did breed and sometimes when they corrected for their owne pleasures more than for our profit How much more should we subject our selves to the corrections of God that finde in us being but babes so much perversenesse so much negligence such head strong passions such frequent disohebience and the rather because he never corrects us for his pleasure only but for our profit that he might make us more holy and more fruitfull and more meeke as the Apostle shewes Hebrewes 12. 3. We must therefore sticke more affectionately and constantly to the word and suffer our soules to be daily fedde with this sincere milk of the word without which it is no more possible for us to grow in grace then a weake child can doe in nature without milk and food 4. Yea the consideration of our estate that we are but children should beget in us a desire to expresse those praises spiritually which that infant estate in nature doth resemble For 1. Children in nature are without malice they may fall out one with another but they carry no malice they are quickly friends againe so should we much more 1. Cor. 14.20 2. Children live without care they are never troubled for what they shall eate or what they shall put on for the time to come so should wee doe as our Saviour Christ shewes Matth. 6. 3. Children are not lifted up with pride for the great things they are borne unto nor doth the childe of a Prince scorne the fellowship of the childe of a begger but can play with him and make himselfe equall to him so should it be with us we should bee void of great thoughts of heart and not be lifted up in our selves or despise others but make our selves equall to them of the lower sort especially seeing there is no difference in our birth They are borne againe by the same immortall seed that we are which our Saviour Christ is peremptory in Matth. 18.3 Thus much of the third point 4. A fourth thing may be here noted and that concernes the priviledge of weake Christians viz. that they are esteemed of God and not deprived of his favour and care for them because they are weake 1. Parents love their little children as well as their elder children so doth God 2. Parents provide meanes to bring up their little children so doth God they shall have sincere milk to make them grow 3. Parents provide such as shall tend their children and littâ—e ones so doth God he hath committed them to the charge of Christ so as the least grace in them shall be preserved though it were but like a bruised reede or the smoaking weeke of a candle Matth. 11. 4. Parents beare with the naturall weaknesse of their children without lessning their fondnesse to them so doth God with infinite indulgence Psalme 103. 5. Parents will not endure it to let them be wronged or hurt and much more wo shall be unto them that offend one of Gods little ones Mat. 18. 6. Parents provide portions and inheritances for their little children so doth God acknowledge them for his heires yea heires with Christ his eldest sonne Rom. 8. 17. A fift point that may be noted from hence is that only converted christians can desire the sincere milke of the word with true affection wicked men can no more affectionately desire the word than a dead childe or no child can doe the breast Quest. But have wicked men no desire after the word Answ. They may have but onely it is for the most part in two cases First when they desire to hear the word onely for mens wits or eloquence or the like carnall ends and so they desire not the sincere milk of the word Secondly in the case of a temporary faith where the delight and desire after the word is not constant like the appetite of a child to the breast for they will fall away in the time of temptation and all their desires prove but as the morning dew Desire the sincere milke of the word Hitherto of the first reason taken from the consideration of their present estate and neede of the word The second reason is taken from the consideration of the nature of the word which they should desire It is sincere pure there is no deceit no mixture in it And it is milk it is wonderfull apt for nourishment There are two things then here said of the word in praise of it First that it is milk secondly that it is sincere Milk This is a metaphor Sometimes by milk is meant a man that is godly cast into affliction by which God straines all the moats of corruption from him while his heart is poured out like milk with griefe and feare Thus Iob saith of himselfe God had strained him out like milk Iob 10. veâ— 10. Sometimes by milk is meant the rudiments of religion the principles and grounds of Catechisme and so it differeth from strong meat so it is taken Heb. 5.12 1. Cor. 3.2 Sometimes it signifieth the word of God in generall which is given to the Church for nourishment of their soules to eternall life and so it is taken here as in Esay 55.1 the word is called both milk and wine and water and in other places hony It is hony for the sweetnesse of it It is wine for the power it hath to revive and refresh the spirit of man and make his heart glad It is water for cooling and quenching of his spirituall thirst and it is milk for nourishment It doth more for nursing up mans soule than the milke of the breast can for the bodies of infants The consideration whereof should work in us the desire to which the
them they shal never hunger Ioh. 6. yea he wil be life to them the life of their present lives and eternall life they shall live for ever Iohn 5.40 Thus of the first things required in Christians The second is They must be lively stones Verse 5. Ye also as lively stones bee made a spirituall house an holy Priesthood to offer up spirituall sacrifices acceptable to God by Iosus Christ. As lively stones IT is not unusuall in Scripture to compare men to stones and so both wicked men and godly men Wicked men are likened to stones first for their insensiblenesse and so the heart of Nabal was like a stone Secondly for their silent amazement when iniquity shall stop their mouth thus they were still as a stone Exod. 15.16 Thirdly for their sinking downe under Gods judgements so the Egyptians sunk into the Sea like a stone Ex. 15.6 And thus the wicked sinke into hell like a stone But chiefly in the first sense for hardnesse of heart their hearts by nature are like a stone And in the comparison of a building if they be in the Church they are like the stones of the house that had the leprosie or like Jerusalem when it was made a heap of stone Godly men are like stones too they are like the stones of Bethel that were anointed God is the God of Bethel and the godly are as those annointed pillars consecrated to God and qualified with the gifts of the holy Ghost They are like the Onyx stones given by the Princes and set on the brest of the High-Priest in the Ephod The High-Priest is Christ. The Onyx stones are Christians The Princes of the Congregation are the Ministers that consecrate the soules of men which they have converted to Christ who weares them on his brest and hath them alwaies in his heart and eye They are like to the rich stones of a Crowne lifted up Zach. 9.16 They are like the stone with the Booke bound to it Ier. 51.63 They are never without of the Word God But in this place they are likened to the stones of the Tâ—mple which in the Letter are described 1 Kings 6.7 36. and 7.9 10. and in the Allegorie Esay 54.11 12 13. Sure it is that the stones of this spirituall Temple are the plaâ—e of Saphires as is said in Iob in another sense 28.6 Now the godly are likened to stones in divers respects First they are like stones to grave upon and so they are like those stones which must have the Law graved upon set up in mount Ebal Deut. 27.2 3 4. What is the mount but the world and what is Eâ—â—l but vanity or sorrow and what are those graved stones but the godly vvith the Lavv of God vvritten in their hearts the light vvhereof shineth on the hill of the vanity of this vvorld and 〈◊〉 in the midst of all the soâ—rovves of this vvorld Secondlyâ— they are likestones for strength and unmovednesse in all the stormes of life The raine pierceth not the stones nor doe afflictions batter the hearts of Gods servants strength is attributed to stones in that speech of Iob. 6.12 Thirdly They are like stones for continuance and durablenesse they will last for ever so will their persons and so ought the affections of their hearts Lastly they are like stones for a building and that in two respects First if you consider the manner of their calling into the Church they are digged out of the quarry of mankinde as stones digged out of the earth being in themselves by nature but stones of darknesse such as might never have seene the light Secondly if you consider their union with Christ and Christians in one body they are like the stone of the house compact in themselves and upon the foundation Vse The use may bee briefly First for information Here is come to passe that saying that is written God is able of stones to raise up children unto Abraham Secondly let all the servants of God take pleasure in the stones of this spirituall Sion Psalm 102 15. and let us all learne to bee like stones in the former senses for the receiving the impression of the law and for constancy and durablenesse and for care to keepe our communion with Christ and Christians Lastly woe to the multitudes of wicked men whom God neglects with that heavy curse so as a stone is not taken of them to make a stone for the building Ierem. 50.26 Thus they are stones It is added they must bee lively stones to signifie wherein they must not be like unto stones they must not be dull and insensible they must be lively and cheerefull and that for divers reasons First Because the second Adam is a quickning spirit and they dishonor the workmanship of Christ if they be not lively 1 Cor. 15. Secondly Because one end of the offring up of Christ was that their consciences might be purged from dead workes Heb. 9.14 Thirdly they are therefore condemned according to men in the flesh that they might live according to God in the Spirit 1 Pet. 4.6 Fourthly Because we have beene alive to sinne and it is a shame to expresse lesse life in the service of God then wee have done in the service of sinne Fiftly Because we have lively meanes we are fed with living bread Ioh. 6. and we live by the power of God 2 Cor. 13.4 and we have the Spirit of Christ in us which is the fountaine of life and hath springs of joy in him Rom. 8.9 Ioh. 6. and the Word of God is lively and mighty in operation Heb. 4.12 and Christ himselfe lives in us Gal. 2.20 Sixtly because we professe our selves to be consecrate to God as living sacrifices Rom. 12.1 Seventhly because we have such excellent priviledges wee partake of the divine Nature and God is a living God and we have precious promises 2 Pet. 1.4 and we have plentifull adoption in Christ and we have a hope of a most glorious inheritance which should alway put life into us â— Pet. 1.3 4. and wee have a secure estate in the meane time For to live is Christ and to die is gaine and whether we live or die we are Christs Rom. 14.8 Phil. 1.21 Vse The use should be therefore for instruction We should stirre up our sâ—lves and strive after this livelinesse and that for the two reasons imported in this text to omit the rest For without a ready heart wee shall make no riddance in matter of sanctification and holy life and besides wee shall extract but a small deale of influence from Christ. For it is here required that we should be lively when we come unto him Now this livelinesse we should shew First by contentation in our estate Secondly by patience and cheerefulnesse in afflictions Rom. 5.2 3. Thirdly in the performance of holy duties with power and life Thus we should be lively in praier such as will bestirre themselves and take no deniall as Philip. 4.5 6. Quest. Now if
5 That he doth not afflict willingly Lament 3.33 6 That all shall worke together for the best Rom. 8.28 Deut. 8.16 7 God will give a good end Iam. 5.11 Hee will lift up from the gates of death Psal. 9.13 God will give thee rest from thy sorrows and feares and hard usage Isaiah 14.1 3. Psalm 57.3 Hee will send from heaven to save thee 8 He will afflict but for a moment Esa. 54.7 But in both these cases we must remember First to seeke mercy of God Ezek. 36.32 Secondly if we be not presently answered our eyes must looke up to God and we must wait for his mercies Psal. 123.3 4. Thirdly we must checke our selves for the doubtfulnesse of our hearts as David doth Psal. 4.7 8. and 77.10 Fourthly because we live too much be sense wee must beseech God not onely to be mercifull but to let his mercy be shewed and come to us Psal. 85.8 and 116.77 Fifthly we should also beseech God not onely to let us feele his mercies but to satisfie us also early with his mercies Psal. 90 14. Sixthly we must looke to it that we walke in our integrity Psal. 26.11 and live by rule Gal. 6.16 Lastly howsoever we must trust in God and looke to it that we rest upon the Lord Psal. 32.10 and 33.18 22. For God takes pleasure in those which hope in his mercy Psal. 147.11 Quest. But how may a man that is not yet comforted with Gods mercy take a sound course to obtaine mercy Answ. That men may obtaine mercy First they must take unto themselves words and confesse their sâ—nnes to God and heartily bewaile their offences Ioel 2.13 Hos. 14.3 Secondly they must turne from and forsake their evill wayes and their unrighteousnesse inward and outward Isaiah 55.7 Thirdly they must be carefull to seeke the Lord while he may be sound Isaiah 55.6 Fourthly they must be mercifull and love mercy for then they shall obtaine mercy Matt. 5.6 Fifthly they must learne the waies of Gods people and learne them diligently Ier. 12.15 16. They must have pure hands and a cleane heart and not lift up their soules to vanity Psal. 4.5 Sixthly they must hate the evill and love the good Amos 5.5 Seventhly they must cry unto God daily Psal. 86.3 Eighthly there must nought of the cursed thing cleave unto their hands Deut. 13.17 Ninthly when the Lord saith Seeke yee my face their hearts must say Thy face O Lord will we seeke Psal. 27.7 8. Vers. 11 12. Dearly beloved I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstaine from fleshly lusts which fight against the soule And have your conversation honest among the Gentiles that they which speake evill of you as of evill doers may by your good workes which they shall see glorifie God in the day of their visitation THese words contain the epilogue or conclusion of the whole exhortation as it concernes Christians in generall from verse 13 of the former chapter hitherto and it hath in it matter both of dehortation and of exhortation as answering in the substance to all that he hath hitherto intreated of by way of use The dehortation is in verse 11 the exhortation in verse 12 in the one shewing what they should avoid in the other what they should doe They should avoid fleshly lusts and that they should doe is to live honestly In generall wee may note That it is the proper effect of all sorts of doctrine in Scripture to make an impression of care in our hearts about the reformation of our lives that it is in vaine heard which doth not some way breed in us a hatred of vice and a love of honesty This is the use of all Scripture 1 Tim. 3.16 17. Which may serve for triall of such as come to the Word They may know whether they bee good or evill hearers by the impression made upon their hearts by the Word And it may serve for information to shew us the excellency of the Word above all other Writings because there is no line in Scripture but some way it tends to the redresse of our natures from sinne and to plant holinesse in us which can bee true of no humane Writings And withall it shewes the happy estate of the godly who though they have many diseases in their natures yet they have wonderfull store and variety of medicines in Gods Word to heale their natures If for the diseases of our bodies there be but one herbe in the whole field that is good for cure we have reason to thinke that God hath provided well in nature for us but how is his mercy glorious who in the spirituall field of his Word hath made to grow as many herbes for cure of all our diseases as there be sentences in Scripture And lastly it should teach us to use the Scriptures to this end to redresse our waies by them And thus in generall The first part of the epilogue hath in it matter of dehortation where observe First the parties dehorted who are described by an epithet importing their priviledge above other men viz. Dearly beloved Secondly the manner of propounding the dehortation viz. by way of beseeching I beseech you Thirdly the matter from which he dehorts viz. fleshly lusts Fourthly the manner how they are to be avoided viz. abstaine from them Fifthly the motives first Yee are strangers and pilgrims secondly these lusts are fleshly thirdly they fight against the soule Dearly beloved This terme is not used complementally or carelesly but with great affection in the Apostle and with speciall choice and fitnesse for the matter intreated of which we may observe in the most places where this lovely epithet is given to the godly in other Scriptures God is exceeding choice of his words hee never mentioneth the tearmes of love but hee brings to his children the affections of love as I may so say Men through custome use faire complement of words when their hearts be not moved but let our love be without dissimulation But let that goe The point here to be plainly observed is That Christians are beloved of all other people they are most loved I will but briefly explicate this First God loves them and that with infinite and everlasting love and hath manifested it by sending his owne Sonne to be a propitiation for their sinnes 1 Iob. 4.9 10. Secondly Christ loveth them which hee sheweth by giving his life for them Thirdly the Angels of heaven love them which they shew by joying in their conversion and by their carefull attendance about them Fourthly the godly in generall love them There is no godly man that knowes them but loves them for every one that loves God that begot them loves every one that is begotten of God every one I say that hee knowes 1 Iob. 5.1 Lastly the godly Teachers love them which they shew in that they are not onely willing to impart to them the Gospel but even their owne soules because their people are deare unto them 1 Thess.
So with God there is neither circumcision nor uncircumcision Jew nor Gentile bond nor free but all are one in Christ Col. â— 11 Which should be a marvellous comfort to Christians that are meaner than others in the world to think on it that God requireth as hard worke of the richest as he doth of them and makes as great account of a poore Christian as of the mightiest Monarch And it should teach Christians humility and not to strive so much for precedency but rather if men will excell others it should be in service and sufferings Fourthly all men are not called he saith here Yee are called as importing that it was a speciall honour done to them Many have not the meanes of Calling and many refuse their Calling when they have the meanes Which shewes the wofull estates of worlds of men unto whom the voice of God by his Word in the Spirit comes not Fiftly the Calling of God doth propound conditions upon which his election in time doth depend for many are called but few chosen upon their Calling and the reason is because they yeelded not to the conditions of their Calling God calls men to a new Covenant and requires first the beleefe of all things promised on his part secondly sanctity and holinesse of life thus they are said to be Saints by Calling 1 Cor. 1.1 thirdly to suffer for well-doing if there be occasion so here Now upon the Conscience and consent of the heart unto these conditions doth God make his choice or acknowledge men and therefore hereby mens hearts must bee tried or men must try their hearts and estates whether they be effectually called or no. Sixtly men are bound to take notice of and to learne and obey the will of God revealed in his Word though it be hard to finde out as here the Apostle faith They were called to suffer which is a thing that is not easie to prove by expresse Scripture but must be found out as it lies enwrapped in consequences in divers places of Scripture For if the lawes of men binde and oblige us to punishment though we know them not because we ought to take notice of them much more must we study the Lawes of God though they be many in number and hard to finde out without much labour and many helps Seventhly our generall Calling doth binde us to a carefull observation of our particular Calling as here their Calling in Religion to be Gods servants did binde them to looke to their duty as mens servants yea and to be subject to their corrections though unjust And therefore those Christians are farre out of the way that neglect their particular Calling and the charge God hath delivered them upon sentence of Religion and their generall Calling Eightly the maine doctrine in them or in the scope of them is that God calls his servants all of them to suffer for the truth Hee shewes them heaven and the salvation of their soules and bestowes rich treasure upon their hearts but withall tells them he lookes they should arme themselves with a resolution to suffer what may befall them for well-doing Our Saviour Christ told his Disciples plainely that they must thinke of taking up the Crosse daily before they come to wearing of the Crowne And therefore they do foolishly that undertake the profession of Religion before they have set downe to know what it will cost them Thus of the second reason The third reason is taken from the example of Christ who suffered greater wrongs than can be befall servants or any other sort of men and this doctrine of Christs suffering he handles at large from verse 21. to the end of the chapter Which doctrine of Christs suffering is fitted partly to the case of servants and partly to the use of all Christians Concerning the Passion five things are in all these verses noted First who suffered Christ suffered ver 21. Secondly the end of his suffering viz. to leave us an example c. verse 21. Thirdly the manner how he suffered set out 1. Negatively and so he suffered first without sin verse 22. secondly without reviling ver 23. 2. Affirmatively and so hee commits himselfe to him that judgeth righteously Fourthly the matter what he suffered viz. our sins in his owne body on the tree ver 24. Fiftly the effect of his sufferings 1. In respect of us and so his sufferings serve To kill our sins Verse 24. To make us alive to righteousnesse Verse 24. To heale our natures Verse 24. 2. In respect of himselfe and so they procured his exaltation to be Shepheard and Bishop of our soules ver 25. Thus of the order Even Christ suffered The first thing to be considered in the Apostles description of the Passion of the person who suffered is that it is named here with speciall Emphasis Even Christ or Christ also Christ is the sir-name of our Saviour as Jesus was his proper name Jesus is a name onely given him in the New Testament but Christ was his name in both Testaments and signifies Anointed being a Greek word as Messiah doth in the Hebrew And so it is a name importing his office of Mediator as being thereby proclaimed to bee the substance of the ceremoniall types even the supreme Doctor or Prophet Priest and King of the Church for these three sorts of men were anoynted in the Old Testament and were types of Christs anointing It is true that we doe not reade that our Saviour was himselfe anointed with oyle because his anointing consisted in the substance of that shadow For the shadow signifieth two things first ordination to the office secondly the pouring out of gifts by the holy Ghost for the exornation of the office Now whereas Christ is Mediatour in both natures his anointing must be distinguished according to his natures The whole person was anointed but yet differently in respect of his natures for gifts could not be poured out upon his divine nature yet as the Sonne of God the second person in Trinity he was anointed in respect of ordination to the office of Mediatour and as the Sonne of man he was anointed in respect of the pouring out of the gifts of the holy Ghost upon that nature in measure as the Psalmist saith above his fellowes Psal. 45. The first doctrine about the Passion is here briefly contained in these three words of the Apostle Even Christ suffered which is a doctrine full of excellent Uses for thence First we may see how vile the errour was of those Hereticks they called Patri-passianus who taught that God the Father suffered whereas in this and other Scriptures we are taught that it was onely Christ the second Person in Trinity that suffered The ground of their errour was that there was but one Person in the Deity which in heaven was called the Father in earth the Sonne in the powers of the creatures the holy Ghost and thence they affirme the same things of the Father they did of the Sonne that he was
due benevolence from their husbands God himselfe hath freed the comming together of man and wife from the aspersion of impurity in that he hath said that marriage is honourable and the bed undefiled And this shewes the wonderfull indulgence of God that for the respect he beares to his owne institution of marriage and for the necessitie of marriage for the propagation of mankind and prevention of fornication is pleased to beare with and cover and not impute the many frailties follies vanities and wickednesses are found betweene man and wife And withall we may hence see reason to condemne their doctrine as a doctrine of Devils that forbid marriage as an impure thing and such as hinders holinesse and the blemish will never bee wiped away from some of the Ancients who to establish their owne Idol of I know not what virginity have written most wickedly and most basely against marriage Quest. But what then doth God allow any kinde of comming together so it be betweene man and wife Ans. No he forbids comming together in the time of the womans separation for her courses Ezech. 18.6 Nor doth he allow of brutish sensuality though it passe betweene man and wife for though God beare with many things yet the chastitie he imposeth doth not only restraine forraine beds but moderateth even the excesses of concupiscence in married persons so as in those things their conversation ought to be a conversation with feare Doct. 3. The practice of the duties of the second Table adorne religion as well as the duties of piety in the first Table Doct. 4. Some observe that a chaste conversation is especially charged upon the woman which must be warily understood for God hates whoredome in men as well as women But yet it is true that some sins as they are abominable in any so they are much more in women as we see in swearing and drunkennesse so it is true of filthinesse in the woman and therefore the whorish woman is called a strange woman in the Proverbs But I thinke it is not safe to restraine the sense of this place or other the like places so but I take the meaning of the Apostle to be so to commend chastitie in the wife as that which is necessary in all both men and women And so I come to consider of Chastity and so would shew first the motives to it secondly the meanes to preserve it and thirdly the way how Chastity may be manifested and made knowne to others For the first many things should perswade with a Christian to preserve chastity and to avoide whoredome and bodily lusts First it is the speciall will of God and a speciall part of their sanctification to avoid fornication 1 Thes. 4.3 Secondly the promises of God all of them should allure men to perfect their holinesse and to avoid all filthinesse both of flesh and spirit 2 Cor. 7.1 Thirdly the hatefulnesse of the nature of the sin of fornication and whoredome should deterâ—e Christians from the committing of it This is an hainous crime an iniquity to be punished by the Judges Iob 31.11 These lusts are lusts of the Gentiles 1 Pet. 4.3 A sin not so much as to be named amongst Christians Eph. 5.3 A sin that utterly corrupts naturall honesty Pro. 6.27 29. It is a sin not only against the soule but against the body of a man even that body that was bought with the bloud of Jesus Christ and was made for God and is the Temple of the Holy Ghost and is a member of Christs mysticall body 1 Cor. 6.15 to the end Fourthly the consideration of the cause of this sin should abash men it is a worke of the flesh even a fruit of a corrupted and filthy nature Gal. 5.22 Fiftly the effects of whoredome are very fearefull for it is a sin that defiles a man Mat. 15. and it makes a man unfit for the company of any Christian 1 Cor. 5.9 It brings dishonour and a wound can never be blotted out Pro. 6.33 and it causes the fearefull curse of God upon men Heb. 13 4. and that both upon their states and soules in this life By meanes of a whorish woman a man may be brought to a morsell of bread Pro. 6.26 It is a sin will root out all a mans increase Iob 31.11 12. And upon the soule it brings a fearefull senselesnesse and disability to make use of the means of salvation Whoredome and wine take away the heart Hos. 4.11 and God casts them many times into a reprobate sense Rom. 1. so as they are past feeling Eph. 4.18 so as the adulterous person goeth about like a Foole to the stockes or like an Oxe to the slaughter Pro. 7. â—2 In a word the adulterous person destroyeth his owne soule Pro. 6.32 yâ—â— which is worst of all it deprives men of the kingdome of Heaven 1 Cor. 6.9 and casts both body and soule into the Lake that burnes with fire and brimstone Pro. 9. ult Rev. 21.8 22.15 For the second the meanes to preserve chastity in married persons are these First they must labour to excite and nourish matrimoniall love one to another Pâ—â— â— 18.19 Secondly they must doe as Iob did make a covenant with their eyes and not carelesly give liberty to their senses to wander about after vaine objects Iob 31.1 Thirdly they must store their heads and hearts with Gods word especially such words of God as doe give reasons and motives to disswade from this sin Pro. 2.1 3 4 11 12 16 17 Psal. 119.9 Fourthly they must continually meditate of their mortality and that they are but pilgrims and strangers here and must come to judgement 1 Pet. 2.11 Eccles. 11.9 Fiftly they must by confession and godly sorrow and prayer crucifie these first risings of inward lusts and so by repentance for the lust of the heart prevent the filthinesse of the flesh Gal. 5.24 Sixthly they must walke in love that is exercise themselves in a Christian and profitable society with such as feare God Eph. 5.1 3 4. Lastly they must with all care and conscience avoide all the occasions of this sin such as are 1. Idlenesse that sin of Sodome Ezek. 46.49 2. Fulnesse of bread and drunkennesse as is noted in the same place They must beat downe their owne bodies 1 Cor. 9.27 3. The desire to be rich for the love of money breeds noisome lusts 1 Tim. 6.9 4. Ignorance of God and his truth Eph. 4.17 18. 5. Evill company especially the society of such as are filthy 6. Lascivious attire and filthy dressing such as are strange colours and naked breasts this is whoredome betweene the breasts Hos. 2. 7. Lascivious pictures and profane representations of filthy practises such as are exprest by those wicked stage-players against which the very light of nature pleadeth 8. Chambering and wantonnesse and all provocations to lusts Rom. 13.13 For the third point if you aske how those husbands could behold the chaste conversation of the wives I
take oft our affections from all things that may offend as resolved if our right eye offend us to plucke it out and if our right hand offend us to cut it off that is to deny all sinfull things though they were as deare to us as our right hand or right eye Mat. 9.45 Secondly we must be such as yeeld our selves to obey the voice of Christ and to bee ruled by him Hee gives eternall life to his sheep we must bee sheepe then for hearing his voice and tractablenesse Iohn 10.29 Thirdly wee must give glory to God and rely upon his promise of grace in Jesus Christ wee must be beleevers Iohn 3.16 Fourthly wee must by patient continuing in well-doing still seeke immortality Rom. 2.7 Thus of the first use Use 2. Secondly seeing the portion of the godly lies in incorruptible things wee should not be much troubled for the wants or losses in corruptible things Wee have so large an inheritance in things that will last for ever that it should be no grievance to us though we should want those transitory things 〈…〉 world Use 3. Thirdly for this reason such as abound in earthly things should bee 〈◊〉 more willing to distribute them and give them for good uses seeing those things are not thâ—ir portion and therefore they need not be overcarefull for the keeping of such things Useâ— Fourthly hence wee may gather infallibly That the godly can never fall from grace for Gods mercies cannot corrupt or fall away and his giâ—ts are without repentance If they could be lost then they were corruptible as well as earthly things But this is a comfort that must not bee taken away that God will establish Sion for ever Psal. 48.8 and though the 〈◊〉 passe away and the lusts thereof yet he that doth the will of God abideth for ever 1 Iohn 2.17 and though the servant may be cast out of the house yet the sonne abideth for ever Iohn 8.35 Lastly we should the lesse feare deâ—th seeing hence we learne that we have many things that will last with us even after our bodies be rotten in the grave Thus of the third doctrine Doct. 4. Now a fourth point is also cleare and that is That incorruptible things doe wonderfully adorne and make men comely This is the maine scope aâ—d drift of the Text and therefore we should the more seeke after thâ—se things for if wee could see the beauty of the inward man as it is adorned with grace wee would bee wonderfully enamoured and in love with it No comelinesse of the body can so allure as would this inward beauty of the man of the hear and therefore againe we should hence learne to make the more account of poore Christians There are no persons in the world so comely as they if wee knew the worth and ornament of true grace And so in generall we should love the godly above all people because they are the fairest and best adorned of all the men and women in earth and in particular those husbands that have gracious wives should learne so much religion as to love them entirely even for the beauty of the man of the Heart though they wanted the outward ornaments of riches or extraordinary comelinesse of the outward man Women also should especially hence learne to get grace and knowledge and holinesse into their hearts for their best handsomnesse is in their qualities and gifts 'T is not their cloathes but their manners and disposition that becomes them or disgraces them A faire body doth commend little if the heart bee fowle it is a small praise to have a good face and an ill nature Some women are like Helen without and like Hecuba within Thus of the adorning of the man of the Heart in generall Now followes the particular ornament which the Apostle commends by name and that is a meeke and quiet spirit Of a meeke and quiet spirit Quietnesse is added to meeknesse lest by mistaking the definition of meeknesse they should not understand the Apostles meaning Now the doctrine hence to bee gathered is That amongst all the particular vertues required in Christians meeknesse and quietnesse of nature and spirit is a speciall vertue and carefully to bee sought and in particular by Christian wives as this and other Scriptures shew Eph. 4.2 Mat. 11.28 Zeph. 2.3 Col. 3.12 Before I make use of this point I must consider what is comprehended in those termes of a meeke and quiet spirit and first we must know before hand what it doth not comprehend It doth not require that women or men should be so quiet as not to be troubled for their sinnes or not to humble their soules for sinne or that they should bee carelesse of their callings either generall or particular or that they should not admonish or reprove sinne in others when they have a calling and fitnesse But unto the constituting of true meeknesse and quietnesse of spirit is requisite 1. Freedome from the evils that disquiet and molest the spirits of men such as are first anger frowardnesse fretting and peevishnesse secondly worldly sorrow crying and aptnesse to take unkindnesse and fullennesse thirdly distrustfull cares of life arising from covetousnesse 1 Tim. 6 10 11. fourthly rash zeale and fiercenesse or inordinate striving and wilfulnesse as may bee gathered in the case of a Minister 2 Tim. 2.24 25 26. fifthly contention and evill speaking or ill language as may bee gathered from Tit. 3.2 and stirring up contention or brawles sixtly all inordinate desires and raigning heart-sinnes whether sinnes of ambition lust malice or the like Iam. 1.21 seventhly unconstancy and levity of minde Especially it crosseth those evils which are noted to be most usuall in women such as are fretting crying taking unkindnesses unconstancie wilfulnesse complaining of their husbands or the like 2. A kind of peacefull contentment when Christians are habitually well pleased with their condition 3. A gentle behaviour in case of wrongs or faults from or in others so as to be first able to beare them secondly not to render evill for evill but rather to overcome evill with goodnesse thirdly ready to forgive fourthly not provoked to anger 4. A harmelesse and innocent behaviour Zeph. 2.3 5. The fixing of the heart by trusting upon God and living without care like a little child that beleeves his father will provide for him Mat. 18. 6. Lowlinesse of mind thinking no great thoughts of our selves and esteeming the gifts of God in others and accounting others better than our selves and therefore is lowlinesse so often added to the word meeknesse to explaine it 7. Silence from many words from vaine and rash speeches especially provoking termes 8. Retirednesse when a Christian is no busie-body in other mens matters and his feet will be kept out of his neighbours house and refuseth to have to doe with the strife that belongs not to him 9. Tractablenesse and easinesse to be directed or appointed and governed as in relation to God it is meeknesse to take
and disagreements and faults in the carriage or judgements of Christians in their living together The earnestnesse of the Apostle in heaping up these directions imports that he discerned many things amisse which was not only true of the Churches of Corinth and Galatia and Thessaloniâ—a but even of the Church of Philippi which St. Paul most commends And the like we may find in the estate of the seven Churches of Asia if we mark what is said to them by S. Iohn in his Revelation Yea there was not perfect agreement at all times amongst the Pillars of the first Christian Churches Paul and Barnabas were at variance Actsâ—5 â—5 â—9 and Paul and Peter did openly disagree Gal. 2. The reason is because in this life we know but in part and are sanctified but in part 1 Cor. 13. The Use should be first to teach us not to be offended or scandalized at the differences of opinion that breake out in all the Churches of Christ every where in our times Wee must pray the God of peace to give us peace and know that it hath alwaies beene so and therefore it should not hinder us from embracing the known truth Secondly this should the more enflame our desires after heaven and make us the more willing to die because there will never be perfect holinesse and agreement till we come to heaven then we shall be holy as God is holy and know as we are known and charity will be perfect for ever And besides this should teach us with the more patience to instruct and waite for the amendment of such as are contrary minded and not strive over violently or passionately with them 2 Tim. 2.25 Lastly if Christians can agree no better and have such defects then wee should never wonder overmuch at the monstrous abominations in opinion or life that are found amongst the wicked of the world and in false Churches A second doctrine I observe from hence is That we ought to be rightly ordâ—red in our minds as well as any other part of our soules or lives Yea the minde is to be looked to in the first place Hence it is that in our regeneration our mindes are especially renewed Rom. 12.2 and God requires to be served with our minds Mat. 22.37 Yea as God is an eternall mind so the service of the mind is most proper for God And besides our mindes give lawes to our lives and therefore if the mind be not good the life must needs be evill The happinesse of the whole man depends upon the mind and therefore the Apostle reckons the impuritie of the mind and conscience to be the worst impurity can befall a man Tit. 1.15 and the same Apostle makes it a signe of a man whose end is damnation to have his mind taken up and wholly bent to earthly things Phil. 3.19 This point may serve first to shew the wofull estate of such persons as have ill and unsound minds And the mind is unsound when it is corrupt or putrefied with ill opinions concerning either faith or manners 2 Tim. 3.8 1 Cor. 11.3 and when it is blinded with ignorance 2 Cor. 4.3 4. for without knowledge the mind cannot be good Pro. 19.2 and it is a divellish mischiefe to have darknesse in our mindes as that place in the Corinthians shewes The minde is also unsound and in wofâ—ll â—aking when it is taken up with vile thoughts and contemplative wickednesse Rom. 1.21 Eph. 4.17 and when men have double mindes Iames 4.7 or wavering mindes Iames 1.7 And therefore one of the highest curses God inflicts upon men with whom he is angry is to plague them in their mindes either with a reprobate mind Rom. 1.28 or with a desperate minde Secondly this Doctrine shewes what harmfull creatures deceivers of mindes are they doe more mischiefe than such as deceive men in their estates or poison mens bodies Tit. 1.10 Thirdly this should teach all carefull Christians to gird up the loynes of their mindes 1 Pet. 1.13 and to labour to get a sound minde 2 Tim. 1.7 and in particular to get the unitie of minde which the Apostle here requires And so I come to the third point The third Doctrine then which I observe out of these words is That all true Christians are bound in a speciall maner to strive to be all of one mind which in this place is meant of unity and agreement in judgement and matter of beliefe in the points of Religion This is urged in divers Scriptures as 1 Cor. 1.10 2 Cor. 13.11 Phil. 2.2 Rom 15.5 and this was the great glorie of the first Christian Church that all the multitude were of one heart and one soule Acts 4.32 There are many reasons to perswade us hereunto 1. From the nature of this agreement It is as it were one of the bonds of the mysticall union for though it be not the principall one for that is the Spirit of Christ yet it is a speciall one it is like the veines and sinewes which tye the bodie together to breake this unitie is to cut asunder the very veines and sinewes of the mysticall bodie of Christ 1 Cor. 1.10 2 From the equitie and comelinesse of it We have but one Father one Baptisme one Spirit one Hope and therefore should have but one Faith Eph. 4.3 4 5. 3 From the good effects of this unitie for first it will make us the fitter to prayse God and doe him service with the greater encouragement and comfort as we may see Rom. 15.5 Secondly it will make us ever eat our meat with more gladnesse and singlenesse and quietnesse of heart Act. 2.46 Thirdly it will winne us the more favour and honour amongst the people as wee reade in the example of those first Christians Act. 2.47 yea in the end of that verse wee may gather that it is a great advantage for the conversion of others when they see us agree so well together and further it will bee a singular joy to our Teachers to see us agree and be all of one minde and to serve God with one shoulder as the Prophet speaketh Zeph. 3.9 so Phil. 2.2 Yea it will bee a signe to us that wee are true Christians and have found true comfort in Christ and in brotherly love and that we have fellowship by the Spirit in the bodie of Christ and that we have right bowels and mercie unto others Phil. 2.1 2. 4 From the ill effects of dissenting Two of them may be gathered from the coherence in this place for first it is implyed That if Christians agree not in opinions they will hardly practise the foure other vertues here named towards the persons with whom they dissent they will not love them as brethren heartily nor bee so pitifull to them in distresse nor so mercifull to helpe them if they be in need nor so courteous and kinde to them Secondly if this first rule be transgressed it is very probable they will bring trouble upon themselves and that either
thereof 235 236 Signes ibid. c. Guile Vide Deceit Hypocrisie The words acceptation 205 Why and how to be avoided 206 The miserie of Guilefull persons ibid. Of secret Guile 207 Signes of a man without Guile 209 Guile in words many wayes so in Hypocrisie 525 H HArdnesse Hardnesse of heart seemed to be fâ—lt more after assurance than before 113 Healing Wherein Christs Healing excels for our comfort 550 That we are all healed by Christs stripes 551 What we must doe to be healed by Christ 550 The bodies of all men by nature need Healing 552 Christ is a Physician as well for the body as the soule 553 Rules for such as desire to Heale their bodily griefes 554 Heart Adorned with eight graces maketh it acceptable to God 17 Eleven things in which a sanctified Heart rejoyceth ibid. Three speciall signes of a new Heart 415 What the hid man of the Heart is 607 Wherein it excells the outward man 608 By what meanes it may be mended 609 How to know when it is right ibid. Eight things to be done for getting a cleane heart 175 How our Hearts are purified in obeying the truth 176 Heaven Where and what wiâ—â— its excellencie above all other plâ—â—â—s 41 The glory of Heaven â—â—llâ—d grace in three respects 110 111 Heavinesse Foure sorts of Heavinesse 56 Heires How godly men become Heires 645 How they must behave themselves 648 Godly men and women are Heires together many wayes 688 Holy Ghost The Spirit why called the Holy Ghost 93 He is a Person distinct from Father and Son 94 Whether its mission doth signifie any inequalitie 95 Holinesse Foure sorts of Holinesse 122 God Holy three wayes ibid. Helpes with motives thereto 123 Christians are Holy many wayes 322 Rules for the right ordering of a Holy conversation 323 Inward Holinesse wherein it consists 174 175 Honest. Honestie What it signifies 388 Sixe things which make and manifest an Honest conversation 389 An Honest conversation is the way either to convince or convert the Gentiles 392 Honour How Christ is an Honour to us 292 By what wayes we may expresse our Honour to men 477 How we must honour the King 483 Hony The Word for sweetnesse compared to Hony 240 The excellent uses of it ibid. Hope The differences betweene a living and a dead Hope 36 Nine wayes to shew our Hope 108 Five things to be done to get assured Hope 108 109 The difference betweene Faith and Hope 160 161 Houshold Housholders Vide Familie Humble Humblenesse Humblenesse of mind hath sixe things in it 16 Humblenesse is shewed in three things 330 Husband For Husband and Wife to live together quietly there are sixteen motives 576 Five speciall causes of disorder betweene man and wife 577 Motives to make Husbands carefull of their duties 633 Their cohabitation 634 In what cases they may be absent 635 He must dwell with her in knowledge 637 How they honour their wives 641 Hypocrisie How many wayes men commit it 210 Motives against it with effects of it ibid. c. Excellent uses hereof 211 The sorts of Hypocrisie that we are most in danger of 212 Preservatives against it ibid. Hypocrites How an open Hypocrite may be discerned 213 What makes an Hypocrite and how a man may know himselfe not to be one ibid. c. Hypocrites in bondage whilst they seeme Freemen 471 Eight things for the discoverie of Hypocrites 177 I IGnorance The unregenerate charged with Ignorance 116 Signes of their Ignorance 117 How different from the Ignorance of the godly ibid. It is hatefull to be Ignorant in spirituall things 457 A hard thing to cure Ignorance 463 464 Imitation We must imitate God 118 Five things in which we are not to imitate Christ 328 Immortalitie Foure degrees of it 186 Incorruptible Seven things which are Incorruptible 611 Incorruptible things doe wonderfully adorne 612 Grace begotten in the hearts of the godly is Incorruptible in divers respects 188 Indifferent Things â—Indifferent in matters of religion though somâ—times inconvenient may be commanded and must be obeyed 434 Pretended inconveniences by humane lawes surveyed 435 About taking and giving of scandall at humane ceremonies 436 How Christian libertie is made a cloake of maliciousnesse in things indifferent 472 In thongs indifferent there be cases wherein Christian libertie is vilely abused ibid. Inheritance How the Saints inheritance is incorruptible even in foure respects 39 Undefiled in five respects ibid. Inventions Whether any Inventions of men may be obeyed 433 A catalogue of such Inventions as were used for religious ends without any commandement 434 Joy A Christian life is a joyfull life manifested in nine things 54 Gods servants may joy nine wayes ibid. How that their joy is preserved 55 How full his joy may be in earthly things 56 Sixâ— kinds of joy 72 Five kinds of divelish joy ibid. Eight signes of discerning the joy of the holy Ghost from all other joyes 73 Whether the joyes of the holy Ghost be felt of every Christian 74 What we must do to get the joy of God ib. How to preserve that joy ibid. The differences betweene joy temporarie and true joy 188 Judge God is a terrible Iudge to the wicked 529 He judgeth righteously 530 Judgement The day of judgement why called The last day 52 Why deferred ibid. Why the Day of judgement is called The Revelation of Iesus Christ 111 Of the last judgement and the certainty thereof 128 All must appeare at the day of judgement 129 We shall be judged according to our workes iibid How infants can be judged according to their workes 130 Iudgements inflicted on some particular offenders belong to all for divers reasons 301 K KIll Repentance for sin doth in divers respects kill a man 538 Kings Differences betweene spirituall and earthly Kings 319 Christians should live like Kings 320 King is a note of the highest dignitie on earth 440 The originall of Kings 441 The excellencie of Kings above others 442 Many encouragements to Subjects to beare Kings superioritie ibid. Kings must be honoured first in heart secondly in word thirdly in worke 483 Kin Vide Generation Onely good Christians are of the best kin 317 The uses of it ibid. They are of Royall kin and that in many respects 318 629 Knowledge The excellencie of divine Knowledge in many respects 637 It is required of all sorts of men 638 It is given for use and practice ibid. It ought to have a commanding power ibid. Meanes to give power to our knowledge ibid. c. It makes an impression in every mans life 639 In it men should excell women ibid. What it is for the husband to dwell with the wife in knowledge 640 Knowledge must have three properties and effects of it 652 653 L LAmb. Christ a Lamb in sixe respects 147 The Lambes in the ceremoniall law types of Christ ibid. c. The uses of it 148 Libertie Vide Freedome Christian Libertie is a great gift bestowed by Christ 466 A man may use his Libertie as a
Apostle here exhorteth and withall we should bring with us faith to beleeve that Godâ— word shall turne to our nourishment Shall we trust nature for the goodnesse of milk and shall we not trust God for the efficacy of his word when he tels us it will nourish like milk And the rather should wee make our recourse with gladnesse to the word because it is so cheap a food we may buy this milke without money that is without merits only if we will heare our soules shall live Esay 55.2.4 yea let us for ever be thankfull to God for his word in this respect Was it so great a blessing that God brought the Israelites to a land that flowed with milk and hony for their bodies for the greatnesse of which blessing God doth so often put them in minde of it How great then is the marvellous goodnesse of God that hath made us to live in these times of the Gospell when the Land flowes with this spirituall milk and hony Let us labour to be thankfull and bring forth fruits worthy the bounty of God left the Lord send the men of the East to dwell in these palaces and to eat our milk and wee be cast out as it was said in the Letter Ezech. 25.4 Oh that we could see our happinesse in these daies of salvation this is that milke of the Gentiles prophecied of which wee enjoy and sucke now from the breasts of Kings living under Christian Magistrates that command the preaching of this sincere word of God Esay 60.16 Sincere The word may besaid to be sincere in two respects First in it selfe secondly in effect in it selfe it is sincere because it is without error without sinne and there is no deceit in it at all Prov. 8.7.8 Psalm 19.8.9 And because it hath no composition in it but is the very pure word of God as it came from God himselfe at first there is not a word in it but it was written by men inspired immediately by the holy Ghost 2. Pet. 1. ult And as it is in it selfe so it is by effect It makes men sincere It makes crooked things straight It purgeth out hypocrisie and all leaven out of the minds and hearts of men it both teacheth and worketh in the godly a spirit without guile Psalm 19.8.9 The Use may be both for instruction and reproofe For instruction both to the people and to Ministers To the people and so men should here learne First to love the word and long after it for this very reason because it is so pure and sincere so void of harme or danger so did David Psalme 119.146 Secondly when we finde our natures crooked and corrupt and deceitfull and tending to hypocrisie we should bring our hearts to the word to be mended For this you see is a property of the word it will make men sincere Psal. 19. 8 9. and 119. Iohn 17. 20. and as any men have more betaken themselves to the word the more sincere they have alwayes growne Thirdly to receive the word with full assurance we may trust upon it it cannot deceive us what we finde for comfort or directions in Scripture we may build upon it Never man was disappointed of his expectation that trusted upon the word of God but in God they have ever praised his word 2. Pet. 1.20 Psal. 56.10 and 10.1 Fourthly as the Ministry of Gods servants doth more declare the sincerity of the word so we should bee more in love with it wee should like praier preaching I meane not witlesse and unlearned preaching but such preaching as maketh demonstration to the conscience out of the pure word of God in things that concerne the good of the soules of men and the glory of God the word doth ever profit men most when it is most sincere that men onely speake the words of God Fiftly to stick to the word of God without going to the right hand or the left there can be no sinne but what is condemned in the word nor can there be duty not commanded therein nor can there be matter of faith not propounded therein Oh how happy were we if we could stick to the old foundation even the sincere word of God and not adde nor diminish the hatefulnesse of departing from the word on the left hand is in most places discovered But Oh the deceitfulnesse of mens hearts and the wretched pronenesse of men to sinne by finding out many inventions Men runne out and that very fast on the right hand we have new opinions and strange fancies coyned every day Little doe the better sort of people many of them think of traditions on the right hand their faith is led into bondage when they can yeeld no better reason than it is such a mans judgement or else he thinketh so himselfe or the reasons brought are urged without any demonstration from the word of God and Scripture Happy above the most Churches under heaven were this nation if this point were understood and carefully observed if we could sticke to our first grounds in parting from the Church of Rome viz. to admit no opinions nor charge our conscience with more obligations but out of the word of God Ministers also may learne from hence what and how to preach that is the best preaching which is eminent for two things First that tends to beget sincerity clearnesse of judgement distinct evidence of assurance and strict holinesse of life in the hearers Secondly that shines in the native lustre of the word in it selfe without mixture when men know no matter no stile no wisdome comparable to that which may be had in the word This also may serve for reproofe First of such Ministers as preach not sincerely and such are they that preach for corrupt ends though they preach true doctrine Phil. 1. 17. and they that preach obscurely and carelesly and strive not to set out the glory of the truths they propound and they that are like lewd Vintners which mixe the word with the errour of their owne braines or with the traditionâ— of men or with a manifest strife to bring in mans wisedome to Gods word more desiring to shew their owne wits and learning than the glory of the scriptures 2. Cor. 4. 2. and 1. Cor. 1. 17. and 2.4.5.13 2. Of the people for that great wanâ— of appetite to Gods pure word and the plaine preaching of it Thus of the second reason the third is taken from the effect and the profit which will follow viz. they shall grow thereby That ye may grow thereby This point of the growth of a Christian is of singular use and meet to be fully and particularly opened and therefore I will observe five things concerning it more especially First that we ought to grow in grace Secondly in what things we should labour to grow and abound Thirdly what are the rules to be observed that we might grow Fourthly the signes of growth Fiftly the uses of the whole First for the first Christians