weighing this place alone For so far hath the misapprehended Doctrine of Predestination and Certaintie of their own Estate in Salvation misswaded some as they have not been affraid to affirm That the Angels are in some sort inferiour to themselves because They minister to them as they are Heires of Salvation Ministers they are indeed yet not to us but to God or Christ though for our good So is every Magistrate so is every Pastor in his place yet God forbid that inferiours should hence collect That their Magistrates and Pastors should be Inferiour to all them for whose good they are Ministers 3. The next Point to be examined is the Extent of this our High Priests Exaltation about the Bounds or limits whereof the Controversies are more then any difficulties in the Rule of Faith do minister but not so many as men of rash or audacious understandings make and the most of them prosecuted with greater vehemencie of contention then the spirit of sobrietie which should be in every good Christian will approve The Questions of more profitable Use are generally Two The First concerns the Logical Subject of Christs Exaltation comprehended in this Title of Sitting at the Right-hand of God and the like And the Issue is this Whether Christ be exalted only as he is the Son of David or as he is the Son of God or according to both his natures as well Divine as humane The second Quaerie is about the Extent or Limits of the Exaltation of his humane Nature The one Question as Logicians speak is about the Extent or limit of the Subject The other about the Extent or limit of the Attribute That Christ was exalted according to his Humane Nature or as he was the Son of David all Christians agree But that he should be exalted as God or according to his Divine Nature which is absolutely Infinite may well seem impossible for the matter and for the Phrase very harsh Howbeit this is avouched by many Orthodoxal and worthy Divines And if Christ be as most Protestants avouch our Mediator Secundum utr amque naturam according to Both Natures why may he not be said to be Exalted according to Both Natures Yet a Difference there is which will disjoynt this Consequence For to be a Mediator betwixt two doth not necessarily include any Defect or inequalitie in the partie mediating in respect of the parties between whom he is a Mediator Whereas to be Exalted doth necessarily include or presuppose some Lower degree from which he is Exalted to an higher And if Christ according to his Divine Nature be alwayes equal to God the Father he was and is and shall be Absolutely Infinite And Absolute Infinitie cannot admit of any Degrees specially of Exaltation This necessarily argues that Christs Divine Nature could in it self receive no Degree of Diminution or Exaltation If then according to his Divine Nature he was exalted this Exaltation was not by any Real Addition of Dignitie to his Nature but only quoad nos in respect of us And it is perhaps one thing to say that Christ was Exalted according to his Divine Nature Another to say That Christ was Exalted as he was the Son of God However thus much we are bound to believe and thus much we may safely say That Christ as God was exalted in the same Sense and manner that he was Humbled as God Now that the Son of God who was as truly God as God the Father truly equal to God the Father did truly humble himself unto death even to the death of the Cross was in the first Chapter of our Eighth Book deduced out of the second to the Philippians Nor did he humble himself only according to his Humane Nature for he humbled himself not only by his life and death here on earth but by taking the Humane Nature in which he was humbled The Humane Nature could not be humbled by being united to his Divine Nature but rather Exalted So that the first and Prime Subject of his humiliation was if not his Divine Nature yet his Divine Person The Person of the Son of God was humbled by his Incarnation or Conception by his Birth by his Life by his Death and Passion And for every degree of his humiliation there is a correspondent degree of his Exaltation by his Resurrection by his Ascension into heaven and by his Sitting at the Right-hand of God the Father In what Sense our Apostle saith He was humbled according to his Divine Person hath been discussed at large before The sum was this If he that thought it no robberie to be equal with God had been at any time pleased to have assumed a body or created substance into the unitie of his Infinite Person such Glorie and honour was unto that his bodie or created substance due as exceeds the Glorie and honour of all other bodies or created substances infinitely more then any creature can possibly exceed another And yet we know that the Son of God who was from Eternitie equal to his Father did in the Fulnesse of Time assume into the unitie of his Divine Person a Bodie and Soul subject to all the infirmites sin only excepted that humane nature is capable of And by assuming such a bodie and by exposing it to all the miseries of mortalitie the Son of God was truly said to be humbled and the Degrees of his humiliation were as many and large as are the Degrees by which his immortal glorified Bodie doth exceed his mortal Bodie as many and large as are the Degrees of Honour and Excellencie betwixt that Royal Priesthood which now he exerciseth and the Form of a Servant wherein he appeared So that not only the Humane Nature of the Son of God but the Son of God in his Humane Nature is truly exalted according to all the Degrees of his former Humiliation But is this all that we are bound to believe or may safely acknowledge concerning the Exaltation of Christ both as he was the Son of God and as he was the Son of David 4. If this were all then his Exaltation as the Son of God should meerly consist in the Abdication or putting off the Form of a Servant It could not include or presuppose any positive Ground of any new and Real Attribute but only a Relation to his former humiliation Some good Divines as well Ancient as modern suppose that albeit man had never sinned yet should the Son of God have been incarnate that is have taken our nature upon him yet our nature not humbled or obnoxious to death but alwaies clothed with glorie and immortalitie For Illustration or Example sake Suppose the Son of God had taken an humane bodie altogether as glorious as now it is from the very first moment of its assumption into the unitie of his Divine Glorious Person Could the assumption of such a bodie how glorious soever or how perpetual soever its glorie had been have added any least degree of Exaltation unto the Son of
any good Christian that will but raise his thoughts above the earth by this or the like Experiment of nature Albeit this bodily Sun which we dayly see were much further distant from the earth then now it is yet could we easily conceive it to be of force and efficacie enough to enlighten the earth whereon we dwell and those coelestial Spheres which are or might be as farre above it as it is above the Center And in the greatest distance we can imagin it is or might be distant from the earth it would give life and vigour to things vegetable or capable of vital heat It were a silly Argument to infer that because the hottest fire on earth cannot impart his heat to bodies 10 miles distant from it therefore the Sun cannot communicate vital heat and Comfort to vegetables more then ten-hundred-thousand miles distant from it This Inference notwithstanding is not so foolish in Philosophie as This following is in Divinitie The Sun cannot quicken trees or herbs which have lost their root and sap Ergo the Sun of righteousnes or Christs Humane Nature in which the Godhead dwelleth Bodily cannot quicken the dead or raise up our mortal bodies to immortalitie The only sure Anchor of all our hopes for a joyfull Resurrection unto the life of Glorie is the Mystical Union which must be wrought here on earth betwixt Christs Humane Nature glorified and our mortal or dissoluble nature The Divine Nature indeed is the Prime Fountain of Life to all but though inexhaustible in it self yet a fountain whereof we cannot drink save as it is derived unto us through the Humane Nature of Christ 11. Although it be most true which Tertullian in the 17 Chapter of his Apologie hath observed That even those Heathens which adored Jupiter Capitolinus and multiplied their Gods according to the number of the places wherein they worshiped them when they were throughly stung with any grievous affliction or calamitie were wont to lift up their eyes and hands not to the Roman Capitol but to heaven it self as knowing that by instinct of nature to be the seat or throne of Divine Majestie And the Hill from whence came their help Yet notwithstanding the truth of this Observation and the profitable use which that Father there makes of it it was an extraordinary Favour of God unto the Israelites that they were permitted and instructed to worship God in his Sanctuarie and to present their devotions towards the Ark of the Covenant or the Mercy-seat before which they might adore him in such manner and sort as they might not in any other place or before any other creature They knew much better then the heathen that Gods Throne of Majestie was in heaven and yet were to tender their devotions unto him as extraordinarily present in his Temple or Sanctuarie here on earth For as our bodily sight doth scatter or dazle without some sensible Object to gather and terminate it So our cogitations though of heaven and heavenly things do float or vanish without some determinate and comprehensible Object whereon to fasten them Now albeit the Temple of Jerusalem wherein Gods People only were to worship were long since demolished yet the Sanctuarie wherein they were to worship God is rather translated or advanced from earth to heaven then destroyed For it was Gods Presence that made the Temple and That is more extraordinary in Christs Body which the Jewes destroyed but which he raised again in three dayes then ever it had been in Solomons Temple in the Glorie of whose goodly structure and manifestation of Gods Glorie in it the true Israelites did much rejoyce and the later Iewes too much boast and glorie But this Prerogative we have in respect of the ancientest and truest Israelites that since the vail of the Temple was rent we may at all times reflecting upon that modell the Scripture hath imprinted in our mindes look within the vail and behold the Ark or Mercy-seat and use the most holy Sanctuarie or inner place made with hands as a Perspective Glasse or instrument for surveying the heavenly Sanctuarie which God hath pitched and not man This hope have we saith S t Paul Heb. 6. 19. as an anchor of the soul both sure and stedfast and which entreth into that within the vail whither the fore-runner is for us entred even Jesus made an high Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedek He is gone before us into the Sanctuarie to make perpetual intercession who before had made an everlasting attonement for us here on earth He is now become to us the Temple of God the Ark of the Covenant the Propitiatorie or Mercie-seat the fulfilling of all things and unto him now placed in his Sanctuarie at the Right-hand of God we are not only to direct our Cogitations or devotions but to transmit our affections to the Divine Nature by him The Son of God after he had suffered in Our flesh and made a full sufficient satisfaction for all our sins did in our nature rise again did in our nature ascend into heaven and in our nature sitteth at the Right-hand of God not only to gather our scatered contemplations and broken notions of the Godhead but withall to draw and unite our affections unto him which otherwise would flagg droop or miscarry if we should direct them to heaven at large or to the incomprehensible Majestie of the Godhead without a known Advocate or Intercessor to present them and to return their effects or issues Hence saith our Apostle Colos 3. 1. If ye be risen with Christ that is if you sted fastly believe that Christ who was the Son of God and as incomprehensible for his Divine Nature as God the Father to whom he was equal did dye in your flesh and comprehensible nature and in the same nature did rise againe from the dead then seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth at the Right-hand of God Set or settle or fasten your affections on things above not on things on the earth And as we are to settle our dearest affections on him so are we to direct our prayers unto him in his heavenly Sanctuarie 12. That we may direct our prayers unto the Blessed Trinitie according to the Rule of Faith which is the first Degree of praying in Faith take for the present these short Directions The First and Fundamental Object of Belief as Christian is the acknowledgement of the Blessed Trinitie And by this Belief we acknowledge such a Distinction of Persons or Parties between God the Father God the Son and God the Holy-Ghost that God the Father doth Personally and in proprietie of Person exact Satisfaction for all the offences committed against the God-head or Blessed Trinitie and that the Son of God doth by like Personal Proprietie undertake to make Satisfaction and Reconciliation for us He it is that doth avert the wrath of God from us and inhibit the proceedings of Divine Justice against us We are then in the First
more probable it is that our Apostle did aim at the 97. Psal then at the forecited place of Deut. because the other Testimonies following in that Hebr. 1. 8 9. are evidently taken out of the Book of Psalmes unto the SON he saith O GOD Thy throne is for ever and ever the Scepter of thy Kingdome is a Scepter of righteousness Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquitie wherefore God even thy God hath anointed thee with the oyle of gladness above thy fellowes This Testimonie is evident in the 45. Psal v. 6 7. So is that other Heb. 1. 10 11 12. expressely contained in Psal 102 Thou Lord in the beginning hast established the earth and the heavens are the workes of thine hands They shall perish but thou dost remain and they all shall wax old as doth a garment And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up and they shall be changed But thou art the same and thy yeares shall not fail The former testimonie is perhaps Typically Propheticall and may in some sort concern Salomon according to the literal sense but Salomon only as he was a Type of that Son of David who was likewise to be the Son of God But the Character almost of every line in the hundred and second Psalm testifies that the Psalmist in this grievous complaint had more then a Typical representation such a distinct and clear vision of Christs Glorie and Exaltation as the Prophet Esay Chap. 53. had of his humiliation in our flesh or humane nature The Title of this Psalm is A prayer of the afflicted when he shall be in distress and powr forth his meditations before the Lord. And The only fountain of comfort to all afflicted in bodie or soul is the Exaltation of Christ the Son of God in our flesh or nature That which must sweeten all our bodily sorrowes or afflictions even the bitterness of death it self whereof this Psalmist and the people of God in his time had tasted must be our meditation upon that and the like speeches of our Apostle If we suffer with Christ we shall also reign with him And for your comfort in all distress I cannot commend any fitter matter of meditation to you then is contained in this 102 Psalm and in the 2. 4. and 12. Chapters to the Hebrews This Exaltation of Christ to be Lord is alike clearly fore-prophesied Psalm 99. and Psalm 145. as every observant Reader may of himself collect 4. The more extraordinary and more special Grounds or Bases whereupon this Title of Lord as it is peculiar to Christ is erected are these First Christ is in peculiar sort called The LORD because it was God the Son not God the Father or God the Holie Ghost who did personally pay the ransom of our Sins and this he fully payed by offering up part of our nature made his own in a bloody Sacrifice to the Father Servants we were by creation of our nature not onely to God the Son but to God the Father and to God the Holie Ghost to the Divine nature or blessed Trinity But we had sold our selves for enjoying the pleasures of the flesh unto Gods adversary And albeit we could not by any compact or Covenant whether implicit or express made with Satan by our first Parents or by our selves alienate our selves from Gods Dominion of Jurisdiction over us yet we did renounce his Service and that Interest which we had in his gracious protection as he was our Lord and alienate unto his enemy that property or disposal of our imployments which by right of creation intirely belong'd to God God after our first Parents Fall was no otherwise our Lord then any King is Lord over Rebels Traytors Murtherers or of others who by their misdemeanors may alienate their allegeance from him and exempt themselves from his gracious protection but not from his power or Dominion of Jurisdiction for he is the minister of God for executing vengeance upon such Our first Parents had declared themselves to be Traytors and we had continued a race of Rebels against our God and Creator without all hope of being restored unto Gods favor and service unless satisfaction were made for our transgression and means purchased for establishing us in a better estate then the estate of Servants which we had by the gift of Creation Now not onely our redemption from the estate of Slaverie unto Satan but all the means for our further advancement after our ransom was paid were purchased by the Son of God And that which most advanceth the peculiar Title of Christs Dominion and Lordship over us was the price which he gave for us For we were not redeemed with corruptible things as with silver and gold though men with these and things more corruptible then these do purchase the real title of Lords and exercise the dominion of Lords over Lands or Servants so purchased but we were redeemed by the precious blood of Christ as of a Lamb undefiled and without spot 1 Pet. 1. 18 19. Blood is the most precious and dearest part of mans bodie and greater love we cannot testifie unto our dearest friends then by spending our blood for them Losses we value none so deeply as forgetfulness ungrateful neglects or contempt from them for whose sakes and credit we have been content specially out of sinceritie of love and sober resolution to shed our blood Never was any blood either so copiously shed or out of the like sinceritie of love or sobriety of resolution as Christs blood was shed for all and every one of us This blood did immediatly issue from his Man-hood whereof it was a true and lively part yet was it the blood not of Man onely but of God whence if we consider either our own miserable estate being then the enemies of God or his dignitie that made Attonement for us What real portion branch or degree of service can we imagin answerable to this Soveraign Title of Lord which Christ hath not more then fully purchased over all that are partakers of flesh and blood 5. Yet Besides this Ground or Title of Christs peculiar Lordship or dominion over us there is another more forcible to command our most chearful service unless our hope be quite dead or the affection of love utterly extinguished in us For Christ by his precious blood did not onely purchase our Freedom from the Slavery of Satan but being set free doth by the everlasting efficacie of this blood once shed both wash and nourish us not as his Servants but as the Sons of his and our heavenly Father Sin and slaverie was the Terminus a quo the condition or state from which he redeemed us but the end of our redemption from these was to invest us in the libertie of the Sons of God The height of all our hopes in the life to come is to be Kings and Priests as he is but in the mean time we are or may be live members of his Glorious Body and being such
children were taught amiss to know the nature of God or of his Enemy by vulgar Pictures or Representations For so the fashion was long before and continued till his time to picture God or the blessed Trinity in some fair and beautiful form and to paint the divel in some foul loathsom or ugly shape And this good Writer to correct their error well admonished as well the parents as their children That if they would learn to know what God was they must first be taught to know what Goodness is what Justice is what Mercy is what Bounty or loving kindness is And if they desire to know what maner of creature the divel is who is the chief enemy of God they should first be taught to know what malice is what filthiness is what loathsomness is what villany or treachery is For Satan is but a Compost of these or an extract of all that children or their parents acknowledge for evil Howbeit if either children or parents could be taught to know what Iustice is what Mercy is what loving kindness is or if they could be taught to know that God is what all these are even Iustice it self even mercy it self loving kindness it self wisdom it self or Wisdom Justice Mercy and loving kindness it self truly infinite yet his wisdom his mercy and loving kindness would be to us incomprehensible unapprehensible even in that these Attributes in him are infinite We could have no true or lively apprehension either speculative to inform our understandings what were good and ought to be followed or moral to enable and qualifie our hearts and affections to imitate or express that patern of goodness or so much of it as we apprehend in God if we should look upon these Attributes as they are in God the Father only or in the Divine nature But as he that cannot look upon the Sun in its strength or brightness or at the noon day may take the model of it in the water or in the Moon at full So we that cannot behold the glory of Divine Majesty in the Godhead may safely behold the Map or Model of his incomprehensible Goodness in the Man Christ Iesus All His actions and endeavors were with such wisdom set and bent upon mercy on goodness on loving kindness that every one which saw and duly considered his maner and course of life here on Earth might collect that he truly was as himself avouched more then the Son of man the very Son of God himself who is good and gracious to all For Christ as Man went about doing good to all doing hurt to none Now as the Son of Syrach saith Ecclus. 22. 3. That an evil son is the dishonor of his father So it will follow by the Rule of Contraries That a wise or good son is the honor of his father So Solomon hath said in express terms Prov. 10. 1. A wise son maketh a glad father but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother Now Christ as we know is called The Wisdom of the onely wise immortal God his beloved Son in whom he is well pleased And well pleased with him he is for that he is the honor of his Father And as Christ by confessing God and by real expression of his Goodness in his life and actions did truly glorifie his Father as he himself expresly avoucheth John 17. So all that really confess Christ to be the Lord that is all which throughly express the Map or Model of his Goodness in their lives and conversations do truly glorifie God the Father 9. Briefly then Every tongue truly and rightly confesseth Christ to be the Lord that observes his Commandments or that observes the Commandments of God more strictly and more religiously then others do who although they profess they honor God yet do not honor him as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ or do not honor Jesus Christ as his only Son This is that special Will of the Father which is in heaven and that which must be done by all which mean to enter into Heaven that every one which honoreth the Father should also honor the Son Joh. 5. 23. Honor the Son they must not in words or title only but by performance of real Service Every one that thus honoreth the Son doth hereby glorifie God the Father Hence saith our Savior Matth. 5. 16. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your Father which is in heaven And again Ioh. 15. 1. Our Savior compares himself to the Vine and his Father unto a Husbandman which expects the fruit of his vineyard So that the end why the Son of God did descend from heaven why he was planted and took root here on earth was that the sons of Adam or Abraham might be ingrafted in him and the End of our ingrafting in him was that we might bring forth fruit unto his Father But What comfort is it to have Christ Our Lord if by Allegeance to him we be more strictly bound to do the will of God then those which do not acknowledge Him their Lord I Answer 1. It is a credit by consent of Nations and repute of men naturally wise if not A Real Comfort to have him Our Lord who governs his people by the most excellent and equitable Laws Such were those which the Son of God gave the Jews What are these now refined in the Gospel All men naturally desire happiness As by those Laws God directed the Jews so by these he disciplines Us for our Good seeking occasion or Title in our obedience to exercise his bounty by rewarding us for doing good to our selves and others at his command He that sins against the laws of Christ doth it in Sui damnum sins against his own soul and by straying from them goes out of that way which only can lead him to the happiness he desireth 2. It is comfort that our Lord rules not with rigor but masters his Dominion with Equity Novit figmentum nostrum having Himself been compassed with the infirmities of mans nature all but such as did proceed from sin or lead unto sin he can by acquaintance and experience of them tell both how willing the spirit and how weak the flesh of miserable Mortals be and ready is he to give allowance accordingly But Thirdly Here is comfort indeed That as JESUS CHRIST the Righteous is our Lord so He is The Lord our Righteousness so is He our Sollicitor our Advocate our most compassionate High-Priest who ex officio negotiates on our behalf by mediation and intercession with the Father for pardon of all our transgressions negligences ignorances both of all sins committed and duties omitted or performed untowardly and amiss He made One Propitiation by his death and he lives for ever to make intercession for us Yea so gracious is This our Lord that he seems in a manner during this Acceptable Day or time of Grace to lay aside The Title
him and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him the Judgement was set and the Books were opened The Fiery Wheels are Emblems of his suddain approach or of the swiftness of his Judgements to overtake his Enemies Though the Vision was new and uncouth yet the Branches of the things seen or revealed unto Daniel were known before unto Gods Prophets His Seat or Throne was prepared of old so faith the Psalmist Psal 9. 4. Thou hast maintained my right and my cause thou satest in the Throne Judging right And again ver 6 7. O thou enemy destruction is come to a perpetual end and thou hast destroyed Cities their memorial is perished with them But the Lord shall endure for ever he hath prepared his Throne for Judgement See Psal 96 ver 10. 13. And Psal 98. ver 8 9. But Daniel saw more seats and Thrones then one albeit he mention as perhaps he saw none sitting in them This as one wittily commenteth upon this place of Daniel is an Emblem of the Law which was an Emptiness or vacuum in respect of the Gospel and as all things else in the Law prefigured or forepainted were solidly accomplished in the Gospel So these Seats which are here indefinitely represented unto us by Daniel without any specification of their number without intimation of any sitting on them are pictured unto us by St. John with 24. Elders sitting upon them Rev. 4. 4. And round about the Throne were 24. seats and upon the seats I saw 24. Elders sitting and clothed in white raiment and they had on their heads Crowns of Gold Our Savior had said unto his Apostles Matth. 19. 28. that They should sit upon twelve seats Iudging the twelve Tribes of Israel And twelve Heads of the Tribes of Israel or the like number of Select Ones who lived under the Old Testament may make up the number of 24. That as all the Truths of both Testaments will consummately be fulfilled so the Saints of Both may then be most perfectly united in the Church Triumphant 9. But to proceed to such other Representations as are to be found in the Scripture This manner of Christs coming to Judge the earth or of his appearance in glory was represented unto Moses and to the Israelites Exod. 24. 10. 17. The sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel And this fire had devoured them if they had approached the mountain or Gods presence without Gods invitation But Moses and Aaron Nadab and Abihu and 70. of the Elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a Saphir stone and as it were the body of Heaven in its clearness And upon the Nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand This was a Peculiar Priviledge or dispensation Also they saw God and did eat and drink and in this they represented the state of the Elect which notwithstanding the terror of that last day shall be invited by Christ and be admitted to eat and drink with him in his Kingdom But this dispensation during the time of the Law was not granted to all Israel but to Moses and Aaron Nadab and Abihu and to the 70. Elders or Nobles of Israel only unto all the rest whom God did not vouchsafe to invite the Spectacle though seen afar off was Terrible so terrible that they durst not approach unto it So shall the coming of the Son of Man be to all the kindreds of the earth which have not hearkned to his sweet and loving Invitations here on earth All such as have neglected them or make their appearance before him without a garment or habit in some sort suitable to the Marriage unto which they have been invited shall be everlastingly excluded and cast into utter darkness where shall be nothing but weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth But the thred which I am now to follow is the forementioned Prophecie Dan. 7. v. 9. 10. Now whether in the vision of the Ancient of days God the Father were personally represented or whether it were a representation of the Godhead or Divine Power onely as it is indivisibly in the Blessed Trinity without any note of Personal difference or whether at the last day there shall be any distinct representation of Christs sitting at the right hand of the Father or whether The Throne of the Son of God shall then onely appear are Questions which I will refer wholly to the Schools It sufficeth us to believe and know that the Father Judgeth no man but hath committed all Judgement especially this Final Judgement to the Son and that the SON OF MAN shall then appear in the Glory of his God-head in Glory equal to God the Father What Manner of appearance this shall be and how the world shall be affected with it we are now to inquire so far as is fitting taking the description of it from Gods written word And haply lest we should conceive of God the Father as more ancient for dayes then the Son which Transformation of the Divine Nature the pictures of the Blessed Trinity seen and allowed by the Roman Church do naturally and inevitably suggest to the unlearned St. John doth describe the Son of Man or that glory wherein the Son of God and the Son of Man shall then appear much what after the same manner that Daniel had done the Ancient of dayes Dan. 7. 9 10. The description of the Son of God and of the Son of Man taken by St. John is Rev. 1. 13 14 15 16. And I saw in the middest of the 7. Candlesticks one like unto the Son of man clothed with a garment down to the foot and girt about the paps with a golden girdle His head and his hairs were white like wooll as white as snow and his eyes were as a flame of fire And his feet like unto fine brasse as if they burned in a furnace and his voice as the sound of many waters And he had in his right hand seven stars and out of his mouth went a sharp two edged sword and his countenance was as the Sun shineth in his strength You have heard before out of the seventeenth of St. Matthew that St. Peter Iames and John when they were spectators of his transfiguration which was but a representation of the Son of Mans coming in his kingdom when they heard the voice out of the cloud fell on their faces and were sore afraid until he came and touched them and said arise be not afraid This sight or vision of his glory Apoc. 1. 17 18. was more terrible then the Voice which they then heard When I saw him saith St. John I fell at his feet as dead and he laid his right hand upon me saying unto me fear not I am the first and the last I am be that liveth and was dead and behold I am alive for evermore
place of more honourable attendance yet the warlike Princes of ancient times made choice of men most trusty and valourous for their Favourites But the Almighty unto whose future designs the Rites and Customs of the Kings of Judah were haply praefashioned needs no Defendant no assistant either on the Right-hand or on the Left The former occasion of imbecillitie or need of Defendants being set apart as the Right-hand is ordinarily more worthy then the Left so to be on the Right-hand of Supreme Honour is simply more honourable then to be on the Left specially according to the Custome of the Jews The Sons of Zebedee or their Mother or both were not ignorant in rerespect of the general matter but in the particular Form or Manner or Circumstance of their Petition when they desired that the one might sit on their Masters Right-hand and the other on the Left in his Kingdome To sit by him in his Kingdom was to their apprehension and according to the custome of their Native Country a greater Dignity then to stand by him or to go in and out before him To sit on the Right-hand was affected by the Mother as a place of praecedence for her elder Son and therefore rank't in the former place in her Petition She saith not That the one may sit on the Left-hand and the other on the Right but that one may sit on the Right-hand and the other on the Left Mat. 20. 21. That to sit on the Right-hand of Majesty was the greatest honour whereof any Subject or inferiour Prince in Jurie was capable may be gathered from the honour which Solomon did unto his Mother Bathsheba 1 King 2. 19. The King rose up to meet her and bowed himself unto her and sate down on his Throne and caused a seat to be set for the Kings Mother and she sate on his Right-hand Nor hath the Royall Psalmist any better place for the Spouse whose Dignity he sought to emblazon Psal 45. 9. Kings daughters were among thine honourable women upon thy Right-hand did stand the Queen in a vesture of gold of Ophir To have the power of superiours on the Right-hand or for the enemy to have the Right-hand is in Sacred Heraldrie a sign of victory or pre-eminence whether in Civil or Warlike proceedings The greatest plague and root of curses which David did wish unto the enemies of his God and which did afterwards fall on Judas the greatest enemy of Davids Son and Lord was that the wicked might be set over him and that the adversary might stand at his Right-hand for so he knew that he should be condemned when he was judged and that his prayers should be turned into sin Psal 109. 6 7. The surest Anchor of Davids Confidence was Gods being on his Right-hand Psal 16. 8. The Lord is at my Right-hand therefore I shall not slide or fall And the final Consummation of all the happinesse which he hoped for whether in his own person or in the person of his expected Son the Messias was to be placed at the Right-hand of God In thy presence is fulnesse of joy and at thy Right-hand there are Pleasures for evermore Psal 16. 11. And so will it be found at the last Day when The Son of Man shall set the Sheep on his Right-hand and the goats on the Left and shall say to them on his Right-hand Come ye Blessed But to them on the Left Go ye cursed Mat. 25. 33. c. 2. So then This Article of Christs sitting at the Right-hand of God is as A Trophie of his Victory gotten over death and over all the temptations of the World and the divel whilest he lived on earth and a certain Prognostick of his final Triumph over all his succeeding enemies for he must sit at the Right-hand of God until all his enemies be made his foot-stool But before we come to decypher the Real Dignity here described it may be questioned whether the Description it self be meerly Metaphorical or Symbolical that is a language borrowed from the visible customes of men without any real sensible Similitude between the things signified by the same words That this Phrase of Sitting at the Right hand of God is a meere borrowed speech most Divines do hold giving us withal this General Rule That no Corporeal Substance Quality Habit or Gesture can be attributed unto God otherwise then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is by a kind of Poetical Fiction or Figurative speech borrowed from the fashions of men The proper Logical Subject notwithstanding of this Rule or Maxim must be the God-head or Divine Nature in the Abstract It holds not so truly of God or at least of every Divine Person The Divine Nature or God-head is Simple Pure and Immixt The God-head hath neither eyes nor eares nor body much lesse can there be in it any distirction of Right-hand or Left yet may we not deny but the Son of God who is truly God hath eyes and eares feet and hands Right-hand and Left-hand and all the parts of the humane body which any perfect man hath His Blood though humane blood is as truly the Blood of God as of Man His Blood is the Blood of God his Body the Body of God in such a sense as neither the body nor blood of any other creature are said to be Gods whose all things are in heaven and earth His Flesh and Blood and all the parts of his humane Body are the Flesh Blood and parts of God in as strict and proper sense as our hands are said our own that is by strict and Personal Propriety The Son of God hath flesh and blood hands and feet in such a sense as God the Father or God the Holy Ghost hath not 3. But when it is said that Christ sitteth at the Right-hand of God this must be understood of God the Father not of God the Son for so it is expressed in the Apostles Creed that The Son of God who was Crucified dead and buried and who rose the third day from the dead now sits at the Right-hand of God the Father Almightie Now if God the Father have no bodie no Right-hand or Left-hand as God the Son hath the case seems clear that Christs sitting at the right-hand of the Father must needs be a speech meerly Metaphorical borrowed from the custom of earthly Princes to be placed at whose Right hand is the greatest honour that can be to their chief Peers or Subjects This is most certain if we speak of the Nature or Essence of the God head or of the Divine Person of the Father Yet all this hinders not why the Divine Majesty or Person of the Father who is every where Essentially present may not be more Conspicuously present in respect of created sights in some visible heavenly Throne then in any other place The Father for ought we know may have a distinct Throne and the Son another or they may have distinct manifestations of Glory upon the same
God It could not There had been indeed an Exaltation of the bodie so assumed but none of the Nature or Person assuming it How then is the Son of God said now to be Exalted by his bodily Ascension into Heaven or by his Sitting at the Right-hand of the Father in our Nature wherein he was formerly humbled Take the Resolution plainely thus God the Father had remained as glorious as now he is although he had never created the world For the creation gave much even all they had to things created it gave nothing unto God who was in Being infinite yet if God had created nothing the Attribute of Creator could have had no real Ground it had been no real Attribute In like manner Suppose the Son of God had never condescended to take our nature upon him he had remained as Glorious in his Nature and Person as now he is yet not glorified for or by this Title or Attribute of Incarnation Or suppose he had not humbled himself unto death by taking the Form of a Servant upon him he had remained as glorious in his Nature and Person and in the Attribute of Incarnation as now he is but without these glorious Attributes of being our Lord and Redeemer and of being the Fountain of Grace and Salvation unto us All these are Real Attributes and suppose a Real Ground or foundation and that was his humbling himself unto death even unto the death of the Cross Nor are these Attributes only Real but more Glorious both in respect of God the Father who was pleased to give his Only Son for us and in respect of God the Son who was pleased to pay our ransome by his humiliation then the Attribute of Creation is The Son of God then not the Son of David only hath been Exalted since his death to be our Lord by a new and Real Title by the Title of Redemption and Salvation This is the Sum of our Apostles Inference concerning our Saviours Exaltation Phil. 2. 11. That every tongue should confesse that Jesus Christ is The Lord unto the Glorie of God the Father To shut up this Point Though Christ Jesus be both our High-Priest and Lord not only as he is the Son of David but as he is the only begotten Son of God and so begotten from all Eternitie yet was he neither begotten a Priest nor Lord from all Eternitie but made a Priest and made a Lord in time The Word of the Oath saith the Apostle Heb. 7. 28. which was since the Law maketh the Son a Priest who was consecrated for evermore And in the very same Charter wherein this Word of the Oath or uncontrollable Fiat for making the Eternal Word an Everlasting Priest is contained this Peculiar Title of Lord is first inferred For so that 110 th Psalm begins Jehovah said to my Lord Sit thou at my right hand untill I make thine Enemies thy foot-stool Not that Adonai importeth lesse Honour or Majestie then Jehovah doth as the Jews and Arians ignorantly and impiously collect but with purpose to notifie that this Title of Lord or Adonai was to become as peculiar to Jehovah the Son of God as the Title of Cohen or Priest But this Title of Lord as peculiar to Christ will require and doth well deserve a peculiar discourse and the place allotted it is in the beginning of the second Section 5. Now for Use or Application These insuing Meditations and Considerations offer themselves What branch of sorrow of bodily affliction or anguish of soul or Spirit can we imagin incident to any degree condition or sort of men to any son of man at any time unto which the waters of Comfort may not plentifully be derived from this inexhaustible Fountain of Comfort comprised in This Article of Christs Sitting at the Right-hand of God the Father Almighty No man can be of so low dejected or forlorn estate for means or friends re or spe either by birth or by misfortune but may raise his heart with this Consideration that it is no servitude or beggerie but freedom or riches to be truly entitled A Servant to the Lord of Lords and King of Kings to whom Angels and Principalities as Saint Peter speaks even those Angels and Principalities to whom not Kings and Monarchs but even Kingdoms and Monarchies are Pupils are subject and his fellow servants Or in case any poor dejected soul should be surprized with distrust or jealousie lest his Lord in such infinite height of Exaltation and distance should not from heaven take notice of him thrown down to earth let him to his comfort consider That the Son of God and Lord of Glorie to the end he might assure us that he was not a Lord more Great in himself then Gracious and loving unto us was pleased for a long time to become a Servant before he would be made a Lord and a Servant subject to multitudes of publick despights disgraces and contempts from which ordinarie servants or men of forlorn hopes are freed If he willingly became such a Servant for thee to whom he owed nothing wilt not thou resolve to make a vertue of necessitie by patient bearing thy meannesse or misfortunes for his sake to whom even Kings owe themselves their Scepters and all their worldly glorie But though it be a contemplation full of comfort to have him for our Supreme Lord and Protector who sometimes was a Servant cruelly oppressed by the greatest Powers on earth without any power of man to defend or protect him yet the sweet streams of joy and comfort flow more plentifully to all sorts and conditions of men from the Attribute of his Royal Priesthood To be a Priest implies as much as to be a Mediator or Intercessor for averting Gods wrath or an Advocate for procuring his Favours and blessings * And what could Comfort her self wish more for her children suppose she had been our mother then to have Him for our perpetual Advocate and Intercessor at the Right-hand of God who is equal to God in Glorie in Power and Immortalitie and yet was sometimes more then equal unto us in all manner of anguish of grievances and afflictions that either our nature state or casual condition of life can be charged with * Albeit he knew no sin yet never was the heart of any the most grievovs sinner no not whilest it melted with penitent tears and sorrow for misdoings past so deeply touched with the fellow-feeling of his brothers miseries of such miseries as were the proper effects or fruits of sin as the heart of this our High-Priest was touched with every mans miserie and affliction that presented himself with prayers unto him his heart was as fit a Receptacle for others sorrows of all sorts as the eye is of colours Who was weak and he was not weak who was grieved and he burned not who was afflicted and he not tormented 6. There be Two more special and remarkable Maxims of our Apostles for our comfort The One Heb.
2. 10. That Christ was consecrated to his Priesthood through afflictions And consecrated through afflictions more then ordinarie through the sufferings of death and torments more then natural to the end that being thus consecrated he might become a merciful and faithful High-Priest a Priest not only able to sanctifie our afflictions to us but to consecrate and annoint us through patient suffering of afflictions to be more then Conquerors even Kings and Priests to our God So he saith Rev. 3. 21. To him that overcometh will I give to sit with me in my throne even as I overcame and sit with my Father in his throne The other remarkable Speech of our Apostle is Heb. 5. 8. Albeit he were The Son yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered Being infinite in knowledge as he was God and of most perfect knowledge as he was man he could learn nothing by conversing here on earth with men but only Experience of Godly grief and sorrows for our follies and impieties Such sorrows were the proper fruits of our Sins we brought them forth and he did tast the bitternesse of them This then is our Comfort That whatsoever he could learn on earth he cannot possibly forget in heaven we have and ever shall have him whilest he is in heaven and we on earth An High-Priest which will be touched with compassion of our miseries The End of his coming down from heaven and his investiture in the Form of a Servant was that he might be Consecrated through afflictions here on earth to be a merciful and faithful High-Priest and Mediator between God and man And this Consecration which was the End of his coming down being accomplished the End of his Ascension into heaven and of his Sitting at the Right-hand of God in our nature was that he might make Intercession for us out of the fresh and never failing memorie and Experience of his own former grief and sorrows for our sins And what good thing is it then which he will not ask of his Father for us And what is it that our heavenly Father for his sake will not give us Nothing in heaven or earth if we aske it in Faith and as we ought CHAP. III. In what Sense Christs Humane Nature may in what Sense it may not be said to be Infinitely Exalted The Question concerning The Ubiquitie of Christs Bodie handled 1. THe Article of Christ Sitting at the Right-hand of God in the Construction which all make of it containes The Height of his Exaltation And highly Exalted he was if not according to both Natures the Divine as well as the Humane yet as properly Exalted as he was the Son of God as in that he was the Son of David When we say he was truly Exalted and truly Humbled as he was the Son of God our meaning is That the true and Prime Subject as of his Humiliation so of his Exaltation was not only his Humane Nature but his Divine Person Yet when we say that his Divine Person was the proper Subject of his Humiliation and Exaltation we mean as we say in the Schools Subjectum Attributionis not Subjectum Inhaesionis His Humiliation and Exaltation are Real Attributes and the proper Subject of these Real Attributes was not only his Humane Nature but at the least his Divine Person Yet are they Really Attributed to him without any Real Alteration or internal change either in his Divine Nature or Person His Divine Person was not lessened in it self by his humiliation nor was it augmented in it self by his Exaltation And yet it was Really Humbled and Really Exalted 2. His Humane Nature is not only the true and proper Subject of his Exaltation but it is withal Subjectum inhaesionis His Exaltation in it or according to it includes a true and Real Change in it self not only in respect of us or of the Titles which we attribute or ascribe unto it His Humane Nature in his Humiliation was clothed with mortalitie as with its inner Garment and had the Form of a Servant as an outward Vesture upon it In his Exaltation he put off Both and clothed the Humane Nature with his Immortalitie and covered and adorned his immortal Nature with the Robes of endlesse Glorie and Majestie This Real Alteration and internal Change all do grant The Question only is concerning the Bounds or Limits of that Glorie Majestie and of other Gifts and Graces according to all which his Humane Nature was really and internally changed and Exalted But shall we take upon us to set Bounds to the Glorie Power and Majestie of the Son of Gods Humane Nature God forbid One thing it is to set Bounds unto them Another to acknowledge that they are absolutely Boundless and illimited 3. Here I must be inforc'd to touch a Sore or Breach in the Church of God which happy were it for Reformed Religion had it been made up or Cemented with their blood which first did make it or being made did seek to make it wider I mean the Bitter Controversie between the Lutheran and other German and Helvetian Churches How easily this breach concerning the Manner of Christs presence in the Sacrament might have been made up when it first appeared I refer my self to the Testimonie of Bucer in whose Judgement it was rather an Appearance only of a Breach then an Apparent Breach If the Lutherans Meaning had been as accurately examined as their words or manner of expressing it were But without diligent examination it was easie for others to mistake their meaning when as Peter Martyr a man otherwise as moderate as Learned did lay those opinions to the Lutherans charge which as his dear Friend Bucer who tendred his seven years service for making a friendly Comprimise in this Controversie seriously protests he never could perceive that any Lutheran Minister did maintain Nor did he write otherwise to Peter Martyr then out of diligent Examination of their own writings and as in his own Conscience he was perswaded for he thus subscribes another Letter of the same Purport sent to the Italian Churches Ita sentio in hac sententia opto venire ad tribunal Domini The ancient Lutherans it seems affected a language of their own or a Libertie to expresse their meditations concerning the Dignitie or Exaltation of Christs Humane Nature after another manner then the Ancients had done or many Modern Writers could well brook And this Libertie being denyed them especially by the Churches of Switzerland they sought in the issue to draw or tenter their matter to that frame of speech which they had not so warily conceived And so at length the factious industrie of some German Court-Divines did hatch a Theological endlesse quarrel out of a Verbal and Grammatical Controversie It fell out so in the opposition of these German Princes and their Courts as it doth between the Factions of rank good-Fellows and nice Precisians in Colledges or Corporations The one sort alwayes provoking
the other to be more Prophane and then taking occasion by the increase of their prophanenesse to be more irregularly Precise Both parties being by their daily Bandyings far worse then being sundred they would have been Whilest in the mean time true Religion and sober Devotion suffers on both hands betwixt them Thus upon the Lutherans Hyperbolical manner of expressing the Exaltation of Christs Man-hood the Helvetian Churches took occasion to grant a lesse measure of Dignitie then was fitting and the lesse They granted the more the Lutherans still added to the advancement of his Humanitie or the miraculous manner of his Bodily Presence in the Sacrament as if they had thought themselves bound in conscience to make a Super-allowance for the others Arrears or detractions as they at least conceiv'd And thus the missed Truth oft times lies betwixt disagreeing Parties as it were offering it self to be surveyed by unpartial by-standers or sorrowful Spectators of causelesse ruful broyses betwixt brethren To add any Excellencie to Christs Divine Nature by derogating from his Humanitie we cannot for being Infinite It cannot admit of any addition And to derogate any thing from his Humanitie whereof it is or for ought we know may be Capable from That Special Union which it hath with the Divine Nature we dare not For this were to derogate from or deny the Power of God But doth he derogate any thing from Christs Humane Nature that denyes it to be Infinitely Exalted It may be he doth that doth deny the Exaltation of his Humane Nature since his Ascension and Sitting at the Right-hand of God the Father to be in Any sort Infinite The diverse acceptions of Infinitie or diverse branches of it to mans apprehension are almost infinite more by many then are fit to be displayed or mentioned in this place It shall therefore suffice First to shew In what Sense we must denie Christs Humane Nature to be infinitely Exalted And this must quash the Lavish Hyperboles of some modern Lutherans Secondly In what Sense Christs Humane Nature may be said to be or at least may not be denyed to be infinitely Exalted 4. Christs Bodie may be conceived to be Absolutely Infinite or to be Actually Infinite only but not absolutely or to be Potentially Infinite only To be Absolutely Infinite or to be Infinite Simply in Being is proper to God who is Very Being it self and as he hath no Cause of Being so he can have no limits or bounds of Being either for number of several sorts of Being or for degrees of several Perfections What kind of Perfection soever we can conceive to be in any created Substance that we must acknowledge to be Infinitely greater in him Again we may conceive an Actual Infinitie of Being only in One or Two Kinds as in respect of Place of Strength or Power And though God be not Infinite only in respect of these Two Branches of Being yet he Only is Actually Infinite according to these Two Branches of Infinitie The One we call his Immensitie the other his Omnipotencie No created substance can actually be every where at once No creature can be Omnipotent or actually Infinite in strength for so it should be as strong as God though not so wise or eternal as God Now upon these Two Branches of Divine Infinitie that is upon his Immensitie and Omnipotencie the modern Lutherans make the Humane Nature of Christ to incroach as a Real Participant or equal sharer with the Divine Nature or Blessed Trinitie if we may judge of their meaning by their words or of their intended Conclusions by their Premisses expresly avouched and stiffly maintained After their Doctrine of Christs Real presence in the Sacrament by Consubstantiation began to be impugned and shaken the later Lutherans sought to support it by A new Butteresse or pillar which the Ancienter did not rely upon in this Argument and that was the Ubiquitie of Christs Bodie or Humane Nature Indeed if Christs Bodie were every-where present it should be Consubstantially present in the Sacrament But so it should be present in many other places where none of the Ancients did ever imagine it to be where no good Christian is bound to seek it 5. But to hunt out their Meaning at least the Truth concerning which their Meaning I hope is better then their Expression When they say Christs Glorified Bodie is Every-where they grant it to be in Heaven They should then in the First place tell us whether in heaven it be not as visible and conspicuous to Angels and Saints as it shall be to all men at his coming to Judgement Secondly Whether this Visibilitie of it doth not include a visible or comprehensible Distinction of parts in it as of his Head from his Feet or his Right-hand from his Left This I presume they will not deny for Christ shall only visibly change the place of his Residence not the substance form or fashion of his Bodie when he shall come from the Right-hand of God to Judge the quick and the dead This being granted when they say Christs Bodie is every where they should in the Third place tell us Whether it be Every-where according to this Distinction of Parts or no. Si di Christi If that of Christ which they hold as somewhat of Christ besides his Divine Nature they hold to be Every where have no Distinction of parts Let them call it what they list it is not in any Language besides their own and the Modern Romish Churches a Bodie as having no Properties of a Bodie If they will be content to deny all Distinction of parts in That of Christ which they make to be the Subiect of this Ubiquitarie presence we shall be content to take this their Real denyal for an approach to a Comprimise or agreement If they will call that A Bodie which we would call A Spiritual Influence or a Virtual presence so we may know what they really mean by this Word Bodie let them enjoy their Dialect If they admit a Distinction of Parts in that which they call Christs Bodie and which they make the Subject of this Ubiquitarie presence they should tell us whether it be Every where present according to every part or whether it be Every where present according to all its parts respectively As whether the Hands of Christ be Every where his Heart Every where his Head Every where or whether there be no place in the world wherein some Part of Christs Bodie or Humane Nature is not yet so that they will have his Head to be in one part his Feet in another his Right-hand in a third and his Left-hand in a fourth place or dimension of this visible world If they say Christs bodie is in this Latter sort present Every where they make him a Gyant not such a Man as we conceive him to be they do not Exalt but rather Extend him according to his Humane Nature the intire frame of whose bodie no man shall see no not at the day
of Judgement and yet by this Tenent according to some parts of his Humane Nature he shall be Consubstantially present with the Damned in hell If they say that Christs whole bodie is intirely Every where or every part of it Every where then either he hath no Right-hand or his Right-hand is in his Left either he hath no Humane Bodie or else his whole Bodie is in his Little Finger But to be after this manner intirely Every where is Proper only unto God 6. It may be we shall hit their Meaning better by tracing their footsteps Thus then they proceed The Right-hand of God is every where Christ according to his Humane Nature sitteth at the Right-hand of God Ergo Christ according to his Humane Nature sitteth every where and if his Sear according to his Humane Nature be every where his Humane Nature is present every where for Session or Residence according to his Humane Nature includeth his Presence according to his Humane Nature First admitting the Major The Right-hand of God is every where were absolutely true according to the literal meaning of this Article they stand bound by the Rules of Logick to rectifie the Minor and make it thus But Christ according to his Humane Nature is the Right-hand of God And if Christ according to his Humane Nature be the Right-hand of God then if the Right-hand of God be every where it would directly and perpendicularly follow that Christ is every where according to his Humane Nature But this i. e. the words of the minor they will not say Now the minor not being thus rectified the Conclusion must be corrected and in stead of saying Christs Humanitie is every where it must be taught to say That Christs Humanitie or Christ according to his Humane Nature Sitteth at that or by that which is every where Secondly If we take that Definition which some good Divines make of Christ's Sitting at the Right-hand of God the Father that is to be a person equal to the Father by whom the Father doth immediately rule the world but the Church especially the Inference will be a Fallacie à rebus ad voces The Connexion between the Terms howsoever placed will be no better then if a man should naile a piece of solid timber at the one end to the Aire and at the other end to the Water Lastly If by the Right-hand of God in this place be Literally meant A visible or comprehensible Throne wherein the God head is after the like but a far more glorious manner conspicuously present as it was in the Ark of the Covenant here on earth then the Major proposition on which the whole structure of Christs Ubiquitie according to his Manhood depends will be a great deal too narrow for the Right-hand of God the Father Almighty taken in this Sense is not every where That Glorie of God at whose Right-hand Saint Steven saw Christ standing was not on earth but in heaven nor in every place of heaven but in that place only where he saw the heavens to open and on which he fixed his eyes 7. But they further add That Christs Humane Nature is glorified with that Glorie which he had with the Father before the world was made Now that Glorie doubtlesse was no created Glorie but Glorie uncreated and if uncreated then questionlesse Infinite and if this Glorie wherewith his Humane Nature is glorified be Infinite then his Humane Nature is infinitely Exalted or exalted to a Real communication of all the Divine Attributes as to be every where to be Omnipotent c. To This some answer Christs Divine Nature or Person may in that place John 17. ver 5. be said to be Glorified after the same manner that it was Exalted But though it be true that Christ meant the Glorification of his Divine Person in that place yet this no way contadicts the Glorification of his Humane Nature but rather supposeth it For his Divine Person was glorified by the glorification of his Humane Nature that is The world should not have known the Glorie of the Son of God or of him as their Lord and Redeemer unlesse this Glorie had appeared in his Man-hood or Humane Nature Now if the Humane Nature were glorified with that Glorie which was before the world it was glorified with an uncreated Glorie And uncreated Glorie is Absolutely Infinite If this consequence were sound the First Branch of it would be This That Christs Humane Nature was glorified with Infinite glorie before the foundation of the world and so the conclusion should contradict the Article of Christs Incarnation in time as also the whole course of his Humiliation here on earth The same Arguments which they bring to prove the Glorie of his Humane Nature to be Infinite in respect of place or power will prove his Humane Nature to have been Infinite and glorious in respect of its Duration or Christ as man to be Co-eternal with God the Father or else they prove just nothing at all That Real communication of the Divine Attributes which they so eagerly contend for is but a dream or Fancie which could not possibly have come into their brains but either for want of Logick or of Consideration The root of their Error is that they distinguish not between the uncreated Glorie which is the Incomprehensible Fountain by participation whereof Christs Humane Nature is immediately Glorified and the Participation or Communication of it The Glorie of the God-head which dwelleth Bodily in Christ is Infinite But it is not Communicated to Christs Humane Nature according to its infinitie The Communication of it or the Glorie communicated is Created and therefore finite The Sun truly and Really Communicates his light unto the Moon and we properly say That the Moon is enlightned or made glorious by the light of the Sun yet will it not hence follow That the Light Communicated or imparted to the Moon is equal to the light of the Sun which doth communicate it or impart it Much lesse will it follow that the Glorie wherewith Christs Humane Nature is glorified should be equal to that Glorie of the God-head which doth communicate or impart Glorie unto it or from which all the Glorie which it hath above other Creatures is derived To conclude this Point The best Frame whereunto the Lutherans Arguments in this Controversie can be drawn is this The glorie of God is infinite Christ as Man is glorified by the glorie of God Ergo His glorie as Man is infinite Yet the connexion is not as good as this following The light of the Sun doth by his presence make the day but the Moon is enlightned by the light of the Sun Ergo The Moon by presence of its light makes the day Sooner shall the Lutheran turn night into day by this or the like Sophism then prove that Real communication of the Divine Attributes to Christs Humane Nature which he dreams of As that Christ as man should be Really present every where or
Omnipotent because the glorie of God wherewith he is glorified is every where or because the Power or Right-hand by which he is strengthned is a Power Omnipotent Omnipotencie it self Thus much of that Absolute Infinitie or Infinitie in Act unto which Christs Humane Nature was not Exalted and yet it was Exalted in some sort Infinitly above all other created substances and so Exalted or at least declared to be so Exalted specially by the Ascension of it into heaven and by its Sitting at the Right-hand of God the Father 8. That is Infinitum actu or actually Infinite Extra quod nihil est which is so perfect and compleat that nothing in the same kind can be added unto it That is Infinitum potentia or potentially Infinite unto which somewhat may successively be added without end or ceasing Thus Philosophers have taught that In continuâ quantitate non datur minimum in discretâ non datur maximum There is not the least quantitie but is divisible into infinite parts There is no member so great but may still be made greater by Addition and albeit Addition were made every moment unto the worlds end yet the Product could not be actually infinite some number might be added unto it which as yet is not contained in it In this manner the participated Power or Glorie of God or the participation of this Power or Glorie may be infinite The participation of this Power or Being may every moment whilest the world lasteth or whilest immortall creatures continue in being be greater then other and yet never come to be so great but that it may be augmented or bettered and that which may be augmented or bettered cannot be actually Infinite The least parcel of earth could not subsist without the participation of Gods Power or Being and the least or dullest part of the earth which participates of his Being doth in a sort infinitly exceed Nothing or that which is not Nothing could have any Being but by participating of his Being who is infinite No power besides Infinite Power could out of Nothing produce Something Trees and plants and other workes of the 4 th and 5 th dayes creation excell the earth Beasts of the field excell them Man excelleth the beasts of the field and the Angels excell man in nobilitie and dignitie of being And yet the most excellent amongst the Angels is but a participation of Gods Power or Excellencie and as Divines collect God hath not made any creature so excellent but he may make it more excellent every day then other yet this supposed should not the Excellencie of it be Actually infinite because it may be still bettered Yet may that which is not actually infinite in any one kind or according to any one branch of Infinitie actually contein greater Excellencie or perfection in it then the addition of perfection unto some other creature though by succession infinite can attain unto And thus Christs Humane Nature by reason of the Personall Union which it hath with the Godhead or with the Son of God containes greater Excellencie in it of diverse kinds then any other created substance not so united though the faculties or perfections of it were continually bettered could reach unto 9. But omitting the Dignitie of Christs humane Nature in the general it will be a more profitable search to examin the particular Effects or Efficacie which his Humane Nature now Exalted hath in respect of us These may not be measured much lesse limited by other mens most noble Faculties or perfections The most dull sight on earth may see as far as the Sun or Starrs and the most quick sight cannot see beyond them No mans eye-sight can pierce through the thickest clouds much lesse through the heavens above or through the rockes here on earth Though thus to do were absolurely impossible to man or any other creature endued with sight we might not hence thus collect Christs glorified eyes are humane eyes as ours are created eyes as ours are Therefore He cannot with these bodily eyes look down from heaven and behold what is done or lyes hid in the most secret corners of the earth or that his facultie of hearing because a created facultie cannot apprehend all the blasphemies or oathes even the most secret murmurings of his enemies either against him or his Church Or admitting any Saints eyes already glorified in bodie in heaven could by vision of the Divine Nature see all things that are done in earth or that his eares could hear all the Conference that passeth in this Kingdom for some one day yet this excellencie of his outward senses being supposed his internal or intellective faculties were not able to distinguish betwixt every thing so heard or seen or to censure every word or deed as it deserves Nor could his memorie perhaps perfectly retain what for the present the apprehends or conceives Yet may we not hence argue Christs intellective Faculties are but Humane not divine Ergo he cannot distinctly and infallibly Judge or censure every thing he sees or hears or infallibly retayne the Records of his Judgment or censure inviolate and entire unto the day of Judgment Bound we are rather to beleive that Christ as Man or with his Humane eyes sees all our wrongs and as Man hears all our prayers and takes notice of all our doings Or that he who as Man shall bee our Judge is in the mean time an Eye-witnesse of all our misdeedes or well doings an Eare-witness of all our speeches good or bad Nor may we again by broken Inductions gathered from the effects or efficacie of natural bodies or created substances upon other bodies take upon us to limit or bound the Efficacie of Christs Bodie upon the bodies or soules which he hath taken to his protection We may not collect that Christs bodie because comprehended within the heavens can exercise no reall Operation upon our bodies or soules here on earth or that the live Influence of his glorified Human Nature may not be diffused through the world as he shall be pleased to dispense it or to sow the seeds of life issuing from it sometimes here sometimes there 10. This Real though Virtual Influence of Christs Humane Nature is haply that which the Lutherans call the Real Ubiquitarie presence of Christ Bodie Luther himself never denyed Christs very bodie or Humane Nature to be comprehended within the heavens and yet he affirmed it to be present with us in such a manner as the sound is present with us which is really made or caused a great way from us And we may not deny This Real Influence or Virtual Presence of Christ to be in a manner Infinite or at least to extend it self to all created substances that are capable of it in what created distance soever they be from his bodie whose Residence we beleive to be in the highest heavens at the Right hand of God This kind of Infinitie of his Presence can seem no Paradox or improbable Imagination to
place either expresly or implicitly to direct our prayers to God the Father that he would be pleased to forgive us our sins to be reconciled unto us and bestow such blessings upon us as he hath promised to such as shall be reconciled unto him In the Second place either expressly or implicitly we are to beseech him to forgive us our sins to be reconciled and blesse us for the merits of his only Son who hath made satisfaction for us This is a Point which every Christian is bound expressely to believe that God the Father doth neither forgive sins nor vouchsafe any Term or Plea of Reconciliation but only for the merits and satisfaction made by the sacrifice of the Son of God who by the eternal spirit offered himself in our humane nature upon the Crosse In the next place we are to believe and acknowledge that as God the Father doth neither forgive nor vouchsafe Reconciliation but for the merits and satisfaction of his only Son so neither will he vouchsafe to conveigh this or any other blessing unto us which his Son hath purchased for us but only through his Son not only through him as our Advocate or Intercessor but through him as our Mediator that is through His humanitie as the Organ or Conduit or as the only Bond by which we are united and reconciled unto the Divine Nature For although the Holy Spirit or Third Person in Trinitie doth immediately and by Personal Proprietie work faith and other spiritual Graces in our Souls yet doth he not by these Spiritual Graces unite our souls or Spirits immediately unto himself but unto Christs Humane Nature He doth as it were till the ground of our hearts and make it fit to receive the seed of life But this seed of righteousnesse immediately flows from the Sun of Righteousnesse whose sweet influence likewise it is which doth immediately season cherish and ripen it The Spirit of life whereby our Adoption and Election is sealed unto us is the real participation of Christs Bodie which was broken and of Christs Blood which was shed for us This is the true and punctual meaning of our Apostles speech 1 Cor. 15. 45. The first man Adam was made a living soul or as the Syriack hath it Animale Corpus an enlivened bodie but the second Adam was made a quickning spirit and immediately becometh such to all those which as truely bear his image by the Spirit of Regeneration which issues from him as they have born the Image of the first Adam by natural propagation And this again is the true and punctual meaning of our Saviours words John 6. 63. It is the Spirit that quickneth the flesh profiteth nothing the words that I speak unto you are spirit and life For so he had said in the verses before to such as were offended at his words what if you should see the Son of man ascend up where he was before The Implication conteined in the Connexion between these two verses and the precedent is this That Christs Virtual presence or the influence of life which his Humane Nature was to distil from his heavenly Throne should be more profitable to such as were capable of it then his Bodily presence then the bodily Eating of his flesh and blood could be although it had been convertible into their bodily substance This distillation of life and immortalitie from his glorified Humane Nature is that which the Ancient and Orthodoxal Church did mean in their Figurative and lofty speeches of Christs Real presence or of eating His very Flesh and drinking His very Blood in the Sacrament And the Sacramental Bread is called His Bodie and the Sacramental Wine His Blood as for other reasons so especially for This that the vertue or influence of his Bloody Sacrifice is most plentifully and most effectually distilled from heaven unto the worthy Receivers of the Eucharist And unto this Point and no further will most of the Testimonies reach which Bellarmin in his books of the Sacraments or Maldonat in his Comments upon the sixth of Saint John do quote out of the Fathers for Christs Real Presence by Transubstantiation or which Chemnitius that Learned Lutheran in his Books De duabus in Christo naturis and de Fundamentis sanae doctrinae doth avouch for Consubstantiation And if thus much had been as distinctly granted to the Ancient Lutherans as Calvin in some places doth the controversie between the Lutheran and other Reformed Churches had been at an end when it first begun Both Parties acknowledging Saint Cyrill to be the fittest Umpire in this Controversie The end of the Third Chapter A Transition of the Publisher's IT must not be dissembled that I had no Intimation much lesse Commission of the Author's to Insert the Two following Chapters herein this place Yet besides that I knew not of any fitter place where to dispose of them I had these Reasons so to do 1. I held it fit that His Powerful Disputes against the Church of Rome about The Lords Supper in the fourth Chapter and about another Point in the fifth should immediately follow his Learned Argument with the Lutheran 2. The sequence seems very Methodical The Subject of the first Chapter being partly About Christs Exaltation by becoming The Chief Corner-Stone cut out of the Rock or quarrey by his Resurrection from The New Scpulchre lifted up by his Ascension and placed at the Chief Corner by his Sitting at Gods Right-hand and partly about The Union of Christ with true Christians which Union is both a Considerable part of the fourth Chapter and was happily touched upon in the Close of the Third 3. In case any Restive soul should perhaps some faint Dejected Spirit having read Christs Great Exaltation may say Who shall ascend into Heaven that is to bring Christ down from above Such an one besides the quickenings he may hear from other Remembrancers Saint Peter telling us that we are pilgrims here and Saint Paul that we seek a Countrie and look for a Citie Jerusalem that is Free and that being Fellow-Citizens with the Saints and of Gods hous-hold our Conversation or Traffick is to be in heaven for those things which are above where Christ sitteth at Gods Right-hand c. may receive mightie encouragement by Experimenting the Contents of these two next Chapters The avowed neer approach and Intimacie of our Lord Jesus Christ with the Believing and Receiving Christian The word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart When the holy Sacramental pledges be in the mouth and Faith in the heart The Word the Eternal Word that was made flesh is nigh indeed For Verily Verily He that eateth my Fesh and drinketh my Blood dwelleth in Me and I in Him CHAP. 1111. A Paraphrase upon the sixth of St. John In what sense Christ's flesh is said to be truly Meat c. What it is To eat Christs Flesh and drink his Blood Of eating and drinking Spiritual and Sacramental And whether of them is meant
he dyed for everie one in particular or as alone considered then everie one may and must thus judge Then were all dead and everie one in particular was a true cause of His Death And this Meditation will make easie way to the Second or second part of the same Meditation which is This Wherein or in what respects everie one of us doth wrong Christ Jesus more or may do him more wrong then they did which actually wrought his Death that is then Annas and Caiaphas then the Scribes and Pharisees then the Priests and Elders that plotted and conspired it did But doth any man which Professes Christianitie at this day wrong Him more then Annas and Caiaphas and their associats did Yes a great many All that both daily and hourely do that which is more against his most Holie will then all that Annas and Caiaphas and the Roman Souldiers did unto Him wrong Him more then they did in putting Him to Death The only Rule for measuring any personal wrong is the opposition which the Act or practise bears or includes unto the will or liking of the partie which is displeased or wronged To apply this to our present purpose Annas and Caiaphas and their complices did our Saviour more wrong then Cain did Abel his innocent Brother when he took away his life For Death especially a violent death was as bitter unto Christ as man as it was to Abel So were the revileings the slanders and the defamations which the people by the instigation of the Priests Scribes and Pharisees cast upon him most displeasing to His Humane Will Yet were all these personal wrongs more unpleasant to his most Holy Will as he was The Son of God then unto his Humane Nature then unto his disposition or affection as He was the Son of David And albeit he suffered nothing which his heavenly Father had not fore-determined yet he that would excuse his persecutors from doing him wrong were worse then an Infidel Neither will this excuse us from doing him greater wrong then these his persecutors did if we do those things which are more displeasant to Him more contrarie not only to his Divine but even to His Humane Will and Nature now Glorified in Heaven then all the wrongs which Satan and his instruments did unto Him whilest He lived here on earth whilest He was partaker of mortalitie with us 18. But what do we or what can we do more displeasant to His Holie Will then what they did who maliciously accused Him who more maliciously sought his condemnation who after His condemnation did more maliciously and Inhumanely treat and persecute Him then any Barbarian would do a Malefactor which had yeilded himself to a Legal Tryall Surely if we do those things which He is more unwilling we should do then He was to suffer all the indignities which the Scribes and Pharisees could put upon Him then all the torments which the Roman Laws could inflict upon Him we wrong Him much more then either the Jews or the Roman Souldiers did For He did not suffer either the Torments which seazed upon Him whilest He was upon the Crosse or in the Garden because He could not avoid or resist them but because He was more willing to suffer all these then a greater inconvenience which should have befallen all and everie one of Us unlesse these mischiefs as the world accounts them had befallen Him The inconveniences which He sought to prevent by voluntarie undergoing these Calamities were the Dominion or Reign of Sin in us and our Servitude unto Satan by this Reign of Sin For for this purpose was the Son of God manifested that He might Dissolve or Destroy the works of the Divel And His manifestation did contein not only His Incarnation but His Exemplarie persecution His Death and Passion which he was more willing to undergo then to suffer the works of Satan in any one of us to be undissolved If we then shall hold on his side or seek to keep him in whom Christ came to cast out or shall build again that Babel which Christ came to destroy if we take part with Satan as all those do which do those things whereby the works of Satan may be maintained or augmented whereby the Reign or Soveraigntie of Satan may be confirmed or inlarged we do those things which are more displeasing to Christ then his Death and Passion was And by doing such things according to the former Rule we wrong Him more then they did which did conspire or Complot His Death then they did which put Him to that most cruel ignominious Death For He was more willing to suffer That Death to suffer all the indignities that the Divel or world could put upon Him then to suffer us any one of us to live and dye in our sins and in the servitude and power of Satan Thus much by way of Application as relating to the First Generall Proceed we now to the Second General He Dwelleth in mee and I in him 19. Dwelleth in Me and I in him Or Abideth in Me and I in him The word in the Original varies it's signification according to the Circumstances of matters handled Somtimes it signifies no more then to abide or remain though but for an Houre or Two Sometimes it necessarily imports as much as our English Expresseth in the Text that is A dwelling or mansion From this real difference of the matter and circumstance the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is by our English one while exprest as here it is by Dwelling another while by Abiding or remaining within the compasse of one Period For Example John 1. ver 39. John's two Disciples ask our Saviour Rabbi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where dost thou dwell And he saith unto them Come and see They came and saw where He dwelt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and abode with Him that day Though the word in the Original be in all three places the same and though the Translators had twice rendered it by Dwelling yet in the third place they do not say And they dwelt but they Abode with Him that day Everie Dwelling includes an Abiding but every Abiding doth not include or implie a Dwelling Dwelling implies a constant or frequent place of Abode and somewhat more then so a place of known or professed Abode no lurking-hole or sculking-place All these circumstances concur to justifie the Translation of the Original word here rather by Dwelling than by Abiding For Christs abiding in us if we so eat his flesh and drink his blood as he prescribes is constant is frequent and perpetual And whilest he abides in us our abiding in him is not only constant and frequent but the known or professed place of our abode and it is the best profession to be of his houshold It is he that feeds us in time of peace and he is our Tower of defence in time of War the Rock of our Salvation whilest we are beset with death and danger Be thou
as immediately from Christ or from God the Father and the Son in the same manner as Saint Peter did though not in the same measure But the Difference of the measure in which we receive it or the difference of our growth in Christ doth not argue a different manner either of our receiving it or of growth by it 7. But is this the worst Practise of the Romish Church that she adds one Article more unto our Creed than Saint Peter knew or taught others to believe or that she makes Peters successors to have a Foundation which he had not If thus she did and no more this were enough to convince her of Grosse Heresie But this one Article of faith or this second foundation of faith which she pretends is of such a transcendent nature that it devours all the rest and doth if not overthrow the First foundation of our faith yet which is all one it draws us from it For as many successions as there be of Popes or of Peters pretended successors so many several foundations there be of their faith which successively adhere unto them Nor are these several or successive foundations either immediately cemented or firmly united to the first Foundation which is Christ or one to another They are as so many Rows or Piles of stone laid one upon another without any juncture or binding than loose sand And all that absolutely unite themselves to the present Romish Church that is to Peters pretended successors must of necessity fall off from the First Foundation Christ God and man and flote with these secondarie foundations to wit Peters succcessors when the floods of temptations do arise The point then to be proved is this That the present Romish Church to wit the present Pope or such as rely upon him as a second or intermediate foundation in this structure cannot possibly be built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets they cannot grow up together as living stones firmly united in Christ Jesus as in the Corner-stone Now the proof of this Point is clear because none can be built upon the Foundation of the Prophets and the Apostles unlesse they absolutely believe as they believed and firmly acknowledge that which they have commended unto us in their writings to have been delivered unto them by God himself for so they expressely teach us to believe Believing then as they believed we must believe that albeit the Apostles and Prophets be not the Foundation here meant in the Text yet that they were Master Builders appointed by God for squaring and fitting all that lived with them or that succeeded them for this foundation and that the Rule by which as well the Pastors and Teachers as the people taught by them must be fitted and squared for this foundation is the doctrine of faith conteined in their Writings Both these parts of truth to wit that the Books of the Old and New Testament are their Writings or Dictates and that in these Writings the Doctrine or Rule of Faith is contained must be absolutely believed and taken for unquestionable before any modern pastors in the Church can be fram'd or fashioned to be true stones in this building But no man which absolutely believes the present Romish Church can have any absolute belief that the Old and New Testament or the Writings of the Apostles and Prophets are infallibly true or contain the Word of God The best belief that any Romanist can have is but Conditional and the Condition is this If the present Romish Church to wit the Pope and such as rely upon his authoritie be absolutely infallible and cannot err in matter of faith But it will be Replyed In as much as the Roman Catholicks take it as a Principle most unquestionable that their Church cannot erre they for this reason must beleeve the doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets concerning Christ to be infallible and the bookes of the Old and New Testament to conteyne the word of God because the Church their Mother which they firmely beleeve cannot erre doth tell them so or as their owne writers speake because the Church their mother doth Canonize these bookes for the bookes of God This indeed is the chiefe advantage which they Presume their Lay-people have of ours in that they believe the Churches testimony concerning the bookes of God to be infallible and if they beleeve the Church to be in this point infallible they cannot doubt but that these bookes are the word of God But if wee look more narrowly into this mysterie of iniquitie and take their full meaning with us it will further appear that this absolute belief of this present Churches absolute infallibilite doth overthrow or undermine the whole frame of faith For they extend this supposed infallibilitie of the Romish Church so farre and make the belief of it so necessarie that without this fundamentall principle as they say wee cannot infallibly believe or know the bookes of the Old and New Testament to containe in them the word of God And in avouching this it is evident that they leave both the Authoritie of the Apostolical and Prophetical writings and the Authoritie of the Present Church altogether uncertaine so uncertaine that nothing avouched by either of them can be by their doctrine so certain as to become any Foundation of their faith If wee cannot infallibly believe the bookes of the Old and New Testament to be the bookes of God himselfe and of divine Authoritie otherwise then by believing the present Romish Church to be infallible let them tell us how they can possibly believe or prove that the Romish Church or any other Congregation of men hath any such infallible authoritie This authoritie must be either believed or known by light of nature or by Divine Testimonie or Revelation That the infallibilitie of their Church can be known by light of Nature they do not they dare not say For that Peter on whom that Church as they pretend is founded was an Apostle of Christ cannot be known by light of Nature or by sense it cannot be infallibly believed but by Divine Authoritie Revelation or Testimonie By what Divine Testimonie then do they know that Peter was an Apostle or that the Church was to be builded on him or on his successors You know they pretend that place of S. Matthew Chap. 16. 18. Thou art Peter and upon this rock will I build my Church and that of S. Luke Chap. 22. 32. I have prayed for thee that thy faith shall not fail And yet they deny that we can possibly know these words to be the words of God or to have any such meaning as they make of them unlesse we will believe the Churches Authoritie in avouching them to be the words of God and her interpretation of them to be infallible But leaving them wandring in this Round or Circle as we found them long agoe let us further consider the manner how we are built upon Christ the Chief Corner-stone and how we must
express Notion of pains or torments which the wicked after this life were to suffer we may gather from Aristotle Poster lib. 2. cap. 11. For so he tels us that the Pythagoreans did assign this final cause of thunder namely to terrifie such as were reserved in infernal prisons And in assigning this Final Cause of thunder whose Material and Efficient Cause with its properties they were not ignorant of they did acknowledge an Higher Guide or Governor of these natural Effects then nature her self We may perhaps rectifie this Notion by saying The thunder was created by this Guide or Governour of Nature rather to terrifie such as live here on earth that they come not into these infernal prisons And to avoid or prevent their coming into them Nature her self which taught Pythagoras this Philosophy might teach all That there can be no means so safe or so compendious as the making of our peace with that divine Power who speaks to men in this terrible language The thunder of his power saith Iob cap. 26. 14. Who can understand But the less we understand It in Particular the better we understand Him to be a Terrible Judge That this Notion which the thunder did suggest to the Pythagorean Philosophers of the Divine Power as avenger of Evil was not a Philosophical Phancie but implanted by Nature in the heart may be further evinced for that the thunder did imprint the like fear in such as in words or opinion did deny the Divine Providence or sought to shake off all conceit of future Judgment Witness the Emperor Caligula who so demeaned himself in his Empire and tyrannie over others as if he never looked to be called to any account for his Regencie and yet this man as Suetonius tels us would rise from the table when it thundred and oft times for fear run under his Bed He knew himself exempt from the censure or controll of man and had enough about him to instruct him in the natural causes of thunder and yet by this strange fear he did acknowledge a superior Judge from whose presence or apprehension he sought to hide himself as Malefactors do themselves from the eyes or hands of earthly Judges or from the ministers of civil Justice 2. But might not this strange fear arise rather from some peculiar disposition in Caligula then from any instinct of nature universal to all such as he was upon the like or equivalent Summons or admonitions From whatsoever disposition we can imagine this servile or slavish fear should proceed it was a timorous disposition and could not have wrought or inclined such men as he was unto such manifest documents of imminent fear but from a feeling consciousness of a foul and beastly life For he was a man that in other cases had gotten as full a Conquest over his Conscience as any Man Prince or Subject in this life can possibly get He had with much care and cost lull'd his conscience with varietie of all pleasures incident to sense or earthly affections into so dead a sleep that no voice of man though Embassador from God no voice of God known to men besides this terrible voice of his thunder could have awaked it But amongst ten thousand such as he was that is of such as for the most part have lived as beasts and for this reason could desire to dye like beasts without any account or reckoning how they had spent their Lives it will be hard to find one that in some or other particular did not give A true Crisis or proof of this Truth which now we teach that is of a Iudgement after this life by nature implanted in their hearts albeit most of them in words would not confess it albeit many of them used their own and their Parasites wits by natural reasons to overthrow or enervate the force of it But as in Cases of civil Justice the unwitting acknowledgement of some material or pertinent Circumstances drawn from such as otherwise seek to conceal or smother the Main truth upon which they are directly examined is with intelligent Judges of more force then one or two voluntary testimonies of men suspected to be Accessaries in the business or partial favourers of the principal Actor So in this controversie betwixt God and our own Consciences The unwitting practises or passionate expressions made in some extremitie of such heathens as either denied or knew not the truth of a Final Iudgment do give more powerful and more authentick testimonies for it then either the authoritie or express testimonie of other heathens which did expresly or directly affirm it save onely so farre as their testimony was grounded upon the like instinct of nature or implanted Notion which did move the others to confess it indirectly or in practise although in words they did deny it or not confess it do for it or then the avowed denials of any more debauched Heathens in their Jollity do against it 3. In many Cases as well natural and moral as divine there may be a real and solid truth or ground of truth in the practise without any apprehension of it in the practitioner oft times with opposition to it in his Conceipt or Opinion Most men when they desire to call things forgotten to mind will rub or scratch the back part of their head The Ground or Reason of their Practise is from Nature her self which hath placed the facultie of memory in that part of the brain or at least in some other part betwixt which and that which they so handle there is special intercourse Howbeit most men observe this practise or custom by meer instinct of nature without so much as once questioning or thinking whether their faculty of memory be seated in the brain or in the brest And some perhaps do use this custom being of a contrary opinion viz. That the memory is seated in the fore-part of the Brain But their manifest conformity to others in this custom will in any indifferent Moderators Judgement prevailingly prescribe against their Opinion Few there be again so destitute of natural reason but would be able as occasion requires or exigents impel to give warmth to some things that were cold and to cool other things that be hot by blowing or breathing upon them Yet this custom is practised by most out of meer instinct of nature without thought or question how such two contrarie effects as heat and cold could possibly issue from one and the same mouth or breath There is a true and real cause of this diversity or contrariety in the effects and a true reason in nature how they are wrought albeit this cause or reason be neither in whole nor in part apprehended by such as practise it with success Yea of such as have their senses exercised in the study of Philosophie scarce one of five there is but if he should on the suddain be put thus to practise by rule of Art would fail of his purpose more then such as thus practise by
felicity or in his application of those good Lessons which Nature did suggest unto him he found himself tyed by bond of Conscience to observe the Law of Nature The Original of his positive error was an ignorance or blindness common to him and most Heathen in some degree or other in not being able to discern the corruption of nature from Nature her self or to distinguish between the suggestions or intimations of Nature as it sometimes was and universally might have continued and the particular suggestions or longings of Nature as it was corrupted or tainted in himself or others more or less in all It was a Principle of his Doctrine as Seneca tells us That Nature which he profest to follow as his guide did abhor all vice or wickedness It seems he held those courses or habits of life onely vicious which we Christians account unnatural or prodigious vices as Tyranny Cruelty or excessive Luxury And such vices as these the most Heathens whom corruption of Nature did lead blindfold into many grievous sins and cast such a mist before their eyes as made unlawful pleasures appear unto them as parts of true happiness did by the light of Nature detest as contrary to the unapprehended Remnants or Reliques of Gods Image yet inherent in them though mingled with Corruption or much defaced with the Image of Satan But from what Grounds of Nature or Experiments did this Author or first Founder of the Sect of Epicures collect that Nature did detest all wickedness Thus he did reason and collect Quia sceleratis etiam inter tuta timor est Because he saw such as had polluted their Consciences with wicked and prodigious practises to live in fear even whilest they seemed to have safety her self for their guard against all external Occurrences whose probable assaults or annoyances humane Policy could possibly forecast And none more subject to this slavish fear which their Consciences did inwardly suggest then such as for their greatness and confidence in Tyranny and Cruelty were most terrible to others What was it then which these men did so much fear No other men nor any revenge that man could attempt upon them What then The company of themselves or solitary conference with their own Consciences Yet no mans conscience can make his heart afraid unless the conscience it self be first affrighted What is it then which the consciences of supream earthly Judges or Monarchs absolute by right of Conquest can so much fear in the height of their temporal security The Censure doubtless or check of some superior Judge If this fear had been vain or but a speculative Phansie it could not have been uinversal or general in all or most wicked men specially in such as were by nature terrible and stout and wary withal to prevent all probabilities of danger from men Yet was this check of Conscience or this unknown Doom or Censure which Conscience whilest it checkt the hearts of wicked men did so much fear so universal and constant that Epicurus a man of no scrupulous Conscience did observe it to be implanted by nature in all and upon this observation did ground his former general Principle That nature her self did abhor or detest wickedness The suggestion then or intimation of a future Judgement was natural but the apprehension or construction which Epicurus made of these suggestions was but such as ordinary men make of representations in natural Dreams before they be throughly awaked or before they consult the Philosopher or Physician The Christian Truth which nature in these Heathens being in respect of any supernatural use or end of her own suggestions altogether dumb did seek by these signs or intimations to express was that Lesson which the Author of nature great Physician of our souls hath expresly taught us Fear not them which after they have killed the body can do no more but fear him who is able to cast both body and soul into Hell fire yea I say unto you fear him Matth. 10. 28. Luke 12. 4. 14. As the wicked amongst the Heathens could not by any earthly Guard or greatness exempt themselves from that Dread or Fear which their corrupt Consciences did internally suggest So that confident Boldness which the integrity of conscience doth naturally suggest unto every man in his laudable actions was sometimes represented by the more civil and sober sort of Heathens after a manner more magnificent and in a measure more ample then it usually is by most Christians Their expressions or conceipts of such confidence as integrity of conscience doth arm men withal did as far exceed our ordinary apprehensions of it as the representations of natural Causes working within us which are made unto us in sleep or dreams do our waking apprehensions of the like workings or suggestions of nature Si Fractus illabatur orbis saith Horace a profest Disciple of Epicurus Carm. Lib. 3. Ode 3. impavidum ferient ruinae Albeit the Heavens should rend assunder above his head and this inferior world break in pieces about his ears yet a man of an intire and sound conscience would stand unmoved unaffrighted like a pillar of brass or marble when the roof which it supporteth were blown away or fallen from it This Hyperbolical expression of that Confidence which integrity of Conscience in some measure always affords was in this Heathen if he had been put upon the tryal but as the representation of a mans bodily estate made in a Dream whose true cause is unknown unto the Dreamer As in men that dream so in this Heathen Poet the apprehension of that which Nature did truly and really suggest is most full and lively but full and lively in both without Judgement without true use or right application That Confidence then is the companion of a good Conscience is a truth implanted by Nature and freely acknowledged by the oppugners of Divine Providence But from what original or fountain this truth should issue or to what comfortable Use it might serve were points which Nature could not distinctly teach or points at least which the meer natural man without help of Scriptures or instructions from those Heavenly Physicians of the soul whom God hath appointed Interpreters of this Book of life could not learn But we Christians know and believe that when the Heavens shall be gathered as a Scroul when the Elements shall melt with heat and when the earth shall be removed out of his place that even in the midst of these terrible spectacles such as have their Consciences purified by Faith shall lift up their heads for joy as knowing these and the like to be undoubted Prognosticks or fore-running signs of their Redemption drawing nigh unto them A Crisis rather a kinde of First-fruits of this Holy Confidence was most remarkably attested to have been in the Primitive Christians So Antoninus the Emperor as in our 1. Book chap. 24. out of Eusebius his 4. Book of Hist Eccles chap. 13. we did
〈◊〉 or Word which since hath been made flesh as all unbelievers and disobedient men since hee was made flesh Now to fortifie this inference he addeth ver 12. Vivus est sermo Dei The Word or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to whom wee are to render an accompt is quick and power full more piercing then any two edged sword So farre from winking at the ignorance of these times that all things are naked and open unto his eyes His countenance as saint John saith was as the Sun shineth in his strength Rev. 1. 16. and his eyes as a flame of fire vers 14. unto his eyes thus opened when the Judgment shall be set the bookes as Daniel saith were opened Dan. 7. 10. And this prophecie is unfolded by St. John Rev. 20. 12. And I saw the dead small and great stand before God and the books were opened and another book was opened which is the book of life and the dead were Judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works 17. This is the next part of the Process and by the Books which are opened the best Interpreters Ancient and Modern understand the Books of Conscience which until that day shall not be unfolded or become fully legible no not unto them which keep these Books though every man have one of them or at least an exact Copie or Exemplification of them For it may be that the Authentick Copie or Register of every mans Conscience is treasured up in this Eternal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and their Copies shall become legible by his appearance Many actual sins many secret thoughts or evil words have been daily practised or entertained by us w ch leave no print or impression in our Phantasies of their passage The memorie of many gross sins which for the present make deep impression daily wears out or decayes to our apprehensions their print or Character in some being defac'd or obliterated by new ones more gross as if a man should write in Capital Letters upon a paper already written in a smaller Character and more obscure In others the Records of Conscience though in themselves legible so they would look into them are wrapt up in multiplicitie of business But when the Judge shall appear in his Glorie the Book shall be fully opened the Character or impression of every sinful thought or action shall then become legible not a syllable of what we have spoken to our selves shall be lost and every letter and every syllable which hath not been washt away or purified by the Blood of the Lamb shall be as a stigma or brand to the Soul and Conscience wherein it is found and shall fret as an incurable Gangren or Canker Every seed of corruption whether propagated from our first parents or sown by our selves which seemed to lie dead without all motion unlesse they be truly mortified by the spirit shall at the appearance of the Sun of Righteousness begin to quicken and grow ripe in a moment And albeit these seeds be as many in number as the sand though our whole flesh or bodily man be more full of them then any fishes ventricle is full of Spawn yet the least of them shall grow for its malignant quality into a Serpent and sting the soul and body wherein it bred like an Adder These are the best fruits which they that daily sow unto the flesh shall then reap of the flesh even corruption sorrow and torments incorruptible and unsufferable yet perpetually to be suffered by them But of the quality and perpetuity of these pains hereafter by Gods assistance when we come to the Award or Sentence 18. Now to conclude Albeit this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this Eternal Word of God before whose Judgment Seat we must appear and to whom we are to render our final accompt were made flesh to the end and purpose that the very words of God immediately uttered by himself which formerly so uttered did sound nothing but death and destruction to flesh and blood might become the very food of life being thus distilled and uttered by an Organ of flesh yet such they are only unto such as receive him and are purified in soul and conscience by them To such as received him saith S. John he gave this priviledge to become the Sons of God John 1. 12. But every man saith the same S. John 1 Epist cap. 3. ver 3. that hath this hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure As for the disobedient and such as wallow in filthiness the presence or voice of God though he appear or speak unto us in our nature shall not be less dreadful to them then it was before the word was made flesh but rather his appearance in our nature shall add terror and dread to his voice and presence And therefore it is remarkably added by S. John Rev. 6. 16. that the disobedient shall say unto the Mountains and Rocks Fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth upon the Throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For though the wisdome of the flesh did alwayes include an Enmitie unto the puritie of the Divine Nature yet this Enmitie or Antipathie is most directly against the innocencie and integritie of the Lamb It is under the same Kind with the Enmitie of the womans seede and the Serpents nor shall the malignitie of it fully appear or come unto a perfect Crisis until the Lamb appear in Judgment He is now a Lamb mild and gentle and easy to be intreated by all such as seek to become like him in innocencie and puritie of life but shall in that day manifest himself to the Lion of the Tribe of Judah to execute vengeance upon all such as have abused his patience and long suffering by continuance in beastlines or enmitie to Lamb-like innocency and purity He shall then appear an inflexible Judge but yet continues a mercifull and loving High-priest to make intercession for us Seeing then saith St. Paul Heb. 4. 14. c. and it is his Conclusion of his former description of him as our Omnipotent Alseeing Judge that we have a great High-priest that is passed into the heavens Jesus the Son of God this is a Title more mild and comfortable then the former of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Word of God Let us hold fast our profession For we have not an High-Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need This Time of need is the day of judgment or time of death But whereby shall we make just proof and trial whether we hold our profession fast or no By no other means then by the preserving the integritie and puritie of our Conscience For we do not truly acknowledge or believe him to
its course it could not without a positive force or power communicated unto it from The Creator in whom as the Apostle speakes it moves But it ceased for a while to move without any positive force or power to inhibit or restrain its course But as we said by meer substraction of that power by which it moves So long as it continues its course it both moves and hath its Being in God and it is partaker of two branches of His Almighty Power But when it stood still it onely had its Being in him The influence of the other branch of Power was intercepted Now the Argument drawn from those works which we call The works of nature unto works miraculous or supernatural would in this case hold a majore He that dayly makes the Sun to compasse the world is able to stay its course when he pleaseth 4. A miracle likewise it was and a great one too that The three Children should be untouched in the midst of the flaming furnace yet neither was there a greater nor more immediate positive effect of Gods Power in the restraint of that fire then then was in the sustaining other Fire which at other times devoured the bodies of his Saints The Holy Martyrs who loved not their lives unto the death but gave them up for the Testimonie of the Lord Jesus For Without the co-operation or concurse of Gods Power the fire could not have touched their bodies Wherein then did the Miracle Recorded in Daniel and experienced in the three children properly consist Not so much if at all in fencing their bodies from the violence of the flame by imposition or infusion of any new created qualitie into their bodies as in substracting or withdrawing his ordinary Co-operation from the fire whose natural propertie is to consume or devour bodies combustible such as the bodies of the three Children by nature were The only cause why the fire did not burn them was the substraction or withdrawing of Gods Co-operative Power without whose strength or assistance the hottest furnace that Art or experience can devise cannot exercise the most natural operation of fire For as the substance of the fire cannot subsist or have any place in the Fabrick of this universe unless it be supported by Gods Power sustentative So neither whilst it subsists or hath actual being amongst Gods creatures can it work or move without the assistance of Gods co-operative or all-working Power In Him both these Powers are one both as he is are infinite But as communicated unto his creatures they are not altogether one but two participated branches of his infinite Power And in the burning of the Martyrs or in other destructions made by fire both branches as well of his sustentative as of his co-operative power are manifested Whereas in the preserving of the three Children from the violence of the flaming furnace the one branch only to wit His Power sustentative was communicated to the fire the other branch to wit the participation of his co-operative or working Power was for the time being lop't off from the body or substance of the fire Now this withdrawing of his co-operative Power from the fire was a true document or proof that he is the God and guide of nature That without him the fire even whilst it is for nature and substance most compleat cannot perform the proper work or exercise of its nature The necessary consequence of which Proof or experiment is this That he is the Author or fountain as well of all the works or exercises of natural causes as of natural bodies or substances themselves And if we consider his Power not in it self but as communicated to his Creatures or natural Agents it is and ought to be acknowledged greater in those works which we call works of nature and of which we have dayly experience then it was in either of these two Miracles before mentioned Both of them were for this Reason only Miraculous in that they were most unusual and without the circuit of any experiment or observation in the course of nature before the times wherein they hapned 5. To raise Mens Bodies out of the Grave or out of the Elements into which they have been dissolved is far more unusual then to raise up Corn out of putrified seed and in this respect the Resurrection which we hope for must be acknowledged a work more Miraculous and wonderful then the yearly springing of Corn of fruits of herbs or grass But may we say in this Case as in the former that the Power of God is no less but rather greater in these ordinary works of nature as in causing herbs fruit or corn to sprout or fructifie with advantage of increase then it shall be in the Resurrection of the dead which is a work not of Nature but miraculous and supernatural a work in which natural Causes shall not be entertained nor imployed by God No there shall be a manifestation of greater Power then either of Gods Sustentative Power by which all things that were created are still preserved or of His Co-operative Power without whose participation nothing which is so preserved can work at all or perform the exercises of its proper nature The Power indeed by which He Preserveth all things is the self same Power by which He Made all things out of nothing The Preservation of things that are is but a continuation or proroguing of the first Creation As all things are made of Nothing so would they instantly return into Nothing were they not continually supported and preserved by the self same Power by which they begun to Be when they were not Creation and preservation differ onely in sensu connotativo only in relation not in substance Creation includes a Negation of Being before For all things that are took their beginning by Creation Conservation supposeth a beginning of things that are and includes a Negation of their returning into nothing These Two Negations being abstracted or sequestred the Creation of all things and their Conservation are as truly and properly the same Power or work of one and the same party as the way from Athens to Thebes and from Thebes to Athens is the same But if the Continuation of things that are be a Creation or if the self same Almighty Power be still manifested in the preservation of things temporal that was manifested in the first Creation what greater power can be manifested in the Resurrection from the dead then is daily manifested and ought to be acknowledged in the preservation and daily increase of herbs of fruits of corn sown and springing out of the earth Or if any greater power shall be manifested in the Resurrection from the dead then is daily experienced in these works of nature how shall we justifie our Apostles Argument in this place to be an Argument of proportion or an Argument as we said before from the greater to the lesse or an Argument à pari from The like Case or Instance The Argument
reckoning of it That part which we account as present is equally divided between death and us Not unconsonantly to that of David Psalm 103. 15. The dayes of man are but as grasse He flourisheth as a Flour of the Field As soon as the wind goeth over it it is gone c. Or to that of Job Man that is born of a woman is of few dayes and full of trouble he cometh forth like a flower and is cut down he fleeth also as a shadow and continueth not The Addition or Comment upon this in our Liturgie is That in the midst of life we be in death that is we die as fast as we live The first part of our life is the beginning of our death and death it self differs from life but as the Point doth from the Line which it terminates or as the line doth from the surface or the surface from the body whose surface it is Mors ultima line a rerum est The whole course of our life is full of interpunctions or Commaes death is but the Period or full point Take it at the very best it is in respect of true life or stedfast Being but as the Reflex or Image of a star in a flowing stream The seat or subject of life doth not continue the same it was no not for a moment it is but one by continuation or fresh supply of the like As an Army is said to be the same which consists of the like number of men though most of the Commanders and Souldiers of the first levie be slain So Darius the Persian had a Legion which they called Immortal because it was continually supplied with the like number of new Souldiers when the old ones failed For the same reason some have compared the life of man unto a Lamp which burneth so long as it hath supply of oyl but is presently extinguished when the oyl doth fail And indeed as the oyl and light is to the Lamp wherein the one is contained the other shineth so is the natural heat and moisture unto the soul especially as to life sensitive But when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption our souls shall then be in our glorified bodies as light is in the stars in their proper sphere Our life shall be one and the same not by continuation or succession of bodily parts So as this first life and that other life which we expect differ for their Tenure and manner as the representation or figure of the Sun in the water and the Sun in its sphere The Tenure of the one is fluent and transitory The Tenure of the other is solid and permanent And proportionable to this difference of their Tenures or durations are the different joyes or contentments If all the possible contentments in this life suppose they were far more in number then they are were put together they could not equalize the Contentments of one minute in the life to come 3. Our desires in this life are vast and our capacities to enjoy the good of what we desire but narrow and slender They consort no better than a decrepit gluttons eye or appetite with his digestive facultie Now it is a miserie to have vast or strong desires and not to be able to give them satisfaction most miserable to take those courses which exclude them from possibilitie of satisfaction Hence an Heathen Philosopher took the want or Emptinesse of this miserie to be the compleat Sphere of true happinesse and out of this conceit defined a happy man briefly this Beatus est qui vivit ut vult He is happy or blessed which hath all the contentments that he desires or wishes But St. Austine tells us that another Heathen whom he names not but whose saying he often applauds corrected this Definition thus Beatus est qui vivit ut vult modo nihil velit quod non debet He is a happy man that hath all that he desireth so he desire nothing but what he ought to desire And certain it is that the former Definition without this Correction comes far short of that true happiness which is contained in everlasting life or which all men by nature confusedly desire For a man in this life may have every thing which in this life his heart desires and yet not have his hearts desire This no man can have in this life nor doth the meer natural man find the way or entrance to it See Christs Answer to Johns Disciples pag. 17. Solomon had tried as great varietie of particular contentments as any man living can project unto himself and yet after long experience of every particular that he could propose unto himself gives up this general verdict Vanity of vanities all is vanity and vexation of mind Yet is this vanitie seated in the unsetled and fluctuant desires of man not in the things themselves which he desires for these have their right Use so they be referred to their proper End which is no other then true happiness and no man can have his hearts desire until his heart do pitch and settle on this as its Center Hence some would Define True happiness to be Plenitudo desideriorum the full satisfaction of our desires This all seek after without cessation and some print some Sent or rellish of it we find in most desires of it Somewhat there is in the right use of every Creature which would lead us the right way unto it did we not run Counter striving to make up a full measure of joy by the abundant fruition of these materials wherein we delight Whereas the delight and contentment which we find in any Creatures should turn our thoughts from them unto the inexhaustible fountain whence all the goodness that we find in them or in our selves is derived The neerer we draw to him the neerer we are to true happiness truly happy we cannot be until we enjoy his presence Irrequietum est cor nostrum ad te Domine donec quiescat in te Our hearts are restless in the pursuit of happiness until they rest in thee O Lord. 4. The first step to happiness which we can make is to be perswaded That true happinesse cannot in this life be obtained Our Senses are uncapable of the Accidental joyes or concomitant glory which attend this happiness And our Reasonable Soul how magnificently soever Philosophers speak of its nature is more uncapable of Essential joy and happiness That consists in the Fruition or enjoyment of the Divine Nature which is Happiness it self All the Contentments of this life will serve to no other use then to be as a Foyl to set forth the happinesse of the life to come All the Contentments possible of this life are entertained either by our bodily Senses or by the internal faculties of our Souls Now by the discovery of the imperfections of such Contentments we may ascend by degrees to some competent Scale or view for discovering the perfection of Joyes in the Life to come
be improved as far as life it self is improved which of mortal becomes immortal The light was truly heavenly which did shine about Saint Paul and the voice was heavenly which spake unto him as he was journeying towards Damascus but the light did strike him blind and the voice astonished him What was the reason Being yet in the flesh his Senses were not capable of these celestial impressions But this you will say was a judgement upon Saint Paul because he was yet a Persecuter So was not Saint Peter when he saw our Saviours Transfiguration upon the Mount This was but a glimpse of that glory which shall be revealed and yet it so overcharged his senses that it put him in a manner besides himself besides his wit or understanding for he knew not what he said when he said Let us make here three tabernacles one for thee and one for Moses and another for Elias Only this he was sure of in the general That it was good being there or that if he should alwayes have been as for the present he was he should have been a most happy man specially if his capacitie to receive or entertain what he then heard or saw had been any way proportionable unto them Saint Paul likewise after his conversion was so Rapt in spirit with the Celestial words which he heard that it seemed he knew not whether he were in the body or out of the body when he heard them that is whether he were locally present in Paradise whence those words were spoken or whether his spirit were Elevated to hear them in such distance whether of the two it was certainly such words they were that they could not be uttered by him or be made known unto others 2 Cor. 12. 4. And as the words were unutterable so the joyes which then possessed him were unexpressible by any known similitude or resemblance O how great then shall those joyes be when the sense of hearing shall be as capable of these Celestial voyces as it now is of earthly when our sense of sight shall be as fitly proportioned to the spectacles of paradise as it is now unto the stars of the firmament when all our faculties shall be as capable of Celestial influences as they are now of sublunary impressions 7. Briefly all the joyes or contentments of The life to come even compleat happiness it self may be reduced to these Two First to joy or happiness Essential Secondly to joy or happiness concomitant or Accidental Of both in their order and how they are set forth unto us in Scripture Joy or happiness Essential consists in the fruition of Gods presence But seeing the Deitie or Divine nature is every where present is it not now present with us on earth sure it is but we are far from it A light or candle may be present to a blind man and yet he as far from enjoying any comfort of its presence as if it were put under a bushel at the Antipodes Such is the case of all whose sins have made a separation betwixt their God and them He is present with them present in them but they are further removed from the comfort of his presence then the Center of the earth is from the Highest Heavens The three children were in the fierie furnace but it made no impression upon them they felt no smart or pain from it because the heat of it did not enter into them Thus the Diuine Nature or essence doth incompass all good and bad more truly then the furnace did their bodies yet he that could withdraw the force or influence of heat from the fire can likewise withhold the joy or comfort of his presence from such as love him not But wheresoever it is it is the fountain of all joy and happiness and shall any man be in the fountain of joy and happiness and shall this fountain be in them and they not made happy by it Yes it is not enough that the fountain of happiness is in them they must enter into the joy of this Fountain before they become happy by it Now that servant which hath once entred into his masters joy needs no other external contentment or object to satisfie the particular capacities of sense or of any internal faculties For as the Being of every creature is contained in the Omnipotent nature in a more excellent manner then in it self so all the goodness or comfortable influence which the creatures can communicate unto others is contained in a manner far more excellent in Gods infinite goodness which is likewise more communicative then any finite goodness can be This infinite goodness dwelleth in Christ bodily the spirit of all joy and gladness is given unto him but without measure It pleased God that in him should all fulness dwell That as we in this life from his fulness receive grace for grace so in the better life or life to come we should receive jor for joy that is joy upon joy without ceasing without end even as much as we shall be capable of yea above all that we are able to desire or conceive 8. Our life saith the Apostle Coloss 3. 3. is hid with Christ in God when Christ who is our life shall appear then shall ye also appear with him in Glorie All as many as have their fruit unto Holiness in this life have the pledge the earnest or the Cocket of the next But the life it self whereof Holiness is the pledge or Cocket is treasured up in Christ and may not be delivered unto us untill we be changed untill he appear in glory unchangeable Whilest we see not him we see not our selves or that life which is treasured up for us in him This sight is deferred or reserved until his appearance Then this sight shall grow into a perfect tast So saith the same Apostle 1 Cor. 13. 12. Now we see through a glass that is indistinctly or as we see a truth lockt up in a Riddle But then When that which is perfect shall come then shall we see face to face Now saith the Apostle of himself I know in part but then shall I know even as I am known Saint John hath the like mysterie more fully 1 John 3. 2. beloved now are we the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like to him for we shall see him as he is From all these places but chiefly from the last it is apparent That the fulness of our joyes and happiness is from the vision or sight of God in Christ And hence is this Sight by the learned and such as have insight in these mysteries called Visio Beatifica the Blessed vision or the vision which makes us happy yet happy it makes us in that by it we become like unto him who is most happie blessed yea blessedness it self This is Saint Johns inference we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is that
is not through a glass but in a glass Our understanding or intellective facultie is as a Glass wherein this vision is made Now the understanding as the Philosopher observed is as a glass apt to receive the impression of all things intelligible And as he imagined could not be perfected could never understand its own nature aright untill it were made all things until it had received the images or stamps of all things And hence it is that the more men know the more they desire to know The knowledge of many particulars doth but excite our imbred desire of knowing more and this desire can never be satisfied until we know all things Now to know all things successively or one after another is impossile It was the complaint of the father of the Physitians Ars longa vita breuis The true knowledge of any Art or science or the subject of it is long in getting whereas mans life is short There is no end saith Solomon of writing many books and much reading which is but the hunting after knowledge is a weariness unto the body 9. But it being taken as possible or as granted That we could come to know the nature of all things which we see hear or read of that we could be as prompt and perfect in this visible book of nature as we are in the first elements of the easiest book that can be printed for us that we knew the nature of Heaven of earth and of every creature in them as distinctly as children do one letter from another and the nature of mixt bodies as well as they know the just value of letters or Syllables put together yet could not such knowledge make us happie For these things how perfectly soever known could not infuse any new life into us could not make us partakers of any greater joy or goodness then is in themselves But in the life of glorie our souls become living polished glasses wherein the Divine nature wherein Christ God and Man may be seen as he is and he is truth it self life it self and goodness it self and we are transformed into the similitude of all these his Attributes There is no picture-maker that can express either the colour or proportion of a mans body or countenance so exactly as these do themselves in a true glass It receives the true image and similitude of any thing visible as more easily so more exactly then wax doth the stamp and character of the seal For That receives only the Mathematical Form or figure without the matter or any real qualitie As a golden seal leaves no tincture of gold nor a seal of brass any propertie of brass in the wax but only the figure Whereas a glass besides the figure or proportion receives the colour but no other real qualitie But the eye which is a kinde of living glass takes some tincture not of the shape or colour only but of other real qualities or properties of things seen By looking on Green or Azure the eye is much refreshed because the natural constitution of it resembles these most Yet finds it not the like contentment either in colours too sad or too bright because these have less affinitie with its native temper Nor is the effect or efficacy of colours seen terminated only in the eye though the eye sees them That reacheth unto other internal faculties unto the very Seat or Center of the Affections The impression which colors perfectly red as scarlet of the ancient die make upon the eyes of living creatures which abound in blood doth stir the blood and inrage their spirits to fight when as otherwise they would be quiet And to the end they might provoke the Elephants to fight they shewed them the blood of grapes and mulberies 1 Mac. 6. 34. And some good Philosphers have observed that Bears or others creatures which abound with Melancholick blood are more inraged at the sight of colours more dark then scarlet or perfect red So that the eyes of living creatures which see things as they are not through a glass but in themselves as in a perfect glass are apt to take others impressions besides the figure proportion or colour of those things which they stedfastly behold 10. There is no creature in the world more apt to receive the shape or figure of another then man in his first creation was to receive the image or likeness of his Creator who hath no figure or shape whereby he may be visibly represented as the seal is in the wax or as a mans face is in a glass He is infinite in all his Attributes and his infinity cannot be represented must be admired The similitude though of his goodness or of his righteousness wherein happiness consists was truly represented in the First man for he was created Just and holy and wanted nothing to his happiness save onely perseverance in that righteousness wherein he was created But he stained his soul with sin And so far as it was stained with sin it was more apt to take the image of Gods adversarie who was the Father of sin the author of all iniquitie which men commit And so we all are by nature more apt to take this image of the wicked one then the purest glass is to receive the image the proportion and colours of men that look upon it more apt to take the impression of his bad qualities then the eye of any living creature is to take the impression of any qualitie which shall be presented unto it But as the first Adam was made a living soul so the second Adam was made a quickning Spirit A spirit of life to revive the Reliques of Gods image in mens souls And by the reviving of them to expell or blot out the expressions of Satans image in them All this he doth in part even in this life in such as fear and love him And in These Two to wit in the Reviving of Gods image in us and in the Expunction and wiping out the stain of sin which is no other then the image of Satan doth our Regeneration consist And by the spirit of Regeneration we see in part we know God in part but after that which is perfect is come that is when Christ shall appear in glory and we shall be changed Then shall that which is imperfect be done away then shall our souls be as a glass clear and polished apt to receive the image of God wherein we were created in a far better manner then the soul of our first Progenitor in his integritie was 11. We know God by Hear-say in this life we see him not or if we see him in part in his word yet this is but like the sight of things a far off it makes too little impression upon our souls it works too small alteration in our affections Our sight is not effectual until it grow into a kinde of Tast Adam was indued with life with knowledge with righteousness but his life his knowledge and righteousness
when occasion or exigences of time require it should be This Qualification includes somewhat more or somewhat besides Poornesse in spirit or humility or patience in mourning Meeknesse is a moderation of anger in some special Cases such a Temper as our Saviour requires in his Followers when he commands them to turn the right cheek to him that smites them on the left and to be willing to redeem their peace with a troublesome neighbor that would take away the coat though it be with the losse of the cloak also Now this kind of Temper exposeth men to many kinds of Inconveniences hard to be digested by flesh and blood Many otherwise humble and ingenuous when they are toucht as we say in their Coppp-hold or in their inheritance will take courage and boldness sometimes more then were fitting though necessarie if they be resolved to defend their own without respect to the occasions or exigences of time For facies hominis in causa propriatanquam facies Leonis A mans face or presence in his own cause is as the face of a Lyon And he that cannot take his own part in his own cause and set the best Foot forwards may easily be turned out of house and home And yet there is no true Disciple of Christ but must expect to have his patience exercised in this kind to be injuriously vexed and molested by Others for that which is not Theirs Now he that in this Case will not vex or molest others again nor himself he is truly meek and unto men thus qualified or to encourage all to be thus qualified the Blessednesse of the life to come is promised not under the Title of a Kingdom or of Comfort but under the Title most contrary to the course and custom of this world wherein Meeknesse is commonly Accursed with loss of their own possession But Blessed saith our Saviour are the meek for they shall inherit or possesse the earth or the Land even that good Land where there is no Ejection no dis-inheriting of such as are possessed of it and therefore are the meek blessed because Meeknesse or quietnesse is the Way or Title to get Possession thereof 9. But the poor in spirit may have more honor then they can desire so may such as mourn have as much Comfort and the meek as large and durable an Inheritance as their hearts could wish But if this were all they could not be satisfied Every one of these have in this life their several Thirsts or Longings As he that mourns thirsts after Comfort the poor in spirit and the meek hunger and thirst after their Contentment in some kind or other But without all hope of satisfaction unlesse they hunger and thirst after somewhat else besides these particular contentments Man in his first estate was created righteous and unlesse there be a longing after that Righteousnesse which our first Parents lost whatsoever we gain or get besides cannot satisfie our desire either In Re or In Spe. Hence saith our Savior in the Fourth place Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse for they shall be satisfied There is a thirst after honor preferment and ease and there is Auri sacra fames an unquenchable hunger after gold and Pelf but this cannot be satisfied all these are tortures to the soul wherein they harbour For though honour be Gods though gold and silver as the Prophet speaks be his yet he is not these these are not the same that He is but as we said lately God is righteousness He is Peace He is Love He is mercy and therefore whosoever delights in these he truely delights in the Lord and shall assuredly have his hearts desire he only shall be satisfied 10. But no man in this life doth or can delight in these works as he ought the most righteous man that ever lived on earth if God should enter into Judgement with him could not be absolved from the sentence of the Law and so long as he stands unabsolved or uncertain of his Absolution he cannot be satisfied he cannot have his hearts desire he alwayes stands in need of mercy And mercy he shall have that is merciful For it is Remarkable that this qualification of mercifulness is the only qualification or condition which is rewarded in kind in this we most perfectly resemble the goodness of God Hence saith our Saviour Blessed are the merciful But why are they blessed Not because they shall receive a Kingdom not because they shall possesse the Land not because they shall be satisfied but because they shall obtain mercy Without the exceeding mercy of God no man can enter into the Kingdom of Heaven neither into the Kingdom of Grace in this life nor into the Kingdom of Glory in the life to come and he that means to enter in at the Gate of mercy must bring his Ticket or rather his * Counter-part indented with him he must be merciful as his heavenly Father is mercifull otherwise he shall be excluded Righteousness towards God if it were possible to be severed from mercy towards man could not suffice 11. But that which comes nearest to true blesledness it self is Puritie of heart This contains the Root whereof Holiness is the fruit that Holiness whose End is Everlasting life Now he that desires to keep this puritie of heart must deprive his eyes of many pleasant sights and his ears of many delightful sounds and every sense of those particular contentments wherein the world most delighteth But in lieu of this loss he hath A blessing promised not only of this life but of the life to come In the life to come he shall see God as he is face to face and in this life he shall see him as through a glass and so he shall see him in his Word and in his Attributes And the best knowledge that in this life can be had The knowledge of God and of his Attributes without transforming the Divine nature into the similitude of our corrupt affections is To see his righteousnes and Justice without derogation from his Mercy or Goodness or to see him to be goodness it self and mercy it self without any diminution of his Justice To see his gracious and peculiar favour towards some without suspition or imagination of rigour or crueltie towards others To know him to be love it self without admixture of hatred towards any thing that he hath made 12. It is this sight of God or this apprehension of this uniformity be-between his Attributes which must transform us into such a similitude of his divine nature as in this life can be had that is such as may make us the children of peace This is the immediat fruit of purity of heart And unto men thus disposed to preserve peace as for their own particulars and to make peace between such as are at variance the blessedness of the life to come could not be promised under a more grateful Title then under the style
nature Now any Symptom or Branch of pride or vain-glory is less deadly then the Root of Pride vain-glory or pharisaical hypocrisie Far be it from any of us to think that the like sin committed by a man regenerate doth not deserve worse at Gods hands then if it had been committed by an unregenerate or meer natural man because he thinks himself to be of the number of the Elect For if this sin or transgression be for Substance the same the Circumstances make it a great deal worse in a regenerate then in a meer natural man That saying of the heathen Satyrist or Censurer of ill manners holds as true in Divinitie as in Morality Omne animi vitium tanto conspectius in se Crimen habet quanto major qui peccat habetur The crime or fault is so much the greater by how much the partie offending is in his own esteem or others better qualified 12. From what Original is it then that the righteous Judge doth oft-times lesse punish the sins of men which have lived a godly life then he doth the like sins in men not as yet regenerate or in men that have been altogether barren of good works The true Resolution of this Probleme or Question must be taken from that general rule or Maxime That God will render to every man according to all his wayes either in Justice or in mercy Now albeit God alwayes punish the ungodly in this life Citra condignum in lesse measure then they deserve because his mercy and long suffering inhibits the execution of his punitive justice yet he alwayes rewards the good works which we do Ultra condignum far above their deservings for albeit the best works which we can do deserve no reward at all yet his infinite goodness will not suffer the least good works which we do to go without his Reward Rewarded we shall be either with some Positive Blessing or with the Mitigation of some punishment which our evil works had justly deserved From this Original it is that albeit the bad works of men regenerate or endowed with grace do weigh heavier in the scale of Gods Justice then the like works of men unregenerate do yet they do not sway so much because whiles he weighes the bad works of men regenerate in the scale of his justice he weighes the good works which they have formerly done in the scale of his mercy and bounty But as for such as have lived a lewd and godless life and have made themselves unworthy of his mercy their grosser sins are weighed in the scale of his Justice without a Counterpoize and therefore do sway the further and nearer towards hell albeit for their nature and quality they be not more heynous then some offences of the regenerate So that God is no Accepter of persons albeit in this life he punisheth the same sin more grievously in one then in another for this he doth not with any respect unto their persons but with respect unto his own mercy whereof the one sort are Capable the other are altogether unworthy And this was the true meaning of our Apostle and the ground of his Hope or good perswasion of these Hebrews Chap. 6. ver 9 10. But we are perswaded better things of you and things that accompany salvation For God is not unrighteous to forget your works and labour of love which ye have shewed towards his name in that ye have Ministred to the Saints and do Minister CHAP. XXIX ROMANS 6. 23. But the Gift of God is Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Three Points 1. Eternal Life the most Free Gift of God both in Respect of The Donor and of The Donee 2. Yet doth not the Soveraign Freeness of the Gift exclude all Qualifications in the Donees rather requires better in them then others which exclude it or themselves from it Whether the Kingdom of Heaven was prepared for all or for a certain number 3. The first Qualification for Grace is to become as little children A parallel of the conditions of Infants and of Christians truely humble and meek 1. THe Points remaining to be handled are Three The First is in part touched before That Eternal Life is nor only The gift of God or as the Vulgar renders the Original Gratia Dei but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The gift of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is as if you would say The Gift of Gifts the greatest Gift and the Freest Gift that God hath to bestow on mankind for in or through Christ Jesus our Lord. The second that The Absolute Freedom or graciousness of this Gift doth not exclude all Qualifications of works or inclinations to good works but only confidence in works The third is The Qualification required in all such as hope to receive this Gift or The manner how they are to work out their own salvation that they may be capable or at least not Totally uncapable of this free gift To the first That Eternal Life is the Gift of Gifts or the most free or Gracious Gift that God hath to bestow on man may be easily proved from the Conditions required in a Free Gift And These are Two The first respects the estate or condition of the Donor as that he be not tied by any necessitie either natural moral or politick to bestow his benevolence The second condition respects the Donee And it is Absentia if not Carentia meriti Being without if not a want of desert or merit In both respects Life Eternal is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is The most excellent and most undeserved Gift that can be given That it is freely given without any constraint or Tie of necessity is clear For no operations of the most Holy and Blessed Trinitie besides the Eternal Generation of the Son of God and the Eternal Procession of the Holy Ghost have any Natural necessitie in them These be operations of the Divine nature all extraneous things are works of Gods divine will and pleasure God who worketh all things worketh all things else according to the Counsel of his Will that is he so worketh them he so preserveth and ordereth them as it was free for him from eternity not to make them not to preserve them not so to order them as he doth He was when the world was not and might so have continued And this clearly evinceth that there was no Natural necessitie why he should create the world or any thing in it for so the world should have been as he is eternal without beginning Nor was there any Moral necessity that he should create the world or man or Angel for none could have impeached him of injustice or unkindness or of other transgression of any Law or Rule if he had never given them such Being as they have Nor was there any Politick necessitie that he should create the world or man or Angel in whose creation he had no respect to any private end he gained nothing by their Being the best
further then we see good probabilitie for whereas the Honour and Glory we owe unto Him as our Father and our King as the Lord our God is to hope above hope to rely upon his providence that prospereth beyond all possibilitie of good speed that we know can foresee or imagine He that will save his life as our Saviour saith must resolve to lose it That is according to the equitie of this Rule whosoever desires God to bestow upon him that immortal and farre better Life must be in heart and mind resolved to resign this mortal life into his hand whensoever he shall demand it Oft-times we come to lose this mortal life it self by too much chariness or intemperate desires to keep it Such as fear death more then Gods displeasure oft-times incurre both when as he that neglects all care of life by Gods extraordinary mercie and care hath his life given him for a prey As it is said to Baruch Jer. 45. 5. Or as it is promised by God in the fore-cited third of Malachi ver 16. Then spake they that feared the Lord every one to his neighbor to wit to honour the Lord as he required and the Lord hearkened and heard it and a book of Remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his Name And they shall be to me saith the Lord of Hosts in that day that I shall do this for a Flock and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him Then shall you return and discern betwixt the righteous and the wicked betwixt him that serveth God and him that serveth him not 13. By the equitie of the same Rule we gather that he which desires God should bless him with extraordinary riches that is send him such riches as shall be a Blessing unto him for to many they are a curse must resolve as Solomon speaks to cast his bread upon the waters to be open so more open-handed to the poor then he can see any probability in humane reason how it should hold out referring the issue to God who will blesse us over and above that we can desire or can procure by ordinary care so we in sinceritie of heart not out of vain ostentation be liberal and bountiful over and above the Rate of our ordinary means If we desire God should send down a secret blessing upon our store we should do alms so secret that the left hand should not know what the right hand gave He that will honour the Lord with his substance shall have his Barns filled with abundance Prov. 3. 9. And the reason why many a poor mans store is not extraordinarily increased as the Sareptan Widdows was is because out of their penurie they do not minister to others that are in greater necessity then themselves especially to such as are dear in Gods sight as his Prophets or Messengers We may not perhaps desire that God should work such a miracle in our dayes For the manner but he can and will give as extraordinary increase by meanes ordinarie though not usual For his promise is still the same First seek the Kingdom of Heaven and the righteousnesse thereof and all those things which the world cares for shall be added unto you God blesseth not us Ministers with such store of temporal things as we desire because we minister not spiritual things to you in such measure as he commands And God blesseth not you with such store of spiritual instruction as you do or should desire because you are backward in ministring temporal things to Gods Honour To conclude as we must be perfect as God is perfect though not so perfect as he is perfect so must we do to him as we desire he should do to us though not in the same measure If we desire Glorie Immortalitie of him which is the participation of his Divine Nature we must first be holy as He is holy If we seek for bodily health we must use temperance and abstinence in our Diet. You need not fear as if this Doctrine came near Poperie That we must do that which is Good ere we obtain that which we desire of God is the Doctrine of Our Church in the Collect appointed for the fourteenth Sunday after Trinitie ALmighty and everlasting God Give unto us the increase of Faith Hope and Charity And that we may obtain that which thou dost promise make us to love that which thou dost command especially make us to love the Great Commandments of loving Thee O Lord above all with all our hearts with all our souls with all our strength and our neighbours as our selves Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen The Third Sermon upon this Text. CHAP. XXXIV MATTH 7. 12. Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you do ye even so unto them c. The Impediments that obstruct the Practise of this Dutie of Doing to others as we would have done to our selves are chiefly Two 1. Hopes and desires of attaining better estates then we at present have 2. Fears of falling into worse Two readie Wayes to the Dutie 1. To wean our soules into an Indifferencie or vindicate them into a Libertie in respect of all Objects 2. To keep in mind alwayes a perfect Character of our own Afflictions and Releases or Comforts Two Inconveniences arising from accersite greatness or prosperity 1. It makes men defective in performing the Affirmative part of this Dutie 2. It makes them perform some part of the Affirmative with the violation of the Negative part thereof A Fallacie discovered An useful general Rule 1. THe Third Point proposed Chapter 32. § 5. was concerning the best means and method of putting this Rule in Practise And we shall the sooner find out These if we can discover those Impediments which usually either disable or detain men from doing to others as they would be done unto themselves The Original and principal Impediment of this practise is because we cannot or will not or do not sufficiently and impartially propose others mens Cases as our own And this fals out oft-times because we are ignorant what our own desires would be in many Cases and therefore having no Rule within our selves we cannot practise This to the behoof of others It is seen by experience that such as have the fresh prints or bleeding scarres of any calamitie upon themselves will be most compassionate to others suffering the like The Reason is These men cannot but propose other mens afflictions as their own They know well what they themselves have desired to be done unto them in like calamitie and according to the full measure of their own desires ariseth an Alacritie and readiness to relieve others The sight or notification of others mens miseries casts them as it were by a Relapse into a Fit of their Own so as they are afflicted whilst others are tormented and for this Reason are drawn by Sympathie to do to others as
assurance which is conteined in our belief of Christs Death and Passion The first branch of it is That God by giving his only Son for us did give us an inestimable pledge of his love to us in particular This we must believe Certitudine Fidei by Certaintie of Faith Upon this Foundation or Assurance of Faith our Apostle builds another Rom. 5. 9 10. Much more then being now justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath through him For if when we were Enemies we are reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled to God we shall be saved by his life And again Chap. 8. 32. He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things These are the Prime Seeds of true Christian Faith and must be undoubtedly planted in every mans heart before he can be a fit Hearer much less a Disputer in other Points of Divinitie as of Election Reprobation c. Whilest we labour to plough up your hearts for the fit receiving of this Seed of Faith we must not baulk that saying of St. John 1 Ep. 3. 3. Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself as he is pure If your perswasions of your assured Estate in Grace grow up together with this Purification of your hearts then are they Perswasions of Faith not Presumptions CHAP. XXXX The Fourth Sermon upon this Text. ROMANS 2. 1. Therefore Thou art inexcusable O man whosoever thou art that Judgest c. The Author Chapt. 38. propounded Three Points He handled The First in the 38 and 39. Chapt. The Second viz. How Papists and Protestants judging the Jew condemn themselves he omitteth having other-where spoken to that Point and Particularly Fol. 3342 3688. of this Book He proceeds here to The Third Point viz. How Jews Papists Protestants evidently condemn themselves vvhilst they Judge the Idolatrie of the Heathen 1. THe very worst that the Jew or Christian can object unto the Heathen as Heathen is the acknowledgement of many gods or the adoring of stocks of stones or as Daniel enstiles them gods of gold of silver brasse iron wood and stone How beit even this Imagination of many gods or the worshipping of many imaginary gods was but a Transfiguration or Transformation of the True and Only God into the similitude of those creatures or visible substances which they represented by the images which they worshipped This was the very height of heathenish Idolatry as our Apostle instructs us Rom. 1. 23. They changed the glory of the incorruptible God that is of the only God into an Image made like to corruptible man and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things Of what things soever the images were which they did worship they changed the glory of God into the similitude of that thing whose Image they worshipped And by this means as the Apostle inferres ver 25. they changed the truth of God into a lie and worshipped and served the Creature more than the Creator who is blessed for ever So then the Transformation of the Divine Nature into unfit similitudes is it which must give us the True Scale or Scantling for measuring the haynousness of that sin which we call Idolatry He that most grosly transforms mis-pictures or changes the nature of the true and only God is the most gross Idolater be he by profession a Jew a Turk an Heathen or a Christian And it was observed and excellently prosecuted by a Great Prelate a most Reverend and Learned Bishop in this Land That the worshipping of Images and the worshipping of Imaginations so the Imaginations and the Images be alike monstrous or unfitting come both to one Passe 2. In the worshipping of Images the Romish Church and the Heathens do at least for the outward Act too well agree And in this respect the Jew and Mahumetan are more averse from the ancient Heathens then the best in the Romish Church are And if the sinceritie of Gods worship did consist in Negatives as in not worshipping the Images of any living thing the Mahumetan or Jew might have the precedency of Reformed Churches So farre are they from worshipping Images that they do not allow the making of Pictures though for historical use A Painter or Picture-maker is as execrable a creature amongst them as a professed Jew a Turk or Sarazen or worshipper of Idols is amongst us Yet are the Jews and Mahumetans notorious Idolaters in that other main Branch or rather Essential Root of Idolatry that is in worshipping their own Imaginations or in observing the Fables or Traditions of their Ancestors To omit then that Branch of Idolatry which consists in the worshipping of Images we must examine ourselves I mean we Christians whether Papists or Protestants By our adherence to the Root of Idolatry that is the worshipping of Imaginations or the Transformation of the Divine Nature into the similitude of our corrupt desires or affections This is that which gave life and Being to the multiplicitie of imaginary gods amongst the Heathens And the Poyson of this Idolatry may be more malignant in others then it was or is in them for want of vent or issue 3. We of Reformed Churches rightly censure it as a Branch of heathenish Idolatry in the Romish Church in that they teach the people to make solemn supplication unto Saints deceased for their Intercession or mediation with God or Christ And under this Censure fall all their prayers which they make in this or the like form Sancta Maria Sancte Petre c. Ora pro nobis Into this branch of Formal Idolatry they could not possibly slide but through the other which properly consists in the Transformation or changing of the Divine Nature into the similitude of corruptible mans corrupt affections Now how deeply that very Church is tainted with this Idolatry Her own Plea for practising the former Branch in praying unto Saints will give evidence against them For the best warrant which her Sons can pretend unto to mis-perswade the multitude or vulgar is this That God is a Great King the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and therefore good manners requires that we do not preferre our Petitions immediately unto him but use the mediation or intercession of deceased Saints which are in greater favour with him then we wretched sinners are Now by this very Imagination or Conceit they transform the glorious Majestie of the invisible God and of his Christ into the similitude of mortal men of men though greater in power and Majestie then other men are yet for the most part not so good as they themselves are great not so inclinable to poor mens Peritions nor so compassionate of their miseries as meaner men are Or if by nature breeding or civil education these great Potentates of the world be more affable or compassionate then other men are yet are they not able to give dispatch to
half the Petitions that would be presented unto them if every man might be admitted to be his own spokesman or to have immediate access unto their presence However to compare God or his Christ in the Audience of our prayers unto the best and wisest Kings that ever lived on earth or to make the manner of preferring Petitions unto Potentates as a patern for preferring prayers and supplications unto the Almighty is at the best but a Branch of Heathenism A manifest transformation of the Divine Nature into the similitude of mortal man And the Romanist both by this Practise and this Plea for it doth evidently condemn himself in that wherein he judgeth the Heathen 4. But would to God the Romanist alone did in this Particular condemn himself in those things wherein he judgeth others or that it were a common Error unto him with the Mahumetan and the Jew who though they abhorre Images more then he doth yet they commit abominable sacrilege which is equivalent to Idolatry in transforming the nature of the true God into the similitude of their own Imaginations But besides all these I am to give you notice of some in Reformed Churches and private Warning as occasion shall serve of some Writers in this Church where we live but no way authorized by it which commit the same error which they so much condemn in the Romanist The Romanist as you heard before transformes or changes the nature of the incorruptible God and of Christ himself into the similitude of earthly Kings and Monarchs yet not of cruel and prodigious Tyrans But these Writers whom I mean as the Romanists object and the Lutheranes prove transform the Majestie and glory of the immortal God into the similitude of cruel Tyrans yea of such base and sordid Pedants as the meanest amongst you would disdain should have any authoritie over your children that is such as delight more in punishing and correcting them then to direct or amend them in learning or manners For so some late Writers have expresly taught That the Almighty maker of all things doth as immediately as primarily and directly ordain some men to damnation as he doth others unto life that he delights as much in the exercise of punitive Justice as he doth in the exercise of goodness mercy love and bounty That as by his determinate Decree he created some to be Elect vessels of Honour for the manifestation of his Goodness So by the same irresistible Decree he ordains others to be vessels of dishonour for the manifestation of his Justice As if the manifestation of his Justice punitive or vengeance for that Justice they mean were as necessary from Eternity as the manifestation of his Mercy and Goodnesse 5. These and the like inconsiderate Tenets which I forbear further to prosecute or rehearse did give if not iust Occasion yet colourable Pretence and probability unto the Lutheran Churches for breaking off all League or Amitie with some other Reformed Churches because as they conceived either they did not agree with them in the worship of the same God or transformed Gods nature into the similitude of his Enemie into hatred and crueltie it self Now the best way to stop their mouthes or to make up that Breach which the Positions of some inconsiderate men have made would be to disclaim their Opinions as the most learned in other Reformed Churches have solemnly done For so that Great Light of the Heilderbergh Church whilest it flourished and he with it for Both were in a manner extinguished together being chalenged by two Jesuites that came to visit him professing withall that they would use the Lutheranes weapons to make their challenge good For making God the Author of sin did in the Close or issue stand upon this defence That however this perchance might be Calvins Error yet it was not Error Calvinistarum no General Error of the Calvinists as the Jesuite objected For as for Paraeus himself albeit he could well brook to be accounted a Calvinist that is an adherer unto or A Maintainer of Calvines Doctrine in other Points yet in this particular concerning Reprobation he did rather accord with Cardinal Bellarmine and many others in the Romish Church then with Calvin himself That he did not so well like of Calvines Opinion in this particular or at least his manner of expressing his Opinion there is no man of learning or understanding that wishes well either to the memory of Calvin or to the weal of Reformed Churches but will commend Paraeus his wisdom and ingenuity But that this Good Author should like better of Cardinal Bellarmines Opinion then of Calvines in this Point I for my part commend his Ingenuity more then his Judgment For if as good a Scholar as Bellarmine was would take the pains to examine his Opinion as strictly as he hath done Calvines it would quickly appear to be for Qualitie the very same if not worse however for the Extent it may seem more tolerable Both of them were to blame in taking upon them to determine the particular manner how God doth reprobate And it is a matter of no Difficulty to refute them both But a greater Presumption to determine any third manner distinct from both Only this in General is most certain that seeing Reprobation is an Ordination unto death no man is reprobated but for sin But as it is not the Carpenter or Statuary not he that works in stone in wood or brass which makes an Idol for whilest the work is under their tooles it is an image or statue only He which sets it up or adores it makes it an Idol So this Opinion of Reprobation how harsh soever yet whilest Calvin Bradwardine or perhaps St. Augustine did handle it it was an Error only or false Imagination They who now would make it a Fundamental Point of Faith or insert it in their Catechismes make it an Heresie or worse then an heresie an idolatrous or blasphemous Imagination 6. But admit all of us were free from transformation of the Divine Nature all of us Orthodoxal in matter of opinion concerning the Attributes of God or of Christ yet all this would not free us from another branch of Idolatry as rife and luxuriant amongst other Christians whether of the Romish or of Reformed Churches as it was amongst the Heathens or is at this day amongst the Infidels For we may rob God of his honour no less then the Heathens or Infidels do without any Idol or Image without mis-forming or mis-picturing him in his Attributes And our Apostle at the 22. verse of this Chapter hath made the robbing or despoiling God of his honour equivalent to that branch of Idolatry which consists in the adoration of Idols Thou that abhorrest Idols dost thou commit sacrilege or dost thou rob God of his honour The word in the Original extends to both to all the branches of Idolatry Every one which adoreth Idols takes that honour which is due to the only true God and bestows
Prophets Wise men and Apostles to reclaim them if they would have hearkned to him or his Messengers Admonitions S. Luke puts this out of Controversie for repeating part of this story he saith expresly Therefore also said the Wisdom of God I will send them Prophets c. And Christ is styled The Wisdom of God not as man but as God and Consequently He spake these words not as man only but as God The same compassion and burning Love the same thirst and longing after Jerusalems safety which we see here manifested by a manner comprehensible to flesh and blood in these words of our Saviour in my Text or the like uttered by him Luke 19 with tears and sobs we must believe to be as truly as really and unfeignedly in the Divine Nature though by a manner incomprehensible to flesh and blood How any such flagrant desire of their welfare which finally perish should be in God we cannot conceive because our minds are more dazeled with that inaccessible Light which he inhabits then the eyes of Batts and Owles are by gazing on the Sun To qualifie this Incomprehensible Glorie of the Deitie the Wisdom of God was made Flesh that we might safely behold the true module or proportion of Divine Goodness in our Nature as the eye which cannot look upon the Sun in his strength or as it shines in the Firmament may without offence behold it in the water being an Element homogeneal to its own substance Thus should all Christs Prayers desires or pathetical wishes of mans safetie be to us as so many visible pledges or sensible Evidences of Gods Invisible and Incomprehensible Love and so he concludes his last Invitation of the Jewes I have not spoken of my selfe but the Father which sent me he gave me Commandment what I should say and what I should speak And I know that his Commandment is everlasting life whatsoever I spake therefore even as the Father said unto me so I spake Joh. 12. ver 49 50. And what saith our Saviour more in his own then the Prophet had done in the Name and Person of his God Isai 49. v. 14. Sion complained the Lord hath for saken me and my Lord hath forgotten me But he answered Can a woman forget her sucking Child that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb yea they may forget yet will I not forget thee Behold I have graven thee upon the palmes of my hands c. These and the like Places of the Prophets compared with our Saviours speech here in my Text give us plainly to understand That whatsoever Love any mother can bear to the fruit of her womb unto whom her bowels of compassion are more tender then the fathers can be or whatsoever affection any dumb Creature can afford unto their tender brood the like but greater doth God bear unto his children Unto the Elect most will grant But is his Love so tender towards such as perish Yes the Lord carried the whole Hoste of Israel even the stubborne and most disobedient as the Eagle doth her young ones upon her wings Exod. 19. 4. Earthly Parents will not vouchsafe to wait perpetually upon their children The Hen continueth not her Call from morning to night nor can she endure to hold out her wings all day for a shelter to her young ones as they grow great and refuse to come she gives over to invite them But saith the Lord by his Prophet I have spred out my hand all the day unto a rebellious people which walketh in a way that was not good after their own thoughts A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face that sacrificeth in gardens and burneth incense upon Altars of bricks which remain among the graves and lodg in the monuments which eat Swines flesh and broth of abominable things is in their vessels which say adding hypocrisie unto filthinesse and Idolatry stand by thy self come not neer unto me for I am holier then thou Isai 65. ver 2 3 4. Such they were and so conceited of our Saviour with whom he had in his life time oft to deal and for whose safetie he prayed with teares before his Passion These and many like passages of Scripture are pathetically set forth by the Spirit to assure us That there is no desire like unto the Almighties desire of sinful mans Repentance no Longing to his Longing after our Salvation If Gods Love to Iudah comen to the height of rebellion had beene lesse then mans or other Creatures Love to what they affect most dearely If the Meanes he used to reclaim her had been fewer or lesse probable then any others had attempted for obtaining their most wished End his Demand to which the Prophet thought no possible Answer could be given might easily have been put off by these incredulous Jewes unto whom he had not referred the judgment in their own Cause if they could have instanced in man or other Creature more willing to do what possibly they could do either for themselves or others then he was to do whatsoever was possible to be done for them And now O Inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah judg I pray you betwixt me and my Vineyard what could more have been done to my vineyard that I have not done to it Wherefore when I looked that it should bring forth grapes brought it forth wild grapes Isa 5. v. 3 4. 6. But the greater we make the Truth and Extent of Gods Love the more we increase the difficultie of the Second Point proposed For amongst women many there be that would amongst dumb Creatures scarce any that would not redeeme their sucklings from death by dying themselves Yet what is it that they can do which they would not do to save their owne lives And did not God so love the world that he gave his only begotten Son for it Yes for the world of the Elect I see not why any should be excluded from the number But to let that passe Gods desire of their repentance which perish is undoubtedly such as hath been said Yet should we say that he hath done all that could be done for them How chanceth it that all are not saved Was the Vineyard more barren then Sarah the fruit of whose womb he made like the Stars of the sky or as the sands by the Sea shore innumerable Was it a matter more hard to make the impenitent Jew bring forth fruits worthy of Repentance then to make a Virgin conceive and beare a son If it were not how chanceth it the Word of the Lord and that but a short one should bring the One to joyful Issue whilst the other the repentance of the Jewes and other ungodly men after so many exhortations and threatnings after so many promises of comfort and so many denunciations of woes as the Prophets the Apostles and their Successors have used is not to this day nor ever will be accomplished If repentance of men born and brought up in
29 § 9. Fol. 3586. I suppose this was preached at St. Ma. in Oxon. Nothing is called Little or great but in Comparison with other things Lev. 23. 27. ☜ The occasion of Baruchs complaint Two Doctrines or two Propositions A Corollarie added to the former Things indifferent yea lawful things by Circumstances become unlawful He means some man that had turned to the Church of Rome Good men are and ought to be most religious in worst Times Sympathie planted in Bruites See the Sermons upon this Text. Fol. 3610. ☞ ☜ Apathie a Symptom of a graceless obdurate mind Numb 32. 6. 2 Sam. 11. Uriah Godfrey of Bulloign Argia in Statius Of Portia see Plutarch in vita Bruti The Author omits the Second Doctrine to be handled in the next Sermon and passeth to the Corollarie which he proves by Instance A Great Warning and a Greater Truth Libro 6. de providentia Dei See more Instances of Stupidity in the end of the Attributes Salvian This was preached in Oxon after the visitation by the Plague A Forward Souldier Petrus Strozius See Val. Maximus de Cupiditate Uiae Epist Lib. 1. Epist 22. See Lanoue Paradox second Page 204. Thuanus Lib. 26. pag. 543. colum 1. See Busbequius his fourth epist De Rebus Turc Lament 4. 10. Zephaniah 2. 3. The Doctrine handled in Hypothesi An Objection 1 King 21. 2 Kings 22. 18. 19 20. The Objection pressed home The Answer to the former Objection 2 Chron. 32. 25 26. 2 King 23. 30. 2 Chron. 35. 21 24. Ezek. 14. 20 21. From a double Aspect A twofold Sympathie ariseth See Chap. 14. §. 6. Fol. 3439. Quaere whether he mean his Sermons upon Jer. 26. and other Texts printed 1637. Or Pharaohs Hardning See Book 10. Fol. 3222. ☞ See the following Sermon upon Matthew 23. 37. ☜ I suppose he means His Treatise of Prodigies or divine Fore-warnings betokening Blood which was lost in his life time and cannot yet be found Salvian in his 6. 7. Books de Gubern Matth. 7. 1. Rom. 14. 4. The Text is A Conclusion Q. From what Premisses inferred The Limitation of the Conclusion The Extent of the Conclusion Another Limitation ☞ Two Instances in Ahab and David who by judging others did condemn themselves See Book 10. Fol. 3018. and 3099. The Minor of the foregoing Syllogism ☞ ☜ See Book 4. or justifying Faith Sect. 2. The composition of Hypocrisie Pharisaical Two special sins of the Ancient Jews The Antient Jews sins The later Jews Reformation See a following Sermon upon that Fact Christs true Exposition of the Negative part of the fourth Commandement Take we heed of condemning our selves by judging the later Jews See the fourth chapter of this Book Fol. 3342. See Book 8. ☜ ☜ ☞ A Romish error requiring Reformation An Error of the Contraire extreme disparaging The Reformation A Factious Schismatical Book modestly Censured Apostolical and Episcopal Power under heathen Princes and after Princes were Christianed The Antient Heathens gave and Turks give more to their Priests then some professing Christianity do to theirs both for Power and Maintenance A Precept will be in force when pretences will be out of date The main Error of the Romish Church Infallibilitie both in expounding holy Scripture and in attesting Traditions See the second and third Books The Two former Romish Errors well Reformed The Temper Bounds of the Right and Rigid Reformer The Cure of the Error by the Right Mean The Error extreamly Contrary to the Romish Error ☞ In his Sermon before the King upon Jer. 26. pag. 32. he saith divide the sins of 40. years last past into ten parts the sins of the Pulpit and the Presse would be a large Tenth See signes of the Times pag. 57. 58. Three Points purposed A Romish Eror causing Doubt of Salvation viz The intention of the Priest c. A Romish Priest may damn an Infant through neglect or malice by the Doctrine of that Church See Soto in 4. Senten dis 1. Q. 5. Art 8. Romish Priests have a strange Negative voice The Second Point The Remedie of the Contrarii as bad as the Diease About This Point See Book 4. and Book 10. cha 51 52 53. and Serm. on Jer. 26. pag. 13. and signs of the Times p. 62. Upon this Text See Book 7. Chap. 18 19. See Book 10. Fol. 3274. Where this Author sayes 300. Bellarmines 300 Valentiaes could not do the Protestant Religion so much harm as Dr. Hessels did taking advantage of this Doctrine Of this Division see Lib. 10. Fol. 3153 3275. See Book 10. Fol. 3262 and signes of the Time p. 63. The Third Point How Fides is Fiducia see Book 10. cap. 52. See Chapt. 4. Fol. 3338. Idolatry transforms the Divine Nature into unfit similitudes The late R. R. Bishop of Winchester B. Andrews in his Sermon on that Theme The Worshipping of Imaginations the root of Idolatry See the fifth Book ☜ Some Writers not Papists transform the Divine Nature Paraeus See Book 10. Fol. 3012. ☜ See Book the Fifth The Sayings of dying men remarkable Three points considerable The Circumstance of time Observations and Uses out of the story and circumstances Touching Retaliation see the 6. Book or Treatise of Gods Attributes 2 part §. 4. chap. 31. page 343. A Cluster of Deadly Sins in the Horrible murther of Zechariah the High-Priest Levit. 17. 13. See the next Sermon upon this Text. Gen. 19. 9. Pto. 28. 4. Wisd 2. 12. 1 Joh. 3. 12. Of Pharisaical Hypocrisie See Book 4. and second Sermon on Jer. 26. See the Sermen upon that Text immediately precedent The Former Sermon on 2 Chron. 24. 22 I suppose was preached at Court This at Oxford Of the Jews Calamities see Book 1. chap. 23. and 27. The first Question Who this Zechariah was This punctually agrees with the Copy The Temple and the Altar Why Zachariah called the son of Barachiah See Dr. Hammonds Notes on Matth. 23. fol. 125. where he cites Josephus Lib. 4. cap. 19. for another Zacharias killed by the Zelots immediately before the Seige which puts a short end to this Question The Second Question Why our Saviour instanceth in Zechariah Zachariah the only Prophet that dyed with an Imprecation See Fol. 3721. ☞ The Third Question A Paraphrase or Exegesis of Christs loving and threatning expressions A Paraphrase or Exegesis of our Saviours meaning or Implication How Christs death was A Cause of the Jews Calamities The Son of God in a peculiar manner to the Jews King of Old Psa 74. 10 Luke 4 6. Ezek. 7. 21 24. Dan. 4. 17. See fol. 3729. where this was the 4 Question propounded From Abels to Zachariahs death were 3000. years from Zach. to these words spoken were 00. or 900. See a following Sermon on 2 Kings 23. 26. A Generation contains thirty years betwixt Manasseh's and Iosiahs death were about thirty three years The Objection is hardened by taking in Abels Blood Zechariah was slain 900. years Abel 3800. years before Christ spoke
more then the Pharisee confest when he said Lord I thank thee that I am not as other men are nor as this Publicane Here was a true acknowledgement that he received this Grace by whose good use he thought himself better then other men freely from God But in making this Comparison he gloried as if he had not received it or as if having received it he was not so great a Debter unto God as the Publicane was nor liable to the same Account for his sins past or present Questionlesse this Pharisee had been partaker of better Grace at least of better means of salvation then the Publican had been And if this conceit of his own worth in comparison of other men had not polluted his works there is no Question but that he had been more righteous then the Publican yet the Publican went home more justified then the Pharisee not for the worth of any good works which he had done but by unfeigned acknowledgment of his own Unworthiness if God should have entered into Judgment with him That Form of Prayer or acknowledgment which the Publican made would at this day well beseem even those which have received a greater measure of Grace then either he or the Pharisee had done even those which have been more fruitful in Good Works then both of them were Or if the Publican be no fit person for sanctified men to imitate certainly the Prophet Daniel is a fit one and yet his confession of his own unworthiness if God should have dealt in Justice with him was more pathetically humble then the Publicans was Dan. 9. 8 9. Oh Lord to us belongeth confusion of face to our Kings to our Princes and to our Fathers because we have sinned against thee to thee O Lord our God belongeth mercies and forgivenesses though we have rebelled against thee He placeth no part of his Confidence in the Merit either of his prayer or fasting which yet were both excellent works proceeding from charity and excellently performed by him but how excellently soever these Duties be performed by him or any they neither can Merit ought for their own worth in themselves nor from the vertue of Gods promises for all his promises are promises of Mercie and he that seeks for mercie though promised by God must sincerely and seriously renounce all works even the best works which he hath done that is he must disclaim all Merit or confidence in works otherwise he cannot take hold of Gods promises of mercie but solliciteth God to deal in justice with him 10. And yet here I must request the Reader to call that to mind which hath been often inculcated before that whensoever our Apostle excludes all works from Justification or Election he is to be understood only of Confidence in Works or Conceit of Merit He excludes not their Presence but necessarily requires it to our Justification as to the making of our Election sure He only denies any Causal Efficiencie in them for procuring these or the like blessings of God least of all for obtaining of eternal life unto which Good works are most necessary For our Apostle takes it as granted that we must deny our selves before we can do any good works but we must do good works before we can renounce them and we must renounce them in all our suits and pleas specially for those blessings which God out of his Free Grace and mercie promised us A Doctrine which would to God some late Writers of Reformed Churches had taken into serious consideration whilst they earnestly pleaded for the Free Grace of God in our Election For so they would never have taught us as to my apprehension they do that our Election to Eternal life is a more free grace of God then the donation of Eternal life it self then which as no blessing of God is more Great so none can be more Free But the absolute Freedom of the Gift doth no way exclude but rather require some Qualifications in the Donee and for this Reason it is that the practise of Good works is in special sort required for the attaining of Eternal Life Because That is the greatest and most Free Act of Grace which The God of Mercie hath to bestow upon us in respect of it our best deeds are most unworthy and the lesse worthy they are the more unfeignedly they are to be renounced And seeing our Apostle when he excludes works from any plea of mercie doth only exclude Confidence or Conceit of Merit in them in whatsoever sense he excludes them from Election or Justification he excludes them in an higher degree of the same sense from the Donation of eternal Life Otherwise that could not be as our Apostle saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Free Gift of God 11. But as in all other points of Controversie betwixt Us and the Romish Church so in this specially concerning Merits I am alwayes jealous of both Readers and Hearers lest whilst they hear one Error refuted they take occasion to run into the Contrary For preventing this inconvenience in this present point I must Request all in the First Place to Observe that Both of us fully agree in this General that God is a Rewarder of them that seek him and no man can truly seek him but by a true and lively working Faith The Question betwixt us is only this Whether God Reward such as seek him according to the Rule of Justice or according to the Rule of his boundlesse Mercy or whether our works his Grace and promise presupposed be worthy of his Reward or only make us not altogether unworthy or not uncapable of his Mercie The Second Point which I would commend to all mens Consideration is This that as our Apostle in the fore-cited place Heb. 6. doth not ground his hope of those Hebrews recovery upon Gods Justice so he doth not ground it upon the Infallibility or immutable estate of their Election He doth not so much as intimate that they could not possibly fall because their persons were Elected for this was more then either he or they knew more then most men can possibly know more then any man in their Case may safely perswade himself He that makes his personal Election the only Anchor of his Faith in such temptations as these Hebrews at that time were overtaken with shall fall into as bad perhaps a worse Error then if he held That his Good works formerly done might merit his Recovery unto his former estate so he will but address himself to do the like This Conceit of merit though we take men in their best estate or when they are least conscious of grosser sins is a Symptom of heathenish pride or ignorance For the Heathens thought they could make the Gods or divine Powers beholding unto them But to stay our selves in the consciousness of grievous sins lately committed upon perswasions of our personal Election is the most dangerous root of Hypocritical Pride that can be planted in our corrupt