how lamentable is it Thirdly the principles as they are sure so are they exceeding sweet David had more joy in Gods testimonies then in all riches All the contentment Ranters have in their carnall pleasures are but as swyn in a dunghill their glasse goes soon out an hours communion with God though in a prison yea the reproach of Christ as counted by Moses who was learned in all the wisdome of Aegypt is greater riches then the treasures of Egypt And Paul who was not a little learned in the Grecian wisdome counted all these dung for the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the superlativenesse of the knowledge of Christ Thirdly It is yet the more lamentable that there is abundance of strength allowed to follow our principles if it were depended upon the rock followes us and the rock is Christ he is not only ready to do what we ask but above all we can ask or think he deals with us as Naaman with Gehazi when he run after him and prayed him to give him one talent I pray thee sayes Naaman take two It is indeed much to walk up to our principles but we baike beside meall we are able to do all things throw him that strengthens us and yet to contradict our principles is sad Lastly it makes it yet more lamentable that there are such excellent encouragements so great are ward abyding the walking according to them neither is it long to the time when he that soweth in the spirit shall of the spirit reap Immortality and life everlasting we are not threshing in the waters but sowing in a certain expectation of a harvest of glory and yet to contradict our principles All these laid together evidence how lamentable our contradicting our principles is I shall only adde 3. helps for walking up to our principles and so close 1. Consider often that there are many things we do out of obedience to the Law of God we abstain from murder adultery wait on ordinances think it necessary to be somewhat more circumspect about the time of a Sacrament how unreasonable is it then to contradict the lawes of the same God in other things no lesse peremptorly commanded under no lesse penalty God spake all these words saying is the preface to all the commands of the law If some of them had only proceeded from God and others from Baal or the God of Ammon we might easily dispute and dispense with our selves but God spake all these words 2. Keep up constant intercourse with Christ as the fountaine of sanctification do not with him as some do with the old cloak that they will take about them when their is a shoure and cast it off as soon as it becomes fair again Some in sicknesse seek their pardon as one would runne into a ruinous house when their is rain but would not dwell there If we were dwelling in him and abyding in him and walking in him it would be lightsome to walk by our principles the want of these influences exceedingly occasions our contradiction to them 3. Stand not upon reproaches that often lye in the way of following these principles These men are drunk with new wine said the multitude of the Apostles when the spirit descended on them no sayes Peter Acts 2.16 this is that which was spoken by the Prophet Joel if thou can produce a line of the Bible thou walkest by the Kings Law which ought to rule all the subjects reproaches then are the fruits of their distemper A SERMON On Eph. 5.25 Husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved his Church and gave himself for it THere is nothing more suitable to a feast of love then to treat of that love which gave a rise to the feast this is to handle the Gospell of the day often believers at such occasions are so much in tossing their fears and doubts that they forget obedience to that precept do this in remembrance of me My purpose therefor in this Sermon is to glance a little from the words read at the love of Christ manifested in the work of redemption The Apostle from 22. vers of this Chap. is leaving directions for the right ordering of relations among men shewing to each one the dutyes of their relation among the rest these words containe a rule for husbands And in the rule we have a precept and a pattern The precept Husbands love your wives the Parterne as Christ loved his Church and gave himself for it The note of similitude As which does knitt the precept and patterne together does not import any equality in degree that ought to be betwixt the love of the husband to his wife and the love of Christ to the Church but only some similitude in kinde For 1. This equality is simply impessible not only for the nature of man corrupted for so many things God hath commanded are impossible so all gracious qualityes are impossible but it is impossible for the nature of man even as it is created and pure Adam could not performe obedience of infinite value and merit as Christ hath done in loving his Church and giving himself for it Beside 2. God cannot in justice require of meer man obedience proceeding from a personal union of the divine and humane natures such as Christs love manifested in giving himself for his Church was Hence divines prove well that Christs obedience to the death was properly meritorious because it was actio indebita for tho Christ-man be tyed to obey yet not to performe so noble obedience in regard Christ as God can come under no law oblidging to obedience So that neither could God require such perfect love nor was it possible even for Adam to performe Therefore all imported in the note of similitude is some kinde of resemblance betwixt the Husbands love and Christs to his Church as is evident from severall other Scriptures where the same is used Gal. 4.14 Ye receaved me as an Angell of the Lord yea even as Christ this imports not an equality in degree betwixt the receaving of Paul and Christ but some similitude and resemblance Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven in that perfect patern of prayer and many such we might instance in the Scriptures But since in this Sermon I purpose not a particular handling of the words I shall not insist in a particular explication of them I shall only take one general observation from them and insist upon it at this time Observation That the love of Christ manifested in the work of redemption is matchless and may fitly be made a patern and copie to the love required in the most intimat relations In prosecuting this point which so Genuinly ariseth from this Scripture there are two things I shall premise for opening of it First my purpose is not to speak of the love of Christ in the full latitude of it as it comprehends the love of benevolence beneficence and is the root and fountaine whence issewes all the acts of
mariage relations Husbands love your wyves as Christ hath loved his Church and Wyves be subject to your husbands as the Church is subject unto Christ The love which is the summe of the husbands duty upon his part Eph. 3. Passeth knowledge thee can no love be found to resemble it but one John 15. as the Father hath loved me so have I loved you how lovingly speaks he to the Church throughout the song usually in such termes as these My love my dove my fair one and on the other part the Church is subject unto him she obeyes him even as Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him Lord That is true the obedience is imperfect and hath many craks into it yet she esteems all his commandments concerning every thing to be right and He graciously accepts of the will in stead of the dead Lastly There is in this mariage a reciprocal commutation of what belongs to the one party unto the other 1. Upon Christs part it is impossible to enumerat all the particular Jewels far less the high inheritance that is given the Church by Him we must rest upon that the Apostle hath 1 Cor. 3. towards the end all things are yours and ye are Christs all things present and things to come amongst the rest death is yours it is no longer your enemy but your servant for ye are Christs Now whatsoever may be comprehended under all things He communicats to his Church It is true the Church hath nothing to give him Let Pelagians talke of their preventing God and Papists of their merit and of their supererogating what they will beleevers know their goodness extends not unto him Only she gives herselfe and she gives her debt 1. She gives herself the Apostle commends this in the Macedonians that they gave themselves unto the Lord. And 2. their dept because his he payes it and discharges their debt the hand writting of ordinances which was against them and contrary to them by nailing it unto the Cross Thus we have briefly shewed wherein this mariage consists The 2d thing we proposed is how can such a mariage be possible especially considering the vast odds betwixt the parties For clearing this I shall briefly say only these things First Beleevers in their eternal election are given to Christ by his Father it is true we know but little of the manner and way of the eternal transactions betwixt the father and sone and some are too bold with Gods secrets in determining herein that is sufficient to our purpose to know that the father hath from all eternity made a gift of his elect unto Christ and in this is laid the first foundation of their mariage-union and communion All that the Father giveth me shall come to me and again of all that the Father hath given me I have lost none so that whatever they be in themselves yet since they are the fathers gift in their election there is in this a foundation laid for a mariage Secondly The love of Christ however it be high in regarde of the person loving yet withall it is very condescending in reference to the thing loved yea the more condescending it be and the less attracted by any excellency in the object the more of the nature of pure love there is into it amor purus said Bernard non est mercenarius His love then being altogither free hence it is stouping can and does very well condescend to bestow this highest love-relation upon basest wormes even so great a God to love with such a great love such as we Now from the love which is pure love proceeds this mariage and who can hinder his love Thirdly How low soever our naturs be in regard of creation being made a little lower then the Angels yet not a little advanced above the angelical nature by reason of the personal union of the humane nature with the divin in the person of the Mediator God-man haveing sit down at the right hand of the Father to which of the Angels said he at any tyme Sit thou down at my right hand Ahasuerus in his mariage with Esther did make her no more noble in blood then she was before But in this Brydegroom this is singular that he hes lifted up the nature of his Bryde in the union of the same nature with the divine it is nothing so strange then there be a mariage Lastly As for the moral distance betwixt Christ and his Bryde this is also removed by washing her in his own blood It is needless to debar whither our union with Christ or out justification preceed in order of natur since in order of tyme the odds cannot be great But we are all washen before our mariage-communion with Christ and as Esther perfumed with the incense of the righteousness of Jesus the Brydegroom Now lay these four togither and the mariage notwithstanding the wast odds betwixt the parties will not appear so strange But I go to the Application Application There is a threefold use we shall follow from this point Is there such a mariage betwixt Christ and beleevers Then let all admire and praise the Brydegroom for this admirable condescendency thy Maker is thy Husband are words of wonder there be these things that make the mariage truely admirable First The majesty and greatness of the Brydegroom The Apostle forbidds us to be unequaly yoked but how unequaly is he yoked the brightness of the Fathers glory the express image of his person he that thinks it no robbery to be equal with God the man that is his fellow whom all the Angels adore thus to condescend how admirable is it Especially if in the second place we consider the baseness of the Bryde Might not the Church say as Abigail said to David when he sent to take her in mariage 1 Sam. 24 4. Behold let thine Handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the Servants of my Lord How base and polluted are we and yet admitted to such a mariage and taken into his bosome If thirdly We consider how earnestly he suited us and how many repulses he indured before he could gain our consent How oft he did stand at the door and knock till his locks were wet with the dew of the night How oft did he put in his hand at the hole of the door and his fingers dropped myrrhe How oft did he intreat beseech alure with promises and yet we greived his Spirit despised it quenched it How oft was he made to sit down and weep over us as he did over Jerusalem and say Oh! if that thou in this day had known the things that belong to thy peace How oft hes he pyped unto us and we have not danced and mourned unto us and we not lamented Fourthly Consider the admirable priviledges we are advanced to by this mariage the Church in the 2d of Hosea after she hes tryed all other lovers vers 7. I will go and return to my first husband for then it was better with
in the work look but on the begining of our reformatione from Popery and wonder at the instruments that ve may ascribe the praise to the principal agent Luther in a Popish cell Calvin a big of Papist Beza not only a Papist but even loose so that Papists by way of reproach objected his Juvenilia to him and he forced to tell they envyed to him the grace of God and yet what done by them Secondly This may incourage in reference to the case of the Church for the time to come Often we stand asking by whom will the Lord deliver Israel And where are the instruments to be found fitt for the work But cannot he who drew out Moses draw out Either he can raise up new or elevat the Spirits of such as are What a change did the pouring out of the Spirit make on the Apostles How boldly goe they to the temple to preach With what confidence and freedome of speech appear they before Counsels and witness for Christ He is the same he was then who did effectuat this Thirdly This should make us hopefully pray for either such as are most indisposed for service or most reluctant to it since we have to do with one who can so easily draw them out and make them Veshels meet for his use Augustin ascribed much to his Mother Monica's Prayers who even when he was a Manichean ceased not to wrestle with God for him Lastly This should keep such as are honoured with eminent service humble when they call to mind what once they were and how drawn out to their work what have the best but what they have received And if received why glory they of it as though it had not been received But I goe to the second branch haveing dwelt too long on this my servant Moses his life and great Elogy Observ II. That it is the greatest Elogy and highest commendation of a Man after his death that in his life he hath been Gods Servant Thus it is here Moses his great testimony my servant is dead It is true all the creatures are in their kind subservient and his great estenemies doe his work But as this is not 〈◊〉 operantis so it is but some sins of common service but to be his as in the explication by way of distinction or propriety as Moses is a mans greatest elogy in death We shall 1st prove the point from Scripture 2dly Give some grounds of it 3dly Apply it From Scripture these things will prove it 1st It is the name given to the most eminent Saints as their Title of greatest honour Abraham my Servant Job my Servant Jacob my Servant David my Servant The greatest Prophets and Apostles glory in it Paul prefixes it to some of his Episties Paul a Servant of Jesus Christ 2dly This Name is given to the greatest Princes Nebuthadâ—â—zar Head of the Assiâ—ian Monarchy Jerem. 25.9 Cyrus Head of the Persian Isal 45. 3dly It is given to the exellent Martyrs Rev. 19.2 4thly It is given to the Saints in glory Rev. â—2 2. 5thly To the blessed Angels Rev. 19 10. Lastly To Jesus the Mediator Isai 42. Behold my Servant whom c. Behold all layed togither prove it ane eminent testimony of honour To evidence it further consider that there have been many things pitched on in the world as things commending men after their death according to the diversity of mens lives Some have been commended for their honour some their courage some their wisdome some their riches but where a concatination of these are 〈◊〉 eminently commendable must that 〈◊〉 be And in spending the life in service to God a multitude of these concurr I shall to demonstâ—at only pitch on these five 1st The wis 〈…〉 of life so spent 2dly The honourableness of it 3dly The gainfulness of it 4thly The sweetness of it Lastly The security of it Where all these concurr in the life how deservedly is the person commended First It is the highest wisdome His fear is the beginning of wisdome and a good understanding have all they that doe his Commandements If we sould take even the rule given by Azistotle whereby wisdom is discerned all would agree to his service Moses is brief in determining wherein wisdome consists Deut. 4 6. Keep his statutes for this is your wisdome Yea where his service is wanting the Scripture speaks of men as fools Jer. 8 9. Since they have rejected the word of God what wisdome is in them They are indeed foolish Virgins who make no provision for the time to come Though they should be able with Berengariâ—s to disput de omni scihili Or with Solomon to travel nature from the Cedar to the Hysop yet he that walks not circumspectly is a fool Eph. 5 16. So that if wisdome commend a Man at death it is a high Elogy to be his Servant Secondly There is no trade of life so honourable the way of life is above to the wise There be four things will discover how honourable a service it is First they are taken up with the noblest objects Philosophers call their Metapnisicks scientia Nobilissima quia tractant de enâ—e altissimo They are either meditating or delighting in God or with Angels doeing his commandments Others with Dioclesian are spending their time with fleas But his Servants like Caleb have ane other Spirit Numb 14. constantly follow him 2dly They act these great things from the noblest principles Love constraineth yea by regeneration they partake of the divine nature 2 Pet. 1. which elevats the Spirit farr above what the most famous among Grecians or Romans could ever reach 3dly They drive at the noblest ends such as the glory of God 1 Cor. 6. the good of his Church the salvation of their own souls Others like men of low Spirits have but low designes who will shew us any good Psal 4. Lastly They receive the noblest reward Henceforth is laid up for me a crowne of immortal glory blessed is that servant whom his Lord shall finde waiting verily I say unto you he shall make him ruler over all that he hath what more can be imagined if this be not More He will gird himself and stand and serve him So that if true honour commend a man at death it is a high elogy then to have been a Servant to God Thirdly As it is honourable so it is truely gainful to be his Servants Godliness is great Gain for it hath the promises of this life and that which is to come like ships that goe to a farr country they keep a trade with Heaven where they have wyne and milk and honey and whyt linen and eye-salve without money and without pryce No sooner doth his elect Children though prodigals before come to their Fathers house but they are clothed with the best rob and fed on the fatted calfe and have a ring on their hand and shoes on their feet It is true that which usually goes under the name of riches is not