our whole nature a humane body and humane soule And he tooke our nature upon him when it was at the worst not in innocencie but with all the infirmities that are naturall infirmities not personall Therefore he came to be so that he might be pittifull You will say How can he be pittifull There are many infirmities that he tooke not upon him he tooke not upon him all infirmities I answere by proportion to those that hee tooke he knew how to be pittifull to those hee tooke not He is infinitely wise he knowes how to make the proportion it is often set downe in Heb. 2. and Heb. 4. as one end of his taking our nature upon him that he might be a pittifull and mercifull Redeemer But some will say Indeed he tooke my nature and the generall infirmities as wearinesse and hunger and the like but I am sicke and troubled in mind and conscience Though he felt not all particular grievances yet notwithstanding having taken our nature upon him that he might be pittifull and mercifull according to the proportion that he felt himselfe he knowes how to pittie us in our sicknesses and losses and crosses every way And for the chiefe the trouble of mind alas he knew it in that great desertion when he cryed out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me So we may comfort our selves that we have a mercifull and pittifull and gracious Saviour God in the flesh He hath taken our flesh upon him for that purpose that he might have experimentall knowledge of our infirmities and weakenesses and from that he might be the more sweet and kind and gentle to us He was not sick himselfe but by experience of labour and thirst and the like he knew what it was to be sick by that he felt He knew not what it was to sinne and to be troubled for sinne because he felt it not in himselfe but being our suretie for sinne and feeling the wrath of God for it he had experience to be compassionate from this He was wearie to pittie those that are wearie he was hungry to pittie them that are hungry he was poore to pittie those that are so he was mis-used and reproached to pittie those that are in the like condition You can name nothing but he can out of his owne experience be mercifull and pittifull unto In that God the second Person appeared in our nature in our weake and tainted disgraced nature after the Fall From hence comes first of all the enriching of our nature with all graces in Christ as it is in Coloss. 2. All the Treasures of Wisedome and Knowledge are in him in our nature in Christ there is abundance of riches our nature in him is highly enriched Hence comes againe the ennobling of our nature in that God appeared in our nature it is much ennobled when our nature is engâ—affed into a higher Stock a meane Graff or Syens into so glorious a Stock as Christ it is a high dignitie that now our flesh is marryed to the second Person it is a wondrous advancement of our nature even above the Angelicall Hee tooke not the nature of Angels It was a great exaltation to our nature that God should take it into the unitie of his Person for the humane nature of Christ had no subsistence but in the second Person And this doth not any way debase the humane nature of Christ that it had no subsistence but in the God-head Peter and Iames and Iohn c. had a subsistence of their owne but Christ had no subsistence but in the second Person And yet I say it did no way demeane the humane nature of Christ because it was advanced to a higher Stock where it hath a glorious subsistence and being In the third place hence comes the enabling of our nature to the worke of salvation that was wrought in our nature it came from hence God was in the flesh From whence was the humane nature enabled to suffer Whence was it upheld in suffering that it did not sinke under the wrath of God God was in the flesh God upheld our nature so that both the riches and dignitie and the ablenesse of our nature to be saving and meritorious all came from this that God was in our nature And hence comes this likewise that whatsoever Christ did in our nature God did it for God appeared in our nature he tooke not upon him the person of any man but the nature And therefore our flesh and the second Person being but one person all that was done was done by the Person that was God though not as God Therefore when he dyed God dyed when he was crucified God was crucified If he had beene two persons he had dyed in one person and the other had not dyed Now being but one person though two natures whatsoever was done in the nature the person did it according to the other nature He could not die as God therefore because in love he would dye and be a Sacrifice he would take upon him such a nature wherein he might be a Sacrifice This is a great dignitie that our nature is taken into the unitie of the Person of the Sonne of God Therefore hence it comes I say that whatsoever was done in our nature God did it Hence comes also the union betweene Christ and us Whence is it that we are sonnes of God Because he was the sonne of man God in our flesh There are three unions the union of Natures God to become man the union of Grace that wee are one with Christ and the union of Glorie The first is for the second and the second for the third God became man that man might be one with God God was manifest in the flesh that we might be united to him and being brought againe to God the Father we might come to a glorious union By this that God was manifest in the flesh it is that he was marryed first to our nature that we by union might be marryed to him we had never had union with God unlesse God had united our flesh to him in that flesh had satisfied God All that Christ did sayth S. Peter it was to bring us back againe to God Hence likewise comes the sympathy betweene Christ and us for Christ is sayd to suffer with us Saul Saul why persecutest thou me He is sayd to be imprisoned in us and we are sayd to ascend gloriously with him because he tooke upon him our nature so if he be honoured we are honoured if we be despised he is despised There is a mutuall affection and sympathie betweene Christ and us Hence likewise comes the efficacie of what Christ did that the dying of one man should be sufficient for the whole World it was that God was in the flesh The Apostle may well call this God manifest in the flesh a Mysterie and place it in the first ranke
can make us in the time of temptation yet in him we are compleate And for this end the fulnesse of the God-head dwells in him bodily Therefore in all doubts in regard of sinne and unworthinesse let us labour for Faith for Faith is a Grace that carryes us out of our selves and plants and fixeth us in Christ let us consider of our selves in him and consider of whatsoever is in him it is for us It is no matter what we are our selves in him we are in a glorious condition And oppose him to the wrath of God and the temptations of Satan for all will fall before this God manifest in the flesh He is God therefore he can subdue all he is man and therefore hee will love us I know whom I have beleeved him that is mercifull because he is man and he hath taken my nature and him that can subdue all enemies because he is God God in the flesh a fit bottome and foundation for Faith to relye upon Let us have recourse to this therefore in all temptations whatsoever We cannot glorifie God and Christ more then to goe out of our selves and fixe our comfort here By this we have communion with the Father Sonne and Holy-Ghost This incarnation of Christ it brings us into fellowship with the blessed Trinitie and it teacheth us what conceits we should have of God â—o have loving thoughts of him Wheâ—ce is that that we can call God Father From this God manifest in the flâ—sh the second Person to take away enmitie was manifeâ—t in the flesh Hence it is that I can call God Father that I can boldly goe to God that I can conceive of God as gracious and lovely And whence is it that our persons are become lovely to God From this that God hath taken our nature upon him our nature is become lovely to him and his is sweet and fatherly to us This should helpe us against Satans transforming of God and Christ to us in the time of trouble he presents him as a terrible Judge Indeed so he is to sinners that will goe on in sinne his wrath shall smoak against such there is no comfort to them in Scripture but no repentant sinners all is comfort Come unto me ye that are wearie and heavie laden and Christ came to seeke and to save that which was lost and he came to save sinners as S. Paul sayth Let us conceive of God now as lovely as a Father and of Christ as a sweet Saviour made flesh for this purpose He is God and man because he came to be a Mediator betweene God and man a friend to both being to deale with both Therefore we should thus conceive of Christ as a great and Mightie God the Ruler of the World as Esay describes him and conceive of him likewise as a meeke humble man the one to stablish our Faith that we be not shaken having such a great God to relye upon and the other to stablish our Faith in his good will God in our flesh God a Name of Power God in our flesh implyeth mercy and love pitty and compassion Therefore let not Satan abuse our imaginations if we have a mind to turne to God for as I sayd there is no comfort to them that goe on in their sinnes God will wound the hairie scalpe of them that goe on in iniquitie and they treasure up wrath against the day of wrath there is nothing but discomfort to such the wrath of God abides upon them they are in danger of damnation every minute of their lives there is but a step betweene them and Hell But for such as intend to turne to God God meets them halfe way Wee see the Prodigall did but entertaine a purpose to come to his Father and his Father meets him God in our flâ—sh hath made God peaceable to us if we goe to Christ and lay hold on him for the forgivenesse of our sinnes God in him is become a loving gracious sweet Father to us Let us frame our conceits of God as the Scripture doth when sorrow for sinne possesseth our soules take heed of going away from God that tooke our nature for this very purpose that we may boldly goe to him Oh what boldnesse have we now to goe to God in our flesh To thinke of God absolutely without God in the flesh he is a consuming fire every way terrible but to thinke of God in our nature we may securely goe to him he is bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh we may sâ—curely goe to God our Brother to him that is of one nature with us and now having our nature in Heaven Think of God borne of a Virgin of God lying in the Cradle sucking the Brest thinke of God going up and downe teaching and doing all good thinke of God sweating for thee hanging on the Crosse shedding his Bloud lying in the Grave raysing himselfe againe and now in Heaven sitting at the right hand of God our Intercessor conceive of God in this flesh of ours lovely to us and now our nature must needs be lovely to him The nature of God must needs be lovely to us since he hath joyned our poore beggerly flesh to the unitie of the second Person Let us thus thinke of God manifest in the flesh To thinke of God alone it swallowes up our thoughts but to think of God in Christ of God manifest in the flesh it is a comfortable consideration To see the Sunne alone in it selfe in the glory and lustre of it it is impossible without hurting of the eye but to see the Sunne in water as we doe in an Eclipse c. we may doe it So we cannot conceive of God alone absolutely but to conceive of God in our flesh is to looke upon the Sun as it were in the water or upon the ground God in himselfe is so glorious that we could never see him as he tells Moses Exod. 33. None can ever see God and live that is God nakedly or absolutely Oh but God manifest in our flesh we may see and it shall be our happinesse in Heaven to see him there to see God in our flesh face to face We cannot too often meditate of these things it is the life and soule of a Christian it is the marrow of the Gospel it is the wonder of wonders we need not wonder at any thing after this It is no wonder that our bodies shall rise againe that mortall man should become afterwards immortall in Heaven since the immortall God hath taken mans nature and dyed in it All the Articles of our Faith and all Miracles yeeld to this grand thing God manifest in the flesh Beleeve this and beleeve all other Therefore let us often have these sweet cherishing conceits of God in our flesh that it may strengthen and feed and nourish our Faith especially in the time of temptation Againe from this that God was manifest in our flesh let
us take heed that we defile not this flesh of ours this nature of ours What is this flesh of mine taken into unitie with the second Person Is this flesh of mine now in Heaven sitting at the right hand of God And shall I defile this flesh of mine that I professe to be a member of Christ Shall I make it the member of an harlot Shall I abuse it as intemperate persons doe Let us honor our nature which Christ hath so honoured and let us take a holy kind of state upon us to thinke our selves too good since God hath so advanced our nature to abaâ—e it to the service of sinne Likewise it should teach us to stoupe to any service of Christ or our brethren What did the love of God draw him into the Wombe of the Virgin Did it draw him to take my nature and flesh on him And shall I thinke much to be serviceable to my poore brethren for whom God was made flesh and not onely so but was crucified Such thoughts will take downe such proud conceits as enter into our hearts when we are about any worke of charitie for the members of Christ. Shall I have base conceits of any man whose flesh Christ hath taken especially when I see any goodnesse in him let me abase my selfe to any worke of charitie Take heed of pride God himselfe emptied himselfe and wilt thou be full of pride He became of no reputation and wilt thou stand upon termes of credit He tooke upon him the forme of a servant and wilt thou be altogether a Lord and King in thy affections not serve thy brethren Did Christ doe this that thou shouldest be a proud person He came to expiate thy pride Away with thy proud conceits If thou be too proud to follow and imitate humble men yet thinke not thy selfe too good to imitate an humble God There is no spirit more opposite to the spirit of a Christian then a spirit swelling and lift up that thinkes it selfe too good to be abased in the service of others that carries it selfe loftily A proud spirit is most opposite to the Spirit of God that became man to expiate this pride of ours and to worke our salvation in this flesh of ours Of all sinnes let us take heed of this Diabolicall Satanicall sinne let us be abased for Christ that was abased for us and as he left his Heaven to doe us good he left Heaven it selfe so let us if we have a conceited heaven and happinesse in our selves leave it and become base and low to doe any good we can Shall he stoupe and bend to us from Heaven to Earth and conceale his Majestie not to be known to be as he was and shall not wee stoupe one to another to doe good and come downe from our conceited excellencie Here we have a ground likewise not to envie the blessed Angels their greatnesse nay here we have that wherein we are above the Angels themselves for he tooke not upon him the nature of Angels but he was God manifest in our flesh Christ marryed our nature to himselfe out of his love that he might marry us to himselfe by his Spirit and now by our union with Christ we be neereâ— him then the very Angels are The Angels are not the Spouse of Christ but now by reason of his taking our nature we are kinne to Christ he is bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh and wee are bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh We are the Body Christ is the Head We are neere to Christ then the very Angels No wonder then if those blessed Spirits daily prie into this Great Mysterie Lastly let us labour that Christ may be manifested in our particular flesh in our persons As he was God manifest in the flesh in regard of that blessed Masse he tooke upon him so we would every one labour to have God manifest in our flesh How is that We must have Christ as it were borne in us formed in us as the Apostle speakes Certainely the same Spirit that sanctified Christ doth sanctifie every member of Christ and Christ is in some sort begotten and conceived and manifested in every one that is a Christian. We must labour that Christ may be manifest in our understandings in our affections that he may be manifest to us and conceived as it were in us as S. Pauls phrase is That the life of Christ may be made manifest in our mortall flesh The life and Spirit of Christ must be manifest in every true Christian and their flesh must be sanctified by the same Spirit that Christs flesh was sanctified withall As Christs flesh was first sanctified and then abased and then glorious so the flesh of every Christian must be content to be abased as the flesh of Christ was to serve Christ to be conformable to Christ in our abased flâ—sh And let us not make too much of this flesh of ours that shall turne to rottennesse ere long it must be gracious sanctified flesh as Christs was and then glorious flesh Christ must be manifest in our flesh as he was in his owne that when a man sees a Christian he may see Christ manifest in him But how shall I come to have Christ manifest in my flesh my heart is not fit to conceive Christ in there is nothing in it but deadnesse and darknesse and dulnesse and rebellion Even as the Virgin Mary she conceived Christ when she yeelded her asâ—ent When the Angell spake to her what sayth she presently Be it as thou hast sayd let it even be so she yeelded her assent to the Promise that she should conceive a Sonne So when the Promises are â—â—â—tered to us of the forgivenesse of sinnes of salvation by Christ as soone as ever we have a spirit of Faith to yeeld our assent Let it be so Lord as thou hast promised thou hast promised forgivenesse of sinnes Let it be so thou hast promised favour in Christ Let it be so As soone as the heart is brought to yeeld to the gracious Promise then Chrâ—st is conceived in the heart Even as Christ was conceived in the Wombe of the Virgin when she yeelded her assent to beleeve the Promise so Christ is in every mans heart to sanctifie it to rule it to comfort it as soone as this consent is wrought we should labour therefore to bring our hearts to this So much for this Because it is of great consequence and the leading Mysterie to all that followes I have been somewhat the longer in unfolding these words God manifest in the flesh Iustified in the Spirit These words are added to answer an objection that may rise from the former He was God manifest in the flesh he veiled himselfe he could not have suffered else when he tooke upon him to be the Mediator he must doe it in abased flesh If Christ being God had not abased himselfe he should never
into Heaven so it shall be with us the same body that suffers any thing for Christ the same body that dies the same Body shall rise and be assumed to glory Hence likewise we have a ground of patience in all our sufferings from another reason not from the order but from the certaintie of glory Shall we not patiently suffer considering the glory that we shall certainely have If we suffer with him wee shall be glorified with him Who will not be patient a while that hath such glory in his eye Therefore let us looke upon the glory of Christ in all our sufferings whatsoever What made Moses and all the Saints in all times to be so patient They had an eye this way What made Steven not onely patient but glorious His face shone as the face of an Angel he looked on Iesus Christ and saw him sitting at the right hand of God What made the Martyrs not onely patient but triumphant in all their sufferings They had an eye of Faith to see Christ sitting in glory and to see themselves in Heaven glorious in Christ and not onely to see themselves glorious in Christ but in themselves afterwards Wee are not onely glorious in our Head but we shall be our selves where he is Taken up in glory And let it stirre us up likewise not to be ashamed of Religion and to stand out in good causes for Christ and the Church He is not ashamed to be called our Brother no not after his Resurrection Goe tell my brethren I ascend to my Father and your Father He was not ashamed of it when he began to be in the state of glory he is not ashamed of our nature now to take it up into Heaven he is not ashamed to owne us here and at the Day of Judgement to set us at his right hand And shall we now for feare of men for feare of shame for any base earthly respect be ashamed of our glorious Head Doe we beleeve that we have a Head that is glorious in Heaven sitting at the right hand of God that ere long will come to judge the quike and the dead and shall we be ashamed to hold out the profession of Religion for a scorne for a word for a frowne Where is the Spirit of glory the Spirit that should be in Christians that hope to be glorious He that is ashamed of me here saith Christ I will be ashamed of him at that great Day How can we thinke that Christ will owne us when we will not owne Religion here When we are ashamed to stand for him shall we thinke to stand at his right hand All base carnall Atheisticall spirits that are afraid of disgrace of displeasure of losse of any thing but of him they should be afraid of let them know there is no comfort for them in Christs exaltation For if they had any communion with Christ he would infuse another manner of spirit into them Let us therefore stand for Christ we have a glorious Head a glorious hope a glorious Inheritance And let us goe on with incouragement in good duties with a Spirit of Faith for wherefore is Christ in Heaven but to rule his Church by his Spirit To leade captivitie captive and to give gifts to men Let us therefore goe on with confidence that Christ from Heaven will give us his Spirit to subdue our corruptions He is in Heaven to rule his Church and what is his Kingdome but the subduing of our spirits by his Spirit to be more humble and more holy and gracious every way Let us not thinke that our corruptions will be too hard for us but goe on in a Spirit of Faith That Christ that dyed for us as a Priest he will rule us as a King and if we be true to our owne soules we shall have strength to sustaine us he sits in Heaven to rule us by his gracious Spirit Let us not despaire though we carry this and that corruption about us we shall by little and little overcome all he will lead captivitie captive and overcome all in us as he did in his own person he that overcame for us will overcome in us if there be a Spirit of Faith to depend upon him Againe this Mysterie is a Mysterie of Godlinesse it tendeth to and enforceth godlinesse and holinesse of life Christ received up to glory You see then our flesh is in Heaven Christ hath taken into Heaven the pledge of our flesh and given us the pledge of his Spirit It was a dignifying of our nature that God should be manifest in our flesh that that was an abasing to him as God was an honour to our nature the Incarnation of Christ it was the beginning of his abasement in regard of his God-head for the God-head to be clouded under flesh but it was a dignifying of the humane nature that it should be graffed into the second Person And is it not a greater honour to our nature that now in Christ it is gone to Heaven and is there above Angels Our nature in Christ rules over all the world And wherefore is all this As it is for wondrous comfort so for instruction to carry our selves answerable to our dignitie What! hath God taken our nature upon him to the unitie of the second Person and exalted and honoured and enriched it Is he likewise gone to Heaven in our nature and is there above all Principalities and Powers all the Angels in Heaven attend upon him And shall we debase and dishonour our nature that is so exalted Let it worke upon us to carry our selves in a holy kind of state Shall we defile our selves with sinfull courses make our selves baser then the Earth we tread on worse then any creature for a man without grace is next to the Devill in miserie if God be not mercifull to him If God have thus honoured our nature above all created excellency whatsoever shall not this stirre us up to a correspondent carriage It is oft pressed by the Apostle that we walke worthy of our calling And indeed let us oft consider to what great matters we are called for the life of Heaven it must be begun upon Earth Whosoever hath this hope to be glorious with Christ in Heaven it purgeth him it frames him to be like the state he hopes for and he that hath not a care to sute and fit his carriage and disposition to the state he beleeves it is an emptie hope he deludes himselfe Whosoever shall be glorious with Christ in Heaven is also glorious now there is a Spirit of Glory resting upon them that is Grace Grace makes them glorious Those that have not a Spirit of Glory that is a Spirit of Grace to fashion and conforme them in some measure to be like Christ by little and little they have no right nor interest in the state of Glory that shall be revealed after Is Christ taken up to glory and for us as well as for himselfe
The verbe is not set downe here whether it should be Glory is given to God or whether by way of wishing Let glory be given to God or by way of prediction or prophesie for the time to come glory shall be to God from hence to the end of the world the verbe being wanting all have a truth For first it cannot be a wish unlesse it were a positive doctrinall truth that all glory is due to God in the Incarnation of Christ and because all glory is due to him thereupon comes the ground of wishing and of prayer Let God be glorified why because it is due if it were not a positive doctrinall truth there could be no foundation to raise a wish or a prayer for what is a prayer but the turning of a promise or truth into a prayer and what is praise but the turning of a truth into praise so it is a doctrinall truth First that God is to be glorified especially in Christ and in Christ in this particular in the Incarnation of Christ. And it is a wish for the time to come let him be glorified and a prediction God shall be glorified in the Church hee shall alway have some to glorifie him for Christ and especially for his Incarnation Glory to God on high Glory is excellency greatnes and goodnes with the eminency of it so as it may be discovered There is a fundamentall Glory in things that are not discovered at all times God is alwayes glorious but alas few have eyes to see it but here I take it for the excellency and eminency of the goodnesse and greatnesse of God discovered and taken notice of In the former part of the Chapter Light is called the glory of the Lord Light is a glorious creature nothing expresseth glory so much as light it is a sweet creature but it is a glorious creature it carries it's evidence in it selfe it discovers all other things and it selfe too So excellency and eminency will discover it selfe to those that have eyes to see it and being manifested and withall taken notice of is glory In that the Angels begin with the glory of God I might speake of this doctrine that The glory of God the setting forth of the excellencies and eminencies of the Lord should be the end of our lives the chiefe thing we should ayme at The Angels here begin with it and wee begin with it in the Lords prayer hallowed bee thy name it should be our maine imployment Of him and by him are all things therefore to him be glory Rom. 11. Therefore wee should give God that which is his owne Thine is the glory as it is in the conclusion of the Lords Prayer but this being a generall point I will passe it by and come to the particular in which 〈◊〉 will more comfortably appeare as this glory shines in Christ in the Incarnation of Christ there is matter of glorifying God both the Angels and men And here I doe not take the Incarnation of Christ abstractively from other things in Christ ' But I take the Incarnation of Christ as a foundation prerequisite to all the other good we have by Christ glory to God on high now Christ is borne why only that he is borne No but by reason of this Incarnation there is a union of the two natures God and man so that by the Incarnation now Christ is man and holy man the humane nature in Christ is pure and holy being sanctified by the Spirit and united to God now Christ being not onely man but pure man and God-man God taking our nature to the unitie of his person hence it is that he comes to be qualified for all that he did and suffered after it was from hence that they had their worth What was the reason that his being made a curse and to dye for us should be of such worth It came from a person that was God-man nay so neere is the manhood to God that what the manhood did God did because the person was God the second person taking the nature of man and what he suffred in his humane nature God suffred according to mans nature hence comes that phrase of the communication of properties whatever was done or suffred in mans nature God did as a Mediator God did it in that nature thereupon comes the price of it thus the Incarnation is a pre-requisite foundation to all other benefits by Christ therefore take it conjoyned his Incarnation and his death and resurrection and ascention and all Well then The incarnation of Christ together with the benefits to us by it that is Redemption Adoption c. It is that wherein God will shew his glory most of all That is the doctrinall truth the glory excellency of God doth most shine in his love mercy in Christ. Every excellency of God hath its proper place or Theatre where it is seene as his power in the Creation his Wisedome in his Providence and ruling of the world his Justice in hell his Majestie in heaven but his Mercy and kindnesse his bowels of tender mercy doe most of all appeare in his Church among his people God shewes the excellency of his goodnesse and mercy in the Incarnation of Christ and the benefits we have by it many Attributes and excellencies of God shine in Christ as His truth All the promises of God are yea and Amen in Christ there is an accomplishment of all the promises And then his wisedome that hee could reconcile Justice and Mercy by joyning two natures together this plot was in heaven by God the Father the Sonne and the Holy-Ghost the Trinity that God and man should be joyned together to joyn and knit two Attributes seeming contrary Justice and Mercy to reconcile man by reconciling Justice and Mercy and by such an excellent way that God should become man Emanuel this was a great wisedome to reconcile Justice and Mercy by such a Person as should satisfie Justice and give way to Mercy that is by Christ. God will lose none of his Attributes his Justice must be satisfied that his Mercy might be manifested the wisdome of God found out that way it is a plot the Angels study in Likewise here is Justice Justice fully satisfied in Christ he became our Surety who is God as well as man if no creature can satisfie God God can when the second Person tooke our nature and was our Surety and dyed for us here was the glory of his Justice And of his holinesse that hee would be no otherwise satisfied for sinne it was so foule a thing that to shew his hatred of it he punished it in his owne Sonne when he became our Surety How holy and pure is God that is what a separation is there in the nature of God from sin considering that he so punished it in his Son our Surety that he made him crie out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me We
hath made his will knowne It is presumptuous boldnesse to challenge any thing of God that we have not a promise for or to attribute that to him that he is not God is therefore trusted as he hath made himselfe by some name knowne to us He hath made himselfe knowne by his attributes by his nature and essence Iehovah and by his word and the promises in his word for his word is one of the best sweetest names whereby he hath made himselfe knowne The name of God is glorious in all the world in the creation and every creature hath a tongue to shew forth the power and wisdome and goodnesse of God but what is this to us if we know not the will of God toward us There is the name of God discovered what he is in himselfe somthing of his power and wisdome c. But what he is to us gracious and mercifull and sweet that we must gather out of the discovery of his owne breast He must come out of that light that none can attaine unto and discover himselfe as he hath done in his word and by this name of God his word we come to make use of his other names The next thing I will speake of is the improovement of God when he is knowne to trust in him to pitch our trust and confidence upon him They shall trust in the name of the Lord. For there must be an application of the soule to God we must lay our soules upon God though hee be a Rock yet wee must lay our soules upon him and though he be a foundation yet we must build upon him and his truth revealed There is an adaequate comfort in God and in the Scriptures and superabundant too to all our necessities whatsoever it transcends them all there is more in the spring then we want ourselves yet notwithstanding there must bee grace in the soule to repaire to God there must be an hand an empty beggers hand such as faith is to reach that helpe that God yeeldes there must bee a wing to flye to our Tower the wing of the soule is this trust and faith and when these two meet faith or trust and GOD What a sweet meeting is there For emptinesse and fulnesse poverty and riches weaknesse and strength â—o meet together these will graspe sweetly for the excellency and al sufficiency of the one and the necessity of the other meeting together breeds a sweet correspondency Wee must trust therefore in the Name of the LORD that is the way to improve whatsoever is in God for our good Faith the nature of it is after it hath applied it selfe to the grounds of comfort to draw vertue and strength from God Of it selfe it is the most beggerly grace of all Love is a rich grace but yet notwithstanding in the covenant of grace wherein grace and mercy must have the glory God hath stablished such a grace to rule there as ascribes all out of it selfe and is an empty grace of it selfe to make use of the riches that is ouâ— of it selfe therefore God hath made choice of this trusting instead of all other graces as indeed leading to all other graces whatsoever God brings us home by a contrary way to that we fell from him How did we fall from God at the first that was our Rock our defence and trust We fell from him by distrust by having him in a jealousie as if he aimed more at himselfe then at our good so the Devill perswaded our first parents the next way therefore to come back againe to God it must be to have a good conceit of God not to have him in jealousie but to be convinced in our soules that he loves us better then we can love our selves in spight of the Devill and all his temptations so to trust God is to relye upon him in life and death therefore God hath appointed this grace as he saith here They shall trust in the name of the Lord. Now because we all pretend that we trust in the name of the Lord. We will first examine our trust let us try our trust a little that wee may see whether it be true trust or no. And then upon that we will give some directions how to come to this blessed condition to trust in the name of the Lord. For the first I doe not take trust here for the first faith which is the grace of union to receive Christ but for the exercise of faith afterwards in a Christians life so we speak of it as a fruit rather that comes from faith And wee may know our trust in the name of the Lord being now conceived as a gracious Father in Christ clothed with the relation of a father for so we must trust him not God â—â—solutely for there is no comfort in an absolute God distinct from his relations but when we apprehend him in relation as a sweet Father in Christ in that name then the nature of God is lovely to us betweene whom and us there was an infinite distance before Now Christ being Emanuel God with us hath brought God and us together intermes of league Now our nature is lovely to God in Christ because it is taken to the unity of his person and Gods nature is lovely to us having made himselfe a father in Christ his beloved Sonne Therefore when we speak of God our thoughts must runne upon God as thus conceived as clothing himselfe with the sweet terme of Father our God in covenant we must so apprehend him Now one evidence of this trust in this our God is a care to please him in all things When we depend upon any men wee have a care to please them A tenant that feares to be thrust our will strive to please his Landlord We that hold all upon this tenure upon faith and trust in God we should feare to displease him And there will be likewise an use of all meanes to serve Gods providence and care of us if wee trust in him or else it is a tempting and not a trusting There are no men more carefull of the use of meanes then those that are surest of a good issue and conclusion for the one stirs up diligence in the other assurance of the end stirs up diligence in the meanes For the soule of a beleeving Christian knowes that God hath decreed both both fall under the same decree when God purâ—â—â—ed to doe sâ—ch a thing he purposed to do it by such and such meanes Trust therefore is with diligence in the use of all meanes that God hath ordained He that trusts a Physicians skill will be very carefull to observe what was prescribed and will omit nothing It is but presumption it is not trust where there is not a care in the use of meanes as wee see many pretend to trust in God and sever the means from the end they are regardlesse of the meanes of salvation Againe those that trust in God
onely and strong wits and such Learning as those darke times afforded to speake of Grace of the Gospel of justification they spake of it and distinguished in a meere metaphysicall and carnall manner therefore they brought onely humane Learning they were furnished with Plato and other naturall Learning and with these they thought to breake through all the Mysteries in Religion Wee must not struggle with the difficulties of Religion with naturall parts It is a Mysterie now therefore it must have a double veile tooke off a veile from the thing and the veile from our eyes It is a Mysterie in regard of the things themselves and in regard of us It is not sufficient that the things be lightsome that are now revealed by the Gospel but there must be that taken from our hearts that hinders our sight The Sunne is a most glorious creature the most visible object of the world what is that to a blind man that hath skales on his eyes So Divine Truth is glorious it is Light in it selfe but there are skales on the eyes of the soule there is a filme that must be taken off there is a veile over the heart as S. Paul saith of the Iewes therefore they could not see the scope of Moses directing all to Christ naturally there is a veile over mens hearts and that is the reason that though they have never so many parts and the things be light in themselves yet they cannot see Therefore I say the veile must be taken both from the things and from our hearts that Light being shed into lightsome hearts both may close together Againe being a Mysterie it cannot be raysed out of the Principles of Nature it cannot be raysed from Reasons But hath Reason no use then in the Gospel Yes sanctified Reason hath to draw sanctified conclusions from sanctified Principles thus faâ—re Reason is of use in these Mysteries to shew that they are not opposite to Reason they are above Reason but they are not contrarie to it even as the light of the Sunne it is above the light of a Candle but it is not contrarie to it The same thing may be both the object of Faith and of Reason The immortalitie of the soule it is a matter of Faith and it is well proved by the Heathen by the light of Reason And it is a delightfull thing to the soule in things that Reason can conceive of to have a double Light for the more Light the more comfort to have both the Light of Nature and the Light of Grace and of Gods Spirit That which Reason should do here is to stoop to Faith in things that are altogether above Reason as to conceive Christ in the Wombe of a Virgin the joyning of two Natures in one the Trinitie of Persons in one Divine Nature and such like Here it is the greatest reason to yield reason to Faith Faith is the reason of Reason in these things and the greatest reason is to yeeld to God that hath revealed them Is not here the greatest reason in the world to beleeve him that is Truth it selfe Hee hath sayd it therefore Reason it selfe sayth it is the greatest reason to yeeld to God who is Truth it selfe therefore Faith stands with the greatest reason that can be For things have a greater being in Gods Word then in themselves and Faith is above Reason therefore it is the reason of reasons to beleeve when we have things revealed in the Word that is one use of Reason in Mysteries to stop the mouthes of gaine-sayers by Reason to shew that it is no unreasonable thing to beleeve Againe seeing it is a Mysterie let no man despaire It is not the pregnancy of the Scholar here that carryes it away it is the excellencie of the Teacher if Gods Spirit be the Teacher it is no matter how dull the Scholar is it is a Mysterie Pride in great parts is a greater hinderance then simplicity in meaner parts Therefore Christ in Mat. 11. he glorifies God that hee had revealed these things to the simple and concealed them from the proud Let no man despaire for the Statutes of God give understanding to the simple as the Psalmist sayth God is such an excellent mighty Teacher that where he finds no wit he can cause wit He hath a priviledge above other Teachers hee doth not onely teach the thing but he gives wit and understanding It is a Mysterie therefore as none should be so proud as to thinke to breake thorow it with wit and parts so let none despaire considering that God can rayse shallow and weak wits to apprehend this great Mysterie It is a Mysterie therefore take heed of slighting of Divine Truths The emptie shallow heads of the world make great matters of trifles and stand amazed at baubles and vanities and thinke it a grace to slight divine things this great Mysterie of godlinesse they despise that which the Angels themselves stand in wonderment at and are students in that the wits of the world they slight and despise or dally withall as if it were a matter not worth reckoning but I leave such to reformation or to Gods just judgement that hath given them up to such extremitie of madnesse and folly Let us labour to set a high price on the Mysteries of godlinesse How shall wee come to know this Mysterie as wee should and to carry our selves answerable We must desire God to open our eyes that as the Light hath shined as the Apostle faith Tit. 2. the Grace of God hath shined as there is a lightsomenesse in the Mysteries so there may be in our eye There is a double Light required to all things in nature the lightsomnesse in the Medium and in the sight so here though the Mysteries be now revealed by Preaching and Bookes and other helpes yet to see this Mysterie and make a right use of it there is required a spirituall Light to joyne with this outward Light And hence comes a necessitie of depending upon Gods Spirit in conversing in this Mysterie There must be an using of all helpes and meanes or else we tempt God wee must reade and heare and above all we must pray as you see David in Psal. 119. Open mine eyes Lord that I may see wonders in thy Law There are wonders in thy Law but my eyes must be opened to see them He had sight before but he desires still a further and clearer sight and as the poore man in the Gospel that cryed after Christ when he was asked What wouldest thou have Lord that mine eyes might be opened So should every one of us considering it is such a ravishing Mysterie crye after God and Christ Lord that my eyes might be opened that I may see wonders in thy Law that I may see the wonders in thy Gospel the unsearchable riches of Christ. Therefore it is that S. Paul in Ephes.
then those things wherin they dissent from us that were neither held from the Apostles times for they were the inventions of Popes one after another their fooleries wherein they differ from us they are late inventions and we hold them not they are lesse Catholike then that that they and we and all Christians hold ever since the Apostles times But to come to a use of practice Therefore when we have the Truths of Religion discovered to us by the Ministerie or by reading c. when they are conveyed to our knowledge by any sanctified meanes let us propound these Quaere's to our owne soules Are these things so or no Yes Doe I beleeve them to be so or no Yes If I doe beleeve them then consider what the affection and inward disposition is whether it be sutable to such things and so worke upon our hearts that our knowledge may be affective knowledge a knowledge with a taste that sinkes even to the very affections that pierceth thorow the whole soule that the affections may yeeld as well as the understanding and let us never cease till there be a correâ—pondence betweene the affection and the Truth Are they true beleeve them Are they good embrace them Let us never rest till our hearts embrace them as our understanding conceives them And let us thinke there is a defect in our apprehensions that we call them into question if the affections embrace them not for alway answerable to the weight and the depth of the apprehension of the Truth is the affection stirred up and the will stirred up to embrace it A man knowes no more in Religion then he loves and embraceth with the affections of his soule The affections are planted for this â—nd upon the report of that which is good to them to embrace it to â—oyne with it therefore let us never thinke our state good till we find our hearts warmed with the goodnes of divine supernaturall Truths Oh how doe I love thy lawâ— saith David He wonders at his own affections Let us labour to have great affections answerable to the things and never leave till we can love them and joy and delight in them as the greatest things and with blessed S. Paul account all as dâ—ng and drosse in comparison of them That knowledge is only saying knowledge that workes the heart to a love to a joy and delight that workes the whole man to practise and obedience that is onely spirituall knowledge All other knowledge serves for nothing but to minister God matter of justifying our damnation that our damnation wil be just that knowing these things we doe not worke our hearts to love them but we rest in the naked barren knowledge of them It is a pittifull thing to know things no further and no deeper then to minister matter of our just damnation Now all that have not a transforming knowledge that have not a spirituall knowledge they are in this state Therefore we should labour to see spirituall things in a spirituall Light for where spirituall Light is there is alway spirituall heat where spirituall evidence is in the understanding there is spirituall embracing in the affections evidence brings quicknesse supernaturall light and supernaturall life they goe together Let us labour therefore that our apprehension of these great Mysteries may be supernaturall and spirituall and then as the judgement apprehends them without controversie to be true the affections will be present to close with them So much for the Preface Without controversie great is the Mysterie of Godlinesse Now wee come to the particulars of this great Mysterie God manifested in the flesh This and the other branches that follow they are all spoken of Christ. Indeed the Mysterie of Godlinesse is nothing but Christ and that which Christ did Christ was manifested in the flesh justified in the Spirit seene of Angels preached to the Gentiles beleeved on in the World received up in Glorie So that from the generall we may observe this that Christ is the scope of the Scripture Christ is the Pearle of the Ring Christ is the maine the Center wherein all those Lines end take away Christ what remaines Therefore in the whole Scriptures let us see that we have an eye to Christ all is nothing but Christ. The Mysterie of Religion is Christ manifested in the flesh justified in the Spirit c. all is but Christ. And that is the reason the Iewes understand not the Scriptures better because they seeke not Christ there Take away Christ take away all out of the Scriptures they are but empty things Therefore when we reade them thinke of somewhat that may lead us to Christ as all the Scriptures lead one way or other to Christ as I might shew in particular but I onely name it in generall He begins here with this God manifest in the flesh not God taken essentially but God taken personally God in the second Person was manifested all actions are of persons the second Person was incarnate The three Persons are all God yet they were not all incarnate though God were incarnate because it was a personall action of the second Person And why in that Person Because he was the Image of God And none but the Image of God could restore us to that Image He was the Sonne of God and none but the naturall Sonne could make us Sonnes He is the Wisedome of the Father to make us wise and he is the first beloved to make us beloved Such reasons are given by the Schoole-men and not disagreeable to Scripture for indeed it is appropriate to the second Person the great worke of the Incaâ—nation God in the flesh Therefore they usually compare the Incarnation of Christ to a Garmeâ—t made by three Virgins Sisters and one of them weares it So all the three Persons had a hand in the Garment of Christs flesh the Father had a worke in it and the Holy-Ghost sanctified it yet he onely wore it therfore the second Person is God manifest in the flesh By flesh here is meant humane nature the propertie of humane nature both body and soule And by flesh also is usually understood the infirmities and weakenesse of man the miserable condition of man So God manifest in the flesh that is in our nature and the properties of it he put that on and not onely so but our infirmities and weakenesse our miseries and which is more he tooke our flesh when it was tainted with Treason our base nature after it was fallen which was a wondrous fruit of Love As if one should weare a mans Colours or Liverie after he is proclaymed Traytor it is a great grace to such a man For Christ to weare our garment when we were proclaimed Traytors after wee were fallen it was a wondrous dignation And he tooke not onely our nature but our flesh he was God manifest in the flâ—sh that is in the infirmities of our nature he tooke
for God to be included in the Wombe of a Virgin for happinesse it selfe to become a Curse for him that hath the Riches of all in him to become poore for our sakes for him that ever enjoyed his Fathers presence to want the beames of it for a time that he might satisfie his Fathers justice and undergoe his wrath for our sinnes here is a matter of wonderment indeed And shall we thinke so great a Mysterie as this was for small purpose That the great God should take upon him a Piece of Earth That he should become a poore and weake man The immortall God to take upon him our flesh and to dye That he whom Heaven and Earth cannot comprehend should be inclosed in the Wombe of a Virgin For him to be so abased as there was never any abasement like unto Christs because of the greatnesse of his Person If Angels had done so alas they were inferiour creatures they were servants to God but for the Sonne of God to take our nature when it was so low for so excellent a Person to be abased so low There was none ever suffered that that God in our flesh suffered For as communion with his Father was sweeter to him then to all men besides so for him to want communion with his Father upon the Crosse when he cryed My God my God why hast thou forsaken me It was the greatest abasement to him being the most sensible of it therefore there was no suffering like that of Christs And shall we thinke so great a matter was for small purpose for little sinnes or for few sinnes onely Oh no it was to give a foundation to our Faith in all extremitie of temptations to stay our Conscience in the guilt of great and crying sinnes Oh despaire not despaire not this Great Mysterie the Apostle speakes of for the great God to become man it was for great sinnes that where Sinne hath abounded Grace might super-abound God intended in this to set downe the accusing Conscience to quiet and still it God is offended it is true but God manifest in the flesh hath made reconciliation and satisfaction Hee was a Sacrifice for sinne and God will answer God God the Sonne will answer the displeasure of God the Father because he is appointed to this Office by him He is set forth as it is Rom. 3. to be the propitiation Therefore in all risings of Conscience in the time of trouble in the houre of death let us remember this Great Mysterie God manifest in the flesh Gods purpose in this was to triumph as it were over all the clamours of Conscience whatsoever over all things that Satan object what he will here is a shield put into the hand of Faith to beat back all his fierie darts God in the Covenant of Grace which is founded in Christ in God in our nature doth intend to be gracious to sinners It is a greater Mysterie then that of the Creation For God there did good to a good man he made Adam good and continued him good while he stood but after the fall God intended to rayse up the doubting unbeleeving soule against the greatest ills of sin and despaire and against all objections for sinne whatsoever from the greatnesse of sin either naturall or actuall It is the glory of God in the Gospel to glorifie his mercy and goodnesse in prevailing and triumphing over the greatest ills that can be Now he is good to sinners and to great sinners so that if there be Faith wrought by the Spirit of God raysing up our soules to lay hold of this God manifest in the flesh let us not be discouraged with any sin our sinnes are but the sinnes of men but God manifest in the flesh was made a Sacrifice for our sinnes and hath given a price answerable What temptation will not vanish as a cloud before the wind when we see Gods love in sending his Sonne and Christs love in taking our nature on him to reconcile us by the Sacrifice of his bloud Therefore let us treasure up this comfort it is a Spring of comfort a Well of consolation as the Scripture speaks therefore let us such comâ—ort out of this Brest of consolation We may turne over things now in the time of peace with ease but in the time of temptation when the soule is touched with guilt and Satan plyes us with temptations the soule will have no rest but in an infinite ground of comfort The soule is prone naturally to mis-give and to forecast the worst and to conceive hardly of God in the time of temptation as an enemie and Satan is then busie about nothing so much as that we should have hard conceits of God and to make us forget the maine end of the great worke of our Redemption which is to undermine our unbeleefe by all meanes by setting before the soule such grounds as the most unbeleeving heart in the world if it did consider of would fasten and lay it selfe upon Therefore let us labour to cherish at such times especially large thoughts of the infinite goodnesse and mercie of God and of the love of Christ condescending so low as to be manifest in the flesh for our sakes It is a point of wondrous comfort that now in CHRIST JESUS God becomming man we can in him break through the justice of God For as I said when Conscience is awaked there are other manner of conceits of God then when it is sleepie and drowsie A sleepie Christian hath a sleight conceit of God as if he as little thought of his sinnes as he doth himselfe Oh but when Conscience is awaked and when we are drawne from the pleasures of sinne and they from us and Conscience hath nothing to doe but to looke upon God and upon the time to come which is eternity then if there be not somewhat for Conscience to oppose that is equall to the justice of God if there be not somewhat about us to cloath us and arme us to passe thorow the justice what will become of us Therefore it is a fruitfull consideration that God was manifest in our flesh and that to give satisfaction to God that so Conscience might have full satisfaction This teacheth us what we should doe when we find any trouble rise in our Conscience for sins and unworthinesse Cast our selves upon God in our flesh God that became flesh for us and dyed for us let us stay our selves there I am unworthy a lumpe of sinne there is nothing in me that is good Oh but I have all in Christ he is righteousnesse for me he hath abundance for me his fulnesse is for me Therefore you have it Coloss. 2.16 The fulnesse of the God-head dwells in him bodily To what purpose is this fulnesse in him He shewes in the words following In him wee are compleate Suppose in our selves we be sinners and weake that we are as ill as sinne or the Devill
have beene put to death Satan and his instruments would never have medled with him therefore God being veiled in the flesh being clouded with our flesh and infirmities thereupon the World had a misconceit of him He was not generally thought to be what hee was indeed he appeared to be nothing but a poore man a debased dejected man a persecuted slandered disgraced man in the World he was thought to be a Trespasser It is no matter what he appeared when hee was veiled with our flesh he was justified in the Spirit to be the true Messias to be God as well as man Iustified It implyes two things in the phrase of Scripture A freedome and clearing from false conceits and imputations and declared to be truly what he was to be otherwise then he was thought to be of the wicked World When a man is cleared from that that is layd to his charge hee is justified when a man is declared to be that he is then he is said to be justified in the sense of the Scriptures Wisedome is justified of her children that is cleared from the imputations that are layd upon Religion to be mopish and â—oolish Wisedome is justified that is cleared and declared to be an excellent thing of all her children So Christ was justified hee was cleared not to be as they took him and declared himselfe to be as he manifested himselfe a more excellent person the Sonne of God the true Messias and Saviour of the World In the Spirit That is in his God-head that did shew it selfe in his life death in his resurrection and ascension the beames of his God-head did sparkle out though he were God in the flesh yet he remained God stil was justified to be so in the Spirit that is in his divine Power which is called the Spirit because the spirit of any thing is the quintessence strength of it God hath the name of Spirit from his purity and power and vigour So God is a Spirit that is God is pure opposite to grosse things earth and flesh and God is powerfull and strong The Horses of the Aegyptians are flesh and not spirit that is they are weake a spirit is strong so much spirit so much strength So by the puritie and strength of the Divine Nature Christ discovered himselfe to be true God as well as true man The word Spirit is taken in three senses especially in the Gospel It is taken for the whole nature of God God is a Spirit sayth Christ to the woman of Samaria the very nature of God is a Spirit that is active and subtile opposite to meanenesse and weakenesse Then againe Spirit is taken more particularly for the Divine Nature of Christ as it is Rom. 1.4 Of the Seed of David according to the flesh but declared mightily to be the Sonne of God with power according to the spirit of sanctification or holinesse by the resurrection from the dead The opposition shewes that Spirit is taken there for the Divine Nature of Christ. He had spoken in the Verse before concerning his humane nature he was made of the Seed of David according to the flesh and it followes declared to be the Sonne of God according to the spirit of holinesse by the resurrection from the dead and so likewise in 1 Pet. 3.18 He was put to death in the flesh â—ut quickned in the spirit He was put to death in his humane nature out quickned and raysed as he was God The Spirit is taken likewise for the third Person in the Trinitie the Holy-Ghost the holy Spirit And indeed whatsoever God the Father or God the Sonne doth graciously to man it is done by the Spirit For as the holy Spirit is in the order of the Persons so he is in the order of working the Father workes from himselfe the Sonne workes from the Father the holy Spirit from them both the holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Sonne as a common Principle Therefore sometimes the Father is sayd to rayse Christs Body by his Spirit Christ is sayd to do things by the Spirit Here in this place it is especially to be understood of Christs Divine Nature not excluding the Holy-Ghost For as the Holy-Ghost in the Incarnation sanctified his flesh the second Person tooke flesh but the third Person sanctified it so in the Resurrection of Christ the second Person that raysed it selfe up but yet it was by the Holy-Ghost too So when there is mention here of Christ justified by the Spirit that is by his God-head and by the Holy-Ghost which he alway used not as an instrument for the Holy-Ghost is a common Principle with himselfe one with himselfe of equall dignitie onely differing in the order of Persons Whatsoever Christ did he did with the Spirit that must not be excluded Christ was as well justified in the Spirit as God as manifest in our nature to be man And this was in the time of his abasement in the greatest extremitie of abasement there was somewhat that came from Christ to justifie him that he was the Sonne of God the true Messias there is no part of his abasement but some beams of his God-head did breake forth in it He was made flesh but he tooke upon him the flesh of a Virgin Could that be otherwise then by the Spirit to be borne of a Virgin she remaining a Virgin When he was borne he was layd in a Manger indeed there was God in the low estate of the flesh I but the Wisemen worshipped him and the Starre directed them there he was justified in the Spirit He was tossed when he was asleepe in the Ship but he commanded the Winds and the Waves He wanted Money to pay Tribute as he was abased but to fetch it out of a Fish there he was justified the one was an argument of his povertie and meanenesse but the other was an argument that hee was another manner of person then the World tooke him for that he had all the creatures at his command He was apprehended as a Male-factor but he struck them all down with his word Whom seeke yee Come to the greatest abasement of all when he was on the Crosse he hung betweene two Theeves I but he converted the one of them When the Theefe had so much discouragement to see his Saviour hang on the Crosse yet hee shewed such power in that abasement that the very Theefe could see him to be a King and was converted by his Spirit He did hang upon the Crosse but at the same time there was an Eclipse the whole World was darkned the Earth trembled the Rocks brake the Centurion justified him Doubtlesse this was the Sonne of God He was sold for thirtie pence but he that was sold for thirty pieces did redeeme the whole World by his bloud Nay at the lowest degree of abasement of all when he struggled with the wrath of God and wat
carryed it to Heaven with him Here was the Mysterie of the Exaltation of our nature God was as much abased as he could be being borne and dying for us our humane nature was as much advanced as it could be when God raised it up to Heaven God could be no more abased remaining God and mans nature can be no more advanced remaining the true nature of man This is a great Mysterie the advancement of our nature in Christ that was made lower then the Angels he was a worme and no man now our nature in Christ is advanced above the Angels Now this nature of ours in Christ it is next to the nature of God in dignitie here is a Mysterie Among many other respects it is a Mysterie for the greatnesse of it We see after his Ascension when he appeared to Paul in glory a glimpse of it strucke Paul downe he could not endure it Nay before he suffered a very shadow of his glory it amazed Peter and Iames and Iohn they could not beare it they forgat themselves Let us build say they three Tabernacles c. If a little discoverie of his glory on Earth wrought these effects what great glory is it then that he hath in Heaven Certainely it is beyond all expression In this glorious condition that Christ is received into he fulfils all his Offices in a most comfortable manner He is a glorious Prophet to send his Spirit now to teach and open the heart he is a glorious Priest to appeare before God in the Holy of Holies in Heaven for us for ever and he is a King there for ever from thence hee rules his Church and subdues his enemies So that though he accomplished and fulfilled those blessed Offices that were appointed him in the state of humiliation on Earth as it became that state to suffer for us yet it was necessarie that he should enter into glory to manifest that he was a King Priest and Prophet for he was not manifested who he was indeed to our comfort till he was received up in glory We had not the Spirit the Holy-Ghost sent from above till he ascended as it is in Iohn 7. The Holy-Ghost was not given because Christ was not ascended to apply and to helpe us make use of Christ and all his benefits and riches so that in regard of the manifestation of Christs Offices and of application of all the good we have by it it is by Christ received up in glory To come to some application First of all we must lay this for a ground and foundation of what followes That Christ ascended as a publike person he must not be considered as a particular person alone by himselfe but as the second Adam As he tooke the nature of man in his Incarnation so he ascended into Heaven in it as a publike person As the first Adam was in whom we all sinned and all came to misery and basenesse and died so Christ must be considered as the second Adam as in other things so in his ascension to glory In the second place we must know that there is a wondrous neerenesse betweene Christ and us now for before we can thinke of any comfort by the glory of Christ we must be one with him by Faith for he is the Saviour of his Body therefore we must be in him we must be his members we must be his Spouse and being so once we are one with Christ. There is no relation in the world that is able to expresse the neerenesse betweene Christ and us sufficiently and therefore when we speake of Christ ascended into glory we must needs think of our selves of our glory and advancement he was taken up to glory in our nature not only for himselfe but for all his As the husband of the Church he is gone before to take up Heaven for his wife as a husband takes up Land in another Countrey for his Spouse though she be not there Christ hath taken up Heaven for us I goe before to prepare a place for you So likewise he is in Heaven as a glorious Head ministring vertue and comfort and strength to all his all our power and strength it comes from Christ now as our Head in Heaven Againe there is a causality the force of a cause in this because Christ therefore we here is not onely a priority of order but a cause likewise and there is great reason Was there the force of a cause in Adam that was but meere man to convey sinne and misery and the displeasure of God to all that are borne and descend of him and is there not the force of a cause in the second Adam to convey grace and glory to his he being God man Therefore whatsoever is good it is first in Christ and then in us Christ first rose therefore we shall rise he ascended into glory therefore we shall be afterward in glory And then we must consider Christ not onely as an efficient cause but as a patterne and example how we shall be glorified he is not onely the efficient of all glory within and without but he is the exemplary cause for all is first in him and then in us he was first abased and so must we and then he was glorified and so shall we we must be conformable to his abasement and then to his glory he is the first fruits of them that sleepe he being the first fruits we succeed These things being premised as grounds I come to make some use of this comfortable point Christ is received up in glory Therefore first of all for our information we must not seeke him in a Wafer-cake we must not looke for him in the Sacrament bodily how can he be there when he is received up in glory Therefore when we come to the Sacrament let us consider we have now to deale with Christ who is in Heaven Cannot Christ shew his vertue to comfort and strengthen us but we must have his Body in the Communion to touch our bodies The foot hath influence from the head yet the head is distant from it in place The utmost branches have life and sap from the root yet they are remote in respect of place A King spreads his influence over his whole Kingdom though it be never so large yet he is but in one place in respect of his person Doth the Sunne in the Heavens come downe to the Earth to make the Spring and to make all fruâ—tfull Cannot he send beames and influence from thence to cherish the Earth Must Christ come downe in his Body to us or else he can doe us no good Must there be a corporeall descent or else we can receive no influence from him There may be a derivation of vertue from Christ though his person be in Heaven where he shall remaine till the last day when he shall come to be glorious in his Saints The Sunne doth more good being in Heaven
then he could doe if he were on the Earth if the Sun were lower what wouâ—d become of the Earth But being so remote and so farre above he hath opportunity to shine over the greatest part of the Earth at once being greater then the Earth he shineth over more then halfe the Earth at once Christ being in Heaven as the Sunne of Righteousnesse he shines more gloriously over all and we have more comfort and benefit and influence from Christ now in Heaven then we could if he were on Earth Must we needs make him bodily present every where as the Papists doe and other Heterodox strange conceited men in Germanie What need we doe thus when there may be influence from Christ now in Heaven to us on Earth as we see in other things without confusion of his Divine properties to his Body or making his Body as his God-head is Therefore seeke him not bodily any where but in Heaven Those Opinions overthrow three Articles of our Faith at once He ascâ—nded into Heaven He sitteth at the right hand of God and He shall come to judge the quicke and the dead And where is his Body in the meane time in the Sacrament No he is received up in glory Therefore we must have our thoughts in heaven when we are about that businesse we must lift up our hearts as it is in our Liturgie which is taken out of the ancient Liturgie We lift them up unto the Lord we must have holy thoughts raysed up to Christ in Heaven Againe is Christ received up to glory Here is singular comfort considering what I said before that he is ascended as a publike person in our behalfe in our nature for our good Therefore when we thinke of Christ in Heaven think of our Husband in Heaven thinke of our selves in Heaven We are set together in heavenly places with Christ as the Apostle saith Ephes. 2. We have a glorious life but it is hid with Christ in Heaven When Christ himselfe shall be revealed our life shall be revealed though we creepe upon the Earth as wormes yet notwithstanding we have communion and fellowship with Christ who is joyned with us in the same Mysticall Body who is now at the right hand of God in Heaven and he that hath glorified his naturall Body in Heaven that he tooke upon him he will glorifie his Mysticall Body for he tooke flesh and blood his naturall Body for the glory of his Mysticall Body that he might bring his Church to glory Therefore we ought as verily to beleeve that he will take his Mysticall Body and every particular member of it to Heaven as he hath taken his naturall Body and hath set it there in glory It is a comfort in the houre of death that we yeeld up our soules to Christ who is gone before to provide a place for us this was one end of his taking up to Heaven to provide a place for us Therefore when we die we have not a place to seeke our house is provided before hand Christ was taken up to glory to provide glory for us Even as Paradise was provided for Adam before he was made so we have a heavenly Paradise provided for us we had a place in Heaven before we were borne What a comfort is this at the houre of death and at the death of our friends that they are gone to Christ and to glory We are shut out of the first Paradise by the first Adam our comfort is that now the heavenly Paradise in Christ is open This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise sayth Christ to the good Theefe There was an Angell to keepe Paradise when Adam was shut out but there is none to keepe us out of Heaven nay the Angels are ready to convey our soules to Heaven as they did Lazarus and as they accompanied Christ in his Ascension to Heaven so they doe the soules of his children Likewise in our sinnes and infirmities when we have to deale with God the Father whom we have offended with 〈◊〉 sinnes let he 〈…〉 comfort from hence Christ is ascended into Heaven to appeare before his Father 〈◊〉 a Mediator for us and therefore God turnes 〈◊〉 his 〈◊〉 from us we have a friend a favorite in the Court of Heaven the Sonne of God himselfe at his Fathers right hand he makes inteâ—â—â—ssioâ— for us As Ionathan appeareth in 〈◊〉 Court to speake a good word and to plead for David so our Ionathan Iesus Christ but with farre better successe appeares in the Court of Heaven for us continuing our peace with God in our daily breaches perfuming our prayers And there is no danger of his death for He is a Priest for ever at the right hand of God to make intercession for us his very presenting himselfe in Heaven speaks for us As if he should say These persons that aske in my Name they are such persons as I was borne for such as I obeyed for such as I dyed for such as I was sent into the world to work the great wolke of Redemption for for he wrought our Redemption in his abased estate but he applyes it as he is exalted application is as necessary as merit we have no good by the worke of Redemption without application and for that end he appeares in heaven for us and pleads for us For even as there is speech attributed to Abels blood it cryed Vengeance Vengeance so Christ appearing now in heaven for us his blood cryes Mercie Mercie these are those I shed my blood for Mercie Lord The very appearing of him that shed his blood it cryes for mercy at the Throne of Mercie which is therefore a Throne of Mercie because he is there he shed his blood to satisfie Justice to make way for Mercie In the Law the High-Priest after he had offered a Sacrifice of blood he was to goe into the Holy of Holies so Christ after he had offered himself for a Sacrifice he went into the Holy of Holies into heaven to appeare before God And as the High-Priest when he went into the Holy of Holies he had the names of the twelve Tribes on his brest to shew that he appeared before God for them all so Christ being gone into the Holy of Holies into heaven he hath all our names upon his brest that is in his heart the name of every particular beleever to the end of the world to present them before God Therefore when we have to deale with God thinke of Christ now glorious in heaven appearing for us God can denie him nothing nor denie us any thing that we aske in his Name we have his Promise for it It is a ground likewise of contentment in all conditions whatsoever our wants be What if we want comfort houses c. on Earth when we have Heaven provided for us and Glory provided for us when we are already so glorious in our Head Shall not any condition content a man in this world
to be an Host of Angels Beloved we have need of such comforts and let it not seeme slight unto us to heare of Angels because we see them not It is a thing forgotten of us too much why are we so cold and dead and dull and distrustfull in dangers wee forget our strength and comfort this way There is now at this time an earthly Host against the Church men led with antichristian spirits Let us comfort our selves we have an heavenly Host with us as Elizeus said to his servant there are more with us then against us If God see it good this outward Host of Heaven the Sun the Moon and Starres hee can make them fight for his Church as in Sisera's case But there is another Host that see the face of God that is that observe and wait on his will and command wee have an heavenly Host within the heavens that having a command from God can come downe quickly for the defence of the Church and for every particular Christian not onely one Angell that is but an opinion that every one hath his Angell but even as God sees good one or two or more a multitude an Host of Angels God useth Angels not for any defect of power in himselfe to doe things that hee must have such an Host but for the further demonstration of his goodnesse he is so diffusive in goodnesse he will have a multitude of creatures that they may be a meanes to diffuse his goodnesse Angels to the Church and the Church to others it is for the spreading of his goodnesse for hee is all in all in himselfe Let it take impression in us that we have such glorious creatures for our service We see here this Host of heavenly Angels they attend upon the Lord of Hosts at his birth for Christ is the Creator of Angels the Lord of them not onely as God but as Mediator As God he is the Creator of Angels as Mediator hee is the head of Angels Col. 1.16 It was fit therefore that an Host of Angels should attend upon the Lords of Angels It was for the honour of Christ. God would let the world know although they heeded it not there was no such thought in Augustus Court at that time that there was an excellent glorioâ—s person borne into the world God himselfe tooke our nature Christ Emanuel though he were neglected of the world and faine to lye in a manger yet God tooke better notice of him then so heaven tooke notice of him when earth regarded him not therefore God to shew that he had another manner of respect and regard to Christ then the world had he sends a multitude an Host of heavenly Angels to celebrate the nativity of Christ. There is much solemnity at the birth of Princes and God that is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords he makes a solemnity likewise at the birth of his Sonne the greatest solemnity that ever was an Host of heavenly Angels but these things I doe but touch And suddenly there was c. Suddenly in an unperceivable time yet in time for there is no motion in a moment no creature moves from place to place in a moment God is every where Suddenly it not only shewes us somwhat exemplary from the quick dispatch of Angels in their businesse we pray to God in the Lords prayer Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven that is willingly suddenly cheerefully But also it serves for comfort if we be in any sudden danger God can dispatch an Angell a multitude of Angels to encampe about us suddenly therefore though the danger be present c the Devill present and devilish minded men present to hurt us God hath a multitude an Host of Angels as present to defend us nay as himselfe is every where so in the middest of his Church he is present more then Angels can be he is not onely among us but he is in us by his Spirit to comfort and strengthen us therefore let us stirre up the Spirit of God in us in all difficulties and dangers whatsoever considering we have such grounds of comfort every way What is the use and end of this glorious apparition in regard of the poore shepherds to confirme their faith and in them ours for if one or two witnesses confirme a thing what shall a multitude doe If one or two men confirme a truth much more an Host of heavenly Angels Therefore it is base infidelity to call this in question that is confirmed by a multitude of Angels and to comfort them likewise in this Apparition we see by the way that for one Christian to confirme an Angelicall worke for one man to discourage another it is the worke of a Devill when Christ was in his agony the Angels appeared to comfort him wee may take notice how willing and ready these glorious Spirits were to attend upon our blessed Saviour Iesus Christ in all the passages from his Incarnation to his glory we see they appeared here at his Incarnation they ministred unto him after his temptation at his Resurrection then they were ready to attend him and at his Ascension they were ready then but oh the welcome when he entred into Heaven There was the glorious imbracings when all the Host of heaven entertained him at his Ascension In the garden as I said they comforted him let us imitate them in this blessed worke if there be any in distresse that need comfort and confirmation we love examples of great noted persons here you have an example above your selves the example of Angels who to confirme and comfort the poore Shepherds appeare in an host 〈◊〉 multitude of heavenly Angels The Angels as they attend upon Christ so for his sake they attend upon us too for he is that Iacobs Ladder Iacobs Ladder you know stood upon the earth but it reached to Heaven and the Angels went up and down upon the Ladder that is it is Christ that knits heaven and earth together God and man and the Angels by Christ have communion and fellowship with us as I noted out of the place Heb. 12.22 Wee are come to an innumerable company of Angels so that they attend upon us for Christs sake whose members we are they attend upon Christ mysticall as well as Christ naturall For they are ministring Spirits for the sakes of them that shall be saved Heb. 1. And therefore in our childhood and tender yeeres they have the custody of us committed to them as Christ saith Their Angels behold the face of God and in our dangers they pitch their Tents about us and at our death they carry our soules to the place of happinesse as they carryed Lazarus soule into Abrahams bosome and at the resurrection they shall gather our dead bodies together so that as they never left our blessed Saviour from his birth to his Ascension so they alwayes attend upon his members his Spouse for
therefore his office is to bring God and man together It is fit it should be so in regard of God who being a consuming fire will no peace with the creature without a Mediator it stands not with his Majestie neither can there euer be peace with us otherwise Now Christ is a fit Mediator being a friend to God as the Son of God and a friend to us taking our nature upon him to be a mercifull Redeemer It was also fit in respect of us it should be so Alas who can dwell with everlasting burnings who can have communion with God who is a consuming fire No we cannot indure the sight of an Angell the Israelites could not indure the sight of Moses when he came from the mout his face shone so can we indure the glorious presence of God who dwelleth in light that none can attaine unto Therefore God derives all good to us in our flesh that though we cannot see God directly in himselfe yet in the flesh we can see God Incarnate we may see the Sunne in the water though we cannot directly looke on that creature without hazard It was a comfort to the Patriarches that they had Ioseph their brother the second man in the Kingdome So it may be to every Christian that now we have the second Person in heaven our brother in our nature he is the Steward of heaven and earth to dispense all Gods treasures to us Will not he acknowledge us that are bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh When he tooke our nature for this end to be a mercifull Redeemer It is most suteable to our condition that Christ should be the foundation of our peace If we looke to Christ himselfe he being Gods Sonne and the Sonne of his love for him to make us sonnes and sonnes of Gods love is it not most agreeable that he that is the Image of God should againe renew the Image of God that we lost Iacobs Ladder knit heaven and earth together so Christ knits heaven and earth God and us together You know if a Ladder lye upon the ground it doth no good or if it be kept above it serves for nothing so if Christ were onely God or onely man there could be no Union wrought betweene God and man but now being both he is a fit Mediator betweene both Christ is the foundation of our peace in the gracious Covenant that God hath made with us in all his Offices For as a Prophet he proclaimes peace he preached before 〈◊〉 the time of Noah he published peace as the Prophet of his Church in himselfe when hee lived and by his Ministers when he left the world And as a Priest he did worke our reconciliation offering himselfe a Sacrifice he made a peace betweene God and us and is now in heaven to make intercession betweene God and us And as a King he subdues the corruptions of our soules he puls downe the pride of our thoughts to bring the heart into subjection to him by his mighty power which indeed requires an almighty power also by his Kingly office he rules and governes and subdues all the enemies of his Church without and within You see then without further illustration that Christ is the foundation of our peace by his Incarnation death Resurrection and Ascension This should teach us first that whatsoever entercourse we have with God the Father wee should take Christ take our Benjamin our beloved with us we must not offer Sacrifice without the high Priest let us offer nothing to God without Christ there is no entercourse betweene God and us till wee be reconciled in Christ in whom we must offer all our Sacrifices and indeavours Therefore let us not owne an absolute God in our devotious let us thinke of God reconciled in Christ and at peace with us and a Father in Covenant in Christ and then our persons and prayers and all shall be accepted for the Sacrifice of Christ in whom he smells a sweet savour as it is said concerning Noah hee offered a Sacrifice to God a sweet smelling Sacrifice of rest so doth God in Christ he is the true mercy seate in Christ in looking to whom God frees us from the curse of the Law Ierusalem was the glory of the world and the Temple was the glory of Ierusalem but the mercy-seate was the glory of the Temple because that pointed to Christ the mercy-seate in whom we have intercourse with God the Father We conceive not high enough of the Majestie of God when wee goe to him immediatly we must goe to him in his Sonne whom he hath sent and annoynted and set forth as the Propitiation for our sinnes and him hath God the Father sealed he commeth with authority therefore God will be reconciled in Christ we may bind God himselfe when we offer Christ he is the foundation of reconciliation and peace by Gods appointment he is The Prince of peace of his owne annointing therefore we may goe boldly to God to the Throne of grace in Christ. And let us often seriously meditate of the sweet favour and reconciliation stablished now betweene God and us through Christ it is the sweetest meditation First to thinke in what ill tearmes we are with God by nature and then thinke how neare wee are now to God in Christ that wee are at peace with him Me thinks the word is too short there is more meant then is spoken At peace with God in Christ nay nay now we are friends nay we are sonnes and heires fellow heres fellow Kings with Christ for Gods favours are compleat as a God he stablisheth not a peace as men doe onely to doe them no harme that they are at peace with but where he makes a peace he conferres all that is good reconciliation adoption giving us the liberty of sonnes and friends to goe boldly to God as a Father in all our wants let us thinke more of this and improve this blessed priviledge every day Peace upon Earth Why doth he say Peace on Earth Because peace was here wrought upon earth by Christ in the dayes of his flesh when he offered himselfe a Sacrifice of a sweet smelling savour to his Father Because here in earth we must be partakers of it we oft times deferre to make our peace with God from time to time and thinke there will be peace made in another world◠oh beloved our peace must be made on earth We must live godly and righteously and soberly in this present world we must enter into the Kingdome of heaven here Further entrance must be ministred here by growing in grace daily more and more If heaven be not entred into here it shall never be entred afterwards for the Church is the seminary of the heavenly Paradise all that are taken to heaven to be set there for ever they are set in the Church before◠they are planted and grow up there a while under the meanes of
and pleasure or Gods good pleasure towards men Good will towards men This is the spring and roote of all the Angels begin with Glory to God and then they come to peace among men because without peace and reconciliation with God the heart of man cannot be inlarged to glorifie God the Angels would have men glorifie God as well as themselves therefore they desire peace on earth that God may be glorified in heaven Now there is no peace but issues from grace grace is Gods free good will and pleasure therefore the Angels say Good will towards men The holy Apostles they could not have better teachers for their salutations in their Epistles then to learne of the Angels as you have Saint Pauls Prefaces the same with this Evangelicall celebration and gratulation here to men Grace mercy and peace so here Peace on earth good will towards men onely the Apostles they begin Grace and peace and here the Angels Peace and grace but the meaning of the Angels and Apostles is all one for the Angels when they wish peace on earth they goe to the spring of it Good will towards men the Apostles they begin with grace the spring and then goe to peace after Good will towards men The words need not further to be explicated there is no great difficulty in them the points considerable are these God now hath a gracious good will towards men This good will is the foundation of all good And this is founded upon Christ. The first of these I will but touch because it doth but make way to the other God shewes now good pleasure towards men The love that God beares towards man hath divers termes from divers relations as it is a propension in him to doe good so it is love As it is his free so it is his good pleasure or grace as it is to persons in miserie it is mercy The fountaine of all is love But as the object is diversely considered so the termes be divers good pleasure and grace imply freedome in the party loving and mercy implies misery in the party loved Now this free good will and grace it is towards Men towards man-kind hee saith not towards Angels it is more towards men then even to good Angels in some sort for now man is taken to be the Spouse of Christ good Angels are not so neither is it good will to evill Angels for their state is determined there is no altering of their condition therefore God is called Philanthropos not Philangelos and the Scripture calls this Philanthropia the love that God hath shewed to men in Christ. Therefore wee should have thoughts of God as gracious loving our nature more then the Angelicall nature in some respects And learne this for imitation to love mankind God loved mankind and surely there is none that is borne of God but hee loves the nature of man wheresoever hee finds it hee will not stand altogether whether it be good or bad c. But because we are now in the way and our state is not determined and because God loves the nature of man therefore every man that hath the Spirit of God loves mankind he will labour to gaine Turkes or Indians c. if hee can because hee loves the very nature of man but I passe from this point to the second This 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Good will of God to restore lapsed man by the sending of his Sonne is the ground of all good to man and hath no ground but it selfe Gods grace and love to the creature is altogether independant in regard of the creature God fetcheth not reasons of his love from the creature but from his owne bowels What can he foresee in persons that were dead nay in persons that were in a contrary disposition to goodnesse there is nothing but enmity in our nature to supernaturall goodnesse can God foresee grounds of love in enmity As Moses tels the people of Israel in divers places Deut. 7. and 8. That it was not for any foresight of good in them they were the stubbornest people under heaven therefore God to shew his free love hee chose a stubborne people and singled them out to be the object of his mercy so God oftimes takes the unlikeliest then in the world and passeth by many otherwise of sweete natures so wee see even the meanes themselves they are of Gods free mercy and love We have whatsoever we have by vertue of the Covenant for what could wee looke for from God but in Covenant wherein he hath bound himselfe now since the fall this Covenant is called the Covenant of grace That now if we believe in Christ we shall not perish but have life and salvation in all the parts of it it is of Gods free grace and good pleasure What is the foundation of the covenant Christ Christ is of free grace God so loved the world that he gave his onely Sonne There is nothing freer then gift Christ is a gift the greatest gift he came freely from God he gave him to death for us all Rom. 8. And then whatsoever good thing wee have in Christ it comes freely too hee that gave Christ freely shall hee not with him give us all things too Then the very grace to keepe the covenant repentance and faith they are the gift of God I will take away your stony heart and give you new hearts and cause you to walke in my statutes I will circumcise your hearts so the grace to walked in the covenant of grace it comes from God God doth his part and ours too to shew not only that the covenant of grace is a covenant of wondrous love to give us grace here and glory herafter but that the foundation is of grace and the performance on our part is of grace nay it is of grace that hee would enter into covenant at all hee humbled himselfe wondrously to vouchsafe to enter into covenant it was humiliation on Gods part and exaltation to us therefore as it is in Zacharie we may cry Grace grace there is nothing but grace and free love in the whole carriage of our salvation If whatsoever good come to man be meerely from Gods good will let us emptie our selves and give him the glory of all it is easily spoken and heard but not so easily done for man naturally is proud and for flesh and bloud to bee brought to goe out of it selfe and acknowledg nothing in it selfe to give the glory of all goodnesse and happinesse to Gods free grace and goodnesse it is hard to bring proud nature to doe this but we must begge grace of God to worke our hearts to this more and more to empty our selves of our selves and to give God the glory of all But I come to the last point because I would end this text at this time This free love and grace of God is onely in Christ. Therfore the Angels pronounce it now
but this shall be sufficient for this time and Text. FINIS THE CHVRCHES RICHES BY CHRISTS POVERTY By The late Learned and Reverend Divine RICHARD SIBBS Dr. in Divinity Master of Katharine-Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher at GRAIES-INNE Luke 9.58 The Sonne of man hath not where to lay his head EPHES. 2.7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace c. LONDON Printed by R. Badger for N. Bourne at the Royall Exchange and R. Harford at the gilt Bible in Queenes-head Alley in Pater-Noster Row 1638. THE CHVRCHES RICHES BY CHRISTS POVERTY 2. COR. 8 9. For yee know the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ that though he was rich yet hee became poore for your sakes that yee through his poverty might be rich THE nature of man is very backward to doe good our hearts being like to greene wood that hath but a little fire under it that must bee continually blowne up so those sparkes of grace that are in us must bee stirred up Therefore the Apostle being to stirre up these Corinthians to beneficence and bounty towards the poore he labours to enforce it by many reasons in this and the next Chapter Man being an understanding creature God would have what we doe in matters of religion to proceed from principles becomming men and christians therefore hee sets us upon duties from reasons and because examples together with reasons are very forcible therefore the Apostle after many forcible reasons to bee liberall to the Saints hee joynes examples first of the Macedonians that were a poorer people then the Corinthians to whom the Apostle now wrote But because people are not so comfortably lead by the example of equalls or inferiours they thinke it a kinde of upbraiding of them accounting themselves as good or better then they therefore the Apostle leaves exhorting them from the example of the Macedonians that were poorer and propounds an example beyond all exception the example of CHRIST himselfe hee stirres them up to bounty and goodnesse by the example of him who is goodnesse it selfe you know the grace of our LORD IESUS CHRIST who though he were rich he became poore c. As if hee should have said if the example of the poore Macedonians will not moove you to give bountifully yet let the example of our SAVIOUR hee was rich yet hee became poore to enrich you therefore you must not thinke much to bestow somewhat on his poore members Examples have a very great force in mooving especially if they bee examples of great persons and those that love us and we them and that are neare us The example of CHRIST it is the example of a great person and one that loves us and whom wee ought to love againe therefore the Apostle propounds that Hee might have alledged the precept of CHRIST there are many commands that CHRIST gives of bounty and liberality to the poore Bee mercifull as your heavenly Father is mercifull and give freely looking for nothing againe and the poore yee shall have alwayes with you But because example hath a more allureing power it moves more freely precepts have a more compelling force therefore herein hee followes the streame of our disposition which rather desires to bee easily drawne then to bee forced and pressed hee brings not the precept but the example of CHRIST For you know the grace of our LORD IESUS CHRIST c. The poynts considerable in the words are First of all that Christ was rich There is no question to be made of this truth Christ was rich because hee was the second Person in Trinity the Soone of God the Heire of Heaven and earth rich every way When he was poore he was God then though he covered his God-head with the vayle of humanity with our base and beggerly nature that he took upon him hee was alway rich But especially this hath reference to what he was before he tooke our nature he was rich because he was God and indeed God onely is rich to purpose independently and eternally rich Riches imply among other things plenty and plenty of precious and good things and propriety they must bee good things that are our owne Christ had plenty of excellent things and they were his owne he was not onely rich in treasure as he saith gold is mine and silver is mine but heaven and earth that containes all treasures are his The earth is the Lords and the fulnesse thereof and it is he that made the heavens hee that made heaven and earth must needs be rich nay if there were neede he can make a thousand heavens and earthes hee is not onely mighty but Almighty not onely sufficient but Al sufficient he can doe what may be done he can doe what he hath done and more then he hath done and more then we can conceive hee can remove all difficulties that hinder him he is rich in power and wisedome every way The poynt is very large but it is not so pertinent to the text to shew what he was in himselfe but what hee was for our sakes therefore I will bee shorter in it Hence then you see that Christ was before hee was exhibited hee did good before he appeared hee was rich before he tooke our nature upon him hee was God before hee was man Against the cursed heresie of Arius which I will not now rake up againe but undoubtedly you see here a good ground of that grand Article of our faith Christ was God before hee tooke our nature hee came therefore hee was before hee came he was sent therefore he was before he was sent he was God before hee was God manifest in the flesh In Phil. 2.6 it is largly and excellently set downe Let the same minde bee in you that was in Christ Iesus who being in the forme of God thought it noe robbery to bee equall with God but hee was made of no reputation hee tooke upon him the forme of a servant and was made in the likenesse of man hee was found in the fashion of man he humbled himselfe and became obedient to death even to the death of the Crosse therefore God hath highly exalted him and given him a name above all names It is a large Comment and explication upon this text hee was God hee thought it no robbery to bee equall with God The Divels which were Angels before they fell would be Gods by usurpation and robbery they were not content in the place they were in but they would be Gods independent of themselves it was robbery for them to doe it therefore from that high place of excellency they were throwne downe to the lowest hell of Angels they became Divels but Christ was God not by usurpation and robbery against Gods will but he was God by nature hee was rich by nature he thought it no robbery no disparagment nor usurpation to be equall with God hee did God no wrong in it Therefore
when he became man hee was not cast into these inferiour parts of the world to punish him as if hee had beene an usurper but it was a voluntary taking of our nature on him being rich he became poore and being in the forme of God he made himselfe of no reputation If hee had usurped his Divinity his abasement had beene violent against his will you see then that Christ was rich as God Therefore before hee tooke our nature upon him hee was Mediator from the beginning hee was yesterday to day and to morrow and the same for ever as the Apostle saith Hee was and is and is to come hee was the Lambe slaine from the beginning of the world For howsoever hee tooke our nature upon him and paid the debt yet hee undertooke the payment before the beginning of the world A man may let a prisoner loose now upon a promise to pay the debt a yeare after so Christ undertooke to take our nature and to pay our debt in the fulnesse of time by vertue therefore of his future incarnation hee was an effectuall Mediator from the beginning of the world As we have now the fruit of his mediation though his death bee past the act is past but the fruit remaines so that hee was a Mediator before hee came in the flesh because hee undertooke to his Father to discharge the office But Christ being God was it needfull that he should become poore might not an Angell or some other creature have served for the worke No God being rich must become poore or else hee had not beene able to bring us backe againe to God It is an act of Divine power to bring us backe againe to God and hee that shall settle us in a firmer state then we had in Adam must bee God To stablish us stronger and to convey grace to us to make our state firme onely God can doe it There are some things in the mediation of Christ that belongs to ministery and some things to authority those that belong to Ministery are to be a servant and to die and that he must be man for but there are some things belong to authority and power as to bring us backe to God to convey his Spirit to preserve us from Sathan our great enemy for these workes of authority it was requisite he should be God In a word the greatnesse of the ill we were in required it who could deliver us from the bondage of Sathan but God he must bee stronger then the strong man that must drive him out who could know our spirituall wants the terrours of our conscience and heale and comfort them but God by his Spirit Who could free us from the wrath of the great God but he that was equall with God And then in regard of the great good wee have by him to restore us to freindship with God and to preserve us in that state to convey all necessary grace here and to bring us to glory after it was necessary he should bee God therefore he was rich and became poore It is rather to bee admired then exprest the infinite comfort that springs hence that hee that hath undertaken to reconcile us to make our peace to bring us to heaven is God the second person in Trinity All the three persons had a hand in this worke God the father sent him and the Holy Ghost sanctified that masse that his body was made of but hee himselfe wore the body The father gives his sonne in marriage the Sonne married our nature and the Holy Ghost brings them both together hee sanctified our nature and fitted it for Christ to take so though all three persons had a worke in it yet God the second person of rich became poore And indeed who was fitter to bring us to the love of God then he that was his beloved Son who was fitter to restore us to the Image of God then he that was the Image of God himselfe and to make us wise then he that was the wisedome of God himselfe there was infinite wisdome in this I will not be larger in that poynt Christ was rich The next thing I observe is this that Christ became poore The poverty of Christ reacheth from his incarnation to his resurrection all the state of his humiliation it goes under the name of his poverty the resurrection was the first step or degree of his exaltation he wrought our salvation in the state of humiliation but he applies it in the state of exaltation The incarnation of Christ it was an exaltation to our nature to be united to God to the second Person in Trinity It was a humiliation of God for the divine nature so stoope so low as to be vayled under our poore nature so that God could stoope no lower then to become man and man could bee advanced no higher then to bee united to God so that in regard of God the very taking upon him of our nature it was the first degree and passage of his humiliation But when did he take upon him our nature He tooke it upon him after it was fallen when it was passible obnoxious to suffering not as it was in innocency free from all misery and calamity but when it was at the worst And he not onely tooke our nature but our condition hee tooke upon him the forme of a servant hee was not onely a servant in regard of God but in regard of us for hee came into the world not to be ministered unto but to minister he tooke upon him our nature when it was most beggerly and w th our nature he tooke our base condition Nay that is not all he tooke upon him our miseries all that are naturall not personall he tooke not the Leprosie and the Gout c. but hee tooke all the infirmities that are common to the nature of man as hunger and thirst and wearinesse he was sensible of griefe He tooke upon him likewise our sinnes so farre as there is any thing penall in sin in respect of punishment You know there is two things in guilt there is the demerit and desert of it and there is an obligation to punishment now the obligation to punishment hee tooke on him though the merit and desert hee tooke not hee became sinne that is by sinne he becâ—me bound to the punishment for sinne he tooke not the demerit for in respect of himselfe he deserved no such death as he underwent To cleare this a little further hee tooke upon him our nature that he might become sinne for us he tooke upon him the guilt as farre as guilt is an obligation to punishment The sonne of a Traytor he looseth his fathers lands not by any communion of fault put by communion of nature because hee is part of his father so Christ tooke the communion of our nature that hee might take the communion of our punishment not of our fault as
is for our good if he send poverty and disgrace it is for our good to fit us for a better state God in his infinite wisdome knowes better what is good for us then we doe for our selves In the want of any thing let us beleeve that Christ is given as a publike treasure to the Church Thus we may improove the grace and riches we have in Christ. Againe let us labour to make a good use of every favour we enjoy of our liberties and recreations we have all by the poverty of Christ therefore let us use them in a sober manner not as the fashion is to cast off all care of Christ to powre out our selves to all licentiousnesse Let us consider this liberty and refreshing that I have it is from the blood of Christ as Davids Worthies when they brake through w th the danger of their lives to get him water Oh saith he I will not drink it it is the blood of these men so whatsoever liberties and good things I have I have it by the poverty of Christ by the blood of Christ and shall I misuse it And certainely it will make us esteeme more highly of our spirituall priviledges then of outward considering they cost Christ so deare He became poore to set us up when we were utterly banckrupt he stripped himselfe of all to make us rich shall we not therefore esteeme and use these things well And when we are tempted to sinne this will be a great meanes to restraine us I am freed from sinne by the blood of Christ shall I make him poore againe by committing sinne Shall I wrong him now he is in Heaven The Iewes despited him on earth in the forme of a servant but our sins are of a higher nature of a deeper double dye we sin against Christ in Heaven in glory When we are tempted to sinne this consideration will make us ashamed to sin since Christ hath bought our liberty from sinne at such a raâ—e shall we make light of sinne that cost him his deare bloud and the sense of his fathers wrath that made him cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me It is impossible that any man should powre out himselfe to sin that hath this consideration Christ became poore that we through his poverty might be made rich The next thing is the ground or spring from whence all this comes it is from grace you know the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ. It was his meere grace There was nothing that could compell him God the Father could not compell him because he was equall with his Father being God there was an equality of essence And then what was there in us that should move him to abase himselfe so low was there any worth in us No we were dead was there any strength in us No we were dead in sins was any goodnesse in us No we were Christs enemies was there any desire in us No we were opposite to all goodnesse in our selves there was no desire in us to be better then we were if God should have let us alone to our owne desires we were posting to Hell It is the greatest misery in the world next to Hell it selfe to be given up to our owne desires A man were better to be given up to the Divill then to his owne desires he may torment him and perhaps bring him to repentance but to be given up to his owne desires leads to Hell It is meerely of grace grace it was the grace of God the Father that gave his Son and it was grace that the Son gave himselfe What is grace It is a principle from whence all good comes from God to us As God loves us men and not Angels it is Philanthropia as Gods affection is beneficiall to our nature so it is love as it is to persons in misery so it is mercy as it is free without any worth in us procuring it so it is grace It is the same affection only it differs outwardly in regard of the object Hence we see that Christ must be considered as a joynt cause of our salvation with the Father It is the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ you see here he became poore to make us rich Indeed he was sent and anointed and sealed and had authority of his Father yet notwithstanding his joynt grace and consent went with it Therefore he was a principle as Chrysostome speaks with a principle he differs nothing at all from his Father but in order of persons first the Father and then the Sonne both being joyntly God and both joynt causes of the salvation of mankinde The Father chose us to salvation the Sonne paid the price for us and the Holy Ghost applyes it and sanctifies our natures God the Father loved the world and gave his Sonne Christ loved the world and gave himselfe he loved mee and gave himselfe for mee saith S. Paul Therefore wee should think of the sweet consent of the Trinity in their love to mankinde so the Father loved us that he gave his Sonne so the Sonne loved us that he gave himselfe so the Holy Ghost loves us that he conveighs all grace to us and dwels in us and assures us of Gods love Wee must not thinke of Christ as an underling in the worke of salvation hee is a principle in the worke from his Father The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ it is the cause of all It was the cause why hee was man It is the cause of all grace that is in us that that is the cause of the cause is the cause of the â—hing caused The grace of Christ is the cause of all in us because it was the cause of Christs suffering from whence we have grace Grace was the cause that Christ was man and that he suffered therefore it is the cause of grace in us Christ was a gift the Father gave him and he gave himself If thou hadst knowne the gift of God saith Christ to the Woman of Samariah Oh it is the greatest gift that ever was Therefore when wee thinke of any one of the Persons in the Trinity we must not exclude the rest but include all which is a comfortable consideration because there is a sweet union of all the three Persons in the great work of salvation As Christ saith I in the Father and the Father in me not in essence alone he is God and I am God but I am in the Father and he in me I consent with the Father and the Father with me we both agree in the great worke of salvation Therefore we should returne the glory of all the good wee have to God the Father and to Christ and as it is in Revel 5. Worthy is the Lambe because he hath redeemed us When we think of the good we have by Christ worthy is the Lambe because he shed his blood for us The Lambe of God that takes away the sinnes of the
Christian. True Christian who 1 6 Church Angels attend on the Church 1 211 Greatest sinnes committed in the Church 1 231 Church of God will be after us 2 85 Civill Civill men who 1 91 Comfort To comfort others an Angelicall worke 1 210 Gods love in Christ ground of comfort 1 287 See Time Conformity Conformity to Christ wherein 1 179 Conscience Comfort when conscience is awaked 1 60 What to do in trouble of conscience 1 61 Constant. Good works must be done constantly 2 73 Contraries A Christians estate in contraries 2 30 Controversie Godlinesse a mystery without controversie 1 42 Covenant Covenant renewed to maintaine peace 1 269 Covenant of grace 1 283 Courage Ground of courage in Christs cause 1 188 Crosse. See humble D Death COnfidence in death 1 277 Comfort after death 1 278 Comfort before death 2 72 Comfort in death 2 77 Trouble in death whence Ibid. To trust God with our soules in death 2 147 Debt Our debts discharged by Christ 2 18 Delight Delight in God how wrought 1 289 Despaire Comfort against despaire 1 58 145 2 54 Difference Difference of people 2 83 Diligence Diligence to know Christs grace 2 56 Discretion Discretion in almes-giving 2 74 Disgrace Comfort in disgrace 1 80 Doubting Doubting the cause of it 2 57 Earth HOw to glorifie God on earth 1 216 Why the Angels wish peace on earth 1 261 Enemy Gods enemies must be ours 1 264 Envie Nature of Angels without envy 1 213 See Angels Esteeme From what ground to esteeme our selves 2 37 Evill Freedome from evill by Christ 2 25 Example Example forcible 2 5 Example of Christ should move us 2 62 How to profit by Christs example 2 63 Motives to follow Christs example 2 66 Excellency Excellency of people what 1 136 Experience Experience of our miseries in Christ 1 53 F Faith REason must stoope to faith 1 22 Faith marries the soule to Christ 1 138 Faith the grace of application 1 140 Christ the object of faith 1 142 What conceit to have of faith 1 151 Faith put for all graces 1 153 Trials of faith 1 155 Faith to be cherished 1 161 Faith in those that do good in their life time 2 72 Faith the nature of it 2 135 See Nature Fall Fals of Gods children why suffered 1 230.2 117 Favour How to know we are in Gods favour 2 53 Feare Faith keepes out base feare 2 139 Few Gods children few 2 86 Flesh. What meant by Christ manifest in the flesh 1 52 Free All good by Christ free 1 283 Fruitfull Fruitfulnesse whence it is 2 112 See Love and Grace G Gentiles GEntiles what they were 1 128 Why they were not called before 1 129 Calling of them a mystery 1 130 Why they were not called till Christ came 1 131 Glory Glory what 1 165 217 Whence we have glory 1 175 Glory of Christ suspended why 1 185 Angels wished glory in heaven why 1 215 Glory of God our chiefe aime 1 218 Glory of God wherein shewed most 1 219 Glory of God to Moses wherein 1 224 How to know we glorifie God 1 232 Hindrances of Gods glory 1 238 How to glorifie God 1 243 Riches of glory by Christ 2 21 First fruits of glory 2 22 See Peace God God how a Spirit 1 71 Christ God before he was man 2 7 Our Mediatour must bee God why 2 9 Afflictions bring us to God 2 100 Godlinesse Godlinesse what 1 4 Godlinesse what breeds it 1 5 From what reasons we must be godly Ibid. Good Christ to be imitated in doing good 2 70 Bounty must bee especially to the good 2 74 Good-will Good-will of God the ground of all good 1 282 Gospell What our affections and carriage must be to the Gospell 1 48 The manner of publishing the Gospell 1 119 Double spring of the Gospell 1 131 What use to make of the Gospell 1 131 Sinnes against the Gospell 1 134 High esteeme of the Gospell a signe of peace 1 266 Gospell why it converts 2 64 Grace Grace the ground of peace 1 280 Christians why poore in grace 2 40 Excellency of grace 2 41 All our riches from Christs grace 2 43 47 Grace what 2 44 Christ the meritorious cause of grace 2 47 Foure descents of grace 2 48 We are justified by grace 2 49 Grace twofold Ibid. Grace of Christ fruitfull 2 52 We cannot pray for grace of our selves 2 118 Works of grace not to be denied 2 127 Two graces alway requisite 2 132 See Mystery and Diligent Great What makes times and persons great 1 36 Christ at the lowest did the greatest works 1 75 H Hate MEn by nature hate God 1 263 Hatred of sinne a signe of peace with God 1 265 Heaven See Earth Hidden Riches of a Christian hidden 2 26 Holinesse Holinesse enforced from Christs ascension 1 190 Host. Angels called an host why 1 205 Humble Humility Humility to understand Gods mysteries 1 28 Humility to improve Christs riches 2 41 Crosses should humble us 1 102 I Ignorance IGnorance hinders Gods glory 1 238 Imputation Imputation of Christs righteousnesse a part of our riches 2 19 Incarnate Second person incarnate why 1 51 Incarnation of Christ the ground of other benefiâ—s 1 218 See wonder Independent Love of God independent 1 282 Infirmities What infirmities Christ took 1 52 Comfort in daily infirmities whence 1 177 Infidelity Signe of infidelity 1 195 Inwardly We must do good to others inwardly 2 71 Ioy. Ioy how to be imployed 1 212 Iustifie Iustified Iustified what 1 71 Christ justified in spirit how 1 75 To whom Christ is justified 1 77 Why Christ justified himselfe 1 78 Iustification double 1 85 How we justifie Christ Ibid. How we jâ—stifie our profession 1 88 To justifie God in our abasement 2 97 Spiriâ—uall poverty in justification 2 113 Iudgement Gods children suffer sometimes in common judgements 2 90 K Knowledge Knowne WHat knowledge condemns 1 49 Grace may be knowne 2 55 What knowledge this 2 56 God trusted as he is knowne 2 134 148 Knowledge experimentall 2 150 L Ladder â—Acobs Ladder what it signified 1 100 Law Law why preached 1 118 The Law implied in the Gospell 1 119 Liberality Christs example should stirre up to liberality 2 68 Liberty Liberty to the throne of grace 2 20 Life Life the end of it what 1 247 Love Love to men 1 251 Love to mans nature 1 281 Love of God to us how knowne 1 288 Love of God how gotten 1 291 Love of God fruitfull 1 296 Greatnesse of Christs love 2 31 M MArriage See Faith Mediator See Beginning Meditate Order to meditate on Christ 1 197 Meditation 1 243 Men. Why the Gospel dispensed by men 1 120 See God Meritorious See Grace Mercy Mercy-seat Mercy-seat a type of Christ 1 99 Mercy in God answereth all objections 1 225 Some thinke their sins greater than Gods mercy 1 241 Meditation of Gods mercy a help to glorifie God 1 243 Mistake in applying Gods mercy 1
of wonder 1 65 To learne of the Angels to wonder 1 97 World What meant by world 1 144 For whose sake the world stands 2 85 Wrath. How to oppose Christ to the wrath of God 1 62 FINIS Ephes 3.8 Eccles. 12.11 Heb. 5.12 The scope of the words The words divided Godlinesse what Divine Truth onely breedâ— goodnesse From what reasons we must be godly True Christian who Divine Truth Wisedome Mysterie what 1 1 That that was secret 2 2 That the reason of it is hid 3 3 That is conveyed by outward things Ephes. 5. Christian Religion a Mysterie Bâ—anches of Religion Mysteries Ephes. 5. Mark 4. The Gospel a Mysterie 1 1 Because it was hidden Gen. 3. 1 Cor. 2. 2 2 Revealed to few 3 3 Hid from carnall men 4 4 It is revealed but in part 5 5 In regard of what we shall know Question Answer Every Grace a Mysterie Faith Reformation All in Christ Mysteries The Church mysticall Simile Coloss. 3. Vse 1. Religion why persecuted Simile Vse 2. How to carry our selves in Religion Rom. 11. At the Sacrament In hearing the Word 1 Cor. 11. Application to the Feast of Christs Nativitie Vse 3. To blesse God for these Mysteries Vse 4. Not to set on Mysteries with humane parts Simile Vse 5. Mysterie of Religion aboâ—â— Reason Question Answer What use Reason hath in Religion Simile Reason must sâ—oupe to Faith Vse 6. Not to despaire of learning Religion Matt. 11. Psal. 19. Vse 7. To take heed of slighting Divine Truths Question How to know this Mysterie Answer 1 1 By Prayer Tit. 2. Necessitie oâ— depending on Gods Spirit Psal. 119. Ephes. 1. Ephes. 3. 1 Cor. 2. The Spirit teacheth to apply Truths Necessitie of Prayer Revel 5. Difference in mens dispositions to Gods Mysteries 2 2 Humilitie Psal. 25. 3 3 Purpose to know and obey 4 4 To avoyd passion and prejudice Simile Luke 16. Act. 23. Mysterie of iniquitie Question Answer Poperie a mysterie why Rev. 7. â—â—lius secund Question Answer How it is a Mysterie of iniquitie Why God sufâ—ers the Mysterie of iniquitie Godlinesse a great Mystery 1 1 In regard of the originall 2 2 The end 3 3 The manner of publishing 4 4 The worke of it 5 5 The parts of it 6 6 Those that knew it not 1 Cor. 2. 7 7 Because it makes us great What makes Times and persons great To prize Religion 8 8 Comparatively great Vse 1. How to be affected with this great Mysterie How to have large apprehensions of this Mysterie 1 1 To see the depth of our coâ—â—uptionâ— 2 2 Meditation of this great mysterie How to â—â—â—se to wonder at worldly things Esay 9.6 Rev. 7. Vse 2. Love and endeavour to learne it The mysterie of Godlinesse without controversie Object Answer Religion a Mysterie because opposed The Gospel without controversie 1 1 In it selâ—e 2 2 To Gods children Question Answer Whence staggering comes Thucydides Livie Vse 1. Men live as if Gospell were no Truth Simile Simile Vse 2. What Truths to be accounted Catholike Vse Of our affections and carriage to the Gospel Affâ—ctions why planted in man All knowledge not saving condemnes God manifest in the flesh Christ the scope of the Scriptures Why the Iewes understood not the Scriptures What meant by God here Question Answer Second Person incarnate why What meant here by flesh What infirmâ—tâ—es Christ tooke Question Answer Heb. 2. Heb. 4. Obâ—ect Answer Christ pitties our miseries from experience In that Christ tooke our nature thence comes 1 1 The enriching of it Coloss. 2. 2 2 The ennobling of it 3 3 The enabling of it 4 4 That what Christ did in our natuâ—e God did it 5 5 Our union with Christ. Three unions 6 6 The sympathie betweene Christ and us 7 7 The efficacie of what Christ did Vse 1. Christ tooke our flesh for great purpose Greatnesse of Christs abasement Comfort against despaire Rom. 3. All objections how answered How Satan presents God in temptation Comfort when Conscience is awaked What to doe in trouble of Conscience Coloss. 2.16 Oppose Christ to the wrath of God Whence we have communion with the Trinitie Satan transformes God and Christ to men Esay 9.6 Ground of boldnesse to God Simile Exod 33. Christs incarnation matter of wonder Vse 2 Ground noâ— to defile our nature Vse 3. To stoupe to serve Christ and our brethren Grounds against pride Vse 4. Not to envie Angels Question Answer How Christ may be manifest in us Object Answer When Christ is conceived in the heart Iustified in the Spirit Mis-conceits of Christ in the World Iustified what it is God a Spirit 1 1 For puritie 2 2 Strength Spirit how taken in Scripture 1 1 For the nature of God Iohn 4. 2 2 For the Divine Nature of Christ. Rom. 1.4 1. Pet. 3.18 3 3 For the third Person in Trinitie God-head appeared in Christs abasement Christ at the lowest did the greatest works Christ justified 1 1 In regard of God 2 2 In regard of men By overcomming the Devill By healing the outward and inward man Object Answer To whom Christ is justified Iohn 1.14 Matth. 16. Christ justified himselfe 1 1 To strengthen our Faith 2 2 To stop the mouthes of gaine-sayers Vse 1. Christ will justifie himself at length Simile Comfort in disgraces Simile Object Answer Afflâ—ctions conforme us to Christ. Psal. 37. Not to take scandall at the Churches afflictions Christs worke in the aflâ—ctions of the Church Vse 2 Christ by his Spirit will overcome in his Church We shall be justified of God Iustification double Vse 3. To justifie Christ. Question Answer How we justifie Christ. 1 1 As God Psal. 2. 2 2 As a Prophet 3 3 As a Priest 4 4 As a King In his Resurrection Question Answer How to justifie our profession Christians doe things above other men Some Christians worse then Pagans Meere civill men who 2 Tim. 3. Great power to make a Christian. Ephes. 1. Faith in temptation Seene of Angels what Sight put for 1 1 Wonderment 2 2 Attendance 3 3 Witnesse Angels knew Christs Incarnation before hand Knowledge of Angels Matth. 4. Psal. 8. Angels office 1.12 3.10 Vse 1 Angels wonderment should teach us Vse 2. Of Comfort Cherubins what they signified Exod. 25. Exod. 26. Mercie-Seat a Type of Christ. 1 Pet. 1.12 Exod. 16. Heb. 1. Iacobs Ladder what it figured Ground of Angels attendance on us Why Angels appeare not now Comfort in affliction Angels care in our infancie In danger Ioy at our conversion They carry our soules to Heaven Heb. 12.22 Communion with Angels Psal. 91. Object Answer Conflict betweene good and evill Angels Guard of Angels Not to grieve the good Angâ—ls To blesse God for their protection Wherein we are advanced above Angels Benefit of Angâ—ls by Christ. Object Answer Why God useth service of Angels Object Answer Good motions stirred in us by good Angels