earthly men included in him and Christ had all his elect whose names are written in heaven and therefore called Heavenly men included in him so that now whatsoever Christ did it is reckoned by God as if done by us and for us When Christ arose he arose as our head and as a common Person and in God's account we arose with him and in him As among all the sheaves in the Field there was some one sheaf that in the name and room of all the rest was lift up and waved before the Lord so when all were dead Christ as the first-fruits rose again from the dead and by this act of his resurrection all the Elect from the beginning of the World to the end are risen with him and in him He is the first fruits of them that sleep 1 Cor. 15.20 though the Saints are a sleep yet are they vertually risen already with Christ because he is their first-fruits Let this ever be remembred that Christ rose again as the first-fruits as the second man as an head as a common Person 2. That Christ rose again by his own Power this he meant when he said John 2.19 destroy this Temple and in three days I will raise it up He saith not destroy you and some other shall raise it up no no but I even I my self will do it yea and I will do it by my own Power and vertue here is a plain argument of the Divine nature of Christ for none ever did ever could do that but God himself some were raised before Christ was incarnate but not any by himself or by his own proper Power only a Power was imparted to some Prophet by God for that time and turn and so they were raised but Christ rose again not by a Power imparted to some but by his own Power The Widows son of Sarephtah was raised by Elias and the Shunamites son was raised by Elisha both these were raised by others and those others that raised them did it not by their own power but by a power given them from above and therefore though in their life-time they raised others yet being dead they could not raise themselves but Jesus Christ did not only in his life-time raise others but also being dead and laid in his grave and pressed with stones and watched by Souldiers and sought to be deteined by all the Power of darkness yet he as a conqueror by his own Power raised himself he caused all things by the strength of his own arme to give way unto himself I have Power to lay down my life and I have Power to take it up again an equal Power to take it up as to lay it down John 10.18 But against this it may be objected The God of our Fathers raised up Jesus Acts. 5.30 Acts. 3.24 whom God hath raised up having loosed the pains of death In many places the resurrection of Christ is ascribed to his Father how then is he said to raise up himself by his own Power I answer it is true that the Father raised him and yet this contradicts not but that he raised up himself Whatsoever the Father doth I do saith Christ Christ's resurrection is the indivisible work of the blessed Trinity it is a work common to all the three persons there is but one power of the Father and of the Son so that of both it is truly verified the Father raised him and the Son raised himself Mat. 28.2 3. That Christ rose again with an Earthquake and behold there was a great Earthquake for the Angel of the Lord descended from heaven The earth shook at his death and now it trembles at his Resurrection plainly speaking that it could neither endure his suffering nor hinder his rising As a Lion with a Roar is said to make the Bed wherein he lies to tremble so this Lion of the tribe of Judah was able with his voice or sight to make his Bed the earth wherein he lay to tremble no sooner he shakes himself but he shakes the earth at his first motion the earth moves and now was fulfilled that prophesie Psal 114.7 Tremble thou earth at the presence of the Lord at the presence of the God of Jacob. It is not for us curiously to enquire into the cause of this earthquake certainly the cause was above Natures reach it was not any hollow wind got into the bowels of the earth but either it was Christ's rising or the Angels descending the earth either danced for joy that Christ was risen or it trembled for fear that men would no believe his resurrection The Evangelist seems to lay it on the Angel for the Angel of the Lord descended from heaven sure the power of Angels is very great they can move all corporeal things almost in an instant they can stir up tempests they can shake the earth move the waters only all their power is subjected to God's will Bless the Lord all ye Angels that excel in strength Psal 103.20 that do his Will it was the Will of God that now an Angel should take hold on the pillars of the earth and make it shake no wonder if for fear of him the keepers shake Mat. 28.4 and become as dead men and if one Angel be able to shake the earth and to shake the Keepers those armed Souldiers that were set to watch the Tomb what then will Christ himself do when he shall come to judgment the second time with many thousand thousands of Angels Oh now terrible and fearful will his coming be As at Christs Resurrection so at the last Resurrection there will be earthquakes in divers places Mat. 24.7 Christ hath shewed and he will shew himself to be the absolute Lord of heaven and earth see how the earth trembling under his feet doth as it were pay him homage and behold there was a great Earthquake Mat. 28.2 4. That Christ rose again Angels ministring to him An Angel came and rolled back the stone from the door and sate upon it Christs Power was not included in the grave or on the earth but extended to Heaven and to the Hosts therein however the chief Priests and Pharisees conspired together to close him in the earth they sealed the stone and set a watch they made all as sure as possibly they could yet the Angels of heaven are ready to wait on him as their Sovereign Lord. An Angel descended to role away the Stone not that Christ was unable to do it himsef he shook the earth and could he not lift up a stone O yes but thus he would manifest his Power by declaring his Power over the mighty Angels he needed but to say unto his Angel do this and he doth it I find some difference amongst Authors why an Angel should role away the Stone some think it was only for the womens sake that they might go into the Sepulchre and take a view of the empty Tomb and so be satisfied that Christ was
and in some of these if not in all of these thou wilt find thy Objections answered removed routed 3. It is sure God is not fast and loose in his Covenant heaven and earth shall pass away before one jot or title of his Word shall fail consider O my Soul he both can and will perform his Word his Power his Love his Faithfulness his Constancy all stand engaged What sweet matter is here for a Soul to dwell upon what needs it go out to other objects whilst it may find enough here but especially what needs it to bestow it self upon vain things O that so much pretious sand of our thoughts should run out after Sin and so little after grace or after this Covenant of grace 5. Jer. 31.33 34 Consider Jesus in that new Covenant or Promise which God made with Israel and Judah I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my People and they shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them saith the Lord for I will forgive their Iniquity and I will remember their Sins no more Oh what an errour is it that there is no inherent righteousness in the Saints there is no grace in the soul of a believer but only in Christ is not this the ordinary Scripture phrase Ezek. 36.27 John 4.14 1 John 2 27. Col. 1.27 Ezek. 1.20 I will put my Spirit within you and the water that I shall give you shall be in you a Well of water springing up into everlasting Life and the anointing which you have received of him abideth in you and Christ in you the hope of glory Observe how the spirit of the Living Creatures was in the Wheels so that when the Spirit went they went and when the Spirit was lifted up they were lifted up even so is the Spirit of Christ acting and guiding and framing and disposing them to move and walk according to his Laws Luk. 17.21 Psal 40.8 The Kingdom of heaven is within you saith Christ and I delight to do thy Will O God saith David yea thy Law is within my heart O my Soul if thou art in Covenant whith God besides the in-dwelling of the Spirit there is a certain spiritual Power or Principle of Grace which Christ by his Spirit hath put into thy heart enabling thee in some measure to move thy self towards God And this Principle is sometimes called a new Life Rom. 6.4 Sometimes a Living with Christ Rom. 6 8. Sometimes a being alive to God Rom. 6.11 Sometimes a revealing of his son in man Gal. 1.15 And somtimes a putting of the Law into our inward parts and a writing of the Law within the heart Jer. 31.33 O consider of this inward Principle it is an excellent subject worthy of thy consideration 2. I will be their God and they shall be my people Consider God essentially and personally God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost God in himself and God in his Creatures this very promise turns over heaven and earth and sea and land and bread and cloths and sleep and the world and life and death into free grace No wonder if God set this promise in the midst of the Covenant as the heart in the midst of the Body to communicate life to all the rest this promise hath an influence into all other promises it is the great promise of the new Covenant it is as great as God is though the heavens and heaven of heavens be not able to contain him yet this Promise contains him God shuts up himself as it were in it I will be their God 2. They shall be my People i.e. They shall be to me a peculiar People Tit. 2.14 The word hath this Emphasis in it that God looks upon all other things as accidents in comparison and his substance is his People they are his very Portion for the Lords Portion is his People Jacob is the Lot of his Inheritance They are his treasure his peculiar treasure Deut. 32.9 Exod 19.5 his peculiar treasure above all People If ye will obey my voice indeed and keep my Covenant then shall ye be a peculiar treasure unto me and above all people for all the earth is mine Observe O my soul all the earth is mine q. d. All people is my people but I have a special interest in my covenanted people they are only my portion my peculiar treasure Blessed be Egypt my People Assyria the work of my hands and Israel mine Inheritance I have made all People Egypt and Assyria and all the world is mine but only Israel is my inheritance the Saints are those that God satisfies himself in the Saints are those that God hath set his heart upon they are children of the high God they are the Spouse that are Married to the Lamb they are nearer God in some respects than the very Angels themselves for the Angels are not in a mystical union so Married to Christ as Gods People are Isa 19.28 O the happyness of Saints I will be their God and they shall be my People 3. They shall teach no more every man his Neighbour and every man his Brother saying know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them saith the Lord. Consider of this O poor Soul thou complainest many a time of thy weakness thou knowest little or nothing why see here a Glorious promise if thou art but in Covenant with God thou shalt be taught of God and then thou shalt know God far more clearly than the Jews of old he will open to thee all his treasures of wisdom and knowledg he will bestow on thee a greater measure of his Spirit so that out of thy belly shall flow Rivers of Living waters John 7.38 We say a good Tutor may teach more in a day than another in a week in a month now the promise runs thus that all thy Children shall be taught of God Isa 54.13 not that private instruction or publick Ministry must be excluded we know these are appointed under the New Testament and are subordinate to the Spirits teaching but that the teachings of God do far surpass the teachings of men and therefore the knowledg of God under the New Testament shall far surpass that under the old herein appears the excellency of Christ's prophetical Office He is such a Prophet as enlightens every man within John 1.9.33 that comes into the World He is such a Prophet as baptiseth with the Holy Ghost and with Fire He is such a Prophet as makes men's hearts to burn within them when he speaks unto them He is such a Prophet as bids his Ministers Luk. 24.32 Mat. 28.19.20 Go teach all Nations and I will be with you and I will
strong temptations so many lusts that now he doubts O what will become of my poor Soul what will be the issue of this woful work why come now and desire after perseverance when Peter was ravished on the mount it is good being here sayes he let us build three Tabernacles Mat. 17.4 his desire was to have continued there for ever and it was the prayer of Christ in Peters behalf Luk. 22.3 I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not what was this Prayer but Christ's vehement desire of Peters continuing in the faith shall Christ desire and will not thou desire after thy own perfection O come with these Pantings and Breathings after God put forth thy desires in these or the like expressions O Lord thou hast said I will betroth thee unto me for ever Hosea 2.19 and what means this but that the conjugal love of Christ with a gracious soul shall never be broken what means this but that the bond of union in a believer to Christ is fastened upon God and the spirit of God holds the other end of it and so it can never be broken 2. O Lord thou hast discovered in thy Word that th s union is in the Father who hath laid a sure foundation 2 Tim 2.19 the foundation of God standeth sure having this seal the Lord knoweth them that are his John 13.1 and that this union is in the Son who loves his to the end and that this union is in the spirit who abides in the elect for ever 3. Thou hast discovered that the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed but my kindness shall not depart from thee Isa 54.10 neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee 4. Thou hast said that the Saints shall be kept by the Power of God q. d. The special Power I mean to put forth in this world 1 pet 1.5 it is to uphold the spirits of my saints the special work I have in the world to exercise my power about it is to keep Christ and the saints together it is through the power of God that heaven and earth is kept up but if God must withdraw his Power from the one of these sooner should heaven and earth fall in pieces than God would not uphold one gracious soul that hath Vnion with his Son Jesus Christ And if thâ—se be thy sayings why then Lord I desire the accomplishment O fulfil what thou hast said it would break my heart if ever the Covenant should be broken betwixt me and thee my desire is towards thee and the more I enjoy thee the more and more I desire and pant after thee my desires are like thy self infinite eternal everlasting desires 4. Desire after Jesus the great business or the all in all in a Covenant of Grace the most proper object of desire especiaâ—ly to man fallen is Jesus Christ hence it is that a poor sinner under the sense of sin cryes out with the vehemency of desire Christ and none but Christ give me Christ or I dye I am undone I am lost for ever But what is Christ or Jesus to a Covenant of grace Ruâ—kers tryal of Faith I answer he is the great business he is the all in all Christ hath at least a Six-fold relation to the Covenant of grace 1. As he is more than a creature he is the Covenant himself 2. As he deals betwixt parties he is the messenger of the covenant 3. As he saw and heard and testifieth all he is the witness of the covenant 4. As he undertaketh for the parties at variance he is the surety of the covenant 5. As he standeth between the contrary parties he is the Mediator of the covenant 6. As he signifieth the covenant and closeth all the Articles he is the Testator of the covenant Oh here is abundance of fuel for thy desire to work upon 1. Consider the fuel and then set on the flame thy desire Isa 42.6 Isa 41.9 1. Christ is the covenant it self I gave thee for a covenant of the People for a light of the gentiles And I will preserve thee and give thee for a Covenant of the People Christ God and Man is all the Covenant 1. Fundamentally he is the original of the Covenant the Covenant of grace takes iâ—s being and beginning from Christ he is the covenant-maker undertaker manager dispatcher he doth every thing in the covenant 2. Materially the very substance of the covenant stands in this I will be their God and they shall be my People now Christ he is both these in himself he is God unto his People and he is the People representatively unto God and before God 3. Equivalently many branches or fruits of the Covenant are to be fulfilled to believers in their season but as soon as ever they are Justified Christ is said to be the Covenant as a present pawn or earnest delivered into the hands of a man at the very instant of his justification and this pawn is of equal value and worth with the whole Covenant when it is fulfilled to the uttermost Thus Christ in every of these respects is the Covenant it self he is very peace and reconciliation it self and this man shall be the Peace when the Assyrian shall come into our Land As fire is hot for it self and all other things hot for it Micah 5 5. as they participate of it so Christ is the Covenant it self and all we are so far in Covenant to Christ as we have any thing of Christ want Christ and want peace and want the Covenant of grace 2. Christ is the messenger of this Covenant The Lord whom ye seek shall suddainly come to his Temple Mal. 3.1 even the messenger of the Covenant whom ye delight in Christ travels with tydings between parties of the Covenant 1. He reports of God to us he commends his Father unto us Joh. 15.1 Joh. 6.29 Joh. 6.48 Joh. 8.12 Joh. 10.9 11. Prov. 1.20 Prov. 9.5 my Father is the husband man and this is the Fathers will which hath sent me that of all which he hath given me I shall lose nothing and he commends himself to us it became the Lord Jesus to commend himself I am the bread of Life I am the Light of the world I am the Door I am the good Shepherd It is a wonderful thing how Christ is a broker as I may say for Christ wisdom cryeth out she uttereth her voice in the streets come eat of my bread and drink of my wine which I have mingled Ministers cannot speak of Christ and of his Father as he can do himself O my Soul to excite thy desires come and hear Christ speak of Christ and of his Father and of Heaven for he saw all Joh. 17.25 2. He reports of us to God he commends us to his Father O righteous Father the world hath not known thee but I have known thee and
hell as Christ standing in our room is of his Fathers wrath fear is still suitable to apprehension and never man could so perfectly apprehend the cause of fear as Jesus Christ nor was he only afraid but very heavy My soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death His sorrow was lethal and deadly it melted his soul gradually as wax is melted with heat it continued with him till his last gasp his heart was like wax burning all the time of his passion and at last it melted in the midst of his bowels Psal 22.19 Mark 14.33 Nor was he only afraid and heavy but he began to be sore amazed this signifies an universal cessation of all the faculties of the soul from their several functions we usually call it a consternation it is like a Clock stopped for the while from going by some hand or other laid upon it or if it was not wholly a cessation yet was it at least an expavefaction such a motion of the mind as whereby for the present he was disinabled to mind any thing else but the dreadful sense of the wrath of God O what an agony was this O what a strugling passion of mixed grief was this what afflicting and conflicting affections under the sight and sense of eminent peril was in this agony Luke 22.44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly thrice had he prayed but now in his agony he prayed more earnestly O my Father if it be possible let this cup pass from me nevertheless not as I will but as thou wilt Though I feel the soul of pain in the pain of my soul yet there is divinity in me which tells me there is a wage for sin and I will pay it all O my Father sith thou hast bent thy bow lo here an open breast fix herein all thy shafts of fury better I suffer for a while than that all believers should be damned for ever thy will is mine lo I will bear the burthen of sin come and shoot here thy arrows of revenge And thus as he prayed he sweat Luke 22.44 And is sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground Oh what man or Angel can conceive the agony the fear the sorrow the amazement of that heart that without all outward violence meerly out of the extremity of his own passion bled through the flesh and skin not some faint dew but solid drops of blood now is he crucified without a cross fear and sorrow are the nails our sâ—ns the thorns his Fathers wrath the spear and all these together cause a bleeding shower to rain throughout all his pores O my soul consider of this and if thou wilt bring this consideration home say thy sins were the cause of this bloody sweat Jesus Christ is that true Adam that is come out of Paradise for thy sins and thus laboured on earth with his bloody sweat to get the bread that thou must feed on 2. Consider his apprehension Judas is now at hand with a troop following him to apprehend his Master see how without all shame he set himself in the van and coming to his Lord and Master gives him a most Traiterous and deceitful kiss What Judas betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss hast thou sold the Lord of life to such cruel merchants as covet greedily his blood and life O alas at what price hast thou set the Lord of all the creatures at thirty pence what a vile and slender price is this for a Lord of such Glory and Majesty God was sold for thirty pieces of silver but man could not be bought without the dearest heart-blood of the Son of God Luke 22.53 At that time said Christ Ye be come as it were against a thief with swords and staves I sate daily among you teaching in the Temple and ye never laid hands on me but this is your hour and the power of darkness Now the Prince of darkness exercised his power now the hellish rout and malicious rabble of ravenous wolves assaulted the most innocent Lamb in the world now they most furiously haled him this way and that way O how ungently did they handle him how uncourteously spake they unto him how many blows and buffets did they give him what cries and shouts and clamours made they over him now they lay hold on his holy hands and bind them hard with rough and knotty cords so that they gall the skin off his arms and make the very blood spring out now they bring him back again over Cedron and they make him once again to drink of the brook in the way now they lead him openly through the high streets of Jerusalem and carry him to the house of Annas in great triumph O my soul consider these several passages consider them leisurely and with good attention consider them till thou feelest some motions or alterations in thy affection is not this he that is the infinite vertue the pattern of innocency the everlasting wisdom the honour of earth the glory of heaven the very fountain of all beauty whether of men or Angels how is it then that this vertue or power is tyed with bands that innocency is apprehended that wisdom is flouted and laughed to scorn that honour is contemned that glory is tormented that he that is fairer than all the children of men is besmeared with weeping and troubled with sorrow of heart surely there is some thing O my soul in thee that caused all this hadst not thou sinned the Sun of Righteousness had never been eclisped 3. Consider the hurryings of Jesus from Annas to Caiphas there a Councel is called Mat. 26.63 Ver. 66. and Caiphas the high Priest adjures our Lord to tell him if he was Christ the Son of God no sooner he affirms it but he is doomed guilty of blasphemy and so guilty of death Now again they assault him like mad dogs and disgorge upon him all their malice fury and revenge each one to the utmost of his power gives him buffets and strokes there they spit upon that Divine face with their devilish mouths there they hudwink his eyes and strike him on the cheek scoffing and jesting and saying Read who is it that smote thee O beauty of Angels was that a face to be spet upon men usually when they are provoked to spit turn away their faces towards the foulest corner of the house and is there not in all that Palace a souler place to spit in than the face of Jesus O my soul why dost thou not humble thy self at this so wonderful example how is it that there should remain in the world any token of pride after this so great and marvellous an example of humility surely I am at my wits end and very much astonished to consider how this so great patience overcomes not my anger how this so great abasing asswageth not my pride how these so violent buffets beat not down my presumption Is it not
gone to Heaven surely this was the meaning God would rather that the main points of faith should be learned by hearing than by seeing however Christ's own Disciples were taught the same by sight that they might better teach others which should not see yet the ordinary means to come by faith is hearing Rom. 10.14 17 18. how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard so then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God And as for the Jews saith the Apostle have they not heard yes verily their sound went into all the earth and their words unto the end of the world 3. He ascended principally by the mighty power of his God-head thus never any ascended up into heaven but Jesus Christ for though Enoch and Elijah were assumed into heaven yet not by their own power nor by themselves it was God's power by which they ascended 2 Kings 2.11 and it was by the help and Ministry of Angels there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire and Elijah went up by a Whirl-wine into Heaven Acts 1 9. 4. He ascended in a cloud While they beheld he was taken up and a cloud received him out of their sight Hereby he shews that he is Lord of all the creatures he had already trampled upon the earth walked upon the sea vanquished hell or the grave and now the clouds received him and the heavens are opened to make way for this King of Glory to enter in Mat. 24.30 Mat. 26.4 When Christ shall come again it is said that he shall come in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven Which verifies that saying of the Angel Acts 1.11 This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven He went up in clouds and he shall come again in clouds 5. He ascended in the found of a trumpet not on earth sounding Hosanna but in Heaven Psal 47.5 crying Hallelujah So the Psalmist God is gone up with a shout the Lord with the sound of a trumpet Certainly great joy was in heaven at Christ's ascending thither the very Angels struck up their Harps and welcomed him thither with Hymns and Praises 6. He ascended in triumph as a Roman Victor ascended to the Capitol or as David ascended after his conquest up to Zion Now we read of two triumphal Acts in Christs Ascension whereof the first was his leading of his captives and the second was the dispersing of his gifts the Apostle and the Psalmist joyn both together Psal 68.18 Ephes 4.8 When he ascended up on high he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men 1. He led them captive who had captivated us Death was led captive without a sting Hell was led captive as one that had lost her victory the Law was led captive being rent and fastened to his Cross as it were Ensign wise the Serpents head being bruised was led before him in triumph as was Golias's head by David returning from the victory and this was the first Act of his triumph 2. He gave gifts unto men this was as the running of Conduits with wine or as the casting abroad of new Coyn or as the shutting up of Christs triumph in his ascension up to heaven what these gifts were we shall speak in the Mission of the holy Ghost only thus much for the present SECT II. Of the place whither he ascended 3. WHither he ascended the Gospel tells us into heaven only Paul saith that he ascended far above all heavens But the meaning is Ephes 4 10. he went above all these visible Heavens into those heavenly Mansions where the Angels and the Spirits of the just have their aboad Or if the highest heavens be included I see no absurdity in it the highest Heaven we usually call The Kingdom of Heaven which is either Heaven material or heaven sâ—iritual and first for the material Heaven in some sense he may be said to ascend above that both in respect of his Body because the Body of Christ is more glorious than any material Heaven And in respect of his soul because the Soul of Christ is more blessed than all things else whatsoever And 2 For the spiritual Heaven i.e. all Angelical or Heavenly perfections he is said to ascend above them all both in respect of his humiliation because he hath vilified himself below all things and therefore he is worthily exalted above all things and in respect of his perfection because the humane nature of Christ is more excellent than any creature it being joyned to the Godhead by an hypostatical union Some there are that understand this place of Christs ascending far above all Heavens not so much by a lâ—cal motion as by a Spiritual mutation and exaltation of his person as earth heightned unto a flame changeth not its place only but form and figure so the person of our Saviour was raised to a greatness and glory vastly differing from and surmounting any image of things visible or invisible in this Creation so it is fitly expressed Heb. 7.26 He was made higher than the Heavens he was heightened to a splendor enlarged to a capacity and compass above the brightest and beyond the widest Heavens he transcended all in the spirituallity of his Ascension but I shall not much insist on that SECT III. Of the Reasons why he Ascended 4. WHy he ascended the Reasons are 1. On Christ's part that through his Passion he might pass to glory Luke 24.26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and so to enter into his glory I shall not insist on that controversie whether Christ merited for himself this is without controversie that by his Passion I will not say he properly merited but he obtained glory because he humbled himself so low God exalted him above the Grave in his Resurrection above the Earth in his Ascension and above the Heavens in placing him at his right hand And he ascended that all those Prophesies which were foretold of Christ might be accomplished Thou hast ascended on high And his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives Psal 68.18 Zach. 14.4 which is before Jerusalem on the East The types of this were Enoch's translation Elijahs's ascension Sampson's transportation of the gates of Gezza into an high mountain the high Priests going into the Holy of Holies Seeing that we have a great high Priest Heb. 4.14 that is passed into the heavens Jesus the Son of God Why all these prophesies types figures must needs be accomplished and therefore on his part it was necessary that Christ must ascend and go into Heaven 2. The Reasons on our part are 1. That in our stead he might triumph over sin death and hell In his Resurrection he conquered but in his
exalted without some preceding decent and humiliation Ephes 49. That he ascended saith the Apostle what is it but that he descended first into the lower parts of the earth 4. In respect of our evidence and assurance this is the sign that Christ hath finished the work of our redemption upon the earth first he was to act as our Surety and then he was to ascend as our Head our Advocate as the first-fruits the Captain the Prince of life the Author of salvation the forerunner of his people 4. That he might throughly convince the world of believers of their perfect righteousness The Spirit when he comes saith Christ shall convince the world of sin and righteousness and of judgment of sin because they believe not on me of of righteousness because I go to my Father and ye see me no more John 16.8 9 10. If Christ had not fulfilled all righteousness there had been no going to heaven for him nor remaining there certainly God would have sent him down again to have done the rest and the disciples should have seen him with shame sent back again but his ascension to heaven proclaims openly 1. That he hath compleatly finished the work he had to do for us here that no more was to be done in this world for us that the satisfactory work to justice was in it self finished 2. That God was well pleased with Jesus Christ and with what he had done and suffered for us yea God was so infinitely taken with him and his oblation after his sufferings as that he thinks it not fit to let him stay above forty days longer in this world he cannot be without him in heaven but he takes him up into glory and gives him a name above every name 3. That we have our share in heaven with him he went not up as a single person but vertually or mystically he carried up all the Elect with him into glory or otherwise how should the Spirit convince the world by his ascension of their righteousness or otherwise how should the Son of God convince his Father by his Ascension of his righteousness I look upon Jesus Christ going into Heaven as a confident Debtor after payment going into a Court and saying Who hath any thing to lay to his charge all is paid let the law take his course when Christ entred into heaven he seemed thus to challenge Justice Make room here for me and mine who should hinder hath the law any thing to say to these poor souls for whom I dyed if any in heaven can make objection Rev. 8.1 here I am to answer in their behalf Methinks I imagine a silence in heaven as John speaks at this speech only Mercy smiles and Justice gives in the Acquittance and God sets Christ down at his right hand 4. That he hath a new design to be acted in heaven for us he is taken up into glory that he may act gloriously the second part of out righteousness I mean that he might apply it and send down his Spirit to convince us of it He acted one part in the flesh in the habit of a beggar cloathed with rags but now he is gone to act the person of a Prince in robes of glory and all this to manage our salvation in the richest way that may be Three great things Christ acts for us now in glory First he is in place of an advocate for us He liveth to intercede for us Heb. 7.25 He is always begging of favour and love for us he lyes there to stop whatever plea may be brought in against us by the devil or Law yea he is there to get our fresh pardons for new sins Secondly he is the great provider and caterer for us John 14.2 he is laying in a great stock and store of glory for us against we come there In my Fathers house are many mansions I go to prepare a place for you Jesus Christ went before to take up God's heart for us and now he is drawing out the riches of love from God his Father and laying them in bank for us Phil. 4.19 which made the Apostle say My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus Thirdly he sends down his Spirit to convince us that Christs righteousness is ours indeed the means of procuring this was the life and death of Christ but the means of applying this righteousness are those following acts of Christ's Resurrection Ascension Session Intercession c. By his death he obtained righteousness for us but by his Ascension he applies righteousness to us now it is that in especial manner he convinceth us of righteousness Because he is gone to his Father and we shall see him no more 5. That he might receive his Kingdom over us in the place appointed for it look as Kings are crowned in the chief Cities of their Kingdoms and keep their residence in their palaces near unto them so it was decent that our Saviour should be Crowned in Heaven and there sit down at Gods right hand which immediatly follows after his Ascension to which we now come SECT IV. Of God's right hand and of Christ's Session there 2. FOr the Session of Christ at God's right hand which is a consequent following after his ascension into Heaven I shall examine 1. What is God's right hand 2. What is it to sit there 3. According to what nature doth Christ sit there 4. Why is it that he sits at the right hand of God his Father in Glory 1. What is this right hand of God I answer 1. Negatively it is not any Corporal right hand of God if we speak properly God hath neither right hand nor left hand for God is not a body but a spirit or spiritual substance 2. Positively the right hand of God is the Majesty Dignity Dominion Power and â—lâ—â—y of God The right hand of the Lord is exalted Psal 118.15 Exod. 15.6 Psal 89.13 Isa 48.13 the right hand of the Lord doth valianity Thy right hand O Lord is become glorious in Power thy right hand O Lord hath dashed in pieces the enemy Thou hast a mighty arm Strong is thy hand and high iâ— thy right hand Mine hand hath laid the foundations of the earth and my right hand hath spanned the Heavens I know some of our Divines make this right hand of God something inferior to God's own power but others speak of it as every way equal and I know no absurdity to follow on it 2. What is it to sit at the right hand of God I answer it is not any corporal Session at Gods right hand as some picture him with a crown of gold on his head sitting on a Throne as if he had no other gesture in Heaven but sitting still which Stephen contradicts Acts 7.56 saying I see the heavens opened and the Son of man standing on thâ— right hand of God The words sitting or standing are both metaphorical and borrowed
Christ was not David's Lord meerly as man but as God And 2. He sits at God's right hand as man too hereby his Humanity was exalted and a Power is give to Christ as man He hath given hiw power to execute judgment John 5.27 in as much as he is the Son of man In the administration of his Kingdom the man-hood of Christ doth concur as an Instrument working with his God-head Hence this Session at God's right hand is truly and properly attributed to Christ as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not only to the one nature of Christ whether Divine or Humane Or it is attributed to Christ as Mediator in which respect he is called an high Priest Heb. 8.1 We have such an high Priest who is set on the right hand of the Throne of the Majesty in the heavens And in which respect he is called a Prince Acts 5.31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour Now Christ is not a Priest and a Prince meerly according to one Nature whether Divine or Humane I deny not but Christ had a natural Kingdom with his Father as God before the foundation of the world but this Kingdom as God-man Christ had not before his Asension into heaven So then Christ sitteth at the right hand of God by a mediatory action which he executeth according to both natures the word working what pertaineth to the word and the flesh what appertaineth to the flesh Christ is Mediator as God and man and glory hath redounded unto him as God and man and living in this glory he ruleth and governeth his Church as God and man he ascended indeed into heaven in his humanity only but he sitteth at the right hand of God as Mediator in respect of both natures The Lutherans attribute this Session at God's right hand only to the humane nature of Christ they say this Session is nothing else but the elevating of his humane nature to the full and free use of some of the divine properties as of omnipotency omniscience omnipresence the ground of this error is that they suppose upon the union of the two Natures in Christ a real communication of the divine properties to follow so that the humane nature is made truly omnipotent omniscient omnipresent not by any confusion of properties nor yet by any bare communion and concourse of it to the same effect each nature working that which belongeth to it with commuion of the other for this we grant but by a real donation by which the divine properties so become the properties of the humane nature that the humane nature may work with them no less than the Divine nature it self for the perfecting of it self Against this opinion we have these Reasons 1. The union cannot cause the humane nature to partake more in the properties of the Divine than it causeth the Divine to partake in the properties of the humane 2. If a true and real communication did follow of the Divine Attributes it must needs be of all the Attributes as of eternity and infiniteness seeing these are the Divine Essence which can no way be divided 3. Infinite perfections cannot perfect finate natures no more than reasonable perfections can make perfect unreasonable creatures 4. To what end should created gifts serve which Christ hath received above measure if now more noble properties should enter and be conferred on Jesus Christ other reasons are given in but I willingly decline all controversal points SECT VI. Of the Reasons why Christ doth sit on God's right hand 4. WHy doth Christ sit at the right hand of God his Father in glory I answer 1. On Christ's part that He might receive power and dominion over all the creatures Math. 28.18 All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth he speaks of it as done because it was immediatly to be performed Christ at his Session received a power imperial over every Creature that he hath Power over the Angels is plain both by the reverence they do him and by their obedience towards him at the name of Jesus every knee must bow good Angels and evil Angels must yield signs of subjection to Jesus Christ if the Saints shall judge the Angels how much more shall Christ Oh what Power hath Christ himself this way and as for the excellencies on earth they all receive their power from Christ and are at his dispose it is Jesus Christ that is Crowned with Glory and Honour and all things are put under his feet Heb. 27.8 And hence it is that when the Apostle speaks of Christs session at the right hand of God he tells us he is far above all Principalities and Powers on earth Eph. 1.21 and Mights and Dominions in Heaven yea that Angels and Authorities 1 Pet. 3.22 and Powers are made subject unto him 2. On our part many reasons may be given As 1. That he might be the Head of his Church I mean not head in a large sense for one who is in any kind before another for so Christ is the head of Angels and God is the head of Christ and to this we have spoken before But in a strict sense for one that is in a near and communicative sort conjoyned with another as the Head is conjoyned with the Body and Members and so is Christ the head of his Church Look as the King hath a more intimate and amiable Superiority over the Queen then over any other of his Subjects so is it here in Christ our King he is more amiably tempered and more nearly affected to his Spouse and Queen the Church of God then to any other whomsoever And to this purpose he sits at Gods right hand that having now fulness of Grace and Glory in himself he might be ready to communicate the same to his Church who are as the members of his body that he might give them Grace here and Glory hereafter when he shall deliver up his Kingdom to his Father and be all in all 2. That he might be the object of divine adoration then especially it was said and accomplished Let all the Angels of God Worship him Heb. 1.6 and let all men Honour the Son as they Honour the Father After Christ's Session John 5 23. Stephen looken up into Heaven and saw the Glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God and then he Worshipped and called upon God saying Lord Jesus receive my Spirit It is true Acts 7.59 that the ground of this divine adoration is the Union of the two natures of Christ and therefore the Magi worshipped him at his Birth and as soon as ever he came into the World the Angels of God Worshipped him but because by his Session at God's right hand the Divine Nature was manifested Heb. 1.6 and the Humane Nature was exalted to that dignity and glory which it never had before therefore now especially and from this time was the honour and
after all this I shall doubt whether there be a Christ in Heaven or a spirit of Christ in my heart on Earth have I felt him new creating me opening my dark eyes and bringing me from darkness into his marvellous light and from the Power of Satan unto God binding the strong man and casting him out and yet shall I question whether there be a Christ or a Spirit of Christ hath he made me love the things which I hated and hate that which I loved hath he given me such a taste of the powers of the world to come and possessed me with the hopes of glory with himself and given me a measure and portion in God and set my heart where my treasure is and caused me in some measure to have my conversation in Heaven above and yet shall I doubt whether there be a Christ above or a Spirit within O what an impudent lying spirit is this that would tempt me against so much experience And thus may a believer argue from the testimony that is within I know some seeming Saints have fallen off into as great blaphemies as these I have named 1 John 2.19 witness the Quakers and Ranters c. but I may say of such as John did They went out from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us It is no wonder if Satan prevail against those that gave Christ no deeper room but in their phantasie and that did never heartily close with him in love But for those that have the Spirit of Christ within them it is not so with them if they cannot answer the cavil of Satan or of any of his instruments yet they can hold fast the grounds of faith Christ hath a deep room and interest in their spirits he is held faster by the hand than by the head alone love will hold Christ when reason alone would let him go Rom. 8.35 36 37. his ear is nayled as it were unto his door and because he loveth him he will not leave him Who shall separate him from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword as it is written for thy sake are we killed all the day long nay in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that hath loved us A modern Writer brings in a sincere heart Mr. Baxter ibid. paraphrazing as it were on this Text in this manner Who shall separate us from the love of Christ O thou malicious Devil that dost hunt me with thy fiery darts O you dull hereticks infidels blasphemers that fill up my ears with your foolish sophisms and trouble me with your disputes against my Lord Redeemer go to him that knows him only by the hearing of the ear if you mean to prevail but I have known him by the sweet experiences of my soul go to him that makes a Religion of his Opinions and whose belief was never any deeper than his fancy and whose piety never reached higher than to abstinency and tasks of formal duty these you may possibly draw away from Christ But do you think to do so by me why tell me how with what weapons or arguments can you think to prevail what shall tribulation be the means no no I have that promise in the hand of my faith and that glory in the eye of my hope that will bring me through all tribulations under Heaven or shall distress do it why I will rather stick so much closer to him that will relieve me in distress and bring me to his rest Or will you affright me by persecution I am assured that this is the nearest way to Heaven and I am blessed of Christ when I am persecuted for righteousness sake Or shall nakedness be the weapon I had rather pass naked out of this World to Heaven than to be cloathed in purple and to be stript of it at death and to be cast into hell Adam's innocent nakedness and Lazarus's rags were better than that Epicure's gay apparel Or shall famine be the meanes why man liveth not by bread alone I had rather my body were famished than my soul I have meat to eat that ye know not of even the bread of life which who so eats shall live for ever Or will you affright me from Christ by the sword of violence I know that the Lord whom I believe in and serve is able to deliver me out of your hands but if he will not be it known to you I will not forsake him your sword will be only the key to open the prison doors and let out my soul that hath long desired to be with Jesus Christ If you tell me of peril I know no danger so great as of losing Christ and salvation and of bearing his wrath that can kill both body and soul do I not read in certain Histories of that noble Army of Martyrs who loved the Lord Jesus to the death and gloryed in tribulation and would not by the flames of fires or jaws of Lyons be separated from Jesus Christ did not they pass through the red sea as on dry ground to the promised land yea though they were killed all the day long and accounted as Sheep to the slaughter did they not stick and cleave fast to the Lord and to the Captain of their salvation nay were they not in all this conquerours and more than conquerours triumphing in flames to the confusion of Satan and all their enemies as Christ triumphed on the Cross destroying by death the Prince of death Heb. 2.14 Oh what a blessed advantage is it against all temptations to have the impress of the Gospel of Christ on our heart and the witness in our selves But I hear some object If the witness in our selves be so full and convincing then what need have we any more to make use of Scriptures or Ministers why should we leave an higher Teacher to go to a lower But I answer 1. There is more than one thing wanting to enwise us to salvation as first an outward Word and secondly an outward Teacher and thirdly an inward Light And accordingly God supplies this threefold want the first by giving us the Scripture the second by giving us a Ministry and other occasional Teachers the third by giving us the illumination of the Spirit to help us to see by the former means and to make the Word and Ministry to us effectual Now it were a mad thing for a man to say I have eyes to read in a book and therefore I have no need of the light of Candle or of Sun or I have eyes and Sun and therefore I have no need of the light in the Air which cometh from the Sun or I have the light both of the Eye and Sun and Air and therefore I can read by it without a Book or I have a Book and therefore I can read it without a Teacher certainly if
Prayers and Incense then he went out of the holy of holies and laid aside his Garments again but our great high Priest is ascended into the holy of holies never to put off his princely-priestly garments nor does he only once a year sprinkle the mercy-seat with his sacrifice but every day he lives for ever to intercede Oh what comfort is this to a poor dejected Soul if he once undertakes thy cause and get thee into his prayers he will never leave thee out night nor day he intercedeth eyer till he shall accomplish and finish thy Salvation the smoak of his incense ascends for ever without intermission 6. The high-Priests then interceded not for sins of greater instances if a man sinned ignorantly there was indeed a Sacrifice and Intercession for him but if a man sinned presumptuously Numb 15.30 he was to be cut off from among his people no Sacrifice no Intercession by the high Priest then but we have such an high Priest as makes Intercession for all sins every sin though it boyl up to blasphemy so it be not against the holy Ghost shall by the vertue of Christ's intercession be forgiven In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David Zach. 13.1 and to the Inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness i.e. for sins of all sorts Verily I say unto you all sins shall be forgiven unto the Sons of Men Mark 3.28 i.e. Scarlet sins or crimson sins sins of the deepest dye shall by Christs Intercession be done away the voice of his blood speaks better things than the Blood of Abel it intercedes for the abolition of bloody sins 7. The high Priests then interceded not without all these materials viz. A Temple an Altar a Sacrifice of a young Bullock for a sin-offering Levit. 16.3 and a Ram for a burnt offering a Censer full of burning coals of fire taken off the Altar a putting the incense upon the fire that the cloud of the incense might cover the mercy-seat a sprinkling the mercy-seat with the blood of the Bullock and of the Goat with their finger seven times such materials they had and such actions they did which were all distinct as from themselves but Jesus Christ in his Intercessions now needs none of these materials but rather he himself and his own merits are instead of all As 1. He is the Temple either in regard of the Deity the gold of the Temple being sanctified by the Temple or in regard of his humane body destroy this Temple saith Christ and I will build it again in three dayes it was destroyed and God found it an acceptable Sacrifice and smelt in it a sweet savor as in a Temple 2. He is the Altar according to his Deity for as the Altar sanctifies the gift so doth the God-head sanctifie the man-hood The Altar must needs be of a greater dignity than the oblation and therefore this Altar betokens the Divinity of Jesus Christ 3. He is the Sacrifice most properly according to the Man-hood for although by communication of properties the blood of the Sacrifice is called the blood of God Acts 20.28 yet properly the human Soul and flesh of Christ was the Holocaust or whole burnt-offering roasted in the fire of his Fathers wrath 4. His merits are the cloud of Incense for so the Angel Christ is said to have a golden Censer and much Incense Rev. 8.3 4. that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints upon the golden Altar which was before the Throne and the smoke of the Incense which came with the Prayers of the Saints ascended up before God out of the Angels hand the merits of Christ are so mingled with the prayers of his Saints that they perfume their Prayers and so they find acceptance with God his Father We see now the difference betwixt Christs Intercessions and the Intercessions of the high Priests of Old SECT VII What the Properties of this Intercession of Christ are 7. WHat are the properties of this Intercession of Jesus Christ I answer 1. It is heavenly and glorious and that appears in these particulars 1. Christ doth not fall upon his knees before his Father as in the days of his humiliation for that is not agreeable to that glory he hath received he only presents his pleasure to his Father that he may thereto put his Seal and Consent 2. Christ doth not pray out of private charity as the Saints pray one for another in this life but out of publick Office of mediation there is one God 1 Tim. 2.5 and one Mediator between God and man the man Christ Jesus 3. Christ prayes not out of humility which is the proposing of requests for things unmerited but out of authority which is the desiring of a thing so as withall he hath a right of bestowing it as well as desiring it 4. Christ prays not merely as an advocate but as a propitiation too Christ's Spirit is an advocate but only Christ is advocate and propitiation Christs Spirit is our advocate on earth but only Christ in his Person applyeth his merits in heaven and furthers the cause of our salvation with his Father in heaven In every of these respects we may see Christs intercessions is heavenly and glorious 2. It is ever effectual and prevailing as he hath a power to intercede for us so he hath a power to confer that upon us for which he intercedes John 14 16. John 16.7 I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter If I go not away the comforter will not come unto you but if I depart I will send him unto you If Christ prayed on earth he was ever heard but if Christ prayed in heaven we may be sure the Father ever heareth and answereth there when Christ as man prayed for himself he was heard in that which he feareth but now Christ as Mediator praying for us he is ever heard in the very particular which he desireth James 4.3 We sinful men many a time ask and receive not because we ask amiss that we may consume it upon our Lusts but Jesus Christ never asks amiss nor to wrong ends and therefore God the Father who called him to this Office of being as it were the great Master of Requests in behalf of his Church John 11.41 42. he promiseth to hear him in all his requests Father I thank thee that thou hast heard me and I know thou hearest me alwayes saith Christ 3. It is of all other the transactions of Christ till the very end of the World the most perfective and consummate indeed so perfective that without it all the other parts of Christ's Mediatorship would have been to little purpose As the Sacrifices under the Law had not been of such force and efficacy had not the high Priest entred into the holy place to appear there and to present the blood there unto the Lord so all that ever Christ did or
and God be Omnipotent that he can do and can have whatsoever he pleases then Christ being one God with his Father he must needs prevail it is but ask and have let him ask what he will 5. That Christ is God's darling upon this very account because he intercedes for his People Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life John 10.17 that I might take it again I lay it down by suffering and I take it again by rising ascending up into heaven and interceding there and therefore doth my Father love me O the love of God to Christ and of God in Christ to all his Saints God so loved the world that he gave his Son and Christ so loved the world that he gave himself and now again because Christ gave himself and his gift is as a sweet smelling savour unto God therefore God loves Christ O what a round of love is here God loves Christ and Christ loves us and the Father loves Christ again for loving of us there is not an act of Christ in his work of our redemption but the Father looks on it with love and liking Mat. 3.17 Isa 53.11 at his baptism lo a voice came from Heaven saying This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased at his death He seeth of the travel of his soul and he is satisfied at his ascension he heareth of the intercessions of his soul and he is delighted Christ's intercessions are God's musick and therefore as sometimes Christ spoke to his Spouse Cant. 2.14 so God speaks to Christ Let me see thy countenance let me hear thy voice for sweet is thy voice and thy countenance is comely Now Christ's intercessions must needs prevail when God love's Christ for his intercessions sake if before the world was made Prov. 8.29 30. the Son was his Fathers darling for it is said When he appointed the foundations of the earth then I was by him and as one brought up with him and I was daily his delight In the Original delights intimating that the eternal Son was variety of delights to his Father O then what delights what variety what infinite of delights hath God in Christ now interceding for us what a dear darling is Christ to God when not only he stands by him but he represents to him all the Elect from the beginning to the end of the World q. d See Father look on my breast read hear all the names of those thou hast given me as Adam and Abraham and Isaac and Jacob of the Twelve Tribes and of the Twelve Apostles of all the Martyrs Professors and Confessors of the Law and Gospel I pray for them I Pray not for the World but only for them for they are mine methinks I hear God answer What my Son and what the Son of my womb and what the Son of my vows hast thou begotten me thus many Sons and are all these mine why then ask what thou wilt and have what thou pleasest I am as strongly inclined and disposed to give thee grant as thou wouldst have it it is my joy my delight my pleasure to save these souls and surely the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in thy hands 6. That Christ is God's Commander I speak it with reverence as well as petitioner it is a phraze given to the servants of God command ye me and may we not give it to the Son of God Christians God is as ready to do us service as if we had him at command Isa 45.11 1 John 5.14 This is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us and in this sense we may boldly say that God the Father is as ready to hear Jesus Christ as if he had him at command not that in deed and reality he commands God but that in deed and truth he commands all below God and he commands all in the stead of God And to this purpose is that voice of God I have set my King upon my holy hill of Zion Psalm 2.6 and why my King I dare not say he is God's King as if God were Christ's inferior or Christs subject God forbid why then my King I answer he is God's King because appointed by God or he is God's King John 5.22 because he rules in the stead of God The Father judgeth no man but hath committed all Judgment unto the Son God hath given away all his prerogatives unto Jesus Christ so that now the King of Saints can do what he will with God and with all the world only it follows Ask of me and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance as if the Father should have said I cannot deny thee and yet O my Son I would have thee ask do what thou wilt in Heaven Earth and Hell I have not the heart indeed I have not the power to deny thee any thing onely acknowledg this power to be originally in my self that all that honour the Son may honour the Father and all that honour the Father may honour the Son These are the terms betwixt God the Father and God the Son Oh then how powerfull and prevailing are Christs intercessions with his Father if he ask who hath power to command there is little question of prevailing in his suit We have heard in our days of a suit managed with a petition in one hand and a sword in the other and what the effect is all now can tell As a King who sues for peace backt with a potent Army able to win what he intreats for must needs treat more effectually so Christ sueing to his Father for his Saints with a power sufficient to obtain what he sues for he must needs effect what his desires may be it is well observed that Christ is first said to sit at God's right hand and then to intercede he treats the salvation of sinners as a mighty Prince treats the giving up of some Town which lyes seated under a Castle of his that commands the Town or he treats the salvation of sinners as a Commander treats the surrendring of a person already in his hands it is beyond God's power I speak iâ— with submission to deny his Son in any thing he asks Exod. 32.10 if the Lord sometimes cryed out to Moses like a man whose hands are held Let me alone how much more doth Christ's intercession bind God's hands and command all in Heaven Earth and Hell hence we say that God the Father hath divested himself of all his power and given the keys into Christ's own hands I am he that liveth and was dead Rev. 1.18 and behold I am alive for evermore Amen and have the keys of hell and death there is no man goes to Hell but he is lockt in by Jesus Christ and there is no man goes to Heaven but he is lockt in there by Jesus Christ he hath the keys of all men's eternities hanging
will in the ears of God Surely this is the fruit the effect of Christ's intercession and therefore thou mayest comfortably conclude Christ's intercession is mine 2. If at any time in the midst of duties I am savingly affected then is Christ's intercession mine Sometimes it pleaseth God to appear in ordinances and the soul is comforted quickened enlarged affected why now I look on this as the efficacy of Christ's Blood and as the power of Christs intercession at that very instant that I feel any good in any ordinance of Christ why then even then is Christ prevailing with God his Father for what I feel then even then may I boldly say Now is the Lord Jesus who is at God's right hand in heaven remembring me a poor worm on earth Oh now I feel the fruit of his intercession Oh what is this spirit power grace comfort sweetness I drink of but a tast of the hony-comb with the end of my rod dropping from the intercessions of Jesus Christ and if this presence of Christ's Spirit be so sweet what is himself then I know we had need to be wary in laying down this sign it is clearly proved by an eminent Divine Mr. Burges of Assurance Mat. 13.20 Mark 16.20 John 5.35 that sweet motions of heart in holy things are not infallible Evidences of grace the third kind of hearers are said to receive the Word with joy they found some sweet and power in the Ordinances of Christ and Herod heard John gladly and many for a season rejoyced in John's light and Ministry Certainly affections in holy administrations with delight and joy may be in those who yet have no true grace so it may be that the novelty and strangeness of a doctrine may much affect and delight or the nature of the doctrine as it is comfortable without any respect to spiritual operation may exceedingly affect or the Ministers abilities because of his parts eloquence elocution affectionate utterance may much delight and stir up the hearers affections fine head-notions may produce some affectionate heart-motions but what symptome of grace in all this The sign therefore I lay down of my propriety in Christ's intercessions is not every sweet motion or every excited affection but that which is holy spiritual heavenly saving I may discern much of this if I will but look into the grounds and effects of my excited or stirred up affections if the ground thereof be fetched from Heaven and in their effect they tend towards Heaven if they wean my heart from the world if they elevate and raise up my affections to things above if they form and frame my conversation heaven-wards then may I be assured these motions and affections are of the right stamp for all such motions are but sparks of that heavenly fire the the flame whereof is mindful of its own original they are the fruits of Christ and they go back to Christ they work towards their center they tend towards the place from whence they came and in this respect O that I could never hear a Sermon without a savory affection of what I hear O that I could never go to prayer without some warmth and heat and life and fervency Oh that in every duty I were savingly affected that I felt the savour of Christ's ointments whose name and whose intercession is as an ointment poured forth in times of the Old Testament if they offered up a sacrifice and a material fire came down from Heaven and burnt up the sacrifice to ashes it was a certain testimony that the sacrifice was accepted Now in the time of the Gospel we must not expect material fire to come down upon our duties but hath the Lord at any time causâ—d an inward and spiritual fire to fall down upon thy heart warming thy spirit in duty and carrying it up heaven-ward Surely it so thou mayest safely conclude these are the very effects of Christ's intercession his intercession is mine 3. If in my heart I feel a holy frame disposition inclination to pray and cry and intercede for others especially for the miseries and distresses of the Church of God then is Christ's intercession mine We should as near as we may in every thing conform to Christ and this conformity is an evidence or sign to us of our interest in Christ O my soul go down into the inmost closet of thy heart look what disposition there is in it towards the members of Christ and thou mayest conclude there is in Christ's heart the very same disposition towards thee Ah! do I think there is love in my bosom towards the Saints and that there is no love in Christ's bosome towards me what can I think that my narrow straitened sinful bowels are larger than those wide compassionate tender bowels of Jesus Christ as a drop of water is in comparison of the Ocean and as a gravel-stone is in comparison of the sand so is my heart to Christ's and my love to Christ's and my bowels to Christ's Come then and try by this sign Hereby we know that we are translated from death to life if we love the brethren he that loveth not his brother abideth in death Hereby perceive we the love of God 1 John 3.14.16 because he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren is not this plain if I love the brethren Christ loveth me if I feel in my heart an holy disposition to go to God and to pray and cry and intercede for a Saint in misery surely the Lord Jesus hath as much bowels towards me to go and intercede for me and to present my prayers unto God the Father his intercession is mine 4. If I am called justified sanctified then is Christ's intercession mine are not these the subject matter of Christ's intercession I pray saith Christ that thou shouldst keep them from the evil I pray that thou wouldst sanctifie them through the truth John 17 15 17 20 24. neither pray I for these alone but for them also which shall believe on me through their word or preaching Father I will that those whom thou hast given me be with me in glory He first prayes that we may be called and justified and then he prayes that we may be sanctified and saved he holds at both ends of this golden chain of our salvation the one end is hanged at his breast where the names of all his Saints are written and the other end is at his heart that he may be the Author and finisher the first and last the beginning and ending of our souls salvation alas there is nothing in us in our reach here below the first stirrings of grace is up in Heaven at the right hand of the Father and the far end of any gracious thought is as far above us as the heart of Christ is above the earth Come then sith all hangs on this great pin of Christ's intercession let us search and try are we called do we
such custom neither the Churches of God 2. Because it favours too much of the error of Arrius Nestorius and indeed of the Romanists themselves 3. Because our prayers are most-what directed to Christ in his person or divine subsistence whose part is rather to give than to ask or if they are directed to Christ as Mediator and not simply as the only begotten Son of God then I see no incongruity though in the former respect some inconvenience but that we may pray to Christ to intercede for us for so he is God and man and he is considered according to both Natures only the difference of both Natures is still to be kept and maintained intercession is the office of the whole person of Christ and of the two natures of Christ But he performs this office one way according to his Divine nature and another way according to his humane nature I list not to quarrel about niceties it is thus agreed on all hands and that is enough to our purpose that we may call on Jesus or on God the Father in and through Jesus that Christ's intercessions may be ours and that he would make it out to us in a way of assurance every day more and more 2. Let us praise let us bless God and bless Christ for every transaction in Heaven for us It is a wonder to observe what songs of praise were chanted to Christ in Heaven for that one transaction of opening the Book and loosing the seven Seals thereof first The four beasts Rev. 5.8 9 11 12 13 14. and then the four and twenty Elders fell down before the Lamb having every one of them harps and golden vials full of odours which are the prayers of the Saints and they sung a new song saying thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood And then the Angels round about the Throne whose number was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands came on saying worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and blessing And then every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea came on saying blessing and honour and glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the Throne and unto the Lamb for ever and ever and the four beasts and four and twenty Elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever I cannot tell what other transactions may be in Heaven we have but hints of them here nor shall we fully or particularly know them till we come to Heaven but for this one transaction of Christ's intercession we cannot imagine less praise to be given to Christ than for any other O then let us do this duty on earth as it is done in Heaven what is Christ praying for us O let us be on the exercise of praising him is Christ interceding for us let us give him the glory of his intercession Heaven is full of his praises O why should not earth ring with the sound thereof Praise the Lord O my soul and all that is within me praise his holy Name SECT IX Of conforming to Jesus in that respect 9. LEt us conform to Jesus in respect of his intercession I cannot think but in every action of Christ there is something imitable of us And as to the present work I shall instance only in these few particulars As 1. Christ appears in Heaven for us let us appear on earth for him Is there not equity as well as conformity in this duty O my soul consider what thy Christ is doing consider wherein the intercession of Jesus Christ consists is not this the first part of it why he appears in Heaven before Saints and Angels and before God his Father in thy behalf and art thou afraid to appear before worms mortals dust and ashes in his cause or for his truth shall Jesus Christ own thee in Heaven and wilt thou not own Jesus Christ here in this world shall Jesus Christ as thy great high Priest take thy very name carry it upon his breast into the presence of God and wilt not thou take the Name of Christ and hold it forth in profession and practise to all men Oh what a mighty engagement is here to stand to Christ and to appear for Christ and to own his cause in these backsliding-times in that Christ who sits at the right hand of God is willing and ready to appear in person for us both as a Mediator and Sponsor and Solicitor and Advocate and Leiger Embassador 2. Christ spends all his time for us and our salvation let us spend all our time for him and in his service the Apostle tells us that He ever lives to make intercession for us Heb. 7.25 it is not for a day or a month or a year but he lives for ever upon this account for ever i.e. during all the time from his Ascension until the end of the world he is still interceding he spends of all that time for us and shall we think it too much time to spend a few dayes that we have here to live upon the earth for him one thinks this the greatest Argument in the world to make us to walk closely with God in Christ He spends of his eternity for us and shall not we spend of our whole time for him surely people do not think what Christ is doing in Heaven for them if you who are Saints would but seriously consider that Christ this Sabbath this day of rest is at his work that without any weariness or intermission from morning till evening and from evening till morning he is ever ever interceding how would this engage you in his service Ah Christians if you should continue praying praising reading hearing all this day without any intermission or breaking off Oh what weariness O how would you say When will the day be done when will the Sabbath be at an end Well but Christ is not weary of serving you this Sabbath and the last Sabbath and the other Sabbath and every Sabbath when you had done your duties he took your persons and duties and presented all unto his Father he prayed over your prayers and continued praying and saying Lord accept of a short poor lean imperfect service done on earth for my sake and for those merits sake which I am continually presenting to thee here in heaven Oh why do we not come up to this conformity Oh why are we so uncomformable to the actings of Christ he is preparing Mansions for us in Heaven and are we digging in this world he is making mention of our names to God and are we sinning against him and God his blood cryes O that these souls may be saved and shall our sins cry It is just that these souls should be damned O mind the exemplar Christ spends
tempestuous round about him Whence this fire should come I shall not dispute only one tells us with some confidence * Suarez de renovatione mundi in 3. part Thomae Psal 97.3 Isa 66.15 2 Thes 1 7 8. Dan. 7.9 10. 2 Pet. 3.10 2 Pet. 3.11 12. that 't is begotten in the middle Region of the Air by Divine command and that first it goes before him ushering the Judge to the Judgment-seat and that there it stayes during the judgment and that ended and the doom passed on all flesh then it sets on fire all the world Let this pass as it may Scripture goes thus far that a fire goeth before him Behold the Lord will come with fire and with his chariots like a whirlwind And the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire In which respect Daniel saw his throne like the fiery flame and his wheels as burning fire a fiery stream issued and came forth from before him and at last this fire shall have that effect that the very Elements shall melt with fervent heat the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up O Christians what cause have we to make the Apostles use on this point Seeing all these things shall be dissolved what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the Elements shall melt with fervent heat 4. He descends lower and lower till he is inwrapt with clouds Matth. 26.64 Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven When he went up into Heaven it is said that a cloud received him out of their sight Act. 1.9 and the Angels then said Ye men of Galilee why stand ye gazing up into heaven this same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come Act. 1.11 12. Dan 7.13 in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven He went up in clouds and he shall come down in clouds I saw in the night visions and behold one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven Here is the first sight of Christ to men on the earth when once he is come down into the clouds then shall they lift up their eyes and have a full view of Jesus Christ a cloud first received him out of their sight and a cloud now discovers him to their sight Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven Matth. 24.30 and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory is it not plain that the first appearings and sight of Christ at his second coming from Heaven is in the midst of clouds Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him Rev. 1.7 and they also which pierced him Some controversie there is about these clouds as whether they be Angels when the Psalmist speaks of all sorts of Meteors as of Waters Clouds Winds Flames some say all these are Angels and of the Angels he saith who maketh his Angels spirits and his Ministers a flame of fire For my part I take it in the literal sense that upon the very backs of clouds Christ shall come riding along at the general day and howsoever this may seem a small matter unto us yet I cannot look on any circumstance of this transaction as small and trifling the very clouds on which Christ rides speaks terror and comfort 1. Oh what a terror is this to the wicked Heb. 1.7 Matth. 24.30 Id de impiis solum intelligo ad quos planctus luctus ille miserandus solum pertinet Aretius in locum They shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds and then shall all the Tribes of the earth mourn These Tribes of the Earth are the Tribes of the wicked no sooner shall they look up and see Christ in his clouds but with unconceivable horror will they cry it out O yonder is he whose blood we neglected whose grace we resisted whose counsels we refused whose government we cast off O yonder is he that comes now in clouds in tempestuous clouds O see how he storms do not those very clouds in which he rides speak or threaten a storm In the eighteenth Psalm is a description of Christ's coming to judgment But O how terrible in the seventh verse we find the earth trembling in the eighth verse a fire devouring in the ninth verse the heavens bowing downwards in the 12 13 14 15. verses are thick clouds darkning the skie thunders lightnings hailestones flying through the air the foundations of the world discovered thus the Mighty God our Jesus descends Oh how should the wicked but tremble at this when but a consideration of this hath sometimes startled God's own people behold Habakkuk with quivering lips trembling joynts Hab. 3.16 bones mouldering into dust when he had onely a Prophetick representation of Christ's second appearance all the dreadful things that attended the presence of God in Egypt at the red Sea on Mount Sinai through the Wilderness are made but types but shadows of the terrible march of the Captain of the Lord of Hosts and therefore shall the wicked mourn 2. Here is the patience and faith and joy of Saints Rev. 1.7 And all the kindreds of the earth shall mourn over him even so Amen This I cannot but understand of the wicked onely some tell us of a double mourning on that day the one of joy and love and the other of sorrow and despair I shall not deny but there may be some sweet tears upon this sweet Subject Christ's apparition in the clouds Such a shine will be from Christ in the cloud that the very shine will pierce the hearts of men with the golden-headed arrow of love and how may this work tears Rev. 1.7 Hinc consequitur Christum in eo judicio cicatrices vulnerum ostensurum tanquam trophaeum infallibile contra omnes suos bostes Aret. in loco from this Text of John Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they also which pierced him and all the kindreds of the earth shall wayle c. Some Divines gather that Christ at that day will shew in his glorified body the wounds of his crucifying as an infallible trophy of his victory over all his enemies and hence the wicked who pierced or crucified the Lord of glory by their sins will weep and waile I can think no less but that Christ at that day will open his bosom and shew those wounds of love which he had in his heart from all eternity together with those wounds which he received on the Cross as they are glorified in his eternal love and then as at the discovery of Joseph he and his brethren fell upon the necks
the flames of God and do we not yet love him hath Christ all this while opened his brest and heart to us saying Friends Doves come in and dwell in the holes of this rock And do we scratch his brest do we turn our backs upon him and requite his love with hatred surely this is more than sin for what is sin but a transgression of the law but this sin is both a transgression of Law and Gospel What to spurn against the warm bowels of love to spit on grace to disdain him who is the white and ruddy the fairest of Heaven Oh the aggravation of this sin ' its an heart of flint and adamant that spits at Evangelick love Law-love is love but Evangelick love is more than love it s the gold the flower of Christ's wheat and of his finest love Oh the many Gospel-passages of love that we have heard Oh the sweet streams of love that we have followed till now that we are come to a Sea of love to an heaven of love to an infinite eternal everlasting love in heaven I want words to express this love of Jesus a Sea of love is nothing it hath a bottom an Heaven of love is nothing it hath a brim but infinite eternal everlasting love hath no bottom no brim no bounds and do we not yet love him do we not yet feel the fire of love break forth if not it is time to turn our Preaching into Praying O thou who art the Element or Sun of love come with thy power let out â—ne beam one ray one gleam of love upon my soul shine hot upon my heart cast my soul into a love-transe remember thy promise to circumcise my heart Deut 30.6 that I may love the Lord my God with all my heart and with all my soul Surely the great Marriage of the Lamb is coming on he will come and welcome all his Saints into his presence he will bid them inherite the Kingdom and put them in a possession of the inheritance and then we cannot choose but love our Jesus with all our hearts and with all our souls onely begin we it here let us now be sick of love that we may then be well with love let us now rub and chase our hearts our dead cold hearts before this fire till we say with Peter Why Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee SECT VII Of joying in Jesus in that respect 7. LET us joy in Jesus as carrying on the great work of our salvation for us in his second coming Christ delights to have his People look upon him with delight for a soul to be always under a spirit of bondage and so to look upon Christ as a Judge a Lyon or an offended God it doth not please God the Lord Jesus is tender of the joy of his Saints Rejoyce and be exceeding glad saith Christ rejoyce evermore rejoyce in the Lord alwayes Mat. 5.12 1 Thes 5.16 Phil. 4.4 Psal 68.3 and again I say rejoyce Let the righteous be glad let them rejoyce before God yea let them exceedingly rejoyce All that Christ doth to his Saints tends to this joy as the upshot or end of all if he cast down it is but to raise them up if he humble it is but to exalt if he kill it is but to make alive in every dispensation still he hath a tender care to preserve their joy This is the Benjamin about which Christ's bowels beat Let my Children suffer any thing but nothing in their joy I would have all that love my Name to be joyfall in me Oh say some but Christ's day is a terrible day when Christ appears he will make the Heavens and Earth and Hell to shake and tremble Our God shall come and shall not keep silence Psal 50.3 a fire shall devour before him and it shall be very tempestuous round about him True but what 's all this terror but an argument of my Father's power and justice against sinners if thou art Christ's and hast thy part in him not one jot of all this terror belongs to thee The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust to the day of judgment to be punished 2 Pet. 2.9 He knows how to make the same day a terror to his foes and a joy to his people he ever intended it for the great distinguishing and separating day wherein both joy and sorrow should be manifested to the highest O then let the heavens rejoyce the sea the earth the floods the hills for the Lord cometh to Judge the earth Psal 97.7 8 9. with righteousness shall he judge the World and the people with equity If you find it an hard thing to joy in Jesus as in reference to his second coming think of these motives 1. Christ's coming is the Christians encouragement so Christ himself layes it down You shall see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory and when these things begin to come to pass Luk. 21.27 28. then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh The signs of his coming are the hopes of your approaching introduction into glory and what should you do then but prepare for your approaching with exceeding joy many evils do now surround you every where Satan hath his snares and the World his baits and your own hearts are apt to betray you into your enemies hands but when Christ comes you shall have full deliverance and perfect redemption and therefore look up and lift up your heads The Apostle speaks the very same encouragement 1 Thes 4.16 71 18. The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the Archangel and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air wherefore comfort one another with these words Christ's coming is a comfortable doctrine to all believers and therefore all the Elect that hear these words should be comforted by them Comfort ye comfort ye my people 2. Christ our Saviour must be our Judge the same Jesus that was born for us and lived for us and dyed for us and doth now pray for us will come at last to judge us is not this comfortable you that have heard all his transactions can you ever foget the unweariness of Christ's love in his constant and continual actings for your souls how long hath he been interceding for his Saints how long hath he been knocking at their hearts for entrance it is now above a thousand six hundred years that he hath been praying and knocking and he resolves not to give over till all be his till all the Tribes in ones and twos be over Jordan and up with him in the heavenly Canaan And if this be he that must be our Judge if he that loves our
Cant. 8.14 Many prayers are in the bowels of this as that Christ when he comes may bid us welcome and give us a place on his Throne on his right hand and pronounce us blessed and take us to himself to live with himself in eternal glory c. But I mention onely this general and let each soul expatiate on the rest 2. Let us praise him for his coming and for all his actings at his coming Our engagement to Christ even for this transaction is so great that we can never enough extol his Name at that day the books shall be opened and why not the book of our engagements to Jesus Christ if it must be opened I can surely tell you it is written full the page and margent both within and without is written full it 's an huge book of many volumes O then let our hearts be full of praises let us joyn with those blessed Elders that fell down before the Lamb and sung Worthy it the Lamb that was slain to receive power Rev. 5.12 and riches and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and blessing Yea let us joyn with all those creatures in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the Sea whom John heard saying Blessing Honour Glory and Power be unto him that sitteth on the throne Ver. 13. and unto the Lamb for ever and ever Amen SECT IX Of conforming to Jesus in that respect 9. LET us conform to Jesus as coming again to judge the World Looking to Jesus contains this when the Apostle would perswade Christians to patience under the cross he lays down first the cloud of witnesses all the Martyrs of the Church of Christ and secondly Jesus Christ himself as of more vertue and power than all the rest the Martyrs suffered much but Christ endured more than they all and therefore saith the Apostle Heb. 12.2 look unto Jesus surely he is the best exemplar the chief pattern to whom in all his transactions we may in some way or other conform But how should we conform to Christ in this respect I Answer 1. Christ will in his time prepare for judgment Oh let us at all times prepare for his judging of us doth it not concern us to prepare for him as well as it concerns him to prepare for us if Christ come and find us careless negligent unprepared what will become of us the very thought of Christ's sudden coming to judgment might well put us into a waiting watching posture that we might be still in readiness it cannot be long and alas what is a little time when it is gone how quickly shall we be in another World and our souls receive their particular judgments and so wait till our bodies be raised and judged to the same condition or salvation it is not an hundred years in all likelyhood till every soul of us shall be in heaven or hell it may be within a year or two or ten or thereabouts the greatest part of this congregation will be in Heaven or Hell and I beseech you what is a year or two or ten what is an hundred or a thousand years to the dayes of eternity how speedily is this gone and how endless is that time or eternity that is come is it not high time then to prepare our lamps to trim our souls to watch and fast and pray and meditate and to remember that for all our deeds good or evill God will bring us to Judgment herein is our Conformity to Christ's coming before he comes he prepares for us oh let us against his coming prepare for him 2. Christ at his coming will summon all his Saints to arise to ascend and to come to him in the clouds O let us summon our souls to arise to ascend and to go to Christ in the Heavens What Christ will do really at that day let us do spiritually on this day It was the prodigal's saying I will arise and go to my Father and say unto him Luk. 15.18 We are naturally sluggish we lye in a bed of sin and security and we are loath to arise to ascend and to go to God Oh then let us call upon our own souls Awake awake Deborah why art thou so heavy O my soul let us stir up our spirits consciences wills affections every day let us wind them up as a man doth his Watch that it may be in a continual motion Alas alas we had need to be continually stirring up the gifts and graces that are in us it is the Lords pleasure that we should daily come to him he would have us on the wing of Prayer and on the wing of Meditation and on the wing of Faith he would have us to be still arising ascending and mounting up in divine contemplation to his Majesty And is it not our duty and the Saints disposition to be thus Whethersoever the dead carcass is thither will the Eagles resort Matth. 24.28 if Christ be in Heaven where should we be but in Heaven with him For where your Treasure is there will your hearts be also Oh that every morning and every evening at least our hearts would arise ascend and go to Christ in the Heavens 3. Christ will at last judge all our souls and judge all the wicked to eternal flames oh let us judge our selves that we may not be judged of the Lord in that sad Judgment If we would judge our selves saith the Apostle we should not be judged 1 Cor. 11.31 Good reason we have to conform to Christ in this point or otherwise how should we escape the judgment of Christ at the last day but in what manner should we judge our selves I answer 1. We must search out our sins 2. We must confess them before the Lord. 3. We must condemn our selves or pass a sentence against our own souls 4. We must plead pardon and cry mightily to God in Christ for the remission of all those sins whereof we have judged our selves and condemned our selves 1. We must search out our sins Winnow your selves O people not worthy to be beloved Zeph. 2.1 There should be a strict scrutiny to find out all the prophaness of our hearts and lives all our sins against light and love and checks and vows winnow your selves If you will not I pronounce to you from the eternal God that ere long the Lord will come in the Clouds and then will he open the black Book wherein all your sins are written he will search Jerusalem with candles he will come with a Sword in his hand to search out all secure sinners every where and then will all your sins be discovered to all the World O that we would prevent this by our search and scrutining a forehand 2. We must confess our sins before the Lord we must spread them before the Lord as Hezekiah did his letter onely in our confessions observe these rules As 1. Our confession must be full of sorrow Psal 38.18 I
Word Mark here one of Satans depths in outward things he tempts men to distrust God and to rely altogether on means but in heavenly things and matters of salvation he tempts men to lay all on Gods Decrees and Gods purposes without any regard had to the means Such men might as well say the Lord hath appointed that we shall live to such a time and till then we shall not die and therefore what need we food in health or physick in sickness Oh take heed of these reasonings Gods Decree doth not remove the use of the means but establish and confirm them 2. The Decree is the same with that book of life wherein are written the names of the Elect Phil. 4 3 Luke 12 20 Rev. 20.12 Paul tells us of some women with Clement and other fellow-labourers whose names are in the book of life And Christ bids his Disciples rejoyce because their names are written in heaven And John saw in his vision the dead small and great stand before God and the books were opened and another book was opened which is the book of life As Captains have a book wherein they write the names of their Souldiers and Citizens have a book wherein they record the names of their Burgesses So God hath his Decree or book of life in which he registers all that belongs to him Exod. 32.32 33. Some other texts speak of a book of life as blot me I pray thee out of thy book which thou hast written said Moses in his zeal for Israel to whom the Lord answered whosoever sinneth against me him will I blot out of my book But this was not the book say some of Gods eternal Decree but the book of his providences God hath a double book and both in a figure he hath a book of his resolved Decrees and a book of his acted providences this latter is but a transcript or a copy of the former those huge original volumes of love and blessings which God hath laid up in his heart for his own people from all eternity is the book I mean Indeed this book is writing out every day by the hand and pen of providence in the ordering of all those affairs which concern our salvation 3. This Decree is the very same also with Gods seal the foundation of God standeth sure having this seal the Lord knoweth them that are his A seal is used in three cases 1. To keep things distinct 2. To keep things secret 3. To keep things safe In every of these respects Gods Decrees are seals but especially in the last those souls that are sealed by God they are safe in the love and favour of God as when Job tells us that God sealeth up the stars i.e. say some he preserveth the stars in their Orbs in the places where he hath set them they shall never drop out so God seals up his Saints i.e. he secures them of the eternal love of God so that they shall never drop out of his heart All these titles speak the immutability of Gods eternal emminent acts q. d. I decree I predestinate I book it seal it that such and such persons shall be eternally saved and why all this but to note the certainty and stability of the thing shall great Monarchs of the earth do thus shall they decree and book and seal to shew their greatness and wisdom that they could so resolve as no person or power whatsoever should be strong enough to cause them to change their resolutions and shall not I much more do not I know or foresee all that can or will follow is there any power or ever shall be to take them out of my hands Or is it possible that ever I should have a relenting thought at the saving of thâ—se souls Can any thing fall out hereafter to make me more provident more powerful more wise more merciful then now I am it may be in some things I may will a change but can I in any thing truly change my will no no I am the Lord I change not therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed Mal. 3 SECT IX The Covenant THE Covenant concerning mans salvation is the last and main particular I instanced in I dare not be too curious to insist on the order of nature and the rather because I believe the Covenant betwixt God Christ from everlasting is interwoven with the Decree fore-knowledge and election above So the Apostle tells us Ephes 1.4 He hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world mark that in Christ There was an eternal plot betwixt the Father and the Son there was a bargain made I speak it with reverence betwixt God and Christ there was a Covenant betwixt the Lord and his Son Jesus Christ for the salvation of the Elect and of this observe we especially these following Texts In Isaiah 49.1 2 3 4. the Prophet seems to set it Dialogue-wise one expresseth it thus First Christ begins and shews his commission telling God how he had called him and fitted him for the work of redemption and he would know what reward he should have of him for so great an undertaking The Lord hath called me from the womb Isa 19 1 2. from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name and he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me and made me a polished shaft in his quiver hath he bid me Upon this God answers him and tells him what reward he should have for so great an undertaking only at first he offers low viz. onely the elect people of Israel And he said unto me thou art my servant O Israel Ver. 3. in whom I will be glorified or Israel it is in whom I will be glorified by thee Christ who stood now a making his bargain with him thought these too few and not worth so great a labor and work because few of the Jews would come in but would refuse him and therefore he says he should labour in vain if this were all his recompence then said I ver 4. I have laboured in vain I have spent my strength for naught and in vain yet withal he tells God that seeing his heart was so much in saving sinners he would do it howsoever for those few comforting himself with this that his work or his reward was with the Lord. Upon this God comes off more freely and opens his heart more largely to him as meaning more amply to content him for his pains in dying ver 6. it is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribe of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel that is not worth the dying for I value thy sufferings more than so I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles that thou mayest be my salvation unto the ends of the earth Methinks I imagine as if I heard God speak unto Christ from
for the Lord God will help me Heb. 2.13 Isa 50.7 8 9 Isa 59.5 therefore shall I not be confounded And behold the Lord will help me who is he that shall condemn me whereto agrees that other passage and my God shall be my strength 3. There was a promise of submission to his Fathers will in bearing the reproaches and injuries that should be done to him and to lay down his life for those that were given to him by the Father the Lord God opened my ear and I was not rebellious Isa 50.5 6 neither turned away back I gave my back to the smiters and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair I hid not my Face from shame and spitting John 10.17 and therefore my Father loves me because I lay down my life Christ first thus Covenanted with his Father and then he was careful to discharge the same and at last he tells God John 17.4 I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do 4. There was an earnest expectation of that glory which the Father promised Christ and his members And now O Father glorifie thou me with thine own self John 17.5 John 17.24 with the glory which I had with thee before the World was And Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the Foundation of the World These were the Articles of the Covenant on Christs part and hence it is that God is called the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ viz. by reason of the Covenant Ephes 1.3 O my soul with what delight mayest thou consider muse and ponder on these Articles what that God should make a Covenant and enter into these and these Articles with his own Son for thy good and for thy Eternal good what that God should bring in the second person in the Trinity to be the head of the Covenant as on thy part what a mercy is this O run over and over this meditation a thousand and a thousand times O consider thy hope of Eternal life which God that cannot lye Tit. 1.2 promised before the world began If thy soul question what promise was there made before the World began to whom was the promise made who was there before the World began for God to make any promise to why now thou hast learned it was only to the Son of God the second person in the Trinity There was a most blessed transaction between God the Father and God the Son before the world began for thy everlasting good and upon that transaction depends all thy hope and all thy salvation O this is worthy of thy deep and sad and serious and inmost meditation I have been particular and large in this passage of Looking unto or considering Jesus but I shall be brief in the rest SECT III. Of desiring after Jesus in that respect 3. VVE must desire after Jesus carrying on the great work of our salvation in that Eternity It is not enough to know consider but we must desire Now desire is a passion looking after the attainment of some good which we enjoy not and which we imagine to be fitting for us In this respect we cannot desire after Jesus as now to carry on that work of our salvation before the World began for that work is already perfectly done But these things we may desire after as 1. After the manifestation of that work in us 2. After God and Christ the complotters and actors of that great work for us 3. After the full and utmost execution whereby God effectually works in time according to all his workings or decrees before time 1. We must desire after the manifestation of this work in us We have heard of marvellous excellent glorious things done by Jesus Christ for his Saints from all Eternity oh what desires now should be in us to know that we are of that number when I hear and consider that there was such a project and such counsels and such love and such a purpose and such decrees and such a Covenant betwixt God and Christ for salvation of souls and withal that they are but few in comparison concerning whom God and Christ hath all this care will not this whet on my desires and make me cry and cry again Oh that these loves were mine how happy were I if I had a share in these eternal thoughts of God Methinks we should not hear of such transactions but it should stir up our hearts in infinite desires methinks we should pant after assurance and still be wishing Oh what is truth and what is Christ and what did Christ for me before I was or before the World was I would I knew him I would I could enjoy him I would I were assured that he had one good thought of me in that Eternity Christians if you have any share in those transactions sooner or later you will feel these desires nay if my sinful heart deceive me not upon the very consideration of these things I feel my self another creature in my desires then I was before Tell me you that have took a full view of God Christ and of all these wonders of Eternity do you not sensibly differ from your selves in your affections Is not the world worldly pleasures worldly profits and worldly honours fallen too yea ten in an hundred with you have they not lost their price would you not rather be assured that your names are written in the Book of Life then to have all the world yours yea and all the Devils in Hell subject to your commands Certainly if these revelations work nothing in your hearts if your affections be so strong and hearty to the world and the vanities of it if your desires be so impure and strongly working downwards that Gods ancient loves and everlasting workings have no power on your hearts it is a very sad condition If David may have his wish it runs thus Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us he would have the manifestation of Gods Eternal love Psa 4.6 one smile of his countenance as an image of that countenance which God had towards him before the world began was more gladness to his heart then all that which the men of the world had in the time that their corn and their wine increased 2. We may and must desire after God and Christ the complotters and actors of that great work for us what hath the Gospel revealed this truth that before the Creation God and Christ were busied about our good yea and hath Christ especially that came out of the bosom of his Father brought the treasures of his Fathers counsel to the world discovered such love to men how then should our desires be after God in Christ Whom have I in heaven but thee Psa 73.35 there is none upon earth that I
man have a quarrel against any even as Christ forgave you so also do ye 1 Pet. 1.15 16. And as he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation because it is written be ye holy for I am holy Against this some object how can we be holy as Christ is holy first the thing is impossible and secondly if we could there would be no neeâ— of Christ But I answer to the first the thing if rightly understood is not impossible we are commanded to be holy as Christ is holy not in respect of equality as if our holiness must be of the same compass with the holiness of Christ but in respect of quality our holiness must be of the same stamp and truth as the holiness of Christ as when the Apostle saith That we must love our neighbor as our self the meaning is Rom. 13.9 not that our love to our neighbor should be Mathematically equal to the love of our self for the Law doth allow of degrees in love accordingly to the degrees of relation in the thing beloved Rom. 12.9 Do good unto all men specially to those of the houshold of faith love to a friend may safely be greater than love to a stranger or love to a wife or child may safely be greater than to a friend yet in all our love to others it must be of the self same nature as true as real as cordial as sincere as solid as that to our selves We must love our neighbor as our selves i.e. unfeignedly and without dissimulation Again I answer to the second Christ is needful notwithstanding our utmost holiness in two respects 1. Because we cannot come to full and perfect holiness and so his grace is requisite to pardon and cover our failings 2. Because that which we do attain unto it is not of or from our selves and so his spirit is requisite to strengthen us unto his service We must be holy as Christ is holy yet still we must look at the holiness of Christ as the sun and root and fountain and that our holiness is but as a beam of that sun but as a branch of that root but as a stream of that fountain For the third how we must conform to this life I answer 1. Let us frame to our selves some Idea of Christ let us set before us the life of Christ in the whole and all the parts of it as we find it recorded in God's Book It would be a large picture if I should draw it to the full but for a taste I shall give it in few lines Now then setting aside the consideration of Christ as God or as Mediator or as Head of his Church 1. I look at the mind of Christ at his judgment will affections such as love joy delight and the rest and especially at the compassions of Jesus Christ O the dear affections and compassions which Christ had towards the sons of men this was his errand from Heaven and while he was upon the earth he was ever acting it I mean his pitifulness Luke 4.18 Psal 147.3 I mean his affections and compassion in healing broken hearts so the Psalmist He healeth the broken in heart and bindeth up their wounds it is spoken after the manner of a Chirurgion he had a tender heart towards all broken hearts he endeavoured to put all broken bones into their native place again nor speak I thus only of him in respect of his office but as he was man he had in him such a mind that he could not but compassionate all in misery O what bowels what stirrings and boylings and wrestlings of a pained heart touched with sorrow was ever upon occasion in Jesus Christ Matth. 14.1 Mark 6.34 peruse these texts and Jesus went forth and saw a great multitude and he was moved with compassion towards them and he healed their sick And Jesus when he came out saw much people and was moved with compassion towards them because they were as sheep not having a shepherd Mark 1.40 41. And there came a leper to him and kneeling down to him and saying to him if thou wilt thou canst make me clean and Jesus moved with compassion put forth his hand and touched him saying I will be thou clean Then Jesus called his disciples unto him Mat. 15.32 and said I have compassion on the multitude And for the two blind men that cried out Have mercy on us O Lord thou son of David Matth. 20.34 Luke 15.20 it is said that Jesus stood still and he had compassion on them and touched their eyes And the poor prodigal returning When he was yet a great way off his Father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him How sweet is this last Instance that our sense of sinful weakness should be sorrow and pain to the bowels and heart of Jesus Christ you that are Parents of young Children let me put the case if some of you standing in the relation of a Father should see his Child sweat and wrestle under an over-load till his back were almost broken and that you should hear him cry Oh I am gone I faint I sinck I dye would not your bowels be moved to pity and would not your hands be stretched out to help or if some of you standing in the relation of a Mother should see your sucking Child fallen into a pit and wrestling with the water and crying for help would you not stir nor be moved in heart nor run to deliver the Child from being drowned Surely you would and yet all this pity and compassion of yours is but as a shadow of the compassions and dear affections that were and that are in the heart of Jesus Christ O he had a mind devoid of sin and therefore it could not but be full of pity mercy and tender bowels of compassion 2. I look at the grace in Christ O he was full of grace yea full of all the graces of the Spirit Cant. 1.13 14. A bundle of Mirrh is my well-beloved to me My Beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi a bundle of Myrrh and a cluster of camphire denote all the graces of the Spirit as many flowers are bound together in a nosegay so the variety of the graces of the Spirit concenter'd in the heart of Jesus Christ ex gr Matth. 21.5 1. In him was meekness He cometh unto thee meek he had a sweet command and moderation of his anger Num. 12.3 he was meek as Moses nay though Moses was very meek and very meek above all the men that were upon the face of the earth yet Christ's meekness exceeded Mose's as the body doth exceed the shadow 2. In him was humility he saved not the world by his power but by his humility in his incarnation Christ would be humble and therefore he was born of a poor Virgin in a common Inn in his
or spear is to be had in singular honour as the myrrhe that by incision of the Tree flows out is very precious yet that which drops out of its own accord is accounted as the first and choyce and as the Balsome which way soever it come is sweet yet that which falls of its own accord is held the most pure and odoriferous to this alludes that Apocryphal-saying in Ecclesiasticus I gave a sweet smell like Cinamon and I yielded a pleasant odour Ecclus. 24.15 like the best myrrhe the vulgar translates it thus Quasi Libanus non incisus vaporavi as the myrrhe-tree that is not cut I evaporated as if Christ should have said without any lanching cutting pruning out of meer love I poured out my blood upon the earth this is certain at this time no manner of violence was offered him in body no man touched him or came near him in a cold night for they were fain to have a fire within doors lying abroad in the air and upon cold earth he casts himself into a sweat of blood surely love is hot he had a fire in his breaâ— that melts him into this bloody sweat O wonderful Love 3. This may inform us of the Design of Christ in these very sufferings Christ weeps saith Bernard Bern. Serm. in Dom. palm not only in his eyes but in all his members that with the tears of his body he might wash and purifie his body which is the Church or Christ weeps blood that he might give us a sign of the enemies ruine sweat in sickness is as a Crisis or promising sign that Nature with all her force hath strove against the peccant humour and hath now overcome it so this bloody sweat is a blessed Crisis or argument of sin decaying and that the Lamb hath overthrown the Lion As Christ sometimes said Now is the Judgment of this World Joh. 12.31 32. now shall the Prince of this World be cast out and I if I be lifted up from the Earth will draw all men unto me Thus far of Christ's passion before his apprehension And now we may suppose it about midnight the very time which Christ called the hour and power of darkness what followed from twelve till three at night Luke 22.53 we shall discover in the next Section SECT VI. Of Judas's Treason Christ's Apprehension binding and leading unto Annas BY this time the Traitor Judas was arrived at Gethsemani and being near the Garden-door Jesus goes to his Disciples and calls them from their sleep by an Irony as some think he bids them sleep on now and take their rest meaning if they could for danger Mat. 26.45 46. that now was near but withal he adds Behold the hour is at hand and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners rise let us be going behold he is at hand that doth betray me That it might appear he undertook his sufferings with choice and free election he not only refused to fly but he calls his Apostles to rise that they might meet his Murderers And now they come with Swords and Staves or as John adds Mat. 26.47 John 18.3 Ioh. 18.12 13. with Lanthorns and Torches and Judas going before them and drawing near unto Jesus to kiss him they took him and bound him and led him away to Annas first In this Period I shall observe 1. Judas's Treason 2. Christ's Apprehension 3. Christ's binding 4. Christ's leading to Annas one of the Chief Priests as to his first station 1. Judas's treason And while he yet spake behold a multitude and he that was called Judas one of the twelve went before them and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him Luke 22.47 This Traitor is not a Disciple only but an Apostle not one of the seventy but one of the twelve Augustine speaks of many offices of Love that Christ had done to Judas in especial manner he had called him to be an Apostle made him his Friend his Familiar caused him to eat of his Bread sit at his Table and to dip his hand in the Dish with him yea if his Tradition be true Jesus had delivered Judas often from death Aug. Serm 28. ad fratres and for his sake healed his Father of a Palsie and cured his Mother of a Leprosie and next to Peter honoured him above all other his Apostles Of this we are sure that he kissed him and washed his feet and made him his treasurer and his Almoner and that now Judas should betray Christ O how doth this add to the sufferings of Christ and to the Sin of Judas Behold a multitude and Judas in the front he went before them tam pedibus quam moribus in his presence and in his malice The Evangelist gives the reason of this that he might have the better opportunity to kiss him this was the sign he gave the rout whomsoever I shall kiss that is he lay hold on him he begins war with a Kiss and breaks the peace of his Lord by a Symbole of kindness Jesus takes this ill What Judas betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss q. d. What Luke 22.48 dost thou make the seal of Love the sign of treachery What! must a Kiss of thy mouth be the Key of treason O what a friendly reproof is here By way of use It were well for the world saith Chrysostome especially for the Children of God that Judas were alone in this transgression that there were no more perfidious treacherous Persons in it besides himself But Oh! how fu l is the world of such miscreants Vse Vtinam Judas solus sic peccasset Chrys there was never yet an Abel but he had a Cain to murder him never yet a Moses but he had a Jannes and Jambres to resist him never yet a Joseph but he had unkind Brothers to envy him never yet a Samson but he had a Dalilah to betray him never yet a David but he had an Ahitophel to hurt him never yet a Paul but there was an Alexander to do him much evil nay it is well if in every assembly we meet not with a Judas in civill affairs how many are there that live and make gain by lying swearing cheating cozâ—ning selling away Christ and their own souls for a lesser matter than thirty pieces of Silver and in religious affairs how many secure and drowsie professors have we amongst us that salute Christ both by hearing the Word and receiving the Seals and yet in their lives and conversations they deny Christ They honour God with their lips Mat. 26.50 but their hearts are far away from him 2. For Christ's apprehension then came they and laid hands on Jesus and took him They apprehended him whom the world cannot comprehend and yet before they took him he himself begins the inquiry and leads them into their errand he tells them that he was Jesus of Nazareth whom they sought this was but a Breath a meek and gentle word
consider that my sins were the cause of all methinks I should need no more arguments for self-abhorring Christians would not your hearts rise aganst him that should kill your Father Mother Brother Wife Husband dearest Relations in all the World O then how should your hearts and souls rise against sin surely your sin it was that murthered Christ that killed him who is instead of all relations who is a thousand thousand times dearer to you than Father Mother Husband Child or whomsoever Job 42.6 one thought of this should methinks be enough to make you say as Job did I abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes Oh what 's that cross on the back of Christ My sins Oh what 's that Crown on the head of Christ My sins Oh what 's that nail in the right hand and that other in the left hand of Christ My sins Oh what 's that spear in the side of Christ My sins Oh what are those nails and wounds in the feet of Christ My sins With a spiritual eye I see no other engine tormenting Christ no other Pilate Herod Annas Caiaphas condemning Christ no other Souldiers Officers Jews or Gentiles doing execution on Christ but only sin Oh my sins my sins my sins John 3.14 15. 2. Comfort we our selves in the end and aim of this death of Christ As Moses lifted up the Serpent in the Wilderness so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life The end of Christ's crucifying is the material business and therefore let the end be observed as well as the meritorious cause without this consideration the contemplation of Christ's death or the meditation of the story of Christ's sufferings would be altogether unprofitable now what was the end surely this John 12.32 1 Pet. 2.24 Christ lifted up that he might draw all men unto him Christ hanged on a Tree that he might bear our sins on the Tree this was the plot which God by ancient design had aimed at in the crucifying of Christ and thus our faith must take it up indeed our comfort hangs on this the intent aim and design of Christ in his sufferings is that welcome news and the very Spirit of the Gospel O remember this Christ is crucified and why so that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have life everlasting We are now at the height of Christ's sufferings and the Sun is now in his meridian or height of ascent Mat. 27.45 I shall no more count hour by hour for from the sixth hour till the nineth hour that is from twelve till three in the afternoon there was darkness over all the Land But of that and of the consequents after it in the next Section SECT VII Of the consequents after Christ's crucifying THe particulars following I shall quickly dispatch As thus 1. About twelve when the Sun is usually brightest it began now to darken This darkness was so great that it spread over all the Land of Jewry some think over all the World Luke 23.44 so we translate it in Luke And there was a darkness over all the Earth and many Gentiles besides Jews observed the same as a great miracle Dionisius the Areopagite as Suidas relates could say at first sight of it Suid. in vita Sa Dion Either the World is ending or the God of Nature is suffering This very darkness was the occasion of that Altar erected in Athens and dedicated unto the unknown God Of this prophesied Amos And it shall come to pass in that day that I will cause the Sun to go down at noon Acts 17 23. Amos 8.9 and I will darken the Earth in a clear day The cause of this darkness is diversly rendered by several Authors some think that the Sun by Divine power with-drew and held back its beams Others say Hier. in Mat. 17. Orig. tract 35. in Matth. Dionis Epist. 7. ad Policarpum that the obscurity was caused by sâ—me thick clouds which were miraculously produced in the air and spread themselves over all the earth Others say that this darkness was by a wonderful interpoposition of the Moon which at that time was at full but by a miracle interposed it self betwixt the Earth and Sun Whatsoever was the cause it continued for the space of three hours as dark as the darkest winters night 2. About three which the Jews call the nineth hour the Sun now beginning to receive his light Jesus cryed with a loud voice Eli Eli Lamasabachthani my God my God why hast thou forsaken me And then that the Scriptures might be fulfilled Matth. 27.46 John 19.28 30. Luke 23.46 he said I thirst And when he had received the vinegar he said it is finished And at last crying with a loud voice he said Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit and having said thus he gave up the ghost I cannot stay on these seven words of Christ which he uttered on the cross his words were ever gracious but never more gracious than at this time we cannot find in all the Books and Writings of men in all the Annals and Records of time either such sufferings or such sayings as were these last words and wounds sayings and sufferings of Jesus Christ John 19.30 And having said thus he gave up the ghost Or as John relates it He bowed his head and gave up the ghost He bowed not because he was dead but first he bowed and then dyed the meaning is he dyed willingly without constraint cheerfully without murmur what a wonder is this life it self gives up his life and death it self dyes by his death Jesus Christ who is the Author of life the God of life layes down his life for us and death it self lyes for ever nailed to that bloody cross in the stead of Jesus Christ And now we may suppose him at the gates of Paradise calling with his last words to have them opened that the King of glory might come in 3. About four in the afternoon he was pierced with a spear and there issued out of his side both blood and water And one of the Souldiers with a spear pierced his side and forthwith came there out blood and water How truly may we say of the Souldiers John 19.34 that after all his sufferings they have added wounds they find him dead and yet they will scarce believe it until with a spear they have search'd for life at the well-head it self even at the heart of Christ And forthwith there came out blood and water this was the Fountain of both Sacraments the Fountain of all our happiness Zach. 13.1 The Fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness There are three that bear-witness on earth saith John the Spirit and the Water 1 John 5.8 and the Blood Out of the side of Christ being now dead there issues water and blood signifying
is that of Paul I now rejoyce in my sufferings for you Col. 1.24 and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his bodies sake which is the Church One would wonder how Paul should fill up that which is behind of the sufferings of Christ were Christ's suffeings imperfect and much Paul add to them no surely for by one offering Christ hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified I shall not insist on many Commentaries Heb. 10.14 I suppose this is the genuine sense and meaning of the Spirit Now rejoyce I in my sufferings for you whereby I fulfil the measure of those tribulations which remain yet to be endured of Christ in his mystical body which I do for the bodies sake not to satisfie for it but to confirm it or strengthen it by my example in the Gospel of Christ The sufferings of Christ are either personal or general his personal sufferings were those he endured in his own body as Mediator which once for ever he finished his general sufferings are those which he endures in his mystical body which is the Church as he is a Member with the rest and these are the sufferings Paul speaks of and which Paul fills up But wherein is the conformity betwixt our sufferings and the sufferings of Christ I answer 1. Negatively 2. Positively 1. Negatively our sufferings have no conformity with Christ in these two things 1. Not in the Office of Christ's sufferings for his were meritorious and satisfactory ours only ministerial and for edification 2. Not in the weight and measure of Christ's sufferings for his were bitter heavy and woful such as would have pressed any other Creature as low as Hell and have swallowed him up for ever but ours are but in comparison light and tollerable There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man 1 Cor. 10.13 for God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able 2. Positively our sufferings must have conformity with Christ 1. In the cause of them Christ's sufferings were instrumentally from Satan and wicked men we must look to suffer by the enemies of Christ if we have any share in Christ the enemy continues still Gen. 3.15 I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed This was primarily meant betwixt the Devil and Christ but if we conform to Christ we must expect the very same conditions 2. In the manner of undergoing them we must suffer with a proportion of that humility and patience and love and meekness and obedience which Christ shewed in his very sufferings 3. In respect of the issue of them we must look upon Christ's issue and expect it to be ours Ought not Christ to have suffered these things Luke 24.26 Rom. 8.17 2 Tit. 2.12 and so enter into Glory And if so be that we suffer with Christ we shall be glorified together with Christ If we suffer with him we shall also reign with him By reason of this conformity we have that communion and association with Christ in all these particulars as 1. We have Christ's strength to bear sufferings 2. His Victories to overcome sufferings 3. His Intercession to preserve us from falling away in sufferings 4. His Compassion to moderate and proportion our sufferings to the measure of strength which he hath given us 5. His Spirit to draw in the same yoke with us and to hold us under all sufferings that we sink not 6. His Graces to be more glorious by our sufferings as a Torch when it is shaken shines the brighter 7. His Crown to reward our sufferings when we shall have tasted our measure of them For our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory O my Soul study this conformity and be content with thy portion yea comfort thy self in this condition of sufferings must we not drink of our Saviour's Cup what not of our Master 's own Cup We read of Godfrey of Bullein that he would not be crowned in Jerusalem with a Crown of Gold where Christ was crowned with a Crown of Thorns because he would not have such a great disproportion betwixt him and Christ and we read of Origin that when Alexander Severus the Emperor sent for him to Rome and that he might take his choice whether he would ride thither on a Mule or in a Chariot that he refused them both saying he was less than his Master Christ of whom he never read that he rode but once O the sufferings Christ endured he was called a Wine-bibber a Samaritane a Devil he was pursued entrapped snared 2 Tim. 3.12 slain And surely they that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution Never wonder that thou art hated of men or persecuted of men why I tell thee if Christ himself were now amongst us in the form and fashion of a servant in that very condition that sometimes he was and should convince men of their wickedness as searchingly as sometimes he did I verily think he would be the most hated man in all the world It 's plain enough what carnal men would do by these very doings of the carnal Jews 3. We must conform to Christ in his death carrying in us a resemblance and representation of his death But what death is this I answer in a word a death unto sin so the Apostle Rom. 6.10 11. Rom. 6.5 in that he died unto sin likewise reckon ye your selves to be dead indeed unto sin There is a likeness betwixt Christ's death and our death in this respect we are planted together in the likeness of his death True Mortification carries a similitude a likeness a resemblance of the death of Christ As for instance See Mr. Brinsley at large mystical implantation John 10.17 18 Psal 100.3 1. Christ's death was a voluntary death I lay down my life that I may take it again no man taketh it from me but I lay it down of my self I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again not all men on earth nor all Devils in Hell could have enforced Christ's death if he had not pleased his death was a voluntary death a spontaneous act so is our mortification Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power many may leave their sins against their wills but this is not true mortification it bears not in it the likeness of Christ's death for he died willingly it may be thou hast a clamorous Conscience which continually dogs thee and therefore thou leavest thy sin thus Judas came in with his thirty pieces of silver Mat. 27.5 and cast them down in the Temple at the High Priest's feet but no thanks to Judas for they were too hot for him to hold or it may be there is some penalty of the Law or some temporal judgment that
a man would read he must have all these or more than one of these so God hath appointed us three necessary means for our illumination and direction the Word the Ministry and the Spirit What God hath joyned let no man separate if any will foolishly go and set one of these against another when God hath set them all together and made them all necessary assigning to each a several part in the work of our illumination they may abuse God and themselves and go without the light while they despise the necessary causes of it God's evidences must not be separated much less must one be pleaded to the neglect of all the rest as the work within us is not the first testimony but a secondary confirming testimony so doth it not make the first unnecessary or void besides that by the external testimony we must convince other men which by the witness within us we cannot do But this only by the way 2. For the encouragement of our Faith to believe in Christ as in reference to his Ascension Session and Mission of his Spirit 1. Consider of the excellency of this Object what is it but Christ Christ in his Ascendant Culminant Regnant Power Christ in his Marching Conquering Triumphing Postures in his Free and Large and Magnificent Gifts When he Ascended on high he led Captivity Captive and gave Gifts unto Men. O the Glory O the Excellency of Christ in these Respects Verily they are enough to tire out Men and Angels with the only Act of wondering and surveying of their vastness Here is Gospel-Work for all Eternity to dig into this Gold-Mine to roul and turn this Soul-delighting precious Stone to behold enquire and search into these depths and heights of Christ exalted and I believe this is the satiety the top and prime of Heavens Glory to see and wonder at the vertues of him that sits on the Throne at the right hand of God to be filled but never Satiate with the Glory of Christ What Christ ascended Christ set down in Glory and Christ sending down his Holy Spirit here 's a Compendium of all Glories here is one for an heart to be taken with made up of nothing but of several Mysteries of Glory 2. Consider the Power Vertue and Influence of this Object into our souls Salvation oh what a stately Tower have we here erected to see Heaven on Faith may stand as it were on this Mount and see it self in glory Oh the flowings the rich emanations of Grace and Glory that come from hence come let us draw the Well is deep all the drops and dewings that fall on Men or Angels are but as chips in comparison of that huge and boundless body of the fulness of Grace that is in Christ one Lilly is nothing to a boundless and broad Field of Lillies Christ is in these respects the Mountain of Roses oh how High how Capacious how Full how Beautiful how Green could we but smell him who feeds among the Lillies till the Day break and the shadows fly away could we but dive into the Golden Veins of these unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ we should say It is good to be here Oh it 's good to gather up the fragments that fall from Christ his Crown shines with Diamonds and Pearls oh why do we toyl our selves in gathering sticks when to morrow we shall be out of this World and go to Christ come where is our mouth of Faith let us lay to it here let us suck and be satisfied with these Breasts of consolation let us milk out and be delighted with the abundance of his Glory 3. Consider of the suitableness of these Objects to our several conditions you may remember the first cry Was it not love enough for Christ to come down and to visit us here but that he must go up and take us with him no no his love was so great and vast that for our sakes he moves up and down this ravished the Spouse Behold he comes leaping upon the Mountains and skipping upon the Hills Cant. 2.8 Cant. 2.8 Gregory that measured his leaps thus gives them be first leaps from his Fathers Mansion to his Mothers Womb from her Womb to the Cratch from his Cratch to his Cross and from his Cross to his Grave from his Grave up again to Heaven great leaps indeed that shewed both his readiness to love and willingness to save infinite love can never be out-tired with greatest actions But another cries how should I believe that Christ is exalted and that by vertue thereof I shall be exalted when I see my self in a forlorn condition forsaken of God Psal 62.9 and abject amongst Men Alas Man at his best is altogether Vanity yea Men of low degree are Vanity and Men of high degree are a Lye to be laid in the Ballance I am altogether lighter than Vanity how then should I believe any such condition is a Worm a fit or a capable Subject to wear a Crown Yes the Lord is great and he can do great things He raiseth up the Poor out of the Dust 1 Sam 2.8 9. and lifteth up the Beggar from the Dunghil to set them among Princes and to make them inherit the Throne of Glory for the Pillars of the Earth are the Lords and he hath set the World upon them he will keep the Feet of his Saints Why there is my sadness cryes another He will keep the Feet of his Saints if I were but a Saint I could believe this Power but alas I am unholy an unsanctified piece of Clay I am a sinner a sinner of the Gentiles chief of sinners I deserve to be thrown down to Hell rather than to be invested with Glory and to sit in Heaven True but yet the Holy Ghost is given to make thee holy of thy self thou art vile and most vile but hath not the Holy Ghost entred in and took possession of thy Spirit hath he not washed thee with water yea throughly washed away thy blood hath he not anointed thee with oyl and covered thee with silk and decked thee with gold and silver and made thee comely through his comeliness which he put upon thee Why this is the office of the holy Ghost and if thou hast but the in-dwelling of the Spirit this is thy state I know there is a part of thee unregenerate and it will be so whiles thou art on earth but withall there is in thee a new nature another nature there is something else within thee which makes thee wrestle against sin and shall in time prevail over all sin and this is the Spirit of Christ sanctifying of thee Being sanctified saith the Apostle by the holy Ghost Rom. 15.16 Other complaints might be thus brought in but if we understand the meaning the design of Christ in his Ascension Session and mission of his Spirit how might a true faith answer all oh believe believe thy part in Christ's Ascension Christ's Session Christ's Mission of
Saints why what bodies you will say have they I answer glorious bodies no sooner shall the bodies of the Saints arise but they shall exceed with singular qualities 1 Cor. 15.42 43 44 They were sown in corruption but they are raised in incorruption they were sown in dishonour but raised in glory they were sown in weakness but raised in power they were sowen natural bodies but raised spiritual bodies The Sun in its shinings doth but shadow forth the glory of their bodies and this will in some measure torment Reprobates to see the difference of their bodies and the bodies of the Saints O will they say yond are they whom we despised and now are they honoured See a world of Suns rising at once out of all parts of the Earth sometimes we lived on Earth and we never saw but one Sun rising in the East but lo millions of Suns on East and West and North and South O those are the glorious Saints of Heaven see with what swift and agile bodies they are preparing to fly into the Air to meet their Lord and Saviour there whilst in the mean time we rise with such heavy dull and deformed bodies that we cannot mount O what will become of us why this is the day of resurrection The Angels have been here to unseal our graves to roll away the stones and at their shout and sound of the Trumpet our scattered dusts have met together and lo now we stand upon the Earth 4. No sooner the Saints raised and their souls and Bodies re-united with excellent Majesty but then shall all the elect of God from first to last be gathered together if you ask whence and whither I answer 1. To the question whence from the four winds from one end of Heaven to another i.e. From all parts of the world from East and West and North and South from one end of Heaven to another a Vulgar term in regard of our sight for in it self Heaven is round and hath no end the meaning is that not one Saint in all the world from Adam to the last man shall be concealed or lye hid from the most hidden inward secret bosom of the earth all shall be gathered howsoever their dusts may be scattered into a thousand thousand parts yet the power of Christ shall restore all those dusts and bring them together into their several compacted bodies 2. To the question whether they shall be gathered Some say to the Valley of Jehoshaphat Joel 3.12 from that Text Let the Heathen be weakened and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat for there will I sit to judge the Heathen round about but I believe this Text hath reference to a particular judgment of God upon Israels enemies which dwell round about Jerusalem and not to the general day of Judgment Others say Acts 1.11 12. to Mount-Olivet from that Text This same Jesus which is taken up from you into Heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into Heaven then returned they unto Jerusalem from the Mount called Olivet But I believe this Text speaks onely of the manner how Christ shall come and not of the place to which he shall come Indeed 't is not probable that either the valley of Jehoshaphat or the Mount of Olivet can be sufficient places to contain all the men that ever were are and shall be and therefore if such a thing can be determined I should rather appeal to that Text 1 Thes 4.17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them that are raised in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air When Christ was askt this very question where Lord whither shall the Saints be gathered where shall the general Judgment be he answers wheresoever the body is thither will the Eagles be gathered together By the body Christ meant himself and by the Eagles Christ meant his Elect because their youth is renewed as the Eagles now the elect must resort to Christ wheresoever he is and the Apostle is express that Christ is in the air and in the clouds and therefore thither must the elect be gathered Luke 17.37 they shall be caught up by the holy Angels into the clouds to meet the Lord in the air Vse O my brethren what sights are these what changes wonders strange face of things will be this day how is it that we are not as frequent in the meditation of this Summons as Jerom was who as he thought heard dayly that sound Arise ye dead and come to Judgment methinks a sad and serious consideration of these passages might keep us close to Christ come try a little if in the hurryings of the day we are so distracted that we cannot reach the spiritual part of a meditation yet in the evening or morning when all is still or in the night-season when all is quiet then labour to prevent the day of doom so realize it as if then we saw Christ in the clouds sending his Angels on this errand Away and bring hither all the men and women in the world and in the first place gather my Saints together unto me Adam and Abraham those Fathers of the world and of the faithful let them see all their children and let all their children see them and bring them all to my Throne awaken the world let them who have slept in their graves some thousand of years be now rouzed and raised Imagine then as if we heard the Trumpet of God founded by the Angels of God and as the sound of it waxed louder and louder that we saw the Mountains skip like Rams and the little Hills like young Sheep That we saw all the graves in Churches or Church-yards in Fields or Plains or Seas fly open that we saw all the bodies of the dead beginning to stir and to stand upon their feet and presently the Angels coming and taking all the Saints upon their wings and so flying with them through the air till they came to the Throne and judgment-seat of Christ is it possible that such a meditation should pass without some tincture of it on our spirits if my ears shall hear that sound and if my eyes shall see these sights is it not time for me to lay these things to heart that I may be found faithful and well-doing as sure as I have this Book in my hand I must be one of those that shall hear the sound of the Trumpet and away I must from the mouth of my grave where ever I shall be buried to the cloud where Christ doth sit come then how would I rise as foul as a toad or as an Angel of God O my God! set this home on my soul O where 's my Lamp and where 's my oyl are all ready and am I ready furnished and prepared to meet the Lord in the Air Christians if we have any life in us let us act and realize this to the life O this would keep
desire besides thee A right beholding of Christ in his eternal workings will cause a desire of Christ above all desires the heart now thirsts for nothing but him that is all all power all love all holiness all happiness tell such a soul of the world and gold and glory O what are these the soul will quickly tell you Phil. 3.8 the world is dung and gold is dung glory is dung all is but loss dung for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. Give me God Christ saith the soul or I die Oh my desires are to him who hath done all this for me Is not this the period still of thy expression at the end of every discourse would Christ were mine thou hearest it may be some worldings talk such a one and such a one hath got so much in these times he that was yesterday as poor as Lazarus he is this day like that nameless rich man cloathed in purple Luk. 16.19 and fine linnen and faring sumptuously every day ay but dost not thou reply either in word or heart would Christ were mine and then I had got more then he Poor soul dost thou not gasp only after Christ when thou fetchest as I may say the very deepest breath canst thou read over the generation of Jesus the Son of God the time when he was begotten the manner of his begetting the mutual kindness and love of him that begets and of him that is begotten and dost not thou pant and breath and gasp after Jesus at every period canst thou read over Jesus his acts and decrees in reference to thy self canst thou turn over those many leaves in every of which is discovered those everlasting loves of God in his projects counsels foreknowledg purpose decree covenant for thy souls happiness and art thou not ready at every discovery to sing Davids Psalm Psa 42.1 2 as the hart panteth after the water-brooks so panteth my soul after thee O God my soul thirsteth for God for the living God O when shall I come and appear before God O my soul hadst thou but these pantings thirstings breathings after God and Christ thou mightest comfortably conclude these are the fruits of Gods Spirit it is the Spirit of the Lord Jesus which makes those sighs and groanes in thee Rom. 8.26 which cannot be expressed He and thee sigh together one in another and one after another O therefore look Look unto Jesus and sigh and desire after him 3. We may and must desire after the full and utmost execution whereby God effectually Workes in time according to all his workings or decrees before time God that purposed and decreed from all Eternity he will not have done the full execution of that purpose or decree till that after-Eternity in that world without end Indeed some part is a fulfilling now but the main the great part is yet to come why then as we see the Plot Phil. 1.23 let us desire after the full accomplishment let us desire after the glory without end to which we were predestinated before the beginning It was Pauls desire to be dissolved to be with Christ As men burthened so should we desire and groan after the enjoyments of God in the world to come O my soul that thou were but cast in the Apostles mould that they affections were but on the wing that they might take flight and steer their course towards heaven and thereupon that thou mightest say yond is the glorious house the goodly building made without hands which God from all Eternity decreed to be my home my rest my dwelling place to all Eternity and in yond stately Fabrick is many an heavenly Inhabitant before I come there are Angels and there are all the souls of Sainâ—s that from Adam to this day have had their pass out of this sinful world yea there is Jesus the Son of God and there is God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost and if I am predestinated to this fellowship Lord when shall I have run through the means that I may come to this end O my end where is my end where is my Lord my God my Comforter where is my rest where is my end I cannot be at rest without my end and therefore come Lord Jesus come quickly be like a Roe Cant. 8.14 or a young Hart upon the Mountains of Spices Christians why are not your Spirits alwayes breathing thus after the glory to which you are predestinated why do not you long after full enjoyment the utmost execution of Gods decree why are not your hearts your souls your spirits already in heaven Surely there be your relations your Father is there your elder brother is there and there are many I dare say most of your other younger brethren again there is your interest your estate is there if you believe and therefore Where should your hearts be but where your treasure is come then come set in tune those desires of your souls set your affections on things above especially on that one thing Jesus Christ Looking unto Jesus SECT IV. Of hoping in Jesus in that respect 4. WE must hope in Jesus as carrying on the great work of our salvation for us in that Eternity It is not enough to know and consider and desire but we must hope and maintain our hope as to our own interest Now hope is a passion whereby we expect probably or certainly some future good All the question is whether that salvation concerning which the great transaction was betwixt God and Christ belongs now to me and what are the grounds and foundations on which my hope is built I know some exceedingly abuse this Doctrine If God had before all worlds appointed me to salvation why then I may live as I list I need not hear or pray or confer or perform any holy Duty for I am sure I shall be saved And thus at once they take away all grounds of hope It is true Gods decrees are unchangeable but they do not afford any such inferences or deductions as these you might as well say the Lord hath appointed me to live to such a time and before that time I shall not cannot die and therefore I need no meat nor drink nor cloathes nor any other thing Ah silly foolish devilish arguing Gods decree is for the means as well as for the end whom God hath decreed to save them also hath he decreed to call to justifie to sanctifie before he save O my Soul look to the grounds whereon they hope is built if those be weak thy hope is weak but if those be strong thy hope will prove most strong and certain and prudent In the disquisition of these grounds say not in thine heart who shall ascend into Heaven Rom. 10.16 or who shall descend into the deep seek not above or below it is not possible for thee to go bodily into Heaven to see the Records of Eternity and to