one glimpse thereof in the Transfiguration put Peter in a trance Christ ascended to be glorified 3. It was expedient for us that Christ should ascend Obj. O but how can these things be how much better had it been for us to have had Christs bodily presence still on Earth What a deal of good did he by his Life Doctrine Miracles Compassion on the Poor Blind Diseased that cryed for help for themselves children and servants Lord hadst thou been here my brother had not dyed said Martha So may poor desolate souls say Lord hadst thou been on Earth still this evil and that storm had not come upon the Church or particular members of it Expedient Christ go O leave us not Answ In general Saddest providences and most terrible things whereby God answereth his People often carry a great deal of sweetness and comfort in them which we through ignorance and unbelief hardly discern Christians often loose much by poring on present or imminent evils and not looking to the sweet Result and glorious issue thereof We walk too much by sence and too little eye by Faith the things that are not seen Thus the Disciples were loth to hear that Christ must be put to death When he was buryed We trusted say two of them Luke 24.21 it had been he that should have redeemed Israel Their Faith was low not considering that he came to give his Life a Ransome for many Such fools so slow of heart are we to believe Thus when Christ told the Disciples I go my way to him that sent me They asked him not whither goest thou and therefore sorrow filled their hearts John 16.5 6 7. they did not look to the sweet Fruit which they should reap of his Departure they would have found cause of joy had they seriously considered that Christ went to his Father and their Father to his God and their God But particularly You have Christ's Word for it which should silence all objections and questioning thoughts John 16.7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth it is expedient for you that I go away There were four Expediencies of Christ's Ascension in respect of us 1. It was expedient for us that Christ should ascend that he might in our nature as our Head and Surety take possession of Heaven for us Heb. 6.20 Whither the fore-runner is for us entred even Jesus He had purchased the Inheritance and paid the price and he went to have seizen and possession for us John 14.2 I go to prepare a place for you 2. Christ's Ascension was expedient for us that he might intercede for us in Heaven and now appear in the Presence of God for us Heb. 9.24 and that we might have that consolation 1 Joh. 2.2 If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous And Heb. 7.25 He ever liveth to make intercession We have a constant and skilful faithful Sollicitor in the Court of Heaven pleading our cause Is the Church militant oppressed Jesus the Angel of the Covenant pleadeth How long Lord wilt thou be angry Zech. 1.12 and he is answered with good and comfortable words I am returned with Mercies to Jerusalem as it follows ver 16. The Lord Christ standeth as with a golden Censer having much Incense which he offereth with the Prayers of Saints on the Golden Altar before the Throne the Smoak of which Incense with the Prayers of the Saints ascendeth before God out of the Angels Hand When his People pray on Earth He as their Sollicitor procureth a Grant in Heaven which he sometimes sendeth down by a swift Messenger So he did to Daniel and Cornelius So that now being ascended Believers may triumph Who shall condemn It is Christ that died is risen again is at the Right Hand of God who also maketh intercession for us 3. It was expedient for us that Christ should ascend that he might send the Spirit the Comforter Joh. 16.7 If I go away the Comforter will not come unto you but if I depart I will send him to you The sending of the Spiriâ— to lead Believers into Truth to convince the World to help Believers Infirmities to quicken to comfort to stablish them and to abide with them to the end of the World is the fruit of Christs Ascension 4. Christ's Ascension was expedient to assure us that he hath fully satisfied Justice for the sins of his Elect and left nothing undone of the great Work which he undertook Heb. 9.12 By his own Blood he entred once into the holy Place having obtained Eternal Redemption for us His sitting at the Right Hand of God is an evidence that he hath obtained for us Eternal Redemption In his Ascension he triumphed over all Enemies He had spoiled Principalities spoiled them of their Prey having rescued his Elect spoiled them of their Dominion and Power over his Sheep He had cast out the Prince of this World the Accuser of the Brethren and He made shew of them openly Col. 2.15 Christ having overcome Death and Hell declareth his Conquest in ascending as a Conqueror into Heaven Take the Application in four Particulars briefly 1. Christ is gone to Heaven Be not deceived by false christ's Such shall come Mat. 24.24 O remember he is not here but ascended as he told his Disciples Seek not then a bodily presence in the Sacrament The Heavens must contain him Acts 3.21 The Martyrs who burned at the Stake not for ceremonies c. as some would have it but for denying Transubstantiation or the bodily Presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper however now-a-dayes some bespatter them had a sure Foundation to build on The Scripture makes it plain that Christ's Body is in Heaven 2. Christ is gone into Heaven Christians let your hearts be there Seek those things that are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God Col. 3.1 Why do ye grovel on Earth when Christ your best Friend is in Heaven What on Earth can satisfie or what is to be desired when Christ is gone Well may Believers desire with the Apostle Phil. 1â— 23 to be dissolved and be with Christ which is far better 3. Let us prepare for Christ's Coming from Heaven Phil. 3.20 Behold He cometh quickly in like manner as he ascended but more gloriously attended more manifest every eye shall see him Blessed is that Servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find watching Luke 12.37 We are left to trade with talents our Lord will come and reckon with us Mat. 25.19 Be ready for the Son of Man cometh in an hour when ye think not Luke 12.40 O let us watch 4. Lastly Be comforted Christ our Fore-runner is in Heaven He is gone but he went about our business This providence of Christ's departing looketh with a bitter aspect it is doleful to consider Christ is Gone But as Jacob's Spirit revived when he knew Joseph was alive so it is exceeding comfortable for drooping distressed souls to consider Christ hath taken possession of a
perfect Rule see how they have agreed or disagreed Look your faces daily in the Glass of God's Word and then you shall see how many spots are upon them This very thing would make and keep us humble while we live and shew us the shortness of our own wayes and drive us to Jesus Christ who hath perfect Righteousness The Swan is a proud bird but when she looks at her black feet she mourns The reason why most are so self-conceited of their own goodness is because they look upon themselves in present abstinence from sin or in present good mood and never look back upon former sinâ—â—â— In a word Let your sins be ever before your eyes 4. Beware of earthly-mindedness Let it not be your only care to get the things of this life 1 John 2.15 16. Love not the world neither the things that are in the world VVe are prone by Nature to mind Earth and nothing else But consider that those that are earthly-minded are enemies to the Cross of Christ Phil. 3.18 19. There are many of whom I tell you weeping who are enemies to the Cross of God viz. those who mind earthly things Such persons frustrate Christ of the end of his dying He died to purchase an heavenly treasure for us he arose and went to Heaven that we should imitate him If ye then be risen with Christ seek those things that are above Col. 3.1 Earthly persons undervalue the death of Christ he died to purchase Heaven they care for Earth more than Heaven Again Earthly persons will have a sad end Their end is destruction Phil. 3.19 Seeing such men put away Salvation from them whilst on Earth at last they shall be put away from Salvation Again Things below are neither a suitable nor a satisfying portion Not suitable your souls being spiritual these earthly not satisfying your souls having infinite desires whereas these are finite your souls everlasting these fading 1 John 2.17 The World passeth away When we have got never so much it may leave us we must leave it Again Earthly-mindedness is Idolatry Col. 3.5 And Covetousness which is Idolatry That which men desire love and delight in most even so much as to make it their portion that is their God Now we know that no Idolater shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Be exhorted in the words of Christ John 6.17 Labour not so much or chiefly for the meat that perisheth but for that which endureth to everlasting life Luke 10.41 42. Be not with Martha careful about many things so as in the mean time to neglect the one thing needful 5. Be convinced that God is the best portion and make him yours You are never in a safe condition till you can experimentally say Who is there in Heaven but God and who is there on Earth I can desire besides God Psal 73.25 26. Labour to say with the Psalmist Psal 31.14 I said thou art my God And with Thomas My Lord and my God To this end get an interest in Christ receive him by Faith He that hath the Son hath the Father also God promiseth it as a special priviledge to be the God of any person or People I will be their God Jer. 31.33 When God is yours Pardon of sin is yours I will remember your iniquities no more He wil accept and delight in your persons The Upright are his delight He will take pleasure in all your services Cant. 2.14 Let me see thy face and hear thy voice for sweet is thy voice and thy countenance is comely Your Prayers Praises Alms c. shall come up before God as Incense Acts 10.4 Phil. 4.18 He will alwayes be with you in every place in every condition When you are in your own and when in a strange Country when you are in prosperity when in adversity Moreover all the Promises are yours When God is yours the Covenant is yours of which the Promises are so many branches If you be troubled with the sence of sin he can pardon you if assaulted with corruptions he can strengthen you If you be sad he will comfort you if you be sick he will be your Physician if weak he can strengthen you If darkness be upon your steps he can cause the Light to shine upon your paths If you are in wants he can supply you his is the Earth and the Fulness thereof if in Prisons he will visit you and cause you to sing with Paul and Silas He is an omnipresent Good and an omniscient Good a willing and omnipotent and a sure good Men may take away your Friends or you from them but they cannot take away your God your Estates but not your God your liberty but not your God your lives but not your God God will be a satisfying Good whilst you live a comforting and supplying Good when you dye an Everlasting Good after Death Above all things then get a share and interest in this God for he is the best Good none like him and as the Wise Man saith of Wisdom so let me say of God Get God get Christ God is the principal thing therefore get him and withal thy gettings get an Interest in Christ 6. Get your hearts possessed with an awe dread of Gods all-seeing Eye Walk with a constant fear of God upon your souls Prov. 23.17 Be thou in the fear of the Lord all day long whatever you think speak or do consider God stands by and sees and hears all he knows what thou thinkest and actest even in thy bed-chamber This consideration wrought mightily upon Davids spirit which made him express himself in this manner Whither shall I go from thy Presence whither shall I flee from thy Spirit there is not a thought in thy heart nor a word in thy tongue but lo he knows it altogether Psal 139. Per totum Many would be the advantages of such a temper it would keep us from many a sin we run into Prov. 16.6 By the fear of the Lord â—â—en depart from iniquity yea this is prescribed as a Remedy against all sin in general Exod. 20.20 That his fear may be before your eyes that ye sin not The reason why men do commit secret sins is Because they think no eyes sees them When Satan tempts thee saying Thou art alone the door is lockt the windows shut then say Oh but God sees me the darkness and the Light are both alike to him To this end beg of God he would maintain in your soul more of an actual sence of his Presence plead that Promise in which he saith I will put my fear in them that they may not depart frrom me Jer. 32.40 Unless God renew the fence of his Holiness and Omnipresence we shall groâ—â— atheistical and very secure 7. Serve God according to his Mind and Will neither add nor diminish in God's Worship do what he bids us all he bids us and no more Deut. 12.32 What thing soever I command you observe to do it add not to it nor
have Israel gathered to Mispah when he prayes for them 1 Sam 7.5 Gather your selves together c. Zeph. 2.1 Sanctifie a Fast Call a Solemn Assemblie Joel 2.14 Christ gives order to his Disciples to continue together embodied sending out their Supplications Acts 1.4 14. and you see the Spirit came down upon them when assembled Acts 2.1 2. The Law was given upon the day of the Assemblie Deut. 9.10 and 10.4 and 18.16 Peter was thrown into a Meeting though a private Meeting Acts 12.11 God gives his special Boons of Favour to his People in Assemblies 3. In these Solemn Assemblies it is that men are set on work The Gospel like the rising Sun it calls up men to work men cannot be at rest in their sloth where God hath his Labourers Light if it be not powerful enough to direct it will afflict if it do not awaken them it will trouble their rest The Witnesses are Tormenters where they are not Saviours but now when the light is gone then may the People keep holy-day as some render that Text Feriabitur Populus Where no Vision is Prov. 29.18 Markets will be full of persons standing idle at all hours because there is none to hire them Now should not this adde weight to such a cross as this to make it break our hearts Did the Silver-Smiths make such a cry when they thought ere long they should have no work Acts 19.25 26 28. And â—â—all the loss of Spiritual Imployments be over looked 3. In the want of Assemblies we are deprived of our most cheering refreshments This loss draws our Table empties our Cup burns up our Pastures stops our Wells dries up our fresh Springs There is a fatness in God's House There are Rivers of Pleasures Psal 36.8 David calls the Altar of God his exceeding joy Psal 43.3 4. It is in the House of Prayer that God makes his People joyful Isa 56.7 8. there God makes his People not only to eat but makes them feasts of fat things Isa 25.6 O what a Feast of fat things is the Supper of the Lord wherein we have opportunity to thrust our hands into the Side of Christ to feel what work sin hath made there and what a warm Heart he hath and full of good-will to sinners O what a want of those comfortable Innes as I may call them and refreshing baiting Places in Heavens Road that have been to us as Bethel was to Jacob All that is left when our Assemblies are gone is uncomfortable when Nebuzaradan burnt the Temple he left but it was but the poor of the Land so when God takes down his Tent amongst us there may be some Mercies left behind but they are but poor things all that is in our houses is but lean when we want the fatness of God's House all that we see is uncomfortable when we cannot see our signs they are but shadows of Mercies that remain when our signs are gone fulness of bread and scarcity of the Word hath little satisfaction in it for when the Ordinances go the satifying and sanctifying Mercies are gone brown Bread and Gospel is better fare than Dainties and no Gospel This want turns our Wine into water and our Bread into stones What is a well-furnished house without windows and light what is a ceiled house if Gods House lie waste what are garners full of all manner of store if we have not the treasure that is in earthen vessels Happy is that People whose God is the LORD Psal 144.12 13 14. Now where God is a Peoples God He will set his Sanctuary in the midst of them and his Tabernacle shall be with them as in Ezek. 37.26 27. We are as it were without God if without the Ordinances of God Ordinances are as it were the life of a Land the Land of Canaan is in an especial manner in Scripture called the Land of the living as some think in regard of the Ordinances Moller on Psal 27.13 A Land dyes when the Ordinances go the soul of a Kingdom is gone the People live as it were among the Tombs and should not this make our houses houses of mourning What a cry in Egypt when death was in every house Should not the Mourners go about the streets when the Life of our lives is gone should the Word of Life depart unlamented 4. In the want of Assemblies we are deprived of our richest Ornaments These are our Crowns Rev. 12.1 Lam. 5.16 The Crown is fallen from our head We may in this case say as Job Chap. 19.9 Thou hast stripped me of my glory and taken my Crown from off my head The Ark is called the glory of Israel and the same thing is called Glory and Assembly Isa 4.5 Good Order which is a beautiful thing will not long stay after God's Ordinances are gone Church and State like those Twins laugh and cry live and dye together Righteousness which exalts a Nation is at the threshold when Religion is out of doors Civil Assemblies will cease to be Thrones of Judgment when Solemn Assemblies cease to be Thrones of Glory The custome of England hath made the way to the Bench by the Church that they that are to give charges to men may first receive their charge from God It was at Jerusalem where the Temple was that the Thrones of Judgment were Psal 122.5 It is the Grace of God bringing Salvation that teacheth men Piety Sobriety and Righteousness What can be expected when that disappeares but impiety intemprance and unrighteousness 2 Tit. 11 12. Now cannot a Maid forget her Ornaments and can we forget ours When God hath made us naked as the margent in your Bibles renders the word Prov. 29.18 should we not put on sackcloth And lastly I may adde We with them lose our strongest Muniments The Ark was strength Psal 78.61 1 Chron. 16.11 God is terrible out of his holy Places Psal 68.35 When our Ordinances are gone we are as Sampson with his locks cut even weak as others The Christian Regiments that could joyn in Prayer that were a Church as well as a Band they were called Thundring Regiments How may it be said of Assemblies as of Zion in Psal 76.3 There brake he the Arrows of the Bow the Shield and the Sword and the Battel It was Moses hands that beat the Amalakites We may cry after the Solemn Assemblies when they are going as Elisha after Elijah My Father my Father the Chariots of Israel and the Horsemen thereof There is a Defence upon Assemblies and with them that goes There are not a few places to be found that have soon tumbled into their graves after the removal of their Ministers by death as Hippo and Heidelberg c. Is the bough cutting on which we stand is our Defence departing from us and shall not we mourn Thus much of this Reason Now cast up all this together and see whether the sum that stands at the foot should not be written with tears Reas 2. Because Reproach is the