as he is God but as he is God-Man as he is the Mediator and Head of the Church in which sense we are here to understand it And so he is variously exprest in Scripture as the Tree of Life as the Bread of Life as the Water of Life Christ he is every way and in all respects Life unto us both in reference to Grace and Glory I am come says he that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly Joh. 10.10 Christ he is both the Author of our life and the matter of our life too He is the root and spring of it in whom it is and from whom it slows unto us And he is the substance of it in whom it consisteth because he only is the propitiation for our sins 1 Joh. 2.2 He is our life as that which we feed on and are sustained and nourished by as a man is by his natural food in the life of nature His flesh is meat indeed and his blood is drink indeed and conveys life indeed by it There 's a threefold life which Christ does convey to all those who are true Believers First the life of Justification Secondly the life of Sanctification And Thirdly the life of Glory And in the conveyance of each of these unto them he is said to be emphatically the life as also in another place The life was manifested and we have seen it in 1 Joh. 1.2 First Christ is the life of Justification as to the pardon and forgiveness of our sins Persons that are condemned they are so far forth said to be dead namely as they are appointed to death they are dead in Law And this is the state and condition of us all by nature by reason of our first transgression there was a sentence of death past upon us and we were adjudg'd thereunto In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely dye Gen. 3.17 Now Christ he hath reverst this sentence and removed this death from us by dying for us By his obedience and suffering he hath satisfied the Justice of his Father and thereby hath reconciled us and put us into a state of life again Thus Col. 2.13 You being dead in your sins and the circumcision of your flesh hath he quickned together with him having forgiven you all trespasses Mark He hath quickned you by forgiving you I orgiving it is a kind of quickning because it makes a man a child of life who was before a child of death And this is that which Christ hath done for us he hath quickned us thus so far forth as he hath absolved us and set us free from condemnation by taking our guilt upon himself and that 's called a Justification of life Rom. 13.18 Now this it hath another life which is pertinent and belonging hereunto and consequent from it which therefore we may look upon under the same head with it And this is a life of peace and spiritual comfort For as by reason of sin we are plainly and absolutely dead and have a sentence of condemnation past upon us So from hence where it is discovered to us and we are made sensible of it we come to be dejected and cast down in our selves We are not only all dead but we are all a mort likewise Therefore as answerable to one death of sentence we have need of a life of absolution So answerable to the death of despair which is apt to follow upon that death of sentence where it does not appear to be remitted we have need of a life of consolation to be bestow'd upon us And this is Christ also unto us He is our Peace as the Scipture stiles him not only in the thing it self but also in our own consciences not only as to our state but as to our spirit not only as to our state to make it justifiable but as to our spirit to make it comfortable And in that respect also our life Being justified by Faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ and rejoyce c. in Rom. 5.1 c. Secondly As Christ is the life of Justification so he is the life of Sanctification likewise When God pardoned our sins through the Blood of Christ he gives us Grace and Holiness from the Spirit of Christ as a fruit and consequent of that pardon and reconciliation And Christ himself does impart and communicate his Spirit unto us for this purpose He is of God made unto us wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption 1 Cor. 1.30 The law of the Spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death Rom. 8.2 Not only from the law of death as to matter of guilt and condemnation but also from the law of sin as to matter of filth and pollution and hath put a new and another law into me which is the law of Grace and holiness of the Spirit This is the method wherein we partake of this spiritual life that it is first of all subjected in Christ and from him derived unto us The Spirit of God first sanctifies the humane nature of Christ and from thence sanctifies us and conveys a new nature unto us Christ lives in us by his Spirit Gal. 2.20 And therefore call'd a quickning Spirit 1 Cor. 15.45 This Life is further considerable not only in the principle of it but in the activity of it not only as that whereby we are simply enabled and made capable of doing our duty but also are made vigorous in it Christ is our life so far forth as we have a livelihood in any thing which is good And thus also the life of Sanctification Thirdly The life of Glory Christ is that likewise so far forth as he makes all his Servants to be partakers of it For so he does he raises up their bodies from the grave and he possesses both body and soul with eternal happiness And so the Scripture informs us Thus Joh. 11.25 Jesus said unto Martha I am the resurrection and the life he that believeth in me though he were dead yet shall he live And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never dye c. Christ is the life of the resurrection forasmuch as his resurrection hath an insluence and effect upon ours and is the cause of it Whatsoever is done to us it is done first of all to him He lives and we live in him He is risen again and we shall rise again by him and from him According to that of the Apostle in 2 Cor. 6.14 God hath raised up the Lord and will also raise up us by his own power And again 2 Cor. 4.14 Knowing that he that raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus and shall present us with you And again Phil. 3.22 Who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like to his glorious body according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself Thus is Christ the life
action in us are by our fall miserably depraved what therefore can be expected concerning the actions which do proceed from them These principles are the several faculties and powers of the soul of man which are distinctly to be examin'd by us to this purpose First The mind and understanding of man is sadly darken'd If the understanding be bad the will cannot be good as much depending upon the understanding and following the ultimate and punctual dictates of it The sight of the body is the eye says our Blessed Saviour If therefore thine eye be single thy whole body shall be full of light but if thine eye be evil thy whole body shall be full of darkness And if the light which is in thee be darkness how great is that darkness Matth. 6.22 23. Where from the sight of the body is argued to the sight of the soul Because what the eye is to the body the same is the understanding to the soul Now the understanding of all men by nature is very much corrupted and left in the dark This St. Paul speaks to the Ephesians Ye were sometimes darkness but now ye are light in the Lord Eph. 5.8 Sometime when was that namely in the time of your natural condition and before conversion not only dark but darkness it self And so concerning the Gentiles he says that they were darkned in their understandings through the ignorance that is in them that is which is inherent in their natures Eph. 4.18 The mind of man through corruption does lye under a double ignorance Frist of the true and chiefest end and Secondly of a fit application of the means to this end It is ignorant of the true and chiefest end namely of God himself to whom all humane actions are chiefly and ultimately to be directed And it is ignorant also of the means which tend to this end or if it have at any time some general apprehensions of them whereby it knows them as we say in Thesi yet in hypothesi pro hic nunc upon this particular occasion and in these present and particular circumstances so it knows not the manner of applying those means to the end as it ought to know And this depravedness and corruption of the understanding does the Scripture every-where declare as Rom. 1.21 22. They became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkned Professing themselves to be wise they became fools 1 Cor. 2.14 The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned 2 Cor. 3.5 We are not sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to find it out by our reason namely in spiritual things but our sufficiency is of God Gen. 6.5 Every imagination of the thoughts of man's heart is only evil and that continually Rom. 8.5 6 They which are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit For to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace Where the very understanding of the flesh is said to be enmity against God and death it self This for the corruption of the understanding But Secondly The will it is no less corrupted or depraved neither but has also a proper and peculiar depravation belonging unto it so that though the understanding should judge of things a-right yet without a peculiar work upon it as it now stands by nature and without a special work of Grace upon it it would not yet follow the dictate of the understanding truly enlighten'd but by a strange perversness would reluctate and hold off from it The will which is the governess of all our actions and the commander of the whole person is as much depraved as to the desire of good as the understanding is to the knowing of it and refuses to do that good which the understanding is sometimes convinced of and shews that it is to be done by it being desperately carried and enclined to all manner of evil From the corruption whereof together with the corruption of the understanding with it this business of free-will it must of necessity fall to the ground As because it is necessary for a man to go on both his legs therefore he must needs limp if he fail but only in one of them but if both his legs fail him he is then downright lame indeed and a perfect cripple Even so is it here the blindness of the understanding were enough to take a man off from the doing of what is good consider'd alone but the perversness of the will joyned with it does perfectly disenable him indeed Now this is here further observable and considerable of us Jer. 17.9 The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it Eph. 2.3 We all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind we all that is in the state of corrupt nature and doing the wills of the flesh and of the mind whereto may be referr'd that Gal. 5.16 Walk in the Spirit and do not fulfil the lusts of the flesh And so Rom. 2.24 He gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts Ye see then the force of the argument An evil tree cannot bring forth good fruit as I have shewed before Now an evil tree is an evil man or an evil will as Austin interprets it Now the will by original sin is turn'd from God to the creature and so altogether indisposed and disenabled to any spiritual good Thirdly The higher and superior part of the soul namely the understanding and will which are the principles of humane actions being wholly corrupted and depraved this poyson it does farther spread it self to the inferior faculties Hence is that great strise betwixt the sense the appetite and reason which the Apostle Paul himself complains of Rom. 7.23 I see another law in my members rebelling against the law of my mind and leading me captive to the law of sin which is in my members See here rebelling or fighting against a word of wars And again leading me captive a word of triumph Hence all the affections in man since his fall do not follow the commands of reason but rather prevent reason it self bind it and tye it up and lead it captive whithersoever they are carried Now let us lay all these things together The understanding hath lost its light and is overshadowed with darkness The will hath lost its rectitude and is fill'd with perversness The inferior appetite hath lost its subjection and delights in rebellion And so the whole man in this latitude is spiritually dead How then can he possibly thus dispose himself to any thing which is good or by the power of his own free-will produce any spiritual good action Surely as every natural
and then between them fratrum Concordia rara est It is a piece of that misery and unhappiness which mans Nature by reason of his fall and transgression and departure from God is so sadly degenerated into that it should be thus with him Thus Cain and Abel Isaac and Ishmael Jacob and Esau Joseph and those who were his Brethren we know what sad differences there were between them Now the Contrary is that which in this place is here commended unto us That those brethren should be unanimously affected Secondly Brethren in a Civil sense by Custom Contract or Imployment or Civil Association which is that which does more properly belong to your selves these are likewise Brethren and have Peace and Love and Unity charged upon them That they do Unite and agree together Indeed as in the former there are now and then differences here also those who are of the same Art and Trade and Profession They do not always so well sute and correspond one with another as it becomes them to doe These have their strifes and contentions But Brethren these things ought not so to be as the Apostle James speaks Jam. 3.10 There 's a great deal of sweet love and concord and agreement which is required betwixt these and it is that for which such Meetings and Assemblies as these are which we are gathered together at this time were at the first instituted and appointed as for other Considerations besides in reference to your Trade and Merchandise So especially and above all for the continuance and increase of Love They are not onely matters of Complement or formality but of Friendly Improvement Thirdly Brethren in a Spiritual sense from the Principles and Considerations of Piety and Christian Religion these are again Brethren That profess the same Faith that worship the same God that are members of the same Head that expect the same Heaven and Salvation and future Inheritance There are none who have a better Title to this Appellation of Brethren then such and consequently none who have Peace and Vnity more required of them even in that consideration likewise Such Brethren as these are they should especially live together in Vnity And the Scripture is especially inviting them and perswading them and calling them hereunto as most sutable and agreeable to the Principles of their Religion it self as I shewed before unto you Thus Eph. 4.3 When the Apostle had premised this Counsel and Exhortation unto them That they should indeavour to keep the Vnity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace He adds these things presently as a Motive and Argument for it There is one Body and one Spirit even as ye are call'd in one hope of your calling One Lord one Faith one Baptism one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all Al which are Considerations taken from the very Nature of Christianity it self and from their Interest in it This was that which was the great Praise and Commendation of the Primitive Christians as St. Luke takes notice of it in them That the multitude of them that beleived they were of one Heart and of one Soul Acts 4.32 What a lovely thing was this And so afterwards in succeeding times also The unity of Christians was so famous that they were known by this Discription a people that agree amongst themselves and their very Enemies took notice of it so as to commend and applaud them for it being that which their very Religion and Profession carried them unto And so it does Christianity it is Spiritual Fraternity and upon that account ingages to Vnity and Concord and Correspondency and mutuall Agreement and that more then any other else besides And that 's the second particular to the Subjects of this Vnity here mentioned Namely Brethren and that in all the several Notions and Denominations of it whether of Nature or Civility or Religion The Third and Last is the Exercise or Improvement or Manifestation of this Vnity and that is in dwelling together For Brethren to dwell together in Vnity There are two words at once and both of them very significant the one is the word together and the other is the word Dwelling each of which have their proper Force and Emphasis with them and do belong to this Vnity which is here mentioned and commended in Brethren First We may take notice of the Former to wit the word Together This is much intended in the Text as appears by the word which is added to it in the Original though not exprest in our English Translation and it is Gam which signifies Even Gam jachadh even together and so it is a word of Society and mutual Converse They that dwell together they come together and they meet together that 's one thing which is implied in it as pertinent here unto Vnity it is much exprest in Communion and Sociableness of Conversation and as exprest in it so likewise preserved by it and nourished and kept up from it Those that forbear to meet in their Persons they do not so easily meet in their Affections nor in their Hearts one with another whereas that it is a very great Help and Meanes and Conducement to this It makes Friends and Christians so much the better to understand one another and to be accepted with each others Dispositions to know one anothers Natures and to discern one anothers Graces and to be sensible of one anothers Perfections and so consequently to receive the more Comfort and Benefit one from another There is a very great Advantage in such Occasions and Opportunities as these are both for the doing and receiving of Good As Iron sharpeneth Iron so a man sharpeneth the Countenance of his Friend Prov. 27.17 Therefore in Heb. 10.24.25 When the Apostle had premised this Exhortation That we should consider one another to provoke to Love and good Works he presently adds and infers upon it as belonging unto it not forsaking the Assembly of our selves together as the manner of some is Because so doing is a very great Hinderance and Impediment to such performances yea indeed a cutting off all Occasions and Opportunities for them not onely such Assemblings as are of sacred and religious Constitution but likewise which are Common and Civil which do very well go together as they do now in your own present Practise and comming together at this present time Now these are so much the more desireable and Commendable when they are in Peace and Love not onely when there is a Concurrance of Persons but a Concurrance of Hearts and those which are in the same place are of the same mind This is that which is Expresly noted of the Apostles and the Diciples who were met together on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2.1 That they were all with one accord in one place and not onely in one place Horses and Beasts may be so they may sometimes stand together but in one place with one accord This was that which
To teach them likewise by way of Conformity and Imitation to take pleasure and to delight in one unother First I say by way of Thankfulness to delight in Him Delight thy self in the Lord. It is the Counsell which the Scripture gives us and here 's a very good Argument and Reason for it because he delights in us We should solace our selves in God and take pleasure in Communion with him this we do when we are careful to observe him and to yeild Obedience to him When we delight to do his will and his Law is as it were written in our Hearts then indeed do we delight in Him when his Statues are our delight and his Sabboths are our delight and his Ordinances are our delight then is he our delight Himself those that truly delights in God they delight in every thing that savors of Him and that belongs unto Him When men shall pretend to take pleasure in God and yet shall think much of doing him service when they shall snuff with them in Malachy and cry what a Weariness it is to us c. When his Commandements shall be grievous to them and they shall think it to be the greatest Torment to be exercised and imployed about them This shewes that they have little true Delight or pleasure in God Himself Secondly This teaches us also to delight in Gods people our selves in Imitation of Him shall the Lord take pleasure in his servants and shall not they take pleasure in one another How unsutable and unagreeable is this we should learn from this Observation to take special Contentment in those that are dear to God those that are his Delight they should be our delight also and we should make very much of them this was that which the Prophet David professes concerning Himself Psal 16.2.3 O my Soul thou hast said unto the Lord thou art my Lord my goodness extendeth not unto thee but unto the Saints that are on Earth and unto the Excellent in whom is all my Delight David 's Delight was in those that were Good and that excelled in Virtue and Piety he was a Companion of those that feared God and he delighted much in the Communion of Saints because they were such as God delighted in and took pleasure Himself And so it should be with all of us What may we think of those that are never worse then in such Company as this who are Despisers of those that are good as the Scripture complains and hates the graciousness of those that fear the Lord how far are they from being like unto God Himself who is here said to take pleasure in them Certainly this is a very ill Note and Character in them men are much according to their Delight and Rellish whether of Persons or things Lastly Seeing God does take pleasure in his Servants therefore let us take heed of doing any thing which may be hurtfull or pernicious to them It is a dangerous business to wrong the favorite of a Prince because he is one in whom he delights And so it is also to wrong the friends of God and the Favorites of Heaven it is such as he will not put up where we are any way guilty of it Love it is a Revengeful Affection upon any thing which stands in it's way and which goes cross unto it and so it is here with God in this particular because he takes such special pleasure and delight in his people therefore will he be avenged on all those that are Adversaries and Enemies against them and that attempt any thing upon them And so much may be spoken of this Passage as it may be taken Specificative as those that fear him and that hope in his Mercy are general Descriptions of his People and so his taking pleasure in them an Expression of his Delight in them at large Now further Secondly They may be taken Reduplicative as shewing upon what account especially God does indeed delight in them Namely as to the exercise of those two eminent Graces in them which are Fear and Hope God takes pleasure in all his people who are commonly exprest and known by those Graces but he does delight in them more especially according to the exercise of these Graces Look how far forth any Christians do reverence God and stand in aw of Him and look how far again any of them do waite and depend upon Him so far forth does he Himself take pleasure and delight in them This is that which is here Considerable of us For the better handling of them wee 'l take them asunder and look upon them distinctly And First here to speak of Gods Fear The Lord takes pleasure in them that fear him that is not onely which for the General are his Children as that is usually a Discription of them in Scripture but which do express a special awfulness and regard of him and fearfulness and tenderness of offending him he delights in those of all others Thus Esay 66.2 To this man will I look saith the Lord even to him that is poor and of a Contrite Spirit and that trim bleth at my word Happy is the man that fearth alway but he that hardneth his heart shall fall into mischief Prov. 28.14 Still this fear is commended as very desirable The reason of it is this because it is that which has a very great Influence upon the Life and Conversation for the regulating and ordering of that look how far forth any fear God so far forth will they approve themselves to him and do those things which are pleasing in his sight Fear it is the Awband of the Soul which restrains it and keeps it in good order and preserves it from Miscarriage And again it is the Spur of the Soul which quickens it and excites it and provokes it to the doing of Good so much fear of God so much Innocency and Vprightness And this is that which makes God so to love it and to take pleasure in it and in those who are the Subjects of it Therefore it should teach us especially to nourish and cherish this in our hearts all that may be We should be in the fear of the Lord all the day long as Solomon exhorts us Prov. 23.17 Those that cast of this once they cast of all kind of Goodness with it and the true reason why any do so transgress is from the want and defect of it Psal 36.1 2. The Transgression of the wicked saith within my Heart that there is no fear of God before his eyes For he flattereth himself in his own Eyes untill his Iniquities be found to be hateful Whereas on the otherside wheresoever this is it does still dispose a man to that which is his Duty Therefore Joseph when he would satisfy his Brethren concerning that wherein they suspected him as if he intended some mischeif unto them he gives them no other answer then this I fear God in Gen. 42.18 As who should say whilst he did so there was no likely
but the Thought and the Practise in Thought And so we may see by our Saviours Sermon upon the Mount where undertaking the Exposition of the Law he carries the Breach of it not to the outward Acts only but also to the Thoughts Secondly The Thoughts of men are the proper Issue and Emanation of their Souls and so for that reason more especially to be rectifyed in them There 's nothing so much a man as his Mind Nor there is nothing so much of a mans Mind as his Thoughts that do spring from it Look therefore how much a man is to be judged of so much is he to be judged of by his Thoughts Thirdly The Thoughts are such as whereto the Gospel and Ministery of the Word does especially and in a singular manner extend it self Heb. 4.12 The word of God is powerfull and quick and sharper than any two-edged Sword peircing even to the dividing asunder of Soul and Spirit and of the joynts and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart And so 2 Cor. 10.5 Bringing into Captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ Now so far forth as the Ministery does extend so far does Religion extend and the ordering and framing of a Christian Fourthly and Lastly God himself is a Searcher and Trier of the Thoughts and Inward man And therefore is regard to be had still to them Look how far he hath an Influence so far accordingly should we have a Care and Respect to our selves Now thus he has to the Thoughts and Cogitations and therefore he is usually described by such a Title as this is of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That searcheth the heart and tryeth the reins Men may sometimes ghess and conjecture but God he has absolute and certain knowledge He knows what is in man as was said of Christ All this shews how Religion does reach it self and extend to the Thoughts This therefore meets with the conceits of such Persons as confine it only to the Outward man who think that Thoughts are free as they express it and that they may think what they please without any care to give any account of it First It is not so The unrighteous man must forsake his Thoughts Not only his evil wicked ways whereby he is odious and abominable to men but also his Evil Affections wherein God Himself takes notice of him If ye shall ask now in particular what those Thoughts are which an unrighteous man is to forsake I Answer in a word all such as are proper and peculiar to a man in the state of Nature To a carnal and unregenerate Person precisely so taken who is here Emphatically called as I hinted before a man of Iniquity such an one as the Scripture tells us his Thoughts are wholly Evil Gen. 6.5 Col jetser The whole Frame of the Thoughts of the heart of man is only Evil and that continually And 2 Cor. 3.5 We are not sufficient of our selves to think any thing that is good as of our selves c. Now these Evil thoughts which we now speak of an which accordingly are to be forsaken they may be ranked into three sorts especially 1. As to matter of Opinion 2. Of Contemplation 3. Of Designs First As to matter of Opinion Take a man in his natural Condition and he has many strange conceits in his head whilst he so remains as it is said concerning the Gentiles Rom. 1.21 They became vain in their Imaginations and their foolish heart was darkned Even so is it with such Persons They bring Religion oftentimes to their Carnal and Corrupt Reason and confine it to that But now Converting Grace where it comes it overthrows them all Casting down Imaginations c. 2 Cor. 10.5 To instance in some few particulars First The Thoughts of sin when a man 's converted he forsakes these and it concerns him to do so Take a man in his Natural Condition and he many times makes nothing of Sin He thinks it a very trifle and bauble and there 's no great matter in it why a man should trouble himself for it He thinks that there is no great hurt which can come to him by it Nay he thinks it the greatest delight and contentment that may be Fools make a mock of Sin and it is a sport unto them to do evil as Solomon tells us Yea but when God opens their eyes and begins a little to awaken Conscience and to reduce them and bring them home to himself then they come to be of another mind and it concerns them to be so To look upon Sin as the basest and vilest thing in the world and as carrying the greatest evil and malignity in it in the midst of all the appearing pleasures and contentments of it It alters a mans thoughts of Sin So again also his Thoughts of Grace and Godliness and Godly men When a man is in his Vnregenerate State he has low Thoughts and Conceits of Goodness and of those who are the followers of it Thinks Religion to be an empty business and strictness and exactness of Conversation to be meer folly and Godly men themselves to be so many Fools and Idiots That it is in vain to serve God and no profit to walk mournfulty before him as they said of it in Malach. 3.14 And in Job 21.15 Thus it was with Paul himself before his Conversion Act. 26.9 I verily thought with my self says he that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazzareth And so our Saviour tells his Disciples that there were some who would think that they should do God service to kill them Joh. 16.2 These are the Thoughts which men are subject unto in their Natural Estate But now in Conversion they must be all un-thought and laid aside So again farther For his Thoughts of God himself he must forsake these also and think otherwise of him What Thoughts have men commonly of God in such a Condition Surely such as are very strange and irregular and that in reference to any of his Attributes whether one or other Wee 'l but instance these two amongst the rest His Justice and His Mercy They have very sinister Apprehensions here sometimes they question his Justice and think he has little of that in him Think him to be an indulgent God and one that will let them do as they list without Controul as it is in Psal 50.21 Thou thinkest that I was altogether such an one as thy self God speaks there to an unrighteous Person who presumed upon his Patience towards him but withall he tells him that in the Event he should find it otherwise But I will reprove thee and will set thy sins in order before thine eyes So again on the other side for Gods Mercy there is sometimes in another extream now and then questioning of that and a thinking that it is no purpose for them to repent and be better for it shall notwithstanding be as bad with them for time
circumstances and aggravations which I have now mentioned First For the nature and kind of it it was a death of violence it was a forced and unnatural death Unnatural indeed it was in a double consideration First It was unnatural actively in regard of those which complotted it and desired to inflict it For who I beseech you were they but those of our own Country Englishmen and bred at home The nearer at any time the relation the more unnatural still the rebellion Englishmen to destroy Englishmen as it has been in these latter times especially a most fearful and unnatural destruction contrary to the common principles of nature and that affection which God hath put into Heathen and strangers which never head of Religion This death which we now speak of it was such an one as this contrived and conspired by those which were of our own Land and Nation and came as it were out of our own bowels And then again it was unnatural passively as all deaths of violence especially are a taking away of mens lives from them and turning them out of the world a death of greater pain and reluctancy and indisposition and so it was great Secondly It was a great death if it had taken in regard of the suddenness it was the taking away of men without any warning or preparation at all the cruellest thing that could be in reference to the Patients and the cowardliest thing that could be in reference to the Instruments The manner and carriage and contrivance of it had the aggravations of a great death in it and made it more remarkable First I say it was cruel and very grievous in reference to the Patients or those which were designed to be so To come upon men on a sudden without any warning or preparation at all when they should neither settle their Temporal estates for this life nor yet which is more their spiriritual or eternal for a better what an unmerciful thing was this How great was that death wherein men should had no warning given them of avoiding everlasting death but have been in danger as much as men could make them of perishing both ways at once in body and soul And then besides how cowardly and unmanly also for those that acted it How unsuitable to the Principles of an Heroical and magnanimous spirit There was no skill in it but only violence no art at all but the black art no mystery but the mystery of iniquity It savoured and smelt of no other than Hell it self it was treachery and conspiracy and falshood the basest kind of killing of all as David said once of Abner 2 Sam. 3.33 c. Died Abner as a fool dieth thy hands were not bound nor thy feet put into fetters As a man falleth before wicked men so sellest thou So had these Worthies died if they had been taken away as a man falleth before wicked men basely cowardly injuriously without any provocation for no cause for no wrong for no offence but only their goodness they had not died as sools had died Not by their own carelesness not by their own wickedness not by their own rashness not by any default of their own but only by the mischief of those which were the children of iniquity not by the hands of law and iustice their hands nor feet had not been bound but only by the hands of cruelty and rebellion Thus had they been taken away thus had they fallen at this time and had not this been a great deliverance Thirdly It was likewise great in regard of the untimeliness and immaturity of it it was the taking of Persons away before their time many in their very youth and many in their riper years and many in the midst of their hopes in the fulness of their strength for their bodies and in the height of their parts for their minds and in the midst of their counsels for their imployment It was the barbarousness of that Soldier in Syracuse that killed the Mathematician in his study and whiles he was drawing his lines even so as I may say it had been here men in the midst of their very work And what work was it to not a work of ordinary concernment neither but the setling of the affairs of the Kingdom in Church and State the establishing of good and wholsome Laws this was the work which stuck so much in their stomacks and which provoked them to this means of interrupting it as it was the reason which some of them gave for the choice of the place Fourthly It was great also in regard of the extent of it here it was great indeed First for the number and plurality of the persons how many had been involved in this death even the whole State it self the Representative Body of the Kingdom assembled in Parliament As he that wisht he could cut off Rome at one blow what a sweeping death had this been which had carried away so many at once And what an unmerciful conspiracy that had bowels left for none We see how unlimited and unbounded malice is that nothing will serve its turn but the ruining and undoing of all friend and foe hopeful and desperate one as well as another all should have gone to the pot without any difference These are the Principles of such kind of persons All 's fish with them that comes to net Secondly For the condition and quality of the Persons consider that to make it somewhat more a multitude of mean rank and condition they are more easily spared but the loss of those which are of greater worth and eminency for their parts and place this is more to be lamented The death of great men it is no other than a great death It was that which grieved David so much in the aforenamed slaughter of Abner not only the wrongfulness of the cause but the eminency of the person Know ye not that there is a Prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel 2 Sam. 3.33 If David made such a matter of it the death but of one great person what had been the death of so many great ones at once King and Prince and Nobles and all the Peers of the Land to have been taken away in one moment Head and Tail Branch and root in one day the stay and the staff the mighty man and the man of War the Judg and the Prophet the Prudent and the Ancient the Honourable man and the Counseller the cunning Artificer and the eloquent Orator this had been the case here and how great had this death been Thirdly Look upon this extent likewise yet further in that which they principally aimed at and propounded to themselves herein which was not only the ruining of persons but also the ruining of Doctrines and the faith and truth of Christ it self the death of he Gospel and the death of the Ordinances and the death of Religion and the death of our own precious and immortal souls And now tell me whether