but of the Devils themselves For it is the known saying of our Saviour that Satan's kingdom if it were divided against it self it could not stand Unity indeed is such a blessing as the Church of God will earnestly desire and pray for but yet the Church of Corinth did not cease to be a true Church when it wanted this blessing and was torn in peices by divisions In vain also do some Men make Universality or largeness of extent a mark of the Church for we are told plainly in the Holy Scriptures that Christ's flock is but a little flock and it is at this day so far exceeded in Amplitude both by Mahometans and Pagans that if the whole World were divided into thirty Parts as Breerwood calculates in his Inquiries five only would be found Christians six Mahometans and nineteen Pagans As for Antiquity which some pretend is the mark of the Church tho' we may well allow it to be a great Ornament when attended with truth yet when this is wanting it is but vetustas erronis as St. Cyprian calls it not Age but dotage nothing but error of a longer standing and so harder to be rooted out Some also are fond of a long Series or uninterrupted Succession of Bishops in the Church but as St. Ambrose speaks those who have not St. Peters faith cannot succeed to St. Peters Inheritance and since the Pontificate of Aaron may sometime descend upon a wretched Caiaphas such an antient Pedigree as this may be more honourable in Heraldry than it can be in Religion But of all the marks which some make of the true Church that of Holiness best deserves the name for the Church of Christ should be holy like its Head but when we say the Doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets is the true mark of the Church we do not exclude but include Sanctity for since the Doctrine of the Apostles is as St. Paul defines it a Doctrine according unto Godliness where this Doctrine is preach'd in its greatest purity there substantial holiness free from from all Superstition and Hypocrisie is most likely to be found and if such holiness does not at all times flourish alike the fault is not in the Church but in the Professors of it These are reckoned by some the principle marks and Characters of the true Church but since they are so far from being true marks that without Apostolical Doctrine they signifie little I hope you will allow me to conclude according to the Sense of the holy Scriptures and the Ancient Fathers That the Doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets is the only foundation on which the true Church is built I come now in the next place to shew you That this Doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets upon which the true Church is built is sufficiently delivered to us in the holy Scriptures Whatever Doctrines are contained in these sacred Oracles are own'd by the Church of Rome as well as by us to be the Doctrines of the Apostles and Prophets but they are pleased to charge the holy Scriptures with imperfection pretending that they contain not all things necessary to Salvation but must be aided by their unwritten and uncertain Tradition but sure if there were any such Traditions handed down from the Apostles through the several Ages of the Church to this present Age these Traditions must needs pass thro' the hands of the Ancient Fathers before they could come to ours but the Ancient Fathers knew no such Traditions but every where assert the Perfection and Sufficiency of the holy Scriptures Ireneus calls the holy Scriptures such a Rule of Faith as none must vary from St. Chrysostome says that all things that are necessary are plain and manifest in the holy Scriptures Non credimus quia non legimus we believe no more than we read saith St Ierome I shall only add the Authority of St. Basil who saith it is contrary to Faith and a certain argument of Pride to reject any thing contained in the Scriptures or to impose any thing that is not written there Thus the Fathers knew nothing of any unwritten Traditions that were to cut out the holy Scriptures but they refer us to them as to a perfect Rule And well indeed they might since St. Paul tells us they are able to make us wise unto Salvation and he adds more fully yet if it be possible to do so when he tells us they are able to make the man of God perfect throughly furnished unto every good work Thus great is the perfection of these holy Oracles and thus plain it is that the Doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets on which the true Church is built is fully and sufficiently delivered to us in the holy Scripture I come in the Third place to shew you that the Church of England is built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets King Charles the First as he was not unwilling to dye a Martyr for the Church of England so at his death he left her the richest legacy he could even the most honourable Character that could possibly be bestowed on the best of Churches for this advice he gave to his Royal Sons The best profession of Religion I have ever esteemed that of the Church of England I tell you I have tried it and after much search and many disputes I have concluded it to be the best in the World as coming nearest to the word of God for Doctrine and the Primitive example for Government Whosoever does but look into the Articles of our Church will find how well she deserves this most honourable Character For she professes to believe the Holy Scriptures which as I shewed above contains the whole Doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets She believes the same Faith and no other than that which is comprized in the Apostles Creed and explained more largely in those Creeds which are called the Nicene and the Athanasian And as for those Doctrines which are controverted between us and the Church of Rome a little examination will discover which Church is built upon the foundation of the Apostles and the Prophets And 1. Let us examine that Supremacy which the Church of Rome does challenge for St. Peter If we look into the Holy Scriptures we shall find nothing there that makes St. Peter the chief of the Apostles For if Christ had ever intended St. Peter any such Power over the rest he would doubtless have declared so much when the Apostles were at strife who should be the greatest But so far is our Saviour from declaring St. Peters Supremacy that he chides them for their vain strife and contention yea tells them in plain terms that it should not be among them as in secular Kingdoms and Monarchies where one is chief And if St. Peter had at any time afterwards been made a Prince we cannot imagin St. Paul could have been ignorant of it and yet he tells us 2. Cor. 11. 5. That he was not behind the very chiefest Apostles
St. Iohn mentions in the three first Chapters of this Book of Revelations Are they not utterly ruin'd and destroyed And dwells there any thing in these places but Ignorance Barbarity and Mahumetanism Thus ye see it is most plain that tho' the Catholick shall never fail yet the Church of any particular Place and Nation may Tho' he will not remove his Candlestick quite out of the World but will always have a Church in some place or other yet it is not certain it shall be in this or that Nation He may remove his Candlestick from England or Holland or any other particular Nation which has filled up the measure of their Iniquity In such a case he deals with them as our Saviour threatens to deal with the Iews Mat. 21. 43. Therefore I say unto you the Kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a Nation bringing forth the fruits thereof Thus Christ threatned and because the Iews did not repent he dealt with them accordingly for they are now become Lo-ammi no more a People but wrath is come upon them to the uttermost I cannot dismiss this point without an Inference or two And 1st If every particular Church may fail then the Church of Rome is vain in boasting so much of her Perpetuity and Indefectibility We know she is but a part of the Catholick Church and a very corrupt part of it too and therefore in vain do they fancy that the gates of Hell shall never prevail against them St. Paul gives them better advice Rom 11. 21 22. Be not high minded but fear for of God spared not the natural branches take heed lest he also spare not thee This Epistle ye know is written to the Church of Rome and if this Church of Rome had been Infallible and Perpetual St. Paul had mightily fail'd in his Logick for he makes them subject to the same fate which befell the Iews and that they might fail as well as they had done 2ly Since particular Churches may fail then this should make them study their preservation and use such means as may be effectual to that purpose If the Professors of Christianity in any Nation shall become vain in their imaginations exchanging plain and wholesome Truth for fond Speculations and Opinions if they shall turn Factious and Schismatical neglecting their Spiritual Guides and Pastors if they be Dissolute in their Manners and confute their Religion by their Lives they will provoke God to remove his Candlestick and bring confusion upon them Christ is so far from promising safety and protection to any particular Church and People who neglect their own safety that he threatens ruin and destruction to them except thou repentest I will come unto thee quickly and remove thy Candlestick out of his place How careful then should we of this Nation be to preserve the Gospel among us left God carry it away from us unto a People that will better bring forth the fruits thereof And to excite us all to this study and carefulness I proceed in the third place to Thirdly Shew you that it is an heavy Judgment to have this Candlestick removed out of his place It is in the Text threatned as an heavy Judgment to the Church of Ephesus Except thou repent saith Christ I will come unto thee quickly and remove thy Candlestick out of his place So our Saviour threatens it as an heavy Judgment unto the Iews Mat. 21. 43. Therefore I say unto you the Kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a Nation bringing forth the fruits thereof And the greatness of the Judgment will appear at large from these following particulars 1st It deprives a Nation of its chiefest Honour As it is the highest Honour in this World to be related to an Earthly King so it is a much higher Honour to be related to the King of Kings Hence is that of the Prophet Isay Chap. 43. 4. Since thou wast precious in my sight thou hast been honourable Now all this Honour is lost when once a Nation loseth its Relation to God Thus God dealt with the Iews Hosea 1. 9. Then said God call his name Lo-ammi for ye are not my People and I will not be your God When God removes his Candlestick and rejects a Nation from being his People they become then as contemptible as Heathens and Infidels as vile and despicable as the Iews have been in the World ever since God disowned them for his People 2ly This heavy Judgment does also deprive a Nation of God's special care and providence We know God's Church and People are as dear to him as the Apple of his Eye and he is as he has promised a Wall of Fire round about them Now a Wall of Fire is both Defensive and Offensive and denotes that God by his special Providence does not only defend his chosen People but also offends and destroys their Enemies Behold saith the Psalmist Psal. 33. 18. Behold take notice of this saith he namely that the Eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him Of these he takes a special Care and exercises a most tender and watchful Providence over them to deliver their Soul from Death and to keep them alive in the time of Famine thus happy are the People whose God is the Lord. But if by our Sins we provoke God to remove our Candlestick out of his place and reject us from being his People then shall we lose our right and title to this his special Care and Providence we shall soon then become a prey unto our Enemies a reproach and by word to all that are round about us When the Jewish Nation had filled up the Measure of their Iniquity a Dreadful Voice was heard in their Temple saying Migremus hinc migremus hinc let us go hence let us go hence intimating that God and his Holy Angels were then departing from them and withdrawing their Care and Providence over them And presently after this the Abomination of Desolation was brought upon them so that they have ceased ever since not only to be the Church and People of God but also to be a Nation being scattered and dispersed up and down the World and hated in all places But this will appear yet farther 3ly To be an heavy Judgment if we consider that the Holy Ghost in Scripture esteems it an heavier Judgment than others are Adversity and Oppression are heavy Judgments and yet but light in comparison of this So much may be gathered from Isaiah 30. 20. Tho' the Lord give you the Bread of Adversity and the Water of Affliction yet shall not thy Teachers be removed into a corner any more but thine Eyes shall see thy Teachers and thine Ears shall hear a Voice behind thee saying this is the way walk in it Tho' oppression and Adversity be heavy burthens yet are they nothing to the loss of Teachers and the deprivation of God's Ordinances So long as God's Candlestick shines amongst us and we enjoy
Providences his is Praise and Glory surely the wrath of Man shall praise thee First The Rage of the Wicked against the People of God is very great This is the very Nature and Disposition of Wicked Men as the Psalmist tells us Psal. 37. 12. The Wicked plotteth against the Iust and gnasheth upon him with his Teeth Nay so great is their Malice that the Holy Ghost in Scripture compares them to Fire and VVater to Briars and Thorns to Lions Bulls Dogs Vnicorns VVolves and the like You 'l find this Truth also confirmed by a thousand Examples How did Cain hate his Brother Abel What wrath did boil in Esau against Iacob How cruelly were the Israelites treated by the Egyptians I should be too prodigal of the time should I reckon up all those Examples of Holy Writ which are recorded for this purpose I shall therefore content my self at present with the Example of Sennacherib to which the Text as you hear alludes Now how did this Bloody Emperor swell with Rage how full was his Heart of Wrath The Prophet Esay speaking of this proud Assyrian Chap. 10. 7. tells us that it was in his Heart to destroy and cut off Nations not a few And what the Prophet avers of him in the general is confirmed more particularly of him by Berosus an Antient Historian which has left this Character of him Sennacherib qui apud Assyrios regnabat omnem Asiam Egyptum Bello infestabat Sennacherib saith he King of the Assyrians infested all Asia and Egypt with War But tho' other Nations felt the weight of his Wrath yet none more than the People of God For the Scripture tells us that he waged War three years together with the King of Israel whom he took at last and carried him with the ten Tribes into the Land of Captivity Eight years after this his Rage brake forth against good Hezekiah for we read 2 Kings 18. That he came up and seized into his Hands all the frontier Cities of Iudah Whilst he was at Lacish one of the frontier Cities Hezekiah sent Ambassadors and purchased an Ignominious Peace at a very dear rate for Hezekiah was forc't to give him all the Silver that was found in the House of God and in the Treasures of the Kings House nay all the Gold that was upon the Doors and upon the Pillars of the Temple And yet all this would not satisfie his Wrath but he presently sends Tartan Rabsaris and Rabshakah with a great Host against Ierusalem and with words of Blasphemy against God himself Nay Rabshakah threatens the People that they should be forced to eat their own Dung and drink their own Piss If all this be not sufficient to shew the Anger the Wrath and the Rage of this proud Assyrian I shall add one instance of it more out of the Book of Tobit where we find that after the slaughter which the Angel made in Sennacheribs Army he was forced to return home and dwell at his great City Niniveh his Fury which was stopt at Ierusalem brake forth against the poor Iews the Ten Tribes which were now Captive at Niniveh and therefore Tobit tells us Chap. 1. 18. That when King Sennacherib slew any of the Iews after he was fled from Judea I buried them privily for saith he in his wrath he killed many Here was the remainder of his Wrath here was that which made it Rages in the plural number But even this remainder of Wrath did God restrain for this wicked King was soon after killed by his own Sons in the House of Nisroth his God as I shall shew you afterwards And as we have seen Anger and Wrath in the Text so may we see much more in the Day and find the Rages of the Papists far exceeding all the Rage of these Barbarous Assyrians It is the saying of St. Gregory Dilatat Behemoth Caudam suam in fine Mundi nequius which Latin I cannot English better than in those known words of the Revelations Wo unto the Inhabitants of the Earth and of the Sea for the Devil is come down with greater wrath because he knoweth that his time is short The Malice of Hell never appeared unto the World with more Rage and Fury than since it has been managed by the Church of Rome Who can recount without horror and detestation the Barbarous Murders of the Albigenses the Massacres of France the Wars of Germany and the most inhuman Cruelties of the Spanish Inquisition Here is presented a large Field to range in and a Field of Blood too but the time would fail me to give a tolerable account of that Wrath and Rage which they have exercised from time to time against this poor Church of England since the Reformation We may justly take up the words of the Psalmist and say Many a time have they fought against us from our Youth up yea many a time have they afflicted us from our Youth from the beginning of the Reformation may our Israel say How many were those Funeral Piles which were kindled by them in the reign of Queen Mary How well did Ignatius deserve his name which signifies Fire when several hundreds of Innocent Protestants were sacrificed to the Moloch of their Rage in the space of less than four years Nay our late Historian of the Reformation tells us that like Wild Beasts they preyed upon the very Carkasses and dead Bodies of God's Saints for they digged up the Bones of Wickliff and exercised the utmost of Malice upon the Ashes of Bucer and Fagius If we pass on to the reign of Queen Elizabeth our English Deborah we shall find Anger and Wrath and Rage enough Indeed for well nigh eleven years they were pretty quiet hoping to gain Queen Elizabeth by their politick flatteries But as soon as these failed they erected three Colledges for English Seminary Priests one at Doway another at Rhemes and another at Rome and indeed these proved the Seminaries of all those Treasons and Rebellions which were acted afterwards And now the Popes Bulls begin to roar the Queen is Excommunicated her Subjects absolved from their Oaths and now see their Wrath and Rage in the Rebellion of the unhappy Earls of Northumberland and VVestmorland in the Treasons of the Stanlies in Darbyshire and of 120 Priests and Jesuits such as Sanders Brislow Parsons Campian and the like You may see more of this Rage in the Plots of Somervile Mayne Ntlson Tompson and the rest of that Crew and of Payne and his fifty Resolutes hired by the Pope to murder the Queen What need I speak of Throgmorton Paget Moody Parry with several others when the Invasion of 88 proclaimed their Wrath and Malice to the full For in their Ships they had great Knives with this Inscription as Bishop Andrews reports Cut English Throats they had also Whips of Cord and Wire which Don Pedro de Valdez one of the Commanders confessed were intended to whip us Hereticks to death and being asked by the Council what they
Curiosity is another unhappy Cause of Schisms and Divisions Christ has given us a Rule to walk by and the Holy Scriptures contain all things necessary to be believed in order to Salvation And so long as men hold fast that form of sound words which was at first delivered to the Church there can be no danger of Schisms and Divisions But curiosity makes men desire to be wise above what is written and consequently disturb the Peace and Tranquility of the Church This St. Paul foresaw when he commanded Timothy to charge some That they give no heed to Fables and endless Genealogies which minister Questions rather than Godly Edifying 1 Tim. 1. 4. and Chap. 6. 3 4. he condemns such as dote about Questions and Dispute about Words whereof cometh Envy Strife Railings and Surmises 4. Self-love is another unhappy Cause of Schisms and Divisions This is the strongest and most violent Passion of the Soul and therefore St. Paul gives it the precedence of all the rest 2 Tim. 3. 2. It is a true saying of Luthers Societies would continue longer than they do if it were not for this little Pronoun Ego I my self For whilst Men prefer their own Interest before the Publick whilst they seek their own things rather than the things of Jesus Christ and his Church they tear his seamless Coat in pieces and make unhappy Divisions among Christians To prevent therefore these Divisions St. Paul gives this Advice amongst others Let nothing be done through strife Look not every man on his own things but also on the things of others Phil. 2. 3 4. Thus I have shewn you what are the Causes of Schisms and Divisions in the Church and so long as these Causes remain we must expect the fatal consequences of them so long as the Devil is allowed to go about as a Roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour so long as he has mens Lusts and Passions to join with him in the Work so long as he can imploy such Instruments as the Ambitious Covetous Curious and Lovers of themselves he will be able to disturb the Peace of God's Church Indeed God has power sufficient to prevent these Divisions he can create a firm and lasting peace among Christians But as St. Cyprian speaks Fieri haec Dominus permittit patitur manente propriae libertatis arbitrio The Lord saith he suffers these Divisions to be in his Church because he leaves men to act according to the liberty of their Wills God does not imploy his irresistible power in keeping men from Schism more than from other sins But having forbidden it with all the solemnity imaginable having discyphered the damnable nature of it and prest Christians by innumerable and those most powerful Motives to keep this Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace he leaves them to act for themselves in this as in other matters appointing a day in which he will judge and punish everlastingly such as dare to disturb the Peace of his Church We need not wonder then if men be Traytors to the Church as well as to the State if they rebel against Christ as well as against their Prince seeing God leaves men at liberty to commit this as well as any other sin Now if any should put the Question why God leaves men thus to their liberty Tho' I might chastise such curiosity with Solomons Answer Eccles. 7. 10. who tells such Curious Persons That they do not enquire wisely concerning this matter yet since St. Paul has furnisht me with a more satisfactory reply in the Text I shall return them this Answer in my third General Namely Thirdly That God's design in suffering these Schisms and Divisions is to discover the rottenness of some and the integrity of others This may easily be gathered from the Text where St. Paul tells us That there must be Heresies that they who are approved may be made manifest It is a Golden Sentence of St. Austin That God who is Infinitely Good would never suffer Evil but that being also Omnipotent he is able to extract Good out of Evil. When God suffers Schisms and Divisions to befall his Church his design is to discover to the World the Rottenness of some and the Integrity of others It may be said of Religion what good old Simeon said of Christ the Author of it It is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel So long as Religion prospers and flourishes in the World Hypocrites and the worst of Atheists will be content to own it But if at any time it falls into Distress or labours under Persecution then they fall off like Leaves in Autumn Indeed as St. Cyprian observes Nemo existimet bonos Ecclesia posse discedere None can imagin saith he that Good Men will abjure the Communion of God's Church as he goes on the Wind drives not away the solid Wheat but the Chaff the Storm may overturn the weaker Shrubs but the sturdy Oak gains strength and firmness by the Tempest To the same purpose is that of St. Iohn 1 Iohn 2. 19. 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 but they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not of us Times of Division are times of Trial and do as the Father speaks in some sort anticipate the day of Iudgment for at such times the Tares will gather themselves into Bundles and leave the purer Corn without any mixture in the Field of the Lord Sound Believers will now be known from Hypocrites and though the Church may not be crouded with such numbers as it was before yet its greatest loss will be only of rotten Members It will now be able to discern its Friends from its Foes And tho' an Acacius an Ecebolius and such like Changlings may serve the Times and themselves more yet all sincere Christians will think it both their Duty and Honour to adhere couragiously to the Church of God which brings me to the fourth General proposed Namely Fourthly To shew you that those are truly Noble and Honourable Persons who continue steadfast in the Communion of God's Church amidst these Schisms and Divisions which arise in it These are the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the approved ones in the Text. The Greek word which is here rendred Approved is a Metaphor taken from Gold tried in the Fire We know such a trial makes its solidity and lustre shine the brighter yea it is now valued at an higher rate than it was before Even so Christians when they continue steadfast amidst Schisms and Divisions it renders them much more honourable than they were before There is an advantage saith Plutarch which men receive from their very Enemies had there been no Trojan Wars Hector's Valour had never been so renowned and the greater the violence of a Tempest is the more highly does it commend the skill of the Pilot Even so the integrity of Orthodox Christians
eternally to follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth and admire the Lustre and Beauty of the Glorified Jesus So we are told 2 Thess. 1. 10. where it is said that when Christ shall come in the Glory of his Power he shall come to be Glorified in his Saints and to be admired in all them that believe 2ly The Godly shall be with Christ in respect of his Divinity In Heaven we shall enjoy the Glorious presence of the Divine Majesty Here we shall see God and which is more we shall see him as he is Here it is that we shall see the King of Heaven in his perfect Beauty and we shall not only see him but we shall also enjoy him and have sweet and ravishing Communion with all the persons of the ever blessed Trinity And this is that which is the very height of bliss To enjoy the Company of Saints and Angels is happiness great beyond our utmost imagination and yet they are but as little drops if compared to that Ocean of Bliss which will flow into the Soul upon the enjoyment of God himself It was a noble saying of Luthers that he had rather be in Hell with God's presence than in Heaven without it And if the presence of God be thus able to convert even Hell it self into Heaven the enjoyment of this will certainly make Heaven become what it is styled in Scripture an Heaven of Heavens This therefore is the Flower of Joy the Quintessence of Comfort the Crown of Blessedness and the very Soul of Heaven For whilst we enjoy God we must needs enjoy all things All that is good did at first flow from him and therefore is more eminently to be found in him as in its Fountain and Original All that can delight our Souls or ravish our Hearts all that is lovely and desirable are here to be found in their greatest perfections Well then might the Psalmist say Psal. 16. 11. In thy Presence there is fulness of Ioy and at thy Right Hand there are Pleasures for evermore But because so Copious so Pleasant and so edifying a Subject does deserve better than to be lightly toucht in the close of a Sermon I shall reserve the fuller handling of it till the next opportunity Thus ye see the top of our Happiness in Heaven consists in our enjoyment of the Blessed Trinity And since these things are so give me leave to exhort you to acquaint your selves with this great Mystery of the Trinity The more we know of the Trinity here the more capable shall we be of enjoying Communion with the Father Son and Holy Ghost hereafter When therefore ye go home meditate on the Lessons and other Portions of Scripture which our Church this day recommends to your serious consideration This is the way to be well acquainted with the Three Persons of the Blessed Trinity and prepare your selves for the happy enjoyment of them in Heaven which God grant SERMON IX Luke xxiv 43. To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise I Have formerly made some entrance upon these Words and hope now to finish them The Method I proposed was First To shew you that the Souls of the Godly are immediately admitted to the actual possession of Happiness upon their departure from the Body Secondly The Happiness is exceeding great for it is said here in the Text That they shall be with Christ and they shall be in Paradise First The Souls of the Godly after their departure from the Body are immediately admitted to the actual possession of Happiness There are a sort of Men in the World they call Psycho-pannicletes who hold the Soul after its separation from the Body sleeps all the while till the general Resurrection and consequently is neither in a State of Joy or Misery But how do these men err not knowing the Scripture For here in the Text our Saviour says unto the Thief to day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Paradise is a place of Joy and Bliss and to be with Christ is to be in a state of Happiness Now in such a place and in such a state was this honest Thief to be that very day I named several Texts for the clearing of this Truth but I shall only name one of them at this time which you will find Phil. 1. 21 22. I am in a strait betwixt two saith St. Paul having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better Nevertheless to abide in the Flesh is more needful for you As much as if the Apostle should have said I cannot tell whether I should desire to live longer or die sooner being prest with Arguments on both sides If I consult my own good it is doubtless better for me die and enter presently into Happiness but then if I consult your convenience it were better I should live longer in the World to be serviceable to your Edification Now I think it is evident that if the Apostle could have supposed that his Soul should have slept after Death and not presently have entred into the fruition of Bliss there could have been no strait in the case nor any dispute but that it was better to live still in the World to continue in the Comforts of a good Conscience and of doing good to others rather than to be in a constant Sleep or in a sensless state of Stupidity and Inactivity From these places of Scripture it is most plain that the Souls of good Men do not sleep after Death but are immediately received into Bliss as Lazarus was into Abrahams Bosom and this honest Thief in the Text into Paradise Secondly This Happiness of the Godly is exceeding great for they are said 1st To be with Christ. And 2ly To be in Paradise 1. The Godly after Death are said to be with Christ and how great is the Happiness which lies couched in these words For we cannot be with Christ but we must be with all the Saints and with all the Angels of Heaven nay further we must enjoy the sweet and ravishing Communion of all the Persons of the ever Blessed Trinity So much may be gathered from Heb. 12. 22 23. We shall come saith St. Paul to the General Assembly of the First-Born to the Spirits of Iust Men made Perfect to an innumerable company of Angels to God the Iudge of all and to Iesus the Mediator of the New Covenant From this place it is most plain that we cannot be with Christ but we must be with God with Angels and with the Spirits of Just Men made perfect And sure such Glorious Company cannot but make the Happiness of Paradise exceeding great 1. I shew'd you that we shall in Paradise be with all the Saints in Heaven nor shall we barely be with them but we shall know them If the Three Disciples who were admitted to Christ's Transfiguration knew Moses and Elias whom they had never seen before no doubt but we being fully illuminated and perfectly Glorified in Heaven shall know all
shall see the King of Kings in all his beauty Esay 33. 17. Indeed the Soul here below like the Spouse in the Canticles seeks her Beloved only in the dark beholds his Back-parts in the Glass of his Creatures reads a little more of him in the Holy Scripture and tastes a litle more of him in his Comfortable Ordinances yet still she sees him but darkly and through the Lattice and all is able to do no more than to make her sick of Love But hereafter we shall see God face to face and we shall know him even as we are known 1 Cor. 13. 12 We shall not then sit down content with the School-mans Negative Knowledge and be proud when we know only what God is not No we shall then have a Positive Knowledge of him and as St. Iohn phrases it see him even as he is 1 Joh. 3. 2. What strange Expressions are these How clear and how full a Knowledge of God do they import We shall no longer read of God in the Scripture or hear of him by his Ministers but we shall see him with our Eyes yea and we shall see him as he is in all that wonderful Glory which is the Light and Sun of the highest Heavens Now how much such clear Knowledge of God will increase our future happiness we may learn in some measure from the Story of the Queen of the South The Q. of Sheba heard indeed some imperfect Reports of Solomon's Wisdom in her own Country but when she came and saw his Person heard his incomparable Wisdom and had been an happy Spectator of all the Pomp and Royal Magnificence of his Court she was then sweetly astonished so that there was no more Spirit left in her Even so when the pious Soul shall come to the Court of Heaven and there see God as he is cloathed with Majesty and Honour infinitely beyond and above all she ever heard of him by his Ministers or read of him in the Scripture when she shall behold the Attendance of his Throne even ten thousand times ten thousand Angels and comprehend all those ineffable Glories which neither Eye hath seen nor Ear heard with what pleasing Ecstasies of Admiration will she then be transported But this is not all For 2dly Our happiness in Paradise will not barely consist in the clear and perfect Knowledge of God but also in the enjoyment of him unto all Eternity Knowledge without Fruition can only give us the Happiness of Moses upon Mount Nebo at best but a fairer prospect of the Heavenly Canaan but we are assured in Scripture that we shall not only see this Land of Promise but we shall taste the Milk and the Hony of it We shall not only see and know God but we shall also enjoy him This Enjoyment of God is elegantly set forth in Scripture by the Metaphor of a Feast because Friends usually enjoy themselves most when they Feast together Now what strange Expressions to this purpose are those which we read Rev. 19. 9. where the Angel bids S. Iohn write thus Blessed are they which are called to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. They used to have their greatest Feasts at Supper but the happiness of Heaven is here set forth not only by the Metaphor of a Supper but also of a Marriage Supper to denote that more intimate and pleasant enjoyment of God and Christ the Saints may expect in Heaven And lest we should in the least doubt of this these Emphatical words are added which perhaps ye do not use much to take notice of but now I desire you to do these saith the Angel are the true Sayings of God So that we may well believe the Saints shall enjoy all this happiness I have spoken of Tho' this which I last mention'd be a most comfortable Text yet I think you 'l find one fuller to this purpose Luk. 12. 37. Blessed are those Servants whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watching Verily I say unto you that he shall gird himself and make them sit down to meat and will come forth and serve them Here again the happiness of Heaven is set forth by the Metaphor of a Feast and our Saviour alludes to those Feasts among the Romans which they called their Saturnalia when the Masters were obliged to provide sumptuous Feasts for their Servants and to gird themselves and come forth and serve It seems God will deal thus with his poor unworthy Servants He will prepare as great a Feast for them as Heaven can afford and will come forth himself and serve them In this World he makes use of Angels as Ministring Spirits and imploys them for the good of his People But in the other World the happiness of the Godly will be so great and so infinite that Angels being but finite Creatures cannot serve any longer as Conduits to convey it to them No God himself as he will be the Feast so he will be the Entertainer too and in a word All in all Thus I have shewn you how great our happiness will be in respect of God himself we shall have a clear and perfect knowledge of him and his infinite Excellencies and we shall also have a full Enjoyment of him unto all Eternity I proceed now to the last thing proposed namely to consider the greatness of this happiness with reference to the place Lastly We shall not only be with Christ but we shall be with Christ in Paradise To be with Christ in any place cannot but be happiness Had our Saviour took the Penitent Thief along with him when he descended into Hell there to have seen him Triumph over Principalities and Powers and all our spiritual Enemies this had been a blessed and most pleasant sight But to carry him along with himself to Paradise the pleasantness and glories of the place could not but add to the happiness of it To this end you 'l find the Holy Ghost in Scripture exceeding large in the description of this place and it is set forth by such Metaphors as denote the most incomprehensible both beauty pleasantness strength splendour and glory for pleasure it is in the Text called Paradise for Magnificence a Kingdom yea a Kingdom of Glory too It is styled an House not made with hands but by God himself to denote both its strength and workmanship For Magnitude it is called a Great City For Purity the Holy and Heavenly Ierusalem Would we some Evening take a walk with Isaac into the Fields and there view how God has garnished these upper Regions of the World how many are those Stars which sparkle there And they are also most of them of such an incredible Magnitude as to be more than an hundred times bigger than the Earth and yet this Firmament as glorious as it is is only the outside of the Pavement of that Ierusalem which is above What incomprehensible Glory then must shine within it We read in the Book of Revelations that the very Streets are of pure
Gold the Walls and Foundations all of Precious Stones Such incredible lustre and glory is in it that the Sun shall not need to give his Light nor the Moon to shine in it for the Glory of God shall inlighten it and the Lamb shall be the light thereof for ever Thus happy shall the Godly be after they depart this Life they shall be with Christ and which is more they shall be with Christ in Paradise I come now to draw some practical Inferences from what has been delivered Application 1st Has the Holy Ghost in Scripture made such discoveries of Paradise and our future happiness then certainly they ought to fill our Souls with earnest Longings and vehement Pursuits after them When King Hezekiah had shewn to the Ambassador of Baladan King of Babylon the House of his Precious things his Silver and his Gold and all his Treasures we read these finite perishing Treasures proved Load-stones powerful enough to draw these Babylonians to War against Iudah How much more ought the infinite Glories of Heaven which God has revealed in the Scripture raise such violent Desires in us as may make us resemble the Spouse in the Canticles who is compared to a Pillar of Smoak mounting continually towards Heaven or them who lived in the dayes of Iohn the Baptist who are said to have taken the Kingdom of Heaven by violence Such a temper of Spirit as this we find in the Saints of God My Soul fainteth for thy Salvation I have longed for it saith Holy David Psal. 119. 81 It is a remarkable Passage of Cornelius a Lapide upon Gen. 47. where enquiring why the Patriarchs of old were so passionately desirous to have their bones buried in the Land of Canaan he gives this Reason God saith he had revealed unto these Holy men the Day of Christ they all as well as Abraham saw Christ Day and rejoyced Not only the Day of his Nativity but that more glorious Day of his Resurrection In which not only Christ himself should rise but others that slept should rise with him and attend upon him into Heaven at his Ascension These hopes of Rising with Christ and getting sooner to Heaven both in their Bodies and Souls than others made them thus careful and solicitous to be buried near the place where Christ was to rise How unlike these Holy Patriarchs are many amongst us whose heavy Souls move down to Earth as to their Center Neither God nor Heaven does ever so much trouble their Thoughts as to make them breath forth their desires after them But such as are true Believers and sincere Christians are in Scripture described by this known Periphrasis of being such as love the appearing of Christ such as desire to be dissolved that they may be with him such as earnestly groan to be cloathed upon with their House which is from Heaven and therefore pray often with the Bride in the Revelations Come Lord Iesus come quickly 2dly If we do earnestly and seriously desire this exceeding great happiness of Paradise we must be willing to use the Means which will bring us to it It is a known Maxim in the Schools Qui vult finem vult media ad finem He that effectually desires the End desires also the Means which lead unto that End If with the Thief upon the Cross we expect after Death to enjoy Christ in Paradise we must labour to imitate him and give such demonstrations of our Humility Faith in Christ and sincere Repentance as he did Our Saviour tells us that the wise Merchant in the Gospel had no sooner found a Pearl of great Price but he presently sold all he had and purchas'd it It is reported of Camillus that Famous French Commander that when he had tasted some of the pleasant Grapes of Italy he could never be at rest till he had raised a great Army and Conquer'd that pleasant Country God has been pleased in Scripture to present us with some of the Grapes of Canaan to give us some taste of the Heavenly gift and the Powers of the World to come How should this make us restless and unquiet till we arrive at this happy Country Should we not now raise all the Forces that we can to fight our Spiritual Enemies and conquer those Lusts which oppose our happiness Should we now spare any Sin tho' it were as dear to us as a beloved Ionathan Sure Heaven will recompence the loss of a right Eye and a right Hand should we pluck them off and sacrifice them to our Saviour And indeed we must thus forsake sin every sin the most darling sin if ever we hope to get to Paradise The Young man in the Gospel lacked but one thing and yet fell short of Heaven And if thou wilt still indulge thy self in thy Covetousness Uncleanness Swearing Drunkenness or any other known sin thou canst never expect to be with Christ in Paradise For Christ has told us plainly Mat. 19. 17. that if we will enter into Life we must keep the Commandments Which that we may all do God of his Infinite Mercy grant c. SERMON X. Matt. xxiv 3â— And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in Heaven and then shall all the Tribes of the Earth mourn and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the Clouds of Heaven with Power and great Glory THE Office of our Blessed Saviours Mediatorship consists chiefly in three Parts his Satisfaction Intercession and Judging the World at the Last Day The First of these he performed here on Earth the Second he is still performing in Heaven and the Third he will perform in the Air When he shall come in the Clouds of Heaven with Power and great Glory We know he satisfied infinite Justice when he offered up himself a propitiatory Sacrifice on the Cross and he is still interceeding in Heaven at the Right Hand of God As he purchased Salvation for sinners by dying for them so he interceeds that this Salvation may be applied unto such as repent sincerely of their sins and believe on his Name The third part of his Mediatorship is still to be performed for he is not as Mediator to judge the World till the time appointed by his Father and then he will for certain Judge both the Quick and the Dead Indeed the Father himself Iudgeth no Man but hath committed all Iudgment unto the Son as our Saviour speaks Iohn 5. 22. and he gives the reason of it vers 27. because he is the Son of Man As he became the Son of Man that he might be in a capacity to save the Penitent So God has appointed the same Son of Man to judge the World that he may be able to punish the Impenitent Such as before would not accept him for a Saviour will now be forced to admit him as a Judge Hence we are told Act. 17. 31. That God has appointed a Day in which he will Iudge the World in Righteousness by that Man whom he hath
enjoys the bright beams of Heavenly light whilst all the World besides groans under worse than Aegyptian darkness This is the true Gideons fleece which is watred with the dew of Celestial Grace whilst the other parts of the Earth lyes dry and parch'd not unlike some barren and cursed wilderness This in St. Austine's comparison is the true Ark in which alone we can be secure from the deluge of God's wrath Thus great is their happiness who are in the Church of Christ But some difficulty there is to find out the true Church as Tertullian observed of Old faciunt favos vespae faciunt Ecclesias Marcionitae the most dangerous Wasps have their Cells saith he even so the worst of Hereticks are ready to cry out the Temple of the Lord are we That therefore we may not mistake Leah for Rachel or embrace a Cloud instead of a Iuno we must carefully observe that description St. Paul gives us of the true Church he tells us it is founded on the Doctrine of Heaven or if you had rather take it in the words of the Text it is saith he that houshold of God which is built upon the foundations of the Apostles and Prophets From the words thus far explained I shall crave leave to prove these four things First That the Doctrine of the Apostle and Prophets is the foundation on which the true Church is built Secondly That this Doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets is sufficiently delivered to us in the Holy Scriptures Thirdly That the Church of England is built upon this foundation of the Apostles and Prophets And Fourthly That such as continue in the communion of this Church are as happy as were those Ephesians of whom St. Paul says they were no more strangers and forreigners but fellow-Citizens with the Saints of this houshold of God I begin with the first of these to shew you that the Doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets is the only foundation upon which the true Church is built The Church of Ephesus if we 'l believe St. Paul was the houshold of God or a true Church of Christ and it seems it was so because built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets we are sure these inspired Ministers of the Holy Iesus preached and planted none but the true Religion and we may be sure it can be no bad Church which owns and professes the same Religion I know there are several marks given of the true Church such as Unity Universality Antiquity Succession Sanctity and the like but tho' these where they are found are Great Ornaments to a Church yet the best and most infallible mark to know it by is its conformity to the Doctrines delivered by the Apostles For the true Church as the Apostle speaks elsewhere is the ground and Pillar of Truth but it will not deserve this honourable Character if its Doctrines be repugnant to the Doctrines delivered by the Apostles It 's said of the best and most Catholick Christians Acts 2. 42. That they continued stedfast in the Apostles Doctrine And therefore such as follow the Primitive example will be far from deserving the brand of Hereticks Does not our Saviour himself tell us that his Sheep will hear his Voice and not the Voice of Strangers And where is this voice of Christ to be heard but sounding in the writings of these Apostles and Prophets This therefore is the sure word of Prophecy whereunto saith St. Peter ye do well if you take heed nor is this any other mark of the Church of God then what is generally own'd by the antient Fathers Tertullian brings in the Church speaking such words as these Sum Apostolorum sic teneo sicut illi testamento caverunt I am Heir saith she to the holy Apostles whatever Truth they left me in their Writings whatever Doctrines they bequeath'd me in their Testament these I firmly believe these I will constantly hold Ireneus calls the Gospel columnam firmamentum Ecclesiae the Ground and Pillar of the Church St. Chrysostome treating at large upon this Question How the true Church may be known returns this answer more than once The true Church is best known by the holy Scriptures saith he that is the Christian Church which agrees with these sacred Oracles and that is the Heretical which is repugnant to them None speaks more largely or more excellently to this point than the great St. Austine who in his admirable Book against the Donatists writes thus The question between us and the Donatists is where we shall find the Church What therefore shall we do shall we seek it in our own words or in the words of our Lord Iesus Christ I think we had rather seek it in his words who is the truth and best knoweth his own Church Let not therefore these Speeches be heard amongst us This I say and this thou sayest but let us hear Thus saith the Lord There are certain Books of God to whose Authority we both stand we both consent we both believe there let us seek the Church there let us try our cause I will not have the Church demonstrated by Man's teaching but by the holy Oracles of God Setting therefore aside all such matters let them shew forth the Church if they can not by the speech and rumours of the Africans not in the Councils of the Bishops not in the Writing of any Disputer not in Visions and Revelations not in Signs and false Miracles because God's word has abundantly prepared us and made us ready against these things But let them declare it out of the Prescript of the Law the predictions of the Prophets the Songs of the Psalms the testimonies of the Apostles the words of the Pastor himself whether they have a Church or no let them declare only by the Canonical Books of the holy Scripture these be the instructions these be the foundations these be the supporters of our cause Thus far St. Austine and because he is so clear and so full to this case I shall not need to trouble you with any further Authorities especially since the Church of Rome doth acknowledge in her Trent Catechism that no Church is Catholick that does not profess that faith which is built upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles She must not hold any new faith say they but that which was delivered of old by the holy Apostles And it follows in the same Catechism the Nicene Fathers did well to add the word Apostolick to their Creed saying I believe one Catholick and Apostolick Church namely that all might know that is the only true Catholick Church which is Apostolick That therefore must needs be the truest mark of the Church which both Romanists and Protestants own to be so and indeed without this all those other marks which are pretended will signifie nothing Unity without Apostolical Doctrine is so far from being a mark of the Church that it may not only be found in the Societies of the worst of Men
be taken in this Figurative sense this Cup represents my blood For it follows presently after I will not drink henceforth of the fruit of the vine saith Christ until that day when I drink it new with you in my fathers kingdom The fruit is called sometimes the blood of the Grape but sure without a figure it cannot be called the blood of Christ. Thus you see that our Church is Apostolical also in denying Transubstantiation 6. The Adoration of the Host is accounted by the Church of England a most dangerous crime for since as you have heard there is no Transubstantiation but it remains bread we dare not pay our Adoration to it which we believe a Creature for it is the plain Doctrine of our Saviour Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve 7. The Church of England in condemning the Worship of Images condemns only what the Apostles and Prophets had condemned before for this charge is given in the Second Commandment Thou shalt not make unto thy self any graven Image nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above or in the earth beneath or in the waters under the earth thou shalt not bow down to them nor worship them Here we are forbid and that in most comprehensive terms the making of any Image whatsoever to Worship it It is not said Thou shalt not make Images of Idols or false Gods but it is said Thou shalt not make any graven Image nor the likeness of any thing To make an Image of the true God is a violation of this Commandment for the Golden Calves are condemned in Scripture notwithstanding the Children of Israel worshiped the true God under those representations Our Church therefore doth not allow her Members to picture God the Father in the likeness of an Old Man or the Holy Ghost in the similitude of a Bird or Dove For God is a Spirit yea an infinitely glorious Spirit and consequently cannot be pictured without an injury but to worship such Pictures or Images is as S. Paul speaks Rom. 1. to change the glory of the incorruptible God into an Image made like unto corruptible Man and to Birds 8. The Church of England does also justly condemn the Invocation of Saints by mental and vocal Prayers as the Trent Council enjoyns This Doctrine of the Church of Rome by the confession of Learned Papists hath neither Precept nor Example in Scripture to warrant it and consequently it cannot be built upon the foundation of the Text i. e. the foundation of Apostles and Prophets The Temple of old was called the house of Prayer to denote that Religious Prayer is a principal part of the Worship of God and does not our Saviour say expresly Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve To hear mental Prayers belongs only to God who alone trieth the reins and searcheth the heart and therefore to make such Prayers unto Creatures is to make them more than Creatures The Saints must be Omnipresent if they can hear all their Votaries who pray to them in all quarters of the Earth Now Omnipresence is an Attribute which belongs to the Divine Essence Thou art a God that heareth Prayers saith the Psalmist and therefore unto thee shall all flesh come We are told in Scripture that there is but one Mediator between God and Man the Man Christ Iesus and since he is most willing and able to save them to the uttermost who come unto God by him we do not use the Intercessions of the Saints for fear we should injure the merits of that All-sufficient Mediatour who ever liveth to make intercession for us By these few Instances which I have given and I might have given you many more it cannot but be evident to all serious unprejudiced persons that the Church of England keeps close to the Rule of the Scripture and like the Church of Ephesus in the Text is built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets And because the Testimony of an Adversary has always been thought considerable I shall conclude this head with the Testimony of Pope Paul IV. who as Bishop Andrews Reports made this offer to Q. Elizabeth that if she would but own his Supremacy he would confirm our way of serving God in all things appertaining to his Worship in the very same manner as we now do Sure this Holy Father would never have confirmed the Religion of the Church of England had he not thought it consonant to the Doctrine of the Apostles But since he was pleased to offer his Confirmation we will requite his kindness by valuing our Church the more upon his Approbation Thus I have dispatcht the Three Generals I proposed I have shewn you That the Doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets is the only Foundation upon which the True Church is built That this Doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets is sufficiently delivered to us in the Holy Scripture and that the Church of England like that of Ephesus in the Text is built upon this and no other foundation I shall now in the close leave a word or two of Exhortation with you and beseech you to continue stedfast in the Communion of the Church of England It is the chief design of St. Paul in this Epistle to keep the Ephesians stedfast in the Faith of Christ He desires them Chap. 3. not to faint and bows his knees to the God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ that he would strengthen them by his Spirit in the inner Man He bids them Chap. 4. have a care they were no more Children tossed to and fro with every wind of Doctrine by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lye in wait to deceive As he would not have them scared out of their Religion by fear of Persecution so neither would he have them gull'd of it by the sleights and subtleties of false Teachers It is therefore our duty when we have found the True Church to continue stedfast in the Communion of it We must resemble those best of Christians of whom it is said Acts 2. 42. That they continued stedfast in the Apostles Doctrine and fellowship But alas how apt are men to barter away Religion for some worldly emolument How many are there who carry their Religion in their Pockets and stick not with Iudas to betray their Master for Thirty pieces of Silver unless perhaps their Covetousness be greater and a larger sum be requisite to patch up their broken Fortunes If Naamans Preferment be inconsistent with his Religion you must allow him a dispensation and permit him to bow in the House of Rimmon and to name no more rather than Pilate will hazard the loss of Caesars favour he will pronounce our Saviour innocent one hour and condemn him the next Thus Christ is made to truckle under the World and Gain will be Godliness in spight of the Bible But those that are sober and serious in the World they will