are not his brethren with us Mark 6. But if we shall consider That Christ is King or Priest to none to whom he is not a Prophet and he is not a Prophet to those that contemn his Ordinance of Preaching then men shall he made to give due respect to the same Vse Third as touching the Ministers they ought not to be daunted if they see the proue contemn their Ministery for let them remember that they as Christ were sent to the poore so that if one or two poore embrace our Doctrine we have wherein to rejoyce Ezech. 2.5 Doct. Out of these words may be raised another profitable observation to wit What was the matter of Christs Doctrine to wit the Gospell and not the Law For this cause came he out of the bosome of his Father Iohn 1. The Law was given by Mâ—ses c. So that this doth â—ichly commend the Office and benefit of Christ for the Gospell farre surmounts the Law Object But it may be said Did not Christ teach the Law Math. 5. and other places as to the young-man Luke 29. Answ To this answer is made Hee did it â—â—t as his chiefe Office but as a preparing of men thereby to the Gospell for as the proper office of a Carpenter is â—o build not to pull downe Simile and of a Physitian to heale not to make sicke yet they are forced oft to doe both Even so was CHRIST Simile He saw that the Law was so taught as that men were made to trust in it to looke for Salvation by it as being possible to bee kept and so to exclude all helpe and necessity of any other Saviour So that most needfull it was that Christ should shew that the Law rightly understood was impossible to bee kept that so they might seeke Salvation else-where This being remembred to returne to the Point to wit The excellency of the Gospell it will soone appeare by the riches and benefits it brings with it As first Pardon of Sins Secondly gift of Righteousnesse Thirdly adopâ—ion of Sons Fourthly acceptance into the favour of God yea unto life everlasting Fiftly gift of the Spirit Faith Hope Patience Love Holinesse c. Sixtly freedome from the Curse of the Law Hell Death and dominion of Sin Seventhly Communion with the blessed Trinity 1 Joh. 1. at the beginning Eightly accesse unto the throne of Grace Ninthly Peace of Conscience Perseverance Sanctification of all afflictions with all other riches of Christ all which are wrought by the Gospell which how great they are may be seene by the contrary or the want of them as to bee under the guiâ—t of Sin wrath of God Children of Satan Curse and Death bondage sting and wo me of Conscience debarred Gods presence and reserved for the fearefull sociâ—ty of Satan And as the excellency of the Gospell doth partly appeare hereby so will it further by considering how it differs from the Law For the Law first is Naturall second the Gospell is Supernaturall both for matter and the manner of Revealing Ioh. 1.18 Colos 2.16 1 Cor. 2.7 Had not he wiâ—dome of God found out this meanes of Salvation and published the same all the wits of Men and Angels had not been able to have devised such a way whereby Gods justice might bee fully satisfied and yet infinite Mercy extended to miserable Man Secondly The Law and Gospell differ in the way that leads to Righteousnesse and Salvation For the Law sayes by Doing The Gospell ☞ by Beleeving The Law teaches it must be done by our Selves The Gospell admits and sets forth Another Philip. 3. Gal. 3. Rom. 10.5 6 7. Thirdly they differ in the manner and nature of the Promises annexed to either For the Legall requires the condition of our Righteousnesse and that every way perfit But the Evangelicall requires not our own but accepts anothers nor exacts Perfection in us but only Syncerity Rom. 4. By debt and freely distinguishing the Law and the Gospell Fourthly They differ in their effects for the Law causes wrath Increases sin gives not strength to doe the things Commanded But the Gospell brings Peace Righteousnesse and 〈◊〉 the Ministery of the Spirit This is largely and excellently taught 2 Corinth 3. Vse The knowledge of these things are most necessary First they shew the excellency of the Ministery of the new Testament 2 Cor. 4.1 2 3. So that the Ministers thereof need not to be ashamed Rom. 1.16 It is the power of God to Salvation Ephes 3.7.8 9. And hereby the meanest Preacher of the Gospell is become greater then Iohn Baptist namely in regard of his Office Because they are publishers of these glad-tydings accomplished by Christ Vse Second this shewes the happy condition of the faithfull now Math 13. Luke 10. Blessed are the eyes that see those things which you see c. Heb. 12.17 18 19. Vse Third it admonishes all Christians of their duty and that they take heed they neglect not the same Heb. 2.1 2 3. If they escaped not that transgressed the Law much lesse shall they that offend against the Gospell For Christ is the Prophet whom who so will not heare must be destroyed Acts 3. at the end God suffered evill entreaty of his Servants but after he had sent his Son and they had despised him presently he tooke away the Vineyard Woes were denounced against Corazin Bethsaida and Capernaum wherein is shewed that their state should be worse at the day of Iudgement then Sodome and Gomorrha Vse Fourth this teaches the simple to distinguish the Law and the Gospell the knowledge whereof is the key of the whole Scripture as whereby all the wiles of the Papists may be discovered and avoided They commonly teach that the Gospell is the new Law and a more perfit Law whence they inferred their Doctrines of Counsell and works of Supererogations But alas if the Gospell were a more perfit Law it were wofull tydings to all mankind Hereby also may appeare that the Law and Gospell cannot be joyned in the point of Iustification for as these two are quite contrary To to do a thing by our selves and to do it by another to have a thing by desert and to have it of free gift and such are the Law and Gospell in the justification of a sinner To Preach deliverance to the Captives That which before was set down in generall only both in regard of the Benefit as also of the Misery of man this same after the usuall manner of Scripture is described more particularly and as opposites set together doe make each other more conspicuous so is it here a Misery and a mercy a defect and a supply And as the disease is before the remedy so it must first be handled and it is expressed in the word Captives wherein as before the outward and bodily Captivity is used to expresse and declare our inward miserable Captivity and bondage Captives As God sold his people into their Enemies hands suffered their houses to be pulled down the
order the third degree of mans Misery and doth adde weight to the former For to be poore and destitute of necessaries is heavy but if that any disease or torment be added the burden is heavier But if to these two there come a third affliction that the same should be taken Captive carryed into a strange Countrey bee evill entreated farre from all friends and acquaintance without any hope of returne Where this is what is wanting to the perfection of misery yet so it is with man And all this is caused by one and the same thing namely Sin for as in regard of Spirituall riches it being poverty and as it lookes unto the Law it wounds the Consciences and breakes the heart as is after shewed So as it respects Satan it is the very spheare under which we are sold the chaines wherewith we are bound and by which we are carryed farre from God Esa 59.2 It is that by which we cease fighting against Satan and throwing away our weapons of defence and offence we even fly into his Campe. So that Sin in divers respects doth worke the divers degrees of our Misery And this the Scripture teaches plentifully Iohn 8.44 Rom. 6.16 And that by nature we can do nothing but Sinne. Ier. 13.23 1 Kings 8.46 Prov. 20.9 Eccles 7.21 So that by Sin men are made the Divels Captives and we must know that men are not judged what they are by their stock whence they are borne nor by the place wherein they live nor by the like circumstances but by their studies and actions as if one an English man by Nation Noble by birth a Courtier yet in mind and heart be wholly a Spaniard bewraying our Counsels to them and helping theirs whose Servant would such a one be counted sure not of our Prince but even a secret and close factor and Servant of Spayne So it is with us it little availes to be borne in the Church or of Christian Parents to professe Religion to be present at the Word and Sacraments if our wils doe serve the Divell Vse Is That wee learne to abhorre Sin even for this cause that it doth bring us into bondage Who loves not and from his heart desires liberty Wherefore are Lawes but that we may live freely whence are warres but to recover lost liberty for which many have jeoparded lives and livings And shall we so much esteeme the liberty of the Body and neglect it for the Soule which is so much the more excellent by how much the Soule excels the body What do we then by Sinning Surely this we cast away our Liberty Aegypt was a figure of Hell Pharoah of the Divell The yron Furnace of death the Clay workes of Sin whereby Satan holds us bound Now how were they delivered Sure by Christ alone and that by his Bloud and that war figured two wayes First the Paschall Lamb was to be slain with the bloud whereof the doore-posts were to be sprinkled and so free from the destroying Angell This was a Figure of Christ who by his Bloud shed destroyed the first borne of death even by his power and strength and this was the first degree of our Redemption The second degree and absolute was the Drowning of them all in the Red Sea Now that was a figure of Christ which did open the way of safety to the Jsraelites and brought utter destruction to the enemies So that we see a double Deliverance in this shadow first a Killing of the chief strength and darlings of the enemies but yet not a freedome from the pursuing of the enemies The second was wherein all Perished not one escaped So it is with us The sprinkling of the bloud of Christ hath cut the nerves of Satan and Hell But when by Death wee shall bee drenched into the Sea of his bloud we shall be free from all assaults of enemies A second Type was in Ioshua whose Victories were lively shadowes of Christ For as by the blowing of Rammes hornes the Wals of Jericho fell so by the Preaching of the death of Christ the horne of Christ the Ramme Sacrificed being blown it caused the pillars of Satans Kingdome to shake and the doores to open Vse To strengthen our Faith against that horrour wherewith Satan seekes to shake our Consciences He devises what hee can to afflict us sets the griesly face of Death before our eyes cals to mind the filthinesse of our Sins hee opens even Hell it self makes us to behold it he proclaimes the severity of Gods justice Now true it is we are not able in our own strength to stand against the least of these but in the power of Christ we shall be more then Conquerers and dare boldly behold the same Vse Second know that true Liberty consists in being freed out of the bondage of these cruell Enemies and therefore not so to live as that we suffer our selves to be entangled againe By the Broken heart is not meant a heart lightly bruised or somewhat broken but a heart broken into the smallest pieces as Corne is broken twixt the Milstones or as any thing is beaten to powder in a Morter Now the heavy Milstones and the strong Pestle or Hammer that doth this is the Law of God with the Attendants The sight of Sin the apprehension of the Curse the wrath of God the feare of Hell Death Damnation and the Divell Seeing Christ cures such onely it much concernes us to stirre up this sense of Sin in us and to avoid all such things whereby it may be deaded and wee lulled asleep and to this end Christ diligently warnes us of two things Luke 21.34 The first is Surfetting and all wanton and riotous Pleasures and delights For this takes out of the heart all sense and feare of Sin Curse Death Hell Esa 22.115 Amos 6.3 For how can any Godly sorrow take place amidst all voluptuous delights the like is shewed Esa 57.4 5 6 7 11 verses For when day and night is spent in devising and musing of outward and Carnall pleasures what roome is left for holy Meditations examinations and considerations which was the meanes that made David turne to Gods testimonies So that if we regard our Soules health wee must avoid the excesse of Carnall delights and thinke it much better to sorrow heere a while and to be comforted hereafter then for transitory delight to incurre Eternall torment So for the second the cares of this World is a manifest hinderer for they choke the Word it cannot have it perfit worke this is seen in Dives this is seene Luke 14.18 In the refusall of the Invited guests This also is observed Amos 8.4 5. They thought the Saboth long because their minds were after their Covetousnesse Vse Second Let all those receive Comfort that groanes under their Sinnes for Christ is ready to heale such of all Afflictions there is none to that of the wounded Conscience for such may and doe complaine as the people of God Lament 1.12 13 14. But
false Doctrines to arise to seduce many So that the Romish Antichrist arose who challenged the authority of God to himself in abrogating divine Ordinances and making new in binding Conscience in pardoning Sin and in making a God of the Bread and how many follow this worship Now whence is it but that by the just Judgement of God they dash against this Rock which have not received a love of the truth And the same Iudgement of God is among us for when the love of Religion hath long since begun to decay God hath sent such as shall embrace the same in shew onely Hath not this Scandall caused that many who began to professe Religion long since have made yet so small progresse Many that had gone well on are gone backward and few that increasing persevere hence it comes by Gods just judgement that the evill wee see in others we follow as a Banner displayed This is the first Reason of this necessity which teaches that men are farre off from that happinesse they dreaming feyne to themselves while they injoy occasions and liberty of Sin without controlement for then are they carried with the heaviest judgement of God if they had eyes to see it as the Prophets above did bewayle the peoples case in this behalf and such as Christ in justice left the Pharises unto saying Let them alone and the Scripture Hee that is filthy let him bee filthy Dan. 12.10 The second Reason of this necessity is the Depravation of man for it must needs be to wit Mans wicked nature being such as it is confirmed by evill custome As it must needs be that Fire burne and an evill Tree brings evill fruit So it can not be that our corruption should bring forth any thing but evill Not that this depravation was planted in us by our Maker but that wee voluntarily have contracted the same to us in the fall of Adam for if it were in us by Creation it could not bee put off by no meanes nor in no measure As by no meanes the Fire can be made to coole or the Stone to flye and therefore seeing many holy men doe in part put of this Corruption it is apparent it is not Essentiall to mans nature Now the particular Corruptions which in men are the procuring causes and instruments of Scandall are these First a want of the love of God and his Truth Second the want of the Love of our Neighbour Hatred against some private persons love of our estimation profits pleasures honours and in generall the whole corruption of man whereby the tongue is made a Scandall by evill speaking the members of the body by being weapons of iniquity Blindnesse of mind frowardnesse of will perversenesse of affections selfe-love naughty Conscience conceit of ones own wit holinesse and righteousnesse and an aptnesse to receive any evill from another as one body receives infection from another These are the subserving causes to which the Divell insinuates himselfe Vse This consideration doth serve lively to decipher to us the greatnesse of the evill of sinne and naturall Corruption seeing it is a sin and a cause of sin and much woe and misery and in all these takes away all excuse from man as will appeare below The third reason is the finall cause of Scandall which in regard of the Elect is their tryall for it is the will of the Father that the elect be tryed that the chaff may be severed from the wheat that his gold might be purged his power in preserving might shine in our weaknesse and his mercy in our misery And the truth and power of Gods graces might be knowne to be greater while thereby the godly are preserved from the common infection As we admire those constitutions on those receits of Art whereby men living in the midst of an infected ayre and persons are yet free from the infection this consideration affords a double use Vse First It is a singular comfort to the godly in this necessity of so great misery that these Scandals are onely for their tryals and not for their confusion it may be their feet may trip against these blocks so that for a while they may goe slowly forward in the wayes of Piety but they shall never so fall as to depart from God and his truth Math. 24.24 There should be such strange delusions that if it were possible the Elect should be seduced thereby inferring to their endlesse comfort that it is not possible This is the priviledge of Gods children and the staffe of comfort in all miseries Vse Second this may serve to admonish unstable persons as Brownists who if they be the children of God as they perswade themselves they shall not be prejudiced in their Salvation It shall be only for their tryall therefore considering this end why God permits these Scandals it should be an effectuall meanes to strengthen them against them it shall turn to our further praise and glory if we can will and without offence in the midst of a froward and crooked generation And thus much of the Necessity In the fourth place a secret objection offers it self to be satisfied which is this Object That if a necessity be on these Scandals then the Authors thereof are not faulty and this Doctrine may seeme to make men desperate since these cannot be avoided Answ To this Christ answers that this necessity doth not exâ—â—â—pt the Authors of Scandall from blaâ—â— and punishment for there is a double Necessity The first is of Coaction or constraint when by some outward force and not of any internall and voluntary motion one is compelled to the doing of a thing As a stone by force is made to fly upward If such a necessity lay on man as whereby he were made to sin against his will then he were free from all fault But when as this necessity do adde no violence to the will but it is carryed wholly by its owne swing to wickednesse as loving the same this Necessity hath no excuse because it takes not away freedome This is briefly set down but excellently by that learned and judicious writer Doctor Abbot out of Barnard It is a voluntary and miserable free Necessity wherein neither can necessity Note ☞ excuse the Will because it is voluntary nor the will exclude necessity because it is intangled with delight therein Wherein Will takes from man all matter of defence and necessity bereaves him of possibility of amendment of himselfe So that the Will in a strange wise causes this Necessity to her self for there is one way Necessity by the habit of corruption and another way liberty by the free motion of the Will Vse Hence we learne that excuse that men make pleading Necessity is a false plea and unsufficient seeing this Necessity is such as was voluntary and was also contracted and procured by our own default The Philosophers could say That hee that offended by Drunkennesse was worthy of double punishment First for his fault Secondly for his
be but by death So that Gods wrath is already removed the guilt and condemnation of sin is taken away with the dominion Only the reliques remaines and bodily death but so as they shall no whit hinder our full deliverance So that true it is we must Dye Simile that the truth of Gods threats may take place which once denounced could not bee revoked but as Assuerosh though hee could not revoke the sentence of Death sent against the Iewes yet hee sent forth another Edict whereby he armed the Iewes against their Enemies Simile Even so God at the suit of Christ made another decree whereby wee might be armed against our enemy Death so that though we dye yet hee prevailes not against us by reason of the great change that is made in Death For whereas his Power was extended to whole-man Soule and Body hee is altogether restrained of the one and whereas his Power was perpetuall it is now limitted to a very short time Yea whereas Death and Sin were the greatest friends they are set at greatest oddes For as Death came in by Sin so Death is made the destroyer of Sin Simile like as the Worme that breeds in the Tree kills the tree Before Death was the Divels Serjeant to arrest us and to carry as without bayle to perpetuall Prison but now it is made the Lords gentleman Usher to conduct us to Heaven Before it was said Thou shalt Dye and not Live now it is sayd Dye that thou maist no more dye but Live eternally Vse Let us apply this for our Instruction First wee are taught hereby to walke worthy this Deliverance Luke 1.74 Upon this ground are made all Exhortations in the Scripture Rom. 12.1 2. 1 Pet. 1.17 18. It had been better otherwise never to have beene delivered 2 Pet. 2. at the end Math. 12. When the Divell is cast out of a man hee seekes rest c. And if a Bond-man be escaped and catcht againe more bonds are laid on him the eye of his Keeper more observes Hee that once escapes Fire and Water and will cast himselfe into them is well worthy to perish Simile Hee that is once set at liberty out of Prison and will run into ryot againe till hee be cast in the second time hee may lye till he rot Shall Christ breake our bonds and wee make new ones Shall hee kill Sin and take away the sting of it and shall we put life and sting againe into it When the Israelites were delivered from Babell how did they Watch build with one hand and prepare to fight with the other to defend their Liberty and as Ezâ—â— reasoned Chap. 9.9 That when as wee were bond-men thou O God forsooke us not in our bondage and seeing thou hast stayed us from being beneath for our Iniquities and hast given us such a Deliverance shall wee returne to breake thy Commandements wouldst not thou be angry till thou hadst consumed us so that there should bee no more escaping Even thus ought we and must we reason with our selves Nay what can we say if wee resist not Sin Have we not a Promise wee shall vanquish When we were weake unskilfull in battell nay wilfull not listing to fight and our Enemies were strong resolute and well appointed no marvell if wee turned our backe But now that the advantage is to us and disadvantage to our Adversaries what can wee say if we faint who will pitty that man that suffers himselfe easily to be spoyled of his goods by Robbers having on himselfe good armour and well weaponed and being stronger then the Thiefe Let us then stand fast and not betray our Liberty but oft meditate of the bitternesse of our former bondage one that being long in Prison and there fed of scraps if being delivered he passe by and sees other at his old dyet hee partly trembles partly his stomack rises at it and so should it be with us Secondly This doth admonish us of Thankefulnesse No benefit to this Exod. 12. The night of their Deliverance out of Egypt was solemnly to be kept Yet this was nothing and therefore to be forgotten in comparison of the Deliverance from Babell Ierem. 16.14 Now this of ours farre exceeds both the other as being but temporary and bodily Deliverances from Miseries ceazing on the body which Death would have ended And yet for this how doth the Psalmist stirre up the people Psal 107. To thankefulnesse verses 1 2 8 13 16 21 31. Nay it is to bee observed that the Scripture speaking of Deliverance from the bondage and guilt of Sin calls all Creatures to rejoyce with Man for this his happinesse and the fruit of it Esa 44.22.24 Rejoyce yee heavens for the Lord hath done it c. Esa 49.13 And sure great cause have wee Psal 116.8 Therefore he inferres in the first and 2d. verses That he will love the Lord dearely and that he will walke before God in the Land of the living And in other places meditating of it He breaks forth Lord what is man that thou art mindful of him What was the Lord God more tyed to us then to the Angels falling yet passing by them in wofull misery hath vouchsafed us mercy Simile As if a Noble man and a Peasant being both Traytors the King should cause judgement to be executed on the Noble man and yet pardon the mean man yet thus hath God dealt with us Vse Let us then labour earnestly with our own hearts to frame them to true thankfulnesse Let us consider who was the Lord that he should look on such dead Dogs as we are And if Elizabeth could cry out in admiration whence is it That the Mother of my Lord should visit me what ravishment of affection should possesse us Let us acknowledge this unfainedly and give him the glory of his Power Wisdome Goodnesse Justice Truth Holinesse for all these appeare in our Deliverance Let us study to expresse thankfulnesse by avoiding what is displeasing to God and by doing that may please him Otherwise if forsake good and cleave to evill wee shall bee cast off from God and all goodnesse and shall be tyed by an inseparable bond to all perfection of evill as a just and befitting recompence of our own choyce Vse Third the meditation of this Deliverance offered in the word Preached shou d cause that the messengers thereof should be entertained with all willingnesse and thankfulnesse Esa 52.7 8. And because this is not thought of it is that men are so dull and heavy in entertaining the word and the Ministers thereof And thus much of the first particular Now followes the second Verse 18 To Heale the broken hearted Herein by a second comparison the misery of man is set forth with the remedy by the benefit of Christ Where first of the Misery This broken heartednesse is a fruit of sin and Corruption whereby the heart as with a mighty burden is bruised yea so heavy it is that God affirmes of himselfe that he is pressed with
sins as a Can is pressed that is filled with sheaves Amos 2.13 And the whole man is made to goe drooping and languishing Now this being the generall estate of all by nature as the former was in regard of the effect of sin Yet because in Scripture they onely are properly called broken hearted who feele the burden of their sin therefore by this is understood all those who are smitten in heart and wounded in Conscience for their sin being called also in Scripture the sick the humble the poore and contrite the weary and laden the soft and melting heart Whereas the other not truly pressed with the burden of sin but dead in it and sencelesse of it they are termed the whole to wit in their own fancies the Proud the lofty the righteous the fat heart the hard and stony hearted Doct. The Instruction hence is That the promises of the Gospell and the benefits of Christ belong only to the contrite in heart The Scripture is a plentifull witnesse in this case Esa 57.15.116 Esa 65.4 â—sa 61.4 Math. 9.12.13 Math. 11.28 Examples of this truth Luke 7.37 and 47 verses Luke 15. The prodigall Son Luke 28. The Publican Acts 2.37.38 Acts 16. The Iaylor And the truth of this is most apparent For Christ was sent to no other but such Vse and no other will seeke unto him For none will rest on Christ for their Salvation till they â—ee no other meanâ—s to escape Condemnation none will ever sâ—ek to Christ to be their Redeemer till they perceive they are the bondslaves of Satan Rom. 7.10 they will never look for the riches of his righteousnessâ— till they feele their own poverty Never desire Chrâ—sts garment till they see their own nakednesse till any feele themselves Sicke they will never seeke to the Phisitian he that is full despises an hony-combe and what cares he for a pardon that thinkes he hath not offended And so of necessity there must be a knowledge of sin that there may be asking seeking knocking without which there is no obtaining againe who can imagine that Christ who is infinite in wisdome will unadvisedly bestow his benefits on such as finding no want of them desire them not absent nor esteeme them present and so can never nor will be thankfull for them Who can in reason conceive that he will offer himselfe a Saviour to such as acknowledge themselves not condemned that he will redeeme those that confesse not themselves Captives or heale those that thinke themselves sound or that he will vainly spend his precious Bloud in clensing them who take themselves holy So then it is apparent that none are or shall be partakers of Christ but the broken hearted Vse This serves First to discover the small number of those who can justly lay any claime to Christ for who almost sees his sin and groanes under the burden of it Nay is not sin become a delight no burden a sport and pastime do they not hide it under their tongue as a most sweet thing as Iob speakes So that they are loath to part with it Yea the Spirituall Physitian that shall offer to purge this Corrupt humor he must looke to suffer the same things that the bodily Physitian doth at the hands of the Frantick Vse Second It serves to admonish and exhort all to labour for this Grace of being broken hearted It is the first degree to health to feele the disease And till this be in the soule there is and will be a scoffing at all the riches of Christ as is to bee seene in the Iewes Acts 2.13 Till they were pricked and then they sang another song The like John 4.11.12 A lewd Strumpet could frump Christ till her sins were laid open Yea this doth most plainly appeare in the Example of Paul Rom. 7.9.10 Who while he truly knew not sin nor the burden of it Was alive in his own conceit and thought himselfe a jolly man and so proudly scorned yea persecuted the Doctrine of Christ Now to the procuring of this sight and sense there is required a lively sight of Sin as it is set forth in the glasse of the Law with the hainousnesse and filthinesse thereof as being against an infinite Majesty against a holy Law and so most vile against a good Law and so most evill against a just Law ☞ and so most unrighteous and without all just excuse The Punishment also of sin is seriously to be considered of as it is to be seene in many heavy spectacles as Adam and Eve Sodome and Gomorrha the Old World the Angels fallen and infinite persons with Dives in Hell torments And lastly in the glasse of Christs most bitter Agony If we did daily look the face of sin in the glasse of all these it would awake us and make us to fly from the vengeance to come To this end it was that Iohn Baptist so thundred before Christ hence it was that Christ so opened the Law and shewed the Spirituall sense and deepe search of the Law Hence it was that Christ at first dealt so rigorously with the debtor Math. 18.23 24 25. And with the young man bidding him sell all Luke 19. So tâ—at wee must hee content that the Law workes on our Conscience and first slay us as is did Paul before we shall be truly alive Third this serves for the comfort of the afflicted Vse Art thou humbled at the sight of thy sins happy art thou To thee belongs all the promises of God and Christ with all his riches Thy case is blessed As darkenesse is not descryed by darkenesse Simile ☞ Note so neither is Sin but by Grace No Element is weighty in his proper place No more is sin in a naturall man He that is dead feeles nothing So that in that thou feeles thou art alive and if hereby thou art made to hunger and thirst after Christs righteousnesse thou shalt be satisfied And thus much of this misery The remedy followes To Heale Christ is oft compared to a Physitian so are his Ministers and his word Ier. 8. at the end Is there no Balme at Gilead Christ healed the bodily diseases but it was but to make the people understand that he came to cure the Soule and herein Christ applyes himselfe to our misery Are we hungry he is Bread are we Thirsty Naked Poore Weary Sicke then he is Water Garments Riches Ease and Physicke But as the sicknesse is Spirituall so is the remedy And as the sores and diseases are many so many are the Salves and Plaisters of Christ They are foure principally 1 Gods promises ☞ the first soveraigne Balme or Nectar is the suppling Oyle of his gracious Promises which are most true and most free and therefore may not be counted as Physick of no value and these leaves and fruit of the tree of life Revel 22.2 Are every where dispersed over the whole booke of God able to revive the fainting Spirit Some whereof are Esay 40.1 2 3. Esay 42.2 3. Esay 51.5
expressed in so many words to wit That they must fight but in the roome thereof it is declared by what meanes and after what manner the faithfull must contend For in vaine might one discover a danger unlesse some meanes be prescribed for the avoiding of it He therefore shewes that the faithfull must contend both for themselves and for others For themselves in the 20 and 21 verses and for others their brethren verses 22 23. Whereas they are not in a like danger or fault therefore to some one kind of meanes must be used for they that are fallen by Infirmity must be restored by the Spirit of Lenity Gal. 6. at the beginning But they that have betrayed themselves into their Enemies hands and drawn others they must be brought home againe with Terrour and severity by shewing them their dangerous estate wherein they stand For themselves The way of safegarding themselves is by the diligent practice of one chiefe thing they must keep themselves in the Love of God And fence themselves with it as with a Trench but to the making of this fence they need three things as three ditches or bankes to wit Faith Prayer Hope Briefly There are foure things commended to every Christian whereby he may defend himselfe against the force of the wicked to wit Faith Prayer Love of God Hope Now let us speake of each particular in a word first admonishing this that this care ought not lesse to touch us then those ancient Christians to whom Iude wrote Yea it much more concernes us diligently to provide for our selves least our Faith being vanquished wee be brought into bondage yea everlasting destruction wee being in as great danger as ever were any For we see Reverend Fathers into what times and manners we are fallen for although at the mention of so great Impiety as the Apostle here speakes of There is none but doth feare and tremble yet these are the times wherein Christ foretold That Iniquity should abound the Charity of many wax cold and in which the Son of man when he came to judgement should scarce find Faith in the Eath The Apostles time was the best and as the Spring time fit to grow and increase the Church but these our times are Autumnall fit for gathering fruits which if they be not reaped in their due time do grow flush and wither through too much ripenesse and go backward while at last the graine or Seed being shaken and fallen to the earth there remaines nothing but empty blades I confesse that the horrible Impietie of Popery is by the power of God blessed be his Name long since banished our Church with the neighbour Countries are illustrated with the beames of the truth Yet there doth slyly creepe some secret and lurking evill in the wrapping it self in the cloke of Religion which doth weaken all the strength of Religion Wee will all be called Christians and all professe we know the true God But who almost denies him not with his deeds Wee all make a shew of Piety What Did I say All. I would it could truly be so said For many do so hate the semblance of Piety that they abhorre from all shew of honesty But be it that all professe Piety but how few make Conscience of any Sin Yea who is it not almost that under this name of Religion thinkes not that all liberty is granted to filthy lusts So that although these times have whereof they may boast if they knew to use the good given them yet it is come to that dissolute negligence in all Piety that there is none but can witnesse that to be true which Christ and his Apostles once foretold of the miseries of the Times Wherefore seeing Iniquity the floud gates being set open doth poure forth it self into our Age let us thinke that this exhortation of the Apostle doth meerely concerne us And let us be armed and prepare our selves to the battle and let us diligently attend The Precept of the Spirit that we may be found worthy to escape these heavy times And now let us come to the first particular propounded before The first succour of preserving the love of God in us is Faith it self For this only certainly knowes that we are received into favour Through the alâ—ne mercy of God for Christs sake It feeles all our sins bâ—otted out it knowes that nothing can befall us which is not a furtherance to good Wherefore it must needs be that while this shall remaine in our hearts it will mâ—ke the greatnesse of Gods love to us most cleere and sure And not this only but it doth also so vehemently enflame us to a mutuall love that we shall desire to shew our selves thankfull by all meanes The Woman that had many Sinnes forgiven Loved much and the debter Loves much whose debt forgiven was the greatest 1 Iohn 4.19 We Love him because he loved us first But let us see the Precept it self This Faith is declared in this place by a two-fold argument First from the adjoynt of Holinesse called a Holy Faith because this alone doth teach us to thinke holily of God and to conceive honourably of him It doth purge the heart and endue and season it with true holinesse Acts. 15.9 1 Pet. 1.19 20. The second thing by which Faith is here described is the subject Our the common Faith of all the faithfull for the Apostle doth not exhort Christians to build themselves of another Faith whereof themselves have either none or a very slender notion but by this speech he doth warne that no man privately coyne to himself a new Faith devised from that the holy Scriptures would have one and common to all Hence Paul cals the same Faith a common Faith as Iude did a common Salvation Tit. 1.4 2 Pet. 1. chap. 1 verse The thing exhorted to be peâ—formed touching this Faith is noted in this word Build up which is a figurâ—tive speech taken from Architectors or Masons for as that they build not on one side or other besides the Foundation layd but doth reare their building just and straight on the ground-worke and after the worke once begun they never intermit their labour till they have finished the just building So if we desire to beare the force and assaults of the wicked it behoves us that our selves and all our actions thoughts and words be laid on no other then the sole foundation of Faith and that wee never give over so doing till wee have brought our worke to some perfection So that two things are heere commanded First that whatsoever wee doe we referre it to Faith as to the square thereof Second that we labour daily to increase in Faith As touching the first What Faith is That Faith whereby all our actions and counsels must bee ordered as farre as I can judge is not only a certaine and stedfast manner and knowledge of things to be done and not to be done for why should this be called most Holy neither is