bring us into an estate wherein all means fail us God remains as powerful and able as merciful and willing to help as ever he was and rather than his children shall miscarry he will save them by miracle 2 Our callings and means are not to bee neglected because 1 Christ denies not but that man lives by means but not only by them 2 They are a part of that every word of God whereby man lives and if ordinary means be offered we may not trust to extraordinary without some special promise or revelation 3 It is a tempting of God to pull poverty on our selves or cast our selves into danger and is a breach of his ordinance who injoyns every man to get his living in the sweat of his blows But one thing is a Christian care another a carking care for the things of this world one thing is the care of the world in Mary who especially minds the one thing necessary another in Martha who distracts her self with many businesses neglecting the good part which should never bee taken from her one thing to possess the world another to bee possessed by it one thing to use means another to trust in them More care must be had of Gods blessing than of means Vse 4. If man live not by means alone bee more careful for Gods blessing than for the means bee more thankful for that than for these else hee that made bread and gave it thee can break the staff of it else he can make thee great and rich but lay a sensible curse on thy person and estate either in thine own time or in thy heirs And as for thanksgiving Christ never used any means but by prayer and thanksgiving and taught us to pray for daily bread The comfort of the creatures a greater mercy than the creatures them selves i.e. for a blessing upon bread It is a greater mercy of God to give us comfort of the creatures than the creatures themselves Yet a number as if they lived by bread only come to their tables as the hog to his trough or the horse to his provender without either prayer or thankes A wonder that every crum choaks them not for without Gods blessing it might But by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God On â— the word yet every word of God preferâ—eth the life of man Doct. This affirmative part of the testimony alledged by Christ teacheth us That It is only the word of God and every word of God that preserveth the life of man But first wee must distinguish of mans life which is either supernatural or natural and also of the word which is put forth either for the life natural or supernatural The former is a word of Gods power and providence creating and governing all things according to their natural courses called in the Text a word that goeth out of the mouth of God for no word of the creature can produce the being or well-being of any other The latter is the word of Truth whereby hee doth quicken the soul and repair it to his own likenesse and this word proceedeth not onely out of the mouth of God but of his Prophets Apostles and Pastors and this word begetteth and preserveth a supernatural life in man as the other doth a natural Jer. 15.19 Now our Saviour meaneth here the natural life of the body and the word of Gods power and providence generally sustaining the being and life of all creatures How the soul liveth by the word of God and not that a man can live by the written word without meat and drink It is true that the soul of man liveth by Gods Word of Truth for 1 Hee is begotten a Christian by it and born of this immortal seed Jam. 1.18 2 Hee is nourished by it as by sincere Milk 1 Pet. 2.2 3 As bread increaseth the body in all dimensions so the Word strengtheneth the soul in faith patience comfort hope love as children grow by Milk 4 Bread strengthens the heart and all the strength of a Christian is in the word it preserves the natural heat and the word makes his heart burn within him and keeps it in a readiness to every good word and work But yet this is not the proper meaning of this place neither can it agree with the meaning of Moses who plainly speaks of the bodily hunger of the Israelites and the feeding of them with Mannah that they may know that man liveth not by bread onely nor yet with the mind of our Saviour Christ nor with his present condition nor with the drift of Satans temptation nor with the sound repelling of his dart which was that Christ for the appeasing of his bodily hunger after his forty daies fast would turn stones into bread How man lives by every word of God And now wee knowing what is meant by the Word of God even the powerful word of Gods providence in creating and governing all things wee are further to consider that our Saviour addeth an universal particle every word the reason is because this word is twofold ordinary and extraordinary Ordinary when God changeth not his ordinary course but by means proportioned unto the ends which are a part of his ordinary word preserveth and maintaineth the life hee hath given as daily bread sleep and the like Extraordinary when by his word and decree he pleaseth to preserve man either above or without or against all means I. Above the means sundry waies 1 Above all that man can expect The word sustaineth 1 Above all means three waies thus God gave the Israelites Mannah in the wilderness and water out of a Rock thus hee tyed a Ram to bee sacrificed in stead of Isaac thus he brake the cheek-tooth that was in the jaw and water came thereout for Sampson Judg. 15.19 and by his word provided a gourd to come over Jonas his head to shadow him and deliver him from his grief chap. 4.6 thus hee fed Elias by Ravens 2 When hee makes a little means go beyond themselves as Christ made seven loaves and two fishes to serve seven thousand persons and much left thus hee made a few clothes serve Israel forty years so as their shooes did not wear out Thus the Word of God made a little meal and oyle serve the Prophet and a widow a long time 1 King 17.14 Thus saith the Lord God of Israel the meal in the barrel shall not bee wasted nor the oyle in the cruse diminished till the time that the Lord send rain and so it was though they are nothing else all the while 2 King 4.42 Elisha had twenty loaves sent him and some ears of Corn hee commanded his servant to set them before the people Oh saith he what are these to an hundred men but the Prophet said The Lord hath said they shall eat and yet there shall remain and it came to pass according to the word of the Lord. 3 When the means are not so small in
quantity as base in quality and yet have by this word an extraordinary blessing as the coarse fare of Daniel II. Without means Gods word causeth man to live as Moses Elias II. Without all means and Christ himself who had immediately before seen the word of God preserving him already forty daies and nights and could further if hee pleased III. Against means as the Disciples sent out III. Against all means were promised if they drank any deadly poyson it should not hurt them so fire burnt not the three children though cast into it when it burnt their enemies and their own bands All this is meant by that our Saviour saith every word and thus most aptly hee returneth the temptation Man lives not onely by bread that is the ordinary means but by extraordinary also even above and beyond means yea without and against means And therefore where thou sayest I must have means Gods word saith there is no absolute necessity of them my Fathers word can still sustain mee without bread as hee hath done these forty daies already 1 The word of God is it Reasons which gave being and beginning to all things when they were not and much more doth it continue the being of them now when they are Psal 104.30 If thou send forth thy spirit they are created By Spirit here is not meant the essence of God but a power and secret vertue proceeding from God all one with this word of God by which things were not onely created at the first but are still renewed and that daily and yearly as it were again created Joh. 1.3 In that word was life that is not onely inherent in the Son of God himself but as an efficient to communicate life to all living things 2 The Word of God is as it were the prop and stay of the world without which all things would fall into confusion Every man knows by nature that God maintains and preserves all things that it is he that stretcheth out the heavens like a curtain that hee sends forth the winds out of his treasure and raiseth the waves of the Sea like mountaines which are great things but nature teacheth not how God doth these things by what means only the Scriptures teach that hee doth all this by his word that as in the creation God said Let there bee light and there was light and so of all other things Gods word was his work so in upholding and preserving it hee doth it by his word as Heb. 1.2 who upholdeth all things by his mighty word which word when God calls in the Creature falls to nothing Act. 17.28 In him we live and move and have our being 3 The same word of God which gives vertue and force to the Creatures in themselves doth also sanctifie them unto us every creature is sanctified by the Word and Prayer 1 Tim. 4.6 the word shews how to get them how to use them and prayer obtains of God a right tenure and a pure use which indeed is the blessing or sanctification of them 4 The same word carries them beyond the strength of their nature to doe us good Bread and VVine in their own nature can but nourish and feed the body but Gods VVord in the institution of the Sacrament makes them feed the soul to eternal life Quest But how may we conceive of this Word whereby God doth govern and preserve the creatures Ans By Gods VVord we must not only conceive his decree and will but a powerful Commandement and effectual to which all his Creatures yeeld free and willing obedience This commanding word was put forth in the Creation Psal 148.5 He commanded and they were all created Men when they attempt and perform any great matter because their power is small must use great labour and many instruments and helps But by the word of the Lord the heavens were made Psal 33.9 He said the word and all things were done This commanding word is put forth in the daily government of God Psal 147.15 He sends out his Commandement upon the earth his word runneth very swiftly that is nothing can withstand and hinder the power of his word here the VVord and Commandement are all one The senslesseness and deadness of the Creatures their vastness and fierceness hinder not his word but without delay yea with marvellous celerity and swiftness they execute his word Psal 148.8 If God speak to the Heavens they shall hear and cover themselves with darknesse at noon day as in Christs passion If hee command the Sun it shall hear his word and goe back or stand still If hee command the VVinds or Sea to be still they shall be still and presently there shall be a great calm If he send forth his VVord the Mountains of Ice shall melt Psa 147.18 If he command the VVhale he shall set Jonah on dry land cap. 2. ver 10. If he command the solid and sensless earth it shall hear and rend to swallow up Corah Dathan and Abâ—ram If hee command the fire not to burn it shall hear and not burn the three Children If he command dead men they shall hear and come out of their Graves as Lazarus c. and all men at the general judgement But as God can see without eyes and reach without hands so also doth he speak without a tongue as the Light the Firmament the Heavens and other his VVorks can hear his voyce without ears neither wanteth he a means to make his mind known and his pleasure manifest to the most sensless creatures Use 1. This should teach us to depend upon this Word of God for our lives and means of maintaining them for so our Lord Jesus did in this barren wilderness he would not sustain himself but by Gods Word Doest thou want means of living and maintenance Consider that man lives not by bread alone The word of God made the 〈◊〉 light without the Sun and the earth fruitful without the rain This word can make the Air light without and before either Sun Moon or Star Gen. 1.3 This word can make the earth fruitful before the rain had ever fallen upon it Gen. 2.5 Wantest thou bread God hath not locked up thy life in bread it may be hee hath another word which if thou hearest with Moses and Elias thou shalt live without bread Asa when hee was in a great straight 2 Chrp. 14.11 for he was with five hundred and fourscore thousand to encounter with an Army of ten hundred thousand and three hundred Chariots hee looked up to this word of God and said that the Lord could save by many or few or by none Hast thou means of living yet depend on this word thy life stands not in bread or in abundance if God with-draw his word neither restorative Quails nor heavenly Manna if thou hadst them shall preserve thy life How often doth God blow upon the second means to bring us to this word Vse 2. The faith of this truth doth fence the heart
4 Your loving respect of me and mine hath been as a continual shadow and refreshing Phil. 2.2 unto mee who may and must truely say with the Apostle I have found no man in these Parts Like-Minded And out of my answerable respect I would set by you for your refreshing a little vessel of comfortable water drawn out of the Scriptures Isa 12.3 the wells of consolation by which you may allay and cool the heat of that fire which every sprig of the bush shall be scorched withall and which perhaps you have not altogether or shall not escape I would also express my desire to put into your hands a weapon against the like fiery assaults of Satan who spareth neither head nor members which while you buckle fast unto you as you have your honourable Fathers name and resemble him in other vertues so herein also you shall imitate his wisdome and prudence of whom I have heard that living in the Court to a great age and usually wearing his weapon about him one asked why he being so weak burdened himself with his weapon his Noble answer was Hee would not lay off his weapon so long as he knew one Papist in the Court A resolute answer of a grave and noble Counsellor This will be also your wisdome so long to buckle your weapon unto you as you know one enemy left to tempt and assault you And now in leaving you let mee leave with you a medicine or receipt against the sting of that fiery Serpent Rabi folia superjecta serpenti interimunt eum Amb. Hexam lib. cap. 9 of power to drive him away For as Ambrose speaks of the leaves of the bramble bush that being cast upon one kinde of Serpent they kill him so much more true it is that the leaves of Gods word which properly belong to the bush of the Church and opposed to Satans poysoned temptations overcome and Master them Deut. 33.16 And thus as Moses requested that the blessing of him that dwelt in the bush might come upon the head of Joseph even so the good will of him that dwelt in the bush come upon your head upon the head of your vertuous Lady upon the heads of your children to the sweetning and crowning of your age vers 13. And blessed of the Lord bee your portion vers 23 for the sweetness of Heaven and for the sweetness of the earth till you be satisfied with favour and filled with the blessing of the Lord. Amen Reading Octob. 28. 1618. Your worships in the Lord to bee commanded THO. TAYLOR A Threefold Alphabet of Rules concerning CRISTIAN PRACTICE The First Precept of every Letter concerning Duty towards God The Second towards our Neighbours The Third towards our Selves Gathered at a Friends request in this order for the helping of the Memory First AWake with God in the morning and before all things give him your first fruits and calves of your lips in 1 Confession of sin 2 Petition of necessaries for body and soul 3 Thankfulness for mercies received especially your late preservation rest and protection of you and yours Josh 24.15 Psa 101.2 Gen. 14.14 18.19 Esth 4.15 2 Account it not enough that your self serve God unless that you see all in your charge do the same 3 Arm your self against whatsoever the day may bring forth and upon all occasions think on your happy redemption with much thankfulness for so happy conjunction of Justice and mercy B 1 Beware of occasions of sin and wisely inure your self in subduing the least that at length the greater may be foiled 2 Beleeve all that God speaketh unto you out of his word but not all that man telleth you 1 Sam. 10.16 Eccl. 3.7 nor tell to any other all that you hear but only the truth and that neither all nor always 3 Before you take in hand any thing Luk. 2.19 2 Sam. 2.1 1 Sam. 30.8 counsel with Gods word if it be lawful and then perform it with prayer that it may bee as successful as lawful C 1 Carefully set your self in Gods presence all the day long that setting him at your right hand you may not fall 2 Carry your self unto all as the weak may be won 1 Cor. 1â— 32. Col. 4.5 the strong comforted and the wicked ashamed 3 Consider the dignity of your soul how beautiful it is to God and his Angels so long as you keep it unspotted Mat. 15.18 Eph. 4. â—3 31. Col. 3.5 â— that so you may cleanse your heart from the first motions of sinful thoughts as lust anger envy pride ambition covetousness fullenness and the rather because the least sin deserveth death D 1 Daily morning and evening at least solemnly on your knees make confession and requests with thanksgiving first preparing your heart to seek the Lord in the morning think that that day may bee your last day and when you go to bed you know not whether you shall rise unless it be to judgement It is safest therefore to use prayer as a key to open the morning and as a bar or lock to shut in the evening 2 Delight to do all the good you can to Gods Children Gal. 6.10 and to receive all the good you can from them 3 Distrust not Gods providence in any matter 2 Chr. 16.3.9.12 2 Cor. 3.5 1 Cor. 3.7 Rom. 1.25 although you see the means wanting neither when you have them let them bee relyed on more than God himself but let him be prayed unto for the prosperous use of them E 1 Exercise your mind in meditating often on the works of God Jer. 12.2 Hâ—b 1.13 Mat. 15.31 as his creating and governing of the world his prospering and punishing the wicked his blessing and correcting his children his preparing of unspeakable Joy for the one and unutterable torment for the other Exod. 10.8 But especially on the Sabbath add to these meditations the holy exercises of prayer Preaching Sacraments holy conference and such like 2 Esteem of every one better than your self Rom. 12.16 and the more you excel another be so much the more humbled Phil 2.3 Rom. 14.23 Prov. 6.14 Zac 8.17 Psa 49.3 3 Examine your thoughts well whether they tend before you fulfil your own desires if you find them unprofitable curious vain or such as you cannot yeild a sufficient reason to God or man for kill them in the shel let them not live or breathe longer in you F Eccl. 12.13 Prov. 5.8 6.27 28 1 Fear God and keep his Commandements for this is the whole duty of man 2 Fly and avoid places and persons infectious wanton idle unthrifty and bad company which are to the soul as poysoned and infected air to the body Eccl. 1.13 Gen. 3.19 2 Thes 3.6 3 Follow with faithfulness and diligence your own business in the lawful and particular calling wherein God hath placed you only be careful in your earthly business to carry an heavenly mind
it is but an infirmity what need a man bee so precise and scrupulous as to stand upon such small trifles all which is but to plead for Satan against our own safety He was afterwards an hungry In these words is set down the effect of Christs fast After he had fasted forty days and forty nights he began to be hungry all the while before he was not hungry neither did he want power to have fasted longer and by his Divine power upheld his human nature if hee pleased but now the miraculous fast being finished he begun to hunger Quest How could Christ be hungry seeing he was able to feed so many thousands with seven Leaves and two Fishes Besides Joh. 4.34 he saith My meat is to doe the will of him that sent me and to finish his work Or if he could be hungry why would he Ans Some have thought that Christ needed not to eat sleep c. as wee need when our bodily strength is exhaust by labour by fasting and watching And some of the Fathers as Ambrose and Theophylact upon Mar. 11.12 hold that Christ only by dispensation gave his body leave to be hungry when he pleased as though he neither was wont nor could nor ought to bee ordinarily hungry as other men nor necessarily forced to eat But wee must know that Christ took upon him a true human body and the form of a Servant in which he was obnoxious to all our infirmities only sin excepted And the infirmities which he undetook not are these What infirmities our Saviour took and took not in three propositions 1 He was not to take any which might hinder the perfection of his soul or body Of his soul as vices sins proneness to evil heaviness to goodness Christ took miserable infirmities in his soul as Augustine saith such as are natural negative ignorance as of the day of Judgement and the time of figges fructifying but not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Damascene saith damnable and detestable Of his body because it was extraordinarily conceived and created of the Holy Ghost who being of infinite wisdome and power could not eâ—re or not bring his body to perfection Therefore he was not to bee blind lame deaf c. which are infirmities in many other men 2 Christ was not to take all infirmities in general Christ took not all infirmities of every particular man for three causes for 1 Some arise of particular causes which could not be in Christ as namely some hereditary infirmities and diseases as the Leprosie Falling-sickness Stone c. some from redundance of matter in generation have some monstrous or superfluous part some from defect want some part or have some part withered or scanted None of this can agree to Christs most perfect conception of the Holy Ghost 2 Some infirmities are acquisite as by Surfeits Feavers and Gouts by fulness These could not befall Christ who never exceeded the mean his whole life being a continual exercise of sobriety neither had hee ever any acquisite infirmity but voluntarily undertaken 3 Some defects and infirmities are the fruit of some special judgement of God as Uzziah his Leprosie was a special stroke of Gods hand for a special sin so some are born fools and simple Neither could these belong to Christ who had no sin nor cause of judgement in him 3 Christ was to take upon him all natural and indetractable infirmities as the School-men call them and only them Natural that is such as follow common nature infirmities common to all men And indetractable or inculpable which detract not from the perfection of his person nor of his grace nor of the work of our redemption Of this kinde are hunger thirst labour weariness sleep sorrow sweat and death it self all these are common to all men Now hunger being a common infirmity incident to all men yea to Adam in innocency who was hungry and did eat as Gen. 1.39 every tree bearing fruit shall be to you for meat and slept chap. 2. vers 21. a heavie sleep fell on the man yet without molestation therefore Christ did necessarily hunger as other men do not by an absolute necessity for 1 he needed not have taken our nature or been incarnate 2 As he was God he could have exempted himself from all the abasement and miseries that he suffered neither by a coacted necessity for he willingly submitted himself to this necessity But by a necessity ex hypothesi or conditionate having taken our nature to redeem it he was necessarily to take on him all our weaknesses sin only excepted for these reasons Reasons why Christ took on him our infirmities five Mans nature is known by defects Gods by perfection 1 He was not only to be like a man and in the shape of a man but also a very true man like unto his brethren in all things except sin therefore it is said Heb. 2.17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to assure the truth of his incarnation against all Anthropomorphites and such like Hereticks 2 This was a part of his obedience and consequently of our redemption that he suffered the same thing as we do both in body and in mind Vere pertulit langâ—ores nostros he hath truly born our infirmities Isa 53.4 3 That he might sanctifie unto us these infirmities and take away the sting of them lest we should be wearied and faint in our mindes Heb. 12.3 and that we might have an example in suffering 1 Pet. 2.21 4 That he might be a compassionate High Priest Heb. 2.17 18. touched with infirmity yea cloathed with our frail nature that we should not doubt of his grace who vouchsafed to be so abased for us 5 Himself confirmeth the same in that he took not on him such a body of ours as Adam had before sin but such a one as he retained after his fall so far as it was obnoxious to all incriminal pains of sin namely such as was subject to weariness Joh. 4.6 to sorrow tears and weeping as over Jerusalem Luke 19.41 and at the raising of Lazarus Joh. 11.35.38 and in his Agony when he shed tears and used strong cries Heb. 5.7 to sweating water and bloud in the garden yea to death it self from all which Adams body was free before the fall And by these his body was by a true necessity overcome as ours are and this not for a short time or space at his pleasure but all the time of his life till he breathed out his holy spirit yea thirsting upon the cross it self John 19.28 Neither was this onely to confirm the truth of his humane nature but to fulfill all righteousnesse and carry away all the punishment of our sinnes and so work a perfect salvation for us Therefore Christ truely and necessarily was hungry as wee use to be Obj. Christs meat was to do the will of his father As for that place in Joh. 4.34 I answer 1 It must bee meant comparatively in that the execution of his
day of Tryal to take heed of admitting any thing against our conscience which the Apostle compares to a ship fraughted with precious wares such as faith love joy with other graces Now if wee crack our ship of conscience wee make shipwrack of faith and the other graces which good conscience had preserved 4 Faith being the free gift of God who is the author and finisher of it a means to stablish it is fervent and continual prayer as the Apostles knew well enough Luk. 17.5 saying Lord increase our faith and that good man Mark 9.24 Lord I beleeve help my unbeleef Christ praies for the not failing of thy faith wilt not thou pray for thy own The least faith can pray for more A special mark of the least measure of faith is that it can pray for more III. When thou feelest Satan assaulting thy faith and hiding from thine eyes the love of God then set before thine eyes Gods gracious promises made and to bee made good to thee in Jesus Christ both because 1 of the generality of them which run without excepting thee if thou doest not except thy self as also 2 Because they are built and grounded not upon thy sense and feeling but upon Gods unchangeable love as also 3 Because hee hath commanded thee to beleeve Object Oh but would you have me beleeve when I feel nothing but corruption in my self and correction and displeasure in God Answ Yes for faith must bee where is no feeling and may bee one thing is the being of a thing another the discerning of it Doth not the sun shine though a cloud or some other thing bee between our sight and it Nay then when sense and feeling cease faith begins her chief and most glorious work Was it not Abrahams commendation that hee beleeved against beleef and hoped against hope when all nature and sense was set against him hee held the word of promise against sense and nature Nay our blessed Saviour in whom was no grudgings of infidelity but assured faith in his Father yet in respect of his present sense and feeling cryed out My God My God why hast thou forsaken mee David beleeved in the word of God and not his eyes and so must thou that thou hearest God speak and not that thou seest Thomas when hee would beleeve no more than that hee saw and felt our Saviour said to him Bee not so faithless but faithful In the strongest encounter wait still till Christ come to case thee hee is not far off and commit thy self in well doing into his hands as into the hands of a faithful Creator say with Hester I will go to the King if I perish I perish it may bee hee will reach out his scepter graciously and I shall live but if I must needs perish I will perish under the wing of my Lord and Husband So much of Satans second drift in the first temptation In the third place he seeketh to make Christ doubt of his Divinity and call in question whether he was the Son of God or no from his present necessity as if he had said Seest thou not in what famine and need thou art thou hast fasted here these forty days of my knowledge VVhat is become of thy Father and of his providence whose Son thou art proclaimed Is this the care thy father hath of thee Doth he think thou canst live of air or feed of winde or digest stones Art thou weak creature and starven he that must prevail against the gates of Hell Art thou the Messiah that hast not a morsel of bread to put in thy mouth No if thou wert the Son of God he would care a little more for thee no natural father that had a drop of affection would leave his child so destitute VVhence we may learn that Satans drift is to make men call in question the truth of their adoption in their 〈◊〉 Doct. 3. Satan seeketh to make the members of Christ as well as the Head call in question their adoption and salvation for present adversity and want A notable instance hereof we have in Job whom when the Devil by Gods permission to bring him to blaspheme God had robbed him of his goods had slain his children had afflicted his body with most painful and loathsome botches then he sets upon him and sets all his friends upon him to make him beleeve that God also is his enemy and hath brought his sin upon his head And this he taught his instruments the wicked rulers or rather raylers Matth. 27.41 when Christ was in most extream torments and terrours of body and soul hanging on the Cross they said in scorn If he be the Son of God let him come down from the Cross and we will beleeve on him He trusted in God let him now deliver him if hee will have him for he said he was the Son of God As if they had said Is not this a notable deceiver to say hee was Gods Son and now is in extreame danger ready to perish shamefully and no hope of any deliverance If he were the Son of God would hee suffer him to perish So it is his ordinary temptation to any beleever Doest thou not see thy self poor and despised in want and sorrow Seest thou any one sign of Gods favour Art thou not deprived almost of all the pleasures of the world Seest thou not that God cares for beasts and fowls which he feedeth in due season but thou art neglected Reasons 1 This comes to pass because of Satans malice towards God himself hee would not only falsify his word who hath said that No man knoweth love or hatred by all the things afore him Eccles 9.1 but also impeach his providence and care over his children who whatsoever their outward estate seem to bee are still as dear unto him as the apple of his eye and when they be as most unknown yet are they known 2 Because of Satans malice to piety and religion which by this means hee seeks to chase out of the earth for the world keeps it under and commonly it riseth to no great matters Now if God respect it not neither who would bee godly what profit were it to serve the Lord 3 Satan herein hath much strength from our own corruptions and ploweth often with our own heifers for we desire rather to walk by sense than by faith we hardly beleeve without pawns and pledges every man trusts his own eyes and thinks wisdom good with an inheritance Hence this temptation finds the easier entrance and better entertainment 4 Satan ever in these temptations hath a further reach than he shews namely that he may hence perswade men by some unlawful means to releeve themselves and better their estate no longer to depend upon God who hath cast off the care of them but to shift for themselves and as hee moved Christ himself to make stones bread 5 Satan hath gotten no small advantage against Gods dear children by this kind of temptation and
renewed in knowledge wait at the gates of Wisdom shut not thy heart and eyes from the beams of this blessed light 3 Grow up in holiness and righteousness as God himself is not only free from all evil but infinite in goodness most just most holy and as hee letteth his light shine before men so must thou let thy light shine before men that they may see thy good works Matth. 5.16 2 Cor. 7.1 cleanse your selves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit that yee may grow up to full holiness This holiness must not only fence the heart from uncleaneness but the eye the ear the mouth the hands and feet and all the members when they bee ordered according to the Word prescribing rules for them all Rule 2. VVhen thou feelest grudgings of diffidence arise and Satan will urge thee how thou canst think thy self respected of God being beset with such a world of trouble and almost drowned in a sea of vexations without bottom or bank Now call to mind and set before thee Christs blessed example in whom as in a glass thou mayest see the sharpest of thy sorrows in any kind not only sanctified and sweetned but mingled with admirable love of his Father VVhat evil befalls thy body and soul or thy estate inward or outward which he hath not born and broken and yet never the less loved of his Father Thou wantest comforts of body House Land Meat Money hee had not a foot of land not a house to hide his head in not any money till he borrowed of a fish not a cup of cold water till he had requested it of the Samaritan who would give him none Thou wantest friends respect in the world yea where thou well deservest yea where thou mightest justly expect it Remember it was his case his friends became his foes his scholar a Traytor the world hated him causeless he came to his own and his own received him not he was without honour in his own Countrey hee had evil repayed him for good he wept over Jerusalems misery but Jerusalem laught at his Thou wantest peace of conscience canst not see a clear look from God nor feel any ease from the sting of thy sins thy sorrowful mind dries up thy bones all outward troubles are nothing to this But remember that never was any so laden with the burden of sin as Christ when his bitter torment expressed such words as these My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee 3 Rule From these crosses by which Satan would drive thee from God Sundry waies of God drawing neer his Saints in their troubles labour to see how near and graciously God draweth towards thee and thus beat him with his own weapon 1 The Lord helpeth forward our salvation by them being sour sawces to bring us out of love with our sweet sins and of this evil world plowing of ground kills the weeds and harrowing breaks the clods they be the Lords sharp salves to draw out our secret corruptions and the Lords sope to wash foul linnen white they bee the Lords ushers to teach us his statutes to teach by a little smart both what thou hast deserved in the life to come and what Christ hath suffered for thee in bearing the whole punishment of all thy sins to teath thankfulnesse for contrary blessings by poverty sickness trouble men learn to bee thankful for wealth health peace to teach pity and compassion towards the misery of others to teach circumspection in our waies and more care of obedience to all Gods Commandements 2 The Lord by crosses tryeth and exerciseth the faith patience and sincerity of his servants whether they will hold out as Job for as a man by wrestling knows his own strength better than before so is it here 3 The Lord is never nearer his children than in trouble in fire and water in six troubles and in seven to support them with strength and patience to give a blessed issue and useâ— and turn it to his own glory in their mighty deliverance and to their best all things are turned to their best to recompence their light afflictions with an eternal weight of glory As Christ said of Lazarus This sicknesse is not to death but that God may bee glorified John 11.4 so wee may say This poverty loss disgrace c. is not to the utter undoing of a man but that God may have glory in his deliverance and glorification So much of the third drift of Satan in this first temptation now of the fourth In that the Devils last drift in it is to have Christ in his want and hunger to use an unlawful means of supply note that Doct. 4. It is an ordinary instigation and temptation of the Devil To use unlawful means to help our selves is diabolical or a Devillish spirit to use unlawful means in our want to help our selves Because Christ had no ordinary means of getting bread hee must provide for himself by extraordinary Gen. 25.29 32. Esau comes out of the field weary and hungry and almost dead for meat how must hee supply his want Sell thy birth-right said Satan and so hee did Peter was in great danger in the High-Priests Hall how must hee help himself out of their hands Deny thy Master said Satan forswear him and curse thy self and thus hee gat out Saul was in great straights God was gone from him hee was not answered by Urim nor Oracle how shall hee do for counsel hee must go to the witch of Endor and so the Devil sends him from himself to himself who can tell him more than all his Vrim his Dreams his Prophets Sarah wanted a Child shee had a promise of one but shee laught at that Gen. 16.2 yet must she have one another way shee gives her maid to her Husband and shee brings an Ismael a mocker and persecutor of the promised seed Reasons 1 Satan sees how easily hee can weaken our confidence in God seeing wee are ready to trust more in the means than in God hee knows our infidelity which makes us hasty and soon weary of waiting 2 Hee knows how derogatory this is to the promise truth power and providence of God who can sustain his children as well above means without means yea against means as with them His hand is not shortened that he cannot help 3 Hee easily draws on this temptation under of a colour of necessity which wee say hath no law but falsly Hence is the common speech of the world to defend any injustice Why I must live I must not put forth my wife and children to beg I must so exercise my calling as to maintain my wife and family I must utter my wares though I lye and swear and exact and deceive and so under a colour of good and pretence of necessity no wickedness comes amiss in the course of ones trade Use 1. This teacheth us to bewail the pittiful estate of numbers of men taken in this snare of the Devil as 1 Numbers of
with sound comfort when all outward means doe fail if the heart can say to it self What if God doe not give me my desire by this means or that Faith in this word strengthneth the heart many ways I know God hath more words than one more blessings than one and man liveth by every word And faith strengthens the heart 1 By setting before the eye Gods power in this word how that one word of his mouth is enough to help us one word is able to create innumerable armies of Angels and Creatures one fiat is enough to make all Creatures and all this to come or goe or stand still as most dutiful servants to their Master Matth. 8. the Centurion coming to Christ for the health of his Servant desires him not to come within his roof for he was not worthy of that favour nor to send him any receit or physick to doe him good but only to speak the word and he was sure his servant should be healed A strong faith in a strong word It is but a word with God then how easily how presently how certainly will God doe me good if he see it good for me 2 By assuring the heart that his will is as ready to doe us good as his word is able and it sets the promise before us that nothing shall be wanting to them that fear God The former in the example of the Leper Matth. 8. Lord if thou wilt thou caâ—st make me clean and in the next words to shew he is as willing as able he saith I will be thou clean by which word proceeding out of the mouth of God his Leprosie was instantly cured his will was his word and his word was his work The latter in the example of Abraham whose faith set before his eyes Gods promise that in Isaac his seed should be called and that by Isaac he should be a Father of many Nations and therefore when at Gods word he went out to offer Isaac and Isaac asked him where was the Sacrifice he answered God will provide One eye was on Gods word commanding him to slay his Son another upon this other word that God was able to raise him up from the dead whence after a sort hee received him and that hee also would doe so before his promise should bee frustrate 3 By setting before the Christian heart the blessed issue and success of unwavering confidence in the word of God The Israelites going out of Aegypt and wandring in the Wilderness so many years by the appointment of Gods word he did supply all their wants by his Word and it became all things unto them which their hearts could desire 1 He paved them a way in the Sea and suddainly made the waters a wall unto them 2 He gave them bread from Heaven even Angels food and that in our text was by his word 3 He gave them water out of a rock and that by his word he bade Moses speak to the rock 4 Having no means for clothes his word kept their garments for forty years from waxing old But what need we goe out of our text in which the example of our Head and Lord may best confirm us for wanting bread in the Wilderness hee would not turn stones into bread but waited on the word of his Father till the Angels came and ministred unto him even so the adopted Sons of God treading in the steps of our Lord shall by vertue of the same word always find relief one way or other Who would have thought that ever Job should have swum out of that misery having lost all his Cattel substance and Children but because when the Lord was a killing him in his own sence hee trusted in him the Lord raised him and doubled the wealth and prosperity he had before Who would have thought that ever Daniel should have escaped the Lions denne and teeth being cast in amongst them or that Peter should have escaped Herods sword being bound in Chains and watched of Souldiers to be brought out to death next day But trusting in the Lord this word shut the mouthes of the Lions and opened the Prisons iron doors and brake in sunder the chains and so both of them were wonderfully delivered Surely this Doctrin well digested is full of comfort and quietness and would set the heart at rest and make all outward troubles easie If a man could once get his heart to trust in the word as David did Psal 119.42 it would sustain the soul in many troubles and bring in so sweet a contentment as the world is a stranger unto On the contrary whence is it that mens hearts fail them and they sink in their troubles but because they trust to the means and not to the Word of God at least not to every word of God If God crosse them one way they think hee hath no other way to doe them good Vse 3. If man live by every word of God then take heed of making that a means of living which God hath never warranted but see that what thou livest by proceed out of the mouth of God How doth hee live by every word of God that gets his living either in whole or in part contrary to Gods word Obj. But we see such as use no good means but maintain themselves in good estate by robbing stealing oppressing usury gaming false wares or weights it seems that even these creatures have a word of God to sanctifie them and put vertue in them to such persons or else they could not live by them Ans We must distinguish between the things themselves that are gotten and the unjust manner of getting them The creatures themselves are by a general word of God sanctified and set apart by God to feed and maintain good and bad as well the wicked as honest getters of them even as the Sun and Rain shines and falls upon the just and unjust And the unrighteousness of particular persons cannot alter Gods general decree But if wee consider the special manner of getting such goods that is not sanctified but condemned by the word of God 1 Because the person is not in Christ who restores our right unto us and then he is but an usurper and a bankrupt who builds his houses goes fine in apparel decks up himself and his and spends most liberally but it is all with other mens money He that knows not this thinks him a rich man but he that doth knoweth that he is not either thrifty or wealthy the Creditor comes and casts him into prison and makes his bones and body pay the debt 2 As his person so his course is accursed for the only way to get a blessing from God on the means is to use his own means who hath commanded first to seek the Kingdom of God and then other things and hath accursed all that wealth and maintenance of the body for which a man doth hazard or lose his soul 3 When a man doth live by bread against the word that
the best Others see no likelihood of doing any great good and so either draw back from their calling Jer. 20.9 or else heavily and uncheerfully go on But wee must renew our strength and courage and know that our labour shall not bee lost Isa 49.4.5 4 In holinesse which 1 sanctifies our callings by the word and prayer 1 Tim. 4.5 2 Subordinateth all earthly and special things to the general and heavenly things of the Christian Calling yea it makes us express our spiritual calling in the use of the Civil it will make a man sometime for religion sake hear the word in the six daies unless some other necessary occasion come between ever preferring the more necessary businesse 3 It keepeth in the heart 1 a love to God aiming at the preferring of his glory above all it suffers not a man to esteem his calling a preferment of himself or a reward of his service past but a means of advancing Gods glory in further service 2 A love of men who partake in the benefit of our labours with whom we must exercise charity justice meekness c. The second rule concerneth our wealth and maintenance namely not to content our selves that wee can live by such or such means unless wee can say Gods Word doth warrant mee that this is my meat my drink my apparrel my money my house my land c. Quest When can a man say this Answ 1 When a man having nothing of his own nor right to any thing becomes a beleever ingrafted into Christ and so owner of that bee hath A man may have warrant and title from man that his house and land is his and hee is a robber that shall defeat him of it But all men and Angels cannot give mee a possession and true title before the living God but only his Son who is Lord and heir of all First know thy self a member of Christ and then his right is thine 2 When the manner of getting them is lawful and that is First When it is just when a man hath used no indirect means but they are either lawfully descended or else by faithful and painful walking in an honest calling God hath added them as a blessing of a mans labour Secondly When it is moderate and retired when a man so provideth for earth as hee especially storeth up for heaven first seeking Gods Kingdome and the one thing necessary without covetousnesse and the love of this life nay accounting all things dung in comparison of Christ Thirdly When the manner of using them is warrantable that a man shews himself a good steward in the holy dispensing of them using them as furtherances of piety as pledges of love towards men and as testimonies of sobriety in himself and every way making them servants to his christian calling Prov. 3.9 Honour the Lord with thy riches 4 When his affection is indifferent both in the having and holding of them that a man may say These be mine I am not theirs I have them they have not me I am their Master to command them they command not me And why should we not draw our affections from them seeing 1 The wicked are as rich yea richer in these things than the best at the best they make not their Masters better 2 They bee no inheritance they bee but moveables changing their Master as the giver will and while we have them they are but lent us 3 We are but Stewards we sit not in our own but have a large account to make yea we are very Pilgrims and Travellers and shall goe lightlier and less loaden 4 Wee must not measure or tye God unto them nor esteem of his love by them Thus a man may use the mercies of God with comfort for his necessity and for his delight in the days of his pilgrimage thus may he dispose them to his heirs as the right owners with hope of Gods blessing to stand with them nothing of which can be expected in goods ill gotten or spent to which nothing but Gods curse is intayled The third rule concerneth our health and sustenance namely that it is far better to want means than to procure them by any other means than that which proceedeth out of the mouth of God Yet numbers will maintain their lives health and estate not by Gods word but directly against it for example they that seek to Witches and Sorcerers for health or goods lost or stollen or upon any other occasion whatsoever Whereas the word proceeding out of the mouth of God Levit. 18.10 is this Let there bee none sound among you that useth Witchcraft or is a regarder of times or a Sorcerer Charmer Sooth-sayers or that counselleth with spirits Obj. But Gods Word and Ordinance is with them to doe us good and much good they doe which none else can doe Ans God hath a two-fold word 1 Of Blessing 2 Of Judgement the former proceedeth out of the mouth of God who is goodness it self the latter sometimes hee permitteth to proceed out of the mouth of the Devil giving him power to work lying wonders that the seekers of him might beleeve in him to their final destruction Thus the Devil who can doe nothing against Gods word doth what he doth by Gods word spoken in Judgement and Justice Whence I conclude 1 It were better for a man to want cure than have the Devil his Physician better for a man to want health of his body than procure it with the death of his soul Better had it been for the Israelites to have wanted Quails than procuring them by murmuring to be choaked with them Better for a man to want the world than winne it with the loss of his soul Better had it been for Ahab to have wanted Naboths Vineyard than to lose the whole Kingdom for it Better for Judas to have wanted the thirty pence than to hang himself for them for Ananias and Saphira to have wanted the third part of their possession than to dye for it Rule 2. Better it were to want the means of health and maintenance than not to use them according to the word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God as food apparel physick health and life it self Had it not been better that Asa had wanted Physick than be struck with death because he trusted in Physitians Better had it been for Gehazi to have gone in raggs than to apparel himself by lying and deceit which apparelled himself and all his posterity with Leprosie Whether was the state of Lazarus that dyed for want of means or of Dives better that sared deliciously every day Less have men to answer for who have no meat to strengthen nature than those that have abundance which they pervert to strengthen themselves in sin sacrificing their strength to the service of the Devil and to their lusts Wee our selves know numbers in all corners who were better continually to be bed-ridd and sick or maimed than to abuse their health and lives in such
them but then they move our wills when they can either make us apprehend and understand some Object or move passion or appetite whereby to incline our wills Thus the good Angels may and do propound divine truth and good unto our understanding and move our wills to imbrace it and choose it but not alwaies with effect because the power is not in them but in our selves A good Angel admonished Joseph in a dream by which his will was bended to provide for Christ and himself Thus also the Devils and wicked Angels move the will by working upon the phantasy and imagination as in many Melancholike persons to hurt themselves and others sometimes by setting good colours upon evil so that the understanding apprehending evil in the case and colour of good may bend the will to it as Peter in denying his Lord thought it good and safe for the present sometimes by raising up passions and working in them as Saul in a passion to cast his spear to kill his good Son Jonathan a barbarous and unnatural fact yet the Devil gauâ—ed his will to it having first raised a cloud of dusty passion to darken his understanding and the other Saul in his fury and hot mood to waste and persecute all that called on Christ sometimes by stirring up lust and concupiscence as David being inflamed with lust the Devil working on this corruption gained his will to those foul facts which above all blemished him As for the examples alleadged thus Peter saith that Satan filled Ananiahs heart not that hee brought any new wickedness into his heart but that which hee found hee stirred up and perswaded his will to play that dissembling part for hee should carry it away closely and cautelously enough And thus the Devil put treason into the heart of Judas hee knew him to bee a Covetous wretch and had often watched him how hee was deceitful in the administration of his Masters money now his affection being troubled and stuft with Covetousness Satan useth this as a means to perswade his will for mony to attempt this soul and barbarous treason In all which wee see that our wills are not under the power of the Devil who deals with us as wicked men who when they perswade any evil infuse none of their wickedness into us but only by their speech stir up that which is in our selves and perswade us thereunto 4 It is not enough for Satans malice and cruelty to bring mischief on the bodies of men but the thing hee aims at is to bring guiltiness on their souls as our Saviour here I doubt not but hee would willingly have killed him if it had been in his power to cast him down as it was to carry him up but hee had far rather that Christ should do it himself and so have an hand in his own death In Job Satan was not contented to cast him down in bringing misery upon his body and estate but the thing hee aimed at was Jobs casting down himself by blaspheming God that so hee might bring guiltiness upon his soul And Satan knows that when hee can bring a sinner to give up his will to his perswasion his sin is so much the more sinful because to a voluntary sin is added 1 A deliberation 2 An election of evil and a preferring it before good and 3 A willing execution of that which a corrupt understanding hath embraced and a corrupt judgement and will preferred for some corrupt end 5 Satans sliness and usual subtlety in his temptations shews that his strength lyeth in inward perswasion and not in outward violence Hee insinuates like a Serpent and pretends great good will as hee Thou shalt shew thy self the Son of God as though hee in earnest sought the honour of Christ and as if hee would have bettered Adams estate hee said Yee shall bee gods He transforms himself into an Angel of light and ordinarily deals with us as with Saul who when hee saw the Devil himself hee made him beleeve hee saw Samuel Gods worthy Prophet Vse 1. This Doctrin serves to comfort us considering the impotency of our enemy Hee is a weak enemy and cannot overcome him who is not willing to bee overcome Hee can egge us on to evil compel us hee cannot Ad malum hâ—râ—â—â—i potest â— geâ—e non potest Chrys And as Christ said to Pilate Thou couldst have no power over me unless it were given thee from above So Satan can have no power but from God not over beasts Matth. 8.31 not over wicked men Ahab a wicked King could not bee deceived nor set on to maâ—e a needless war till the Lord sealed Satans Commission 1 King 22.21 And much lesse over the godly as weâ— see in Job till God said All that hee hath is in thing hands till then neither has nor any thing hee had was in Satans power Nay not an hair of our head falls to the ground without the providence of our Heavenly Father And another sound ground of comfort in that as hee cannot hurt us without the will of our heavenly Father so hee cannot without our own will for if he could hee would never bee resisted in his temptation whereas wee see in Joseph Job and by experience in our selves that some hellish temptations are by grace and the watch over our hearts repelled and resisted Vse 2. Hence wee see that nothing can do us harm but our own sin death without sin is but a gate to life the Devil a great and cruel enemy but nothing so dangerous as our own sin this slaies us without him hee hurts us not without this What reason have wee to bee in love with sin while we profess wee hate the Devil who can do us no such harm Which must stir up our watch against our own corruption for if hee plow not with our heâ—â—er he can get no advantage Vse 3. Many having sinned lay the blame on the Devil who they say ought them a sought or a shame But as the Lord said to Cain so say I to thee If thou doest evil sinne lyeth at thy door and it is thy sinne not the Devils Object Oh but hee tempted mee Answ So hee did Christ here and hadst not thou cast down thy self hee could not have done it It was indeed the Devils sin that hee beguiled the woman and he had his judgement for it But it was her sin that shee was beguiled and arraigned and judged by God for it It is the Theefs sin to steal thy money and hee shall bee hanged for it but iâ— thou leavest thy money without doors and never lookest after it it is thy fault and folly and what couldst thou look for else The Devil is a slye Theef and robber but hee commits not his robbery as other Theeves and Burglers hee will not break open the door nor draw the latch but where hee finds the door open and an house prepared and swept there hee comes and makes spoil Luke 11.25 And if a
although the condition bee not expressed Yet forty daies and Ninivey shall bee destroyed with a secret condition except Ninivey repent So a Promise of long life is made to the godly and yet they often dye young therefore a secret condition must bee understood thus unless God see it better for them to take them away young from the evil to come Isa 38.1 See thy house in order for thou shalt dye and not live yet Hezekiah lived fifteen years afterward Therefore there must bee understood the condition of Gods Will which was concealed Gen. 20.3 God said to Abimelech Thou shalt dye for the woman yet hee dyed not the exception was unless thou restore her See this rule at large in Ezek. 33.13 14. Rule 6. Neither stick too fast to the letter nor yet insist too much in allegories or metaphors The Jews greatly sinned in the first and are yet held from their conversion by this plot of the Devil For as the multitude of them in the Prophets time while the Ceremonial Law stood in force stuck to the outward Ceremony and Letter and offered Sacrifices and Beasts and did such things as were commanded but went no further they washed the outside but not the inside they offered the blood of Beasts but rose not so high as the blood of Christs they killed the Bullocks and Sheep but not their sins nor took notice of that mortification of corruption which these would have put them in minde of So at this day reading the Prophecies of Christs spritual Kingdome set out under the types of most flourishing temporal Kingdomes they stick in the Letter and lose the sense denying the Messiah to bee come because they see not that flourishing estate and temporal happiness which they grosly and carnally imagine This was the judgement of God upon Origen who was in such extremities in both these that although his wit served him to turn all the Scripture almost into allegories yet hee stood most absurdly to the very letter as in that of Matth. Euseb eccles hist lib. â— cap. â— 19.12 Some have made themselves chaste for the Kingdome of Heaven hee foolishly interpreted the place and made himself bee made chaste by men not discerning Christs distinction who speaks of three sorts of Eunuchs some so born some violently cut and made so by men some voluntarily by repressing their lusts abstinence temperance c. this last hee confounded with the former And hee might as well have pluckt out one of his eyes because Christ saith It is better to go into Heaven with one eye c. So on the contrary many Hereticks have defended their Heresies onely by translating of Scriptures into Allegories The Apostle speaks of such as denying the Resurrection of the body turn all the Testimonies of the Resurrection into an Allegory meaning thereby onely the spiritual Resurrection of the soul from sin Of which sort was Hymencus and Philetus who destroyed the Faith of certain saying The Resurrection was past already 2 Tim. 2. v. 17. And of this sort are the Familists at this day The Papists denying the Marriage of Ministers hearing the Apostle say that a Bishop must bee the Husband of one Wife turn it into an Allegory I had like to have said a jest Hee must they say bee the Bishop of one Bishoprick as though his children must not bee governed in his own house which is plainly distinguished from his Diocess 1 Tim. 3.4 5. Thus they defend the Sacrifice of the Masse by Gen. 14.18 where it is said that Melchisedech brought forth bread and wine to Abraham and hee was the Priest of the high God with them this must needs signify that the Priest offers Christ to God for the sins of quick and dead Rule 7. In every small diversity and difference in numbers which are historically mentioned wee must not suspect errour in the Scripture but our own ignorance Act. 7.14 All the souls which came with Jacob into Egypt were seventy five but in Gen. 46.27 They were seventy souls Here are five odds Some say Luke follows the translation of the Septuagint which was famous and of great authority and would not bring his History in disgrace for so small a difference I doubt not but Luke and Stephen and Moses agreed Mr. Junius thinks that Stephen mentioned the four wives of Jacob and his two sons Er and Onâ—â— that were dead excluding Jacob himself but they came not into Egypt Calvin and Beza think there was some errour in the Writers which is not unprobable seeing in writing the Greek the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifyng five being in the margent might easily creep into the Text for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth all And thus both Moses and Stephen and Luke may bee reconciled who both likely wrote seventy But howsoever according to our rule the Spirit of God often in setting down numbers useth the figure Synecdoche a part for the whole and in a diverse respect putteth down a greater or lesse number As for Example 1 King 9.28 Solomon sent his servants who took from Ophir four hundred and twenty talents of Gold 2 Chron. 8.30 Hee took thence four hundred and fifty talents of Gold Here is thirty talents odds Answ They received of King Hiram four hundred and fifty which they brought to Solomon partly in substance as the four hundred and twenty partly in account much being spent about the charge of the Navy even the thirty talents 1 Sam. 13.1 Saul reigned two years over Israel whereas hee reigned forty years Act. 13.21 Answ Hee reigned two years well de jure lawfully but being rejected from being King the other are not numbred Junius upon this place proves this interpretation by four arguments Matth. 17.1 Christ took Peter and John the sixt day after Luk. 9.22 Eight daies after Answ Both are true in a diverse respect Matthew accounts onely the intermedial daies not the two extream peeces Luke accounts them all Sometimes some numbers are cut off for brevity and to make the number run more full and round as in Judg. 20.46 Of the Benjamites were slain five and twenty thousand here wants an hundreth as appears vers 35. for the aforesaid reason 2 King 15.33 Jotham was twenty five years old when hee began to reign and be reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem yet it is said in the 30. vers in the twentieth year of Jotham the Son of Vzziah Answ The former text speaks of the years that Jotham reigned for himself but hee had reigned twenty years in his fathers time being struck with leprosy for medling with the Priests office and all the years hee reigned in his Fathers life time are counted to his fathers reign for hee was not Rex for that time but prorex The like rule also wee must observe in diversities of names and places if wee would not stick in the sand As in this example Matth. 27.9 It was fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet Jeremy whereas it was spoken
and turning the Book and finding the time expired hee useth the means and is diligent with fasting and prayer that God would accomplish his word Dan. 9.2 Jacob had a promise of God that hee should return into his Country he knew all the Devils in Hell could not hinder the promise yet seeing his brother Esaus wrath was a stop or bar hee useth means to remove this let he goes to God and wrastles with him by prayer then he sends his presents and orders his droves with all the wisdome hee could and by this means prevented the danger Christ himself having stairs will use them Remember for spiritual life and natural hee must eat that would live for spiritual war and temporal hee must carry his weapons that would overcome for earthly and heavenly harvest hee that would reap must sow The sick needs the Physician In our earthly or heavenly travel let us with Jacob prevent whatsoever lets would hinder us from our Countrey or the end of our way 4 Whether thou seest means or no subject thy will to Gods in all things If hee kill thee yet trust in him still David in the want of means of comfort said Behold here am I let the Lord do whatsoever is good in his eyes The three Children seeing no means of escape answered the King thus Our God is able to deliver us and if hee will not yet wee will not worship thy Image wee are sure of his presence either for the preservation of our bodies or the salvation of our souls Vers 8 Again the Devil took him up into an exceeding high Mountain and shewed him all the Kingdomes of the world and the Glory of them 9 And said unto him All these will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me NOW are wee come by Gods assistance to the third and last Temptation of our Lord and Saviour which at this time hee sustained and powerfully vanquished For although our Saviour had twice repelled his violence already yet notwithstanding Satan continues his assault Again Doctr. Whence wee may note the importunity of Satan against Christ and his members in temptation to sin That hee is restless herein against Christ appears in that hee dares set upon him here again and again and the third time even so long as hee hath any leave given him And after this our Lord himself lead not a life exempted and freed from temptation for Luk. 4.13 Satan left Christ but for a season And for his members wee may see in Job how many Armies of Temptations hee would have oppressed him withal one could not finish his tale of dismal tydings till another came and overtook him even as one wave in the Sea overtakes another And in Joseph how did hee stir up the hatred of his brethren against him not content with that they must cast him into a pit and there hee must not rest but bee drawn out either to bee slain or at least sold to the Mâ—dianites being in Potiphars house how was hee every day tempted by his wanton Mistress refusing that folly how was hee hated of her and cast into a dungeon by his Master and there he lay a long time till the time came that Gods word must bee verified for his advancement 1 Because hee is eagerly set upon the destruction of mankind Reasons and therefore will bee hardly repulsed hee seeks continually to destroy and leaves no stone unturned 2 Hee hopes at least by importunity to prevail and by continuance of temptations to break those whom at first hee cannot foyl Well hee knows that instance and multiplying of temptations may drive even strong Christians sometimes to bee weary and faint in their minds And the rather because he knows the state of Gods children is not alike but as often in their bodies so the strength of grace in their souls is sometimes weakened and abated 3 His policy is oftentimes to make one temptation a preface and step to another and a lesser way to a greater For 1 Considering Christs hunger it seems small to make stones bread 2 But a greater sin than that to cast himself down where there is no need 3 But the greatest of all is plain Idolatry Worship me 4 If one kind of Temptation will not take so well hee turns to another as here If Christ will not distrust let him presume if neither let him bee covetous Vse 1. To teach us to beware of security seeing Satan takes not any truce but as a raging powerful enemy desperate and yet hopeful of victory will not bee repulled but assail us again and again Yea though wee have once and again overcome his temptations as Christ had done yet must we stand on our watch still for hee will set afresh upon us And why 1 This is the Apostles Counsel 1 Pet. 5.8 because Satan is a continual enemy therefore wee must bee sober and watch 2 Where hee is cast out hee seeks re-entry Matth. 12.24 3 Though God of his grace often restrain his malice it is not to make men secure but to have a breathing time to fit themselves better for further tryal 4 Security after victory in temporal warre hath proved dangerous and hath lost more than all their valour had won as the Amalekites having taken a great spoil of Davids 1 Sam. 30.16 and burned Ziglag sitting down to eat and drink and make merry were suddainly surprised and destroyed by Davids sword But in the spiritual combate security is much more deadly 5 It is the wisdom of a wise Pilot in a calm to expect and provide for a storm and in a troubled Sea after one great billow to expect another in the neck of it Even so while wee are in the troubled Sea of this World it will bee our wisdome to look for one temptation in the neek of another And seeing it is with us as with Sea-faring men who by much experience have learned that in the trouble of the Sea the greatest danger and tossing is towards the Havens where there is least Sea-room therefore let us towards ouâ— end in sickness and towards death look for Satans strongest assaults and in the mean time prepare against them Yea let us learn to prepare against all kinds of temptations as our Saviour here resists all kinds in these three general ones and herein teacheth us so to do for shall Satan dare to renew so many temptations against our Lord and will hee spare any of his members Vse 2. Here is a ground of Comfort for Gods people who when temptations come thick upon them are often dismaied as though God had forsaken them and so grow weary of resistance yea and not seldome they grow into words of impatiency Never were any so molested as they Good David said once This is my death and all men are lyers even all Gods Prophets that told him hee should bee King there was no way but one he must one day fall by the hand of Saul But bee of good comfort
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the twinkling of an eye which is indeed no time but the beginning rather of time seeing there is no distinction between time past and time to come Howsoever wee must take it for a very short space of time and that the sight was gone before Christ could well consider of it For so the like phrase is used concerning Sodome that it was destroyed in a moment for the Sun rose very fair and before ever they could consider of such a storm the Lord showred down fire and brimstone Now the reason why the Devil used such a speedy and quick representation was to ravish Christ suddenly and stir up his affections by the absence of it to desire to see it again dealing with Christ as we with our little children when wee would make them earnestly desire a thing wee let them see it and hide it again give it them into their hands and suddenly take it away again So did Satan Secondly Satan might have another trick in it to disturb the minde of our Saviour for as a suddain flash or light doth dazle the eyes of the body so doth a suddain flash or sight of this or that object easily dazle the eyes of the minde and instead of pleasure with it at least it brings some trouble and perturbation However he thought it would fit and bring on his temptation Thirdly shadows will abide no looking on no examining and therefore the Devil is so quick in taking them in Doct. 1 It is an old practice of the Devil to let death into the soul by the window of the senses and especially by the sight for here hee would overcome Christ by the sight of the World and the glory of it Thus hee had gained Eve to sin by the sight of the apple which was beautiful to the eye by hearing that shee should bee as God if she did taste it by touching tasting and pleasing all her senses with it The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair and took them to them for wives which was the cause of the deluge Ahab saw the vineyard of Naboth lye so conveniently to his demeans as he must needs compass it by murther Reason 1 The Senses are the near servants of the Soul if Satan can make them untrusty he knows he can by them easily robb the soul yea and slay it For senses work affections and affections blind judgement David sees Bathsheba presently affects her his violent affection blinds his judgement he must have her company though it cost Uriahs life I saw said Achan among the spoyl a goodly Babylonish garment and two hundred sheckels of silver and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels and I coveted them and took them Josh 7.21 How was Adam otherwise deceived by Eve but first in his affection and then in his judgement 2 As Satan lays his baits in all the Senses to steal the heart so especially in the eyes dealing as the Chapman that would vent his wares he lays it forth on the stall that men may see it and oftentimes the very sight of it without further offer draws on the buyer to a bargain He knows he loseth not all if he gain but an unlawful look because there is sin begun though not perfected 3 The Sense is to the Soul as a door to the house A man that would come in or send any thing into an house must goe in and send it in by the door Even so although the Devil by his spiritual nature can and doth apply himself to our spirits without our senses yet other tempters cannot reach the soul so immediately Eve could not work Adams heart directly but by the outward senses of hearing and seeing especially sent in the temptation Poysons cannot reach the heart unless by the senses they bee drawn in So wicked Mates cannot convey their corruption one into another but by the outward senses hearing their wicked and incentive speeches and seeing their graceless and infecting actions But besides this so full of malice is our spiritual adversaty that he would not only immediately take up our hearts but fill up all our senses and by them continually sendeth in burning lusts and by the same door covetous desires and by the same ambitious and aspiring thoughts and by the same revengeful intentions and such like till the house be full of wickedness 4 Satan knows that God hath appointed the senses for the good and comfort both of body and soul especially the sight and hearing to bee the senses of Discipline to furnish the mind with knowledge of God with faith which is by hearing with hope of his gracious promises with heavenly meditations and contemplation of his great Works which our eyes behold Now Satan would cross all this gracious constitution of God and make the lights of the body be means to blind the mind he would fill up the senses and take them up with such objects as shall not only corrupt the heart but keep out those means of grace which the Lord would by them convey into the heart so that the soul should be further poysoned by the same means which the Lord hath prepared as an Antidote by which natural poyson and corruption should be expelled Vse 1. This doctrine enjoyneth a diligent custody of the senses A good Housholder suspecting Theeves and Robbers will bee sure to keep his doors and windows fast And we knowing that our senses are the doors and windows of our souls must look to these doors lock them barre them bolt them fast that the Devil enter not this way True it is that the inside must first be made clean for out of the heart proceeds an evil eye Mark 7.22 But whosoever is resolved to keep his heart in any rightness must think it his next care to shut out and keep out whatsoever might be let in to decline it and turn it from God again What made the holy Prophet Psal 119.37 pray so earnestly that God would turn his eyes from beholding vanity but that hee knew that even a good heart such as his was could never hold out unless the outward senses especially the eyes which by a Synecdoche are there put for the rest both because they are special factors of the soul and because of the multitude of their objects and in regard of the quickness of sight above all the rest of the senses laid together were well safe-guarded Can the heart or Market-place of a Town or City be safe from the siege of the enemy if the Gates be cast open or the Wall demolished or the Ramparts bared of their sence and munition Why did Job make such covenants with his eyes but that he knew that without such a sence every object would be as a snare to entrap his soul Job 31.1 Nay let an heart never so seasoned with grace suffer the senses to leak the soul is in danger of shipwrack Was there ever heart of ordinary man or woman more innocent or more filled
with grace than Eves in her innocency And yet when as Satan let upon her senses he sent in by them such poyson as wrought death unto all her posterity Rules for the ordering of our senses aright 1 Beware of the life of sense which is a brutish life 2 Pet. 2.12 the Apostle speaketh of men led by sensuality even as the brute beasts who follow sense and appetite without all restraint Thus did the Gentiles who were therefore given up to a reprobate sense Rom. 1.24 And the danger of this estate Salomon noteth Eccles 11.9 when hee bids the young man walk in the sight of his own eyes and after the lusts of his heart but withall Remember that for all this he must come to judgement Let such think hereon that think it is free to give up their senses to feed themselves upon every object themselves please 2 Consider that God made the senses to minister to a right ordered heart and not the heart to follow the senses and therefore the heart must be watched that it walk not after the eye which is to invert Gods order And what a deluge of sin over-floweth the soul when the understanding is buried in the senses and the heart drowned in sinful appetites David gives his eye leave to wander and look lustfully after Bathsheba and what wayes of misery one overtaking another did he bring into his soul And what marvel then if natural men neglecting their duty in taking off their eyes from unchaste objects never rest till they come to have eâ—es full of adultery 2 Pet. 2.14 not ceasing to sin according to our Saviours speech Matth. 6.23 If the eye be evil all the body is dark yea and the soul too 3 Keep the parts of Christian armour upon thy senses that thou lye not open there A valiant Captain knowing that the enemy is easier kept out than beaten out of a City hath great care to plant his Garrison about the gates and walls there he sets his most â—aithful watch and ward there he plants his chief munition and ordnance Had David kept his armour on his eye he had not been so foyled by Bathsheba If on his ear he had not been so injurious to Mephibosheth by means of slandring Zaba 2 Sam. 16.3 4. Salomon wisheth us Not to look upon the colour of the wine in the cup that is with too much pleasure to stirre up desire He would have us keep our sence upon our ears not to give ear to a flatterer or whisperer but brow-beat him and drive him away with an angry countenance The Apostle Paul would have our ears shut against evil and corrupt words which corrupt good manners Daniel desires not to taste of the Kings dainties nor will pollute himself with them chap. 1. vers 8. And so we must fence our whole man as we may not touch any unclean thing and yeeld nothing to the course of waters 4 Feed thy senses with warrantable objects 1 God 2 His Word 3 The Creatures 4 Thy Brethren 5 Thy self First our eyes are made to see God himself here below as wee can in his back-parts hereafter as wee would face to face And therefore a base thing it were to fixe them upon the vain pleasures and profits of this life This is fitter for brute beasts that have no higher object Again what fairer or fitter object can we chuse for our senses than himself that made them with all their faculties and gives us so much comfort by them Prov. 20.12 The hearing ear and seeing eye God made them both and both of them as all things else he made for himself Further where can we better place ouâ— senses than upon him from whom all our help cometh How ought our eyes to be continually lifted up in holy and servent prayers and praises considering both our continual necessities and supplies So David I lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence my salvation cometh Psal 121.1 and As the eye of the Hand-maid is lifted up to the hand of her Mistris so are our eyes unto thee Psal 123.1 Lastly how can we place our senses better than upon him who is the most pleasant and durable object To see God in Christ reconciled to hear and know him become our Father is so ravishing a sight as the Saints have runne through fire and water to apprehend it And for the continuance it will feed the senses everlastingly yea when the senses themselves decay and wax dull this object shall feed them and be never the less sweet And therefore as Salomon adviseth Eccles 12.1 while thou hast thy senses fix them upon this object Remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth before they be dark that look out at the windows c. If a man set his senses and feed them upon any outward object wealth honour pleasure buildings and the like wee may justly say to him as our Saviour to his Disciples when they gazed upon the beautiful workmanship of the Temple Are these the things your eyes gaze upon verily the time comes when one stone shall not bee left upon another undemolished The like may bee said of all earthly objects whatsoever Only this object shall grow more and more glorious and desirable Secondly God made our senses to be exercised in his holy Word which leads us to himself Heb. 5.14 the Apostle requires that Christians should have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 senses exercised in the word Prov. 2.2 Let thine ear hear wisdom 1 Hence comes faith which is by hearing 2 Hence we draw the comforts of the Scriptures which are the consolations of God in our trouble 3 Hence are we admonished directed and wholsomly corrected Prov. 15.31 The ear that heareth the rebuke of life shall dwell among wise men 4 The danger of neglect is great 1 He that turns his car from hearing the law his prayer is abominable 2 Uncircumcised cars resist the Holy Ghost Acts 7.51 3 Itching ears that turn from the truth doe by Gods just judgement turn unto â—ables 2 Tim. 4.3 5 It is a sign of a man that hath given his heart unto God for he that gives his heart will give his senses too knowing that God requires both Prov. 23.26 My son give me thy heart and let thine eyes that is thy senses delight in my wayes And our Saviour saith He that hath an ear to hear let him hear Seeing therefore that this is so notable a means of guiding our senses let us more carefully give up and take up our eyes and ears with the sight and sound of Gods Word upon all occasions in the hearing and reading of the Scripture I would ask the most carnal man that is whether this in sound judgement bee not a better object for our senses than Bowls or Tables and fitter for all times especially for the Sabbath Thirdly God made our senses to profit our selves by his Creatures that by them we might glorifie him their Creator and not by them corrupt or insnare our selves
Isa 40.26 Lift up your eyes aloft and behold who created all these things This use David maketh Psal 8. When I see the heavens the earth and the works of thy hands then said I Lord what is man that thou art so mindful of him and concludes the Psalm thus How excellent is thy name through all the World And why 1 The invisible things of God his Power and Divinity and Eternity were made visible to the very Gentiles by things created Rom. 1.20 And shall wee either not look on them or so look upon them as they to make us inexcusable shall wee onely injoy the natural use and no spiritual or Divine use from them 2 Consider that God for this purpose hath made the Countenance of man not as the Beasts groveling on the Earth but erected unto Heaven and he hath made the eye of man not as the Beasts but as Anntomists observe hath given it one muscle which they want whereby hee can turn his eye directly upwards with admirable quickness that it should not so fix it self upon any thing below as the Covetous eye doth but by occasion of things below turn it self upward to their Creator Yea hee hath compassed our eyes with brows and lids and fences from dust and earth that though wee look sometimes on the earth yet the least dust or earth should not get into them 3 Let us labour to use our senses in beholding Gods works as they in Joh. 2.23 that saw the works of Christ of whom it is said Many beleeved in the name of Christ seeing the works that he did So let the works which wee see God hath done bee at least inducements to beleeve him so much the more Fourthly God made our senses in respect of our brethren both to benefit them and our selves by them 1 Our eyes to behold their misery to pity them to releeve them Turn not thine eyes from thine own flesh Herein the unmerciful Priest and Levite were condemned by the pitiful Samaritan Our ears to hear the cry of the poor Prov. 21.13 Hee that turns his ear from the cry of the poor himself shallery and not bee heard Numbers never make this use of their ears but God hath a deaf ear for them 2 Our eyes to see the good example of our brethren to imitate them to glorify God for them Our ears to hear their Godly Counsels Admonitions Reproofs and so bee bettered by them 3 Our eyes to see and consider their danger to pull them out of their infirmities the fire and to cast out the more of their eyes Our ears to hear what is fit to bee spoken of them to defend their good names if they bee traduced For God hath given us two ears not rashly to receive every information but to reserve one for the party lest hee be condemned unheard unconvinced Fiftly and Lastly God made our senses in respect of ourselves not only to bee faithful keepers of the body but diligent factors and agents for our own souls as 1 That our eyes should ever bee looking homewards and to the end of our way as quick and expedite travellors and not fix themselves upon everything wee see here below This is done by heavenly conversation 2 Our ears should bee bored to the perpetual service and obedience of our God as our Lord himself was Psal 40.7 Thou hast bored mine ear alluding to that Ceremony in the Law Exod. 21.6 If a servant would not part from his Master his ear must bee bored and nailed to the Post of the house and thus hee became a perpetual Servant hee was nailed and fixed to that house and service So wee must yeeld an obedient ear as Solomon calls it unto the Counsels Will and Commandement of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ 3 Our eyes were made to bee Conduits of tears for our own sin and misery and for the sin and wretchednesse of other men Psalm 139.136 Davids eyes gushed out rivers of tears because men keep not the word how wept hee then for his own sins that wept so for others Good Lot his righteous soul was vexed in hearing and seeing the unclean conversation of the Sodomites Thus should our senses bee so far from conceiving pleasure in sinful obects as these must bee the continual grief of our souls And can wee indeed look upon our selves and not see something which is a brand of our sin or can wee behold any Creature and not see some express Prints and marks of our sin and vanity upon it Surely this one meditation would be effectual to keep us from casting our eyes upon unlawful objects and so from making our selves a prey to the Devil Vse 2. This serves to reprove such as fail in this watch of the senses for who doth not yet some far more dangerously Such as have in their houses Popish Pictures and Images which are alluring harlots corrupters of the heart which is an opening of the door to the Devil a sign of a man willing to bee seduced Experience shews that when a man is in love with such Images hee easily falls out with Gods Image in himself and Gods Children 2 Such as delight in lascivious Pictures and filthy portraytours of naked men or women in whole or such parts as may stir the corruption of the heart which should bee beaten down by all means Wee need bring no Oyle to this flame Yet the Devil hath gotten such pictures in request in this wanton age wherein every thing is almost proportional 3 Such are far from this watch of their senses as so attire and disguise themselves or lay open their nakedness to insnare the senses of others Let them not say they think no hurt in it unless they can bee sure that no other think hurt by it 4 Such as like the Images have ears and hear not eyes and see not care not to hear the Word or read it never taste Gods goodness in it neither doth the breath of heavenly life ever pass through their noses 5 Such as frequent wicked company and delight in the ungracious actions and speeches that they hear and see or can digest them without reproof or dislike manifested The Devil hath a thorow-fare among such companies who are conspired against God and goodness Add unto these such as read or have in their houses Lascivious and wanton books teachers of lewdness Adde also Stage-Players and their beholders that cast open all gates and walls to the Devil 6 The Covetous eye whereof Solomon saith Ecc. 4.4 his eye is not satisfied with Riches neither doth hee say For whom do I thus labour In that Satan would draw Christ to the love of the World and thereby makes no doubt but to insnare and cast him down wee learn that Doctr. 2 The love of the World easily maketh a man a prey and spoil to the Devil Satan well knew that if hee could get Christ to fall down to the World hee would easily fall down to him Where by the World I
is when a man useth any superstitious or diabolical means for the effecting of his desire which hee knows neither in themselves not from Gods institution have any such power to effect things but from the power of the Devil aâ— the use of Charms or spells figures character Anâ—â—ieâ— Sâ—â—atching of a Witch or the like which having no power in themselves not by Gods Ordinance can do no good but by a secret saith in the Devil who by Gods permission puts power in them to heal men for their delusion Secret consent unto the Devil is yet more common than the former though the former bee the common cure of common people namely when Satan secretly suggesteth and offereth to make a Covenant and bargain with a man without any expresse form of contract but by inward temptation putteth the motion into the heart as of Judas that if he will use such an unlawfull means or upon such a condition hee will effect his purpose which hee earnestly desireth to attain now the party blinding his own judgement by the eagerness of his affection gives his consent to Satan and accepts the condition which mutual and silent consent of party with party is a real bargain and covenant Satan solicites the heart and the heart consents to Satan here is a secret compact by which numbers of men are in league with the Devil that would bee loath to bee thought so to bee Yea numbers there are that receive the greatest part of their earthly portion at the hands of the Devil by vertue of this compact secretly beleeving or consenting unto him Vse 1. This serves to let us see the difference between Gods gifts and the Devils in four things 1 Gods gifts come all from Grace and Love hee freely bestows his blessings for his love is everlasting before our own being and our inheritance is eternal above our merit and in the Heavens above our reach But Satans gifts proceed out of his endless hatred and are wages of unrighteousness 2 Gods gifts are derived to us by good and warrantable means diligence labour prayers Satans for the most part by wicked means Gods conditions are profitable and safe Satans hurtful and dangerous by the breach of some Commandement by impiety or injustice 3 Gods gifts are first bestowed upon us and then obedience is required as a testification of Thankfulness not as merit Satans are after our work as a merit and wages of sin first fall down and worship mee and then I will give thee all these things 4 Gods gifts are in mercy for our salvation and comfort and incouragement in his service Satans to draw us from his service and to drag us to destruction Use 2. Let this Doctrin make us afraid to receive any thing from the hand of the Devil and accept of nothing but God offers For 1 God is more able and willing to do us good than the Devil is unless wee think with those wicked ones that it is in vain to serve the Lord. 2 An enemy is never so dangerous as when hee flattereth and fawneth hee never kisseth but killeth with Joab or betrayeth with Judas his gifts are dear bought his conditions are intollerable hee will have a better thing for it even our pretious souls 3 A little from Gods hands is far better than if wee could receive all the World and the glory of it at the Devils for this comes with blessing with Promise with Contentment with good conscience so doth not the other Therefore bee the just mans portion small or great it is ever pretious it hath no sorrow added to it as Solomon speaketh Quest How may I know I receive any thing from the Devil Answ When any thing is gotten by the breach of any Commandement of God as by Swearing Lying Deceit Oppression and the like this is a gift of the Devil and the wages of unrighteousnesse Use 3. Note here how like the Usurer is to the Devil the Devil saith hee will give so the Usurer saith hee will lend which should bee free as gift but then comes a condition of ten in the hundred which is more than the lending is worth Satan is an enemy to all charity and so is hee The like may bee said of Covetous men who will do no good but where they look for return of the like or more as like the Devil as may bee and altogether unlike to God who doth good where hee can receive none sowes where hee reaps not Use 4. See the misery of men who accept of Satans profers 1 Such as are in open league with him as Wizzards who bind themselves to renounce God and their Baptism and Redemption by Christ and to beleeve in the Devil to expect aid from him and give him Body and Soul for that help which is the substance of the solemn Leagues made by such limbs of Satan hee is of the sure side with them they can gain nothing by him unless hee gain themselves first And such by Gods Law ought not to live 2 Worldly-minded men with whom hee deals as with Esau hee gives them a messe of pottage but on condition to sell their birth-right a silly match is made presently an exchange of Earth for Heaven 3 Men impatient in Losses or sicknesse who run to the Witch as not knowing what to do with themselves But Satan never easeth the body of temporal pains but to cast the Soul into eternal 4 Ambitious and discontented persons that take preferments of Satan upon base conditions Absolom shall have a Kingdome on condition hee will rebell against his own Father Zimri a Captain under Baasha 1 King 16.10 shall have the Kingdome of Israel if hee will rebell and slay his Master Discontented Papists shall divide the Land among themselves if they will blow up the Parliament-House Now if wee would avoid the dangerous compacts with Satan let us observe these rules 1 Beware of prophanenesse which is a sin where men carelesly lose Heaven and the joies thereof for these lower and earthly things as Esau to satisfy his lusts despised the blessing Heb. 12.16 Let there bee none such amongst us 2 Beleeve the truth of Gods profers and promises to relye on them and thou shalt bee senced from Satans lies 2 Thess 2.10 3 Consider how easily men pour out themselves for Balaams wages Covetousness carries away their whole heart and yet in the end they are deceived as hee was instead of his reward he was slain in his return homeward Numb 31.8 4 Consider how little joy there is in that which is received at the Devils hand neither Ahab nor his posterity injoyed Naboths Vineyard Judas brought back his thirty peeces and hanged himself According to that of Solomon The wicked resteth not that which hee taketh in hunting 5 Moderate thy affections not to desire the Kingdomes of this World and the glory of them but a far more glorious Kingdome in the World to come and all these transitory matters onely to help thee forward to that The
of words and sharp reproaches unless there bee added also a direct answer and satisfaction to the matter in hand he therefore most fully answereth by the Scriptures even the Devil himself not contenting himself by his power to repel him which Satan now beginneth to feel unless also by the power of the Word hee convince him and thereby award the dart and break the temptation into pieces Which must bee our rule in dealing with vain and jangling adversaries not to answer them according to their foolish disposition or provocation not to bee like them in frowardness or stifnesse in heat and perversnesse but to answer them with words of Wisdome with sound matter and moderation both to convince them and beat down self-conceit in them which is the meaning of those two Precepts Prov. 26.4 5. which seem contrary but are easily reconciled by the due respect of persons places times and other circumstances Ever remember one rule that no adversary suppose the Devil himself is to bee answered by affection or passion but by judgement and sound reason Yea if wee have no hope to win our adversary or do him much good as Christ had none of the Devil yet wee must testify to God and his truth for the confirmation of our selves and others The testimony alledged is out of Deut. 10.20 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God thou shall serve him and Deut. 6.13 An universal and affirmative precept by which every creature is bound to his Creator and him alone to perform Divine worship unto him And it is aptly applyed by Christ to this dart of Satan For it implyeth 1 That hee himself as now standing in this conflict with Satan is a creature of God as hee is man though otherwise as God hee hee equal to his Father As man hee is subject to the Law and to this precept among the rest 2 That Satan is not God as hee pretendeth by his unjust claimes nor any way equal to God 3 That therefore neither must hee being a creature give the least divine worship from God nor hee that thus claimes it can by any means bee capable of it 4 That the Scriptures of God reserve unto God his due worship and forbid that any creature shall share with him Christ stands not to dispute whether the sight presented were a shadow or substance nor whether hee would give it him or no but holds him to the Scripture which upholds his Fathers right Quest But why doth our Saviour change and adde to the text of Scripture as not regarding that terrible woe denounced against such as adde or take away from the word and contrary to that in Deut. 12.32 Here our Saviour 1 Changeth Moses saith Thou shalt fear Christ saith Thou shalt worship 2 Addeth for Moses hath not the word only which is of Christs putting to that text Answ 1 Here is some difference indeed in words but not in sense and therefore it is no corruption of the Text nor letting out the life of it which stands not in the words but in the true sense 2 Our Lord both in great wisdome changeth the word fear into Worship and just cause for 1 Moses useth fear which is a general word in which is contained all such Divine duties as godly men ought to perform unto God and our Saviour mentions one special which is included in that general which thing Moses speaks as well as he in the general as he that commands a whole commands every part inward and outward 2 Hereby our Saviour aptly meets with Satans temptation If thou wilt worship me he useth the same word not tying himself to Moses his words but keeping the sense but to Satans word and 3 He noteth the nearness and undividedness of Gods fear and his worship as where the cause is there will bee the effect so true fear and worship goe together where one is there will be the other and for this cause one is put for the other not here only but elsewhere as Isa 29.13 Their fear toward me was taught by the precept of men Christ alleadging it Mat. 15.9 saith You worship me in vain As for the word only added which is not in the Law it no way addeth any contrary or diverse sense to Moses but only expoundeth or giveth a fit commentary to the text and speaketh that plainly in one word which Moses doth in more as Deut. 2.13 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God and serve him and walk after no other gods which is all one with our Saviours Thou shalt serve him only As he that saith The King is the supream Governour and none but hee saith in effect The King is the only supream Governour 3 Christ and his Apostles had a priviledge in alleadging Scriptures without error and were inâ—aâ—â—ble expounders as well as alleadgers 4 This alteration of words is made by Christ to warrant us that Scriptures alleadged by teachers according to their right sense although with alterations and additions are to be taken as true expositions and allegations we being not tied so strictly to words as to sense For otherwise all our Sermons and Expositions which serve to beat out the true sense of Scriptures and apply it to several uses might be condemned as idle additions to Scripture which is blasphemous 5 To warrant us that Principles of Religion expounded by warrant of Scripture are truly interpreted though the Scriptures in so many formal words express them not As for example In the Doctrin of Justification by faith we say we are justified by faith only before God here the Papists exclaim on us as accursed Hereticks because we read not the word only in all the Scripture But we read it in effect and in true sense Rom. 3.28 and Ephes 2.8 By faith without works which exclusive is all one as to say only by faith as our Saviour interprets the exclusion of other gods by the word only As if I should say I did such a thing without help is it not all one as to say I only did it If Christs interpretation be true and warrantable so must ours in the point of justification And if the Devil himself had not yeelded to Christs allegation he might have said Thou thrustest in the word only and addest to Gods Word and therefore art not the Son of God But the Papists deal more impudently with us than the Devil did with Christ who said no such thing but yeelded to evidence of truth which they will not In the precept it self are three things 1 The person 2 The matter 3 The object 1 The peson thou the whole man and person which consisteth of a body and soul thou any reasonable Creature that challengest God to be thy God 2 The matter shalt worship and serve Worship is two-fold Civil or Divine I. Civil is a prostrating or bowing of the body or any outward testification of an high and reverent respect of man And this is due to men two ways 1 Of duty when men are to bee
reverently acknowledged for something wherein God hath preferred them before us as for years gifts graces authority or such as are set over us as Parents and Fathers of bodies and souls of Church and Country And this is required by the fifth Commandement and Rom. 13.1 7. neither doth the Gospel and Christianity take away but teach civility And performed by the godly both in speech as Daniel said O King and Paul to Festus O noble Festus and also in outward behaviour and gesture as Jacob bowed seven times to Esau and Joseph taking his Sons from the knees of his Father Jacob having blessed them did reverence to his Father down to the ground Gen. 48.12 David inclined his face to the earth and bowed himself to Saul who pursued his life 1 Sam. 24.9 The like of Ruth to Boaz chap. 2. and of Abigail to David 1 Sam. 25.23 she fell on her face and bowed her self to the ground and fell at his feet 2 Of courtesie which is a fruit of humility when a man to his equals and inferiours sheweth reverence and respect as Abraham to Lot Gen. 13.8 9. and to the Hittites his inferiours cap. 23.12 he bowed himself before the people of the Land Farr unlike the surliness and stiffness of proud and conceited persons who being voyd of all good nature nurture and religion know not to bow to any neither their betters in the way of duty nor equalls in way of courtesie Divine worship is two-fold 1 Inward the sum of the first Commandement standing in fear love and the like 2 Outward bowing or reverence the sum of the second Commandement The former bindes the soul and the will and affections and the whole inner man the later the outward man to give God his worship and service and to give no part of that to any other For the word only only mentioned in the latter branch must bee extended and referred to the former too The latter of these is here meant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the word properly signifieth to kiss or adore by some outward gesture to manifest a veneration 1 Because this was it which Satan required of Christ namely to fall down or bow unto him but Christ aptly refuseth it 2 This worship proceeds from an inward fear and apprehension of a Divine excellency and power not communicable to any Creature which Satan well know for even by this bowing he would have Christ to acknowledge in him a power to dispose of all earthly things which is proper to God And him only shalt thou serve By service is not meant the inward service of the heart for the words in Deut. 6.13 Thou shalt fear the Lord and serve him will not bear it the first thereof betokening the inward service the second the outward following the former as the effect the cause Neither would our Saviour invert the order in setting the stream before the fountain Therefore this word serve serveth to expound the former as an addition signifying nothing else but the outward service of God so that Christ here shews that it is not enough to give God outward reverence but that wee must as servants perform duties according to his will so the word signifies being taken from servants 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who perform service to bodily Masters in bodily actions 3 The person to be worshipped and served is God only Him only whom we call the Lord our God according to the speech of Samuel 1 Sam. 7.3 Direct your hearts unto the Lord and serve him only for his glory will hee give to no other Quest Must we give outward worship to none but God Must we not bow our knee and uncover our heads to our King and Rulers Must we not rise up to the hoare-head Levit. 19.32 Must we not serve one another in love How then must we outwardly worship and serve God only Ans We must not deny any civil worship to any man to whom God hath made it due but external religious worship must not be given to any Creature man or Angel Quest How may we know the one from the other Ans They differ greatly 1 In the kind one is servil the other social the former due to an absolute Lord and Commander the latter due from one fellow-servant to another This distinction is grounded in Revel 19.10 where the Angel refused the worship done him by John upon this ground because he was a fellow-servant and one of the brethren for John being overcome with the greatness of the Angels glory and splendor out of humane infirmity ascribed to him more than civil honour and mixed some religious worship with it which only was due to God 2 Another difference is in the intention of the mind in worshipping Religious bowing is when a man inwardly apprehends a Divine power proper to God and incommunicable to the creature or when god-head or divine properties are conceived in the thing bowed unto As for example in falling down to an Image uncovering the head praying c. the mind now conceives a Divine power in the image of knowing ones thoughts hearing helping and the like at least that God hath tied his presence and grace to such a place where such an Image is set up But the civil bowing to the King or superiour or to the Chair of estate is a meer token of civil subjection without any conceit of deity in the mind only because we see in them excellent gifts of God or in place above in the Church Common-wealth or family For the same gesture may be civil and spiritual according to the intention of the mind of the worshipper 3 The end distinguisheth them the one is to exercise godliness the other to express civility the one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one done as a man is a member of Gods Kingdom the other as he is in the rank of an earthly Kingdom As for example Kissing of the Popes feet is a worship done to a man and so seems civil but being tendred to him as to the Vicar of Christ as one that can pardon sins and cannot erre this religious end makes it a religious worship and therefore none of his being not offered to any other Prince or Emperour upon the earth 4 Some difference may be taken from the common estimation of the thing worshipped as if it be generally esteemed or reputed Divine and deity ascribed to that which in it self hath it not The Host as they call it is generally held to be Christs very self now for a man suppose a Protestant that knows it to remain very bread and that no such deity or change is in it to bow down before it to uncover his head or use gestures of adoration to it is an external religious gesture and is unlawful although his intention bee not to worship it but because in common estimation he ascribes a kind of God-head to the creature as others doe And whereas adoration is a sign
of subjection to the thing adored and a note of inferiority in deed or in will by this gesture this person makes himself inferiour to a Creature and giveth worship and preheminence to that which in his knowledge hath neither life nor sense which is sensless and against common reason 5 A plain difference between Civil worship and Divine is that all Divine worship is absolute and immediate which is plain in this instance God in all his Commandements must be absolutely and simply obeyed with full obedience never calling any of them into question never expostulating or reasoning the matter with God seem they to us never so unreasonable As Abraham against the Law Moral and even against the Law of Nature without all reasoning riseth up early to kill his own son when God bids him who will be simply obeyed for himself But all obedience to men is respective to God in God and for God and as farre as God hath appointed them to be obeyed and no further God must be obeyed against the Magistrate the Magistrate not against God but so farre as his Commandements are agreeable to Gods Man as man is not to be obeyed but because God hath set him over us in the Church Common-wealth or Family Whence we see that Civil worship hath his rise and ground in the worship of God and what is the cause that so little reverence is given to superiours whether Magistrates or Ministers Masters or Parents in these dissolute and unmannerly days but because Gods worship decays and is not laid in the hearts of inferiours the force of whose Commandement would force reverence to superiours What other cause is there that inferiour impudent persons of both sexes take such liberty without all respect of conscience truth or manners to chatter against Gods Ministers and the Kings towards both whom God hath commanded more than ordinary respect yea with all bitterness to scoft rail curse threaten with horrible damnable and incessant Oathes more like Furies than men even to their faces but that Gods fear is utterly shaken out of their hearts and where Gods fear is absent how can we expect any fear of men The Heathen Priests were honoured because Heathen gods were feared which shall condemn Christians among whom neither Gods Priests and Ministers nor the Ministers of the King Gods Vicegerent and consequently not God himself is feared and honoured Doct. All religious worship whether outward or inward is due to God only For inward worship it is most express Joh. 4.24 God being a Spirit hee must bee worshipped in spirit and truth And it might be proved in all the parts of inward worship as 1 Love Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and all thy soul 2 Fear Isa 8.13 Let him be thy fear and dread Fear him that is able to cast both body and soul into hell 3 Trust and confidence Prov. 3.5 Trust in God with all thy heart 4 Faithful prayer Psal 50.15 Call upon me in the time of trouble and How can they call on him in whom they have not beleeved But of this there is little question As for outward worship if religious all of it is his due only Psal 95.6 Come let us kneel before him and bow down to God our Maker Whence it is manifest that all the gestures and signs of religious worship as bowing of the body of knees lifting up of eyes or hands and uncovering the head with religious intention is not to bee yeelded to any but the true God 1 A reason hereof is in the text because he only is the Lord our God Reasons our Lord of absolute command and we his servants whos 's our souls are and our bodies also to be at his beck in religious use and none else and our God by the Law of Creation and daily preservation as also by the Covenant of Grace and Redemption he hath not only created but preserveth yee redeemeth our souls and bodies also and no Creature hath any right unto us as David saith Christ refuseth here to bow to the Devil not only because he is a Devil but because he is a Creature 2 In our text wee see that Satan will yeeld God is to be served but not only he would have a little service too Nebuchadnezzar would bee contented God should be served but he would bee served too if they would but fall down and bow to his Image he desires no more Let Christ be as devout towards his Father as he can inwardly Satan desites no more but a little outward reverence But the three fellows of Daniel tell the King they will worship their God only and Christ tells Satan the chief Idolater of all that hee must serve God only even with external and bodily service 3 If outward religious worship were due to any Creature then to the Angels the most glorious of all but they have refused it and devolved it only to God as his Prerogative Judg. 13.16 Manoah being about to worship the Angel that appeared to him the Angel hindred him saying If thou wilt offer any sacrifice offer it to God And Paul condemneth an outward humility in worshipping of Angels Col. 2.18 Revel 19.10 the Angel refused Johns worship and chap. 22.8 when he fell down at his feet to worship him being amased and perhaps not knowing whether hee might not bee the Lamb himself of whose marriage he was speaking and the reason in both places why he refused even that outward reverence was 1 Taken from the Angels condition hee was but a fellow-servant 2 Because it was proper to God Worship God who is there opposed to all Angels good and bad 4 Idolatry may bee committed onely in the gesture neither can wee set our bodies which ought to bee presented as living and reasonable sacrificeâ— to God before Idol-Worship without the crime of Idolatry no external dissembled honour can be given to an image with safe conscience for which cause Origen was excommunicated by the Church for offering a little incease to an Idol though hee were forced thereunto by a suddain fear 5 Some things must bee had alone and admit not of a second No man can serve two Masters One woman cannot have two husbands at once her Husband is jealous of any partner or corrival Now God alone is our Master and Husband and therefore hee alone must have religious honour This serves to confute the Popish doctrin and practice of their image and Saint-worship and of giving many other waies Gods peculiar worship clean away to the Creatures not onely bowing to images of wood and stone and metal but invocating them vowing unto them offring gifts unto them lighting candles before them offring incense dedicating daies fasts feasts unto Saints departed c. Wherein they commit most horrible idolatry against this express Commandement which commandeth the service of the true God onely As wee shall see further in these grounds Grounds against image Worship 1 No image may bee made of God Thou
which is not God and consequently a man may not be present at false worship to give it the least allowance no not in gesture Whence they are convicted of dealing false with God who present their body at the Mass with a conceit that they can keep their hearts to God well enough For 1 Might not our Lord for a whole world have found by all his wisdom such a present help for him and by such a policy have over-reached the Devil himself who required only external bowing keeping his heart still unto God No our Lord knew well 1 That body and soul make but one man who must have but one God one Lord one Faith one Worship 2 That our bodies are the Lords as well as our souls 1 Cor. 6.20 created for his service as well as they redeemed by Christs bloud as well as they 3 That he that requireth the whole heart requireth also the whole strength which is of the body 4 That the soul cannot be in Heaven if the body be in Hell neither can he bow the knee of his heart to God that bows the knee of his body to Satan 5 That there can be no agreement between Light and Darkness God and Belial the Ark and Dagon cannot stand in the same Temple and the heart cannot at the same time be the Temple of God and of Idols 2 This is the difference between the Church of God and the Synagogue of Satan that the one is a chaste wise and spouse of Christ and keeps her to her husband alone and doth not admit others to the use of her saith the other plays the harlot with many Lovers and keeps not her saith and confidence to God alone but permits others to be fellows with him at the same time Now no man can take her for a chaste and undefiled Spouse that will give the use of her body to a stranger though shee plead never so confidently that shee keeps her heart to her husband The case here is the very same 3 Here is a number of sins infolded in this one action 1 Here is a manifest appearance of evil which we should flie 1 Thess 5.22 2 An occasion of offence to others to draw them in by our example and so farre as wee may a destroying of him for whom Christ hath dyed Rom. 14.15 3 A fight against faith and an allowance of that which a man condemneth Rom. 14.22 Blessed is he that condemneth not himself in that he alloweth His body allows that which his heart condemnes 4 Here is a denial of Christ whose faith he ought to confess and profess with his mouth which he would doe if it were in soundness hid in the heart 5 Here is a dastardly joyning with his Lords enemy for he that is not with him is against him 6 Here is not only an approbation but a communication in Idolatry a touching of pitch and a defiling of a mans self a most present danger of infection and defection from God 7 Here is an hypocritical show of that which the heart abhorres a divided man and divided manner of worship which God hateth who requireth the whole man 8 Experience shews that such as give up their bodies to Idols God in justice for the most part gives up the heart to horrible delusions 4 If we must avoyd an Heretick then much more an Idolater Wee must not only hate the doctrine of the Nicolaitans but avoyd it Many say they hate the Mass but I say then they would avoyd it for we separate our bodies not only our hearts from the things we hate And the commandement is to get out of Babylon We read in the Ecclesiastical History how St. John fled from Corinthus the Heretick and Polycarp from Marcion And those whom we may not bid God-speed or whom we may not invite to our own tables may we joyn with them in polluting the Lords table 5 Such persons keep not their hearts to God that present their bodies at Idolatry neither present they their bodies only for the Soul governs the Body the Will leads the Action the Understanding the Will and the Affections attend the Understanding Now where there is understanding judgement will and affections given to the Idol-worship is not more than the body given even the chief and highest faculties of the soul Of which wee can reckon no better than plowing with an Oxe and an Asse or sowing the same field with divers seeds which the Lord in the Law forbiddeth and therein refuseth the mixture of warrantable and unwarrantable rites in his worship God is a Spirit and truth and will not be worshipped in spirit and falsehood A dissembled worship is a mark of a true neutral of a plain Laodicean neither hot nor cold a Cake half baked on the hearth Quest But is it not lawful on some occasion to be present at Mass Ans In some cases a man may be present and not sin as 1 When he is there by violent compulsion being bound and cast in as into a prison so as hee cannot resist this is not his sin but theirs and it may be said as of Lucretia Two in the sin but one adulterer she resisted and was forced so was he 2 If in travel a man be in a fit place to see and observe their folly so as hee shew no reverence at all or approbation by bending his knee uncovering his head or otherwise Thus the Apostle Paul went into the Idol-temple at Athens as he passed by not to approve but to take occasion to confute their Idolatry Acts 17.23 3 A man may be amongst Idolaters to reprove and reprehend them as 1 King 13.1 a Prophet came to the Altar where Jeroboam was to cry out against it And Elias stood by Baals Priests mocking them while they danced and launced themselves 1 King 18. And the three fellows of Daniel stood by Nebuchadnezzars Image Aderant sed â—on adorarunt Pet. Martyr to protest that they would never worship it Dan. 3.1 4 Some hold that in politick imployment a mans calling necessarily requiring it he may present his body at Idol-worship as a Protestant may carry a sword before a Prince into the Temple of an Idol with two caveats 1 That neither by word nor gesture hee give any approbation of the Idolatry 2 That publick protestation bee made by word or writing that he presents not himself for religions sake but civil obedience I will say nothing against this last case for my part I like a great deal better that practice of the Protestant Princes at Augusta who brought Charls the fifth their Emperour along as he was going to the Mass but lest him at the Church-door and every man by his departure shewed what hee thought of that service Also when Valentinian brought Julian to the Temple of his Idols he that kept the door sprinkled his gown with the Idols-water as the Heathens used whereat Valentinian gave him a box on the ear If wee should thus present our selves what tumults
idlely or laying themselves to sleep and take a nap some part of the Sermon or sitting unmannerly in prayer-time without all reverence that should they come so and behave themselves towards their Prince they should bee taught a lesson for their rudenesse Is this to confesse a mans own basenesse and the humble conceit hee hath of himself Is this the fruit of acknowledging Gods infinite Majesty Surely that soul which feelingly sees it self to deal with God will make the body either kneel as a Petitioner or stand as a servant ready to hear and know and do the will of his Lord. And him onely shalt thou serve Doct. God must not onely bee worshipped but also served The distinction is easily observed For a man may in heart and gesture honour another to whom hee owes but little service And this word in the Hebrew is taken from Servants who besides inward reverence and outward worship owe to their Masters their strength labour and service yea frank and cheerful Obedience And suppose any man have a Servant who will bee very Complemental and give his Master cap and knee and very good words yet when his Master commands him any thing hee will not do it here is honour but no service and denying service hee plainly shews that his honour is but dissembled and hypocritical So as this service to God as to earthly Masters stands 1 in fear and reverent inward affection 2 in dutiful and ready obedience in all holy and civil actions For 1 These two God in the Scriptures hath every where joyned together Reasons and therefore no man may separate them Deut. 5.29 Oh that there were in them such an heart to fear mee and to keep my Commandements Josh 24.14 15. Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in uprightnesse else chuse you for I and my house will serve the Lord. Eccl. 12. ult Let us hear the end of all Fear God and keep his Commandements which is all one with fear God and serve him 2 This service is a fruit of fear and a true testimony of it for fear of God is expressed in service and if a man would make true trial of his fear hee may do it by his service It is a note and branch also of our love unto God all which the holy Prophet Moses declareth Deut. 10.12 when hee expresseth that walking in all Gods waies is a consequent of fear and the service of the Lord a fruit of love And now Israel what doth the Lord thy God require of thee but to fear the Lord thy God and to walk in his waies and to love him and to serve the Lord thy God 3 Hee justly calleth for our service in regard of the relation that is between him and us as hee is the Lord our God and Master and hath authority over us to whom wee owe simple obedience and wee are his servants to whom wee owe of right our whole strength and service Now hee becomes our Lord and wee his servants not onely by right of Creation and preseâ—vation but by expresse Covenant that as the Jews servants were said to bee their Masters money so wee are not our own but bought with a price 1 Corinth 6.20 Our wages are set and our Promise passed our earnest-penny received and no other Lord can lay claim unto us 4 There is no Creature exempted from the service of God all Creatures in their kind serve him and much more ought man to whom hee hath appointed all creatures to serve him and hath exempted him from the service of them all to serve himself alone All the Saints ever gloried that they were the Servants of God The honourable mention of Moses is that hee was faithful in all the house of God as a servant And David saith often Lord I am thy â—ervant keep thy servant c. Paul Peter Jude the servants of God The Angels professe themselves our fellow-Servants and are called Ministring spirits sent forth for the heirs of Salvation Adam in innocency was not exempted from this service but must serve God in dressing the Garden as a servant his Lord and Master Nay Christ himself the second Aâ—am was not onely stiled the beloved Son but the righteâ—us servant of God Isa 53.11 5 Our Talents our gifts our strength our work our wages all are his received from him and for him and therefore must be returned again unto him in his service Quest What is this service which God requires at our hands Answ The service of God is either Legal or Evangelical The former stands in a perfect conformity with the whole Law of God when the creature can present unto God a personal and total righteousness Of this kind is the service of the blessed Angels Of the same kinde was Adams in innocency Of the same was Christs service when hee was made obedient to the death that by the obedience of one many might bee made righteous This is that by which wee shall serve God in heaven when wee shall once again recover perfect sanctification and the whole Image of God which we have now lost This now wee cannot attain unto yet wee must ever carry it in our eye as our scope and aim Evangelical service is when the heart being regenerate by Gods Spirit and purified by Faith hath Christs obedience imputed unto it which is accepted as its own perfect obedience and now indeavours to obey God sincerely in all things In a word that is Evangelical service which is perfect in Christ begun and inchoat in us in him compleat in us sincere and upright which is Christian perfection And to know this service the better wee will set down the conditions of it I. It must bee willing and free a free-will offering for hereby it is distinguished from the service of Devils and wicked men who are all subject unto the power of God and do him service in executing his will whether they will or no but one thing it is to bee subjected another to subject ones self the one is fâ—â—â—an inward principle even the Spirit of Goâ— which reneweth the will and makes it of unwillingly willing and pliable the other is onely by some outward force The service of the godly resembles the Angels in Heaven who are said to have wings by which their will and readiness is figured in doing the bests of God David had not such wings to flye swiftly yet hee would run in the way of Gods Commondements so fast as the burden of flesh would suffer him This condition our Lord and Saviour commends unto us in his own example when hee professeth it is his meat and drink to do the will of his father 2 It must bee hearty and sincere Rom. 1.9 whom I serve in my spirit not in body and ostentation but in soul and sincerity not in hypocrisy and coldnesse but in soundnesse and fervency not co-acted or compelled but chearfully and without dispute The Apostle requires love out of a pure heart 1 Tim. 1.5
and a good Conscience and faith unfeigned And when the Lord bids David seek his face Davids heart answereth I will seek thy face Psal 27.8 Those that serve bodily Masters must not serve with eye-service but as the servants of Christ Eph. 5.6 how doing the will of God from the heart and ver 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in simplicity of heart What man can abide a servant that deals deceitfully with him if he know that hee outwardly pretends service but his heart is not with him but he dissembles Love Truth Faith and Reverence No more can God Men cannot see into the hearts of their servants but the Lord doth and cannot bee deceived The fountain of all our Obedience must bee a pure and sincere heart or else if the well-head be corrupt share all the waters that issue thence 3 It must bee ruled and squared by God himself Hinc obedâ—re ad audire for God must bee served as hee will bee served and not as wee think good for God knows what is best and what pleaseth him best All Obedience is to go by rule not our own or others but Gods As the eyes of the hand-maid is upon the hand of her Mistrisse so in our service must our eyes bee upon Gods direction Ps 123.2 which is implyed in that phrase Luke 1.75 That wee should serve him in righteousnesse and holinesse before him all the daies of our life An earthly servant must not take up his own work nor do other mens business but depend upon his own Masters mouth and direction Now God ruleth his whole service in respect of the 1 matter 2 manner 3 end I. For the matter Whatsoever I command that do onely saith the Lord. Thou shalt not do that which is good in thine own eyes but what I command thee And so wee are taught to pray Thy will be done II. For the manner It must bee 1 Absolute 2 Total I. Absolute without all condition on our part whereas all service to men must bee conditional The reason hereof is because God being holiness it self can command nothing but what is most just and holy but men may II. Total both objective and subjective 1 It must bee total in respect of the object all Gods Commandements all which call for our obedience Partial and delicate service when wee list or at leisure as the retainers of great men on feast-daies is not that which liketh him but a constant diligence in all his Commandements and a conscionable indeavour in all General service was holy Davids aim Psal 119.6 Then shall I not bee confounded when I have respect to all thy Commandements Not that wee can perfectly serve him unlesse wee were perfectly sanctified but that we must make conscience of all Gods Commandements even the least 2 It must bee total in respect of our selves we must be wholly imployed in his service in all our parts and powers the whole heart and all the strength is here challenged Wherein there is a notable difference between the service wee owe to God and that to men Wee are to bee serviceable to men only in part not wholly for the soul and Conscience are not subject to men which God especially taketh up and looks for Gods priviledge it is to bee the father of spirits for although wee take our bodies from our Parents yet our souls are immediately from God Men therefore have no power and authority over our souls but God hath power both over soul and body and is the Lord of our conscience and spirit and therefore of due must we subject our selves wholly in his service III. God ruleth his service in respect of the end which is twofold intentionis termini 1 The proper aym and end of our service must be 1 Gods glory directly If all our service of men must be for God as we saw it must much more must Gods immediate service 2 The good of our brethren and of Gods Church which we must not scandalize but build up for God will be served in our service of men 2 Wee must serve our God without end he requires such an heart in his people as to fear him always Deut. 5.29 and 6.13 Thou shalt serve the Lord and cleave unto him Wee allow not our servants to cast up our work and make holy-day at their pleasure much less most Gods servants think it lawful at any time to give any service to Satan Sin Lust the World or any Creature against the Will of the Lord. Vse This should provoke us to tender unto God this service with heart and good will thus squared by God for the matter manner and ends of it The Apostle Ephes 6.5 6 7 8. perswadeth servants to obey their Masters according to the flesh by three arguments all which are much more strong to perswade our service to our Master in heaven First saith he it is the will of God Gods institution and the ordinance of Christ It is enough for a servant to know that such a thing is the ordinate will of his own Master The second reason of the Apostle is taken from the honour of their service that in serving men they served the Lord Christ which was an honourable thing Now we serve a great Lord and as good as great If a servant were bound to a wicked and froward Master he must obey him in all lawful things How much more are we to yeeld service to so good a Lord who can command nothing but that which is most just holy and honourable Hee sets us not about any base or ignoble service to work in brick or clay as Pharaoh commanded the Israelites but our work is the practice of piety and righteousness of prayer and praise And besides it is most beneficial to our selves for what gaineth he by our service our goodness reacheth not to him to adde a grain to his perfection Psal 50.9 10. I will take no Bullock out of thy house for all the beasts of the forest are mine and the sheep on a thousand mountains If I were hungry I would not tell thee But it is our honour and profit as when a noble man takes a poor Sneak near him to serve him such a mean man is more honoured and pleasured than the noble man to whom he retains The third reason of the Apostle is drawn from the expectation of reward or wages which if their Masters should fail God would not fail to repend unto them knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doth that same he shall receive of the Lord. Now if the Lord so liberally reward faithful service done to mean and even wicked men how rich and royal a reward gives hee to the faithful service of himself It gifts then may move us to serve God the Lord truly saith All these doe I give thee and more also my Christ my Spirit my self and life eternal No man gives such wages no servant ever had such a pay-master To these might be added sundry other motives
1.11 to signifie the same And their hands are under their wings by which is meant that their powerful and secret operation also cannot bee discerned with bodily eyes Therefore hath the Scripture expressed their nature under diverse shapes and ascribed unto them many parts both of men and other creatures in which we may see and understand their work and office as Ezek. 1. Angels are described by four beasts not because they are no more in number for thousand thousands sit at his right hand but because they doe the Commandements of God in all the four quarters of the world These beasts have four several faces 1 The face of a man to note that all of them are reasonable and understanding creatures as man is 2 The face of a Lion to signifie that every Angel is strong and powerful and couragious as the Lion among the beasts Psal 103.20 Praise the Lord yee Angels strong in power One of them is stronger than a number of men yea than a number of Devils 3 The face of an Oxe to note their patience assiduity and unweariableness in their service and ministry as the Oxe is a beast most patient and constant and profitable in his pains 4 The face of an Eagle to note their swiftness and alacrity seeing a faire off many hidden things as the Eagle flying strongly and swiftly that is unresistably as the Eagle holding out not fainting but renewing their strength as the Eagle By the same Prophet they are described chap. 10.22 by the shape of Cherubs which were the faces of little fair boys with wings noting unto us under that resemblance their nature to be voyd of deceit as a child simple innocent not proud or arrogant not envious or malicious Having wings to note their readiness and expedition in their ministery and these wings in their four sides to shew that their ministery extended to all the four sides of the world II. By way of dispensation they have often assumed bodies that were true immediately created of God not imaginary or phantastical as Marcion thought whom Tertullian refuted neither generated nor born as mans body is nor hypostatically united to the Angels as constitutive parts as our body is a constituting part of us but taken upon them for the time of some special service and layd down again even as we doe our apparrel to the end they might familiarly conferre and converse with men till that special service were performed Thus did they visibly appear unto Abraham and Lot thus was the Angel of God seen like a fourth man in the Furnace which the three Children were cast into and in this humane shape I doubt not but they came and appeared to the Son of God in this place My reasons are these 1 If the Angels came often in bodily shape to the servants and adopted children of God why should they not much more to the natural Son of God being cloathed with the same flesh 2 We have formerly proved that the Devil came in assumed bodily shape the more to molest and terrifie the Son of God and therefore the Angels came to him also in bodily shape the more to comfort him 3 The present estate of Christ required it who was man and subject to many infirmities and therefore the Angels came corporally to comfort him 4 The phrase of the text implies a more sensible and peculiar manifestation of them than before as in his agony an Angel appeared to him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke 22. vers 43. In this coming of the Angels note an happy change in the estate of our Lord and Saviour for in stead of the Devil his deadly enemy come the Angels his friends and houshold servants in stead of one Devil many Angels for all are his to attend him in stead of sharp hunger for forty days together now he hath bodily food and comfort in a moment Doct. God may hide his comforts for a time but at length they shall shine out upon his servants as the Sun from under a cloud All the time of the temptation Christ was without food without Angels nay he endured sharpness of hunger in his body and of Satanical vexation in his soul now the Lord comforts him not only in removing evil from him but restoring to him his whole former peace besides the glory of a most victorious conquest And the same is his dealing with his servants Psal 73.1 David being plunged exceedingly with a grievous temptation of Atheism not whether there was a God or no but whether this God were just and merciful seeing things fell out so cross to good men and so prosperously to the wicked at last breaks out into a setled resolution Yet God is good to Israel He was in the temptation as a man cast into the Sea souzed in one billow after another at length hee descries a shore and with extream toyl and peril he gets thither and crawls up and saith Yet I have escaped drowning Or as a man in a pitcht field that in the thick of his enemies had escaped many blows and deadly thrusts being set beyond the danger saith Yet I am alive So the Lord though in temptation he seem to stand farre off yet at last appears with strength and comfort The same David being in great distress a long time hunted as a Partrich by Saul but strangely delivered from him and Achish concludes Psal 34.19 That how great soever the troubles of the righteous be yet the Lord will at length deliver them out of all To this purpose Salomon saith that though the just man fall seven times a day namely into affliction yet hee riseth again Abraham in his great trial saw nothing but sorrow and vexation for the loss of his Isaac yet in the third day when the case seemed desperate God was seen in the mountain as if he had not seen God till he came into the mountain Whence his posterity used it as a proverbial speech In the mount God will bee seen at the farthest he will be seen there if not before Job assured himself that after darkness he should see light and according to his faith wee see howsoever Satan set upon him with all his might to blaspheme God and his friends would needs prove him an Hypocrite and which was worst of all God not only stood a farre off from him but came upon him and against him as one that strove against the Almighty and one that reproved his Maker chap. 39. vers 35. Yet at length he steps out for him acquits him and rebukes his friends and accepts his servant and turneth his captivity and gives him twice as much as before he had chap. 42. Reasons 1 Herein the wisdom of God joyned with his power shineth forth hereby the Lord knows how to bring light into darkness Psal 112.4 To the righteous ariseth light in darkness No darkness or misery can keep God and the comforts and strength of his Spirit from his children Yea hereby the Lord knows how to
respects as birth riches learning crowns and kingdoms these in mens Courts are good advocates but before Gods Tribunal may not plead and cannot help No condition of life no degree no outward quality no calling no not the outward calling of a Christian if thou hast no more shall stand by thee stript stark naked shalt thou be figge-leaves can hide thy shame no longer only the Wedding Garment can now cover thee from the consuming wrath of God A garment not laid with gold silver pearls but straked with bloud yea dyed red in the bloud of the Lamb. The High Priest upon pain of death might never enter into the Sanctuary but he must first be sprinkled with the bloud of Bullocks figuring the bloud of Christ Never dare thou to appear in the Sanctuary of Gods holiness without this garment of thy elder brother in which alone thou gettest the blessing as Jacob gat the blessing in Esaus garments from this alone the Lord savoureth a savour of rest Gen. 27.26 Lastly from this consideration that God is no respecter of persons the Apostle admonisheth superiours to moderation and equal dealing with their inferiours Ephes 6.9 and inferiours to silence and contentation under the tough dealing of their superiours Col. 3.25 Vers 35. But in every Nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousnesse is accepted of him BY a fearer of God and worker of righteousnesse is signified an upright and truly religious man in whom these two things must necessarily concut as the cause and effect the fountain and stream the root and fruit of pure and undefiled religion for under the fear of God are contained all the duties of the first Table concerning God and his Worship such as are Knowledge Love Faith Hope and such like whence Salomon often calleth it the beginning of wisdome that is of true worship or piety And under working of righteousnesse is comprehended the observation of the duties of the second Table whereby the former being most of them inward are outwardly manifested and justified so as under both is comprised the whole duty of man Eccles 12.13 Fear God and keep his Commandements for this is the whole man All those ten words wherein the Lord hath included an admirable perfection of wisdome and holiness are here contracted into two 1 The fear of God 2 The keeping of his Commandements and therefore when the Holy Ghost in the Scriptures would grace this or that holy man with full commendation as it were with his whole stile be commonly joyneth these two together unto which nothing more can bee added Job was a just man fearing God and abstaining from evil Job 1.8 Zachary and Elizabeth were just before God and walked in all the Ordinances of God without reproof Luke 1.6 Here two points are to be considered 1 Who is a religious man hee that feareth God and worketh righteousnesse 2 What is his priviledge he is accepted of God Religion is a binder and thence hath his name for it both bindeth man unto God as the former of the points will shew as also God unto man as the latter declareth The former band knitting man unto God is the fear of God Fear of God which is a peculiar gift of the Spirit of God whereby the Regenerate fear God for himself not so much that they bee not offended and punished by him as that they do not offend him An excellent grace both in regard of the excellent Object and of the excellent Use of it through the whole life 1 The right object of our fear is God himself who is 1 Omnipotent of power to do whatsoever he wil who is able to cast body and soul into Hell fear him Matth. 10.28 2 Omnipresent hee is all an eye beholding our Thoughts Words and Deeds of which hee is both a witness and a Judge 3 Full of Majesty which even in a mortal Man strikes us with reverence 4 Full of Grace and Bounty wee stand in need of his Favour and Bounty every Moment who can turn us out of all at his pleasure In all which respects wee ought to make him our dread Isa 8.13 But above all in that he hath been so good and gracious a Father unto us through his Christ we ought to fear to offend him and so turn his love into displeasure against us II. Now the Vse of this Grace is manifold As 1 To beat down pride and high-mindedness against which it is a notable medicine Rom. 11.20 Bee not high-minded but fear Prov. 3.7 Bee not wise in thine own eies but fear God this grace maketh a man come low before the Lord as Jacob fearing Esau Gen. 33.3 Came and bowed seven times before him 2 To cause a man to renounce and restrain himself from sin and therefore the fear of God and departing from evil are often joyned together Joseph could not commit the sin with his Mistresse because hee feared God the Midwives feared God and killed not the Hebrews Children Nehem. 5.15 Nehemiah did not exact upon and oppress the people as the former Governours that were before him because hee feared God and whereas the wicked mans servile fear keepeth him often from open sins but not from secret from gross sins but not from smaller and this of Pain not of Conscience this grace maketh a man hate Pride Arrogancy and every evill way Prov. 8.1 3. never so small and never so secret 3 To destroy false and fleshly fears which foil every good duty and lay open to many sins and judgements Quod supra homines est time homines te non terrebunt August it is a property of a wicked man to fear where no fear is and not fearing God hee feareth every thing but God the face of man the arm of man the Tongue of man whence many a man dare scarce profess Religion or if they do dare shew no power of it for fear of reproach and nick-names and so come to bee ranked in the formost band of those which march to Hell called the fearful Rev. 21.8 and that which they fear shall come upon them Prov. 10.24 even disgrace of God of Men and Angels Jeroboam feared lest the people should return to their own Master if they should persist in the true Worship of the true God and so for the establishing of his Posterity hee established Idolatry but in the very next generation his whole race was extinct The Jews were afraid lest the Romans should come and take their nation and therefore Christ must dye but the Romans not long after came with a powder and took their Nation and so dis-peopled and dispersed them as they could never bee gathered into a nation till this day Pilatus multis diveratus Calamitatibus sibi-ipsi manum intulit Euse lib. 2. cap. 7. Entrop lib. 7. hist eccl c. 7. Pilate feared not God but Caesar but hee was not long after cast out of Caesars favour and slew himself Now this grace of God fenceth a man from such fleshly fears
your sanctification Colos 1.10 filled with the knowledge of his will and waâ—k worthy of the Lord c. thou must not only speak for but live to the credit of thy Master in thy speech actions attire eating drinking and whatsoever else carry thy self like a Christian else thou discreditest thy Masters house and dishonourest himself Were not hee a notable Traytor that being sworn of the Kings guard and professing all service to the King should instead of the Kings armes and coat wear the enemies so the thing it self speaketh against him who professeth Christ his Lord and yet never appears or sheweth himself in the street or abroad but in Satans livery his swearing his covetousness his filthiness his lying his whole life lead in all intemperance bewrayeth to whom hee hath given himself to obey 3 It is his will also that wee obey as well in suffering as in doing his pleasure and the reason is plain he is my Lord I am but a servant if he please to buffet and blow mee I must with all meekness submit my self yea and more be thankful for his government 2 Sam. 15.26 If hee say I have no delight in thee let him do whatsoever seemeth good in his eyes 1 Sam. 3.18 When the Lord had threatned heavy things against Heli his whole house hee answered It is the Lord let him do whatsoever seemeth good in his eyes I was dumb and opened not my mouth saith David because thou LORD didst is Psal 39.9 Thus must wee obey Christ as a Lord giving up our bodies and souls unto him by living unto him and dying unto him and this is the Apostles ground wee are the Lords Rom. 14.7 and therefore none of us liveth unto himself and none of us dyeth unto himself but living and dying wee are the Lords otherwise what a trifling and mockery were it onely to yield him a title of Lord or Master and deny him his service Why call yee mee Master Master and do not the things I speak Luk. 6.46 All which if it bee true how few shall finde Christ a Saviour for how few make him their Lord few there are that esteem this well-beloved above other well-beloveds not a few are ashamed of him and his profession many white-livered souldiers are daunted with Peter at the speeches of silly and simple persons most men never look to the hands of this Lord to acknowledge either receit of Talents or return of accounts fewest of all obey him in faith who yet are overcarried with presumption of his favour or in true sanctification though they can pretend it or in patience if they could get out of his hands if it were by flying to the Devil for help Well if Christ have no more but a title of a Lord from thee thou shalt have but a title of salvation from him and not the thing it self and if a name that thou livest content thee when thou art but dead the time commeth that when thou commest to seek thy name among the number that are saved by him thou shalt finde thy name left out of that role and set in the number of those that shall dye in their sins Christ being our Lord no other Lord can lay 〈◊〉 unto us Secondly if Christ bee the Lord of all Then have wee obtained much freedome by him both from all spiritual bondage and all that tyranny which those hard Lords Sin Death Hell Satan exercised over us our Lord hath paved the uttermost farthing and wrought a glorious redemption for us and hee having thus set us free wee are free indeed both from the guilt the punishment and service of sin Wee are free also from all Papal bondage for wee have but one Lord in Heaven who can save and destroy to whom simple obedience belongeth and to whom the Conscience is only subject The man of sin indeed would bee Lord of all and maketh laws to bind conscience where God hath left it free but as the Scriptures acknowledge but one Lord no more do wee and say more that wee cannot serve two Masters commanding such contrary things Wee are also hence freed from the fear of all earthly Tyrants if wee belong to this Lord for if hee stand with us who can bee against us Matth. 10.28 Fear not them which can kill the body onely but him who can cast both body and soul into Hell The true fear of him will eat out all those false fears of men Observ 3 Thirdly If Christ be Lord of all Then wee and all beleevers are fellow servants All beleevers are fellow servants to this Lord. and therefore ought to live and love together making no dissention or schism in our Masters house which is the Apostles reason Eph. 4.4 perswading the Ephesians to keep the Unity of faith because there is one Lord. This shall bee done if all of us who profess Christ could learn to deny our selves to follow his will not our own or other commanders yea to follow his blessed example learning daily of him to bee humble and meek patient and tender-hearted one to another forbearing and forgiving offenders hard to exasperate and easy to bee intreated And these things should wee rather strive in that according to the Apostles precept the same minde might bee in us which was in Jesus Christ Phil. 2.5 Vers 37 Yee know the word which came through all Judea beginning in Galilee after the Baptism which John Preached THE holy Apostle here beginneth the confirmation of that which hee had formerly spoken that Christ is the Messias and Lord of all to prove which hee beginneth orderly with the History of his life and death of which even these Gentiles could not bee ignorant therefore hee saith yee know the word Where if it be asked how they should come to know the doctrin of the Gospel seeing the Apostles were not yet turned to the Gentiles and Peter was now sent extraordinarily to teach them concerning Christ which had been in vain if they knew the word before we must observe Not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that by the word here is not meant the word preached as in the former verse but as the word is different in the original so also is the signification and betokeneth rather a thing done than a word uttered as Matth. 18.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word or fact be confirmed Luke 2.15 Let us goo to Bethlem and see this word that is this thing which the Lord hath brought to passe The plain sence then is this Yee know the word that is the same of Christ which was quickly dispersed through all Judea in the mouthes of common men Which fame that they should not mistake him or themselves he describeth 1 By the place where it arose beginning in Galilee 2 By the time when it most prevailed after the Baptism which John preached which some expound thus After the Baptism of Christ by
may be said to bee anointed two ways Christus totus vel Christus mysticus either properly in his own person as considered in himself or figuratively by the use of Scripture as he is the head of his Church which joyned unto him maketh up whole Christ as the Fathers call him or mystical Christ Thus Paul calleth Christ united with the Church by the name of Christ 1 Cor. 12.12 we must therefore help on the perfection of this latter seeing he is already perfect in the former Every Christian must be a King To this purpose every man must become a King for so he is if hee partake of Christs anointing in being ever in the field in combate against sin in taking up arms against Satans hellish power in getting daily dominion over his own rebellious flesh and wicked lusts For if thou beest a Christian thou hast ten thousand rebels to encounter and as many strong temptations and lusts which thou must stand out to victory and here faith must be thy victory which grace is attained by this anointing But oh the misery of infinite numbers every where meer Bond-men and captive Caytiffs to Satans suggestions and held down under the power and tyranny of their own lusts in whom there is no resistance no fight never a stroak they strike against their own sins the strong man is gone away with all very cowards against the Devil nay couragious Champions for him and yet will be called Christians no no there is never a drop of Christian bloud in such this anointing as yet never came near them here is no spirit no power but such as ruleth in the world And a Priest Rom. 6 13 Again thou that wilt be a Christian must be a Priest to offer up thy self soul and body an acceptable sacrifice of sweet smell unto the Lord to offer up thy prayers and praises the calves of thy lips these are the odours of the Saints Revel 5.8 to offer up thy sins to bee sacrificed and slain by the knife and sword of the Spirit in the Ministery of the word to offer the sacrifices of almes and mercy with which sacrifices God is well pleased to offer the sacrifice of a broken and contrite heart which the Lord despiseth not and lastly to offer if need require thy life and deerest bloud for Christ and his profession But how many titular Christians be there who indeed are no better than Belzebubs Priests who offer their souls their bodies their sences themselves wholly to the service of the Devil in sin and unrighteousnesse for prayer and praise they curse swear and blaspheme most remorselesly fierce and hard-hearted in themselves and unto others and so farre from this anoynting as many of the Heathens who never heard of Christ would be ashamed of them and wonder what kind of God that Christ should bee by whom they will bee called And a Prophet Lastly thou must be a Prophet thou must have the knowledge of God in thy self thou must hold it out and impart it unto others within thy family and without for to this thou art anoynted as also to hold out Christ in a constant profession which tyeth every man to know and acknowledge the truth of God that he may be able to propagate it to others but especially Ministers Magistrates Parents and Masters whose special calling besides the general fastneth this duty upon them These are the chief things to which others might be added wherein every Christian ought to testifie himself anoynted by Christs anoynting that he communicateth as well in his graces as in his name and that he hath received some good measure of that oyl of grace which was poured out upon him without measure for as in the head the God-head dwelleth bodily so in every member 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though not the God-head it self yet a Divine nature is apparent 2 Pet. 1.4 Now this godly nature is nothing else but those excellent renewed qualities and precious gifts which the Holy Ghost bestoweth upon the regenerate by means of this anoynting and is opposed to natural lust and corruption in the same verse Who went about doing good Now we come to Christs execution of his Office according to his former calling and furnishing For no sooner receiveth he gifts and calling from his Father but he manifesteth and putteth forth the same in most painful preaching and most powerful working of Miracles which hee did not for a brunt or by starts and fits but he went aboue doing good By which words is noted his diligence in absolving and finishing his course within his vocation and calling not seeking herein himself nor the praise or applause of men nor the Kingdoms of this world but denying himself and glory spent his whole life in doing good unto others suffering himself to bee subdued under a most shameful and cursed death that hee might bring others to life who were as yet his enemies and lying in the shadow of death Wherein he propounded himself a worthy pattern and example of imitation unto all such as have received gifts Note and calling unto any office in Church or Common-wealth who are not to hide in a Napkin those talents but bring them forth and traffick with them and that not for their private as seeking themselves but for the common good and not for a start or brunt but thus to finish their course holding out in well-doing unto the end Thus if we shall doe we shall be conformable unto Jesus Christ acceptable to God our Father profitable to our brethren here on earth and shall treasure to our selves an excellent weight of glory in heaven But how many bee there who having received many talents and charge to traffick with them bury their gifts and forget their charge against whom the fearful sentence is not only passed but half executed already his talent is taken from the sloathful servant there now remaineth nothing but the binding of him and casting him into hell And would this were not too true not in many Ministers only but even in numbers of private Christians who have had both gifts and calling to teach and pray in their families but have wilfully lost them for want of the careful use of them Now more specially this going about of Christ doing good standeth in two things The former in curing the deadly diseases of mens souls by most holy and saving doctrin revealing his Fathers whole will and teaching the things of the Kingdom not coldly as the Scribes but in most powerful manner so as his very enemies were forced to say Never man spake as this man doth The latter in curing the bodies of men also by most powerful Miracles one kind whereof which was most eminent namely the healing of Demoniaks is put for all the rest in the words following by both which means he shewed himself a merciful Saviour and the chief Physician both of soul and body and in one word the very healing God Of both which
wickedness with tears pray for pardon promise amendment beg prayers of others as Pharaoh one would think them very penitent themselves think they are so also but the Moon changeth not so often as these spiritual lunaticks who hence may know that the evil spirit hath taken possession of them because they are never long in a good minde These few notes instead of many I thought good to set down to help men that are desirous to see how secretly Satan worketh in their souls and how hee can cunningly most forceably keep possession when hee seemeth most to disclaim it that thus they comming to perceive the disease may run out of themselves to seek for remedy Which what it is wee are now in the next point to declare The third point in the words to bee considered is The mighty power of Jesus Christ who onely could heal those that were thus oppressed and enthralled by the Devil and here consider 1 The ground 2 The proof or manifestation of it The ground was because God was with him How God was with his Son and how with his Servants It will bee objected that God is said to have been with many of his servants who yet had not this power as with Joseph Joshuah Moses and others Answ God was indeed with them onely by manifesting his presence in some powerful or loving effect which hee wrought in by or for them But never was God present with any of his Saints as hee was with his Son who had not the vertue onely and power of the God-head effectually and energetically working with him which was all they had but the god-head it self was after a sort bodily with him yea the fulnesse of the God-head was not only with him but in him bodily Col. 2.9 as elsewhere God is said not onely to bee with Christ but in Christ reconciling the world unto himself 2 Cor. 5.19 So as hee of himself performed the works which proceeded from him which they did not and his actions as from himself were divine Quest Why then doth not the Apostle more shortly and plainly say that Christ was God as that God was with him Answ Hee might indeed have so said as truely but for the time spareth the weakness of his hearers contenting himself to deliver Doctrin as they were able to receive it in great wisdome by little and little instilling into their minds the knowledge of Christ and by degrees laying such grounds and foundations as whereby themselves might more easily rise to that high point of Divinity which the Apostle calleth a great mystery namely God manifested in the flesh 1 Tim. 3.26 Secondly For the proof or manifestation of this Divine power of Christ Christ powerfully treadeth Satan under his feet â—n overthrowing the power of Satan and treading him under his feet is evident in the Scripture The first promise that ever was made to man fallen is That this seed of the woman should bruise the Serpents head According to which prophecy hee not onely put Satan to flight in his own person Mat. 4. but took also his strongest holds where hee had strongly fortified himself in the persons of others as every where the History of the Gospel recordeth Hee rebuked the unclean spirits and made them cry for grief and anger Mark 9.25 Hee forced them to silence and would not suffer them to confess him Mar. 1.25 By his very word hee chained and bound them whom no bolts could hold nor any other means subdue such was his power and glory though men saw little of it that the Devils could neither fly from him nor yet abide his presence A whole legion of them ran to meet him a far off and worshipped him Mar. 5.6 most submisly intreated him that hee would not torment them and earnestly sued unto him that seeing they could no longer inhabit the man they might have power over the swine By all which examples and many more that might bee added appeareth what command Jesus Christ hath over the Devils and that by his onely word hee healed all those that were oppressed by them Quest It is true that Christ hath this power and glory in himself How the power of Christ foyleth Satan for us because God is with him but how commeth this power to bee so saving and soveraign unto miserable creatures who are held under the power of the Devil and that most justly Ans In healing all our diseases Mat. 8.16.17 among which this cute is numbred wee must knit and combine those two things which in Christ were inseparable namely his glory and his grace the latter of which makeeth the former soveraign unto us and appeareth in two actions in removing from us the next causes of all our diseases namely our sins For as the Physician in working a cure first removeth the distempered humours of his patient which are the matter of the disease so doth our heavenly Physician imply that this is the beginning of his cure and therefore often his first word is Thy sins are forgiven thee and his last word is goe and sin no more lest a worse thing befall thee 2 By taking our diseases upon himself which 〈◊〉 Physician doth or can do but this Lamb of God taketh away the sins of the world by taking them upon himself for he bare our infirmities Col. 2.22 and carried our sorrows and sins in the body of his flesh even to the cross where they were fastned with him buried them in his grave yea cast them into Hell and there left them by which most glorious triumph of his the snares and letters wherewith wee were chained to death and the Devil are broken and our souls as a bird are escaped Christ onely by his Pâ—opes power casteth out Devils Hence note 1 That no man can cast a Devil out of a possessed party or ever did as a principal efficient cause but as an instrument and that onely by this power of the Lord Jesus to whom all power in heaven and earth is given and to whom all the honour of this power must bee ascribed for what power can countermand Satans but onely Gods I grant Satan may give place to beelzabub and depart his habitation for his greater advantage and forsake a body to get faster hold upon the soul or to delude many beholders but such hostile conquest over Satan argueth a mighty power of God which all the Devils in hell cannot resist Secondly That whosoever finde themselves any way molested of Satan must hasten themselves to Jesus Christ who onely can batter down the holds of the Devil In all thy spiritual captivity repair unto Christ and work their deliverance Feelest thou thy self held under any spiritual captivity or bondage doth the Law of evil present with thee toyl thee with heaviness and unchearfulness to any thing that is good seest thou in any measure Satans secret trains working against thy salvation Oh come unto Christ not faintly as the Father of the possessed child Mark
domestical and familiar converse with him all the while he lived in the execution of his office they might be furnished to this testimony Hence is it that John saith We saw his glory namely in his Doctrin and Works and the things which we have heard and seen declare wee unto you Many worthy points concerning this witnesse of the Apostles were here to be delivered but that I referre them all to the forty one and forty two verses where we shall as fitly and more fully handle the same And now proceed to the matter witnessed namely the Priestly Office of Christ in these words Whom they slew hanging him upon a tree wherein are to be considered 1 The Person that was put to death whom 2 The persons that put him to death they slew namely of Judea and Jerusalem 3 The kind and manner of his death slew hanging him on a tree 4 The use of Christ his Crucifying First the person that was put to death was Jesus Christ whom wee have heard to be Lord of all anoynted with the Holy Ghost and power to work most powerful Miracles who went about doing good and never harm with whom God so was as he never was with any Creature before nor ever shall bee hereafter who subdued mightily the very Devils themselves with one word for all this he was killed and slain How the Lord of life couâ—d be subdued under death Quest But how could the Lord of life be subdued of death yea hee that did only good and was without all sin which is the mother of death Ans Christ the Mediator must be considered in his two Natures 1 The God-head 2 The Man-hood and in that he dyed it was according to his Man-hood so Peter saith he dyed according unto his flesh 1 Pet. 3.18 for his body was dead being separated from his soul and his soul suffered the sorrows of death But yet we must conceive that he suffered not in such a Man-hood as was a naked and bare flesh such as ours but such as was inseparably united and knit to the God-head and therefore the Apostle saith that God shed his bloud that is not the God-head but such a person as is both God and Man Secondly although he had no personal sin to bring him to death yet had he sin imputed unto him even the sins of his whole Church which he willingly took upon himself so as God reckoned with him not for the sins of one man but of all his Church and esteemed him as a captain sinner till the price was paid and men reckoned him among sinners and esteemed him an arch-malefactor Why wicked men prevail against Christ who had vanquished the Devils themselves Quest But doth not this crosse the power of Christ immediatly before mentioned whereby he controlled the Devils themselves that wicked men should thus farre prevail against him Ans No but it argueth a voluntary laying down of his power for the time of his suffering for at his apprehension hee could have commanded twelve Legions of Angels but that the Scriptures must be fulfilled yea and this laying aside of his power was the most powerful work that ever he wrought by which he more foyled and broke the Devils power and forces in men than ever by any shewing himself the true Sampson who more mightily prevailed against his enemies in his death than in all his life Hence note 1 How Christs righteousness is witnessed hee went â—â—â—ut doing good and yet he is slain and teacheth that Christ himself deserved not death but he endured it for some other that had deserved it and indeed Christ dyed for us and in our stead that we should not dye How it standeth with Gods justice to punish the innocent and let the guilty goe free Object But how could he being innocent suffer for us sinners or how standeth it with equity that God should punish the innocent and let the guilty goe free Ans We must consider Christ in his death not as a Debtor but as a Surety or Pledge between God and us who hath undertaken our whole debt and therefore hee suffereth not as guilty in himself but in the room of us that were guilty now it standeth with the course of Justice to lay the Debtors action upon the Surety being 1 Willing 2 Able to pay the debt as Christ was Secondly we may gather hence the hainousnessâ— and odiousnesse of our sins it was no trifle nor a matter of small desert that the Lord of glory the only Son of God yea God himself must shed his bloud for and yet what a small reckoning is made of soul and open sins Thirdly take notice also of the love of God who to free us would lay the chastisement of our peace upon his doâ—â— Son that so his justice might be satisfied Object But how could his Justice bee satisfied who was infinitely offended with such a finite and short death as Christs was The justice of God doth more appear in Christ his Pâ—ssiâ—n than if all the world had been damned Ans By reason of the dignity of the person who suffered being God as well as Man that suffering was in value eternal though not in duration or continuance Lastly we have here the two Natures of Christ lively set before us the one most powerful and glorious in mighty Miracles which forced Legions of Devils to fly before it the other beaten down with wrongs and injuries even to the death it self and it was meet that the Apostle intending to prove Christ to bee the true Messias should mention both these natures which are absolutely necessary to the Mediatour the Humanity that it might suffer death and so satisfy in the same nature that had sinned and the Deity to overcome in suffering so to apply that satisfaction unto beleevers Secondly The persons that put Christ to death were the Jews they of Judea and Jerusalem Object But the Jews had no power to put him to death How the Jews are said to put Christ to death though they had no power to do it the Scepter was gone from them and if the Scribes and Pharisees had had the power in their hands they would never have suffered him alive so long Besides the Judge who was Pontius Pilate was the Romane Emperours Deputy the Souldiers his Executioners were of the Romane band the manner of Death also not Jewish but Romane why is it then said that the Jews slew him and no mention made of the Romanes by whose authority hee was put to death Answ The Jews are justly charged with it because they were the chief causes and abettors in all that violence which the Romans used against him They made way to this sentence and went as far as they could they apprehended him they mocked him they charged him with blasphemy they raised false witness against him they beat him spate in his face they hood-winkt him and bad him prophecy who smote him finally they delivered him to the Romane
with him The words of the verse contain two things 1 The assertion of Christ his resurrection Him God raised up the third day 2 The manifestation or evidence of it and caused that hee was openly shewed The former part is laid down in four distinct points 1 The person raised him 2 The person raising him God 3 The action it self raised 4 The time when the third day First the person raised is Christ where First It will bee demanded how Christ can bee said to bee raised How Christ can be said to rise seeing neither his Deity nor the soul of his humanity arose seeing hee consisted of a Divine and a Humane nature whereof the first could neither fall nor rise and for the second that also consisted of soul and body the former of which being the principal part dyed not but was in Paradise Seeing then neither the Deity nor the soul of his Humanity nor his person did rise but only his body how can Christ bee said to bee raised Answ In sundry other places of Scripture besides this wee meet with such synechdochical phrases and forms of speech wherein somewhat is attributed to the whole which is proper but to one part and that ascribed to the whole person which belongeth but to one nature which cometh to pass by reason of that straight and personal union of the two natures in Christ Thus wee read that God purchased his Church by his own blood Act. 20.28 and that the Lord of glory was crucified 1 Cor. 2.8 of the sons being in heaven and in earth at one time Joh. 3.18 of Christs being before Abraham was Joh. 8.58 of his being omnipotent c. All which are spoken of the whole person but properly are to bee referred to the several natures to which they do agree Thus the Apostles sometimes expound them and teach us so to do 1 Pet. 3.18 Christ was mortified according to the flesh and quickened according to the spirit 2 Cor. 13.4 Hee dyed according to the infirmity of his flesh and was quickned according to the power of God and to help our conceit herein serveth that school distinction Lords Christus non totum Christi which saith that whole Christ is said to do this or that which the whole of Christ did not yea our own common form of speech saith a man is dead whose soul liveth and a man is asleep when his body only sleepeth 2 Wee have hence to note that the same body was raised which had been laid down in the Grave and no imaginary body neither any other body for it for never was any other laid there before Of all which himself against all Hereticks giveth sufficient evidence as in the manifestation following remaineth to be cleared 3 That this person raised was not a private person but the same who had as a publike person been abused accused condemned and executed and now as a publike person also raised from the dead in whom all his Church and every member of it rose again for whosoever have interest in his death have their part also in his resurrection 4 Here is a further thing in this person to bee noted than ever was in any the first Adam was a root also and a publike person when hee sinned hee sinned for himself and us and having sinned and we in him he dyed away and left us in that sin and being dead wee hear no more of him and the Scriptures though they record at large the Histories of the holiest men that have lived yet when once they come to this that such or such a man dyed wee hear no more of him but with Christ it is not so who was not onely as another Sampson who bewrayed the greatest power in his death but herein unmatchable and peerless that hee did greater things after his death than ever hee did in all his life Contra. Faust lib. 16. insomuch as Augustine was wont to say that the faith of Christians was Christs resurrection Wee must not then content our selves with common people that Christ is dead for all and no more but fasten our eyes upon his resurrection so much the more diligently by how much it is easier to beleeve that hee was dead than that hee rose again And what other thing can more fitly bee collected from that practice of all the Evangelists who in other things while some of them omit one History some another or else some of them briefly point at and lightly touch and pass over some other Histories all of them set themselves of purpose to bee copious and large in this of Christs resurrection that the faith of Beleevers might bee firmly grounded herein and the rather because no benefit of his resurrection none of his death and without the certain apprehension hereof all Preaching and Hearing and Faith were in vain and wee our selves were yet in our sins To which Apostolical practice this of our Apostle is not unsuitable in this place in hand 1 Cor. 15.17 18. who while hee almost in one word maketh mention of the death of Christ hee at large prosecuteth and proveth the truth of his resurrection The second point is to consider the person that raised Christ Him God raised that is God the Father Act. 2.24 And have crucified and slain whom God had raised 3.15 Ye have killed the Lord of Life whom God hath raised from the dead More plainly is this work attributed to the mighty power of the Father of glory working in Christ and raising him from the dead Eph. 1.17 20. and to him at whose right hand hee sitteth so Rom. 4.24 Wee beleeve in him which raised our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead Object But Christ raised himself Joh. 2.19 Destroy this Temple and in three daies I will raise it again and hereby was hee mightily declared to bee the Son of God by raising himself from the dead Rom. 1.14 In like manner is this resurrection of his ascribed to the Holy Ghost Rom. 8.11 If the Spirit of him which raised up Christ c. therefore the Father raised him not Answ Here is no contrariety the Father raised him and hee raised himself For 1 There is but one Deity of the Father Son and Holy Ghost which is the common foundation of all their actions 2 There is but one power common to them all three and this is the power that Christ challengeth hee hath to lay down his life and take it up again Opera ad extra communia tribus personis 3 There is but one common act in them all three for the putting out of this power unto any external action without themselves of which Christ speaking Joh. 5.19 saith whatsoever the Father doth the same things doth the Son also In these respects holdeth the speech of the Apostle These three are one 1 Joh. 5.7 that is these three 1 In the true and real distinction of their persons 2 In their inward proprieties as to beget to bee begotten and proceed
and 3 In their several offices one to another as to send and to bee sent these three are one in nature and essence one in power and will and one in the act of producing all such actions as without themselves any of them is said to perform Secondly Although here is no contrariety yet here is an order in the working or administration of the person to bee observed for the Father as the first efficient in order raiseth Christ as man by the Son as a second efficient in order and by the Holy Ghost as a third For as it is in all the matter of creation so is it in all the works of redemption they are ascribed unto the Father especially not because they agree not unto the other two persons but because hee after a peculiar manner worketh them namely by the Son and by the Holy Ghost but they not by him but from him and so neither this or any other such place where it is ascribed to the Father to raise his Son Jesus must bee conceived either as making Christ as the Son inferiour in power to his Father or as excluding his own mighty power in raising himself for they shew onely the order of the persons but make no inequality in essence or power or will or working Thirdly where the Son is said to bee raised of the Father it must not bee understood of the person of the Son but in respect of his nature assumed that is his humanity Whence observe that as the former point shewed that Christ was a true man because hee was in the state of the dead whence hee was raised so this consideration sheweth him to bee a true and glorious God and notably concludeth that which the Apostle aimeth at who would hence prove him to bee Lord of all in that by his own power hee raised himself from death and so mightily declared himself the Son of God Rom. 1.4 Ubi resurrectio non passive sed active accipitur cum sit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 deitatis Christs Deity cleâ—red by his glorious resurrection and Lord of all blessed for ever This is it which maketh him the fit object of our Faith and if hee had not expressed himself as well a true and perfect God as a true and entire man wee ought not to have beleeved in him wee beleeve not then as the Jews scoffingly say in a crucified God but in a God raising and exalting to glory by his own omnipotent power an assumed humane nature even then when it lay under the curse of all the sins that ever have or shall bee committed by the true members of the Church the which thing no power of man or Angel nor any created nature could ever turn hand unto could ever have stood under and much sess have swum out with conquest and victory neither indeed had he himself if there had remained the least sin of any the elect to have been accounted for wee need then no other sign to be given us to prove his Deity but this sign of Jonas and when the Jews demanded a sign why hee took such authority upon him hee gave them no other but sent them hither destroy this Temple and I will rear it on three daies Joh. 2.18 19 c. It was necessary that Christ should rise again reasons The third point is the raising it self wherein three points are to bee opened 1 The necessity of Christs rising 2 The manner 3 The fruit or ends of it First it was necessary that Christ should rise again in three respects 1 For the accomplishment of things fore-appointed and foretold it was from all eternity decreed and appointed by God and therefore it behoved Christ to rise from the dead the third day Luke 24.46 and it was impossible that he should be held down of death Act. 2.24 Again the Scriptures must necessarily bee fulfilled all which beat upon these two points 1 His sufferings Luk. 24.26 2 the glory that should follow 1 Pet. 1.11 And more specially all those predictions and types of his resurrection inforced this necessity Psal 16.10 Thou wilt not leave my soul in grave which our Apostle proveth cannot bee meant of David whose body saw corruption but that David spake concerning him Isa 53.10 when hee shall make his soul an offering for sin hee shall see his seed and prolong his daies Besides his own prediction of his resurrection must either bee fulfilled or hee could not have been the onely true Prophet of his Church for himself had said that the Jews should slay him and crucify him but the third day shall hee rise again Matth. 20.17 and this the High Priests and Pharisees remembred well when they came to Pilate and said Sir wee remember that this deceiver while hee was alive said within three daies I will rise command therefore that the sepulchre bee made sure c. Adde hereunto that all the predictions of his ascension of his triumph and of the last judgement depended hereupon Further the types which fore-shadowed his resurrection must not bee frustrate but answered in the truth of them as that of Jsaac bound upon the wood but yet reserved alive whom his Father received from the dead after a sort of Sampson escaping the revenge and malice of his enemies by carrying away the gates wherein hee seemed fast shut of the two goats one slain for sin the other a scape-goat shadowing Christ both slain for sin and yet escaping Levit. 16.5 of the two sparrows the one killed the other let flye and the most express of all that of Jonah which Christ himself mentioneth Matth. 12.39 and most properly applyeth to this very purpose Neither the person of Christ nor any of his Offices could suffer him to abide long under death 2 It was necessary in respect of himself whether wee consider the excellency of his person or of his office For his Person hee was by nature the eternal Son of God the Lord of Life and Glory and by no better means could hee bee discerned to bee this true and natural Son of God or the resurrection and life than by raising himself from death to life by his most glorious power Hence it was that himself a little before his death prayed in these words Father glorify thy Son Joh. 17.1 As for his Office as hee was set out by his Father to bee a perpetual Mediatour between God and the Church so was hee to bee an everlasting King of Glory Not his kingly of whose Kingdome there must bee no end Luke 1.33 according to that Prophecy of Daniel 7.27 The Kingdome of the most High is an everlasting Kingdom And according to the oath of the Lord recorded Psal 89.36 I have sworn once by my Holinesse that I will not fail David his seed shall endure for ever and his Throne as the Sun before mee hee shall bee established for evermore as the Moon and as a faithful witnesse in the Heaven Selah 2 He must be also a
Preist for ever after the order Not his Priestly Office not after the order of Levi or Aaron but of Melâ—hisedeck without beginning or end of daies and this also the Lord had sworn unto his Son and could not repent that hee should bee a Priest for ever Psal 110.4 wherein the Priest-hood of Christ is advanced above all the Priests that ever were who having received their Office in time in time also ceased their office with their life but Christ his Priesthood was not limitâ—ed in any time but was every way eternal They were many who succeeded one another because they were not suffered to indure by death Heb. 7.23 But this man because hee endureth for ever hath no successor but an everlasting Priesthood They were made Priests after the Law of the carnal Commandement but hee after the power of the endless life vers 16. that is hee was not made a Priest by the Law namely Ceremonial which established for a time dying and vanishing things signified by the name of flesh but hee was made by the efficacy of the Word and oath of his Father which gave him endless life and perpetual duration so as neither death it self nâ—â— the grave could hold any dominion over him when they seemed to have clasped him fast in their bands which yet were powerfull enough to have held down any or all other men in the world besides himself and the Apostle to the Hebrews giveth a double reason why he must necessarily out-live death it self The former because hee must not onely make a perpetual oblation that need no repetition but also hee must live ever to make intercession Heb. 7.25 and that perpetually without which the Apostle implyeth that he had not perfectly saved his people This is most clearly proved Rom. 8.34 It is Christ who dyed yea or rather which is risen again who is also at the right hand of God and maketh intercession for us and Heb. 9.24 Christ is entered into the very Heaven to appear now in the sight of God for us which appearance of his in Heaven with his Merits hath the force of the most effectual prayer that ever was The latter is By dying Christ offereth and by rising hee applyeth his sacrifice to the conscience of beleevers that hee may not onely make one offering for sin as those Priests did many but that hee may alwaies live to apply it as they did not and see that his people have the benefit of it not onely before God for the appeasing of his wrath but also for the purging of their consciences from dead works to serve the living God as the same Apostle noteth Heb. 9.14 and in the last place to bestow upon every beleever the spirit of faith whereby they may apprehend and apply his sacrifice to their own salvation Neither doth it any whit impeach the eternity of Christs Priest-hood because four thousand years almost of the world were passed before hee suffered for howsoever the execution of it was not all those ages after the beginning of the World yet the vertue efficacy and benefit of it reached to the first Beleever that ever was in the World Adam himself whose faith in this seed of the woman saved him Abraham also saw his day and rejoyced and the Holy Ghost feareth not to call him the Lamb slain from the beginning of the World Rev. 13.8 namely 1 In Gods Council and Decree 2 In the vertue and efficacy of his Sacrifice 3 In regard of Gods acceptation of it for Beleevers 4 In the types and shadows of it whereof the Ceremonial Law was full And much less doth that hinder it from being eternal in that after the day of judgement it shall cease when we shall stand no more in need of Priests or Saviours for howsoever the execution of this office shall then cease yet the vertue and efficacy of it shall last for ever and ever 3 Hee must bee also the perpetual Prophet of his Church Nor his Prophetical the unchangeable Doctor of his Church and the Apostle of our profession who must constantly send his Spirit to lead us into all truth raise up Teachers and hold them in his right hand for the gathering of the Saints untill wee all meet in the unity of Faith and knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man and unto the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christ Eph. 4.13 so as it is cleared that no part of his Offices could admit that hee should abide under death and therefore necessarily in this second respect must rise again Thirdly It was necessary hee should rise again because hee was so to dye as that thereby hee must overcome yea and destroy death which hee had not done if hee had lain conquered of death still in the grave yea more hee must so dye as that hee must give eternal life to his sheep Joh. 10.28 and by his death merit it put and hold them in possession of it for ever all signified in the phrases following they shall never perish neither shall any take them out of my hands which could never have been accomplished it himself had perished and had been left in the hands and house of death But hence hath hee brought his Church strong consolation in that being risen from the dead hee hath fully overcome death satisfied for every sin of every Beleever and risen from under all that weight of sin and death which would have oppressed us for ever yea even himself if hee had left one of our sins that beleeve in his name unsatisfied for Out of this that hath been spoken cometh to bee answered that objection That seeing Christ by his death paid the price of sin unto God what need we more of him we can be but acquitted and discharged Ans The providing of the most soveraign Plaster is not enough to work a Cure but the applyâ—ng of it also Neither was it sufficient for Christ to perform the former part of his Priest-hood namely satisfaction for sin if he had not added the latter thereto which is the application of it This latter maketh the former ours and comfortable unto us And both these the Apostle affirmeth of Christ Rom. 4.25 Christ was delivered to death for our sins and is risen again for our justification where by justification is meant by a Metonimy the application of justice II. The second point propounded to bee considered of in the rising of Christ is the manner of it which will appear in three things the 1 Concerning his Soul the 2 his Body the 3 his whole Humanity standing of both First the Soul of Christ which on the Crosse was separated from the body commended into the hands of his Father and translated that same day into Paradise was by the mighty power of God the Father Son and Holy Ghost brought back into his dead body lying in the grave quickned it and made it a living body moving and sensible in it self and unto others Secondly
the dead 1 Pet. 1.3 and for this cause our Saviour was careful after his departure hence to send out his Spirit in more plentiful and abundant manner than before that hee might continually inspire his people with ardent desires after the beginnings of that life eternal unto which Christ himself is risen who then manifest themselves members of such an advanced head when this new life manifesteth it self in them Thirdly our perfect salvation is also hence fully assured us for if our Lord Jesus hath soyled all the powers of Hell Death and Darkness in himself when hee was yet dead how much more doth hee it for us his members being now alive if hee could drive back and disperse all spiritual enmitles even when hee was in Hell it self after a sort how much more now being ascended far above all moveable and aspectible Heavens Eph. 4.10 for wee must not behold the victory and triumph of Christ What or who shâ—ll separate us from the love of God seeing it is Christ that is dead or rather risen from the dead as performed onely in and for himself but as the ground and pledge of the victory and conquest of all the Beleevers in the World Look upon this Son of David prostrating the great Goliah of Hell for all the Israel of God casting out the strong man not only out of his but of our possessions that he might take us up for his own use spoyling him of his kingdome and weapons for us yea and in us And hence as out of a well of consolation wee shall draw this comfort to our selves that look as the gates of Hell could not prevail against him our head no more shall they ever be able to prevail against us his members although they never so fiercely and forcibly assayl us And it spiritual enmities shall not be able to cut us short of our Salvation much less shall temporal dangers for by vertue of this resurrection also even in the most troublesome deeps when the waves of sorrows overtake one another and go over our souls when with Jonas we are ready to say We are cast from the face of the Lord Jonah 2.4 even then we have hope to rise out of such evils and because out head is above in short time comfortably to swim out Adde hereunto that death itself nor the grave shall stand between us and home for this rising of Christ is both the cause and confirmation that we shall rise again If the head bee risen so shall also the members if Christ the first fruits of them that sleep be raised so shall also the whole bulk and body of beleevers if we beleeve that Christ is risen from the dead even so them which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him 1 Thess 4.14 and if the same spirit which raised Jesus from the dead dwell in us then he that raised Christ from the dead shall also quicken our mortal bodies Rom. 8.11 for Christ hath not redeemed the soul alone from death but the body also else had this second Adam been interiour to the first if not able to save by his rising all that which was lost by the fall of the former Oh how would this meditation well digested sweeten the remembrance of death and the grave when a Christian shall consider that look how it was with Christ when his soul and body were separated yet both of them were united to the Deity which brought them together again even so I am taught by the Scriptures that when my soul and body shall bee separated yet shall neither of them be sundred from Christ my head but he will reunite them like loving friends that they may participate in his own glory How would this meditation bring the soul not only to be content but to desire to bee dissolved and bee with Christ accounting that the best of all Phil. 1.23 III. The third benefit befalling us by the resurrection of Christ iâ— that because Christ is risen we know it shall not only goe well with us but with all the Church of God the prosperity of which so many as would prosper must rejoyce in for hence it is that Christ calleth a Church out of the world which after a sort riseth even out ot his own grave hence is it that being ascended on high he gave gifts to men for the gathering and preserving of his Church hence is it that the Church shall alwaies have the light of the Gospel Pastors Teachers and the Ministry till we all meet to a perfect man hence is it that this Church shall bee defended from Wolves and Tyrants seeing â—one is stronger than he nor able to pluck any ot his sheep out of his hands Let the Church be pressed it shall never be suppressed Let the Kings of the earth band themselves and forces against it the Lord hath set his Son upon his holy Mountain and he shall crush them like a Potters vessel Let Hereticks and Antichâ—ist send armies of Locusts Jesuites and seducing vagrants to waste the Church and bereave it of the truth and light leading to life they shall only seduce such as whose names are not written in the Book of life and of the Lamb for seeing Christ is risen so long as hee who can dye no more liveth he will preserve his darling he will send out the Stars that are in his right hand for her relief who like Davids Worhies shall break through the Hosts of the enemie and bring the pure waters of the Well of Life as we are for ever thankfully to acknowledge in those worthy restorers of our religion Lastly let flouds of persecution rise and swell so as this Dove of Christ cannot find rest fo the sole of her foot one means or other Christ will use for her help for he will either send her into the Wildernesse or the earth shall help the Woman and drink in the waters that they shall not hunt her or he will provide for her one of the chambers of his providence as he did for Joash against the rage of Athaliah wherein she shall be safe till the Storm bee blown over These are the principal benefits procured us by Christs resurrection which belong not unto all but only to such as are risen with him Quest How shall we know that we are risen with Christ How to know that we are risen with Christ that they mat assuredly belong unto us Ans The Apostle setteth himself to resolve this question Col. 3.1 where he maketh the seeking of things above where Christ is and infallible mark of our rising with him for as when Christ was risen he minded not things below any more but all his course was a preparation to his ascension to which all things tended so now if thou be risen with him Heaven will be in thine eye and thine affections are ascended thither where Christ is if Christ were on earth thou mightest fix thy soul and senses here on earth and yet be a Christian
be preserved so long seeing Lazarus his body and our bodies in that time enter into many degrees of it Ans Christ was indeed balmed and sweetned with Odours but all this could not have preserved him if his soul and body had not now been â—aced from sin the mother of corruption Obj. But he had sin imputed unto him Ans Yea but he had overcome all that and slain it on the Crosse for had he not destroyed it himself had been destroyed by it and subdued for ever under the corruption of it In all which regards that is verified which himself being risen affirmed Luke 24.46 Thus it is written and thâ—â— it behâ—eveth Christ to suffer and to rise again from the dead the third day Other things the Evangelists observe in this circumstance as that it was the first day of the week that is the first day wherein hee had created the Heavens and the Earth and wherein he would create now a new Heaven and a new Earth and as before he had set up a marvellous frame of the world but sinâ—e exceedingly shaken and defaced by sin he would now restore the world again and repair the ruines of it by abolishing sin as formerly he had filled Heaven and earth with the glory of his power in Creation so would he now fill them with the glory of his power in Redemption which is a second creation Hence is it that that day is now converted into the Christian Sabbath and called the Lords Day Revel 1.10 or if you will Sunday but not as the Heathen Christ rose early and what we learn thence in honour of the Sun but as Christians in honour of the Sun of righteousnesse Again the Gospel noteth that this our glorious Son â—â—sâ— about Sun rising early in the morning or a little before it Matth. 28.1 To shew unto us 1 The power of his God-head who could while his body was dead perform the promise which he had made alive even in the instant of which hee had spoken 2 The impotency of his enemies who although they watched him fâ—â—lâ—â—â— him up laid an heavie stone upon him were every way cautelous to keep him dâ—wn till the third day was past and he not stealing away secretly in the dâ—â—d time of the night but â—ose with noyse and warning even in the morning yeâ— could they no more stay him than they could the Sun from rising and running his course 3 The benefit which the world of beleevers obtain by his rising again set down by the Evangelist Luke 1.78 Through the tender mercy of our God the day-spring from an high hath visited us 79. To give light to them that sâ—â— in darknesse and to guide our feet into the way of peace The Chronologers further observe that this was the day wherein Moses led the Israelites through the Sea wherein all the troops of Pharaoh and his Host were drowned Even to our Lord Jesus this third day led all the Israel of God out of the spiritual Aegypt of blindnesse and filthinesse but gloriously triumphed over all the bands of Satan Sin and Death all which were sunk like a stone into the bottomless pit of Hell Other observations concerning this day might be inserted out of Authors which because I see no sound ground for them out of the Scriptures I will omit them that I may now come to the lessons which out of this circumstance we may draw for our further instruction First we learn hence All the promises of God are accomplished in their duâ— season that all the promises of God shall be in due season accomplished whatsoever may seeme to come between them and us For seeing Christ being dead both could and did perform his promise to his Church will not hee much more being alive and in his glory doe it The Israelites had a promise of a good Land they must in the mean time suffer much oppression in Aegypt for the space of four hundred and thirty years together but the self-same night Exod. 12.41 when the term was expired they went out against the heart and yet at the entreaty of Pharaoh and his people In like sort Joseph had a Dream that the Sun and Moon and the twelve Starrs should worship him in the mean time he must be cast into the Pit and Dungeon where hee can see neither Sun Moon nor Starre many days and years passed wherein he saw nothing but the clean contrary and yet in the due season of it this dream was accomplished And the reason is because 1 God is true of his word he cannot lye nor repent and 2 He is able to fulfill whatsoever passeth from his mouth for shall any thing be hard or impossible to God or shall any power or death or the grave it self falsifie it Lean thy self then upon this truth of God hast thou a promise of outward or inward peace health wealth or any other good thing which thy heart can wish hold this promise fast in the midst of thy heart wait for the accomplishment of it it shall not fail thee so farre as thy Father seeth good for thee if it be delayed and deferred even this also shall turn to thy best Hast thou a promise of life everlasting hold it by the faith of thy soul as the aym and end of all thy faith and religion for all the miseries of this present life shall not be able to defeat thee of it Hast thou the promise of the resurrection of the body after death stick to this Article of thy faith also nothing could hinder the rising of thy head no more can let but the members shall be where the head is not the grave not fire not water not the bellies of beasts or fishes but they shall give up their dead and further the accomplishment of the word of their Creator The second observation is The Lâ—â—â— denieth n t to help his children although he delay them till his own due time be come that as the Lord of life raised not his Son as soon as he was dead but he must lye in the grave two days yea and the third also till his case seemed desperate to the Disciples themselves even so may the members of Christ lye long in the graves of their misery yea so long as their case seemeth desperate and all that while the Lord not only deferreth but seemeth to deny their help and utterly to neglect them Abraham had the promise of a Son by Sarah he looked every year for him ten twenty years together nay till the thirtieth year till it was not with Sarah as with childing-women in so much as she laught when she heard it the case in nature was desperate who would have thought but that God had forgotten his promise which Abraham himself in all that time if God had not shoared up his faith might have forgotten but though long first yet at length the Lord found out a time fit enough to bring his word to passe David in like
daunt the wicked and ungodly They shall see him whom they have peirced hee is their Judge against whom all their villanies have been committed whose servants they have villanously intreated whose kindness and peaceable conditions they have despised and refused What a fearful sentence awaiteth them when they shall come before him no marvail if they call for the mountains to cover them and the hills to hide them rather than they should appear before the presence of his glory whose wrath is as a consuming fire and no stubble can stand before it Oh consider this yee that put far from you this great day of the Lord speaking peace to your selves whilest every thing wageth war against you in that you still by living in your sins proclaim open war against the Son of God Why should you any longer abuse his patience why will you treasure up wrath for your selves against this day of wrath why will you fit your selves as fewel for the fire of that day when the Lord Jesus shall come from Heaven in flaming fire to render vengeance against all them which know not God nor obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus 2 Thess 1.8 Well if you will not bee warned but you will go on in such impenitent courses know it that the party wronged by your sins is hee who is appointed of God to bee your Judge you will think it will go hard with Pilate seeing hee is to bee his judge who was judged by him to death and with Judas that betrayed him and with the Souldiers that put him to death but change the persons the case is your own Secondly In the execution of this Office two things must bee considered 1 The persons upon whom here said to bee the quick and the dead 2 The manner of it First By the phrase of quick and dead is meant all mankind without exception of what age condition sex or quality soever they bee even all that ever have received life from God from the first man that ever lived upon earth to the last that shall bee found living at the comming of Christ even all these shall bee juged And the dead are mentioned as well as the living because the carnal and unbeleeving heart of man maketh more question how those who have been resolved into dust many thousand years ago can bee quickened and raised to judgement than those that shall bee found alive at that day therefore is the Scripture very express in this particular Rev. 20.12 I saw the dead both great and small stand before God 2 Cor. 5.10 Wee shall all appear before the Judgement Seat of Christ In like manner those speeches admit no exception which we every where meet withall as Every eye shall see him every man shall bear his own burden every man shall give account of himself unto God Rom. 14.12 And that wee should not doubt of the certainty hereof the Scripture condescendeth so farre to our weaknesse The means whereby both quick and dead shall be gâ—thered to judgement as to shew us the means how this great work shall be brought about As 1 By the mighty and powerful voyce of Christ which whilest he was in his abasement could call dead Lazarus out of his grave Joh. 5.28 Those that are in the graves shall hear his voyce 2 By the ministery of the Angels who shall all not one excepted come with him and they shall gather the elect from all winds and present and force the wicked to the barre before the Judge of all the earth even then when they shall fly to the hills to cover them if it were possible from his presence 3 By the diligence of all the brute creatures who in their kinds shall hear the voyce of the Son of God The Sea shall give up her dead so shall Death and the Grave give up their dead the very fire shall give up again the bodies it hath wasted In a word all the Creatures shall help forward this work of the great day which although it transcend the shallow reach of man yet is it not above the power of God Object But how can the quick and dead be then presented to Judgement sâ—eing the godly shall not enter into judgement and for the wicked they are judged already for he that beleeveth not is condemned already Ans First for the godly they shall not enter into the judgement of condemnation 2 They are by their particular judgement acquitted already but they must also by the general Judgement receive in their bodies which till that day are not absolved according as they have done in the flesh 3 They must be solemnly and publikely inaugurated and invested into the glory of their head and their blessed estate manifested to all the world both men and Angels and even in the eyes of the wicked themselves therefore although they enjoy God already in part and the beginnings of the life to come and such as are dead in the grave rest with the Lord and enjoy his glory in their soul yet are they not fully happy nor can be till this day breath on them and this their morning awake them to their perfect glory As for the wicked although they are already condemned 1 In Gods Counsel before all worlds 2 By the word wherein their sentence is read Wicked already judged five waies declared and published 3 In their own consciences the judgemenâ— of which fore-runneth the final Judgement 4 By certain degrees of insensible plagues that are upon them as hardnesse of heart blindnesse of mind wilfulnesse in their wickednesse malice against God and good men hatred of the light and means of salvation 5 By the horrible torment of the souls of such as are in Hell with the Devil and damned ones yet doth the full vial of Gods wrath remain to be poured upon them and the final execution and manifestation of their endlesse misery is reserved till this Day of Judgement when the body shall be re-united to the soul and both delivered to the Devil as their head by him to be tormented together as they have been inseparable friends in sinning together Vse Let every man make account of this judgement high and low rich and poor learned and unlearned No man can avoyd this judgement unless his power be above the power of the judge the mightiest Monarch shall not bee able to with-draw or absent himself unlesse his power bee above the power of Christ the judge the poorest soul that ever saw the Sun shall not bee neglected the most rebellions of all Creatures men or Angels must of force appear and that not by a Proctor or Advocate but in his own person for every man must give accounts of himself unto God None can be forgotten no not through the passing of thousands of years Cain dyed many thousand years since Judas many hundreths yet both must appear the one for killing his innocent brother the other for betraying his innocent Master No excuse will serve the turn the
Friers plea we are exempted Lord will doe no good here no not that which all mens Courts must needs excuse absence by that the party is dead for this Judgement Seat is set up for the quick and the dead God must for his glory truth and justice bring every man to this tribunal that if he have been good and faithful hee may have his time of refreshing and be put into the perfeâ—t state of happiness in soul and body And contrarily if hee have been hard-hearted and impenitent hee may know the weight of Gods justice and power and bee in full state of endlesse and easelesse misery both in soul and body Oh then what great cause hath every man to fore-cast this day and expecting it to prepare for it rather than to betake themselves to that Epicurean and profane practice of mockerâ— who put farre from them this evil day saying Where is the promise of his comming we see all things alike since the beginning he makes but small haste And thus because judgement is not speedily executed they resolve themselves on a most wicked course not knowing that as a snare it shall come upon them when they least look for it and that though slowly yet he will come surely and make them know what it is to abuse his patience which should lead them to repentance Now followeth the manner of this Judgement and that is comprehended in three things 1 It shall bee glorious and powerful 2 Just and righteous The glory of the last judgement described 3 Strict and accurate For the first it is said that the Son of man shall come with power and great glory yea in the glory of the Father that is such as belongeth to his Father with himself but to no creature else The clouds and the air shall be as a fiery Chariot to carry him with admirable swiftnesse his train and attendants shall be the Arch-angel making his way by the sound of a trumpet which the very dust and ashes shall hear and follow and all the other Angels of Heaven from whose multitude power and glory this coming shall be wonderfully glorious and yet the Judge himself shall surpasse them all in glory and brightnesse and as the Sun doth darken all the lesser Starres so shall his most admirable glory obscure them all This aâ—pearance may be shadowed by the coming in of earthly Judges to hold Assizes through their Circuit attended with the Honourable Nobles Justicâ—s and Gentlemen of the Country yea with the High Sheriffs power besides all their own followers by which great state and attendance they are both honoured and aided as becometh such publick Ministers of Justice as also are made formidable to daunt and quell malefactors Or rather look as Princes going to their Parliament to make Laws put on their royal robes and shew themselves in their greatest glory even so shall this great King of glory coming to require the obedience of his Laws cloath himself with such a robe of glory as the brightest Sun shall not endure to behold neither the Heavens nor the Earth shall be able to see this glory but shall shrink at it and melt away with a noyse Revel 20.11 John saw a great white Throne and one that sate upon it from whose face fled away both the earth and heaven and their pla e was found no more Thus may we in some dark resemblance something conceive of this glory of the Judge of all the world unto which the consideration of the persons that shall bee judged by him addeth not a little moment for not only small but great must stand before him It is indeed a great honour among men to bee deputed the Lord high Steward under a King whose office is to sit in Judgement upon a noble man what an height of glory then is it for the Son of God to sit in Judgement and call personally before him not nobles only but all the Kings and Monarchs that ever the earth bare If there be such preparation and state amongst men for the trial but of some one noble man what glory may wee conceive must attend the mighty God whilest he bringeth to their trial not only meaner persons but all the most powerful Monarches and Potentates that ever were or shall be to the end of the world This consideration ministreth comfort to the godly seeing hee cometh to Judgement who is able perfectly to free them from all misery able to strike oft their bolts of sin to acquit them from terrours of conscience fears of death the Grave the Devil and Hell it self the cometh from Heaven for their release who hath trodden down all his enemies under his feet and all this glory is for their safety and happinesse who wish and wait for the appearing of this mighty God Tit. 2.13 And on the contrary it serveth to strike the wicked and ungodly with terror and dread seeing the Lord Jesus shall come from Heaven in such power and majesty and all to judge and condemn them whom when they shall see arrayed with vengeance against them no marvail if they be driven to their wits ends yea as it is with guilty Malefactors when they see the Judge coming in so honourably attended so shall it bee here this very glory of Christ shall strike them with fear horror and an azednesse and force them to all miserable and unavaylable shifts and to wish if it were possible that the rocks would fall upon them and crush them to peeces so as they might never come before his presence for the great day of the Lord which is to all the wicked of the world a black day a cloudy day a dismal day this day is come and they cannot abide it Secondly this Judgement shall bee righteous and according to the truth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 2.2 We know that the judgement of God is according to truth Heb. 1.8 Thy throne O God is for ever the scepter of thy Kingdom is a righteous scepter The righteousness of the Judge and judgement Thou lovest righteousnesse and hatest iniquity Hitherto is to bee referred that of Daniel 7.9 who saith that this Judge shall sit upon a great white throne alluding to the white Ivory throne of Salomon but infinitely more glorious the whitenesse betokenning the purity and righteousness both of the Judge and the judgement for every man shall receive according to his works Here shall be no concealment of things for he will bring every secret into judgement Eccles 12. He will lighten all things that are hid in darknesse and make the counsels of the hearts manifest 1 Cor. 4.5 Here shall bee no daubing or salving up of bad matters in corners no pleading of Lawyers who craftily cloud the truth of Causes for gain no respect of persons no favouring for the sake of any friends nor fear of foes or any displeasure Here shall be no inducement by gifts which blind mens eyes to pervert judgement the purest gold of Ophir
it for this being as Queen among the vertues goeth not alone but with all the train of vertues as hand-maids attending upon her The chief of them are these four 1 A true knowledge of the Word of God acknowledging it in part and in whâ—le to bee the truth of God and that himself is straightly bound to believe and embrace the same and that hee hath a special part in the promise of grace and life by Christ in which grace he resteth himself daily growing up in the certainty and assurance of his salvation 2 A sound â—oy of the heart which the Apostle Peter calleth unspeakable and glorious breaking out into thankful praises in that the Lord hath begun 〈◊〉 â—iness by making Christ his Wisdome Righteousness Sanctification and 〈◊〉 â—tion The Poor Blind and Lame persons of whom wee read in the 〈◊〉 never leaped more joyfully when they had met with Christ and had 〈◊〉 â—s opened and their limbs restored by him than hee that hath met with him and received him into his heart to enlighten him to quicken him and to heal him of all his infirmities How gladly did Zacheus receive Christ with what joy of heart findeth any man the hidden pearl Mat. 13.44 how did the Eunuch converted go away rejoycing Act. 8. And all this is because they can value such a commodity as this is which they see God hath made their own for if they either knew it not or not to bee theirs they could not thus joy in it 3 Christian Hope is another hand-maid of Faith for so the Apostle teacheth Rom 5.2 Being justified by Faith wee have peace c. wee rejoyce under the hope of the glory of God For this is the special work of hope to wait for and rejoyce in the expectation of the glorious appearing of the Lord Jesu And hence is it that whereas unbeleevers are glewed to the earth and cannot think of Heaven but either with sorrow of a formal and false joy and what marveil is it that those who have no better should set their hearts upon the worse beleevers have preserved in them a willingness to leave this World and to bee with Christ which is best of all yea so sweet is their present tast of Christ through Faith and Hope that they are unquiet till they bee filled with the fruition of his fulness being often in his absence sick of love and pine away till they bee with him whom their soul loveth 4 An assured trust relying upon God beleeving hiâ— word of promise to raise and feed the heart of threatning to shake it and cast it down and submitting it seâ—f to the counsel and good pleasure of God because his faith hath let him see the truth the wisdome the equity and righteousnesse of all these Such a mans heart setteth nothing above God in prosperity it distrusteth not but hath God for his God in adversity it indeavoureth in all things to walk with God it is a sweet usher and disposer of the whole life so as it is most obedient to the word and most full of comfort and sweetness to it self The fourth mark or note or true Faith is taken from the infallible fruits IV. The infallible fruits of it four and effects of it which are many I will onely note four of the principal First it frameth and fitteth the own habitation it purifieth the heart Act. 15. it suffereth not unclean thoughts unlawful lusts or wandring motions to harbour there it guideth the affections of Love Hatred Joy Sorrow and the rest that a man love nothing more or so much as God and his Image hee hateth not mens persons but their sins and no mans sin so much as his own hee rejoyceth in nothing so much as in doing the will of God this is as his meat and drink hee sorroweth for nothing in the world so much as for offending so good and patient a God This pure heart also guideth the words with wisdome and maketh it his chief study how to preserve with faith good conscience in every thing Act. 24.16 Secondly Faith worketh by love Gal. 5.6 boâ—h towards God and towards man towards him that begat and him that is begotten yea and him that is yeâ— not begotten This love of God expresseth it self 1 In much thankfulness unto him who hath loved us first Our love of God expressâ—d in three things who hath given so much even his Son and all things with him pertaining to life and godliness who hath forgiven us so much and to whom many sins are forgiven they must love much who hath done so great things for us by becomming our portion our treasure and our chief good 2 In shame for our unkindness unto him both before and even since we knew this his love in Christ and have been acquainted with his waies taking up with shame in our faces sorrow into our hearts for the sins of our youth and of our age against the law the rule of righteousness but especially against the glorious Gospel which of all other are least of served 3 In desire of that blessed fellowship of his when and where wee may never sin against him any more accounting one day within his holy of holies better than a thousand besides and much more to bee ever with the Lord and to injoy the pâ—easures at his right hand for evermore to bee at home with him and sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob yea with Jesus Christ himself should make us groan in our souls and say with David Oh when shall I appear in this thy presence The Spirit saith Come and the Spouse saith Come Even so come Lord Jesus come quickly The love of men by which Faith worketh discovereth it self not onely in just dealing with them as wee would bee dealt by which many civil men indued onely with civil righteousnesse have excelled in nor onely in merciful distribution of outward comforts for the releeving of the bodies of our brethren yea and of our enemies which hardlier goeth down with the unconverted than the former but also in shewing most love unto their souls in helping forward their conversion and salvation For so soon as any man is converted hee will strengthen the brethren Faith wheresoever it liveth it loveth and love being an hand giving out moveth men converted to counsel exhort rebuke admonish comfort pray and wait when God will give unto others the grace of Repentance As soon as Andrew was called hee bringeth his brother Simon to Christ No sooner had Christ found Philip but Philip finding Nathaniel hee bringeth him to â—hrist The woman at the well no sooner heareth that Christ was the Messiah but shee bringeth all the City In finding this treasure the Christian cannot hide his joy neither can any mans joy bee so full unlesse hee with others rejoyce together For it is not here as in earthly things which the more they are communicated the more are they diminished and every mans share is the less but heavenly
Family the next of our Kindred and therefore of right belongeth to him to recover our weak estate as was figured in that Law Levit. 25.25 If thy brother be impoverished and sell his possession then his redeemer shall come even his near kinsman and buy out that which his brother sold 3 He only was deputed of God to derive life and grace into us as the head into the members and therefore most meet it is that whosoever would suck and draw of his fulnesse should beleeve in his name Now from these words we learn two instructions 1 What is the chief thing which every Christian must strive to obtain while hee liveth in his world namely remission of sins 2 What a his estate and condition that hath attained it The chief duty of every Christian while he is in this world For the first it is grounded in the text because howsoever remâ—ssion of sins is here only named yet in it are included all the other gracious mercies of God not only all deliverances and freedom from the evils and punishments that attend upon sin but even all our redemption and salvation with the means of it and blessings accompanying the same And indeed this is the sum or epitome of all Gods mercy in which the Lord crowneth his Saints with compassion a mercy which reacheth up to heaven and draweth them out of the most miserable thing in all the world which is to lye under the curse and danger of sin and consequently under the endlesse displeasure of the Almighty Which point being even as the one thing necessary to be known and attained I will stand a little longer upon it hoping to spend my time well in setting down these five points 1 The necessity of remission of sins 2 The benefits of it 3 The Letters of it 4 The helpes to it 5 The companions of it by which as by so many notes we may know we have it and so we will adde the use of the whole doctrin 1 Necessity of remission of sins in three points First the necessity of it will appear if wee consider 1 The multitude and abundance of our sins which are to bee remitted being for number as our hairs and as the sand of the Sea which is numberlesse which cannot bee other seeing we drink in sin as the Fish doth water Job 15.16 that is incessantly for the Fish ceasing to drink in water ceaseth to live neither can we cease to sin till we cease to live Nay seeing our very best actions hold no correspondence with the Law of God and in strict justice are no better than so many sins this consideration exceedingly multiplieth our sins in that not only in fayling in but in doing of our duties wee sin incessantly against our God 2 If we look upon the danger of sin we shall better see the necessity of remission It is a filthy Leprosie which infecteth the body and soul the thoughts speeches and actions it maketh a man a loathsome creature in the eyes of God it maketh God our enemy who is the fountain of life and whose lightsome countenance is better than life yea it maketh God depart from his Creature and destroy the works of his own fingers it layeth the sinner open and naked to all the wrath of God to all the Curses of the Law in this life and in the life to come It setteth him as a butt against whom the Lord in anger shooteth out of his quiver all the arrows of his displeasure It is the only thing which unremitted maketh the sinner absolutely unhappy and every way most accursed Neither doth the whole heap of sin only make the sinner so miserable but any one sin even the least unpardoned would for ever hold the sinner under perdition And more all the men that ever were or shall be in the world were never able to rise from under the burthen of one sin if it were imputed unto them and yet the most of the world see no part of this danger of sin and therefore no such necessity of the remission of it 3 Consider thy own insufficiency if thou hadst the strength and power of all men and Angels to satisfie for the least sin and if we cannot satisfie for any what remaineth but a fearful perdition from the Lord and from the glory of his power if all be not remitted In one word the sinner who hath not got his discharge sealed is without all safety in his life all sound comfort in his death and at the Judgement Day shall have the sentence of everlasting torment with the Devil and his Angels awarded him before men and Angels The second point is the benefits issuing from it and these are Benefits flowing from remission of sin four 1 Peace of conscience an immediat fruit of our justification by faith and reconciliation with God Rom. 5.1 Being justified by faith we have peace with God and it was ordinary with our Saviour to joyn them together as Luk 7.47 Thy sins are forgiven thee goe in peace This benefit the most know not what it meaneth but he that hath the feeling of the wrath of God against his sin and seeth nothing but an angry face of God burning like a consuming fire hee that is so straitned as hee can think no other thing but that the Lord in his just judgement hath cast him quite away this man as of all other torments that can be suffered in the world he lyeth under the greatest so nothing in the earth can content or comfort him but only the sence and perswasion of Gods favour Now the conditions of peace with his God are the most joyful tidings in all the world as is the unexpected news of a Pardon to a Malefactor ready to execution for high Treason against his Prince 2 The right and possession also of life everlasting For if wee bee estated unto life eternal by our justification and righteousnesse before God then are we so also by remission of sins because these two are confounded in the Scriptures and are the same Whence it is that the Apostle Rom. 4.7 being to prove the point of justification of a sinner before God without the works of the Law citeth the text Psal 32.1 Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered And further If our whole redemption put us in possession of everlasting happinesse so doth also remission of sin seeing the Apostle in sundry places confoundeth these two and expoundeth one by the other Ephes 1.7 By whom we have redemption through his bloud even the forgivenesse of our sins Col. 1.14 In whom we have redemption through his bloud that is the forgivenesse of sins And it must needs follow that if they who are justified and sanctified are also glorified then they have attained the beginnings of their glory who have attained remission of sins 3 The benefit of Christs intercession which meriteth all our good for hee prayeth not for the world but those that
〈◊〉 elder 〈…〉 wee can carry away the blessing and 〈◊〉 text teacheth â—s 〈…〉 of â—â—ns standeth n t in the doing of any thing but in the recâ—â—â—â—ng of 〈◊〉 the hands of Christ by so many as beâ—eeve in his name All diligence must be given to 〈…〉 pâ—â—d 〈◊〉 sin 〈◊〉 to our selves Vse 2. Iâ— this so wortâ—y a grace of so excellent use and swâ—etnesse thrâ—ugh the whâ—le life then it standeth every man in hand 〈◊〉 labâ—uâ— and â—ive all dâ—ligence to make sure unto himself the pardon of his 〈…〉 But lamâ—â—table it is to 〈◊〉 the general careâ— snâ—sse of men in a mattâ—◠〈…〉 and consequâ—nâ—â— as this is Anâ— surely it will provâ— tâ—◠〈…〉 the world that whereas the whole lives of men are thâ—ugâ—t too 〈◊〉 and all their â—ime tâ—o liâ—â—â— to be eaten up in worldly cares which brâ—ak their sleep their strength and often their brains yea and thâ—ir vâ—ry 〈◊〉 â—nly the last day of all and their dying-day is scarcely devoted to this 〈◊〉 of seeking remissi n of sin and the way to life everlasting See wee 〈…〉 hâ—w busy and â— rnest m st men are in the infinâ—te incumbrances of the world whilest this one thing is the only thing neglected May wee not observe how sure mâ—n devisâ— by learned counsel at their great charge to make to themselves their Deedâ— Leases Bonds and other instruments and assurances of the things of this life who in all their lives scarce ever dreamed of this assurance Oh how wilfully herein doe men forsake their own mercy how carelesly doe they cast out of their hands the only comfort of their life and death Whosoever therefore thou art that hast hitherto despised so great salvation that hast set light by Gods gracious invitings to repentance and that hast frowardly rejected his kindest offers of mercy now at length begin to take up shame in thy face and sorrow into thy heart in earnest accuse the security of thy soul the deadnesse of thy spirit the hardnesse of thy heart the unthankfulnesse of thy whole life say with thy self Ah my folly that have neglected my mercy so long alas how have I hated instruction how unkindly have I dealt with so loving and patient a God I see now that it is high time to look to the main businesse of my life to make up my peace with God to get my pardon sealed I will live me to the Throne of Grace I will henceforth lay hold of eternal life I see now that there is one thing necessary and that is the good part which I will chuse and which shall never bee taken from me Now we come to the second point propounded which is the last of this worthy Sermon namely what is the condition of every one that hath attained this excellent grace of remission of sins Whosoever hath attained remission of his sins is an happy man and that is to bee a blessed and happy man for such a one hath part in Christ and with him of forgivenesse of sins in which David Psal 32.1 placeth blessednesse Quest But how can this man be a blessed man seeing hee is compassed with a body of sin and death and subject unto infinite afflictions than whom no man is in this life more miserable no sort of men more perplexed inwardly with sence of sin none more outwardly disgraced for well-doing Answ There be three degrees of blessednesse 1 In this life Degrees of blessednesse when God bringeth his children into the kingdom of grace and giveth them his Son and with him their whole justification and sanctification in part 2 The second degree is in the end of this life when God brings the souls of the faithful to Heaven and their bodies to the earth safely to be kept until the last day 3 The third in and after the Day of Judgement when he bringeth both soul and body into the glory prepared for the elect Of this last which is happinesse by way of eminency the two former are certain fore-runners and hee that hath attained the first hath also assurance of the last and must needs bee a blessed man not only in time to come but even for the present whether wee respect his outward estate or inward For his outward estate Gods blessing never faileth him but affordeth him all good things and that in due season and in due measure his riches are often not great but ever precious and his little shall nourish him and make him as well liking as the water and pulse did the Jewish children in Chaldea The same providence which watcheth to supply all his good keepeth him from all evil it pitcheth the Angels round about him to guard his life let him be persecuted he is not forsaken his losses become his gain his sickness is his phisick his heart is cheared even in trouble which maketh that part of his life comfortable his soul is bound up in the bundle of life with God death shall not come before hee can bid it heartily welcome yea let violent death come it shall not be to him deadly slain he may be but not overcome victory attendeth him and blessednesse every where abideth him But all this is the least part of his blessednesse for if we look yet a little more inwardly into him we shall see the boundlesse extent of his happinesse farre more large whether we respect the spiritual misery hee hath escaped or else the spiritual good which with the pardon of his sins hee hath attained for on the one hand he hath escaped the heavie wrath of God due to sin and so is discharged of an infinite debt healed of a most deadly poyson and pardoned from a fearful sentence of eternal death and perdition ready to bee executed upon him and on the other hee hath obtained a plentiful redemption hee hath purchased the pearl received Christ with his merits and graces such as are Wisdome Faith Hope whence issue our peace and joy of heart which is Heaven before heaven for in these stand the Kingdome of God and the comfort of a good conscience which is a continual feast By all which it appeareth that hee is no small gainer that hath got his part in Gods mercy reaching to the remission of his sins Open thine eyes and see the happiness of the Saints Vse 1 Wee are here admonished to open our eyes that wee may more clearly see and grow in love with the felicity of the Saints which the most see not because 1 It is inward the glory of the Spouse is like her Head and Husbands glory shee is all glorious within 2 Because of their infirmities and frailties which wicked eyes altogether gaze upon 3 Because of their Afflictions wherewith they are continually exercised If the Tower of Siloam fall on any of them they are thenceforth greater sinners than all other men holy Job because hee was afflicted cannot avoid the note of an Hypocrite even among his own Friends and Visiters And no
comes amiss to an idle person Besides discredit bad report and poverty come as an armed man upon such a one Prov. 6.11 3 To others 3 To others whether wee bee Masters or servants as knowing that in our Calling wee are to practise most Christian duties as love to our brethren patience truth fidelity uprightness as being ever under Gods eye 3 Be not busie in other mens Callings 3 Another point of Wisdome in our Callings is not to meddle with other mens business but follow our own close 1 Thes 4.11 Study to be quiet and to do your own business And every where the Apostle reproves busie bodies who going beyond their own bounds thrust their sickle into every mans harvest and being out of their own places and business intermeddle with that which no way concerns them And these are disturbers of peace and civil tranquillity kindling and blowing up contentions for lack of other work The same rule is for women also that they bee not gadders but house-keepers Tit. 2.5 4 In earthly business carry an Heavenly minde Phil. 3.20 4 In all earthly business study to carry an heavenly minde A Christian while hee converseth in earth must have his conversation in Heaven And know that in all the ways of this present life hee ought never to step out of the way to eternal life Neither shall a man bee a loser by this course seeing wee have an express promise that if wee seek Gods Kingdome first and principally these outward things should so far as they are needful for us without such carking care bee cast upon us 5 Intend most the most necessary duties of them 5 As all duties of the Calling must bee profitable in themselves and for the publike good so the most profitable must bee most intended and specially performed A Minister must read the Word but must apply himself more to Preaching as being more necessary A Magistrate must execute Justice upon transgressors of mens Laws but especially against open transgressors of Gods Law Masters of families must provide for the bodies and health of their family but especially for the good and salvation of their souls CHAP. XII Rules of Wisdome concerning a mans estate and first for adversity THe rules of Wisdome concerning a Christian mans estate are these One general Rule for all estates is to think the present estate best for thee First General Secondly Special The general rule for all estates is this Bee prepared for any estate contented in every estate and assure thy self the present estate whatsoever it is is best for thee though not ever in thy sense yet in Gods gracious and wise ordering of it This lesson the Apostle Paul had well learned Phil. 4.11 12. I can want and abound I can bee full and hungry I have learned in all estates to bee contented The special rules are either for prosperity or for adversity Rules for affliction Concerning adversity and afflictions these are the rules of Christian wisdome 1 Consider thou art not placed here in the world by God 1 God may as well be injoyed in Adversity as Prosperity to injoy the pleasures of the World but to injoy God which thou mayest do as well in affliction as in prosperity and to cleave to him in his service looking for nothing but afflictions as a Pilgrim going to thy Country the way whereunto lyeth through afflictions This ground not laid men count troubles a strange thing 1 Pet. 4.11 and start at the mention of them as the Apostles Joh. 11.8 when they heard Christ speaking of going into Jury where the Jews had lately sought to stone him And note it to bee a corruption of the heart to bee more grieved for thine own troubles than the troubles of the Church for private than publick evils 2 Lay up strength and comforts aforehand As first Humility 2 Lay up strength and comfort aforehand to over-master and tame the pride and rebellion of our hearts and to bring in contentedness to sweeten our troubles and our labour will be well spent for if wee can relish the hardest part of our life our whole life else will assuredly bee more sweet and joyful 2 Grow up in the knowledge of God which will make thee rise up in much comfort and will bring in comfort against that confused heaviness distrust and dangerous affections and passions which else in trouble might beat us down and off him 3 Get assurance of faith which will sweetly warm the heart in the sense of Gods love in Jesus Christ The fruit of which will bee first To inable us to trust our selves with God in any estate and bee assured the Lord is with us in fire and water in the midst of the Valley of the shadow of Death Secondly to depend on him for strength Psal 23.4 for howsoever Satan would make us beleeve our affliction is greater than it is or wee are for it yet wee shall assure our hearts that the Lord hath measured it out for our strength and not above Thridly 1 Cor. 10.13 to wait upon him for a good issue and seasonable deliverance who hath promised to turn it to the best This shall keep us from fainting distrust and despair Rom. 8.28 3 In all evils of punishment take occasion to set upon the evil of sin 3 In evils of punishment to set upon evil of sin and revenge upon that complain of it to God and men murmure and grudge at nothing else If affliction bee sharper than ordinary it is sure some sin or lust addes a sting unto it But this rule mortifies sin and unruly passions and will weaken the heart and make a man say with the Church Mic. 7.9 I will bear the wrath of the Lord because I have sinned 4 Make them no heavier than God maketh them by impatience 4 Make them no heavier thâ—n God hath made them frowardness and looseness of heart God sometimes layes on a little finger and the froward heart lays on the whole hand and loyns to make the burden heavier with faithless heaviness and distrust which is but an addition of new and worse troubles than the former How inconsiderately do many men load themselves with troubles too too light in themselves and on the shoulders of wise men who can make a vertue of necessity and step over a number of rubs which others stoop to remove and infinitely toil themselves How do many in smaller troubles as discourtesie of neighbours unruliness of children unfaithfulness of servants smaller losses and crosses in Family-matters give place to unquietness impatience and passion till their folly have by seeking to case their burden increased it from a dram to a talent And now how unmeet are they for the service of God How unprofitable in any Christian society How sowr and heavy in countenance disguised in speech Levius sit pationus Quicquid corrigere est nosas Horat. and impotent in their behaviour All which
Affection Wee must eat and drink with moderation of affection not to sit at it as though wee had nothing else to do as many who bring themselves under the power of the creature such as cannot bee without the Pot at their mouth or without the Pipe at their nose men of whom the Apostle speaks that corrupt themselves with the creatures losing sobriety modesty chastity health and reason it self Here is an utter perverting of God Ordinance who hath given us his creatures to refresh and help our selves by them but men instead thereof hurt and destroy themselves by them 5 Time Fifthly For the time Wee must not so eat and drink as wee eat up also too much time for so wee hinder our selves in our Callings which wee ought specially to further Redeeming the time Eph. 5.16 Numbers set down to eat and drink and in feasting and feeding their bodies never feel the passage of three or four hours whereas to sit out a Sermon one hour long is very tedious so little care have most men of feeding their souls 6 Sweetness Sixthly In eating desire to taste the goodness and sweetness of God himself in his creatures else have wee no better use of them than the brute creatures Say to thy self O Lord how sweet and good art thou in thy self who canst put such sweetness in thy creature 7 Communication Seventhly Wee should use good and savoury speech as salt to our meat to acknowledge Gods bounty and goodness to praise him and to edifie others Our empty and barren hearts cannot tell how to wear out the time of feasting but either in trifles or inviting of others to eat and drink who need rather bridles than spurs Quest What no other speech but of Scripture How then should wee bee merry Answ It is true That commonly all other speech but carnal is unsavoury But a Christian must consider 1 That hee eats and drinks before the Lord and his speeches must become the presence of God who heareth and expecteth that all the speech of Christians bee better than silence 2 All the speeches of Christians ought to savour of sobriety and wisdome and the grace of the heart for whom call wee to our tables but Gods children by profession who must be like themselves every where 3 God hath given us leave to bee merry but with this only restraint Bee merry in the Lord not against him nor setting him out of sight as those who never think themselves merry but in rude and ungodly behaviours and speeches unbeseeming Christians Plato and Zenephon thought it fit and profitable that mens speeches at Meals should bee written And if Christians should so do what kinde of books would they bee Eightly â— Meditation of four things In our eating and drinking wee must bee careful to season our hearts with these and the like Meditations 1 How prone wee are to know immoderate joy and provoke God in our feasts Job was suspicious of his sons sent to them to sanctifie themselves and afterward himself sacrificed for them 2 That wee shall not want incitements or provocations of such as are invited with us or otherwise to forget our selves which incitements wee must watch against and arm our selves aforehand I remember the story of Antigonus who being invited to a place where a notable Harlot was to bee present asked counsel of Menedemus what hee should do Hee bad him onely remember that hee was a Kings Son Good men may bee invited where none of the best may meet them the best counsel is to keep in minde that they bee Kings Sons Gods Children and a base thing it were to bee allured from their profession by the ungodly 3 To consider in our eating and drinking our own end and mingle our feasting with a meditation of death As Joseph had his Tomb in his Garden to season his delight with meditation of his end Alas this feeding and feasting is but a little repair of a ruinous house which must go down The Egyptians had a Skeleton or carkass brought into their feasts to the same purpose So do thou set thine own carkass before the eye of thy minde and it will moderate thee in the pampering of it 4 Consider how many poor ones want some of thy superfluity It is a great sin of great men to drink wine in bowls and eat the fat and to forget the affliction of Joseph Amos 6.6 Therefore Neh. 8.10 Eat the fas and drink the sweet and send part to them for whom nothing is prepared Say with thy self Who am I to bee so full when many are hungry That I should abound when so many want How am I indebted unto God to be thankful and shall I requite his love with such unkindness as to grow wanton idle and forgetful of him when hee is most mindeful of mee Must I eat and drink to rise up to play No I must bestir mee in such duties wherein I may express much love for much love CHAP. XXV Rules for the right ordering of our selves in our sports THese concern 1 The matter and kinde of our sports and playes 2 The manner of using them aright 3 The right ends First Rules for sports 1 Matter of them not 1 Holy things 2 Nor unholy The matter of our sports must bee in things which our consciences tell us are lawful or indifferent Therefore 1 Holy things as phrases of Scripture must not bee played with Thou shalt fear the holy Name of God not delight thy self in swearing 2 Sinful things are not to bee matter of our sport As 1 To make a man drunk or swear or to laugh at such persons for this is a matter of sorrow to see Gods Image so defaced And Davids eyes gushed out with Rivers of tears to see such spectacles 2 Unlawful sports as Playes and Interludes which are the representations of vices not to bee named among Christians besides mens wearing of womens apparel the incentives of lust and fewellers of fleshly flames Heathen Law-givers have banished such out of their Countries 3 Mixed dancing of men and women together never read of in Scripture with approbation and here in our Text noted to bee the fruit of Idolatry Riot Drinking and all other dissolute behaviour Would God the root and tree and all branches laden with such fruit were quite stubbed up The Heathens themselves condemned it Nemo nisi aut ebrius aut infanus tripudlat It was an ordinary speech among the Romans None but either a Drunkard or a mad man danceth It were too long to infer the sentences of the Heathen The general consent of Fathers and the determinations of Councils made against this wicked and lascivious practice Basil in a Sermon of his concerning Drunkenness saith God made our knees not to caper like Goats but to bow to the worship of God and our Lord Jesus Christ And Viret on the seventh Commandement Chorca in circulo centrum diabolus circumferentia ejus Angels Therefore let the
of our sports must not bee to purchase our neighbours money or to help our selves by his hindrance And I would know by what right of Gods word I can hold my Neighbours money which comes into my hand without labour love gift or just contract If it bee not mine by justice distributive or commutative it cannot bee mine by God But no law of God or man hath ranked Wagers in either Nay the Civil Law compels none to pay that which is lost or if hee have paid hee may recover it within fifty hours 2 Affi ma ive But the right ends of sports are these 1 Gods glory Nothing can bee lawful wherein some glory is not won to God in whatsoever wee do 1 Cor. 10.31 And therefore such sports as do not inable us to cheerfulness in the duties of Religion and Christianity fail in this end 2 All our earthly joyes must help forward our spiritual joy in God and the eternal joyes of his Kingdome If they come in comparison with them or will step up to hinder us therein they are to bee contemned Our chief joy must ever be placed in the Lord and our chief affections must bee reserved for that fulness of joy which is at Gods right hand First seek the Kingdome of God even in these and above these How doth hee so who spends more time in these than in that Yea more by a thousand degrees if wee would measure the time of his sports by the time of godly desires and Religious duties 3 The preservation of our own health and not to impair the health of our souls or bodies as many by their watching to play destroy their health and call numbers of diseases upon themselves and oftentimes untimely death In this use alone can all recreations become good and comfortable unto us although our corrupt nature is loath to bee so confined Object If onely these Recreations in this manner and these ends bee lawful you leave us none Answ Onely these in this manner and ends are lawful and yet wee disallow nothing which Gods word alloweth which ought to govern all his people Gods word alloweth for the exercise of the body the use of the Bow 2 Sam. 1.18 of Musick Neh. 7.67 of Hunting Hawking Birding and such sports without swearing disorder and needless tormenting of the silly creatures And for the exercise of wit hee alloweth honest Riddles Judg. 14. and such Games as the ground of which is wit or skill as Chess Draughtâ— c. Besides an heart that is sanctified would inure it self to heavenly joyes and prefer them above carnal and little affect those which loose persons so much dote upon And to those who will be ready to object the use and custome of the world and the practice of so many fore-running ages I answer and conclude with the Apostles words Rom. 12.2 Fashion not your selves according to this world but prove what is the will of God Or if you will not walk by Gods Rules your sin shall destroy your own souls Look you to your duties I have endeavoured to do mine in discovering the same unto you CHAP. XXVI Rules of wisdome concerning our Apparel HAving thus finished the Rules of Wisdome concerning Meat Rules for Apparel and Drink and Recreations wee come to such Rules as concern Apparel and they are four 1 The matter of our Apparel must not bee stately and costly 1 For the matter which must bee measured partly by the ability our selves have partly the condition of life wee are in and partly by the example of such as are sober grave and wise in our rank Yea even in the matter of our Apparel our sobriety and modesty must appear yea our humility Prima vâ—stis data est propter usum non propter luxum When God made Adam garments hee made them of skins homely and base that hee might read therein his mortality and that by his sin hee was become like the beasts whose skins covered him 2 For the manner of our Apparel it must not be strange garish 2 The fashion affecting new fashions which argues levity and new-fangledness but such as becometh holiness Tit. 2.3 and according to the sober custome of our Country and rank Zeph. 1.8 I will visit Kings Children and those that wear strange Apparel that is such as in the form of fashion is wanton curious odde savouring of pride lightness and singularity A fearful threat under which our whole Land lyeth which is a receptacle of all the fashions of all Countries besides our own daily inventions of new fashions of monstrous Apparel that were men and womens bodies as monstrous as their Apparel they would bee cast out of the company and account of men And howsoever their bodies bee surely their mindes bee monstrous and filled with vanity And how just were it with God seeing such persons will not fashion their cloaths to their bodies to fashion them to their cloaths The Apostle wisheth us not to fashion our selves according to the world which Precept is so far out of date and use that almost the fashions of all the world and the vanity of all Countries England the worlds Ape may seem to bee arrived and landed in this Land of ours that a man may read in Capital Letters upon mens Garments the lightness and lewdness that is within 3 For the measure of it Beware of excess in Apparel 3 For measure which is a great sin and carrieth with it 1 Expence of Wealth which might bee better reserved to the use of the Church or Commonwealth or covering the poor and naked Saints 1 Excess in Apparel a great sin Reasons All excess is commonly maintained with covetousness injustice or unmercifulness 2 A note of a vain minde that glories in his Wardrobe as if a Theef should boast of his bolts or glory in his brand or mark of Felony for Apparel is the cover of our shame 3 Waste of time and idleness in the too accurate and curious culture of the body which should bee spent either in adorning the soul or following our ordinary Calling 4 Oftentimes debts and unjust detaining of mens dues from them Wee have known great Rents soon turned into great Ruffes and Lands into Laces Wee have heard of some brave Dames in such variety of fashions and colours as if they had stood with a Pedlars shop about them and of some brave Gallants that have carried some whole Mannors upon their backs But Mr. Latimer in his time a man of much observation noted one commodity in his Leather coat which hee wore at the Court when the Gallants mocked him hee told them His was paid for and so were not many of their Velvets and Sattins 4 Consider the ends and use of Apparel and that is 1 Spiritual 2 Civil Spiritual 4 The kindes of Apparel 1 Spiritual many wayes 1 When by putting cloaths on wee see our misery and in the nakedness of our bodies the nakedness of our
that are in it through lust whether dost thou contemn and avoid vile and graceless persons dost thou rejoyce in the fellowship with God and communion of his Saints spendest thou thy daies in the constant praise and worship of God framest thou thy life according to the Word of God the rule of all Righteousness enjoyest thou all things in God and God in all things prizest thou thy present estate above all the World and yet longest thou for the perfecting of thy happiness saying Come Lord Jesus Come quickly this is to converse in Heaven while thou art on earth and to seek the things above where Jesus Christ sitteth Which if it bee then how few have their conversation there or are risen with Christ How few are set free from the power of sin witnesseth the general reign of it every where How many mind onely earthly things how many minde them principally How do most men swim with the stream drinking in the corruptions of the World most insatiably as the fish doth water How do sinners combine themselves against God to run to all excess of riot How unpleasant and unwelcome a voice is it to call men to delight in God and his Children How heavy are they to the parts of his Worship comming unto them as if they went to some punishment How are mens Lusts become their Laws instead of the perfect Rule and Law of God every man almost living as Israel when there was no King among them How do men rest in the means of their warfare with-drawing their hearts from the author of it How few prize the life of Christianity how many scorn it in themselves and others How many wish in their hearts there were no other life to come and that they rather had good assurance of this which is present and instead of wishing and waiting tremble at the mention of Christ his comming again Yet most of these men professors of Christ all of them baptized into his name and all of them will bee reputed as good Christians as the best But all this forenamed course hath no savour or rellish of Heaven all that take it up minde nothing but earthly things and the end of it without timely repentance will be damnation Phil. 2.19 IV. The fourth general point is the time of Christs resurrection set down in the Text to bee the third day To understand which wee must know that Christ lay not in the grave three whole natural days each of them standing of twenty four hours for then hee should have lain seventy two hours and have risen also on the fourth day whereas hee lay not in the Grave above thirty nine hours and rize on the third But the Scripture useth a grace or form of speech Synechdoche whereby two parts of daies are called by the whole and three daies put for the time which passed in three several daies every day having his night belonging unto him The first day of the three saith Augustine is to bee reckoned by his latter part in which Christ was dead and buried not passing three hours of the four and twenty yet so as both the night before when the Jews day begun and the most of that day was spent in taking examining whipping misusing condemning and executing him The second day is to bee accounted wholly and perfect from the evening of the day before the Passeover to the evening of the Sabbath following standing of full four and twenty hours The third day is to bee accounted from the former part of it beginning at the evening of the Jewish Sabbath for Christ lay all night neer twelve hours in the grave and rose in the morning betime about the midst of that natural day standing of four and twenty hours And thus is Christ truely said to have risen the third day Now that Christ should rise the third day and no sooner nor later these reasons shew Why Christ would rise no sooner than the third day 1 Hee must rise the third day according to the Scriptures 1 Cor. 15.4 For they had foretold this to bee the particular time Hos 6.2 After two daies he will revive us and in the third day hee will raise us up namely in his own person for wee also were raised with him as wee have seen The Scriptures had also further figured this distinct time in the type of Jonas who having lain three daies and three nights in the belly of the Whale was the third day cast on the dry land as our Saviour himself while hee was yet alive expounded of himself Matth. 12.40 As Jonas was in the belly of the Whale three daies and three nights so shall the Son of Man bee three daies and three nights in the heart of the earth 2 It pleased him not to rise sooner hee would not presently come down from the Cross nor revive himself before hee was buried nor rise presently after hee was laid down as hee easily could because hee would manifest that hee was truely dead as also because hee would lead his Church into some suspence therefore hee rose not till the case seemed desperate Luke 24.21 Wee trusted that it had been hee that should have delivered Israel and as touching all these things this is the third day that they were done Again hee would no longer defer his rising Why he would no longer defer his rising 1 Lest hee should utterly have endangered the faith of the Disciples which in that short time was sore shaken as not onely the former example but the heavinesse of the Disciples themselves to beleeve the news of it and wilfulness of Thomas plainly bewraveth 2 Because upon this event and keeping touch in this very circumstance of time hee had laid all the credit of his Person Ministry Doctrin Miracles Life and Death For when they come to ask him a sign to prove himself the Messiah hee referreth them to this event after his death that when they had destroyed the Temple of his body if hee did raise it either after or before the third day or did not on that day raise it they should never take him for the Messiah And of this very circumstance Angels and men had taken notice from his own mouth Luke 24.7 when the women came to the Sepulchre to seek Christ after he was newly risen the Angels told them he was risen he was not there and further wisheth them to remember what he had said to them while he was with them that the third day he must rise again nay not only his friends but his very enemies had got this by the end and therefore came to Pilate saying Sir we remember that this Deceiver said that he would rise the third day let us take such order that the last error become not worse than the first 3 The blessed body of Christ was not to enter into the least or lowest degree of corruption and therefore he would lye no longer in the house of corruption Quest But how could his body
souls 2 When wee labour to put on Christ Jesus as a garment to cover us from the storms and tempests which our sins have raised against us I counsel thee to buy of mee white Garments of Innocency Rev. 3.3 When by girding our Apparel to us wee labour to girt up our loynes and look for our Lord Jesus 4 When by putting off our old Garments wee daily put off some relick of the old man 5 When in adorning the body wee study to adorn the minde with humility holiness modesty meekness c. Not make any superstitious use or put Religion in Garments 2 Civil threefold 1 Health Civil and that is threefold 1 For Health 2 For Honesty 3 For Ornament 1 For Health and necessity to defend us from the injury of weather and to keep us warm To this end God cloathed Adam and it is a curse to put on cloaths and not to bee warm Hag. 1.6 2 For Honesty in two Branches 1 Decency 2 Distinction 2 Honesty in Decency First Decency For nakedness in the state of Innocency was a glorious Ornament but presently after the Fall shame and deformity came in and therefore presently Adam sewed leaves together and God made Coats to hide and cover that nakedness Now Decency requires seemly and cleanly Apparel nor sordid base and slovenly and condemneth that affected nakedness of men and women especially who wear their cloaths so as they discover the nakedness of many parts of their body whereas sin hath cast shame on every part and calls for a cover over all but for necessity Distinction Secondly Distinction of Persons Sexes Ages and Callings The man may not wear the womans Apparel nor the woman the mans Deut. 22.5 Against which Law of Nature and common honesty how manly do women attire themselves and how effeminately do men imitate women as though both were willing to change Sexes How undecent is it to see an old man in a youthful habit to see a Minister in his Ruffians hair Pickadillies and fashion like some Souldier To see a Peasant cloathed like a Prince As all sorts of men almost are confused in Apparel Joseph when hee was set over all the Land of Egypt was distinguished from inferiour Princes by his fine Linnen and golden Chain In times past soft Garments were in Kings houses but now that is no distinction of Courtiers CHAP. XXVII Concerning Ornament in Apparel Wherein three Questions are resolved 3 Ornament THE third and last Civil use of Garments is Ornament Where consider two or three Questions Quest 1. Whether bee Ornaments Lawful to bee used seeing the Apostle commands women that their Apparel bee not outward with broydered hair and gold nor pearls nor costly Apparel which hee opposeth to comely Apparel 1 Pet. 3.3 1 Tim. 2.9 Answ They are For the Apostle simply condemneth not the things themselves which are the good creatures of God nor all use of them in Ornament which Rebeccah and Joseph being advanced and all the Israelitish women ware in Ear-rings and Bracelets which was not their sin Deut. 32. But hee condemns in them 1 The over-common and unseasonable use for Ornaments are not fit for all persons and times but must bee used sparingly not commonly having respect to times and solemnity They bee for great not for common men neither for those every day The rich man in the Gospel is condemned for going in fine purple every day 2 Hee condemns the affected and excessive use of them for they more affected the adorning of the body than of the minde to which the Apostle in both places calleth them Whereas a Christian must chiefly provide for the adorning of the minde inwardly 3 Hee condemns their offensive use of them who did not use them as the sober and grave Matrons of their years and age but being newly converted from the Heathens still retained the Heathenish Ornaments and would not being Christians bee put down by the Heathens but retained the former manner of adorning themselves 4 Hee condemns their end in wearing these things which was to set forth their bodies and pride up themselves with their Ornaments whereas all Ornaments must bee used to Gods glory while wee adorn his Temple and not to draw mens eyes upon us Quest 2. May not a man wear long hair for Ornament Answ The Ornament of a mans head is short hair long hair is an effeminate Ornament 1 Cor. 11.14 Doth not nature it self teach Against lockâ— and long hair in men that if a man have long hair it is a shame for him but if a woman have long hair it is a praise to her Object Wee may use other things for Ornament and why not our hair Answ In Ornament wee must look wee bee without offence and that is when wee frame our selves to the example of the grave and sober who amongst us count the fashion of flaring Locks Effeminate and Ruffian-like Again in Ornament as in every thing else wee must express godliness modesty and sobriety whereas this fashion of men is received as a badge of a sight minde and an intemperate person Object The Nazarites did nourish their hair Answ That was by the special Law of their Profession which Profession and Law and all is now ceased If thou wilt bee a Nazarite thou must drink no Wine nor strong Beer a hard law to many of our Locksters That of Absolom doth not necessarily conclude against it that his hair became his halter yet it is not to bee passed lightly Compare his pride with his fall and wee may observe that God doth ordinarily punish us in that wherein wee sin Quest â— May not a woman paint her face and mend her complexion Answ No Against painting of faces complexions every one ought to be content with their own feature and complexion and to devise artificial forms and favours to set upon their bodies or faces is a most abominable practice For first They are not content with their form which God hath given in them either because they are proud and would not bee inferiour to others in beauty or because they are unchaste and would by Art allure lovers when Nature hath failed them 2 The form of it is a lye it is no beauty but a Picture of it no sincerity no truth in it They dissemble themselves to bee other than God made them What truth may wee expect within when a man may read in their faces lying and dissimulation How is this to abstain from the appearance of evil 3 What a dishonour is it to God that a wretched worm should go about to correct and mend his workmanship How would a mean Work-man take it that a Bungler should offer to correct or alter his work 4 What an indignity is it to take the face of that which they say is a member of Christ and make it the face of an Harlot Wee read but of one in the Scripture that painted her face 2 King 9.30 and that was