abide upon him in heaven It must never be said The Spirit of the Lord is departed from Him who is the Sender and Bestower of the holy Ghost upon us And if the Spirit once comming upon his Members abides with them for ever as Christ promiseth Iohn 14. 16. then much more doth this Spirit abide upon Christ the Head from whom we all since Christ was in heaven receive that Spirit and by vertue of which Spirits dwelling in him he continues to dwell in us Therefore of him it is said Esay 11. 2. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him Yea and in that storie of the holy Ghosts desending upon him at his Baptisme it is not onely recorded that He descended on him but over and above it is added And abode upon him Yea further to put the greater emphasis upon it it is twice repeated So Iohn 1. 32. I saw the Spirit sayes the Euangelist descending from heaven like a Dove and hee adds this also as a further thing observed by him and it abode upon him And then againe ver 33. I knew him not sayes he but he that sent me gave me this token to know him by Vpon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on him the same is he And further as it is intimated there he rested on him to that end that he might baptize us with the holy Ghost unto the end of the world The same sayes he is he that baptizeth with the holy Ghost He at first descends as a Dove and then abides as a Dove for ever upon him and this Dove it selfe came from heaven first And therefore certainly now that Christ himselfe is gone to heaven he abides and sits upon him much more as a Dove still there Moreover let me adde this that although the Spirit rested on him here without measure in comparison of us yet it may be safely said that the Spirit in respect of his effects in gifts of grace and glory rests more abundantly on him in heaven then he did on earth even in the same sense that at his baptisme as was said he rested on him in such respects more abundantly then he did before his Baptisme during the time of his private life For as when he came to heaven he was enstalled King and Priest as it were anew in respect of a new execution so for the work to be done in heaven he was anew anointed with this oyle of gladnesse above his fellowes as Psal 45. 7. Which place is meant of him especially as he is in heaven at Gods right hand in fulnesse of joy as Psal 16. ult it is also spoken of him when also it is that he goes forth in his majesty to conquer as ver 4. of that 45. Psal And yet then Meeknesse is not far off but is made one of his dispositions in this heighth of glory So it followes in the fore-cited verse In thy majesty ride prosperously because of Truth and Meeknesse c. Therefore Peter sayes Acts 2. 36. that That same Iesus whom you Jews have crucified and who was risen and ascended God hath made both Lord and Christ Lord that is hath exalted him as King in heaven and Christ that is hath also anointed him and this Oyle is no other then the holy Ghost with whom the same Peter tells us he was anointed at his Baptisme Acts 10. 38. Yea and because he then at once received the Spirit in the fullest measure that for ever he was to receive him therefore it was that he shed him downe on his Apostles and baptized them with him as in that 2. of the Acts we reade Now it is a certaine rule that whatsoever we receive from Christ that he himselfe first receives in himselfe for us And so one reason why this oile ran then so plentifully downe on the skirts of this our High-priest that is on his members the Apostles and Saints and so continues to do unto this day is because our High-priest and Head himselfe was then afresh anointed with it Therefore ver 33. of that 2. of the Acts Peter giving an account how it came to passe that they were so filled with the holy Ghost sayes that Christ having received from the Father the promise of the holy Ghost had shed him forth on them which receiving is not to be only understood of his bare and single receiving the promise of the holy Ghost for us by having power then given him to shed him downe upon them as God had promised though this is a true meaning of it but further that hee had received him first as powred forth on himself and so shed him forth on them according to that rule that whatever God doth unto us by Christ he first doth it unto Christ all promises are made and fulfilled unto him first and so unto us in him all that he bestows on us he receives in himselfe And this may bee one reason why as Iohn 7. 39. the Spirit was not as yet given because Iesus was not as yet glorified But now he is in heaven he is said to have the seven spirits so Rev. 1. 3. which book sets him out as he is since he went to heaven Now those seven spirits are the holy Ghost for so it must needs be meant and not of any creature as appeares by the 4. ver of that Chap. where grace and peace are wisht from the seven spirits so called in respect of the various effects of him both in Christ and us though but one in person And seven is a number of perfection is therefore there mentioned to shew that now Christ hath the Spirit in the utmost measure that the humane nature is capable of And as his knowledge which is a fruit of the Spirit since his Ascension is enlarged for before he knew not when the day of Judgement should be but now when he wrote this book of the Revelation he did so are his bowels I speak of the humane nature extended all the mercies that God meanes to bestow being now actually to run through his hands and his particular notice and he to bestow them not on Jewes only but on Gentiles also who were to be converted after he went to heaven And so he hath now an heart adequate to Gods own heart in the utmost extent of shewing mercie unto any whom God hath intended it unto And this is the third demonstration from the Spirits dwelling in him wherein you may help your faith by an experiment of the holy Ghost his dwelling in your own hearts and there not only working in you meekenesse towards others but pitty towards your selves to get your soules saved and to that end stirring up in you incessant and unutterable groanes before the Throne of grace for grace and mercie Now the same Spirit dwelling in Christs heart in heaven that doth in yours here and always working in his heart first for you and then in yours by commission from him rest assured therefore that that Spirit
Againe a little while and ye shall see me a little while and ye shall not see me sayes he Which not seeing him refers not to that small space of absence whilst dead and in the grave but of that after his last ascending forty dayes after his Resurrection when he should goe away not to be seene on earth againe untill the day of Judgement and yet from that Ascension but a little while sayes he and you shall see me againe namely at the day of Judgement It is said Heb. 10. 37. Yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry The words in the Greek are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A little little as may be Though long for the time in it selfe yet as little while as may be in respect of his desire without the least delaying to come He will stay not a moment longer then till he hath dispatcht all our businesse there for us And then the doubling of the phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Veniens veniet Comming he will come implyes vehemencie of desire to come and that his mind is alwayes upon it he is still a comming he can hardly be kept away Thus the Hebrew phrase likewise signifies an urgencie vehemencie and intensenesse of some act as Expecting I have expected Desiring I have desired so Comming he will come And as not content with these expressions of desire hee adds over and above all these And will not tarry and all to signifie the infinite ardencie of his mind towards his Elect below and to have all his Elect in heaven about him He will not stay a minute longer then needs must he tarryes onely till he hath throughout all Ages by his Intercession prepared every room for each Saint that he may entertaine them all at once together and have them all about him Thirdly what his heart would be towards them in his absence he expresseth by the carefull provision hee makes and the order hee takes for their comfort in his absence Ioh. 16. 18. I will not leave you as Orphanes so the word is I will not leave you like father-lesse and friendlesse children at sixes and sevens My Father and I have but one onely friend who lyes in the bosome of us both and proceedeth from us both the holy Ghost and in the meane time I will send him to you Doing herein as a loving Husband useth to doe in his absence even commit his Wife to the dearest friend he hath so doth Christ Ver. 16. I will pray the Father sayes he and he shall give you another Comforter And Chap. 16. 7. he saith I will send him to you Who First shall be a better Comforter unto you then I am to be in this kind of dispensation which whilst I am on earth I am bound up towards you in So in that 16. of Iohn ver 7. he intimates It is expedient sayes he that I goe away for if I goe not away the Comforter will not come who by reason of his office will comfort you bettet then I should doe with my bodily presence And this Spirit as he is the earnest of heaven as the Apostle speaks so he is the greatest token pledge of Christs love that ever was and such a one as the world cannot receive And yet secondly all the comfort he shall speak to you all that while will be but from the expression of my heart towards you For as he comes not of himselfe but I must send him Ioh. 16. 7. so he will speake nothing of himselfe but whatsoever he shall heare that shall he speake ver 13. And ver 14. he sayes He shall receive of mine and shall shew it unto you Him therefore I shall send on purpose to be in my roome and to execute my place to you my Bride Spouse and he shall tell you if you will listen to him and not grieve him nothing but stories of my love So it is there He shall glorifie me namely to you for I am in my selfe already glorified in heaven All his speech in your hearts will be to advance me and to greaten my worth and love unto you and it will be his delight to doe it And he can come from heaven in an instant when he will and bring you fresh tidings of my mind and tell you the thoughts I last had of you even at that very minute when I am thinking of them what they are at the very time wherein he tells you them And therefore in that 1 Cor. 2. by having the Spirit ver 12. we are said to have the mind of Christ ver ult For he dwelleth in Christs heart and also ours and lifts up from one hand to the other what Christs thoughts are to us and what our prayers and faith are to Christ So that you shall have my heart as surely and as speedily as if I were with you and he will continually be breaking your hearts either with my love to you or yours to me or both and if either you may be sure of my love thereby And whereas sayes he you have the Spirit now in your hearts so ver 17. of Chap. 14. He now dwels in you yet after my Ascension he shall be in a further measure in you as it follows there And at that day ver 20. you shall know namely by his Dictate that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you He will tell you when I am in Heaven that there is as true a conjunction between me and you and as true a dearnesse of affection in me towards you as is between my Father and me and that it is as impossible to breake this knot and to take off my heart from you as my Fathers from me or mine from my Father And then thirdly you shall be sure that what he sayes of my love to you is true for he is the Spirit of truth Chap. 16. ver 13. as also Chap. 1. ver 16 17. which Christ speaks of him as he is a Comforter And as you beleeve me when I tell you of my Father because I come from him so you may beleeve him in all that hee sayes of mee and of my love to you for hee comes from me Ay but might they say Will not hee also leave us for a time as you have done No sayes Christ Chap. 14. 16. The Father shall give you another Comforter and he shall abide with you for ever Christ speakes it in opposition to himselfe He himselfe had beene a Comforter unto them but he was now to be absent but not so the Spirit He shall be with you for ever and as he is now with you so he shall be in you ver 17. In the fourth place if this be not enough to assure them how his heart would bee affected towards them he assures them he will give them daily experience of it Doe but try me sayes he vvhen I am gone and that by sending me vvord upon all occasions vvhat you
parting Sermon My peace I leave with you After this hee breathes on them and conveyes the holy Ghost in a further measure into them so to give an evidence of what he would doe yet more plentifully in heaven and the mystery of that his breathing on them was to shew that this was the utmost expression of his heart to give them the Spirit and that it came from the very bottome of it as a mans breath doth as well as that the holy Ghost proceeds from him as well as from the Father which was also the meaning of it And to what end doth he give them the Spirit not for themselves alone but that they by the gifts and assistance of that Spirit might forgive mens sins by converting them to him Whose sins soever ye remit namely by your ministery they are remitted to them His mind you see is still upon sinners and his care for the conversion of their soules And therefore in another Euangelist namely Mark his last words recorded are these Goe ye into all the World and preach the Gospell unto every creature and he that beleeveth shall be saved c. Chap. 16. 15. And in Luke Chap. 24. ver 46 47. his last words on earth there recorded are Thus it behoved Christ to suffer and to rise that repentance and remission of sinnes should be preached among all Nations And addes beginning at Hierusalem where hee had beene but a few dayes before crucified Of all places one would have thought he would have excepted that and have charged them to passe by it but he bids them begin there let them have the first fruit and benefit by my death that were the actors in it And to that end he also sayes Behold I send you the Promise of my Father c. ver 49. Another time he appeares to two of them and then indeede he rates them saying O ye fools and slow of heart but for what is it but onely because they would not beleeve on him for no other sinne not for that they had forsaken him so it follows O ye fooles and slow of heart to beleeve c. Luk. 24. 25. and this because he is glad when we beleeve as Iohn 11. 15. And after that he appeares to all the eleven and upbraids them the Text sayes but with what with their unbeliefe and hardnesse of heart still because they beleeved not so ver 14. No sinne of theirs troubled him but their unbeliefe Which shews how his heart stands in that he desires nothing more then to have men beleeve in him and this now when glorified Afterwards he meets with Thomas and scarce chides him for his grosse unbeliefe onely tels him it was well that having seene he beleeved but pronounceth them more blessed who though they have not seene yet beleeve and so he is reproved Iohn 20. 29. Another time he shews himselfe to his Disciples and particularly deales with Peter but yet tels him not a word of his sins nor of his forsaking of him but onely goes about to draw from him a testimony of his love to himselfe Peter sayes he lovest thou me Christ loves to heare that note full well doe those words sound in his eares when you tell him you love him though he knows it already as Peter tels him Thou knowest all things thou knowest I love thee Iohn 21. 15. and this Christ puts him thrice upon And what was Christs aime in drawing this acknowledgement of love from Peter to him but onely to put an engagement upon Peter that if he loved him as he professed and would ever shew it then to feed his lambs This is the great testimonie that he would have Peter to shew his love in when he should be in heaven and this is the last charge he gives him Which how great a testimony is it to shew how his owne heart was affected and what his greatest care was upon His heart runs altogether upon his Lambs upon soules to be converted He had said afore Sheep I have Iohn 10. 6. which are not of this fold them I must bring in and he left his Apostles to doe it but this here was a more moving and affectionate expression for sheep can shift for themselves but poore little Lambes cannot Therefore Christ sayes unto Peter Feed my Lambes even as Iohn to expresse the more love unto those he writes to calls them My little children And to what end doth the Euangelist record these things of him after his Resurrection One of the Euangelists that recorded them informs us In the 20. of Iohn ver 30. it is said that Iesus did many other signes namely after his Resurrection for in the middest of the story of those things done after his Resurrection hee speakes it which are not written in this Book but partly recorded by other Euangelists and partly concealed but these things are written that yee might beleeve that JESVS is the CHRIST that is that so you might come to him as to the Messiah the Saviour of the World and therefore the most of the things recorded tend to shew Christs heart and carriage towards Sinners that so wee might beleeve on him and that beleeving we might have life through his Name §. 3. Demonstrations from passages at and after his Ascension into heaven LEt us view him next in his very ascending his carriage then also will further assure our hearts of this Luke 24. 50. it is said He lifted up his hands and blessed them and to put the greater emphasis upon it and that we might the more observe it as having some great mystery in it ver 51. it is added And whilst he blessed them he was parted from them and carried up into heaven This benediction Christ reserved to be his last act and what was the meaning of it but as I have before shewne to blesse them as God blessed Adam and Eve bidding them Encrease and multiply and so blessing all Man-kind that were to come of them Thus doth Christ in blessing his Disciples blesse all those that shall beleeve through their word unto the end of the world I only adde this to the illustration of it this mystery is interpreted by Peter Acts 3. 26. when speaking to the Jews he sayes Vnto you first God having raised up his Sonne Iesus sent him to blesse you and how in turning away every one of you from his iniquities and so forgiving of them for Blessed is the man whose sin is forgiven Thus at his ascending In the next place let us consider what Christ did when he was come to heaven and exalted there how abundantly did he there make good all that he had promised in his last Sermon For First he instantly powred out his Spirit and that richly as the Apostle to Titus speakes and he being by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost hee hath shed forth this which you now see and heare sayes the Apostle in his first
sayes Christ injuries and unkindnesses doe not so worke upon me as to make mee irreconcileable it is my nature to forgive I am meeke Yea but may we thinke he being the Sonne of God and Heire of Heaven and especially being now filled with glory and sitting at Gods right hand he may now despise the lowlinesse of us here below though not out of anger yet out of that heighth of his greatnesse and distance that he is advanced unto in that we are too meane for him to marry or bee familiar with Hee surely hath higher thoughts then to regard such poore low things as we are And so though indeed we conceive him meeke and not prejudiced with injuries yet he may bee too high and lofty to condescend so far as to regarde or take to heart the condition of poore creatures No sayes Christ I am lowly also willing to bestow my love and favour upon the poorest and meanest And further all this is not a semblance of such an affable disposition nor is it externally put on in the face and outward carriage onely as in many great ones that will seeme gentle and curteous but there is all this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the heart it is his temper his disposition his nature to be gracious which nature he can never lay aside And that his greatnesse when he comes to enjoy it in Heaven would not a whit alter his disposition in him appears by this that he at the very same time when he uttered these words tooke into consideration all his glory to come and utters both that and his meeknes with the same breath So ver 27. All things are delivered to mee by my Father and presently after for all this he sayes Come unto me all you that are heavie laden I am meeke and lowly ver 28 29. Looke therefore what lovely sweete and delightfull thoughts you use to have of a deere friend who is of an amiable nature or of some eminently holy or meeke Saint of whom you thinke with your selves I could put my soule into such a mans hands can comprimise my salvation to him as I have heard it spoken of some Or looke how we should have beene encouraged to have dealt with Moses in matter of forgivenesse who was the meekest man on earth or treated with Ioseph by what we reade of his bowels towards his brethren or what thoughts we have of the tender hearts of Paul or Timothy unto the soules of men in begetting and in nurturing and bringing them up to life being affectionately desirous of you we were willing sayes Paul to impart our own soules to you 1 Thes 2. 8. and this naturally as his word is 2 Phil. 20. even such and infinitely more raised apprehensions should wee have of that sweetenesse and candour that is in Jesus Christ as being much more naturall to him And therefore the same Apostle doth make Christs bowels the patterne of his Phil. 1. 8. Ge◠is my witnesse how greatly I long after you in the bowels of Iesus Christ This phrase in the bowels of Christ hath according to Interpreters two meanings and both serve to illustrate that which I intend First in the bowels of Christ is taken causally as if he meant to shew that those bowels or compassions were infused into him from Christ and so longed after them with such kind of bowels as Christ had wrought in him and if so that Christ put such bowels into him hath he not them in himselfe much more Paul had reason to say in the bowels of Christ for in this sense I am sure he once had scarce the heart and bowels of a man in him namely when he was out of Christ how furious and Lion-like a spirit had he against the Saints and what havock made he of them being ready even to pull out their bowels And how came Paul by such tender bowels now towards them who gave him now such tender affections Even Jesus Christ it was he that of a Lion made him a Lambe If therefore in Paul these bowels were not naturall but the contrary rather were naturall to him and yet they so abounded in him and that naturally as himselfe speakes how much more must they needs abound in Christ to whom they are native and in-bred Or else secondly In the bowels is put for Instar Like the bowels or After the bowels according to the analogie of the Hebrew phrase And so then the meaning were this Like as the bowels of Jesus Christ do yerne after you so doe mine Bowels are a Metaphor to signifie tender and motherly affections and mercies so Luke 1. 78. Through the tender mercies In the originall it is The bowels of mercie Thus Paul when he would signifie how tender his affections were he instances in the Bowels of Jesus Christ he making Christ his pattern in this in all Be ye followers of me as I am of Christ Now how desirous was this great Apostle to beget men to Christ he cared not what else hee lost so he might winne some he counted not his life deare nay not his salvation deare but wisht himselfe accursed for his brethren who yet vvere the greatest enemies Christ then had on earth How glad was he when any soule came in how sorry when any fell off falling into a new travail he knew not how better to expresse the anxietie of his spirit for the Galatians till Christ was formed in them Hovv comforted vvas he vvhen he heard tidings of the constancie and encrease of any of their Faith 1. Thes 3. 6 7. and ver 8. he sayes for now we live if you stand fast in the Lord. Reade all his Epistles and take the character of his spirit this vvay and vvhen you have done look up to Christs humane nature in Heaven and thinke vvith your selves Such a man is Christ Paul vvarbles out in all these high strains of affections but the soundings of Christs Bowels in Heaven in a lower key Esay 63. They are naturall to Christ they all and infinite more are eminent in him And this is the second Demonstration taken from his own naturall disposition as Sonne of God A third demonstration shall bee taken from the Third Person of the Trinity the holy Ghost If the same spirit that was upon him and in him when he was on earth doth but still rest upon him now he is in Heaven then these dispositions must needes still entirely remaine in him This Demonstration is made up of two Propositions put together 1. That the holy Ghost dwelling in him concurs to make his heart thus graciously affected to sinners And 2. that the same spirit dwels and continues in and upon him for ever in Heaven For the first It was the Spirit who over-shadowed his mother and in the meane while knit that indissoluble knot betweene our nature and the second Person and that also knit his heart unto us It was the Spirit who sanctified him in the vvombe It vvas the Spirit
that rested on him above measure and fitted him vvith a meek spirit for the vvorks of his mediation and indeed for this very grace sake of meeknesse did the Spirit come more especially upon him Therefore when he was first solemnly inaugurated into that office at his Baptisme for then he visibly and professedly entred upon the execution of it the holy Ghost descended upon him and how as a Dove so all the Euangelists joyntly report it But why in the shape of a Dove All apparitions that God at any time made of himself were not so much to shew what God is in himselfe as how he is affected towards us and declare what effects he works in us so here this shape of a Dove resting upon him vvas to shew those speciall gracious dispositions wherewith the holy Ghost fitted Jesus Christ to be a Mediator A Dove you know is the most innocent and most meek creature without gall without tallons having no fiercenesse in it expressing nothing but love and friendship to its mate in all its carriages and mourning over it in its distresses and was therefore a fit embleme to expresse what a frame and temper of spirit the holy Ghost did upon this his descending on him fill the heart of Christ with and this without measure that as sweetly as doves doe converse with doves sympathising and mourning each over other so may we with Christ for he thus sympathizeth with us And though he had the Spirit before yet now he was anointed with him in respect of such effects as these which appertained to the execution of his office with a larger measure and more eminently then before Therefore the Euangelist Luke notes upon it Chap. 4. 1. Iesus being full of the holy Ghost returned from Iordan And Peter also puts the like glosse upon it as appeares Act. 10. 37. for speaking there of the baptisme of Iohn he shews how after that his being baptized he began to preach and how God having anointed him with the holy Ghost namely at that baptisme of his hee went about doing good c. And that this was the principall thing signified by this descending of the holy Ghost as a Dove upon him even chiefely to note out his meekenesse and sympathizing heart with sinners vvrought in him by the holy Ghost is evident by two places vvhere Christ himselfe puts that very intendment on it The first presently after in the first Sermon that he preached after that his having received the holy Ghost in the same 4. of Luke where first it is noted ver 1. that he returned from being baptized full of the Spirit and so was led to be tempted then ver 14. it is said that hee returned from being tempted in the power of that spirit and after this is explained by himselfe the mystery of his having received the Spirit in the likenesse of a dove and this is the subject matter of the first Text which he opened in his first Sermon singled out by him on purpose by choice not chance out of Isaiah which he read to them ver 18. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poore that is in spirit the afflicted in conscience for sinne he hath sent me to heale the broken-hearted to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering sight to the blind to set at liberty them that are bruised c. And when he had read so much as concerned the expressing the compassionate disposition of his spirit unto sinners whose misery he sets downe by all sorts of outward evils then he reads no further but closeth the Book as intimating that these were the maine effects of that his receiving the Spirit The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poore That is for this end or for this very purpose hath he given me his Spirit because I was designed or anointed to this work and by that Spirit also hath he anointed or qualified me with these gifts and dispositions suitable to that worke Another place that makes the fruit and end of his receiving the Spirit then at his baptisme to be these tender dispositions unto sinners is that in Mat. 12. 18 19 c. out of another place of Isaith Behold my beloved in whom my soule is well pleased I will put my Spirit upon him and he shall shew judgement to the Gentiles c. That seems to be a terrible word but be not afraid of it for by judgement is meant even the doctrine of free grace and of the Gospell that changeth and reforms men As in like manner according to the Hebrew phrase in ver 20. by judgement is meant the worke of Gods grace on mens hearts When he sayes He will send forth judgement unto victory the worke of grace being the counterpane of the Doctrine of grace And in preaching this Doctrine which in it selfe is good tidings the Prophet shews hovv he should carrie it vvith a spirit answerable and suitable thereunto even full of all meeknesse stilnesse calmnesse and modesty which he expresseth by proverbiall speeches usuall in those times to expresse so much by He shall not strive nor crie neither shall any man heare his voice in the streets that is he shall deal with all stilnesse and meeknesse without violence or boisterousnesse Iohn had the voice of a cryer he was a man of a severe spirit but Christ came piping and dancing all melodious sweetnesse was in his ministery and spirit and in the course of his ministery he went so tenderly to work he was so heedfull to broken soules and had such regard to their discouragements that it is said he would not break a bruised reed That is he would set his steps with such heed as not to tread on a reed that was broken in the leafe or he would walk so lightly and softly that if it lay in his way though he went over it yet he would not have further bruised it nor quenched either by treading out the smoaking flax which is easily done or vvith any rushing motion have raised so much vvind as to blow out a weike of a candle as some translate it smoaking in the socket which the least stirring of the aire puffes out All this is to expresse the tendernesse of his heart and this upon his receiving the Spirit and especially from the time of his baptizing for then you know those words were together therewith uttered This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased and they are the same words also which together with Gods giving him the Spirit are joyned in that 40. of Esay whence these words are taken So that he was filled with the Spirit to that end to raise up in him such sweet affections towards sinners Now for the second part that goes to make up this Demonstration It is as certaine that the same Spirit that was upon Christ and acted his spirit here below doth still
more like to these of ours then those are which the Angels have So then by these two steps we have gained these two things That even in Christs humane nature though glorified affections of pity and compassion are true and reall and not metaphorically attributed to him as they are unto God and also more neere and like unto ours here then those in the Angels are even affections proper to mans nature and truly humane And these he should have had although this humane nature had from the very first assumption of it been as glorious as it is now in heaven But now thirdly adde this further that God so ordered it that before Christ should cloathe this his humane nature with that glory he hath in heaven and put this glory upon it he should first take it as cloathed with all our infirmities even the very same that doe cleave unto us and should live in this world as we doe for many yeeres And during that time God prepared for him all sorts of afflictions and miseries to run through which we our selves doe here meet withall and all that time he was acquainted with and inured unto all the like sorrowes that we are and God left him to that infirmity and tendernesse of spirit to take in all distresses as deeply as any of us without sin and to exercise the very same affections under all these distresses that we at any time doe find stirring in our hearts And this God thus ordered on purpose thereby to fit him and to frame his heart when he should be in glory unto such affections as these spoken of in the Text. And this both this Text suggests to be Gods end in it as also that fore-mentioned place Heb. 2. 13. For as much as we namely his members are partakers of flesh and bloud which phrase doth ever note out the frailties of mans nature as 1 Cor. 15. 50. c. he himselfe tooke part of the same that he might be a mercifull High-Priest c. ver 17. And then the Apostle gives this reason of it ver 18. For in that himselfe hath suffered being tempted he is able this Ability is as was before interpreted the having an heart fitted and enabled out of experience to pity and to succour them that are tempted The meaning of which is that it was not the bare taking of an humane nature if glorious from the first that would thus fully have fitted him to be affectionately pitifull out of experience though as was said the knowledge of our miseries taken in thereby would have made him truly and really affectionate towards us with affections humane and proper to a man and so much neerer and liker ours then what are in the Angels themselves or then are attributed to God when he is said to pity us but further his taking our nature at first cloathed with frailties and living in this world as we This hath for ever fitted his heart by experience to be in our very hearts and bosomes and not onely or barely to know the distresse and as a man to be affected with an humane affection to one of his kind but experimentally remembring the like in himselfe once And this likewise the Text suggests as the way whereby our distresses are let into his heart the more feelingly now he is in heaven We have not an High-Priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sinne And the more to comfort us herein observe how fully and universally the Apostle speaks of Christs having beene tempted here below First for the matter of them or the severall sorts of temptations he sayes he was tempted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in all points or things of any kind wherewith we are exereised Secondly for the manner he addes that too 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like as we are His heart having been just so affected so wounded pierced and distressed in all such tryals as ours use to be onely without sinne God on purpose left all his affections to their full tendernesse and quicknesse of sense of evill So that Christ took to heart all that befell him as deeply as might be he slighted no crosse either from God or men but had and felt the utmost load of it Yea his heart was made more tender in all sorts of affections then any of ours even as it was in love and pity and this made him a man of sorrows and that more then anyother man was or shall be Now therefore to explicate the way how our miseries are let into his heart come to stir up such kindly affections of pity and compassion in him it is not hard to conceive from what hath now been said and from what the Text doth further hint unto us 1. The understanding and knowledge of that humane nature hath notice and cognisance of all the occurrences that befall his members here And for this the Text is cleare For the Apostle speaks this for our encouragement That Christ is toucht with the feeling of our infirmities Which could not be a reliefe unto us if it supposed not this that he particularly and distinctly knew them And if not all as well as some we should want reliefe in all as not knowing which he knew and which not And the Apostle affirmes this of his humane nature as was said for he speaks of that nature that was tempted here below And therefore the Lambe that was slaine and so the man Christ Jesus is Revel 5. 6. said to have seven eyes as well as seven hornes which seven eyes are the seven spirits sent forth into all the earth His eyes of Providence through his annointing with the Holy Ghost are in all corners of the world and view all the things that are done under the sunne in like manner hee is there said to have seven hornes for power as seven eyes for knowledge and both are defined to be seven to shew the perfection of both in their extent reaching unto all things So that as all power in heaven and earth is committed unto Him as Son of man as the Scripture speakes so all knowledge is given him of all things done in heaven and earth and this as Son of man too his knowledge and power being of equall extent He is the Sunne as well in respect of knowledge as of Righteousnesse and there is nothing hid from his light and beames which doe pierce the darkest corners of the hearts of the sons of men He knowes the sores as Solomon expresseth it and distresses of their hearts Like as a looking-glasse made into the forme of a round globe and hung in the midst of a roome takes in all the species of things done or that are therein at once so doth the enlarged understanding of Christs humane nature take in the affairs of this world which hee is appointed to governe especially the miseries of his members and this at once 2. His humane nature thus knowing