in themselves want of grace and comfort surely they will goe out of themselves they will goe to Gods market they will attend upon the meanes He that is like to be arrested for debt and hath nothing at home it is time for him to seeke abroad for supply so when a man is poore spiritually ready to bee snared and catched in every thing for want of spirituall grace he will labour for strength in the use of all means Therefore those that are of a Laodicean stamp that thinke there is too much preaching and too much hearing and too much reading and what need all this adoe Alas they were never humbled they were never sensible of their state by nature nor are not yet in the state of grace for the soule of a true Christian is alway in the state of spirituall poverty as that it relisheth spirituall meanes and is not fed with husks A soule that is spiritually poore will dâ—scerne in the use of means this is flourishing this is for the eare this is conceits alas it comes for food for supply A poore soule that findes the want of grace and strength and comfort it judgeth of the meanes by what it findes there will be a use of all meanes and likewise some ability to taste where there is true poverty of spirit Againe where this inward poverty of spirit is it will make Gods children wondrous thankfull and thankful for a little grace A poore man that is sensible of his poverty will be more thankfull for a penny then another man for a pound that hath money of his owne A soule that sees the want of grace and withall sees the excellency of grace is thankfull to God that hee will worke any thing in such a poore defiled soule as hee is that hee will worke any good motions any good affections any degree of faith that he will give him any assurance of salvation Oh hee thinkes what a good God is this Hee breakes out with the Apostles Peter and Paul that had both beene sinners themselves and found grace oh they were much in thankefulnesse Blessed be God the father of our Lord Iesus Christ c. A thankfull soule is a poore soule and a poore soule is alway a thankfull soule Hee that is poore hee knowes hee hath little and deserves little therefore knowing that hee deserves nothing he is thankfull for and content with any thing a humble man is alway thankfull and that is the reason that GOD may have his glory from him hee is forced sometimes to humble and abase him hee should have no sacrifice from him else A proud man a conceited man so dotes upon his owne worth hee forgets the giver he makes himselfe an idoll to him therefore such they are usurpers of what they have they enter upon GODS blessings not considering from whom they have them nor for what end they have them They deny God his tribute of thankfulnesse because they are proud but a man that is poore in spirit he enters upon all by title of gift and receives all from God in the forme of a poore man therefore whatsoever hee hath hee returnes thankes for it againe An unthankfull soule therefore is a proud soule a thankfull soule is an humble abased soule alway and the more humble and empty the soule is the more thankfull it is for every degree of grace and comfort Againe a soule that is thus disposed that is poore in spirit it is willing to resigne it selfe to Christs governement with selfe-denyall of any thing it is able to doe of it selfe it is ready to say Lord I have neither wit of mine owne to governe my selfe nor any strength and ability of mine own therefore I put my selfe upon thy government I desire to follow thy light and to goe on in thy strength There is alway a resignation to Christs government and that in feare and trembling for whom we resigne our selves unto surely wee will have a care not to displease them A dependant life is alway an awfull life for when a man hath resigned himselfe to the governement of another and knowes hee must depend upon him hee will have a care not to displease such an one for hee thinkes if I displease him hee will withdraw his maintenance and countenance from me and then what am I so the soule that thinkes it hath all from God and from the spirit of Christ it resignes it selfe to the spirit of Christ and withall it is wondrous fearefull not to grieve and displease the Spirit for hee thinkes with himselfe my life is but a dependant life my graces are but dependant let God but withdraw the beames of his Spirit and I sinke let him withdraw his comfort and his strength what am I nothing but darkenesse and deadnesse and confusion Those therefore that give not themselves up to Christs governement but are governed by rules of policy by the example of others and have base dependance upon others they know not what spirituall poverty is they see there is a sufficiency in themselves to rule and governe themselves as if Christs wisedome were not sufficient they are not so disposed as the Apostle requires they worke not out their salvation with feare and trembling because God gives the will and the deed The meaning is this wee should worke out our salvation with a holy feare and trembling a jealous feare a sonne-like feare lest we displease God why he gives both the will and the deed hee gives both the will to doe good and when he hath done that he gives the ability of the deed it selfe We cannot doe any thing therefore we had need to walke in an awfull condition and not displease him in any thing lest he withdraw the assistance of his Spirit and leave us to our selves and then we shall fall to his dishonour to the discredit of religion to the wasting of our own comfort and the advantage of Sathan This is the temper of a man that is poore in spirit he gives himselfe up to Christs government and depends upon it and thereupon he is wondrous fearefull to displease him in any thing There are a company that know not what belong to this that hope to be saved by Christ and yet they will grieve the Spirit they will venture into any place upon any sight into any company but if ever they had beene acquainted with the government of Christs Spirit they would know what it was to grieve the Spirit and the Spirit would grieve them too it is a signe they have not the Spirit of God because he doth not check them when they have done Therefore your adventurous carelesse persons that are indifferent for all things for all companies and places that do not watch over themselves and over their words and carriages they have not this poverty of spirit for then they would know what it were to displease God in any thing to walke and to speak loosely because hereby they grieve the spirit and
onely and strong wits and such Learning as those darke times afforded to speake of Grace of the Gospel of justification they spake of it and distinguished in a meere metaphysicall and carnall manner therefore they brought onely humane Learning they were furnished with Plato and other naturall Learning and with these they thought to breake through all the Mysteries in Religion Wee must not struggle with the difficulties of Religion with naturall parts It is a Mysterie now therefore it must have a double veile tooke off a veile from the thing and the veile from our eyes It is a Mysterie in regard of the things themselves and in regard of us It is not sufficient that the things be lightsome that are now revealed by the Gospel but there must be that taken from our hearts that hinders our sight The Sunne is a most glorious creature the most visible object of the world what is that to a blind man that hath skales on his eyes So Divine Truth is glorious it is Light in it selfe but there are skales on the eyes of the soule there is a filme that must be taken off there is a veile over the heart as S. Paul saith of the Iewes therefore they could not see the scope of Moses directing all to Christ naturally there is a veile over mens hearts and that is the reason that though they have never so many parts and the things be light in themselves yet they cannot see Therefore I say the veile must be taken both from the things and from our hearts that Light being shed into lightsome hearts both may close together Againe being a Mysterie it cannot be raysed out of the Principles of Nature it cannot be raysed from Reasons But hath Reason no use then in the Gospel Yes sanctified Reason hath to draw sanctified conclusions from sanctified Principles thus faâ—re Reason is of use in these Mysteries to shew that they are not opposite to Reason they are above Reason but they are not contrarie to it even as the light of the Sunne it is above the light of a Candle but it is not contrarie to it The same thing may be both the object of Faith and of Reason The immortalitie of the soule it is a matter of Faith and it is well proved by the Heathen by the light of Reason And it is a delightfull thing to the soule in things that Reason can conceive of to have a double Light for the more Light the more comfort to have both the Light of Nature and the Light of Grace and of Gods Spirit That which Reason should do here is to stoop to Faith in things that are altogether above Reason as to conceive Christ in the Wombe of a Virgin the joyning of two Natures in one the Trinitie of Persons in one Divine Nature and such like Here it is the greatest reason to yield reason to Faith Faith is the reason of Reason in these things and the greatest reason is to yeeld to God that hath revealed them Is not here the greatest reason in the world to beleeve him that is Truth it selfe Hee hath sayd it therefore Reason it selfe sayth it is the greatest reason to yeeld to God who is Truth it selfe therefore Faith stands with the greatest reason that can be For things have a greater being in Gods Word then in themselves and Faith is above Reason therefore it is the reason of reasons to beleeve when we have things revealed in the Word that is one use of Reason in Mysteries to stop the mouthes of gaine-sayers by Reason to shew that it is no unreasonable thing to beleeve Againe seeing it is a Mysterie let no man despaire It is not the pregnancy of the Scholar here that carryes it away it is the excellencie of the Teacher if Gods Spirit be the Teacher it is no matter how dull the Scholar is it is a Mysterie Pride in great parts is a greater hinderance then simplicity in meaner parts Therefore Christ in Mat. 11. he glorifies God that hee had revealed these things to the simple and concealed them from the proud Let no man despaire for the Statutes of God give understanding to the simple as the Psalmist sayth God is such an excellent mighty Teacher that where he finds no wit he can cause wit He hath a priviledge above other Teachers hee doth not onely teach the thing but he gives wit and understanding It is a Mysterie therefore as none should be so proud as to thinke to breake thorow it with wit and parts so let none despaire considering that God can rayse shallow and weak wits to apprehend this great Mysterie It is a Mysterie therefore take heed of slighting of Divine Truths The emptie shallow heads of the world make great matters of trifles and stand amazed at baubles and vanities and thinke it a grace to slight divine things this great Mysterie of godlinesse they despise that which the Angels themselves stand in wonderment at and are students in that the wits of the world they slight and despise or dally withall as if it were a matter not worth reckoning but I leave such to reformation or to Gods just judgement that hath given them up to such extremitie of madnesse and folly Let us labour to set a high price on the Mysteries of godlinesse How shall wee come to know this Mysterie as wee should and to carry our selves answerable We must desire God to open our eyes that as the Light hath shined as the Apostle faith Tit. 2. the Grace of God hath shined as there is a lightsomenesse in the Mysteries so there may be in our eye There is a double Light required to all things in nature the lightsomnesse in the Medium and in the sight so here though the Mysteries be now revealed by Preaching and Bookes and other helpes yet to see this Mysterie and make a right use of it there is required a spirituall Light to joyne with this outward Light And hence comes a necessitie of depending upon Gods Spirit in conversing in this Mysterie There must be an using of all helpes and meanes or else we tempt God wee must reade and heare and above all we must pray as you see David in Psal. 119. Open mine eyes Lord that I may see wonders in thy Law There are wonders in thy Law but my eyes must be opened to see them He had sight before but he desires still a further and clearer sight and as the poore man in the Gospel that cryed after Christ when he was asked What wouldest thou have Lord that mine eyes might be opened So should every one of us considering it is such a ravishing Mysterie crye after God and Christ Lord that my eyes might be opened that I may see wonders in thy Law that I may see the wonders in thy Gospel the unsearchable riches of Christ. Therefore it is that S. Paul in Ephes.
us take heed that we defile not this flesh of ours this nature of ours What is this flesh of mine taken into unitie with the second Person Is this flesh of mine now in Heaven sitting at the right hand of God And shall I defile this flesh of mine that I professe to be a member of Christ Shall I make it the member of an harlot Shall I abuse it as intemperate persons doe Let us honor our nature which Christ hath so honoured and let us take a holy kind of state upon us to thinke our selves too good since God hath so advanced our nature to abaâ—e it to the service of sinne Likewise it should teach us to stoupe to any service of Christ or our brethren What did the love of God draw him into the Wombe of the Virgin Did it draw him to take my nature and flesh on him And shall I thinke much to be serviceable to my poore brethren for whom God was made flesh and not onely so but was crucified Such thoughts will take downe such proud conceits as enter into our hearts when we are about any worke of charitie for the members of Christ. Shall I have base conceits of any man whose flesh Christ hath taken especially when I see any goodnesse in him let me abase my selfe to any worke of charitie Take heed of pride God himselfe emptied himselfe and wilt thou be full of pride He became of no reputation and wilt thou stand upon termes of credit He tooke upon him the forme of a servant and wilt thou be altogether a Lord and King in thy affections not serve thy brethren Did Christ doe this that thou shouldest be a proud person He came to expiate thy pride Away with thy proud conceits If thou be too proud to follow and imitate humble men yet thinke not thy selfe too good to imitate an humble God There is no spirit more opposite to the spirit of a Christian then a spirit swelling and lift up that thinkes it selfe too good to be abased in the service of others that carries it selfe loftily A proud spirit is most opposite to the Spirit of God that became man to expiate this pride of ours and to worke our salvation in this flesh of ours Of all sinnes let us take heed of this Diabolicall Satanicall sinne let us be abased for Christ that was abased for us and as he left his Heaven to doe us good he left Heaven it selfe so let us if we have a conceited heaven and happinesse in our selves leave it and become base and low to doe any good we can Shall he stoupe and bend to us from Heaven to Earth and conceale his Majestie not to be known to be as he was and shall not wee stoupe one to another to doe good and come downe from our conceited excellencie Here we have a ground likewise not to envie the blessed Angels their greatnesse nay here we have that wherein we are above the Angels themselves for he tooke not upon him the nature of Angels but he was God manifest in our flesh Christ marryed our nature to himselfe out of his love that he might marry us to himselfe by his Spirit and now by our union with Christ we be neereâ— him then the very Angels are The Angels are not the Spouse of Christ but now by reason of his taking our nature we are kinne to Christ he is bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh and wee are bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh We are the Body Christ is the Head We are neere to Christ then the very Angels No wonder then if those blessed Spirits daily prie into this Great Mysterie Lastly let us labour that Christ may be manifested in our particular flesh in our persons As he was God manifest in the flesh in regard of that blessed Masse he tooke upon him so we would every one labour to have God manifest in our flesh How is that We must have Christ as it were borne in us formed in us as the Apostle speakes Certainely the same Spirit that sanctified Christ doth sanctifie every member of Christ and Christ is in some sort begotten and conceived and manifested in every one that is a Christian. We must labour that Christ may be manifest in our understandings in our affections that he may be manifest to us and conceived as it were in us as S. Pauls phrase is That the life of Christ may be made manifest in our mortall flesh The life and Spirit of Christ must be manifest in every true Christian and their flesh must be sanctified by the same Spirit that Christs flesh was sanctified withall As Christs flesh was first sanctified and then abased and then glorious so the flesh of every Christian must be content to be abased as the flesh of Christ was to serve Christ to be conformable to Christ in our abased flâ—sh And let us not make too much of this flesh of ours that shall turne to rottennesse ere long it must be gracious sanctified flesh as Christs was and then glorious flesh Christ must be manifest in our flesh as he was in his owne that when a man sees a Christian he may see Christ manifest in him But how shall I come to have Christ manifest in my flesh my heart is not fit to conceive Christ in there is nothing in it but deadnesse and darknesse and dulnesse and rebellion Even as the Virgin Mary she conceived Christ when she yeelded her asâ—ent When the Angell spake to her what sayth she presently Be it as thou hast sayd let it even be so she yeelded her assent to the Promise that she should conceive a Sonne So when the Promises are â—â—â—tered to us of the forgivenesse of sinnes of salvation by Christ as soone as ever we have a spirit of Faith to yeeld our assent Let it be so Lord as thou hast promised thou hast promised forgivenesse of sinnes Let it be so thou hast promised favour in Christ Let it be so As soone as the heart is brought to yeeld to the gracious Promise then Chrâ—st is conceived in the heart Even as Christ was conceived in the Wombe of the Virgin when she yeelded her assent to beleeve the Promise so Christ is in every mans heart to sanctifie it to rule it to comfort it as soone as this consent is wrought we should labour therefore to bring our hearts to this So much for this Because it is of great consequence and the leading Mysterie to all that followes I have been somewhat the longer in unfolding these words God manifest in the flesh Iustified in the Spirit These words are added to answer an objection that may rise from the former He was God manifest in the flesh he veiled himselfe he could not have suffered else when he tooke upon him to be the Mediator he must doe it in abased flesh If Christ being God had not abased himselfe he should never
of all her children Let us justifie our Religion and profession by maintaining it and standing for it and expresse in our lives and conversations the power of it How shall this be The Text sayth by the Spirit For as Christ justified himselfe that is declared himselfe to be as he was by his Spirit so every Christian hath the Spirit of Christ or else he is none of his and by this Spirit of Christ he is able to justifie his profession not onely to justifie Christ to be the true Head c. but all things he doth must be done by the Spirit or not at all For as Christ when he became man and was in the World he did all by the direction of the Spirit He was led into the Wildernesse by the Spirit he taught by the Spirit the Spirit that sanctified him in the Wombe guided him in all his life so a Christian is guided by the Spirit God doth all to him by the Spirit he is comforted and directed and strengthned by the Spirit and he againe doth all to God by the Spirit he prayes in the Spirit and sighes and groanes to God in the Spirit he walkes in the Spirit he doth all by the Spirit Therefore by the Spirit let us justifie and declare our selves what we are that there is somewhat in us above nature that we have love above carnall men and patience and meekenesse above the abilitie and capacitie of other men We justifie our profession when we do somewhat more then nature or when we doe common ordinarie things in a spirituall holy manner Religion is not a matter of forme but of Spirit Let us not shew our Religion onely by word but by the fruits of the Spirit by love and mercie and meekenesse and zeale when occasion serves The whole life of a Christian as farre as he is a Christian it gives evidence that he is a Christian the whole life of a carnall formall man evidences that he is not a Christian because he hath nothing in him above other men as our Saviour Christ sayth What peculiar thing doe ye to distinguish your selves from other men So let us aske our selves We professe our selves to be the children of God the Heires of Heaven What peculiar thing doe we How doe we justifie our selves A true Christian can answer I can justifie it by the Spirit I finde I doe things from other Principles and motives and inducements then the World doth who onely respect tearmes of Civilitie and aymes of the World or to content the clamour of conscience but I finde I doe things out of assurance that I am the child of God and in obedience to him Let us see what peculiar thing we doe Alas I cannot but lament the poore profession of many How doe they justifie their profession How doe they make good that they have the Spirit of God raysing them above other men when they live no beâ—ter then Pagans nay not so well under the profession of the Gospel and Religion Would Pagans live as many men doe Did they not keepe their words better Were they so loose in their lives and conversations and so licentious Would they sweare by their gods idly Most of our ordinarie people are worse then Pagans Where is the justifying of Religion If Turks and Heathens should see them they would say You talke of Religion but where is the power of it If you had the power of it you would expresse it more in your fidelitie and honestie and mercie and love and sobrietie The Kingdome of God that is the manifestation of the Government of Christ it is not in word but in power Therefore let us labour to justifie that we are subjects of that Kingdome by the power of it Meere civill persons the Apostle sayth of them 2 Tim. 3. they are such as have a forme of Godlinesse but denie the power of it All that rabblement that he names there they have a forme A forme is easie but the power of it is not so easie Therefore let us justifie our Religion by our conversation Let us justifie the Ordinances of God the preaching and hearing of the Word of God by reverence in hearing it as the Word of God and labour to expresse it in our lives and conversations or else we thinke it nothing but the speech of man Let us justifie the Sacrament to be the Scale of God by comming reverently to it and by finding our Faith strengthened by it So labour to justifie everie Ordinance of God from some sweet comforts that wee feele by them and then we shew that wee are true members of CHRIST that we are like CHRIST who justified himselfe in the Spirit Beloved it is a great Power that must make a true Christian no lesse then the Power of the Spirit that raysed Christ from the dead as it is Ephes. 1. Saint Paul prayes that they might fâ—ele the Power that raysed Christ from the dead It is no lesse power for Christ to shine in our darke hearts then to make light to shine out of darknesse Now what power is in the lives of most men The power that raysed Christ from the dead Certainely no. What power is there in hearing the Word when many are so full of prophanenesse that they altogether neglect it What power is there now and then to speake a good word or now and then to doe a slight action Is this the power that raysed Christ from the dead when by the strength of nature men can doe it There must be somewhat above nature to justifie a sound spirituall Christian We must have something to shew that we have our spirits raysed up by the Spirit of Christ to justifie our profession in all estates In prosperitie to shew that we have a Spirit above prosperitie that we are not proud of it Then in adversitie then we justifie that we are Christians by a Spirit that is above adversitie that we doe not sinke under it as a meere naturall man would doe when we have learned Saint Pauls Lesson in all estates to be content In temptation we justifie our Christian profession by arming our selves with a Spirit of Faith to beat backe the fierie darts of Satan When all things seeme contrarie let us cast our selves by a Spirit of Faith upon Christ that argues a powerfull worke of the Spirit when we can in contraries beleeve contraries Thus let us shew that we are Christians that we have somewhat in us above nature that when the course of nature seemes to be contrary yet we can looke with the eye of Faith through all discouragements and clouds and can see God reconciled in Christ that will justifie us to be sound Christians Therefore let us labour not onely for slight outward performances that are easie for any to doe but by an inward frame of soule and by a carriage and conversation becomming our Profession that we may walke worthy of our Profession fruitfully
thoughts of that will be a good meanes for we must empty our selves of that we are that we may be filled with that we are not and we must daily consider the emptinesse of the creature wherewith we labour to support our selves For when men have no goodnesse in themselves they will have an excellency in the creature therefore when wee see our selves out of Christ to be nothing but fuell for Gods vengeance and see that the creature can afford us nothing but vexation these thoughts that these things are so and out of experience will make us draw neere to God upon all occasions it will make us glorifie him and abase our selves what made Iob abase himselfe and glorifie God when he drew neere to God and God drew neere to him I abhorre my selfe and so we see in Abraham Let us draw neere to God upon all occasions in the Word and Prayer and in the Sacrament and this will make us see our owne nothingnesse and Gods greatnesse for that is the way to honour him to see his greatnesse and a nothingnesse in the creature that all things in him are so excellent and out of him nothing and worse then nothing Now wee are to draw neere to God in the Sacrament and the neerer to God the more we honour him who honours God most surely Christ because he is so neere him being God and man in one Person and next to him the blessed Angels glorifie God they are neere him therefore in Isay 6. they cover their faces it being impossible for the creature to comprehend the great Majestie of God and they cover their feet in modesty the neerer we draw to God in the meditation and consideration of his excellencie in the ordinances the more humble and abased wee shall be in our selves and the more we shall honour God seeing his excellency especially of his love So next to the Angels the Saints All thy workes praise thee Psal. 145. They give matter and occasion but Thy Saints blesse thee If it were not for a few Saints on earth though all the workes of God are matter of praise they could not praise God Thy Saints blesse thee and the neerer we come to God the fitter we are for this Now there is a wondrous neere comming to God in the Sacrament if we come prepared we come to have communion and strengthening in Christ he is both the Inviter and the Feast it selfe we come to be made one with him bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh therefore if wee come prepared this is the way to bring us to a disposition to glorifie God you see here the wondrous infinite love of God in the Sacrament to stoupe so low to his creature to strengthen our faith by giving us these things God had beene good to us whether he had given us his Oath and his Seale or no but he knowes we are weake and unbeleeving and doubting therefore to helpe us he hath given us not onely his promise but his Oath and besides his Oath hee hath given us signes and Seales here is wondrous mercy Let us be encouraged to come in and admire the love of God not onely in giving his Sonne Christ for us but in affording us other meanes to strengthen our faith Let none be discouraged in the sight and sense of their owne sinnes but let them come in and they shall glorifie God the more where sinne hath abounded in their sence and feeling there grace shall more abound And those that have beene good and have slipped any way let them consider Gods infinite love in Christ it is not a Cisterne but a Spring Gods mercy in Christ and the blood of Christ is a Fountaine opened for Iudah c. that is it serves not for our first conversion onely but every day upon every occasion when we have made any breach with God we may come and wash in that Bath Christs blood The blood of Christ purgeth it is in the present tense it runnes continually in the vigour of it There is a spring of corruption in us there is a Spring of mercy in God there is a Spring of Christs blood that hath a perfect efficacy to wash our soules Therefore if we have not yet beene converted and humbled and cast downe â—or our sinnes let us now come in and give God the glory of his mercy and if we have fallen againe consider there is a Fountaine opened for Iudah and Ierusalem to wash in and let us come and renew our repentance and faith at this time Peace on Earth The same holy affection in the Angels that moved them to wish God to have his due of glory from the creature it moves them to wish peace to men likewise to shew this by the way that There can be no true zeale of Gods glory but with love to man-kind They were not so ravished with the glory of God as to forget poore man on earth oh no they have sweet pure affections to man a poorer creature then themselves Therfore let them that are injurious and violent in their dispositions and insolent in their carriage never talke of glorifying God when they despise and wrong men there are some that overthrow all peace in the earth for their owne glory but he that seekes Gods glory will procure peace what he can for they goe both together as we see here Glory to God in the highest peace on earth Now their end of wishing peace upon earth it is that men might thereby glorifie God that God being reconciled and peace being stablished in mens consciences they might glorifie God hence observe this likewise that We cannot glorifie God till we have some knowledge of our peace with him in Christ. We must have the first act to cast our selves upon Gods mercy in Christ and adhere and cleave to that mercy and then we shall feele so much comfort as shall make us glorifie God though we may question it in desertion sometimes here the Angels intending that God should have glory of all they wish peace on earth in the consciences of men especially The reason is peace comes from righteousnesse Christ is first the King of righteousnesse and then King of peace righteousnesse causeth peace now unlesse the soule be assured of righteousnesse in Christ it can have no peace what saith the Virgin Mary My soule doth magnifie the Lord and my spirit rejoyceth in God my Saviour she begins with magnifying the Lord but what was the ground she rejoyced in God as a Saviour therefore she magnified him so in the Lords Prayer wee say Our Father which is a word of the Covenant of grace when the soule conceives of God as a gracious Father reconciled in Christ and then comes Hallowed be thy Name insinuating that till we know in some measure God to be our Father we cannot with a gracious spirit say Hallowed be thy Name for can we heartily wish for the manifestation of the glory of
him that we thinke is our enemy and him that wee have no interest in his greatnesse and goodnesse the heart of man will never doe it therefore God must first speake peace to the soule the Angels knew that well enough and then we are fit to glorifie God Peace on Earth What is peace It is the best thing that man can attaine unto to have peace with his Maker and Creator Peace in generall is a harmony and an agreement of different things This peace here you may know what it is by the contrary as the Apostle saith Ephes. 1.10 the word there is very significant Anakephaliosis there is a recapitulation or gathering all to a head in Christ out of Christ there is a division a separation and a skattering a breach that is five-fold First there is a skattering and a division from God the Fountaine of good with whom we had communion in our first creation and his delight was in his creature we lost that blessed communion and our sinnes have separated betweene God and us as the Prophet saith Then there is a separation betweene the good Angels and us for they being good subjects tak part with their Prince and therefore joyne against Rebels as we areâ— hence it is that upon the sight of Angels the very hearts of good men have sometimes beene stricken considering that there is no very good termes betweene us and the Angels till we come to Christ againe Then there is a division and skattering between man man no common Spirt of God will keep men together till they be in Christ as it is said God sent an evill spirit a spirit of division betweene the men of Sichem so since the fall there is an ill spirit of division among men till the Gospell againe bring peace especially there is no sound peace betweene men in the state of nature and others that are Gods children nor with the ordinances of God for men apprehend the ordinances of God as enemies the word cuts and lanceth him it is as the sentence of a Judge to condemne him therefore he feares and trembles at the powerfull opening of the word The ordinance of God speakes no comfort to a carnall man he is as Ahab he never had a word of peace from the Prophet the word alway speakes ill to him he is under the Law and it speakes nothing but terrour and curses to him And then there is a division and separation betweene a man and the creature which is ready to be in armes against any man that is in the state of nature to take Gods quarrell as we see in the plagues of Egypt and other examples if God doe but give them leave they presently make an end of sinfull man and they would glory in it too to serve their Creator it is part of their vanity to be subject to wicked men they have no peace with the creature And they have no peace with themselves they speake peace to themselves but alas God speaks none to them they make a Covenant with death and hell but death and hell make no Covenant with them so it is a forced sleepy peace it is a dead slâ—ep the peace they have it is but adâ—ersion to othâ—r things they 〈…〉 selves and the warre the 〈…〉 themselves and 〈…〉 â—â—uce that they take up for a time when God opens their conscience there is a hell in their hearts and soules that when it is loosed makes them to suffer a hell upon earth they enter into the paines of hell before their time so there is no peace to the wicked at all there is since the fall a separation betweene God and man betweene Angels and man betweene man and the creatures betweene man and himselfe Now Christ at his comming taking our nature upon him brings all into one againe hee brings God and man together againe by offering himselfe a Sacrifice by making full satisfaction to the Justice of God and sinne which is the cause of his displeasure being taken away God being gracious and mercifull his mercy runnes amaine on us sinne onely separates between God and us and that Christ takes away therefore he is called by Saint Paul Christ our peace Ephes. 2. and the Prince of peace he was qualified to be our peace hee was a friend to both parties having marryed our nature of purpose that hee might in our nature bring God and us together as it is 1 Pet. 3.18 Hiâ— whole worke was to bring us backe againe to God from whom wee fell at the first Then if wee be at peace with God all other peace will follow foâ— good subjects will be at peace with rebels when they are brought in subjection to their King and all joyne in one obeâ—ience therefore the Angels are brought to 〈◊〉 againe by Christ. And so for men there is a spirit of union betweene them the same spirit that knits us to God by faith knits us one to another by love And we have peace with the creature for when God who is the Lords of Hosts is made peacefull to us hee makes all other things peaceable The Heathen could say Tranquillus Deus tranquidat omnia when God is at peace he makes all so So there is peace in our owne hearts we are assured by the Spirit of God that he is our Father he seales it to our conscience by his Spirit because the blood of Christ is set on by the Spirit of God and not by our owne so that now God and we are brought to one and Angels and we and all other things therefore now the Angels say Peace on earth when Christ was borne Now we will shew that this blessed peace in all the branches of it is founded in Christ Christ is the cause and the foundation of it for though these words were spoken at the Incarnation of Christ yet wee referre them to the whole worke of his Mediator-ship in the state of his abasement and his state of exaltation our peace is wholly founded upon him for he was borne and became man and became sinne that is a Sacrifice for sinne for us he became a curse for us to stablish a peace and to satisfie Gods anger and then hee rose againe to shew that he had fully satisfied God anger and that peace was fully established therefore the holy Ghost was sent after the Resurrection as a testimony that God was appeased and now in heaven he is ever there as a Priest to make Intercession for us so that Christ is our peace from his Incarnation to his death from thence to his Resurrection and Ascension and Intercession all peace with God with Angels and with creatures is stablished in Christ And why in Christ Christ is every way fitted for it for he is the Mediator betweene God and man therefore by office he is fit to make peace betweene God and man he is Emanuel himselfe God and man in one nature
upon him and be ruled by him and they will not it shall be easier for Sodome and Gomorrha for Jewes and Turkes and Pagans and those that worship Devils then for us for when God offers his free love and mercy in Christ if we will entertaine it and we will none of it then justice alone shall not condemne us but mercy shall condemne us wee will none of mercy There is not the worst man but would have pardoning mercy hee is content to have God pardon his sinne but hee will not take the whole mercy and love of God in Christ curing healing mercy there are those that live in filthy courses in prophanenesse in swearing c. it is food to them to be malicious to deprave the best things Serpents feed on poyson They are content to have their sinnes pardoned if God will let their filthy nature alone their poysonfull blasphemous disposition that exalts it selfe against God and let them goe on in their course they will have one mercy but not another but wee shall never be saved without entire mercy healing as well as pardoning whom God loves hee doth not onely pardon their sinnes but heales their nature and makes it like unto Christs holy and pure Those that have not the Spirit in them desiring altering and changing and healing grace as well as pardoning grace they are hypocrites Let us remember this especially because it is most usefull and most men are deceived in this they thinke oh God is mercifull and his love is free in Christ and though I be unworthy yet God will have mercy upon me but hast thou a secret desire to partake of Gods whole mercy and love to make thee good as well as to make thee his sonne and intitle thee to heaven to have thy nature altered to see the deformity of sinne and the beauty of grace if thou hadst rather to have the Image of God upon thee more then any favour in the world that thou hadst rather be free from the bondage of sinne then any other deliverance if it be thus thy state is good To hasten considering Gods free love opened now in Jesus Christ I beseech you let us study Christ and labour to get into Christ daily more and more that wee may be members of Christ and desire God daily more and more to reveale himselfe in Christ to us that we may see his face in Christ that wee may know him in the sweet relations hee hath put on him in the Gospell To know God in generall as a Creator and doing good c. the Heathens did that by the light of nature but we should labour to â—ee him in the face of Christ that is to see him appeased and loving us wishing us well concerning eternall glory that must be by the light of the Gospell and by the Spirit therfore in hearing of the Word and reading and meditating desire God above all to reveale by his Spirit his gracâ—ous face in Christ that in Christ we may see him as a Father as a Husband as a Friend in those sweet relations of love that he hath taken upon him It should be our daily desire of God to manifest his love more to us in Christ Iesus then in any other fruits of his love for there be common fruits as to give us health and friends and liberty and quiet governement which are great favours that we see denyed to many nations oh but the soule that is touched with the spirit of God and the sence of his owne condition by nature is thus disposed Lord I desire that thou wouldest shew the fruits of thy love to me but I desire not so much those common fruits that the reprobates may have as well as I oh shew me by thy holy spirit that thou hast a particular and peculiar love to me in Christ and for this end give me grace to know the mistery of Christ more and more the mystery of my naturall corruption that knowledge that may drive me to make much of thy love and grace in Christ. Now the Spirit that knowes the deepe things of God the depth of Gods love to any one in particular and the depth of our hearts if we begge the Spirit to reveale the good pleasure of God to us in time God will shew unto our soules that he delights in us and that he is our salvation this shewes that the soule is an excellent temper that it sets a right price and value on things that it prizeth Gods favour above all things that is the nature of faith for what is faith onely to believe in generall that Christ dyed c No but to esteeme Gods love better then all the world for Gods love is entire in pardoning and curing too by this the soule is raysed up to esteeme the love and mercy of God in pardoning and healing sinne above life it selfe Psal. 63. Thy loving kindnesse is better then life To conclude all with this one motive the loving kindnesse of God when wee have it once it is no barren complementall kindnesse it is a loving kindnesse that reacheth from everlasting to everlasting from Gods love in chusing to his love in glorifying us it is a love that reacheth to the filling of nature with all the happinesse it is capable of In this world in all misery one beame of Gods loving kindnesse will scatter all clouds whatsoever what raised the spirit of Daniel in the Lions Den of the three young men in the middest of the Furnace of St. Paul in the Dungeon the beames of Gods love in Christ brake into the prison into the Dungeon a few beames of that will enlarge the heart more then any affliction in the world can cast it downe It is excellent that Moses saith Deut. 33. The good pleasure of him that dwelt in the bush c. You know that God appeared in the bush when it was flaming the flaming bush shewed the state of Israel in the middest of the Furnace of persecution yet notwithstanding the bush was not consumed why because the good will of God was in the bush so let us be in any persecution put case wee bee like Moses bush all on fire yet the fire shall not consume nor hurt us why the good pleasure of him that dwelt in the bush is with us in Isai 43. I will bee with thee in the fire and in the water not to keepe thee out but I will be with thee in it so that in the greatest persecutions that can be in the fiery tryall as Saint Peter cals it the good will of him that dwelt in the bush will bee with us so that wee shall not be consumed though we bee in the fire afflicted but not despaire why the good pleasure of God dwels in the bush in the Church in the middest of afflictions and persecutions hee is with us who can bee miserable that hath the presence of God the favour and good will of God
them or else we shall find no grace we must be poore in Spirit and sensible of our misery for God inricheth those that are empty and poore The rich he sends empty away We must sue to God for grace by the Spirit of grace and take heed that we turne not these offers of grace to occasions of wantonnesse and so divide Christ to take out of Christ what we list and leave what we list we must know that Christ as he is our Iesus to save us so he is our Lord as he saith here The Lord Iesus Christ we must submit to him for the time to come and then we shall finde experience of his sweet grace The next thing I obserue briefly is that This grace must be knowne Saith the Apostle here you know the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ. A man may know his riches he may know his interest in Christ. The Apostle useth it here as an argument to perswade them to good works that that is used as an argument must be knowne before the thing can be perswaded A thing cannot be made light by that which is darker then it selfe but the Apostle here useth this as an argument you know the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ so that these truths are taken for granted That all grace comes by the poverty of Christ. And then that we may know our selves to be interessed in it that Christs poverty was for us A man that is a true Christian may know his share and interest in the grace of Christ or else how should he be perswaded by this as an argument if he know it not Or how shall he be comfortable excepâ— he know that he hath interest in Christ It may be knowne out of the Scriptures as a history that Christ is gracious for matter of fact the Devils know it as well as we and Iudas knew it but hee speakes here of a knowledge with interest you know it by experience the Spirit witnesseth to your spirits so much that Christ gave himselfe for you I know the grace of Christ as mine as belonging to me as if there were no man in the world besides and as this knowledge is with interest so it stirs up to due All other knowledge but knowledge with interest may stand with desperation and what good will it doe to know in generall that Christ came to save sinners and yet go to Hell for all that It is the knowledge that applyes Christ in particular that saves a man that knowledge that determines the generall to my owne person Therefore we must labour for this Christ was poore for me He loved me and gave himselfe for me The love and free grace of Christ it may and it ought to be knowne We ought to give all diligence to make our calling and election sure It may be knowne but it cannot be knowne without a great deale of diligence and selfe deniall This knowledge is a super-added grace It is one thing to be a sound Christian and another thing to know it A man cannot know it by reflexion but he must first be good in exercise he must finde grace working he must give all diligence to make his calling and election sure to him It may be sure in it selfe but it cannot be sure to him without diligence therefore those that know their estate in grace they are fruitfull growing carefull watchfull Christians It is no wonder that in these secure times if we aske many whether they know themselves to be in the state of grace upon sound grounds they wish well and they have many doubtings There are many that have the seeds and the worke of grace in them but the times are so secure that they know it not Vsually it is made knowne to us in the worst times either in the time of affliction and temptation and triall or after when wee have fought the good fight and overcome our corruptions To him that overcommeth will I give of the hidden Mannah that is he shall have a sweet sense of Christ to be Mannah to be bread of life to him to him that conflicts and gets the victory over his corruptions The reason why many feele not that sweet comfort from the Grace of our Lord Iesus Christ it is because either they doe not conflict with their base corruptions or if they doe strive they get but a little ground of them And let us take heed of that cold and injurious conceit as if it were a thing not to be known whether we belong to Christ or no. What doe we think that Christ would come in the flesh and become poore nay become a curse for us and that he is now in Heaven for us and all that we should doubt whether we be in his love or no and that we should not labour to finde our portion in that love What a wrong is this to the grace of Christ Is not all his dealing towards us that we might be joyfull in our selves and thankfull and fruitfull to him and how can this be without some knowledge that our state is good How can wee live well and dye comfortably without it Therefore let us make it the maine scope and aime of our indeavour Oh the happinesse of that Christian that is good and knowes himselfe to be so What in this world can fall very uncomfortably to such a man Nothing in the world can take downe his courage much whereas another man that doubts of this can never be comfortable in any condition he cannot be joyfull and thankfull in prosperity he cannot be comfortable in adversity for hee knowes not from what ground this comes whether it be in love to him or no. You see from hence likewise that grace is no enemy to good workes neither the freedome of Gods favour being without any merit on our part nor the knowledge and assurance of salvation it is no enemy to diligence and to good works nay it is the foundation of them The Apostle doth not use it here as an argument to neglect good workes no he stirs them up by it If any thing in the world will worke upon a heart that hath any ingenuity it is the love and favour and grace of God the love of Christ constraineth the love of Christ as knowne it melts the heart The knowledge of the grace of Christ it is very effectuall to stir us up as to all duties so especially to the duty of bounty and mercy for experience of grace it will make us gracious and kinde and loving and sweet to others Those that have felt mercy will be ready to shew mercy those that have felt grace and love they will be ready to reflect and shew that to others that they have felt themselves Those that are hard hearted and barren in their lives and conversations it is a signe that the Sunne of righteousnesse never yet shined on them There is a power in grace and grace knowne to assimilate the soule to be
gave that that was his owne his owne body his owne life for his sheepe and his owne endeavour whatsoever he gave was his owne so if we will be kind to others we must do it of our owne we must not doe good with that that we have gotten from others by unjust means for the sacrifice of the wicked in this kind is an abomination to the Lord. Let us have interest in that we give Christ gave his owne life and God gave his owne Sonne for us And as Christ gave his owne selfe so he gave himselfe in life and death for us he did not reserve all for his death but for us he was borne for us he lived for us he died he deferred not all till his death Christ did us wondrous good by his death and men may doe much good when they die but let us endeavour to be like Christ in both to do good while we live and do good when we die likewise The common speech is the gifts of dying men are dying dead gifts it is a speech tending to the disparagement of gifts in that kind because they are not so acceptable as the gifts of living men in many respects notwithstanding let not men be discouraged from doing good even when they die Indeed it is most comfortable to do it while they live Because It is an evidence then that they have a spirit of faith to depend upon the promise of God It is no exercise of faith to give when a man can keepe it no longer Againe he that doth good while he liveth he hath the prayers of others he is under the blessing of the poore and that is a sweet thing Suppose the poore be barbarous base people that they blesse not a man with their words yet their sides blesse him Now those that deferre all till they die they want this comfort they are not under the blessing of the poore The rule of our religion is that we have no good by the prayers of others I will not discusse that point now but undoubtedly it is a sweet comfort that we have of that we do while we live by the blessing and prayers of the poore to whom we do good Then againe in civill respects it is our owne and we are sure it is well bestowed When we are dead the propriety is gone from us it comes into the possession of another man and we know not how he will dispose of it Perhaps he may die before thee that needs thy helpe or thou mayest die or thou mayest not have the same mind therefore while thou hast a heart and opportunity to do good forget not to do it presently We have need to be urged in these cold dead timâ—s to labour that the grace of Christ may be effectuall in our hearts to do all the good we can in our life time as Christ did And let us labour to do it as he did constantly that we may never be wearie of well doing In the morning sow thy seed and in the evening let not thy hand rest It is comfort enough that it is called seed who grieves to cast his seed into the ground he knowes he shall have a plentifull returne so all that we give it is seed we see it not for the presenâ— no more we do the seed that is sowne but Cast thy bread upon the waters and after many dayes thou shalt find it Though we see not this seed for the present yet we shall have a plentifull harvest Onely labour to do it with discretion for men do not sow upon the stones nor upon the fallow ground they do not scatter their seed in any place sowing is a regular thing men cast seed into ground that is prepared therefore there must be spirituall discretion the wisdome of a steward in this kind Psal. 112. The just man doth all things with wisdome and discretion But must we not be liberall and kind and bountifull to all Yes in case of necessity then we are to looke to mans nature because he is a partaker of our nature and he is such an one as may be a member of Christ and one for whom Christ died for ought we know he now beares the image of Christ and he may come to the obedience of Christ and our kindnesse may be effectuall to bring him to goodnesse Therefore as we if we be in need doe not stand upon it but receive kindnesse from wicked men so when wicked men are in need we must not stand upon it but give to wicked men we must do as we would be done by in such cases in necessity But our kindnesse must be most to those that are nearest God to those of the family and houshold of faith to those that God loves most we must bee most kinde to whom God hath dispensed the greatest things wee should not deny the lesse Indeed it is a hard matter to give wisely in these times and not to abuse the sweet affection and grace of pity it is an affection in all but it is a grace in them that are good because there are so many wretched people that live without God without Church without Common-wealth without mariage without baptisme like beasts If any thing be an object of pity certainly this is that there are so many that carry Gods image on them that are Gods creatures and for ought we know such as Christ died for that they should be suffered to live irregular debaucht and base lives scandalous to the Church and State And without question if things be not better looked unto these will be instruments of much mischiefe by Gods just judgment because there be good lawes that are not executed The best mercy to such is to see them set on worke and to give them correction But then for such as are beginning the world that are poore and cannot set up and those that have the Church of God in their families that are ready to fall and a little reliefe would keepe them that they fall not into inordinate courses it is mercy to set them up and maintaine them and also by upholding those that are in the ministery There are many wayes in the Church and State A wise man can never want objects of mercy and charity as Christ saith The poore you shall have alway with you but as I said we must labour for a spirit of wisdome to doe good as we should and not to feed Drones instead of Bees The Spirit of God is frequent in pressing this point but this argument in the Text it may melt any mans heart and take away all objections The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ. If a man object he that I should give to is an unworthy person Doe but think how worthy we were of the favour of Christ to us And then againe consider if there be any goodnesse in them we give it to Christ in them as Salvianus saith well
happie for his former happinesse makes his present unhappinesse more sensible When God had prepared him thorowly then he raised him up with the promised seed God deales as he dealt with Eliah first hee casts him downe with earthquakes and stormes and then he comes in a stiller voice It is for that end that Iohn Baptist comes before Christ to levell all to cast downe the Mountaines and fill up the valleyes for all must bee laid flat to Christ we must lay our selves at his feet and be content to be disposed of by him before we know what belongs to being in Christ there must be poverty of spirit antecedent therefore We see this lively set out in the Prodigall sonne that while he had any thing in the world to content him he never lookes homeward but when he saw such an emptinesse in all things he met with that he could not be satisfied with husks then he began to think of going home and that there was some hope he had a father that would receive him I will be short in this because the other is mainely intended If we would know and discerne by some evidences whether we have beene poore in spirit in this preparative poverty or no. Let us consider what we have judged of our condition by nature whether ever we have beene convinced of the ill condition we are in for if there be not conviction of sinne there will not be conviction of righteousnesse as you have it Iohn 16. There are three workes of the Spirit to convince of sin of righteousnesse and of judgment of spirituall government The Spirit before it convinceth us that we have the righteousnesse of Christ and convinceth us of the necessity of government and holy life in Christ which is called there Iudgement he convinceth of sin which is an antecedent worke Let us examine our selves whether the Spirit have had such a worke or no. Where this conviction and poverty is a man sees an emptinesse and vanity in all things in the world whatsoever but in Christ. And there is a desire of the grace and favour of God above all things Aske a poore man what he would have he would haue that that may supply his poverty and want Aske a man that is spiritually poore before he be in Christ what would you have Oh mercy and pardon offer him any thing else in the world it contents him not but that will content him the sense and perswasion of Gods love and mercy in Christ Iesus Where this poverty of spirit is there will be a wondrous earnestnesse after pardon and mercy and after grace to be in an other condition a man will labour even as for life If you come to a poore man that labours for his living and aske him why doe you labour so he will wonder at your idle question I may starve else he will say A man that is spiritually poore and sees what a state he is in he labours in the use of meanes to have an inward sense of Gods love to finde some beginnings of the new creature to finde a change to be otherwise then he is he sees he must perish else there is a prizing and estimation in him of mercy and pardon above all things in the world and a making after it It is alway joyned likewise with a wondrous abasing of himselfe he thinks himselfe not worth the ground he goes on till God hath mercy on him in Iesus Christ. This is not so sensible in those that are brought up in the Church or that have religious thoughts put into them continually in both kindes both concerning their owne estate by nature and withall concerning grace and mercy in Christ. Therefore grace is instilled into them by little and little and the change is not so sensible But where the conversion is anything sudden from an ill course of life to a better God workes such a poverty of spirit before he bring a man to Christ. In Mat. 5. it is the beginning of all happinesse the blessednesse that leads to the rest Blessed are the poore in spirit for theirs is the kingdome of Heaven And indeed those that are poore in spirit are blessed though they have not yet the sense of Gods love so much as they desire for this drawes on all the rest as I shall shew afterwards To be poore in spirit therefore is to see that we have no good in our selves that we are beggers and bankrupts and have no meanes to pay or satisfie and this stirs up desire and the use of meanes and all the qualifications that follow there Hungring and thirsting after righteousnesse and mourning and meeknesse For this will follow a man that is poore in spirit say what you will to him he is so tractable and meeke let God doe what he will with him so he give him grace if he will cast him downe so be it What shall we doe to be saved Implying a plyablenesse to take any course he is willing to do or to suffer anything And indeed there must be such a poverty of spirit before we can beleeve in Christ whereby we may be convinced of our debts and of our unability to pay those debts and our misery that we are in danger to be cast into eternall bondage for them there must be this before for else we will never repaire to Christ nor Gods mercy in him The full stomack despiseth an hony combe we will not relish Christ nor value him as we should Then againe without this we will not be thankfull to God as we should be who is thankfull to God but he that sees before what need he stands in of mercy and of every drop of the blood of Christ And then we will not be fruitfull for who is so fruitfull a Christian as hee that is thankfull and this depends upon the other A Christian that was never truly cast downe and laid low by the spirit of bondage he is a barren Christian the other having tasted of the love of God in Christ the very love of Christ constraines him and he studies to be abundant in the worke of the Lord as S. Paul saith and every way to shew forth the vertues of him that hath caâ—led him out of darkenesse into marvellous light Againe this is the ground when men are not sufficiently humbled before that they fal away dangerously it is the ground of apostacy because they did not feele the smart of sin He that hath smarted for his estate before knowes what it is to be in such a condition he will be loth ever to come into the prison againe Therefore the ground of carefull walking is a sense of our unworthinesse and misery the more we are donvinced of this the more carefull and watchfull wee will bee that we never come into that cursed condition againe And indeed it is an errour in the foundation which is not mended in the
not only a continuance of grace but a fresh supply of stronger grace And for want of this the best of Gods Saints have fallen foulely Though they have had grace in them yet notwithstanding the Spirit hath left them to themselves in regard of new supply because they have beene conceited they have not beene poore enough in spirit As Peter he was conceited of his owne strength Though all men forâ—ake thee yet I will not This conceit moved God â—n mercy as well as in justice to leave him to â—imselfe that by his fall he might learne to stand another time and not trust his owne strength The â—est of us all I say when there is any thing to bee done we had need of a fresh influence of grace and a fresh light to shine upon us It should force perpetuall poverty of spirit to see the want that is in our selves and the supply that is out of our selves and to make use of that by going out of our selves and making towards him in whom is all our supply In all our communion wee have with God which is the happinesse of our estate this frame and disposition of soule to bee poore in spirit it is necessary in every act Even in our very prayers for grace we are so void of it that wee want ability to call for what we want We must have that from the Spirit not only grace but that disposition of soule which carries us to God a spirit fitting us to pray that must bee also given us wee know not what to call for Wee of our selves are so poore that wee not only want grace and ability to action but we have not ability to aske but Gods spirit must dictate our prayers and give us motions and make us sensible of our wants and must inable our faith to cherish those graces and make us goe out of our selves even in our very prayers What a state is this then Had wee not need to bee poore in spirit all our life time that have not so much as ability to goe out of our selves for supply from another but that must come from Christ too As S. Augustin who was a great advancer of the grace of GOD and an abaser of man he had indeed S. Pauls spirit saith hee wee should boast and glory of nothing because nothing is ours We have need of this poverty of spirit in the whole tenure of our Christian life Againe in the actions of this life how pitifully doe wee miscarry because we thinke wee have wit and strength enough and set upon things in our owne wit and strength we speed â—nd have successe answerable Where the beginning is confidence the end is shame of any businesse even of this life What is the reason that oft times the great and weighty businesses of this life have not answerable successe Many times it falsout so as one said of generall Councels they seldome were successefull because men come with confidence and wit for victory rather then truth Certainly there is lesse successe in great matters because men come with selfe confidence Therefore it is a good signe that God meanes to blesse great businesses when hee puts it into the hearts of those that are agents in them to seeke him in the affaires of this life We must bee poore in spirit to see that the carriage and successe comes from him Well so it is iâ— suffering likewise wee cannot suffer the least crosse of our selves but with murmuring and repining without strength from him When Moses came to the waters of strife Moses spirit was discovered hee could not endure the harshnesse and rebellion of the people A Christian comes sometimes to such opposition that his spirit is moved and he discovers much corruption It is so with the best men even Moses a meek man when he had such temptations and provocations it moved him Wee must labour to get a greater spirit then our owne to have the spirit of God to work this spirituall poverty in us This poverty of spirit as we call it is spirituale vacuum spirituall emptinesse You know in Philosophy there is nothing empty in the world but it is filled either with aire or some kind of body and to avoide the enemy of nature emptinesse things will change their seat heavie things will goe upward and things that are above will comâ— below to avoid emptinesse that is contrary to â—â—ture there being a fulnesse of things with one bodie or other so I say spirituall poverty it is aâ— emptying of the soule which of force alway brings better things in Wheresoever this emptying of the soule is this making of our selves poore it is upon good ground by this course it is alwaies such a vacuum and emptinesse of one thing as brings in another better The soule can never be altogether empty when winde and vaine stuffe is out then comes better things in which S. Paul cals the fulnesse of God he prayes and wishes that they might be filled with the fulnesse of God then comes fulnesse of knowledge and understanding and fulnesse of affection and fulnesse of contentment and complacency in the will and all the soule hath an answerable fulnesse to the proportion of the emptying it selfe of it selfe In the next place let us come to discover this disposition of poverty of spirit where it is And then shew some helpes to it First to discover where this blessed frame of soule is Surely those that are thus poore in spirit they are full of prayer The poore man speakes supplications as the Wiseman saith that is his dialect The poore man is much in prayer he that is poore in spirit is much in supplication for prayers they are the Ambassadours of the poore soule to God to supply it with the riches of his grace Therefore where there is no prayer there is no sense of poverty but there is a Laodicean temper as if they were rich enough You have a company of men they say they cannot pray privately their spirits are barren They intimate much pride of spirit for if a man be sensible of his wants you need not supply him with words If a poore tenant come to a Land-lord and find he hath a hard bargaine let him alone for telling his tale I warrant you he will lay open the state of his wife and children and the ill yeare he hath had he will be eloquent enough Take any man that is sensible of his wants and you shall not need to dictate words to him There is no man that hath a humble and broken heart though he be never so illiterate but he will have a large heart to God in this kinde Againe there is a care of using all meanes Where poverty is there will bee a making out of our selves unto places where GOD bestowes any riches They that are poore and have no victuals at home they will goe to market rather than they will starve and those that find
but he hath riches enough in Christ if he see his owne poverty He is a sinner in himselfe but he hath righteousnesse enough in Christ if he see his sins Let us know that this is a qualification to interest us in the good that is in Christ we renew our right in Christ no otherwise then we renew the sense of our owne poverty and want Would we see all in Christ that we have riches and wisdome and happinesse and favour and life and all in him With the same spirituall eye of the soule let us see that we have nothing in our selves for I can no otherwise renew that right and interest I have in Christ but by renewing this sight we altogether shine in the beames of our Husband The consideration of this will be a meanes to worke our care and endeavour towards it that we are creatures new creatures and therefore we must rise of nothing in our selves and we must be maintained and supported by the new Adam the second Adam and have fresh grace from him continually we move and live in him as I said before Againe that we may be poore in spirit helpe our selves with presenting to our selves abasing emptying considerations What be they Among the rest reflect our mindes back to what we were before God shewed mercy upon us how unprofitably we spent our dayes what a deale of good we left undone that we might have done For the present consider the imperfections that hang upon us whereby we even defile the best performances that come from us let us have in the eye of our foule presented our speciall corruptions for the present For the time to come let us present to our soules what will become of us ere long that for outward things that nature is prone to be highly conceited of they shall lye in the dust these bodies of ours must lye low in the dust all other things must be taken from us and we from them we know not how soone let us oft think and consider of the vanity of all things what will all things be ere long They must all come to nothing the fire will consume all that is glorious in the world there will be no excellency but the excellency of Christ and his church and children and thinke of the day of Iudgment what will stand for currant then thinke of the time of our dissolution how we shall apeare before Christ what we have in us that will give us confidence at that day and time to looke upon him with comfort that those thoughts of the time to come of death and Iudgment and eternity may not be frighfull to us The consideration of these things will make us to looke about us and make us indeed poore in spirit Especially let us consider what our profession requires of us not by the law let that goe but what in the covenant of grace we should be are not it will shame the best of us Alas how much good might we have done that we have not How have we failed in bringing honour and credit to our profession How barren have wee beene in good works How unwatchfull over our thoughts and speeches whereby we have stained our religion and our consciences and grieved the Spirit of God Let us consider how short we are of that we might have beene and this will bring inward shame and confusion of spirit from whence this temper of poverty of spirit comes Consider of these things and enlarge them in your owne meditations There is not a more fruitfull spending of our thoughts next to the consideration of Christ and the riches we have in him then to consider what we are in our selves that we may be in a perpetuall disposition of soule fit to receive the good that is to be had in Christ. Two graces are the maine graces that must go along with us all the dayes of our lives this grace to go out of our selves and another grace to go to another that is better then our selves in whom lyes our happinesse That we may go out of our selves and the creature and all that is in the creature poverty of spirit is necessary to see that there is not that in our selves that will yeeld a foundation of comfort and poverty of spirit sees that there is not that that we possesse in the creature that will stand out The creature that is a particular good for a particular case to supply a particular want and but for a time it is fading and outward but the comfort we must have it must be spirituall and universall to give contentment to the soule The consideration of these things will force us to go out of our selves this poverty of spirit that wee have not enough to make us happy The Heathen men by the use of discretion and knowledge had so much to see that there is nothing in the world to make man happy the negative part they knew well enough but there must be another grace to carry us to a possitive happinesse where that lyes and that is the grace of trust that followes I will leave in the middest of thee an afflicted and poore people that shal be disposed and prepared by their outward poverty to inward spirituall poverty to go out of themselves to Christ to trust in him And they shall trust in the name of the Lord. This is the carriage of these poore and afflicted people They shall trust in the name of the Lord. God hath no delight in afflicting his children he joyes and delights in the prosperity of his children it is our sinfull nature that forceth him to afflict us that he may weane us from the world because we are prone to surfeit upon things here below All that God doth is that we may trust in him which we would never doe unlesse he did afflict us and make us poore in spirit but when we are afflicted and poore in spirit and have nothing at home we will make out abroad as people in necessity will doe supply must be had either at home or from without and when the soule is beaten and driven out of it selfe which requires much ado then we are fit for this blessed act here spoken of to trust in the name of the Lord. And the one is an evidence of the other How shall wee know that we are sufficiently humbled and made poore in spirit when we trust in the name of the Lord. In the unfolding of these words take these for grounds which I will but name First that naturally every man will have a trust in himselfe or our of himselfe Secondly that God is the trust of the poore man what he wants in himselfe he hath in God God is the Rock or the Castle to which he retires he hath supply in him The third is that God is trusted as he is knowne They shall trust in the name of the Lord. For God can be no otherwise trusted then he
upon thee from my mothers breast forsake me not in mine old yeares in my gray haires when my strength faileth me Thus we may gatheâ— upon God from former experience that God will not now forsake us because we have had experience of his kindnesse in former times he hatâ— beene my God from my childhood therefore hâ— will be now This is a good argument becausâ— God is as he was he is the same he is never drawn drie Where he loves he loves to the end Where he begins he will end therefore this should strengthen our faith to gather experience from formeâ— things Thus David alledgeth the Lion and the Beare and so S. Paul he hath delivered me therefore he will deliver me It is ordinary with the Saints of God Againe if we would trust in God labour every day to bee acquainted with God in daily prayer in hearing and reading and meditation We trust friends with whom we are much acquainted and those that are not acquainted with God in that communion that belongs to Christians that doe not often talk with God by prayer and meditation when they go to God in extremity what wil God say to them Vpon what acquaintance You are strangers to me and I will be a stranger to you and Wisdome it selfe will laugh at their dectructâ—on Pro 1. when they will force acquaintance upon God when they have use of him and never care for him in the time of peace Therefore if we would trust God and go to God boldly as who is there here now that will not have need of him Wee have need of him continually but sometimes more than others therefore I say let us be acquainted with him that we may after trust him Those that have not the care to be acquainted with God either they have not the heart to go to God or if they have they have but a cold answer but indeed for the most part they have no heart to go to God for their hearts misâ—give them and tell them they have beene carelesse of God they have neglâ—cted God therefore God will not regard them Goe â—o the gods ye have trusted as it is Iudges 10. Answerable to our care beloved in the time of peace will our comfort be when we are in trouble Therefore I beseech you let us remember this as one meanes to strengthen our trust our daily acquaintance with God and acquaint our selves so with him as to keepe him our friend not to offend him for if we offend him we shall not trust him A galled conscience is afraid of God as a sore eye is of light A comfortable conscience is from a conscience to please God This is our boldnesse and confidence saith Paul that we have laboured to keep a good conscience that we may have him our friend Againe let us labour to exercise our trust upon all occasions for things that are exercised are the brighter and the stronger Let us inure our selves to trust in God for all things and to trust him with all things with our bodies with our soules with our estates with our children with our wayes with our good name with our credit and reputation with all as I said before in the signes of trust Faith it growes in the exercise as we see Psal. 62. A Psalme expressing Davids trust in God and the conflict with his soule in trusting he begins yet my soule waits upon the Lord c. And in verse 2. I shall not be greatly moved saith he but when he had gone on and exercised his faith still then he saith in verse 6. He is my Rock and my Saviour and defence I shall not be moved He that at the beginning saith I shall not greatly be moved afterward working upon his heart and soule and exercising his faith saith I shall not be moved he is my Rock my Saviour and defence Faith it is the Engine by which wee doe all by which we prevaile with God and overcome the world and all the snares on the right hand and on the left it is that whereby we doe all therefore we had need to keepe it in exercise and inure it that we may have it to manage and use upon all occasions It is not enough â—o have faith in us but we must live by it it must not only live in us but we must live by it this is another way to strengthen this faith and assurance and trusting in God The next is to practise that I spake of in the forenoone to grow poore in spirit for they shall trust in the name of the Lord. Let us labour more and more to see our owne wants A Christian should have a double eye one to looke to himselfe and his owne wants to bee abased another eye to Gods promise to Gods nature to trust in God and thus wee should passe our dayes the more we can empty our selves the more wee shall bee filled with God We see here in the Text the way to trust in God to be poore in spirit The reason is in nature whosoever is not poore in himselfe and sees a necessity hee will never go out of himselfe for he hath some other supply Therefore if we would learne to trust in God we must learne to empty our selves of all selfe-confidence by observing our weaknesse and wants by taking notice not so much of our graces as of our wâ—nts When Moses came from the Mount his face shone he knew not of it all the world about him knew it besides himselfe but he observed it not saith the Scripture Lo when a Christian considers not specially in temptations to pride what he hath but what he wants how little good hee hath done how many evill thoughts and actions have passed from him how short he is in fruitfulnesse and thankfulnesse to God this is the way to trust in GOD for then wee will keepe close to GOD when wee doe see our owne weaknesse And let us labour to have a spirit of sanctification to have our soules more and more renewed to trust in God or else all other courses are nothing for when it comes to particulars if the soule be not sanâ—tified there is no correspondencie and harmony betweene it and God How can an unsanctified soule close with a holy God Therefore we must labour to be good and to do good as the Apostle Peter saith To commit our soules to God in doing good Let us labour to bee good to get grace and then there will be a harmony a connaturalnesse betweene a holy God and a holy soule and then we shall trust and rely upon him easily Where there is not grace in the heart subduing corruptions when it comes to particulars whether to trust in God or man then the soule will rebell and scorne as it were trusting in God iâ— will go to wits to friends to favours and other helpes Let a man be never such a scholler of never so great parts when
beset of Devils then he triumphed when he was visibly overcome then invisibly he overcame he was an invisible Conqueror when he was visibly subdued For did he not on the Crosse satisfie the wrath of God and by enduring the wrath of God free us from it and from Satan Gods Gaoler and reconcile us by his bloud The chiefe workes of all were wrought in his chiefe abasement At length he died and was buried I but he that died rose againe gloriously therefore he was mightily declared to be the Sonne of God by raysing himselfe from the dead That was the greatest abasement when he lay in the Grave and especially then he was justified by his Resurrection from the dead and his Ascension in his state of Glorification especially So if we goe from Christs birth to his lowest degree of abasement there was alway some manifestation of his justification by the Spirit He was justified in a double regard In regard of God he was justified and cleared from our sinnes that he tooke upon him He bore our sinnes upon the Tree and bore them away that they should never appeare againe to our discomfort He was made a Curse for us How came Christ to be cleared of our sinnes that lay upon him When by the Spirit by his Divine Nature he raysed himselfe from the dead so he was justified from that that God layd upon him for he was our Suretie Now the Spirit raysing him from the dead shewed that the Debt was fully discharged because our Suretie was out of Prison All things are first in Christ and then in us he was acquitted and justified from our sinnes and then we And then he was justified by the Spirit from all imputations of men from the mis-conceits that the World had of him they thought him to be a meere man or a sinfull man No he was more then a meere man nay more then a holy man he was God-man Whence were his Miracles Were they not from his Divine Power He overcame the Devill in his temptations Who can overcome the Devill but he that is the Sonne of God He cast out the Devils and dispossest them with his Word All the enemies of Christ that ever were at length he conquered them and so declared himselfe mightily to be as he was the Sonne of God He healed the outward man and the inward man by his Divine Power he caused the spirituall as well as the bodily eyes to see the dead to live and the lame to goe c. Whatsoever he did in the bodie he did in the soule likewise in those excellent Miracles he was justified and declared to be the Sonne of God especially in his Resurrection and Ascension and daily converting of soules by his Ministerie all being done by his Spirit which is his Vicar in the World ruling his Church and subduing his enemies so that he was every way justified in the Spirit to be God to be the true Messias prophesied of and promised to the Church Therefore he was justified in his Truth that all the Promises were true of him and in his faithfulnesse that he was faithfull in performing the Promises he made he was justified in his goodnesse and mercy and all those attributes he was justified in the Spirit But you will say it seemes he was not justified in the Spirit There are many Heretikes that thinke not Christ to be God that take not Christ to be so glorious as he is I answer when we speake of the justifying of Christ it is meant to those that have eyes to see him to those that shut not their eyes hee was justified to be so great as he was to those whose eyes the god of the world had not blinded to all that were his as it is excellently set downe Iohn 1.14 The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glorie as the glorie of the onely begotten Sonne of the Father full of Grace and Truth We beheld his glorie we did others did not take notice but they were those whose eyes the god of this world hath blinded the malicious Scribes and Pharises that sinned against the Holy-Ghost and would never acknowledge Christ an ignorant people that had not Faith nor the Spirit of God He was justified by the Spirit of God to all that had spirituall eyes to see and take notice of his course as S. Iohn sayth in one of his Epistles What we have seene and heard and our hands have handled the Word of Life that we declare to you So that he was God manifest in the flesh and he shewed himselfe to be the Word of Life to those that were his Apostles and Disciples and those that were converted by him As we see S. Peter when he had felt his Divine Power upon his heart by his Preaching Lord sayth he thou hast the words of eternall life whither shall we goe He felt the Spirit in his preaching And so another time S. Peter in Matth. 16. he confessed him to be the Sonne of the living God You see to whom he was justified and declared to be the true Messias to be God as well as man by his Spirit The reason why he justified himselfe to be so it was the more to strengthen our Faith all his Miracles were but so many sparkles of his Divine Nature so many expressions of his Divine Power And after he was raysed from the dead at his Ascension and sending of the Holy-Ghost he shewed his Divine Power more gloriously and all to strengthen the Faith of the Elect and to stop the mouthes of all impudent rebellious persons For considering that he wrought such Miracles that he raysed men from the dead and raysed himselfe considering that he called the Gentiles and converted the World by the Ministerie of weake men he shewed that hee was more then a man Well to make some use of this that Christ was Iustified in the Spirit Then first of all Christ will at length justifie himselfe this is a ground of Faith How-ever he be now as a Signe set up that many speake against and contradict yet the time will come when he will gloriously justifie himselfe to all the World Now some shut their eyes willingly and the opposites of Christ seeme to flourish yet Christ will be justified by his Spirit to all his Elect in every Age especially in the Resurrection For when he shall come and appeare to be glorious in his Saints it will appeare who he is indeed Now he suffers many to tread upon his Church and he suffers many Heretikes to denie him sometimes in one nature sometimes in another and so to offend against him but the time will come that he will trample all his enemies under his feet he will be justified by his Spirit that is our comfort There are many Schismatikes and Heretikes and Persecutors but Christ will be justified at length the Kingdomes of the Earth
will be the Lord Iesus Christs Are they not now so They are but truly they appeare not to be so but at length they will appeare to be so at the conversion of the Iewes and the confusion of Antichrist then it will appeare more and more that he is King of the World indeed Now as it were his Offices are darkened his Kingly Office is darkned and his Propheticall Office is darkned but at length it will appeare that he is King of the Church and all Kingdâ—mes will be Christs There are glorious times comming especially the glorious Day of the Resurrection Christ at leâ—gth will be cleared he will be justified The Sunne at length will scatter all the clouds In the morning they gather about the Sunne as if they would cover it oh but the Sunnâ— breakes thorow all and gloriously appeares at length so Christ will scatter all clouds and gloriously appeare to be that which the Word sets him forth to be Againe as Christ will justifie himselfe so he will justifie his Church and children first or last by his Spirit His children are now accounted the off-scouring of the World they are trampled and trod upon they are the objects of scorne and hatred and who accounted so base Will Christ endure this No he that justified himselfe that is that declared himselfe and will more and more declare himselfe to be as he is will he not justifie his Church his Mysticall Body to be as they are indeed Certainely it shall appeare to the World that he will justifie them to be Kings and Priests to be Heires to be glorious to be so neere and deare to him as the Scripture sets them forth to be Whatsoever the Scripture hath spoken of the Saincts and children of God the time will come that all this shall be justified and made good by that Spirit of Christ whereby he made good whatsoever he had said of himselfe Therefore in our eclipses and disgraces let us all comfort our selves in this Let the World esteeme us for the present as the reffuse of the World as persons not worthy to be acquainted with not worthy to be regarded we shall be justified and cleared and glorified especially at that day when Christ shall come to be glorious in his Saints There is a hidden life of the Church and every Christian they have a life in Christ but that life is hid in Christ in Heaven As the Flowers in Winter they have a life but it is hidden in the root When Christ shall appeare as blessed S. Paul and S. Iohn say then it shall appeare who we are Then our glorious life that now is in our Head shall appeare then we shall be justified to be so glorious as the Scripture sets us forth to be the Church shall be glorious within and without too at that Day Therefore let us comfort our selves this hidden life though it appeare not now yet we shall be justified And hence we may answer some objections likewise Some may say How doth it appeare that Christ is King of the Church We see how the Church is trampled on at this day Where is the life and glory of the Church What! his Spouse and thus used What! his Turtle and thus pulled and plucked by the Birds of prey I answer Looke with other Spectacles with the eye of Faith and then you shall see a Spring in the Winter of the Church how-ever she be now abased and eclipsed yet she shall be justified and it will appeare that Christ regards his Church and people and children more then all the World besides onely there must be a conformitie It was fit there should be a time of Christs abasement how should he have suffred else the World would never have crucified God they could not have done it Therefore he was abased he veiled his God-head under his manhood under a base condition so he passed thorow suffering to glory So it must be in the Body of Christ it must passe thorow the veile of infirmities of weakenesse affliction and disgrace how else should it be conformable to Christ If Christ had justified himselfe at all times in his humiliation he could not have suffered if we should be justified now and appeare to all the World who we are who would persecute us how could we be conformable to Christ Therefore let us quietly and meekely a while endure these things that are nothing but to conforme us to our Head knowing this that as he was justified by little and little till he was perfectly justified when he was raysed from the dead so we shall be perfectly justified and freed from all imputations at the last day when by the same Spirit that raysed him wee shall be raysed up too Nay in this World when it is for his glory and for our good he will bring our righteousnesse to light as the Noone-day he will free us from the imputations that the World layes on us he will have a care of our credit For as Christ was mightily declared to be the Sonne of God in a fit time so shall we when we are fit Then the World shall see that we are not the men that prophane bitter malicious persons led with the spirit of the Devill charged us to be Let us take no scandall at the present afflictions of the Church Christ will justifie his mysticall Body by his glorious power in good time Antichrist shall not alway ruffle in the World Christ will be justified to be the King and Ruler of the World All power is committed to him But we see it now Antichrist rages in the World and the Church seemes to be under Hatches So it is with particular Christians those that belong to God and indeed are truly such as they professe themselves to be though with much weaknesse we see in what respect and esteeme they are had Let us comfort our selves beloved Christ justified himselfe by his Spirit and will he not justifie his poore Church and free it from the tyrannie of Antichrist Will he not advance those that are troden on now and made as the dirt in the street that they shall shine as the Sunne Therefore when you heare of the dejected state of the Churches abroade be not dismayed Consider there is a glorious King that rules the World and he will make it appeare ere long he will justifie himselfe and his Church for he suffers in his Church He is wise he sees cause to doe this he is working his owne worke he corrects and rules and purgeth his Church in the furnace of affliction but be sure the time will come that he will bring the cause of Religion to light and he will shew what side hee ownes he will justifie his Truth and tread Satan and all his members under feet this frame of things will not hold long As verily as Christ is in Heaven as verily as he is justified in his owne person by his Spirit by his