MAN That is truly a man a man indeed a man of dignity Now for this perticular in this place as it is here set downe we must not take the word any way to distinguish Age or Sex not as if it did betoken distinction of Age because God did put Spirit and vertue and courage into the mouths and hearts of Babes and Sucklings he raiseth such sometimes to be Confessors and Martyrs as St. Austin speakes before they have Age to judge of Sufferings they have a Masculine and manly spirit given them to indure suffering Ireneus gives the reason well Christ took the Succession of all ages upon him to Sanctifie all ages Man-hood to Sanctifie Man-hood infancy to Sanctifie it none is a Child that God inableth We must not take it as though he excluded younger yeares from induring tentation and glorifying God that way he that puts Prayse into the mouth of Babes may put fortitude we must not exclude that Age but any Age that indures temptation is a blessed man And then it notes not a distinction of Sex because we read of feminine patience of those that were more then femenine of Agatho and Apollonia in the Primitive Church of the Mother of the Machabees what excellent Heroick spirits had they They went beyond the courage of men in induring Persecution for the name of Christ Therefore under this one name both Sexes are meant because God gets glory to himselfe both wayes therefore St. Ambrose moves the Question and answers well upon those words Psal 1.1 Blessed is the man that hath not walked in the Counsell of the ungodly St. Ambrose hereupon makes the Question Num quid a consortio beatitudinis exclusit mulieres quia virum solum beatum nuncupavit Doth he exclude the other Sex from the fellowship and society of blisse and beatitude because he saith Blessed is the man He answers well God forbid we should have such an Opinion they are both equally called to grace they have both equaly title to glory ubi labor est equalis c. where there is equality of grace and piety wee must not make inequality of glory and distinction of Crownes They have both the same grace breath after the same hope walke in the path of the same pilgrimage indure tribulation alike and glorifie God alike therefore both have a like title to the Crowne It is not a word that betokens distinction of Sex but it is set downe by this word blessed is the man to let us see that the induring of tribulation requires a high courage and a manly spirit not a womannish nature nor as Saint Paul in another case he must not bee a young scholler a novice in Christianity that comes once to encounter temptation nothing will so much try the spirit of a man as persecution and tribulation of what nature soever it be Admitt they be temptations of Suggestion that are the Temptations of Sathan when a man is to wrestle with Principallities and powers and to incounter with spirituall wickednesses in high places had hee not neede to have a great deale of grace to have the spirit of a man that is the spirit of a Christian Admitt it be the temptation of Tribulation from God when a man as Saint Paul saith he fought with beasts at Ephesus is to deale with vnreasonable men to encounter with poverty in estate with contempt and despite he had need to plucke up his heart to double his spirit to get spirit vertue and grace he had need to have the distillation of manhood to beare tribulation It is impossible for a man to beare tribulation without vertue so the heathen could say wee must carry it further Vertue that is spritualized grace morall vertue will doe somthing and hath done much in others but grace is the forme of a spirituall man the anima animae it is of Grace that enlivens animates and inables Seneca observed well that single vertue is not enough to endure tribulation and affliction there is in the enduring tribulation a great concurrence of all vertue First prudence in an eminent degree when a man useth wisdome to encounter with those dangers that hee is not able to decline nor were honourable to avoyde Besides this Constancy which makes a man stand firme that he is not cast downe by any encounter Constancy in a high degree Besides these Patience and Fortitude thus far he goes Wee must carry it further to those vertues hee never dreamed off for there is requisite to the enduring of temptation besides Faith Hope Love contempt of the world a humble opinion of a mans selfe there is no grace that is not need full to make up this concurrence in the man that indures Tribulation and will be intitled this blessed man here Therefore Apuleius observes of Vlisses that he went through as many dangers as Hercules did labours he that will goe through his labours had need be more then a man He observes of Vlysses that in all those dangers he was carryed through and supported by vertue He went into the Cyclopus Den and was not kept there vertue brought him out he went into the Poeticall Hell vertue brought him out he sailed through Scylla and Charibdis he drank of the Cyrcean Cups and was not transformed nor changed vertue kept him upon his Legs Turne this upon any of the Apostles Prophets or Martyrs of former time see what carried them through so many Persecutions with an undaunted spirit look upon St. Paul and Job St. Paul had as many labours as Hercules as many dangers as Vlysses St. Paul was night and day in the Sea and was not drowned he suffered Bonds and imprisonment but the word of God was not bound St. Paul was a Free-man in bonds the Sea could not swallow him what brought him forth Faith and grace and vertue the Spirit of a man that is grace wrought in St. Paul Look upon holy Job he sits on the Dunghill as Chrysostome speaks the Dunghill was as a Theatre or Stage on which Job as a Champion was set as a Spectacle to God to Angells to men to all the World And what was that that carryed Job through so many bad Messages so many tart and sharp encounters That vertue and grace that is infused into the Spirit of a man a Christian that made him so undaunted in bearing it that he was as St. Chrysostome speakes a man of Adamant of flint impenetrable not to be moved as a military Bullwarke impregnable All this Grace did Grace gives spirit and strength whereby we are able to indure and to wrestle with temptations and are capable of this Blessednesse here Therefore to wind it up that which Dionysius that was sometime a King but after he was dispossest of his Kingdome was addicted much to Platoes Philosophy that which he answered seasonably when he was put besides all his glory and pomp and one said to him What good hath Platoes Philosophy done you Very much saith he for by that I
that it assures it to us These two are still joyned in Scripture the cross and the blessing Tribulation and happiness Seeing the Scripture joynes them take heed that we doe not sever them There are two onely wayes whereby we may sever them First doe not sever Tribulation from blessednesse that is one take heed that we doe not that How is that A man then severs Tribulation from the blessing when he would faine be partaker of the beatitude but not indure the Tribulation As there be many men that are very good in their judgement of blessednesse and think beatitude is the best estate yet they are loath to have the Crosse along halfe their judgement is good and halfe naught Remember God hath joyned them he hath made Tribulation walke before If we will reigne with Christ we must suffer with him If we looke to live with Christ we must also endure with him if we will have the reward we must look to the condition Look over all the Scripture and you shall find that no Saint of God was ever exempted from Tribulation Et labor dolor c. as one sayth from the very first man that came into the World to the end godly men have still thornes in their way persecution and trouble and suffering The whole World is as a great Furnace or as a great Ship that carries a great many souls that are in jeopardie of the floud still So the World is to men it is more then so to a Christian the Marks at which the Arrows of Tribulation are shot are especially the whitest marks the fairest marks those that are pure and undefiled in the way The Scriptures doe no where promise the blessing without the Tribulation Nemo c. sayth a Father let no man flatter himselfe and promise himselfe that that the Scripture doth not promise The Scripture no where promiseth blessing to the course of the impenitent no where to them that decline the Crosse but to them that take it up If the blessing be joyned to Tribulation let us joine them and not sever them that is the first Secondly as we must not sever tribulation from blessednesse so we must not sever blessedness from Tribulation How is that done Men sever blessedness from Tribulation when they pronounce godly men miserable because they indure tribulation in the World The World accounts them miserable that God accounts happy those whom God hath made happy it is very vaine and rash judgement for men to pronounce them miserable Generally we think so we think them miserable men though they be holy and righteous if they be oppressed with Tribulation we measure all for the present We must not sever blessedness from tribulation It is just as people that are ignorant when they see the Sun Eclipsed they think the Sun hath no light because for the time it is darkened they think there is no Sun because it is cloudy or that the Sun is lost because he is so to sence Worldly men are Creatures of sence they cannot judge of spirituall things they see the discomforts of godly men they cannot see their comforts The discomforts are without the comforts are within the one is discerned by the carnall the other by the spirituall eye Therefore they conclude they are miserable because they see not their happinesse just as St. Austin sayth as if a man should conclude that the Sea were not deepe because there are shallows towards the shore or that the whole Earth were not fruitfull because there are some Desarts barren or that the frame of it were not round because there are Mountainous places so it is with these temporall afflictions The Mountaines and Hills carry no proportion to so great a body to hinder the perfect roundnesse of the Earth Blessednesse is that that belongs to godly men afflictions and Tribulations as moleâ—hills and un-even places cannot hinder their happinesse In their owne sight it may sometimes it may be there are shallows in Tribulation but glory the Sea is deepe for all that there is deepe glory and comfort reserved for them Heare the pronunciation of the Spirit of God ofter then once Behold we account them happy that suffer saith the Apostle you account them miserable but we account them happy and I think we have the spirit of God he might have said so the spirit of God taught them all these truths we account them happy blessed is the man that endureth temptation Well what is the summ and the use Seing that it is thus pronounced to those that endure Tribulation we all are in love with blessednesse we all desire that if we be desirers of happinesse let us doe wisely take that course that may bring us thither labour to be found in that number that it is promised to if we be found out of that number we must not looke for blessednesse Every man that shall inherit blessednesse must be in the compasse of those quallified persons that it is promised to labour to be of that number I tell you blessednesse is promised to holiness Blessed are the pure in heart He that gets purity of heart hath assurance of blessednesse blessedness is promised to the meek to the poor in spirit to those that feare God and trust in him let us be qualified according to the condition of these persons and we have assurance of blessedness Come to the Text here is a promise To whom is it To those that are at ease in Zion Or to those that Crowne themselves with Rose-buds That let no pleasures passe those that stretch themselves upon beds of Ivory that chant to the sound of the Organ Those that make their Heaven Earth and make their happiness pleasures is the promise to them No it is woe that is threatened to them those that eat Gods people as bread it is not blessing but a woe to them and the woe sleeps not To whom is the promise here Breifly besides all the other promises in Scripture here is one of the principall Blessed is the man that endureth temptation If we be of that number here is blessedness That is the first part the reward promised it is a great and full reward blessedness Now I come from the generall proposition of the reward to the particular That is to goe from good to better though there be nothing better then blessedness yet in our apprehension something may make it more lively in our apprehension to our capacity That is in the otherword the man that endures Tribulation shall receive the Crowne of life that is the particular reward Blessedness is the generall the Crowne of life is the particular And in these words as St. Crysostome sayth well there is great Emphasis they are both emphaticall for life is the best of all naturall things and a Crowne is the best of all things civill Here is the best and the best O then what a blessing and a good is a Crowne and life both joyned together and these in a spirituall
hoped then to have made an end of these Meditations Then I considered that as I began this Feast with speaking of Mysteries so there could not be a better Subject chosen for the sealing up of the same And this Text that I have chosen now will answer that first Scripture for indeed it is much at one for it shews that the Mysteries of the Gospell are worthy not onely of the study of Apostles but of Angells Therefore it is that I have now made choise of this Scripture to be the accomplishment and fullfilling of that first dayes Indeed they were very far fetched however they have a good dependence in this Chapter of Peter yet they might have as good connexion to those words of Paul That I should make knowne the Mysteries of the Gospell sayth St. Paul that is the Text I began with and these words added to that make it full and compleat That I should make knowne the Mysteries of the Gospell which things the Angells desire to looke into It is a Scripture that hath some difficulty in it and will be well worth our study especially since it speaks of Angells and agrees with the solemnity that is past in a better and nearer nature then the former The first Text told us of the Christians Christmas this Text goes further and tells us how it is observed by the Angells themselves That seeing it is the birth of Christ that administers joy to the Angells it is the common theame of both let us now see in these words the common studie and inspection and speculation of both That the incarnation of Christ it was to be the rejoycing of the faithfull our blessed Saviour shews in John 8. Abraham desired to see my day and saw it and rejoyced That it was the common study of the Prophets St. Peter shews it here The Prophets enquired after it that it was the common study of the Apostles St. Paul tells us I desire to know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified that it is the common studie of Saints the same St. Paul saith Ephes 3. That ye may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the height and breadth and length and depth c. Now that it is the common study of Angells St. Peter tells us after that he had mentioned the sufferings of Christ and the glory and the diseent of the Holy Ghost and the Preaching of the Apostles he closeth all up with this honourable conclusion Into these things the Angells desire to looke That I may the better therefore goe on with the resolution and full explication of these words I will reduce all that I am to say of them to these three parts that naturally rise out of the consideration of the words Qui Angeli Quae bona Quis radix desiderij Who are the Angells here spoken of whome the Apostle sayth They desire to looke into the Mysteries of the incarnation What those good things are that they desire to looke into And what is the root of this desire that carries them to this inspection These are the three things I shall consider First Qui Angeli who these Angels are Didimus Alexandrinus in his Commentarie upon this place it seems in his time they interpreted this place of the evill Spirits the evill Angels and Lorinus the Jesuite he goes about to shew so much out of Clemens Alexandrinus that Clemens not onely though I find not the place makes mention of the Interpretation but refutes them Therefore here now there is good occasion given to search well into the first thing to know who these Students are these that are the glorious beholders and Scrutators of this heavenly mystery that are the inspectors here spoken of these good Inquisitors to know what Angells they are Therefore briefly I will reduce it to these Propositions The first Negative that the place cannot possibly be understood of evill Angells of evill Spirits for these two reasons One reason is taken from the name and appellation of Angells Though the name be given sometimes in Scripture to the evill Spirits yet generally when it is applied to them there is some word of addition annexed whereby it may be knowne of whome the Scripture speaks The evill Angells the Angells of Satan the Angell of the bottomlesse Pit the Angells that kept not their first estate the Angells that sinned and the like Or if there be not some such clause of addition yet there is alway some circumstance of Interpretation that directs and points out who those Angells are when the Scripture calls those evill Spirits Angells as The Devill and his Angells Rev. 12. Know ye not that ye shall judge the Angells 1 Cor. Every one must needs be sure that this is meant of the evill Angells it cannot be meant of the good There is some circumstance alway in the Text that points it out when they are said to be Angells But for the holy Angells the blessed Spirits they are frequently and generally called so in Scripture for the most part if not alway when this word is simply met with it is appliable to good Angells And the reason is very evident because the name of Angell is a name of function by nature they are Spirits by Office they are Angells it is a name of Office and function and imployment since the name of Angell is a name of that holy Office and imployment that Gods puts them to and since the good Angells are onely put by God upon such imployments the evill Angells have onely his restraint and permission they have not his direction therefore the name of Angell cannot properly be applied to evill Spirits without abuse of the name Though they be Spirits as the good Angells are they are not Angells properly by nature they are spirits but by imployment Devills in malice Devills But the other as they are in nature Spirits so in imployment they are Angells Angells that is holy Angells because the name is generally applied to good Angells when there is no such addition that reason is sufficient That is one reason why it cannot be meant of evill Angells but that is not all Another reason is taken from the latitude and measure of the knowledge of Devils and evill Angells Though their knowledge be great of naturall things and much strengthened by experience yet for the Divine Mysteries of redemption their knowledge is altogether defective in it They are very cunning it is very likely in the Scriptures because they may have them ready to ensnare men but the saving Mysteries of the Gospell I make doubt whether they truely understand them I am confident the Devill did not understand the first Promise that was given so long before how the Seed of the Woman should breake the Serpents head before Christs Passion He was not sure that the Son of God should take our nature and that Christ was he till after the Resurrection their knowledge therefore in Divine Mysteries is very short and they care not to
better it at all for the more knowledge the more is their Torment they care not to better it unlesse it be for their owne ill purposes that they may make that knowledge a Snare for men and a help to temptation See it in two great Mysteries One great help of our Redemption was the Passion of Christ it is the generall Tenent of the Fathers and upon good reason that the Devill was altogether ignorant of it before it was accomplished Therefore St. Austin and Pope Leo give this reason why the Devill did goe about to hinder it by all meanes when it drew to the consummation because then he understood that his power began to be abolished If the Devill had certainly knowne that by the death of Christ his Kingdome should haue beene demolished and his power destroyed it is probable nay it is certaine that he would not have gone about to have stirred up Judas to betray his Master or the High Priest to have shed that innocent blood Therefore St. Austin and Leo and others observe that that Dreame that Pilats Wife had concerning our Saviour when shee said to her Husband that he should not have to doe with that just man to prevent his Sentence diverse of the Fathers are of Opinion that that Dreame was suggested by the Devill though others are of another Opinion and upon better ground yet that was their Opinion that thereby he might hinder the suffering of Christ And others thinke upon the same ground that he was the means of instigation why Judas did bring back the peices of Silver and deliver them to the Priests and acknowledged that he had betrayed innocent blood that he might stay the Passion of Christ after he knew or came confidently to think that he was the Son of God As he was ignorant therefore that his Kingdom should be destroyed by the sufferings of Christ so he was ignorant of the first Mystery Christs incarnaration and our Redemption he was ignorant of the birth of the Son of God that the Son of God was borne into the World though he confessed oft What have we to doe with thee thou Jesus the Son of God It was a forâ—ed confession and St. Jerome sayth well he was rather forced then confessed But however at the beginning he knew it not when Christ set upon his ministeriall function at the first before his Miracles were wrought though he had a testimony from Heaven yet when Christ went into the Desart one of his Temptations was if it were possible to sound out whether he were the Son of God or no therefore he puts it with an if If thou be the Son of God it was the voyce of one that would make triall as Hillarie sayth It was a doubtfull Speech as Chrysostome sayth he was in great doubt he was at a stand he knew not what to think he was blinded with the lustre of the hypostaticall union it was a Mystery that he could not apprehend He could not make these two ends meet together when he saw Christ in the Desart his long fasting and that he was hungry in the end he could not make these possibly meet that these two should stand together that the Son of God should be hungry he understood it not that the Son of man should fast 40. dayes he knew it not He knew not the Mystery of the hypostaticall union therefore he comes If thou be the Son of God He laboured indeed to looke into the Mystery because he knew it not but it was not a disquisition of piety that he might beleive but of curiosity that he might know He laboured to prie into it not out of love or hope that it might be so but out of feare that it was so He knew well he was to have no benefite at all by the incarnation of Christ and therefore could have no love and because no love no hope and because no hope he desired not to make any due inquisition into it he could have no desire of it But the desire in the Text is a holy desire and a holy inspection being a holy desire and a holy object and a holy inspection it cannot possibly be understood of the evill Angells There is the first Proposition negative upon these two grounds the nature of Angells and the knowledge of Devills it cannot possibly be meant of evill Angells 2ly As it cannot be meant of evill Angells so it must necessarily be meant of holy and good Angells that is the Affirmative Proposition For the good Angells their spirituall eyes are fitted they are made capable of such Mysteries The Mysteries of faith they dazle the eyes of evill spirits they are not able to look on them or if he could he hath no desire because he finds no sweetnesse at all in the Mysteries of Salvation All his motion is to evill all his contemplations are about evill he moves onely to evill he cannot move to good Whereas on the contrary the good Angells Nazianzen expresseth it well of them they are altogether unmovable to evill they have onely motion to that that is good Now here in this place the object spoken of is good the speculation spoken of is good the desire is good the intendment of these inspectors is good therefore these Inspectors must be the good Angells for three reasons First because the good Angells their ministration was still used about the Mysteries of our Salvation in Christ our head Their ministration was used in relation of the conception of Christ and the manner of it in pointing out the name of Christ what it should be Their ministration was used to Christ in the Desart after his Temptation was past their ministration was used to Christ in the Garden in his Agonie they came and comforted him their ministration was us'd about the Sepulchre of Christ after his Resurrection It being so that they are imployed about the Mysteries of our Salvation we need not wonder if they make it their study and speculation Secondly their ministration was used in the Mysteries of Salvation in the Saints that are the Members they brought news of all these things of Christs birth to the Shepheards of his Resurrection to the Women of his Ascention to the Apostles Their ministration is used about the Mysteries of Salvation as far as it concernes the Saints Therefore since this is the great Errand that is given them in charge when they are sent to the Earth such holy Messengers would oft think of their Errand they have great delight to contemplate these Mysteries because God hath imployed them in these not onely concerning the head but the Members That is the second Thirdly the Mysteries of Salvation are things that the Angells have benefite by their share of comfort in It is in the glasse of the incarnation of Christ that they read the glorious Mystery of their owne confirmation in grace and happinesse therefore they must needs desire oft to look in that glasse they read so happy a lesson there
It must needs be the good Angells that have benefit by these Mysteries that are used to be Witnesses to them Then in this first point there are these Vses redound besides that that follows When we look on the Persons the Angells there are two instructions arise I will but name them The first is this that it is an honourable imployment and service and study for a man to looke into the Mysteries of Salvation to be conversant about them we may looke to them with honour because they are speculations that befit Angells they are angelicall notions the Mysteries of faith and redemption even those that are revealed they are a study that befit the speculation of Angells therefore it is a great honour for any man â—o be busied about them If we had not this place to evince it by reason the Proposition is shewed plainly in Act. 17. Those Christians that are mentioned there the Bereans they are called Noble by the Spirit of God for this very purpose because they searched the Mysteries of Salvation as they were Preached by the Prophets and Apostles They are called Noble Christians because they were conversant in a noble study For this ennobles the mind and the whole man because it leads him to glory It ennobles the mind because it endues it with this honourable knowledge that is so illustrious that there can be no better There can be no better study in Heaven for the Angells of God They are called noble Bereans because they were conversant in this study St. Chrysostome tells us they were not called noble of themselveâ— those Converts they had no outward nobility but they are called so for the great dilligence they used in searching the Mysteries of Salvation Let prophane Porphirius and Julian the Apostate be scandalized at the Scriptures because of the simplicity of them as they speake we know there are these Mysteries in it that exceed the sight of Angells and those Mysteries that are revealed that they call simple they are so abstruse and excellent that they are not unworthy the speculation and study of Angells That is the first deduction that the Mysteries of faith are noble things to look into they may be looked into with honour the Angells make them their study Secondly as the Mysteries of faith may be looked into with honour so they must be looked into with sobriety and modesty because they are angelicall speculations that is they are deep and profound speculations Men that will be too busie to search the causes of the great Mysteries of predestination of the Trinity of the incarnation of the Son of God Men that will eyther spie out all or beleive none they will love nothing unlesse they can see all O here is that that may stay their busie heads we must not dive too farr Angells cannot see to the bottome Angells cannot see through them he onely can see through them that sees all things that is God And the great Counsell of God in these Mysteries cannot be dived into to the bottome by the Angells Because they are great sublime Mysteries the Angells make them their speculation It is with these Mysteries as it is with the Sun as Hillarie sayth it is a good comparison of him look as it is with the Sun sayth he there is somewhat in the Sun that you may look on if you will be content to see that you may but there is somwhat in the Sun that may not be looked on if you will not see that you may you shall see nothing at all for he that looks too fixedly on the Sun he can see nothing at all he loseth his eyes So the Mysteries of Salvation there is somewhat in them that may be understood if you will be content to understand those things that are revealed they may be understood but if you will not be content to look on those things that you may you shall lose the opportunity of understanding those things that you might He compares them to the Sun to teach us to looke on these Mysteries with sobriety We may well compare it with the condition of the Moone too as well as of the Sun There is somewhat in the Moone that was never defined all the Philosophers and Mathematicians with all their curious inspections and Instruments cannot tell what is the Mole what is the darknesse in the body of the Moone what the darke part is they cannot tell exactly There is somewhat in the Moone that they cannot tell what it is that is the dark part of it and there is somewhat that we can tell what it is the light part by that it affords us light to discerne So in the Mysteries of Salvation there is a dark part that is not intelligible and there is a part that is intelligible that we may be bold and must looke into here the inspection of Christians is required it is a holy comfortable study to converse in the Mysteries of Salvation But then there is the dark part that is non-intelligible here we must shut our eyes and sit downe silent and admire and be comforted in this that we cannot understand that there is something in this great worke that concernes us that is impossible to be comprehended For the parts that may be understood looke on them with the eye of inspection but the parts that cannot be looked on bring the eye of faith we must not search but beleive It is enough for us to know that they cannot be comprehended and God will not have them knowne Quod deus c. sayth St. Austin let us be content to be ignorant of that that God would have us ignorant of and since we could have knowne nothing of these Mysteries unlesse God had revealed them let us be content with that part that God hath revealed and made plaine to us because after all is done after the inspection of the glorious Spirits that have so much knowledge yet still they desire more and more to look into them There is somewhat in these Mysteries that will dazle the Angells at least their best thoughts That is the second thing as we may look to them with honour so we must look into them with sobriety and modesty I have done with the first thing who these Angells are that are spoken of here that have this great desire to looke into these Mysteries Which things the Angells that is the holy and blessed Spirits the good Angells that are about the Throne that are confirmed in grace I come now to the second and shall onely goe on with that at this time that is to see what are these good things Which things There is a great deale more difficulty in this then the former because the doubt is made to what this Pronoune relative hath reference To which The difficulties in this part are so many that now I find my selfe in a Labyrinth there is no Scripture almost more difficult And there are variations not onely of Interpreters but variation of Readings
every passage of our redemption When he was conceived by the holy ghost that is a sublime speculation he came then leaping on the Mountaines then when he was Baptised in Jordan then when he was tempted in the Desart he came leaping over the Mountaines when he laid downe his life upon the Crosse and sent out that comfortable word of Consummatum est he came then leaping on the Mountaines sayth Gregory all these speculations are sublime To teach us that mankind may learne to admire what they cannot comprehend because that all these are things that Angells converse about and study they are things transcendent they are beyond our reach They are sublime speculations Secondly as they are things sublime so they are delightfull speculations The Angells they doe not busie themselves with any sad subject Angells they think of no heavy subject because the beatificall state is not capable of any sorrow However we read of some writing of Angells of the griefe of Angells for sin and it is the Observation of Macherius and Jerome and Ambrose that as Angells rejoyce at the Conversion of sinners so they grieve at their sin and impenitency and sufferings When ever there is any sin committed by any Christian by any Servant of God sayth Macherius there is a great deale of sorrow and crying in Heaven And Jerome and Ambrose very plainly as they rejoyce at the Conversion and redemption of sinners so they mourne and lament and weep at the miseries they suffer and at their continuing in their sins But this must be understood with a graine of Salt for when we read of the greife of Angells we must so understand it as of greiving the Spirit of God not that the holy Spirit is capable of such an affection as griefe so the Angells in that beatificall estate are not capable of sorrow in that place there is not one drop of sorrow comes in Heaven there are no tears in Heaven they shall never see tears in their eyes But the greife of Angells is thus much to expresse their sympathie with us when we suffer and their distast and dislike of sin when we continue in it they are said to greive at it as we are said to greive the Spirit of God But properly Heaven is not receptive of sorrow but capable onely of joy all the objects of Saints and Angells they are all objects of joy And what could be a more delightfull object for Angells to be conversant about what more delightfull then the Mysteries of our redemption There is nothing answerable to this in sweetnesse to this consideration the goodnesse of God revealed in Christ there is no such sweet and comfortable meditation that brings so much comfort to men or to Angells It is part of the Angells happinesse to think of Gods goodnesss manifested to man in Christ Christ is an object so delightfull that not onely Angells but God himselfe delights to look on Christ as Mediator he looks on him aâ— Mediator and through Christ to sinners And that brings the delightfull beames of Gods gracious aspect upon the Church when he looks upon sinners in and through Christ It is so delightfull an object Christ that God never satisfieth himselfe with looking enough upon Christ If God delight to look upon him Angells may well imploy their eyes in this service to look upon Christ And if Angells make it their meditation Beloved we may well make it ours our eyes may twinkle when it dazles the eyes of Angells If Angells be imployed in these speculations O let Christians much more they have more particular benefite by it They are the most delightfull speculations That is the second property they are delightfull Thirdly as they are delightfull so they are not fruitlesse but saving speculations The sum of all the speculation of Angells is Salvation they seldome think of any other thing but Salvation When they look upon their owne happinesse and behold it in God their thought is of Salvation When they looke for the happinesse that â—e expect that is to be fullfilled in Heaven and they are imployed in in their Ministery upon Earth they think of Salvation all the parts of the Angells Ministery and their thoughts have reference to Salvation because they think of the Mysteries of our redemption there is Salvation stamped upon all the parts of them upon the death of Christ upon the birth upon the Resurrection of Christ It should be an incitement to us to make it the matter of our meditation what should we delight in What should our hearts run to What should we busie our heads with Take it in one word Salvation it will be our delight and meditation in Heaven shall we not make it our best meditation on Earth It should be the onely thing we should think of Angells make it not onely their chiefe but their onely meditation He that truely makes this the sum of his thoughts he will not be busie he will not delight in other things If Angells doe it we should much more the Angells are comprehenders they enjoy Salvation already we are Viatores Pilgrims in the way if they in the Country consider and look upon these things that are to be accomplished in the way shall not we much more in the way make those things our speculation that belong to the Country That is if Angells that have Salvation already make it their meditation shall not we make it ours that want it If Angells make their meditations upon those things that concerne men upon Earth shall not we upon Earth busie our thoughts about the things of Heaven In that the Angells make these things their study it is a good excitement to us as they are sublime and delightfull so they are saving speculations that is the third property Fourthly they are good things common to us with the Angells they are good things that concerne them not alone they concerne us as well as them and us more then them All the custody of Angells is imployed about the keeping of men all the speculations that Angells are imployed about is the Salvation of men they delight to look upon those things that concerne us with them and us more then them for they have it already They are brotherly Spectators it shews that as they are Creatures of happinesse so they are Creatures of love that make our good things their meditation Therefore the Apostle Jude Vers 3. he calls this Salvation Common Salvation He might well doe so for it hath a great extent it is so common that it is not onely common to all men but common to us with Angells It reacheth very far from the beginning of the World to the end of it that is a great extent those are the two poles of time It reacheth from East to West from North to South that is a great distance those are the two Poles of locall distance It reacheth to all the Patriarchs and Prophets and Believers to all of all ages and sexes and sorts of men
this is a great extent this is the pole of Persons Further it reacheth not onely to the Visible Earth and the visible Heavens but to the invisible Heavens not onely to men but to Angells there are no poles of that Heaven there is no extent It is Salvation common to men with men and common to men with Angells being the common worke they make it their common beatificall or salvificall object these things of redemption of Salvation these things that are so delectable and salvificall that concerne our good as well as Angells it is into these things that they desire to looke Now I have done with the second thing I have shewed you who the persons are and what the good things are There is onely one behind that is the maine what kind of desire it is and what is the root of this desire and the cause of this inspection But thus much for this time SERMON II. 1 PETER 1.12 Which things the Angells desire to looke into HOWSOEVER the method of nature and the method of Art be justly in themselves distinguishable yet it falls out oft times that there is the same Proceedings in both and as nature goes before so Doctrine follows after such is the method that I have set to my selfe in picking out scriptures for you during the time of this solemnitie which is still continued to me though it be ended in it selfe if wee looke to the method of nature we shall find that the Creatures they are so ordered that man he is the horizon of all things visible and Angells they are the horizon simply of all Creatures Angells are the top and man is next to them therefore if we ascend in this order where man ends there it is that the Angelicall nature begins so man is in the confines of Angells above and other Creatures below In his body he partakes of Earthly things in his soule he hath affinity with the Angelicall nature man being the next Creature under Angells and Angells the onely Creature above man therefore I say where it is the humane nature ends there the Angelicall nature begins in order of ascending so in those Scriptures that I have propounded to you all the other Texts that I have chosen have beene for you that I might shew to you in what manner you are to entertaine the Declaration of these great benefits that this solemne time hath presented to us but now where man ends there the Angells begin and as I shewed you what your inspection should be so now I will shew you what entertainment the Angells give these tidings and great blessings and what their inspection is that as they desire to looke upon us when we are seemly conversant in the worship of God so now we may goe forward to look on them in this Text as the Scripture presents them to us and see how they are conversant in the admiring and entertaining of these Mysteries of Salvation they sayth Nazianzen keepe Christmasse with us I am verily perswaded sayth he the Angells keep this Feast this very day speaking of the Nativity of Christ I will goe a little further for I am not onely perswaded but I am sure that they keep not onely one day but every day for this their inspection is the keeping of the Angells Christmass the inspection into the incarnation of our blessed Saviour which because it is a great Mystery in it selfe and because the Text of Scripture that I handle wants not its difficulties therefore I am resolved to goe on in the course that the Lord set Ezekiel Ezek. 20. Son of man drop thy words Abstruse things are not to be cast downe by whole Buckets but by drops so there are three drops three things in it two I have gone over in the forenoone First who these Angells are I shewed at large Negatively not the evill Spirits Affirmatively that it must of necessity be understood of the good Angells the other Angells have no delight to look into the Mysteries of Salvation except it be for their wicked advantage they look to Mysteries but they are Mysteries of iniquity not to the Mysteries of redemption they find no sweetnesse in them it must be the good Angells those that were attendant and imployed and their service required and their ministration used to the Law in the publication of it and to the Saints of God in the making knowne and declaring those Mysteries they have benefite in them as well as we it is the good Angells Because these Mysteries of redemption are Angelicall speculations we need not to be ashamed to be conversant in the study of them it is an honourable study Because it is fit for Angelicall study we must look on them with sobriety the Angells set them bounds we must not goe too far That was the first-drop The second thing was what these things are in particular that the Angells desire to looke into I shewed in what Coppies the Singular number is used into whome the Greeke into which the same good things that are set downe in the foregoing words the good things testified by the Holy Ghost from Heaven certified by the Prophets before and reported by Christ that is in one word summarily the Mysteries of the Gospell those are the things they desire to looke into In particular they are high speculations that the Angells looke into They are delightfull and plausible arguments there are no sad thoughts come into the Angells hearts they study no sorrowfull subject whatsoever Thirdly they are all things that concerne Salvation the Angells thoughts run upon nothing else though they enjoy Salvation either in the glorifying of God for their owne or in striving to be serviceable to God in the furthering of others their thoughts are upon Salvation Lastly they are brotherly speculations The Angells have the good things they looke to with us they are theirs and ours nay more properly ours then theirs they are not drawne by these meanes they were confirmed in an instant we are drawne by degrees This is the sum of the two first parts in the forenoone There is but one behind which is the maine and will prove the longest that is to see Quae radix desiderij what is the Originall and ground of this holy desire that the Angells have to looke into these sublime and glorious Mysteries to make them the object of their speculation except we find out this we find out nothing Because there are many things questionable seeing oft times inquisition comes from curiosity or from want of desire or from ignorance and the Angelicall nature is not subject to these defects they are not curious to enquire into that that is concealed from them and they are not defective in the knowledge of any thing that is necessary for them to know therefore upon this Wheele the whole frame will turne to find out the ground and Originall of the desire of the Angells why they are carried with so holy and impetuous motion to looke to those Mysteries