might have opened their eyes to see who our Saviour was without any further telling For what could He say of himself more than this Miracle spake which others reported not He It told them loudly enough would they have heard that he had the power of God in him one of whose prerogatives it is cxlvi Psal 8. to open the eyes of the blind And John Baptist also had told them plainly that he saw the Spirit descending from Heaven like a Dove and it abode upon him i. 32. Here was an unexceptionable witness of the truth of this story which John presently published And they had reason to believe him because he that authorized him to administer that Baptism which they received gave him this for a sign whereby he should know the Christ when he saw him Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on him the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost And I saw and bare record that this is the Son of God ver 33 34. He could be no less on whom such a Divine Glory not only descended but also remained and took up its abode with him That 's the last thing to be considered and the chiefest of all He had not a mere glance of this visible Majesty which did not make a transient appearance but he saw it remaining on him It staid for some time there as if it intended to make him its habitation and dwelling place And so it did for as He saw the visible Divine majesty or glory remaining on him then so the thing signified by it continued alway and made all see if they would attend that he was the Sanctuary or most holy Place in which God was and had taken up his residence for ever The body of Jesus as I said before is now become the Temple of God not made by man but by God himself in the Virgins womb There God manifested himself perpetually by sensible effects as I shall show you presently declaring Jesus to be his Son in whom the fulness of the Godhead dwelt bodily After this visible Majesty disappeared the presence of God within him was very apparent For he came away from Jordan saith S. Luke full of the Holy Ghost iv 1. And having been tempted a while in the wilderness he returned from thence in the power of the Spirit into Galilee ver 14. There he taught in his own City and opened the Book at that very place of Isaiah where he said The Spirit of the Lord is upon me which Scripture was that day fulfilled in their ears ver 18 21. And at Cana in that Country he began to work miracles and manifested forth his glory ii John 11. That is showed indeed that the Divine Majesty spoken of before remained in him Of which glory they did not see so little as a flash or two but they beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the Father i. 14. He cast about every where such rays of glory and majesty as declared him to be no less person than God's only begotten Son and these they beheld and were constant eye-witnesses of to the end of his life For he went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the Devil for God was with him x. Acts 38. This was all his business to bestow benefits upon mankind and to relieve those who were otherways helpless but only by a Divine power As was notorious in his frequent dispossession of Devils and opening the eyes of him who was blind from his birth and after that raising Lazarus from the dead in which great work they saw the glory of God xi John 40. Who did not give the Spirit by measure to him that is with such restriction as he himself gave it to his Apostles at the first But the Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into his hands as the Baptist speaks iii. Joh. 34 35. It pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell i. Coloss 19. So that none could have any thing of the Spirit but from his hands and he could communicate what he pleased Which is a sign that he was the place where the Divine majesty and the Holy Spirit now dwelt and had taken up its residence among men who must all repair to him if they would receive the Holy Ghost or any blessing from above What greater argument could there be that he was the Son of God than this that he had all things now put into his hands to do what he pleased on Earth and received the Holy Ghost in such a visible Majesty as a pledge that he should shortly have all power in Heaven too at the right hand of God It was fit that this glorious testimony of the Holy Ghost to him should be accompanied with the voice of God which came out of that or the like cloud saying This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased So we shall have still farther reasons to acknowledge him if we do but make these following Reflections upon what hath been here discoursed One is that here was not so little as the appearance of an Angel to him by whom God declared his will to the Prophets but a far more illustrious manifestation of the Divine Glory which came down upon him and declared him more than a Prophet Maimonides doubts not to say * More Nevoch Part. 3. cap. 45. that all Prophecy was by the mediation of Angels xvi Gen. 9. xxii 15. Moses himself began to be a Prophet by this means iii. Exod. 2. The Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in the Bush For which cause he thinks God afterward appointed two Cherubims to cover the Ark that the people might be bred up in the belief of Angels And God is said to dwell between them and to ride upon them because all Prophecy was carried by them from God to men But here is something far beyond this way of communication between God and Men. For not an Angel appeared or spake unto him But that Divine Glory which dwelt between the Cherubims descends upon him and makes him its resting place and God himself speaks to him at the same time out of that Glory calling him his Son and bidding all hear him This was a manifest declaration of his high and singular prerogative and a sign that no less than the fulness of the Godhead dwelt in him So that he knew as I said before the mind of God not by Visions and Dreams or by mediation of Angels but by a more intimate familiarity with God dwelling and residing in him For you may observe further which is another thing very remarkable that though there had been formerly an appearance of a Schekinah of the Divine presence that is or glory of God when the gifts of the Holy Ghost were imparted to some persons Yet we never read that this Schekinah came down upon any man much less that it remained on him but upon Jesus only
numbred with thy Saints in glory everlasting Amen CHAP. IV. Concerning the Testimony of the HOLY GHOST WE have heard the WORD speak enough in his own behalf and I do not think it needful to hear that Witness any further Let us attend now to the Testimony of the third person in the holy Trinity and hear what the HOLY GHOST saith who we shall find upon due examination agrees perfectly in the same thing and declares that Jesus is the Son of God Witness that glorious appearance of the Divine Spirit upon him when he was baptized and the great gifts and endowments thereof wherewith ever after that he was filled himself and filled others For here we may note three things as we did in the opening of the testimony of the other two Witnesses I. The first is that when the Spirit of God descended upon him immediately after his Baptism and in an illustrious manner remained on him as S. John Baptist testifies it did i. John 32 33. then the Holy Ghost bare witness of him that he was the Son of God In our reflections upon which we are to consider distinctly first how it descended and then that it remained and abode upon him And for the better understanding of both these we must know that when the Jews would express any visible appearance of the Majesty and glory of God they call it the SCHEKINAH that is the Habitation or dwelling because God showed himself thereby to be extraordinarily present and that he did as it were dwell in that place to afford those to whom he so manifested himself his gracious help comfort or instruction This is the name they give even to that Presence of God which was in the most holy place the Glory of the Lord which appeared upon the Cherubims because He dwelt there and took up his rest among them by this token of his presence with them So He himself had spoken xxv Exod. 8. Let them make me a Sanctuary that I may DWELL among them That is the Glory of the Lord which ABODE upon mount Sinai xxiv 16. came and took up its residence there in the Sanctuary From these two places they gave it the name of dwelling or abode And tell us that from the day that this Schekinah as they speak or Divine presence dwelling among them rested on mount Sinai at the giving of the Law it never departed from Israel till the destruction of the house of the first Sanctuary by the King of Babylon after that the Divinity or this glorious token of the Divine presence did not dwell among them They are the words of R. Bechai upon Gen. xlv But that which had been so long absent returned now in a far more glorious manner than ever not to dwell in an house of stone but in the Temple of our Saviours body as he calls ii John 21. For when Jesus was baptized Lo the Heavens were opened unto him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a Dove and lighting upon him iii. Matth. 16. Every word of this verse is very observable For the opening of the Heavens in the prophetical writings as Grotius hath observed upon xix Revel 11. still precedes some great Vision And that which he with John Baptist now saw was the Spirit of God that is such a glorious appearance of the Divine majesty as I before mentioned For the Rabbins often call the Ruach Hakkodesh or the HOLY GHOST by the name of Schekinah or the Divine presence gloriously appearing among them So Elias expresly tells us in his Tisbi * Vocab 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and gives this reason for it because it rested or dwelt upon the Prophets and was a great token I may add of God's presence with them Whence it is that where the Hebrew Text as he goes on saith The spirit of Jacob revived xlv Gen. 27. R. Solomon expounds it thus the Schekinah or the HOLY GHOST rested on him which was departed and as it were extinct before because of the grief and sorrow wherein he had been drown'd For the Holy Ghost say they rests not upon the melancholy but only on those who are of a chearful spirit Thus when Hannah said to Eli who fancied she was drunk No my Lord I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit the Talmud expounds it in this manner Thou art not to govern in this case the Schekinah and the Holy Ghost is not upon thee as appears by this that thou hast judged me guilty when I am innocent It is all one then in their Language as I observed also before in the conclusion of the second Chapter to say that the Divine Majesty or that the Holy Ghost is upon any person And therefore I doubt not but there was a glorious appearance of the Majesty of God at our Saviours Baptism some great unusual brightness signifying the Divine presence and the Spirit of God coming to dwell in him It is not indeed mentioned in express words that there was such a Schekinah or Majestical appearance of the Glory of the Lord but it must be understood to be meant by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Spirit of God According to the dialect of that Nation who call the Holy Ghost as I said by the name of the Divine Majesty or Presence and so might call that Majesty by the name of the Holy Ghost or spirit of God And Justin Martyr saith expresly in his disputation with the Jew that at our Saviours Baptism 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A fire was lighted in Jordan That is as I understand it such a Divine glory appeared as there was among the ancient Israelites which had I told you the resemblance of a very bright fire Which so good a man would not have had the boldness to affirm if it had not been the constant tradition which passed among them or rather the constant sence they put upon this place Just as when the Apostles were baptized with the Holy Ghost a fiery substance gathered it self about their heads in token of a Divine presence among them so when our Lord himself was baptized with water there was the like but far more glorious appearance which spreading it self from his head round about made the River out of which he was newly come look as if it were on a flame as a sign that he should baptize not with water but with the Holy Ghost and with fire And so Grotius hath observed that in the Gospel of the Nazarens there were these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 straight-way a great light shone round about the place which the Syrian Churches also acknowledge in their Liturgy All which make it apparent that Holy men thus understood the descent of the Holy Ghost as I have explained it And indeed S. Luke tells us iii. 22. that it descended 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in a bodily form or appearance There was some visible matter broke out of the Heavens which being the place of light and glory we can expound to be nothing
When the LXX Elders were to receive a portion of Moses his Spirit God ordered them to be brought unto the Tabernacle of the Congregation and says he would come down and talk with Moses there and take of the Spirit which was upon him and put it upon them xi Numb 16 17. Accordingly you read ver 24. that as they stood round about the Tabernacle the Lord came down in a cloud ver 25. that is in such a manner as now the Holy Ghost descended at our Lord's Baptism But He came not down upon them who were about the Tabernacle but rather as in the next story xii 5. and at other times stood in the door of the Tabernacle from whence he spake to Moses and took of the Spirit which was on him and gave it to the seventy Elders Whereas here the Holy Ghost came down in a visible glory and pitched upon Jesus himself who was the Tabernacle now where God chose to dwell For this Schekinah as you have heard or Divine majesty not only lighted on him but rested there and remained in him as if God had told him who saw it both descend and abide on him Here will I dwell for ever for therein do I delight This demonstrated him to be more than any ever was not merely a great Prophet but the very Son of God Never was there such a Crown prepared for any mans head but his Never before did the hand of Heaven put such a Diadem of Glory upon any person as this which encircled and as I may say was bound about our Saviour This can be accounted nothing less than the testimony of the HOLY GHOST to him that he was the Holy one of God the anointed from above the King of God's people and the heir of all things Thus S. Peter you know expresses the honour which was now done him when he tells Cornelius and his company x. Acts 38. that God ANOINTED him with the Holy Ghost and with power The HOLY GHOST came down as an holy oil from the Heavenly Sanctuary which being poured on him in such a glorious Majesty gave him authority to be called the Son of God and made him his King So John Baptist acknowledged him you remember as soon as he beheld this strange sight and bare record of it unto others that this person thus anointed was the Son of God i. John 34. He was now invested with a royal power for that 's the meaning of his being ANOINTED and we ought I shall show you to look upon this as a solemn inauguration of him in his Kingdom to which he had now a title given him together with some part of a Kingly Authority And if there be any truth in the Traditions of the Hebrews concerning their own Ceremonies there was something remarkable in it that this ANOINTING him with the holy oil from above was immediately after he came up out of the waters of Jordan For Maimonides and the Doctors in the Talmud tell us that they never anointed a King of the house of David but at the side of a Fountain or of a River of water Which was the reason that David commanded his servants to bring his son Solomon down to GIHON 1 Kings i. 33. and there anoint him King over Israel For this GIHON was a little River as R. Solomon there notes or the head of a River nigh Jerusalem which discharged it self into the brook Kidron and in the Chaldee Paraphrase is called by the newer name of Siloah It was made very famous afterward by that memorable work of Hezekiah 2 Chron. xxxii 30. who to take away the advantage any Enemy might make of it in a siege stopt up the course of its water and brought it by Chanels under-ground into the City of David At this place without the walls of Jerusalem not in the City Zadok and Nathan anointed King Solomon That is one of them poured out the oil and the other anointed his head drawing a circle with the oil upon it For so they all say that Kings were anointed in the form of a Crown to denote the royal dignity Which if it be true and that they made choice of such a place to show as they will have it the perpetuity of their Kingdom because Rivers run alway though the Cities which stand by them decay and may be demolished then it is very observable that our Lord was ANOINTED or Crowned with the Holy Ghost by the River JORDAN rather than in any other place to denote him indeed to be the King of Israel who should sit upon the throne of his Father David as the Angel said for ever and ever But this I mention only by the way The chief thing to be noted is that now he began to reign and entred upon his Kingdom called the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven which John Baptist told them was at hand For this descent of the HOLY GHOST in such a visible majesty did not merely give him a title to the Divine Kingdom which was to be erected by him in the world and assured him that he was God's Christ or ANOINTED that is his King and endued him with such royal qualities as fitted him for that office But it made him a King by conferring several branches of the Regal power on him and by giving him authority to exercise them in the world It is true indeed he did not actually take possession of his Kingdom nor exercise his royal power completely and the time of his inthroning was deferred till he had accomplished the will of God other ways and by the suffering of death was crowned with glory and honour in the Heavens But that he did not act only as a Prophet all his life-time but likewise took upon him the person of a King or acted as a Royal Prophet doing many things which only the royal Authority could do is a most manifest Truth in the Holy story Which cannot be better explained than by the parallel case of his Father David who was the exact type and figure of him He was anointed by Samuel some years before he sate upon the throne of the Lord. But as that Unction was the designation of him to the royal dignity and a pawn or pledge of the possession of it in due time so ever after he atchieved very great things which spoke him to be the person designed by God for his Kingdom as it is called I told you 2 Chron. ix 8. and he also received some portion of it before he enjoyed it all entirely 2 Sam. ii 4.9 v. 3. Just thus did our blessed Saviour after he was ANOINTED with the Holy Ghost give several proofs that he was a King which is the meaning you have heard of the word CHRIST and had received some of the power belonging to that high office For first he cast out Devils and cured all diseases at any time when he pleased only with his powerful word and for nothing Which were Acts of such royal bounty
resolving it either way to give with their own mouths so great an advantage to him whom they questioned and opposed But by saying nothing they plainly confessed that if they had gone on to dispute with him He would have had the better of them and have made it appear from John Baptists testimony that He had an authority far greater than that which they must have acknowledged in him For though our Saviour thought good for brevity-sake to propound this argument to them by way of question and so let them reason it out within themselves yet it was as forcible they plainly felt as if he had pleaded with them in this manner My Authority which you call in question is every evident I have it from Heaven and not from Men as I prove by this argument If the Baptism of John be from Heaven then from thence I come now you cannot deny if you will speak out that his Baptism is from thence and therefore I make the conclusion that my Authority is Divine The consequence was as clear as the Sun that if John was sent by God then so was Jesus in that quality wherein he appeared because John as you shall see gave this testimony to him which could not be questioned after they had granted him to be a Prophet The only thing that could be denied in this Argument was that John's Baptism was from Heaven or that God authorized him to say and do what he did But this they durst not oppose because then to rid themselves of one Enemy they should bring the whole Nation as we say about their ears who did not take John for a counterfeit but thought that he was a Prophet INDEED xi Mark 32. Nay they themselves never adventured to call John before their Council much less advised how they might put him to death as they did our Saviour But on the contrary many of the Pharisees and the Sadducees came to his Baptism iii. Matth. 7. They were as inclinable to reverence him as the people For God who had spoken heretofore to that Nation so long by Prophets whom they thought themselves bound to believe had plainly manifested him to be one Nay he was not a common Prophet but one of an extraordinary rank The Prophet of the Highest his Father calls him and more than a Prophet in the language of our Saviour as you shall hear presently What should they do then which way should they turn themselves now that they durst not deny the Proposition upon which this consequence evidently depended that Jesus was the Christ Their only resuge was silence For though thereby they acknowledged him too hard for them and suffered his Divine authority to stand supported by this unanswered Argument yet they had rather part so and shamefully break off the disputation which they themselves had begun than let him go away with their express confession and testimony that if the Prophet of the Highest might be believed he was their Christ It was no disadvantage to our Saviour but to their own cause that they answered they could not tell whence John's Baptism was For hereby it appeared He had so much to say for himself that if they would say any thing in this matter and not obstinately hold their peace they must say as He did that He was the Son of God For John Baptist whose Heavenly authority they durst not deny though they would not confess it received all men into this belief when they came to him that there was one COMING after him who should gather Disciples as he did and that he was the Christ This he told them was the very end of his Preaching and Baptizing to prepare the way of the Lord to make them fit and ready to entertain the next Prophet that should appear as greater than him even as the Son of God And therefore when Jesus did openly appear and come to his Baptism and John saw the Spirit descend and remain on him then he told them in plain terms that this was the person whose way he came to prepare and that they must receive him as the Son of God and the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world i. John 29 30 34. And that which he said at this time there is no doubt he declared at all times when the people came to be baptized For thus the Jews describe Jesus when they disputed with some of John's Scholars about his Baptism iii. Joh. 25. HE TO WHOM THOU BAREST WITNESS behold the same baptizeth c. ver 26. Thence he is frequently called one of his WITNESSES and said to come for this end that he might be a WITNESS to him that ALL men through him might believe that is might be perswaded that Jesus was the WORD of God by this testimony of John i. John 6 7 8. And our Saviour afterwards appeals to this Testimony of his and bids the Jews consider it v. John 32 33. For you know says he that he bare WITNESS to me when ye sent to him And I know that the WITNESS which he WITNESSETH of me is true And great reason there was that they should consider it and be convinced by it For John was a burning and a shining light as it there follows ver 35. and they themselves were willing for a season to rejoyce in his light If that fit was over and now they were less delighted in him it was merely because he testified of Jesus There was nothing else to damp their affection for otherways they could not but confess him to be an illustrious person Who shined with the greater splendour because He was miraculously conceived in his Mothers old Age and his Birth was predicted by an Angel and his Father struck dumb because he believed not his Word and this Angel appeared in the very Temple at the Altar of Incense and therefore was not like to be a delusion And his Father was indued with the Spirit of Prophecy and his tongue unloosed when this Child came to be Circumcised Then He spake concerning his quality by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost and John appeared to be prophetically endowed from a child God also took care of his education in the Wilderness where he was trained up to a resemblance of Elias so that his life and manners transcended all in that Age and his Spirit and Doctrine was so powerful and convincing that it was hard for them to say who he was the people admiring his sanctity and preaching held him for a Prophet and some of the Priests and Levites having such an esteem of him that it was a question among them whether he was not the CHRIST They were sent you know from Jerusalem to enquire about it i. John 19 20 c. and yet this Person who shined with such a lustre whom Jesus himself calls the greatest that had been born of women of whom he was baptized declares to these persons who came to ask who he was that he was not worthy so much
therefore we ought to study this place of holy Scripture and have it much in our thoughts that so our Faith may stand in the Power of God For otherwise how shall we be able to follow the Apostolical Precept which would have us when we are questioned to render a reason of the hope that is in us 1 Pet. iii. 15. We may be able to stand our ground though we be ignorant of the true causes of belief but the enemies of it will look upon it as a foolish obstinacy if we have not so much understanding as to give some other account of our Faith than they give for theirs Suppose they should say Why are you a Christian whence is it that you look for a Resurrection a Glorious body and Eternal life in another world Would they not think us very stupid if we could say nothing to them but that so we have been always taught and are resolved to believe Would not this be as good a reason for them as it is for us and make us unworthy of the name of Christians who know our Books no better which bid us give and furnish us with a reasonable account Consider therefore what Answer you would shape to them that should make such a demand The Apostle says it is fit they should have a reason what is the best that you can offer for their satisfaction shall I tell you The plain Answer is this That Jesus whose Religion we follow was the Son of God and therefore we believe these things because the Son of God taught us so who cannot deceive us and we will not exchange this for any other perswasion though we should die for it It is certain enough that every body who hears this will presently consent to us that he is a fool who doth not stoop to him and comply with us if it be certain that Jesus is the Son of God But how do you prove that will be the next question Here is the labour this is our work and whence will you fetch convincing Arguments to make them yield to you this weighty point There is no such Compendious Abridgment of them any where that I know of as in this place of S. John which furnishes us with reasons both many and mighty to perswade us and others that Jesus is the Son of God You may tell them that the Father Almighty said so by voices from Heaven in the audience of credible persons and that the Word said so as they may be informed of S. Paul who had no reason greater than this to force him to leave all and with the daily hazard of his life to follow Jesus You may alledge the testimony of the Holy Ghost both at his Baptism and afterward the marvellous sanctity of his Doctrine and Life the Confession he made at his bloudy Death the Glory of his Miraculous works his Resurrection from the Dead the Power of the same Spirit in his Apostles after he was gone to Heaven all the Miracles which were wrought long after their times in the places where the holy Martyrs of Jesus suffered together with the wonderful success of these Witnesses who perswaded innumerable People in all Countries to become the subjects of this crucified King Christ Jesus Study this place therefore I say again very well that you may be able to oppress any gain-sayer with the great weight of those reasons which you render of your faith And study it likewise till you feel the faith of Jesus doing something in your hearts till that faith which hath so good a cause have sutable effects that is till it change you as it is ever apt to do into the nature of that cause from whence it flows It comes from God see that it carry you to him and change you into his likeness It relies on his Testimony be sure that it make you perfectly of his mind It comes with the authority from the Word of God it self and from the Holy Ghost let it mightily inspire you with devotion to him and set your affections on things above where Christ is now at God's right hand It relies upon the Purity of his holy Doctrine and Life and therefore ought to purifie our hearts that we may behave our selves in all holy conversation and godliness It is founded on his Bloud on which we can never look but it will deaden our affections to this World and make us crucifie the flesh with its passions and lusts It stands upon the power of God and should therefore make us strong in the Lord and in the power of his might It grows as you see upon sundry roots and flows from several heads and therefore should dispose those in whose hearts it is planted to be abundant in the work of the Lord and to bring forth much fruit that we may be known to be indeed the Disciples of Jesus whose faith is supported by such numerous Witnesses And this now will lead me to the next thing which S. John here makes to be the necessary consequent of this faith and therefore ought not to be omitted IV. If there be such great such abundant reason to believe that Jesus is the Son of God then there is as great a necessity lying upon us to be obedient unto him and punctually to observe all his commands This Faith both requires our submission and obedience to him and also gives us power and ability to perform it It is a meer trick of the Devil another piece of his Sophistry when He cannot dig up the foundation of Christianity which I told you was his first indeavour to hinder all superstructure upon it by perswading Christian People that Faith and Obedience are no necessary Companions but that they may be good believers and yet not keep Christ's Precepts Some think they need not and others which is the same cheat in another shape think they cannot But I appeal to every Man's conscience if he be a believer whether he do not perceive his heart over-awed and his will inclined to reverence and subjection and all his powers mightily moved to tender their service when he seriously thinks that Jesus is the Lord to whom God the Father hath committed all Judgment and will render to every Man according to his works Do you not feel this faith carrying a great authority with it Nay is there not an irresistable energy and vertue in it while you attend to it pressing you to conformity with his holy will Who can gain-say this And who can say then that his Faith does not both engage and inable him to be obedient to his Saviour if he do but mind what he believes He never thinks of that but it powerfully urges and constrains him to yield himself to be a faithful Servant of Jesus in every thing that he declares to be the mind and will of God These uncontrollable inclinations declare to us so plainly the tendency and natural disposition of Christian Faith that we cannot but see it is so far from
John the Baptist to him 276 c. The place where he gave it very remarkable 288. Jesus his own Baptism a testimony to him several ways 292. to 308. The conclusion we are to draw from hence 308 309 c. A Prayer 312. CHAP. VI. The Testimony of the BLOUD 317. Jesus died to witness this truth that he is God's Son 320. The strength of this Testimony in xiv Considerations 322. The first Ib. The second and third 323. The fourth 324. The fifth 327. The sixth 328. The seventh 331. The eighth 332. The ninth 334. The tenth 339. The eleventh 343. The twelfth 345. The thirteenth which contains a narration of the trial of our Saviour before Pontius Pilate 349. to 363. The fourteenth 363 c. The conclusion in two observations belonging to this matter 366. A Prayer 372. CHAP. VII Concerning the Testimony of the SPIRIT 379. The difference between the SPIRIT and the HOLY GHOST 381. His miraculous works were the first testimony of the Spirit 383. particularly casting out Devils 388. and raising the dead 396. the raising of Lazarus a remarkable testimony to Jesus 402. The reason why the Apostles relate so many of his miracles 410. Our Saviour appeals to them 418. The different ways that God and men take for establishing a Religion 425. The second testimony of the Spirit was by the Resurrection of Christ from the dead 431. First as it was a sign given his Apostles and the People 438. and the greatest sign 442. and such an one as his enemies acknowledge to be satisfactory 448. An explication of that place 1 John 50.51 and of the blasphemy against the holy Ghost 457. to 467. These Witnesses all well known 467. A Prayer 473. CHAP. VIII Concerning the Witness of the Apostles 479. who testified to our Saviour all these three ways by WATER 487. and by BLOUD 497. and by the SPIRIT 503. The difference between them and all pretenders to miraculous works 509. No just exception against the Records we have of their testimony 514 c. No body ever undertook to disprove them 523. A few remarks upon some passages of the N.T. which speak of these witnesses 525. particularly the Two Witnesses xi Rev. 3. 527. The testimony of all the Martyrs 533. A Prayer 535. CHAP. IX The great importance of this Truth that Jesus is the Son of God 542. appears in many considerations 543. We ought therefore to settle it in our hearts 545. and not think such discourses needless 546. The laziness of Christian people 548. We ought to be cautious in our belief and examine before we trust 550. If we examine duly we shall find the Faith of Christians to be perfectly rational 554. No Religion relies on such testimonies 555. That of Mahomet considered in all the foregoing regards 556. to 566. There the Religion of Moses is considered Which had no such witness from the FATHER as ours hath Ib. nor from the WORD 570. nor from the HOLY GHOST 571. nor such a Testimony of WATER 572. nor of BLOUD 574. nor of the SPIRIT 575. A Prayer 580. CHAP. X. Containing other Uses we are to make of the Testimony of these Witnesses 585. The third is we ought to believe them and heartily embrace the Christian Faith 589. no excuse for those that do not 593. This is as certain a way of knowing things as any other 598. These Witnesses greater than any other 602. The Christian way to belief 608. The plain account of our Faith 609. The fourth Use we are to make of this Testimony 613. Obedience the necessary consequence of Faith 614 615 c. All these Witnesses call for it 617 c. The Devils will shame us if we hearken not to them 622. The fifth concerning the power of the Christian Faith to baffle all temptations 629. First the hatred of men 631. Secondly troubles and calamities Ib. 632 c. Thirdly the lust of the flesh lust of the eyes and pride of life 634 c. How inviting the voice of these Witnesses is 639 c. The sixth concerning the power of this Faith to make us do our duty chearfully 645. Christ's Commandments not grievous 646. According to our faith so is our strength 648. The unreasonableness of mens complaints of Christ's yoke 650 651. What fancy will make men do 653. Faith therefore is more powerful 654. We ought now to be Christ's Witnesses by our good lives 655. So the ancient Christians were 656. Whereby we shall convey this Faith to posterity 657. Wickedness the cause of Infidelity 658. A Prayer 659. ERRATA PAge 635. line 15. read signifies that sort p. 636. l. penult r. which is a thirst p. 637. l. 18. r. seeks p. 641. l. 24. r. temptations p. 642. l. 12. r. ever p. 643. l. 10. for desire r. defie p. 645. l. 14. for yet r. yea p. 654. l. 2. for him r. us 1 S. JOHN vâ—â— 7 8. For there are three that bear witness in Heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three are one And there are three that bear witness in Earth the Spirit and the Water and the Bloud and these three agree in one PART I. CHAP. I. An Introduction to the Ensuing Discourse shewing the Scope of it IT is not my design in this Discourse to explain and establish the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity which several great Writers have inferred with much appearance of reason from the remarkable difference there is between those words whereby S. John expresses the Unity of the first three witnesses and those whereby he expresses the Unity of the last But to settle the Faith and Hope of Christian Souls in the Lord Jesus which is the true scope of the Apostle in this part of his Epistle though in no Treatise that I have met withal it hath from hence been distinctly and fully represented That this is the drift of the Apostles Discourse and ought to be the intention of mine will be very apparent if we go but back so far as the fourth Verse of this Chapter and from thence take our rise for that Argument which I purpose to pursue To know that we are born of God and so shall be his Heirs is a thing in which above all others we are most highly concern'd That we may have therefore a certain character of one divinely descended S. John lays down this General mark of him whereby he may be known that Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the World By this a Christian is to be tried and hereby he discovers himself what he is whether the child of God in name only or in deed and in truth If when he meets with any thing in this world that would seduce or affright him from his duty he not only defies it and sets himself against it but makes it yield to his resolution of stedfast obedience to God's Commandments which every man he says in the foregoing verse that loves God will certainly keep and not think them grievous neither
the heir of all things He is called by the same name that they were If there were no other reason for it his office would give him a title to it because he is the Lords Christ anointed by God to the highest dignity and government under him not only over that Country but over all Nations on the Earth who by believing on him were all to be made a chosen generation a royal Priesthood an holy Nation a peculiar people 1 Pet. ii 9. But to show his most excellent greatness he is called the Son of God with two marks of his preeminence above all other who have had that name First he is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Son that eminent King the King of Kings like to whom none ever was For secondly whereas those sons of the highest spoken of before were to die like other men Psal 82.7 and to fall like one of the Princes in other Countries He is called the Son 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of that God who liveth xvi Matth. 16. that is of the immortal eternal God And by consequence is like his Father an everlasting King of whose Kingdom as the Angel told his Mother i. Luke 33. there shall be no end Thus the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews who understood this language well enough hath discoursed in the First Chapter Where he proves that Jesus is the Son of God in a more eminent sence than any Angel in Heaven according to those ancient prophecies before named concerning David and Solomon as you read ver 4 5. From whence the Jews learns to call the Messiah who they confess is in those places mystically spoken of by that name of the Son of God Which the Apostle there shows is the greatest name of excellence and signifies the highest honour and dignity such as God hath conferred upon no other And then he proceeds to show that according to other prophecies which speak of his supereminence his Throne is for ever and ever ver 8. For God who is his God in a peculiar manner loving and rewarding him hath anointed him with the oil of gladness preferred him that is above all that partake of Kingly dignity ver 9. He hath made him indeed his first-born the Prince of all the Kings of the Earth as S. John speaks i. Revel 5. to whom we are to submit our selves with the greatest devotion of spirit and from whom we may then expect Protection Blessing and the noblest Rewards For he is the long expected Son of God who excells all other that were ever called by that name the King of inconceivable Majesty whose splendor could not so much as be fore-shadowed by Solomon in all his glory Thus Nathanael I observe puts these two expressions together in his confession of our Saviour out of a vehement affection redoubling his words Thou art that Son of God thou art that King of Israel i. John 49. This is the business upon which we are to examine these Witnesses we are to consider what they say to this point that the Lord Jesus was sent from God as Moses had formerly been only Moses as a Servant but he as a Son according to what you read iii. Heb. 5 6. with a fulness of authority with all the power of God so that we may confidently rely on every thing that he hath said as the very mind and sence of God This if we can hear them speak they are witnesses so beyond all exception that we cannot chuse but reverence him and receive him and obey him and put our trust in him and rejoyce in his royal favour and love evermore For the first three are no less persons than the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost Whose gracious assistance let us humbly implore that this and all other our works may be begun continued and ended to the glorifying of his holy Name A PRAYER O Father of lights from whom cometâ— every good and every perfect gift illuminate my mind in these Meditations that I may be able to enlighten others anâ— lead them into a good understanding in aâ—â— things Guide and direct my thoughts thaâ— I may reason and discourse aright Shine intâ— all our Souls by the light of the glorious Gospâ—â— of Christ John 6.40 that we seeing the Son may believe on him and being made thy childreâ— by adoption and grace may be daily more anâ— more renewed by thy holy Spirit Settle iâ— our Souls that mighty faith whereby we may have power and strength to have victory and to triumph over the Devil the World and the Flesh Strengthen it every day by constant Meditation on those things which thou O Father Son and Holy Ghost hast so many ways declared to us that it may grow still more victorious and we may feel the happy fruit of it in greater joy and triumph of spirit in assured expectation of the Crown of righteousness which thou hast promised to all faithful Souls O that none of the inticing allurements of this world may ever more deceive us and steal away our hearts from our true happiness nor any of the troublesome passages of this life ever hereafter dishearten us and divert us from the pursuit of it But the Faith of Christ may so intirely possess our hearts as to keep us stedfast and upright in the midst of all the temptations of what kind soever they be that assault us And looking up unto Jesus the author and finisher of our Faith we may still say with true resolution of spirit Thou art the Son of God most high thou art the King of incomprehensible Majesty thou art the Lord of all We will constantly adhere to thee as thy faithful subjects We will follow thee in faith and love and patient obedience to the very death And hope that as we feel by thy power in us we are the children of God so we shall be heirs heirs of God joynt-heirs with thee O blessed Lord to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be glory and dominion for ever Amen CHAP. II. Concerning the Witnesses in general and the Testimony of the FATHER in particular IF any man urge us to receive a thing which is new and strange we either turn away our ears if we take him for a frivolous person or else require him to show us good evidence for what he says if he seem to be wise and serious And the more importunate he is to be believed the more earnest we are to know what he hath to show for himself and to call for his proofs in which if he fail or they come not home to the purpose he is so far from gaining any credit with those who examine them that they prove a very considerable argument against him Especially when he pretends to come from God and to bring us messages from Heaven we all expect the clearer and diviner demonstrations before we can resign our mind unto him For that which is to make all things credible must have very
is a mark set before it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lo or behold that we may all attend and listen diligently to this voice for now the word of God came to him as he speaks in another place I told you concerning those who were called Gods under the old Law x. John 35. and in an audible manner authorized him to begin to act as the Christ of God whom He had anointed as you shall hear with the Holy Ghost just at this moment when He declared him his Son by this voice from Heaven Which if you carefully observe it is expressed by the other Evangelists in such a manner that we may understand it was directed to himself as that commission which was sent him from Heaven to give him power to exercise the office of Gods supreme and only Minister in this world in whom alone he was well pleased and in none else but by him For S. Mark says the voice was in these words Thou art my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Which plainly tell us that he spake to Jesus and not merely of him that he might be confident He was the person whom God had now sanctified and sent into the world And so S. Luke hath recorded it more fully and expresly Thou art my beloved Son in thee I am well pleased As if he had said Thou art the person to whom I have a favour above all others I have anointed thee above all thy fellows none that have had this name are so dear to me as thou art to whom I commit my authority and invest with my power and intrust with all my mind and will Now because we all suspect private Revelations and think it no sufficient ground to believe one that says God spake to him unless he can bring some other very credible person besides himself to attest that he also heard it or be able otherways to demonstrate it God was pleased therefore not only by other means to verifie this but so to direct S. Matthew's pen that he hath as good as told us that the voice which was directed to Jesus himself telling him he was his Son was uttered likewise in the audience of John Baptist a person famed for his sanctity reverenced by all the Nation of the Jews and acknowledged to be a Prophet Though it was delivered I believe in those words and syllables wherein S. Mark or S. Luke have set it down for as the Heavens were opened unto him iii. Matth. 16. and he saw the Spirit descending so the voice which accompanied it spake in all likelihood unto him yet it being heard also by John who had baptised him and who saw all that went before it as he himself declared it was as if God had said to him This is my beloved Son c. and therefore so S. Matthew relates it The Father Almighty by this voice awakened the attention of the Baptist and bade him as it were mark it that this person to whom he now spake was the Messiah who now entred upon his office being declared the Son of God and should increase and grow as he presently after discerned iii. John 30. till he came to be declared by the Resurrection from the dead the Son of God with power as S. Paul speaks i. Rom. 4. that is with all the power belonging to his office of Lord of all things the great King of Heaven and Earth Till this time he knew no more of the Christ but that he was coming God having ordered him to make way for him and that he should immediately appear and be so much superior to him iii. Matth. 11. that he should not be worthy to be one of his meanest servants His countenance he was not acquainted withall nor could he say this is the person when he met with him as he himself confesses i. John 31. But thus much he was told by him that sent him to Baptize as he there declares ver 33. that on whom he should see the Spirit descend and remain he should conclude that person was the Messiah from whom they might expect the gift of the Holy Ghost which had been so long a stranger to their Nation And accordingly having some intimation of him from the Spirit as soon as Jesus offered himself to receive his Baptism iii. Matth. 14. immediately after he was confirmed in his belief that this was the Christ by the fulfilling of the former sign i. John 32. And thereupon publishes it openly to all in these words ver 34. I saw and bare record i. e. gave my testimony of him that this is the Son of God So God himself taught him to call our Saviour for it should seem by the words of S. Matthew that he had this further ground to believe it and so was furnished with greater ability to testifie it that he heard the voice from Heaven as well as saw the Spirit descend upon him Though the Father spake the words to Jesus yet it was in the presence and hearing of this person who was sent from God to be his witness i. John 6 7. and as if he had said to him This is my beloved Son mind what I say go and testifie that this is He in whom I delight above all others Thou mayest be sure of it for I tell thee so who gave thee all the Authority thou hast And accordingly you read that he went and did his office for which he was sent that is He bare witness of him and cried saying This was he of whom I spake He that cometh after me is preferred before me for he was before me 1. John 15. which he repeats in the same Chapter as his record ver 19. in behalf of our Saviour on two other occasions ver 27. and 30. to let them know that the person of whom he gave this testimony before he was baptised of him was now come and exalted to a far higher dignity than himself being a more mighty person as the rest of the Evangelists speak no less than the Son of God This he means by being preferred before him appointed by the Father of all to an incomparably more excellent office which he entred upon after the preaching and baptism of John who began indeed his Ministry before Jesus but it was not because he was greater but rather because he was less and came to prepare his way who was as he acknowledges 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first of the two not only in regard of his Divine Nature but in regard of his sublime office into which he was now put by being pronounced the beloved Son of God by this voice from Heaven Which the Devil himself one would think heard and understood to be such a testimony concerning Jesus as committed the greatest Ministry to him and was a Divine warrant to go in Gods name to the world as Moses after the Angel spake to him out of the bush did to the Jews And therefore when immediately after this our Saviour was led by the
Spirit into the wilderness the Devil would have had him give some proof of his Divine power as Moses did or rather show himself by a greater evidence than Moses gave to be greater than he that he might be satisfied Jesus was no less than the voice declared him the Son of God So you read iv Matth. 3. that the first thing he said to him was If thou be the Son of God command that these stones be made bread As much as to say Thou art now in a starving condition for he had taken no provision with him into the wilderness resolving to depend on that God who had expressed such love to him as to own him for his Son here is a fit opportunity for thee to exercise thy power if thou hast any by bidding these stones turn into loaves which will be a greater wonder than Moses his bringing Manna out of the clouds and show indeed that thou art God's Son To which our Saviour answers as you read in the next Verse out of Moses himself viii Deut. 3. and tells him he might learn from that story of the Manna there was no need he should imploy his power which God had committed to him on this fashion for as the Israelites were maintained in the wilderness after a miraculous manner so might He who would prove himself to be his Son not this way by turning stones into bread but by trusting in God and leaving him to provide for him as he thought good That 's his meaning when he says Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God And so in the following temptations he still held to this that he was sufficiently satisfied he was God's Son and would not demand any farther proof of it but such as he himself would give who at last ver 11. ordered the Angels to go and minister unto him To carry him food it is like and congratulate this his first victory over the enemy of mankind Who was not so dull but he learnt by this and many other things afterward wherein he felt his power that this voice from Heaven was no vain rumour no empty insignificant sound but a true report of the very mind of Almighty God which he himself was forced to proclaim as loudly as any body else For you find him not long after this with a whole Legion of his companions acknowledging Jesus to be the Son of God most high and with humble prostrations worshipping him whom he had the confidence before to perswade to worship himself crying with a loud voice for Gods sake that he would not torment him v. Mark 6 7 8. viii Luke 28. Nay he was sensible one would think of this as soon as ever that temptation was ended For you read that immediately after it Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee iv Luke 14. and there at Capernaum met with a man that had a spirit of an unclean Devil who cried out with a loud voice saying I know thee who thou art the holy one of God ver 34. which is thus interpreted ver 41. The Devils came out of many crying out and saying Thou art Christ the Son of God For they knew that he was Christ But our Saviour would not be beholden to them for their suffrage it was sufficient that God had declared him his Son and that John Baptist attested as much and that the works which he did particularly his dispossessing them of their strongest holds bare witness of him And therefore he imposed silence on them as the Evangelist there tells us both because they might by their loud acclamations to him give the Pharisees occasion to calumniate him who were too forward to say he had confederacy with the Devil and because it was not fit this should be published in so many words no not by his Apostles xvi Matth. 20. till after his Resurrection and his Ascension to the Throne of his glory and the coming of the Holy Ghost which demonstrated he was completely made both Lord and Christ as the Apostles then openly declared ii Acts 36. But till then it seems to have been the work of the Father alone or principally to bear witness of him for John Baptist was his voice crying in the wilderness and the works our Saviour did were those which his Father had given him to finish and the Spirit was the Finger of God which pointed men to him as I may so speak and bid them receive him as his beloved Son in whom he was well pleased And shall we not receive this for the greatest Truth when God himself says it shall we not let him dispose of our Faith is not He the Truth is it possible for him to falsifie or deceive or do we imagine He cannot declare his mind and speak to us as we do one to another He that formed the mouth cannot He speak is his power less than ours can we manifest what we would have and make it understood and cannot He in the same manner make us know his will and pleasure If his express testimony then be of any force here you have it by an audible voice from Heaven And John the Baptist whom the Jews the Enemies of our Saviour durst not but reverence bare record to him thereupon that Jesus is the Son of God Now if any one should say that the certainty of this relies upon the testimony of one single person and that it is possible he might hear amiss though there be no colour for such an objection he being a Prophet and acknowledged so to be by those who did not acknowledge our Saviour yet that this great truth might not depend upon the credit of John Baptist alone though a man well acquainted with the manner of Divine Revelations the FATHER was pleased a second time and in the audience of more witnesses than one to declare again what he had said before that he was his Son II. This was in the Holy Mount as you may read in the xvii Matth. 5. and in the two following Evangelists ix Mark 7. ix Luke 35. where the Father of all was pleased to declare in the same terms as he had done at his Baptism and with an audible voice which astonished those that heard it xvii Matth. 6. That he was his beloved Son in whom he was well pleased to which Declaration he added this command HEAR HIM That is be assured that what he says to you is the Truth and what I speak to the world it shall be by his mouth Now this voice was uttered in the hearing of no less than three persons whom our Saviour had selected from the rest of his company to attend him unto this Mountain where God appeared to bear witness to him Of which three this Disciple S. John was one who therefore might with the greater confidence urge here the Testimony of the Father which he himself heard And unless they to whom he writes this Epistle could
evidences which He produced while he was on Earth to justifie his high Authority which is comprehended under the Name of the Son of God but enquire after those only which He hath given of it since He went to Heaven and ascended to the Throne of his glory From whence this Word of God hath been pleased to speak or in some very remarkable manner to assert this Truth upon no less than three several occasions I. First of all He showed himself to his first Martyr S. Steven in a sensible Majesty standing at the right hand of God in the splendor of the Divine glory Read but the vii Acts 55 56. and there you will find He made himself so plainly appear to be the Son of God and that with power as S. Paul you have heard speaks in 1. Rom. 4. that is the King of Heaven and Earth next to the most supreme Majesty of God the Father Almighty that nothing can be said against it unless any man will be so audacious as to fancy that this holy and glorious Martyr was strongly deluded But there is a clear demonstration against that from the whole story of his Life and Death For He was a man of great note and eminency in the Church who held the very first place among the seven Deacons vi Acts 5. that were chosen to attend the daily ministration to the poor The feeding of whose bodies He did not think the only thing belonging to his charge but such was his zeal he likewise broke and dispensed the Bread of life to all his neighbours He justified the Christian Faith of which he was full vi Acts 5 8 10. against all opposers with singular wisdom great fervour and mighty demonstrations by the power of the holy Ghost He confounded all those whom he disputed withall though he could not overcome them He stopt their mouths by the wisdom and spirit wherewith he spake which made them wish they could stop his though there was no other way they saw to silence him but by taking away his life They suborned therefore false witnesses against him whom they knew not how to confute They brought him before their Great Council to be tried Where all his Judges fixing their eyes upon him saw he was so far from being at all daunted that there was a sparkling Majesty in his countenance like that of an Angel when he appeared to their forefathers vi Acts 15. They could never devise or fancy any thing greater to say of them or of their most eminent Doctors than now they beheld in this illustrious person The face of the Patriarch Isaac they tell us was so changed when the holy Spirit rested on him that a Divine light or splendor came from his face And they would have us believe that Phineas his countenance did burn and flame like a Torch by the inhabitation of the holy Ghost in him Nay Maimonides himself to omit the other Authors in which I find these reports will have the Prophets to be Angels So he interprets more than once the first and the fourth verses of the second Chapter of the Book of Judges Where by the Angel of the Lord he understands a Prophet whom God sent to them to bring them to repentance And expresly says * More Nevoch part 2. cap. 42. that their wise men have told them This was Phineas for at that time when the Majesty of God dwelt upon him He was like to an Angel of the Lord. And it is the opinion of some of them whose Names are not worth mentioning that in the Prophetical visions the form of a man vanished and the appearance of an Angel came in the room thereof till such time as the Vision ceased The light which shone within was so great that it broke through their bodies and externally appeared if we could believe these Doctors who would fain adorn their wise men with that glory which they really beheld in this man of God S. Steven Who was so full of the holy Ghost and had such glorious illuminations in his mind that there was indeed an amazing lustre in his face and he lookt more like an Angel than a man This emboldened him to speak to that grave Senate with all the assurance in the world and to reprove them for resisting the holy Ghost Which so cut them to the heart that it enraged them to the highest degree of fury and they lookt upon him as if they would eat him up But he still full of the holy Ghost and nothing fearing what he saw he must suffer from an exasperated multitude cast up his eyes above and fastned them stedfastly upon the Heavens from whence cometh our help Where He bade them all take notice vii Acts 54 55 56. that he saw the glory of God and Jesus shining at his right hand in a far greater glory than they had seen in his face That was only a glimpse of the Majesty of Jesus whom he preached to them and now feared not to affirm that he saw in his royal splendour and greatness incomparably above all the Angels in Heaven And is it not a great deal more reasonable to believe that He indeed saw Jesus there than to think that he would obtrude thus boldly a mere imagination upon them with the certain loss of his own life If he had not been sure that he beheld him whom they crucified now most highly glorified a person of his wisdom and spirit would have been more cautious than to follow him in that bloudy path to which this assertion led him when if he would have held his tongue there lay a fairer and smoother way before him But so visible was the royal Majesty of our Saviour that he could not but proclaim it aloud and speak as S. Peter said the things which he had seen though he knew they would call it blasphemy and punish him for it with present death He was willing to suffer that for the honour of his Master and to testifie his love to him who told him his Faith was no fancy as he might see by the glory wherein he appeared Which abundantly satisfied him that he was the Son of the Highest able to reward all his faithful servants with immortal glory It is true we read of never a word that our Lord spake to this Saint but the splendour of his appearance in such glory and Majesty at God's right hand was as significant as any words could be and bid him be assured of the truth of what S. John is here proving that indeed he is the Christ the anointed of God anointed with the oil of gladness above all his fellows made the Lord of all things inferior to none but only him who hath put all things in subjection under his feet If any one ask me how he could see the glory of God and how he knew this to be Jesus who appeared at Gods right hand I Answer to the first enquiry that He saw God's glory in the same sence that
else but some very splendid body a bright shining Light formed by the Spirit of God which came down from above just as a Dove with wings spread is observed to do and lighted upon our Saviours head These three last phrases are remarkable For when the Evangelists say it came down they speak in the constant stile of the holy language concerning the appearance of the Majesty of God xix Exod. 11 20. Of whom as Maimonides adds the Scripture speaks in the same manner when it describes his bestowing any gifts or vouchlasing any special token of his favour upon men For we * Mors Novoch Part. 1. Cap. 10. being in a low condition in respect of him who is the most high not in respect of place but of his essence majesty and power whensoever He is pleased to give wisdom to any one or to pour down the gift of prophecy upon him that abode of the spirit of prophecy or the habitation of the majesty and presence of God in any place is called his COMING DOWN and the taking away of prophecy or the recession of the Divine majesty is called his GOING UP For which he cites xi Numb 17. xxxv Gen. 13. In this language the Holy writers of the New Testament here speak who knew very well that the Divine Spirit is every where and doth not move from place to place but say it came down because there was an outward visible appearance of a great glory which indeed descended from above and declared him on whom such a majesty dwelt to be filled with the gifts of wisdom and prophecie and all other powers of the Holy Ghost And in the same manner they express the unexpected communication of Divine gifts to the Gentiles on whom the Holy Ghost fell or came down as they heard the word x. Acts 45. xi 15. That is there was a sensible token of the Divine presence among them though no visible majesty descended for they heard them speak with tongues and magnifie God But here there were both all the gifts of the Holy Ghost bestowed and also such a visible glorious Majesty as there was at the giving of the Law which not only came down but light upon our Saviour as that glory did on the top of mount Sinai xix Exod. 18 20. This was a thing as you shall hear which was never known before that the glory of the Lord should come and rest upon any person It could denote him to be no less than the Holy one of God From whom as from Gods most holy place he would hereafter communicate all his blessings to men And the more fully to express this it is very observable that the glory which now appeared came down as a Dove doth which is the very manner wherein R. Solomon describes the descent of the Divine majesty in former times The Throne of God saith he upon those words i. Gen. 2. The Spirit of God moved c. stood in the air and hovered over the face of the waters by the Spirit of his mouth who is most blessed and by his Word just AS A DOVE stretches her wings over her Nest For it is not certain whether this glorious appearance had the form of a Dove or only descended in the same manner as a Dove doth when it came upon our Saviour and encircled his head But that there was such a glorious Majesty appeared and lighted on him ought not to seem incredible to any man that believes the Holy Books of the Old Testament as Origen * Lib. 1. shows against Celsus who foolishly brings in a Jew speaking against this apparition If he had made an Epicuraean saith He deride this report there had been some congruity in it but it is ridiculous to pin such words upon a Jew who believes things altogether as strange nay far more wonderful To pass by what we read that God said to Adam Noah Abraham and others what doth he think concerning Ezekiel who says that the Heavens were opened and he saw Visions of God i. 1. and ver 28. That this was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And the same Isaiah reports concerning himself I saw the Lord sitting upon a Throne c. vi 1. Which of these are more to be credited Ezekiel who says the Heavens were opened c. and Isaiah who writes that he saw the Lord c. or Jesus who says that the Heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a Dove and lighting upon him This is enough to stop the mouth of any Jew especially since the power of Jesus as Origen proceeds not only then when he was on earth far excelled theirs but still remains now that he is in Heaven for the conversion and betterment of those who by him believe in God And as for others He tells Celsus that all those who admit Providence confess that God hath sometimes forewarned men in their sleep of things which much concerned their safety And therefore it is no such strange thing if that power which figures the mind in a dream should impress the same or the like form upon it when a man is awake and represent things as sensibly to him as if he saw them with his eyes and heard them with his ears And why that should not be as really seen if God please which is represented to a man in his imagination no body can give any reason As for that which Celsus objects that the Gospel never tells us our Saviour was wont to mention this and appeal to it in his preaching to the people He tells him that he did not mind how unseemly it was for our Saviour to divulge himself what was seen and heard at Jordan who forbad his Disciples to publish that which they beheld and heard on the holy Mount There was a fit time for the open proclaiming of both by others not by himself For the manners of our Saviour were far from that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vain ostentation and much talk of himself which such a man as Celsus might be guilty of He chose by his works rather than by his words to tell them that he was the Christ Which made the Jews say How long dost thou hold us in suspence If thou be the Christ tell us plainly x. John 24. So he did but it was by that which was more convincing than his testimony of himself could then be I told you and ye believed not the works that I do in my Fathers name they bear witness of me ver 25. That one work which he had wrought just before was so miraculous that the like had not been heard of since the world began ix 32. For he had opened the eyes of a man who was born blind as they themselves could not deny for the mans Parents testified that he could never see till now and he affirmed it was Jesus who had given him his sight If they had not been blinder than He this
that he had reason to say xi Luke 20. If I by the finger of God cast out Devils no doubt the KINGDOM of God is come upon you And secondly over and above this he forgave mens sins and remitted their offences by releasing many from the punishment of them v. Luke 20. which every one knows is a power wherewith only Kings and Sovereign Princes are invested And thirdly He raised a man from the dead and released him even from the prison of the grave Which certainly was the act of a King and of that King who had power over all flesh So Martha her self understood it when she makes it all one to raise the dead and to be that King whom God promised to send them For when our Saviour saith to her I am the resurrection and the life c. believest thou this Her answer follows in these terms Yea Lord I believe that thou art the CHRIST the Son of God which should come into the world xi John 27. And lastly the very preaching the mind of God and publishing the Gospel of the Kingdom with such authority as he did was the part of a King For so he interprets the word Kingdom when he stood before Pilate xviii John 37. Where you may learn that all this is not the mere collection of reason from the observations we make as we read the Holy story but that which our Lord himself affirms in express words when he was examined by Pilate upon this very point For our Lord seeming to grant that he had a Kingdom though not of this world but Heavenly ver 36. the Governour asks him again Art thou a KING then To which he answers him roundly Thou sayest that I am a KING i.e. yes I am it is as thou sayest So the rest of the Evangelists report his Answer Thou sayest it xxvii Matth. 11. xv Mark 2. xxiii Luke 3. which is as much in their Language as to say it is so thou hast said right I am a King This is that GOOD CONFESSION which he witnessed before Pontius Pilate which the Apostle propounds to Timothy's imitation 1 Tim. vi 13. He now openly owned with the danger of his life that as mean as he appeared at present he was appointed by God to be his Vicegerent the King of the world which he had manifested by several acts of Kingly power ever since he was anointed with the Holy Ghost And he had said the same before when he was brought to answer for himself in the chief Council of the Jews Where the High Priest asked him and said unto him Art thou the Christ the Son of the Blessed And Jesus said I am xiv Mark 61 62. Which words I am are the plain interpretation of the other phrases in the rest of the Evangelists Thou hast said xxvi Matth. 64. and ye say that I am xxii Luke 70. where you read ver 71. that hearing this confession they forbare to produce any more witnesses and condemned him out of his own mouth That is they passed the sentence of death upon him as a counterfeit so they pretended of that royal Prophet whom they expected to come into the world Under this character they delivered him to Pilate hoping that he would likewise condemn him for Treason against Caesar whose authority they would have him believe our Saviour subverted by saying He himself was CHRIST a King xxiii Luke 2. So the whole multitude of his Disciples had a little before proclaimed him though not such a King as would do Caesar any harm when they met him at the foot of the Mount of Olives and with great joy praised God for all the mighty works they had seen saying Blessed be the KING that cometh in the name of the Lord peace in Heaven and glory in the highest that is let Heaven prosper his Kingdom till it be made most glorious xix Luke 38. There needs no more be said to shew that he was made a King by this Unction of the Holy Ghost though the full possession of his Kingdom and exercise of his whole royal power he did not attain till he was advanced to his Throne of glory in the Heavens when he received from the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost to bestow upon others ii Acts 33. and poured it down as an holy Oil on their heads to create them Ministers in his Kingdom That was a further witness to our Saviour as I should now proceed to show you but that it may be fit before I part with this to take notice that this testimony which the HOLY GHOST now gave to him when it anointed him at his Baptism was so remarkable that Mahomet hath not forgot to leave a remembrance of it in his Alcoran Where he brings in God speaking after this manner * Vid. Seld. de Synedr Lib. 2. C. 4. n. 4. We have already sent a Book i. e. the Law to Moses and afterward we sent the Prophets and to Jesus the Son of Mary we have sent most known or eminent vertues and we gave him a TESTIMONY and strengthened him with the HOLY GHOST In which words a great Paraphrast of theirs upon the Alcoran by known vertues or powers given to our Saviour understands the gift of working miracles as opening the eyes of the blind cleansing lepers and raising the dead Though by the Holy Ghost they generally understand no more than the Angel Gabriel who for the manifestation of him as that Paraphrast speaks was sent a-long with him as his companion whithersoever he went Which notion I imagine they drew out of the Jewish writers who say that such glorious apparitions as that at Christ's baptism were made by the ministry of Angels who were the Chariot of God in which he was said to come down to men But whatsoever Mahomets meaning was when he says God strengthened him with the Holy Ghost it is an open acknowledgment of that which the Divine writers have recorded which was so famous and notorious that Infidels could not deny it Nay some of that false Prophets followers have said expresly that the Holy-Ghost is no Creature Vid. Ib. pag. 127. but hath a singular production proper to it self For it is not a spirit after the manner of other spirits because it is the spirit of God The spirit of a Man is a Creature but the spirit of God is not It was more than an Angelical presence then that was in our Saviour of whose birth indeed the Angel Gabriel brought the news to his Mother but he did not pretend that she should conceive by his power no he sayes expresly The HOLY GHOST shall come upon thee and the power of the highest shall overshaddow thee And therefore at his new-birth as I may call it to the office of a King it was the very same power of the highest which in a visible manner then overshaddowed him and remained on him to testify that he was as the Angel said the Son of God To conclude this the Angelical
and their credit in this fashion These gods should have had more care of their reputation and authority than to let this single person whom they pretended also to be so mean to prevail thus mightily against them For as Plutarch tells us in those very places where there was in times past 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a great glory of the Divinity there was nothing to do in his days but all was vanisht A sign that indeed God was more in our Saviour than he ever had been in any other person or place and that he was no where else and that he would be worshipped only in that way which he taught and prescribed For they saw his GLORY the GLORY as OF THE ONLY BEGOTTEN Son i. Joh. 14. who had those marks of a Divine Majesty residing in him that none ever had and from whom we may expect all that the wisdom power and love of God can do for us What should we do then but after such evident proofs that God is in him fall down and with the most humble and joyful reverence worship him who as it there follows is full of grace and truth Because he is full of TRUTH we ought to resign and submit our selves to his government and because he is full of GRACE we should always rejoyce to think that we are under his care and we should put our trust under the shaddow of his wings And that he is so full of both that we may with great satisfaction commit our selves to his guidance confide and rejoyce in him will appear still more evidently by the next Testimony which he received from the HOLY GHOST II. Which was upon the day of Pentecost ten days after he left this world When it gave a more publick testimony to him than it had done at his Baptism that he was the Son of God exalted to sit on the right hand of the Majesty on high For his Apostles being then assembled together in one place on a sudden there came such a mighty inspiration from him who a little before he parted with them breathed on them and said Receive the Holy Ghost that the sound of it was like that of a violent blast of wind when it is a coming Which was anciently a token of a Divine presence approaching iii. Gen. 8. and now was a sign that by the power of this spirit they should carry all before them For it filled all the house where they were sitting as they did all the World e're long by their preaching And immediately a glimpse of that Divine Majesty or Glory appeared on them which came down upon our Saviour at his Baptism and ever after dwelt in him Who now sent the Apostles just as the Father had sent him For a bright flame was seen upon their Heads and they were baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire So S. Luke reports ii Act. 3 4. That there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire and it SATE upon each of them a sign that this power should abide with them alway and accompany them every where though this visible flame vanished The effect of which was notorious to all even as it was apparent that Jesus was full of the Holy Ghost though none but John Baptist saw it coming down upon him For they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with tongues Of which all Jerusalem as it there follows yea men of all Nations were witnesses who heard them speak in their own tongues the wonderful works of God vers 11. They proclaimed that is to all the People whom the report of this strange news had brought together what wonders God had wrought by Jesus and what he had now done for him having raised him from the dead vers 24. and exalted him by his right hand vers 33. and made him both LORD and CHRIST vers 36. That is He was now they might see if they would not shut their eyes inthroned by God in the Heavens and compleatly invested with that royal power of which he had received some portion before being now made LORD of all things and the KING of God's People Of which we say the Apostles v. 32. are his Witnesses who saw him after he rose again and beheld him ascend into Heaven and so is the Holy Ghost which he sent from thence as they all now saw and heard in divers sensible effects which testified that he was at the right hand of God And here it will be fit to observe three things First That the HOLY GHOST was his WITNESS as the Apostles you see call Him as the coming of it was the fulfilling of what he had predicted and promised a little before his going away from them At the very mention of that word they were very disconsolate and sorrow filled their heart Whereupon he chears them up with this assurance that he would not leave them comfortless like so many fatherless Children but pray the Father and he would give them another Comforter who should abide with them for ever and never go away from them as he was about to do xiv Joh. 16. This he tells them was the spirit of truth vers 17. whom the Father would send in his Name vers 26. where he repeats this over again and tells them what the Holy Ghost would do for them And therefore charges them not to be troubled or afraid but rather rejoyce to hear him say he was going to the Father who was Greater than he and therefore would give him power when he went to him to do more for them than he could do now vers 28. And then he adds the reason why he said all this vers 29. Now I have told you before it come to pass that when it is come to pass you might believe That is be confirmed in the belief of all that I have said and fully perswaded I have not boasted of a power and authority which doth not belong to me They might well be confident of it themselves and bid all the House of Israel know assuredly that God had made the same Jesus whom they crucified both Lord and Christ when they saw this come to pass which he had foretold and promised so often Before his Death xv Joh. 26 27. xvi 7. After his Resurrection xxiv Luke 49. Just before his Ascension i. Act. 4.8 Where he bids them not stir from Jerusalem but wait for the promise of the Father which they had heard of him and which would give them Power to be his Witnesses every where It was an evident argument when they received it of these two Divine Properties in Him Foreknowledge and Omnipotence They had reason to believe there was a Divine Majesty in him when he was with them on Earth and to trust to all he had said either of himself or them or those that should believe on his Name and to look upon Him now as the King of Glory with all power in Heaven and Earth For how could he have
saith that if he went away he would send the PARACLETE that is his Advocate unto them whose office it should be to convince the World of Sin of Righteousness and of Judgment Of this place I shall be able I hope to give a full account hereafter together with all those that relate to the Holy Ghost and therefore I shall say no more of it now than this That the end of the PARACLETE'S coming was to plead the Cause of our Saviour to maintain his innocence and to prove against all accusers that though he was condemned by men yet he was acquitted by God and had said nothing but the truth For observe but the crime whereof he was accused and for which he was sentenced by the Jews and you will soon see that nothing could clear him so much as this The great thing they laid to his charge as you have heard already was that he affirmed when they adjured him to speak his thought that he was the Christ the Son of the Blessed This was the blasphemy which they pretended wounded their hearts with grief when they heard it and for which they adjudged him to be worthy of death Now what could demonstrate the vileness of this calumny and prove him not guilty more than such a power possessing his followers even after he was dead as they saw in himself when he was alive Nay a far greater which declared as they truly said that he was Lord of all x. Acts 36. He could not have done such things as they beheld were wrought at the invoking of his Name if he were not truly the Son of God The Apostles might have called long enough upon him before they had made a man lame from his Mother's womb walk up and down and leap and praise God if he whom they crucified were not exalted by God's right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour And it had been the vainest thing of all for the Apostles to go and preach up the authority of a dead man and who was ignominiously crucified as a great Malefactor if they had not known that the Holy Ghost from him was ready at hand in every place and time to be his ADVOCATE and take his part against all gain-sayers This Heavenly Witness never failed to appear when there was need of him to justifie our Saviour and to set all things right in the opinion of the World by reversing their false judgment and by establishing and verifying the sentence he had passed on himself when he said that he was the Son of God The Tables were now turned by the appearance of this PARACLETE who pleaded so strongly and convincingly that many who had before accounted him an evil doer were now forced to alter their mind and confess him to be a righteous person They who had reviled him now gave him worship and honour They that cried Crucifie him said as the Centurion when they heard the HOLY GHOST speak on his behalf Sure this was the Son of God And all those who were so hardy as to resist the Holy Ghost vii Acts 51. were fain to oppose it with rage and throwing stones for in any other manner they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit whereby S. Steven a man full of the Holy Ghost spake to them and reasoned with them vi Acts 9 10. So great a testimony was this of the HOLY GHOST to Jesus that the Apostles were not fit to be his Witnesses till they had received it xxiv Luke 48. i. Acts 8. But after it came upon them and joyned its testimony with theirs then they defended his cause so successfully that a great company of the Priests the greatest enemies to it yielded themselves and became obedient to the faith vi Acts 7. Then if any one asked how dare you contradict the sentence of the High Court to which all men are bound upon pain of death to submit xvii Deut. 9 12. what can you say to justifie this presumption in maintaining his Righteousness whom the Grand Council of the Nation hath condemned to suffer death They could soon make this reply Let the HOLY GHOST answer you hear what he says to you If He do not speak enough for us and for Jesus to satisfie you then we refuse not to die you may deal with us as the despisers of God and his Law And so mightily were they astonished and perplexed by the pleadings of the HOLY GHOST that the Sanhedrim the Supreme Court of Judicature among them knew not what to say to the Apostles nor what to do with them They only clapt them in prison for preaching Jesus iv Acts 3. and threatned farther severity if they did not desist ver 21. but they durst not proceed to pass the sentence of death upon them according as the Law directed the people glorifying God so heartily for what they saw them do by the power of the Holy Ghost Nay so much were some of this great Council staggered that according to the perswasion of Gamaliel a great Master among them they let the Apostles go free after a second imprisonment lest perhaps they should be found fighters against God ver 39. If this be an humane project says that wise man do not trouble your selves about it for it will come to naught as the vain attempts of others have done who at the first drew much people after them But if these men prove to be authorized by God and he will have it so who can overthrow it We had best take heed how we proceed in a business wherein we may chance to have God against us It is better in my judgment to be quiet and see what the issue will be lest in stead of contending with men we be found to oppose God Almighty himself III. And the issue was this which is the last thing that by the power of this Advocate alone and no other our Lord Jesus actually obtained a Kingdom in spite of all the opposition that could be made against him This was the greatest testimony of the Holy Ghost to him which effectually proved him to be a King by winning him a Kingdom and perswading men to submit unto him though he was invisible and not like to reward their services in this World at all but only in another It proclaimed him all abroad in the World to be the Lord of life and glory and by the mere preaching of the Gospel with the Holy Ghost sent down from Heaven as S. Peter speaks 1 i. 12. the Nations were subdued to him and acknowledged him for their Sovereign The High Priest and Council of Jerusalem as it there follows in v. Acts 40. desiring to discourage the Apostles in this preaching ordered them to be beaten and then commanded them to speak no more in the name of Jesus for fear of a worse punishment that might follow Alas vain men that thought to choak this Truth and bury this report concerning Jesus Did they think it was in their power to murder his
the very shadow of some of them did more than all the power of Medicines This was a very great demonstration of his supreme dominion over all Creatures Nothing could be more effectual to induce men to obey him to whom they saw every thing else was subject Without this they could never have moved men to believe that he was the Lord but this gave it sufficient credit For suppose they had stood up in the places of popular concourse and said We come to preach to you in the name of Jesus and require you to submit your selves to him whom God hath made the Lord of all He was born of the seed of David a great King in Israel did many wonders in that Nation though he was hated and rejected by them and delivered to Pontius Pilate by whom he was crucified but God raised him out of his grave and we saw him go to Heaven where he is inthroned in the most glorious Majesty and reigns over all Angels as well as mankind Cast away therefore your ancient Gods who are his subjects Forsake presently all your superstitious Rites and Ceremonies Believe on this person submit to his government and obey his commands Though you get nothing in this world by it but perhaps may lose all you have he will reward you for it in his Pleavenly Kingdom What force do you think there would have been in such a speech to perswade the Nations far distant from Jerusalem to fall down before him as their Sovereign Would they not have smiled and said What do these bablers mean to bring us these strange stories from a foreign land Why should we acknowledge him to be our King whom his own Country-men would not suffer to reign over them Shall we become the subjects of one whom we never saw nor heard of until now and venture the loss of all our liberties and perchance of our lives for one whom they confess to be crucified and dead What likelihood is there that he should rise again from the dead who could not keep himself when he was alive from being put to death Truly saith Eusebius when I consider the mere doctrine they were to preach I cannot see how they could hope to draw the people to their belief But then when I consider how they did prevail every where at Rome at Alexandria at Antioch in all other places I must have recourse to a Divine power which succeeded this Doctrine Jesus plainly declared by putting them upon the attempt that he was confident he had all power to get himself a Kingdom by this preaching And by the issue it appeared that it was no presumption wherewith he was possessed instead of a well grounded confidence They preached as he bad them but it was not with such Rhetorick as is in use among us not with the enticing words of mans wisdom with eloquent expressions enchanting language or mere plausible arguments but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power 1 Cor. ii 4. The HOLY GHOST from Heaven presently appeared wheresoever they preached to justifie their words and to testifie by many miraculous operations that Jesus was no less than they affirmed This evident demonstration perswaded mens minds This was such a power that the people were ready to take them for Gods and imagined that Mercury and Jupiter were come down from Heaven to them and thereupon prepared publick sacrifices to be offered in their honour xiv Acts 13. Natural reason told them that such things could not be done by mortal nature but they must be concluded to be the works of some God though no body told them that they were And therefore this was all they had to do for their own satisfaction to enquire by what power and authority the Apostles did these wonders since they themselves confessed that they were but men And here now they took occasion to let them know that it was Jesus who did these Miracles Him they preached and him they hereby proved to be the Lords ANOINTED who by this power would prevail notwithstanding the fierce opposition that was made against his authority For as you read in a devout address which the whole company of believers made to God the Rulers were gathered together and the Kings of the Earth stood up against the Lord and against his Christ At their first entrance upon this work there were mighty endeavours to overthrow it just as there had been against his holy child Jesus whom he had ANOINTED that is promoted to a greater glory than he had on Earth And therefore they desire God to go along with them and stretch forth his hand to heal and that signs and wonders might be done by the name of his holy child Jesus for the propagating of this Religion which it was not in their own power to advance iv Acts 26 27 30. Now this was a further testimony of the power and glory of Jesus that when a solemn address was made to God and they represented to him their design they were so far from receiving any discountenance from him that he incouraged and promoted this undertaking For the place where they prayed was shaken by a powerful inspiration which came upon them all as it had done upon the Apostles And they were ALL filled with the Holy Ghost and they spake the word of God with boldness ver 31. III. And this leads me to the last Testimony which the HOLY GHOST gave to him by descending upon other persons as well as upon the Apostles though not in such a visible form as it did on the day of Pentecost The place indeed was SHAKEN where these believers were assembled by the like mighty wind I suppose as filled the house where the Apostles received the Holy Ghost ii Acts 2. But there were no fiery tongues now appeared as there did then Nor do we afterwards read of any such sensible sign of an invisible power coming upon them as this shaking of the place was when the Holy Ghost first descended upon the body of the Church But whensoever the Apostles laid their hands upon any person who believed in Jesus and was baptized presently the Holy Ghost fell down upon them and they spake with tongues and prophesied viii Acts 15 17. xix 6. This laying on of their hands was ever after the only external sign of the Divine power for that 's the meaning of stretching out the hand in the place just before named iv Acts 30. wherewith they should be endued at the request of the Apostles Which was a plain demonstration of the royal Majesty and munificence of Jesus whose Servants and Ministers these were and hereby the HOLY GHOST bare record to him that he was the Son of God So this very Apostle teaches us in the second Chapter of this Epistle where he tells them to whom he writes that he need not be very solicitous to prescribe them Antidotes against those Antichristian doctrines which then began to poison the Church because they had an Unction
from the holy One and knew all things 1 John ii 20. The HOLY GHOST that is was their security from infection which is here called the UNCTION or anointing 1. because by the coming down of this upon our Saviour He was made the CHRIST or anointed of God x. Acts 38. And 2. the Apostles when they received it were made the principal Officers in his Kingdom and endued with such a power to remit sins and unloose men from the punishment of them as he had xx Joh. 22 23. And 3. all others to whom they imparted this gift were openly declared the children of God and if children then heirs heirs of God and joynt-heirs with Christ viii Rom. 16 17. This UNCTION made them all Kings and Priests unto God and they reigned with him on Earth v. Rev. 10. Enjoyed that is many royal priviledges and liberties at present for which they were bound perpetually to praise him beside the right it gave them to an Heavenly Kingdom where they should sit down with him in his Throne as He was in the Throne of his Father iii. Rev. 21. For the Thrones of the Eastern Princes were wide and large as I told you before where others might sit down by them if they pleased to admit any to that high honour which this King of Kings promises to grant to his faithful followers No wonder then that they who were designed to so great glory were also made partaker of the Earnest of it as this Unction by the Holy Spirit is called 2 Cor. i. 22. After God had filled the Apostles and other Apostolical men with the Holy Ghost who were ready to guide and direct all Christian people while they lived There were great numbers also in the Body of the Church who received so many of its gifts from the HOLY one that is God 2 Cor. i. 21. that it enabled them to discern truth from falshood and discover all those cheats and impostures which some went about to put upon them under the name of Christian Doctrine A very great Doctor the Holy Ghost was when they were anointed with it for thereby they KNEW ALL THINGS that is their whole Religion in which it made them so perfect that those pretenders to new Revelations could teach them nothing which they knew not already For it taught them that Jesus from whom it came was the Son of God and had revealed all God's will plainly and fully to them So S. John tells them in the following verses 21 22. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth but because ye know it and that no lye is of the truth Who is a lyar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ c. That is I do not speak of this because you are ignorant of Christianity but because you are well acquainted with it and thereby able to judge when any body contradicts it and to reject all those as lyars who deny Jesus to be anointed by God the Lord of all I know you are well principled in this truth by the UNCTION which he hath given you from the Father All that I desire is as he adds ver 24. that you would suffer that Truth which you have heard from the beginning to abide in you And indeed it was very unreasonable to start from that which had ever been acknowledged since the Holy Ghost first descended on Jesus himself and which the same UNCTION still testified whensoever the Apostles who preached Jesus did but lay their hands on any bodies head and pray to Jesus that he would bestow it on them They could not be seduced if they did but attend as he says ver 26 27. to this anointing which they had received and which was yet among them There was no need of any other teacher but this to instruct them Which gave such an evident demonstration of the power and glory of the Lord Jesus and was so far from being a lye or deceiving them that if they did but do it as it taught them they must needs abide in him This you see was accounted and that justly an infallible witness to him He could never have sent such an UNCTION nor would the Holy Ghost have ever come in his Name if he had not been the King of Heaven They that received this had an invincible proof of his glory and majesty within themselves They could not doubt of it any more than they could of what they felt Which proved likewise so convincing to others that it made unbelievers fall down on their faces and worship God and report that God was in them of a truth 1 Cor. xiv 25. For by this the Divine Majesty did in a proper sence DWELL among Christian people and walk with them as it did among the ancient Israelites 2 Cor. vi 16. This was a glorious Divine Presence in the Church whereby God and our Saviour made their ABODE with them xiv John 23. and they became the HABITATION of God or his Dwelling place through the Spirit ii Ephes 22. Which so constantly bare witness to him that no man who had this Spirit could possibly deny him but every one that spake by the Holy Ghost acknowledged Jesus to be the LORD 1 Cor. xii 3. And they were no small number who were made partakers of it For S. Peter promises it at the very first descent of it to all that would repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus at which word three thousand Souls were added to them ii Acts 38 41. And afterwards a vast company more as you may read in the first Epistle to the Corinthians Where some were endued with one power of the Holy Ghost some with another Chap. xii but in every thing they were enriched by him so that they came behind in NO GIFT Chap. i. 5 7. Wherein our Lord far excelled Moses who could not give his Spirit unto others much less unto the Gentiles whereas Jesus sent great abundance of his Spirit as you see upon his Disciples and gave even to the Gentiles the like gift as he did unto them xi Acts 17. For as S. Peter was preaching to Cornelius and his friends the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word to the great astonishment of the Jewish Christians who wondred to hear them speak with tongues and magnifie God x. Acts 44 45 46. But they should have considered that now he began to fulfil completely that prophecy of Joel mentioned ii Acts 17. which promised that God would pour out of his Spirit upon ALL flesh Now the inclosures were first broken down and that Divine Presence which had hitherto been confined to one Nation appeared in a most amazing lustre to the rest of the World In so much that in a little time great multitudes of all nations and kindred and people and tongues joyned their hearts and voices with the Heavenly Quire saying Holy Holy Holy is the Lord of Hosts the whole Earth is full of his GLORY Thus Esaias heard
the Angels sing vi 3. when he beheld our Saviours glory and spake of him xii John 39. And the Church of Christ from the beginning hath taken these words from their mouths and made them their own iv Rev. 8. when they actually saw this GLORY OF THE LORD filling the Earth with its most holy Presence For our Lord did not cease to pour out more and more of his Spirit on all flesh even after the Apostles were dead But as Justin Martyr tells the Jew in his time which was above an hundred years after this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * Dial. cum Tryph. c. One might have seen among Christians both women and men who had gifts from the Spirit of God And so one might in the days of Origen * Lib. 1. contr Cels who lived as many years after that who to convince Celsus that it was no Fable which was reported of the descent of the Holy Ghost on our Saviour affirms that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. There were still remaining among them some footsteps of that Holy Spirit which was seen in the form of a Dove For they dispossessed Devils performed many cures and foresaw some things according to the will and pleasure of the WORD concerning what was to come Nay it were easie to show that this Heavenly power descended still much lower and did not quite leave the World in these Ages and that it did not work in some obscure corners only but in the most noted places in the World For the same Justin says in his first Apology that there were many healed by the Name of Jesus Christ in the City of Rome whom no other person could heal So that look how many Souls there were full of the Holy Ghost so many lasting Witnesses there were to our Saviour of his power and glory in every place But intending hereafter to treat of all these gifts of the Holy Ghost alone by themselves I shay say no more of them now having sufficiently shown how they were his Testimony to our Saviour It is possible I confess that there may be another thing included in the name of the HOLY GHOST and that is the old Prophets who received gifts from Heaven whereby they sometimes spake of the Messiah So the HOLY GHOST is said in the x. Hebr. 15. to be a witness of the perfection of our Saviours oblation and for a proof of it the testimony of the Prophet Jeremiah is alledged whose words are called the witness of the Holy Ghost From whence I might take occasion to show that all the predictions of the Prophets do so exactly agree to Jesus and are so perfectly fulfilled in him that we must needs grant him if we receive this testimony of the Holy Ghost and take them to have been inspired thereby to be the Son of God the King of Israel who they had long put that Nation in hope should come and reign over them But this would be a work of too great length and my intention is not to swell this Treatise into an huge Volume which makes me only mention this notion that you may consider with your selves as you have occasion what a resemblance there is between Jesus and that person whom the Prophets describe unto us For this will prove a great confirmation of your faith in him there being no doubt in the minds of the bitterest enemies of our Saviour but that those Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost I have done now with these witnesses who speak unto us from Heaven and who are one you see in their testimony as well as in their nature They all agree in this that Jesus is the Son of God There is not the least difference between them no doubtfulness in their testimony no backwardness to give it no obscurity that should make it difficult for us to understand it But with one mouth as we say they unanimously plainly readily and clearly pronounce him to be such a Divine person that if we should not hear him and obey him and depend upon him I know not what we shall be able to say to so many Witnesses who will be ready to appear against us whose testimony without any cause was slighted by us Look how many voices have been heard from Heaven how many witnesses have openly appeared in his behalf so many Divine reasons you are to conceive your self to be provided withall for every word that Jesus hath spoken Which you are therefore to take for infallible and to keep as the Apostle speaks 1 Tim. vi 14. without spot and unrebukeable until his second appearing Listen to those words of grace which come out of his mouth Abandon those sins which he requires you to forsake and betake your selves to the practice of those vertues which he so strictly injoyns For the FATHER the WORD and the HOLY GHOST declare that this is the Will of Heaven And what is there in this world so considerable as to perswade the contrary If he be not the Son of God if he do not prove it by undeniable arguments then do as you list But if he be then you are bound to yield him the humblest subjection and it will be a strange stupidity to dispute the matter with him There can be no colour for your refusal should you deny to be governed by him who comes with such Authority that the fulness of the Godhead as you have heard dwells in him bodily O what an honour hath God Almighty hereby done our nature how highly hath he advanced and dignified it by this strange and unexpected favour which he hath conferred on it in making it his Holy place Consider but what I have now said of the Testimony of the HOLY GHOST to Jesus which was an illustrious token likewise of Gods wonderful love to us Is it nothing that God should be manifested in our flesh that he should DWELL in us and make his abode with us and that we should become the habitation of God through the Spirit Look upon the Temple of old and see how it glittered with Gold how it was adorned with Cherubims and Seraphims which were an emblem of the Angelical attendance in that place but especially how it shined with the Glory of the Lord which appeared upon the mercy-seat And then reflect how precious how dear mankind are to Almighty God into whose Nature this Glory is translated whom he hath beautified with greater excellencies and made more splendid by a more intimate conjunction with it Could any man then after he had considered this profane that Nature which God hath so sanctified and separated to himself Could he find in his heart to prostitute himself to any of those base and filthy actions that are below the dignity of humane nature nakedly considered without such a presence of God in it None can submit sure to the government of any fleshly lust but he must first forget that he is a man created after the Image
of God And there is none can continue in this unworthy slavery but he must lay aside these thoughts also that the WORD was made flesh and the Image of the invisible God hath taken up his abode in our Nature By this he hath called us to the greatest sanctity He remembers us what excellent Creatures we are and how Glorious he is desirous to make us And who is there that need despair of recovering himself by the grace of God though he be sunk never so much below himself now that God is come on purpose to lift him up He hath sent Salvation to us by one that is mighty to save He hath revealed himself so graciously and made such discoveries of his Love and Power and Glory to all mankind that they may confidently hope if they will not cast away all care of themselves to be restored to the image and likeness of God again But this Discourse will come in more seasonably when we have joyned the strength of the other three Witnesses to these and heard them all together some from Heaven others from Earth proclaiming this in our ears Behold the Son of God Jesus is your Lord for he is the Lord of all things And we shall be the more ready for a surrender to him when we see withall how much we are beholden to God Almighty for his marvellous inconceiveable love in calling us so many ways by so many arguments to Repentance Faith Obedience and Everlasting Salvation That which I have now explained deserves to be remembred with the most affectionate acknowledgments and we shall be better disposed to hearken to the rest if we give him hearty thanks for what we understand already and say A PRAYER ADored be thy inestimable love O thou Holy Spirit of Grace and Truth the mighty Power of God who hast given such gifts unto men even to the rebellious also that the LORD God might DWELL among them Blessed be thy Goodness who didst anoint our Lord with that oil of gladness which hath run down to the meannest of his subjects Great and wonderful was that Heavenly Power and Love which appeared in such visible Majesty upon him and filled him with the Holy Ghest so that he went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the Devil And much more marvellous was that Almighty Goodness which promoted him to the throne of Glory in the Heavens that he might fill all things Praised be that astonishing Love which first filled the Apostles minds with such Heavenly light and inflamed their wills with such fervent heat that they boldly preached the Gospel to all the world For ever magnified be that diffusive Grace which afterwards spread it self in such variety of gifts wrought by one and the self same Spirit dividing to every man severally as he pleased Let the whole Church be giving continual thanks to thee O Lord for stretching forth thy hand in such signs and wonders to glorifie thy holy child Jesus for giving by the Spirit to some a gift of wisdom to others a gift of healing to others divers kind of tongues to others prophecy and for making some Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists some Pastors and Teachers that every knee might bow to Jesus and every tongue confess that he is the Lord. I confess him with all my Soul I honour him as my Dearest Lord. I see thy Glory O blessed Jesus by the light of the Holy Ghost which hath shone so oft from Heaven upon us I see the Power thou hast at Gods right hand I see the royal bounty of thy love Now I know that thou knowest all things and believe that thou art the faithful and the true whose words shall never fail O how much ought I and every Christian Soul to rejoyce in the consolations of the Holy Ghost which hath brought us new assurances from Heaven that our Saviour lives and reigns and sits inthroned at the right hand of God in incomparable majesty and glory Inspire all our minds and hearts O thou quickning Spirit inspire them O Lord and Giver of Life with such ardent love and devotion towards him that we may hope to reign with him and then shall we rejoyce before-hand in this hope with joy unspeakable and full of glory Do not wholly absent they self from us O thou Guide and Comforter of our Souls though we have not been so grateful to thee nor followed thy directions and counsels as we ought but still let thy gracious presence fill every part of the Christian Church Though we have not that UNCTION from above which endued them heretofore with the gifts of tongues and prophecy and healing and working of miracles Yet pour down every where much of the spirit of knowledge and love and devotion and purity and fortitude and undaunted resolution and fervent Zeal which may be ever glorifying the great God and our Saviour Christ Jesus O thou who didst open the eyes of the blind and loose the tongue of the dumb enlighten our minds to see more of those wonders which may inflame our love and incourage our hope and open our lips that our mouths may shew forth thy Praise Still let there be hearts full of Faith in the blessed Jesus full of love to all mankind full of ardent desire to see his Kingdom come full of wisdom to open the mysteries of Salvation to instruct men in the truth as it is in Jesus and to convince them mightily and perswade them to be obedient to it That so by the same Heavenly power whereby the Faith of Christ was planted in the world it may be graciously preserved and promoted and we may see it go forward and advance more and more till every Nation now on Earth speak in their own tongues the wonderful works of God Let all the people praise thee O God Let all the people praise thee Kindle in them such devout affections as may offer up continually the sacrifice of praise to thee Let them praise thee with pure minds and upright hearts and unspotted lives and in perfect unity and godly love say every where Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end Amen CHAP. V. Concerning the Witnesses on Earth and first of the WATER HAVING given a brief account of the Testimony of the first Three Witnesses and finding much satisfaction in their perfect agreement we have the greater encouragement to go to the other Three who are also nearer to us than the former and take that evidence which they are willing to afford us for our further confirmation in this belief that Jesus is the Son of God These three you read in the eighth Verse are such as bear witness on EARTH whereby we may be the better acquainted with them and they are the more undeniable and furthest off from all question or exception For should any be so bold as to dispute that there might
reverence to his Majesty Whatsoever Moses hath written against Idolatry S. John here from Jesus in the conclusion of his Epistle hath summed it up in a few words Little children keep your selves from IDOLS In this the Jews could not accuse him nor durst let such a word fall from their mouths that he was a false Prophet because he endeavoured to draw their hearts after other Gods which was the great mark of an Impostor xiii Deut. No he tells them that this is Eternal Life to know the only true God which words are spoken in opposition to all others and Jesus Christ whom he had sent But in this they might have seen that his design was far more noble and glorious than that of Moses who contented himself to preserve that one Nation from the infection of Idolatry whereas our Lord Jesus plainly declared his intention was by his Apostles to turn all Nations from Idols to serve the living and true God There was never any man that appeared so great a lover of God as he was Never any man that undertook to set on foot such a design for the advancement of the universal knowledge of him All the Divine Attributes and Perfections also He hath revealed so perspicuously that there never was such a manifestation made of them to the World as we see in Him From whom we learn how Just how Good how Wise how Faithful and how Powerful the Blessed and only Potentate is who only hath immortality whom no man hath seen or can see And if we would know our Duty either towards God in actions of Piety or towards Men in actions of Righteousness or towards our selves in actions of sobriety we can learn it no where so easily and completely as if we go to him and to those who have delivered it to us with great care and plainness from his mouth As for the Actions of PIETY He teaches us inwardly to Honour God v. Joh. 23. that is to have an high esteem of him as our Lord and as our chiefest Good to Love him also and that with all our heart and all our Soul and all our mind and all our strength xii Mark 30. And to Fear him seeing he can cast both Body and Soul into Hell which makes him again and again bid us be sure to Fear him xii Luke 4 5. To confide likewise and Trust in him the living God 1 Tim. iv 10. To Hope in his mercy 1 Pet. i. 21. And to rejoyce evermore 1 Thess v. 16. And as we are thus to worship him in our Minds so we are taught by his Religion externally to adore him and fall down before him iv Matth. 10. iv Rev. 10. to pray to him both for our selves and others 1 Tim. ii 1 8. and to be incessant in our Prayers or to perform this holy duty very oft xviii Luke 1. 1 Thess v. 17. and to offer up by him the sacrifice of Praise to God continually xiii Heb. 15. And in every thing to give thanks which is the will of God concerning us in Christ Jesus 1 Thess v. 18. and especially to shew the Lords death that is publish it with thanks and praise till he come to judge the World 1 Cor. xi 26. The manner also of addressing our selves to God he hath taught us so fully that nothing can be added to it For he tells us The Father will be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth iv John 23. And that we must lift up holy hands 1 Tim. ii 8. And that when we pray we must forgive others xi Mark 25. and ask in Faith xxi Matth. 22. and avoid vain babling and not affect much speaking nor desire to be seen of men and to joyn Fasting and Alms with our Prayers and Devotions to God Matth. vi It is impossible to conceive any thing more Divine than these Instructions To which he adds as rare Precepts for Actions of RIGHTEOUSNESS concerning which he hath given us such an absolutely perfect Rule that it comprehends the measures of CHARITY too No wit of man can think of any thing more holy than that LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR AS THY SELF or that WHATSOEVER YE WOULD THAT MEN SHOULD DO TO YOU DO YE EVEN SO TO THEM This is a rule that reaches all men and compendiously yet completely tells them how they should behave themselves towards each other If a man were a Magistrate or a Parent or stood in any other superiority over his Neighbours he would desire honour and obedience from them that therefore says our Saviour let him give to those who are in Authority If a man be our equal we desire if not his friendship yet his fidelity in word and deed that very thing let us be sure to render him and all others in the same equality with us If we be placed below others we desire the favour the help the relief and counsel of our Betters all these Jesus here teaches us to afford with the same chearfulness that we would expect them in their case to those who are in want of our kind assistance Nay he hath told us in particular what our duty is in these matters by the mouths of his holy Apostles that no man may think to excuse himself by his ignorance and inability to apply a general Rule to every action of his life I shall not name all the places where you may find such words as these that follow but only tell you He would have us so far from doing evil to any man that he requires us owe him nothing but only love And this debt we must be always paying and think our selves debtors to all men not only to treat them civilly and give them good words but to love them in deed and in truth Which Love must teach us as to be meek and gentle towards all men to put away all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking not to circumvent or go beyond our Brother in any matter not to lye to our neighbour nor defame him much less do him any hurt in his body or goods So to relieve his poverty to help forward his joy to comfort him in his sorrow to cover his defects to make a fair interpretation of his actions to let our judgment of him incline to the more favourable side to mind what is lovely or grateful to others and what things are of good report to study things that make for peace to compose and reconcile differences to beg pardon of those whom we have offended and make them satisfaction and if any have offended us readily to forgive their fault to forbear revenge when it is in our power to requite an injury to do good for evil to bless those that curse us to overcome mens hatred with benefits to pray to God for those who use us despitefully and to be long-suffering when it is fit to punish any man for his crime And as for those who are truly pious we are taught to do them good above all other men to
iii. John 2. and consequently professed themselves desirous to learn of him and ready to believe what he taught But I cannot say that they baptized them now into the Name of Jesus or into a belief that he was the Christ as they did after his ascension into Heaven For they were forbid to publish this openly xvi Matth. 20. men were to learn it by degrees under his discipline to which they delivered themselves by being baptized of him Yet this prepared them for the belief that he was their Christ which his Apostles afterward most zealously and strongly asserted by Baptism For when he was exalted at Gods right hand they went according to his Commission and Discipled all Nations baptizing them into his name as well as into the name of the Father That is they engaged them to believe that Jesus was the Christ the Son of God otherways they would not baptize them By this WATER therefore he may be said to come because he hereby made proselytes to himself whom he undertook to teach and instruct after the manner of the Prophets but with an authority which spoke him to be greater than all Prophets and because it was not a baptism like John's with simple water but was presently after accompanied with the Holy Ghost Nay the Baptism it self was a WITNESS to him joyned with what went before because it argued authority and such as was much superiour to that of John though he was greater than any Prophet which could be no other therefore but that of Christ For who beside could baptize the whole Nation and into an higher Institution than his whom they took for the Christ who confessed and asserted and no body appeared to contradict it that he was not that light by whom they must begin to be illuminated by Baptism but Jesus was the true light which coming into the world lighteneth every man John's baptism therefore as S. Basil * Exhort ad Bapt. aptly calls it was only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 introductory to something else more perfect than it self that is to our Saviour's baptism which was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which completed men in a full belief that he was the Christ 3. For lastly the Baptism which the Apostles administred especially after his Resurrection and Exaltation was an entrance of men into a new Religion For they did not baptize them into Moses but into another Name that of the Lord Jesus This was a sign that He who had so many ways been approved of God among them as S. Peter speaks was indeed the Christ For what greater mark could there be of supreme authority than the setting up in such a manner as he did an Institution and Discipline which was not known before and teaching those who received his baptism to observe a new Law without those rites which had been hitherto used Who could repeal the Ordinances of Moses nay abrogate Circumcision which was ancienter than Moses but only He who had the same power with him that gave the Law to Moses and Circumcision to Abraham their Father viz. the Son of God himself Yet this did our Jesus and Baptism was the Rite appointed by him for the admission of Disciples into the profession of this new Religion which took away the old as unprofitable By this they were born again and became his children that is his scholars for the sons or children of the Prophets were their disciples those who learnt of them whom he indued with his principles and called after his name And he plainly declared as you read in his discourse with Nicodemus that no man could have any part in that Kingdom which the Messiah was setting up in the world if he contented himself with the old Religion and were not by baptism born again that is suffered himself to be further informed and proceeded to entertain the Religion which he delivered Thus far Nicodemus was gone already to believe him to be a Master sent of God which was the opinion of others of their Rulers besides himself for he says WE know it Why then did he not own it by receiving his baptism and thereby put himself under the discipline of this Master That being instructed by him till he acknowledged that he was the Christ he might be taught at last by the Spirit when it came down upon the Apostles and so be perfectly born again or informed in the Christian Religion Till this was done he was but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Gregory Nazianz * Orat. 16. calls him a lover of Christ by halves To make him an intire Christian he was to receive his Baptism and to own him to have full power and authority from God to make what change he pleased so far as to turn them into new men and to make them over again The Pharisees one would think saw very well that this was the consequence of his gathering so many disciples by baptism that he out-did John the Baptist For to avoid their rage which they had conceived against him upon this account but never expressed against John he left Judea where he was baptizing as you heard before iii. 22. because they had great power there and departed into Galilee again where their authority was less iv 1 2 3. They were afraid of an innovation in the state of things which they had a mind should continue as they were Their Baptism they saw would signifie nothing if he went on thus to make disciples Whom he informed according to his own mind and perswaded to believe on him as their King in whose Sovereign power it was to make all old things pass away and cause all things to become new By this WATER therefore He may be said to COME and it may be called one of his WITNESSES as he baptized that is gave his Apostles authority to baptize men not into Moses but into himself to learn new lessons of him and to leave the old though they had been taught by God himself Who found no fault at all with this baptism but justified it as you shall see many ways to be according to his mind and in pursuance of his will And so much pains may suffice about the examination of the first WITNESS of these three that speak on Earth which is WATER The Holiness of Jesus both in his Doctrine and Life and the Baptism both of John and of Jesus I wish that every one who considers how great and necessary a proof this was of Jesus his being the Son of God would labour to prove himself to be indeed born of him by the same argument of purity and holiness For as we could never have believed Jesus to have been God's Son unless he had come thus by Water no more can any man rationally conclude that he is one of those whom he will own for his children unless he conform to his holy will by washing himself from all filthiness and becoming clean every whit Read over the Sermons and the Life of Christ and
person whom all their inspired men pointed at and foretold should come to be their King For the descriptions they have left of the cruel usage and horrible sufferings of the Messiah or Christ were answered to the life and exactly fulfilled in our Saviour Jesus whose torments rather exceeded than fell short of the tragicalness of all their expressions Thence it is that when He had ended all his sufferings he said xix John 30. IT IS FINISHED and so bowed his head i.e. did reverence to God and gave up the ghost i.e. resigned his Spirit to God in that prayer which S. Luke mentions By which words It is finished He bad them mark that now all things that were written of him in the xxii Psalm liii Isaiah and other places of their holy Books were perfectly fulfilled and received such a punctual completion in him that there remained nothing more to be done but only to die He had done all his Fathers will and finished his whole work in every point and so having no further business here He worshipped God that sent him and departed the world to go to him XII It will also much advantage this discourse to observe the accidents that hapned at our Saviour's death and accompanied his bloud-shedding which have no small force to verifie what he said concerning himself And to omit the death of Judas which prevented our Lord's and declared that he thought Jesus innocent and himself guilty together with several other things which may be better mentioned afterward let us only observe how the Sun contrary to its usual course when the Moon could not interpose it self between its light and them was eclipsed three whole hours as he was in his passion xxiii Luke 44 45. And that in the conclusion of it the veil of the Temple of that Temple wherein the Jews so much confided was rent in twain from the top to the bottom xxvii Matth. 51. The Earth quaked the Rocks rent and the Graves were opened and many bodies of Saints which slept arose and went out of the Graves after his Resurrection and appeared unto many in the holy City ver 52 53. What judgment can any sober man make of so many strange things concurring at this moment When was it ever heard that the Sun blusht as one may say to show its face and look upon him when any malefactor or innocent man either was hang'd upon a gibbet or that the holy place was torn together with that man's body or that the Earth groaned when he expired and the hearts of Rocks trembled when he cried out and the monuments of the dead opened at his death which three days after gave them life All these things were peculiar to the death of Jesus and never met together but only to honour his bloud And so notorious they were that the Centurion and those who under him had the charge at that time to see the execution done were convinced by them and by the words that he spake that he was no Deceiver but in truth the Son of God So S. Matthew there relates ver 54. that when the Centurion and they that were with him watching Jesus saw the Earthquake and those things that were done they feared greatly saying Truly this man was the Son of God Whatsoever the Jews had decreed they saw by the displeasure of the Heavens by the trembling of the Earth by the hand of God upon the Temple which was soon known by the Priests that Jesus had exceeding great wrong done him having spoken nothing but the truth when he confessed to Pilate that he was the Son of God They dreaded to think what would be the consequences of this horrid murder and were sorely afraid that they themselves who had attended upon it should feel some of those tokens of Gods wrath which elsewhere was very visible But S. Mark tells us that the Centurion also observed the words of our Saviour as well as was struck with these miraculous accidents and that they helped to convince him xv 39. And when the Centurion which stood over against him saw that he so cried out and gave up the ghost he said Truly this man was the Son of God That is when he heard him call God FATHER for those were the words as you heard out of S. Luke xxiii 46. which he cried with a loud voice at the giving up of the ghost Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit and when he saw that he stood in this to the very last breath that God was his Father and also beheld such strange testimonies of it both in the Heaven and in the Earth he said without all doubt he ought to have been acknowledged to be no less than he said and not crucified as a malefactor And S. Luke relates it thus that Jesus crying with a loud voice and saying those words before mentioned The Centurion saw what was done that is all spoken of in the precedent verses xxiii Luke 44 45 46. and GLORIFIED God saying Certainly this was a righteous man Which was as if he had said God be praised for showing us the truth or let us do God honour in acknowledging the truth whatever come of it I make no question but this man was innocent and said true when he affirmed he was God's Son though the Jews have got him crucified for this saying and brought us to wait upon his execution That as I have often noted was their quarrel with him That he being a man made himself equal with God x. John 33. v. 18. This was the blasphemy they accused him of that he said They should see the SON OF MAN that is Himself sitting at the right hand of power But the Centurion an honest Gentile acquitted him of this crime and seeing the things that were done and hearing the words he uttered concluded him to be Righteous free from all blame and not at all guilty of that blasphemy for which he was arraigned and suffered but ought to have been believed and acknowledged as the CHRIST the Son of the blessed Thus was that fulfilled which our Saviour had foretold viii John 28. When ye have lift up the Son of Man upon the Cross then shall ye know that I am He that is the CHRIST and that I do nothing of my self assume not this authority of preaching thus without Gods leave but as my Father hath taught me I speak these things that is even this that I am his CHRIST is that which he bid me affirm And he that sent me is with me to justifie what I say and do the Father hath not left me alone no not upon the Cross nor after death as appears even by this Testimony which he forced the Centurion to give him For I do always those things that please him Keep to my office that is both now and when I suffer you to lift me up to the Cross for God declared that he was never better pleased with him than when he laid down his life in this
can be objected but with the greatest impudence and impiety that which adds greater strength and force unto the other two and together with them makes up a most compleat demonstration For whatsoever defect any one may think there is in the witness of the Water and of the Bloud alone the SPIRIT perfectly supplies it and proves beyond all doubt that a person who so lived and so dyed must needs be the Son of God Now by the SPIRIT we are not to understand either the descent of the Spirit of God upon our Saviour at his Baptism or the pouring of it upon the Apostles on the Day of Pentecost or any thing of like nature for this was the Testimony of the HOLY GHOST and that from Heaven But we are to understand thereby first the Miracles Wonders and Signs which were wrought by him before he dyed and secondly his more wonderful Resurrection to life again after he was crucified dead and buried I will not be too confident but I think there is a plain difference which is not observed between the HOLY GHOST and the SPIRIT in the phrase of the New Testament By the HOLY GHOST seems commonly to be meant the gifts of Tongues of Prophecy of Knowledge of Wisdom of Revelation and such like Whereas by the SPIRIT when it is used alone or in distinction from the other is generally meant the power of Miracles of healing Diseases casting out Devils feeding Multitudes with very little food and such like wonders For we read that the HOLY GHOST was not given while our Saviour lived vii John 39. And yet even then the Apostles had the power of casting out Devils and healing all manner of Diseases which was a portion of that SPIRIT which our Saviour had without measure but was not the HOLY GHOST Thus S. Peter says our Lord was anointed with the HOLY GHOST and with POWER x. Act. 38. Where by POWER is meant something distinct from the HOLY GHOST even that which is here called SPIRIT a faculty of doing wonders as the other signifies a faculty of knowing the heart of declaring the mind of God of foretelling things to come of prophecying and opening all the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven And thus I am sure it signifies in the Old Testament where when the SPIRIT of the Lord is said to come upon Othniel iii. Judg. 9. upon Gideon vi 34. upon Samson xiii 25. xiv 6. as I may have occasion to note more largely upon another occasion there is nothing intended of the HOLY GHOST or any gift of declaring God's mind that was then bestowed on them But they were then only made valorous and couragious and were indued with great strength to atchieve wonderful things above the power of Man And indeed in this consists one principal difference between the HOLY GHOST and the SPIRIT that the former consecrated Men to the office of interpreting God's mind but the latter did not making them only valiant as in those three now mentioned or fit for the Government of God's People as in the case of Saul All which is said briefly to show what we are here to understand by the SPIRIT viz. all the wonderful things that our Lord did and all that were done for him upon the Earth For whatsoever may be thought of the rest there is no doubt of this that when the HOLY GHOST and the SPIRIT are thus distinguished as they are here by S. John the one being a witness in Heaven the other on Earth SPIRIT must be taken in this limited and restrained signification I. And first I say All that he did as his cleansing the poor Lepers opening the eyes of the blind curing of the Palsie Bloudy-flux and indeed all manner of sickness and disease commanding the Wind and the Sea to be obedient to him walking upon the Water feeding many Thousands with a few Loaves and Fishes making an hundred times more fragments than there was meat casting out of Devils and raising of the Dead all these were notable witnesses to Jesus and hereby the SPIRIT bare record that He was the Son of God The Prophet Isaiah foretold that he being Gods beloved in whom his Soul was well pleased would appear in this manner for God he says would put his SPIRIT upon him This S. Matthew takes notice of and applies to Jesus x. 18. just after he had cured a Man who had his hand withered which shows what he understood by the SPIRIT And our Lord himself also expounds the meaning of it in the following Verses For after the recital of that Prophecy of Isaiah the Evangelist relates immediately how He healed a Man possessed with a Devil blind and dumb vers 22. which the Pharisees spitefully ascribing to the power of the Devil and not of God He confutes them by this argument that then the Devil would pull down his own Kingdom What men of sence could imagine him to be so foolish He was not yet so blind as the Pharisees were who ought to have concluded from these miraculous works vers 28. that if he by the SPIRIT of God east out Devils as it could be by nothing else according to the argument now named then it was apparent the Kingdom of God was come unto them Here he both tells us what the SPIRIT signifies viz. such a power as this of casting out Devils and also what was the end of giving the SPIRIT viz. that they might know the Messiah and his Kingdome was come And whom could they take to be their KING but he who appeared anointed with such a SPIRIT and who communicated the same power unto others For this was an evident demonstration that the voice was no empty sound which said Thou art my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased and that it was no deception when John the Baptist thought he saw the SPIRIT descend and remain upon him It was plain by this that indeed he was very dear to God and that he had a Divine Power residing and dwelling in him which proved him to be as great as that voice proclaimed him That there was a mighty Power in him his sworn Enemies could not deny The very accusation of Magick which we find to this day in the Jewish Books against him does us this service that it is an open acknowledgment there were such miraculous things done as are recorded in the Gospel story Which being granted it is apparent the power that wrought them was Divine and that there was nothing of the Devil in the business by our Saviours argument in the place now named For how could the Devil be supposed to assist in such operations unless we will conceive him to have so little wit as to contrive the most effectual way to overthrow all his own authority The very end for which our Saviour dispossessed Devils and did all other miraculous cures was to win honour to God whereas the Devil in all that he doth hath the quite contrary drift If we should suppose with the
persons with any shadow or colour of reason Let us perswade our selves that this is a true History which they have written and then we have no faculty of discoursing if we cannot conclude who our Saviour was He could not possibly have done such things as the blind man well argued when his eyes were opened by him ix John 31 33. if he had been a sinner that is a deceiver and not authorized by God to come in his Name If he had been a mere pretender to this dignity God would not have honoured him on this fashion nor have given countenance to a lye by as great miracles as can be wrought for the proof of any Truth He would not have deprived himself of all means to declare his will to us as he must have done if he had suffered such a vast number of miracles to be wrought by a deceiver for three years together and given the most honest-hearted men no means to discover the cheat We cannot believe him to be wise and to have a care to preserve his own authority and to support his government and not think that he would some way or other have controuled the designes of a person of such high pretences if he had opposed Him and come without his consent as his only begotten Son into the world In brief if all these things be true which are reported then our Saviour was God manifested in our flesh and you know what regard and reverence is due to such a person And that they are true we have not the least reason to doubt being reported by eye witnesses of his majesty and power who were so convinced of his Divine authority that they ventured their fortunes and lives in his service merely to promote his honour And as that whereby they perswaded others to believe in him was the power of the SPIRIT working so many miracles by their hands and the power of the HOLY GHOST in divers other wonderful gifts so it was the same SPIRIT that first convinced them and made them confidently conclude that he was the Son of God For the first time that we find they made a solemn acknowledgment of him was upon the working of a great miracle before S. Peter James and John heard the voice from Heaven when they were with him in the holy Mount He had fed you read xiv Matth. 19 c. five thousand men beside women and children with five Loaves and two Fishes And as soon as he had done straight-way constrained his Disciples to get into a ship and go before him unto the other side ver 22. lest they should joyn with the multitude in the design which he saw they had in hand vi John 15. to take him by force and make him a King When he had dismissed the multitude and spent the rest of the day in prayer he overtook his Disciples in the midst of the Sea in the fourth watch of the night and found them tossed with the waves because the wind was contrary xiv Matth. 24 25. They were afraid at the first sight of him and imagined it had been a Ghost who perhaps they thought had raised that storm But when he spake to them and bad them be of chear and said It is I be not afraid Peter was desirous if it were he that he would call him to him and enable him to walk upon the water with him And so he did as if it had been firm land till his heart began to fail him when he saw the wind boisterous But then our Lord put forth his hand and kept him from sinking and both brought him safe to the ship and made a calm Upon this They that were in the ship that is the rest of the Disciples came and worshipped him saying Of a truth thou art the Son of God ver 33. The sudden ceasing of the wind that is his coming to them upon the water his bearing up Peter and making him walk along with him and that when the surface of the water was not plain but very rough by the crossness of the wind and his feasting also great multitudes with little provision made them conclude without any more ado that he was greater than any man ever was Their minds were overcome by this mighty power of God in him which subdued their understandings perfectly to the faith and so bowed and inclined their hearts that they could not but prostrate themselves at his feet and acknowledge him to be the anointed of God They believed no doubt before that he was a great Prophet and a teacher sent of God as Nicodemus did nay had some beginnings of faith that he was the Messiah i. John 41 45. But it was not till now that they were sure of it and did him honour as of a truth or certainly the Son of God And they were no easie People that believed lightly and foolishly only out of love of novelty or some such vain humour but were convinced and overpowred by the hand of God which was stretched out to work such wonders as these whensoever Jesus pleased III. And therefore he had great reason which is the third and last consideration when any disputed or doubted of his authority to refer them as he doth very often to his miraculous works for a proof of it and he appeals to them as one of his Witnesses according as S. John here calls them when he says the SPIRIT beareth witness So you read in several places of his Gospel where you find that when the Jews incircled him as if they would not let him stir till he told them plainly whether he was the CHRIST or not x. Joh. 24. He answered them I told you and ye believed not the works that I do in my Fathers name they bear WITNESS of me As if he had said I have no more for the present to tell you than I have told you often by my works If you can see nothing in these to convince you that I am the CHRIST all my telling you so in words will be to no purpose but for the present you must remain in unbelief To the same effect he discourses again in the same Chapter vers 37 38. If I do not the works of my Father believe me not though I should say never so oft I am his Son But if I do though ye believe not me believe the WORKS that ye may know and believe that the Father is in me and I in him And thus he reasons with S. Philip xiv Joh. 10 11. Believest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father in me The words that I speak unto you I speak not of my self But the Father that dwelleth in me he doth the WORKS a clear sign he spake not of himself and that he was most nearly one with the Father Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me or else believe me for the very WORKS sake And so he tells all his Apostles that the Jews were inexcusable upon
whom we must worship when he was not sought to overthrow and take out of his hands We are secure that God would not have abetted an Usurper in so high a manner against himself And as for any unclean Spirits if they could have done such things as Jesus wrought they would not have employed their power we are sure to establish a Doctrine so pure and holy as the Christian Religion teaches which utterly destroys all that wickedness in which they delight There was all the reason in the World to believe one who came thus by the SPIRIT when he came by WATER too and by his mighty power promoted nothing but the most excellent Piety Vertue and Goodness among mankind But concerning the miracles of our Saviour there will be an occasion to say so much in pursuance of what I design hereafter that I shall add no more of them here Let us now proceed having heard what the SPIRIT did by him to consider what wonderful things it did for him whereby it proved him to be the Christ the Son of God II. And the SPIRIT sure very eminently bare witness of him when it raised him from the dead and not long after advanced him into Heaven to live for ever with God For both these are ascribed to the power of the SPIRIT in express texts of Holy Scripture Of the former you read in the 1 Pet. iii. 18. where the Apostle says He was put to death in the flesh being mortal as we are but quickned by the SPIRIT that is raised up again from the dead by that Divine power in him whereby he had raised up others before he died It was impossible that he should be held by the chains of death who had such a SPIRIT in him By this he shook them off more easily than Samson brake the Wit hs or the Cords wherewith he was bound when the SPIRIT of the Lord came mightily upon him And being thus quickned again the same SPIRIT also presented him to God in the Heavens as his dearly beloved Son in whom he was well pleased who had given him full satisfaction and done his whole will for which he sent him into the world So you read in the ix Hebr. 14. where the offering which the Apostle says he made of himself to God through the eternal SPIRIT was that bloudy sacrifice on the Cross which after his Resurrection he offered to God and continues still to offer in the Heavenly Sanctuary as the High Priest under the Law offered the bloud of beasts after they were slain at the Altar in the most holy place of the Earthly Sanctuary And this oblation is said to be made by the SPIRIT because that raised him to life after he was slain translated him out of his mortal condition carried him on high made his body glorious and immortal and having thus made him fit to be for ever with God presented him unto his Majesty where he remains through the power of an endless life a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedek And this working of the mighty power of God which wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the Heavenly places far above all principalities and powers might and dominion and every name that is named was such a testimony of the SPIRIT to him that it confounded his adversaries more than all the miracles which he had wrought by the power of the same SPIRIT in his life-time And therefore the Apostles I observe alledge this immediately after the other as that which compleated the testimony of the SPIRIT to him Till this was clear and evident they relied wholly upon the other as you may perceive by the discourse of those two Disciples that went with our Saviour to Emaus Who doubted of his Resurrection after news had been brought them of it but acknowledged him to have been a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people and upon that account were much troubled that their Rulers had crucified him because they trusted it had been he which should have redeemed Israel xxiv Luke 19 20. When they were fully perswaded therefore that he was indeed made alive again as these very men presently saw then they add this as an argument of the greatest force to convince the world that he was the Son of God the Redeemer of mankind This is the substance I observe of both S. Peter's first Sermons to the Jews and to the Gentiles He begins with a relation how great Jesus was in his Life and then proceeds to show how much greater God had made him by raising him from the dead Read but what he says to his Crucifiers on the day of Pentecost ii Acts 22 23 24. where he first tells them that Jesus of Nazareth was a man approved of God among them by miracles and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst of them as they themselves very well knew And then that he being delivered to them and by wicked hands crucified and slain God had raised him up having loosed the pains of death because it was not possible that he should be holden of it In like manner he discourses to the first Gentile converts x. Acts 38 39 40. where he tells Cornelius and his friends how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power and how he went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the Devil of which they were witnesses who had seen all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem and then adds that God raised him up the third day after he was slain and hanged on a Tree and shewed him openly though not to all the people yet to witnesses chosen before God even to him and others who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead The Apostle had nothing to add beyond this which was the greatest testimony of the SPIRIT to him Now it spake with a loud voice in his behalf for if he had not been God's Son as he said he was He would never have taken him out of his grave much less have advanced him into the Heavens Where it was manifested he now lived by the coming of the HOLY GHOST which fell upon Cornelius and his friends while S. Peter was speaking those words This was all that could be added to what the Apostle had said and God sent this to prove his Resurrection and Exaltation at his right hand Which was such an undeniable proof of his authority that having thus raised him the SPIRIT as I said finished its testimony to him For how should it speak plainer or more convincingly or who can think that it would have continued to speak for him in this manner after his death if he had died with a lye in his mouth The SPIRIT which S. John here says is the TRUTH openly declared by restoring him to life that his Bloud was most acceptable to God It showed that
be made alive again after Death than to save a Man's self from dying I hope then I may conclude with the Apostle S. Paul that this piece of the Mystery of Godliness is without controversie God was manifest in the flesh Justified 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in or by the SPIRIT The SPIRIT which did such mighty things by Jesus and at last raised him from the dead warranted him to be God manifested in our flesh It cleared him from all the envious and malicious accusations of his adversaries while he was alive by the many miraculous works which it wrought and it purged him from all suspicion of blasphemy which was charg'd against him and took away his life by raising from the dead and presenting him in Heaven a pure oblation to God It hath acquitted him fully in all impartial mens thoughts wiped off all the guilt which was cast upon him set him before the eyes of all the world as a person innocent and just and made him glorious and great even in his bloud as those words may be rendred xiii Hebr. 20. wherewithal he is gone into the Heavenly places there to appear before God for us which he would not have been able nor ever dared to do if he were not fully justified and perfectly a righteous person This is that witness which our Saviour himself promises to Nathanael as higher than that which he had already received i. John 50 51. He was convinced of the Authority of Jesus and acknowledged him to be the King of Israel because he could search into the secrets of the hearts and know men at a distance But our Lord tells him he should see greater things than these even behold the Heavens opened and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man That is He should have the witness of the SPIRIT sending the Angels to minister unto him when he was raised from the dead and when he was exalted unto Gods right hand in the Heavens The Ascension and Descension of Angels is but an Hebrew form of speech whereby they express the ministry and service of Angels to the Divine Majesty A servant first goes to his Master to receive his orders before he can be sent by him and therefore ascending is put before descending and by both is nothing else meant but the ministry of those Heavenly Creatures that wait upon the Throne of God and do his Commandments hearkening to the voice of his Word From thence they were sent to attend on Jesus at his Resurrection and at his Ascension as his Disciples witnessed and Nathanael among the rest for he is mentioned as a person present when Jesus showed himself to his Disciples after his Resurrection xxi John 2. and is thought by many to be the same with S. Bartholomew As Israel saw in a dream the Angels ascend and descend upon a Ladder reaching from Earth to Heaven xxviii Gen. 12. So this true Israelite who as Greg. Nyssen * Homil. 15. in Cantic expresses it showed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. the pure character or mark of that Patriarch upon him in his honesty and uprightness of heart beheld the like vision of Angels but in a more apparent manner when he was awake that he might hereby be confirmed in the faith of Jesus as Jacob was by his vision in the belief of God's providence And indeed this was a great confirmation to his and to our faith For I conceive that this phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 upon the Son of man is the same with that where it is said the Holy Ghost came 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 upon him Which as it signifies that he was made partaker or rather was possessed of the Holy Ghost and it became His so this other like phrase of the Angels ascending and descending upon him denotes by the same reason that he was made the Lord of them and had them given to him as his ministers and attendants to be imployed in his service And so it was remarkably fulfilled which our Saviour said that he should see GREATER things than those he mentioned before For hereby he knew not only that he was the King of Israel as he had confessed ver 50. but that he was the King of Angels the Lord of Lords Yea hereby it appeared that he hath the power of God because just as the Angels are represented doing their service to his Majesty in that xxviii of Genesis so our Lord foretells with the greatest certainty they should see them waiting upon him And so they did as you read in the first of the Acts of the Apostles ver 9 10 11. which proved him to be indeed the heir of all things Now to shew a little more fully the greatness of this Testimony of the SPIRIT and that it was greater as Jesus here saith to Nathanael than the gift of discerning Spirits which I called a gift of the Holy Ghost to distinguish it from the Spirit let us consider a little that speech of our Saviours xii Matth. 31 32. Wherefore I say unto you all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men but the blasphemy of the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men c. Which heavy doom S. Mark tells us was pronounced upon them because they said he had an unclean Spirit iii. 30. This shows what the blasphemy was in which if they continued there was no hope of pardon For if he by the SPIRIT of God cast out Devils as he tells them ver 28. then it was rank blasphemy the highest degree of evil speaking and calumny to impute these very cures and wonderful works to the power of the Devil which were wrought by that Divine power And this sin was therefore unpardonable which shows how great this testimony of the SPIRIT is because there were no means left to convince them that Jesus was the Son of God without which belief their sins could not be forgiven if they persisted not only in denying the authority of the SPIRIT but were so bold as to blaspheme it For what could work upon their hard hearts if this proved ineffectual might they not better deny the voices from Heaven which they did not hear than these wonderful works which they beheld every where with their own eyes Or might they not as well say that those were delusions as call these works diabolical operations Might they not in like manner slight his power of knowing secrets and impute it to some other skill What is there in which they might not shuffle and resist the light if in so clear a case as this Jesus his opposition to the Devil casting him out of possession and that on purpose to establish an holy doctrine quite contrary to his interest and in a number of other miraculous works they would be so obstinate as to say the Devil himself had the principal hand There is no question to be made but they who were so perverse as not to see this finger of God
but continued blinder than the Egyptian Magicians when it did so many wonders would shut their eyes against any other means of conviction which could not be expected it must also be remembred because God himself had no higher evidence to give them than this of his SPIRIT But then you must not understand this speech of our Saviour as if he meant that those persons to whom he spake these words had run themselves at that instant into this unpardonable sin but that if they still proceeded to blaspheme it when the SPIRIT had finished its testimony that is done all those things which still were behind for their conviction then they would fall into it and remain in it irrecoverably For you must remember that under the word SPIRIT is comprehended the power that raised Christ from the dead and presented him to God in the Heavens that he might receive of him the promise of the Holy Ghost which he shed upon the Apostles abundantly as a witness of his Resurrection and glorious Exaltation If after this that Jesus was risen again from the dead ascended into Heaven and showed himself to be there by sending the Holy Ghost upon his Apostles they did not believe but still blasphemed the holy name of Jesus and the SPIRIT of God saying That they were drunk who were filled with the Holy Ghost as here they said Jesus had a Devil then they were uncapable of obtaining remission of sin because there was nothing more to be done for their conversion but they must be abandoned to the hardness and impenitence of their hearts This I am sure must be the meaning because our Lord himself after he had pronounced the Pharisees unpardonable who spake against the SPIRIT whereby he cast out Devils tells them expresly that there was one sign more remaining to convince them which is a demonstration they had not yet sinned incurably nor could not till that sign was past and that was the sign as you heard of the Prophet Jonas ver 39 40. which he grants them again xvi 4. should not be denied them Now every body understands by this His Death and Resurrection with those things that followed upon it the sending of the Holy Ghost to enable his Apostle to go and teach all Nations as Jonas went after he came as we may say out of his grave and preached to the great City Nineveh But then this was still the SPIRIT that was thus continued to them by that our Lord being raised and it working wonders also at his Death which if they continued to resist when it had fully done the whole office of a witness and was all poured forth then they were under the absolute sentence of condemnation In brief To blaspheme the SPIRIT in this comprehensive sence of the Word including the Resurrection and that which followed to prove it was the unpardonable sin and none else And thus our Saviour's meaning is to be expounded if one should speak a word against the Son of man that is Him despising him because of his poor Parentage and calling him the Son of a Carpenter or some such name this though blameable might be pardoned propter corporis vilitatem as S. Hierom speaks because of the meanness of his outward appearance Nay if a man proceeded so far as to call him a glutton a Wine-bibber a friend of Publicans and sinners this also might find pardon because he did not hitherto speak evil of the works proper to a God but only of those belonging to a man And more than this should he call him deceiver or seducer when he heard him teach the people it would not be unpardonable because no man is to be believed merely upon his own word But if when these men saw the mighty works of the SPIRIT justifying his preaching to be Divine they still continued to speak evil of him this was a very dangerous blasphemy because they could not after this call him a seducer or false Teacher but they must reproach the holy SPIRIT as well as him and call that the work of the Devil which was performed by the power of the Spirit of God And if when the HOLY GHOST was come from Heaven upon the Apostles witnessing that he was quickned by the SPIRIT and by the same SPIRIT presented to God in the Heavens they still went on to speak evil of him then there was no hope of remission because they blasphemed the last remedy for their recovery which was the Holy Ghost sent down from Heaven to perswade them to repent and believe on his name And that we must take our Saviour in this sence is further apparent from the name of the HOLY GHOST which he uses when he speaks of this unpardonable sin never calling it the blasphemy against the SPIRIT but always the blasphemy against the HOLY GHOST which you know was not as yet given when our Saviour spake these words In the beginning of this discourse xii Matth. 28. he mentions only the SPIRIT But then coming to describe the danger of blaspheming it he doth not say that the blasphemy of the SPIRIT simply that is of those present works of his was unpardonable but that the blasphemy against the HOLY GHOST when it was come should never be forgiven Which must needs be understood as I have already argued concerning the contempt and reproachful usage of those following witnesses the Resurrection Ascension and the preaching of the Apostles endowed with power from on high because though the SPIRIT now wrought among them yet the HOLY GHOST was not come to be his ADVOCATE and plead his cause and therefore could not as yet be blasphemed by them By HOLY GHOST then in our Saviour's language here I suppose is meant all that was left still to be done for his Justification and that it is so wide a word in this place as to include in it the SPIRIT also For he was speaking before of the SPIRIT and therefore when he alters the phrase he doth not leave out the testimony of that but imbraces it within the compass of a larger word which it was necessary to use that he might show when that sin which they had begun in a desperate manner would be so complete that it could never be undone And that was when the HOLY GHOST had consecrated the Apostles to their great office which supposes his Resurrection and filled them with all Divine gifts among which you know was a power xiv John 12. to do greater works than these which our Saviour is here speaking of called the SPIRIT Then if they did not believe there was no remedy but they must perish in their infidelity But till then they to whom our Saviour speaks were not arrived at this hopeless condition because they had hitherto only blasphemed the SPIRIT not the HOLY GHOST which was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified But when it was given and they reproached that as they had done the SPIRIT then they were under irrecoverable condemnation
there being nothing more to be done for the opening their eyes and perswading them that Jesus was the Son of God They had made a fair step to it in our Saviour's life-time by resisting the mighty power of the Spirit but it was possible they might see their error because there was still a more mighty power behind which first raised up and glorified Jesus and then enabled his Apostles to do more wonderful things than he had done when he was on Earth And therefore I observe that afterward the word HOLY GHOST is sometimes used in this large sence for all the Power that was given the Apostles whether of Prophecy and Languages or of healing and casting out Devils which last are sometimes peculiarly called the SPIRIT and so not to be distinguished from the other which it incloses Thus the word HOLY GHOST in ii Hebr. 4. may be referred not only to gifts immediately preceding but to signs wonders and miracles before mentioned And after S. Peter and John had cured a lame man they say the HOLY GHOST was a witness to Jesus v. Acts 31. But though this word be so largely used in some places as SPIRIT also sometimes signifies all the rest ii Acts 4 17. and sometimes all but that which is called power 1 Cor. ii 4. yet commonly you will find the word HOLY GHOST having a peculiar reference to those other gifts of Illumination not of Power iv Acts 8. v. 3. vii 55. x. 44 45. and especially xix 2 6. where you read that S. Paul found certain Disciples at Ephesus who had not so much as heard whether there was any HOLY GHOST who had heard no doubt of the miraculous works both of Christ and his Apostles Now when these and the HOLY GHOST were both joyned together when Jesus had given them the witness of his Bloud and of his Resurrection and the Gospel came not only in POWER but in the HOLY GHOST as S. Paul speaks 1 Thess i. 5. Then they who persist to blaspheme the name of Jesus were in an hopeless condition past all the methods of God to bring them to forgiveness All which I have said as distinctly as I could to explain that which has perplexed so many and to show the strength of this Witness which our Saviour so much relied upon that he knew not a greater to convince them when once it had said all that it intended in his behalf To which let this be added as an argument of the greatness of this testimony that they who apostatized from the Christian Faith are therefore condemned to a sorer punishment than they who forsook Moses not only because they accounted the BLOUD of Jesus an unholy thing and despised that witness but also did despite to the SPIRIT of Grace which by raising him from the dead proved his BLOUD to be the Bloud of the Son of God x. Hebr. 29. This is set down last of all in that place because it filled up the measure of their sin This made them uncapable of the benefit of any sacrifice for sin as it is ver 26. that they so slighted yea vilified and reproached carried themselves contumeliously as the word imports towards the SPIRIT of God which was the greatest Testimony on Earth that our Saviour had and was followed with the HOLY GHOST sent down from Heaven And they must needs be guilty of such disgraceful usage of the SPIRIT yea of the SPIRIT of Grace that Spirit which God had so graciously poured not only upon Jesus but upon the Apostles and perhaps upon themselves if they did deny Jesus and renounce his Religion because this was in effect to tell the world that this was not the Spirit of God but of the Devil and that it did not prove his Resurrection from the dead but whatsoever it said He was a blasphemer when he called himself the Son of God Thus I have done now with this last Witness on Earth the SPIRIT which you see concurs and agrees with all the former in this Truth There is not the smallest difference between them nothing to make us suspect them to be false witnesses for they are all found to speak in our vulgar phrase in the very same story punctually and in terms affirming this that Jesus is the Son of God This he preached who never did any sin neither was guile found in his mouth This John Baptist likewise proclaimed with a loud voice The Bloud of Jesus attested this before all the people this was the very Title over his Cross that he was KING OF THE JEWS and this the SPIRIT said it was the language of every one of his wonderful works and of his Resurrection also and his Inthronization of which the Holy Ghost gave assurance which conspired to testifie this and expresly justified it to all the World And therefore how can we chuse but think this a sure word that he is the Son of God which is established out of the mouth not of two or three but of twice three witnesses of unquestionable credit And these three last treated of challenge from us a very careful consideration and we ought the more duly to weigh what they say because they were on Earth and upon that account nearer to us as I told you more evident at first sight more strongly attested by innumerable witnesses that they might serve for a greater confirmation even of the truth of the rest The Testimony of the FATHER is certain because it was heard by several excellent persons yea once by a multitude of people That of the WORD also is infallible and we cannot with any reason doubt whether there was such evidence because S. Steven S. Paul S. John were persons of unspotted reputation who heard it and also did and suffered the hardest things upon the credit of it That the HOLY GHOST also fell upon him at his Baptism a great Prophet so confidently affirmed that it was prophaneness to deny it But yet excepting the Testimony of the Holy Ghost after his Ascension there were none of those Witnesses in Heaven heard by so many as these three last mentioned who as S. John says bare witness in Earth It was a notorious thing to all the Country which Jesus travelled that he led a most holy life No man could fasten the suspicion of any crime upon him but the cry of the people was like that when he opened a blind mans eyes He hath done all things well vii Mark 37. And yet he lived not a retired life he did not hide himself in corners nor shut up himself in private houses but conversed so freely that they found fault with him though unjustly for being too familiar and keeping company with Publicans and sinners And as for his BLOUD the second Witness on Earth that was shed in the face of the Sun at a great feast when from foreign Countries they were assembled at Jerusalem All the accidents which we say attended his death were things that never have been contradicted
No man then had the impudence to deny the Eclipse of the Sun the Earthquake the rending of the veil of the Temple and the rest of the astonishing things that then hapned The first of them is mentioned by a Pagan-writer and though the Apostles published both that and all the other continually yet there is no book either of Jew or Gentile who were enemies great enough to his Religion that goes about to disprove them And as for his miraculous works they were generally done openly at Feasts in the Synagogues on the high-ways and were so commonly talkt of that the Rulers feared all the world would run after him xii John 19. Therefore the Apostles could not falsifie in the report of these things but they might be easily confuted Which no man ever attempted but both Jews and Gentiles acknowledged that he wrought Miracles for his Apostles also wrought them every where and so did their Successors in some Ages after To these the Ancient Christians appeal as an undoubted testimony to their Faith which they could not be so silly as to mention were there any dispute whether there had been Miracles wrought or no. His Resurrection also was attested by Five hundred people who saw him together at once and it was proved beyond contradiction by the strange descent of those miraculous gifts upon his Apostles according to his promise Which came upon them also at a Feast when all the Nation though living in far distant Countries were assembled together and a great company of Proselytes also and devout people were present to be witnesses of it Yea the Apostles themselves as is notoriously known went over all the world and openly showed the power of Jesus which was in them Now if all these be true Witnesses or rather if you grant there were such Witnesses which no sober man can deny they being visible here on Earth in the company of so much people there can be no doubt remaining of this that Jesus is the Son of God They proclaim this so loudly with one voice that S. John had reason to say We beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the Father They beheld it in his Preaching and Life they beheld it in his bloudy Death but especially in the power of his SPIRIT both before he died and in raising him up from the dead and they beheld it also when they were with him in the holy Mount and had the Testimony of the rest of the Heavenly Witnesses Which were heard on Earth though they were in Heaven as men of high quality and of unblemished integrity with the hazard of all they had did constantly affirm And though some of those Heavenly Witnesses might not be believed so much at the first which is the cause I suppose that our Saviour bids his Apostles as you have heard not declare what the voice from Heaven said till after his Resurrection xvii Matth. 9. yet when they had received such great testimony that they were good men and men of God by having the Holy Ghost bestowed on them to bestow upon others also and when by this they were able to demonstrate his Resurrection then all the rest that they alledged as a proof that he was the Son of God did highly merit belief also and there was no reason to suspect the truth of such reports as were verified in so authentick a manner For with great power gave the Apostles witness of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus iv Acts 33. And the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus was a powerful Witness that there was nothing so great said of him by the voices from Heaven but it ought to be received as the undoubted truth of God Who at sundry times and in divers manners testified to his Son Jesus that by some means or other the most obstinate hearts might be convinced and those tongues which blasphemed him might confess him to be the Lord. A PRAYER ALL thy works praise thee O holy Jesus they all show the greatness of thy power and declare thee to be the Lord. All thy Saints therefore ought to bless thee and to speak good of thy Name who didst manifest forth thy glory in such miraculous works upon Earth and art now crowned with such glory and honour in the Heavens Great was the glory of that Almighty love which gave health to the sick feet to the lame eyes to the blind and life to the dead How gloriously didst thou triumph over the Devil and all the powers of darkness declaring thy self to be the Redeemer of the World by delivering those who were oppressed by him Great was thy Majesty and therefore greatly to be praised Those triumphs ought to have been attended with the most joyful shouts of Praise and Thanksgiving to thee as the Saviour of men and the Lord of Men and Angels All that saw thy wonderful works ought with never-ceasing love to have glorified thee the great Lover of mankind the Repairer of our ruines the Restorer of our happiness our mighty Deliverer from all our Enemies and the inexhaustible Fountain of life and all other good things which thou every where dispensedst to them How ought all our hearts now to overflow with love to thee the blessings of whose goodness so overflowed in all places that none can tell the number of them Especially when we remember how by the mighty working of the same Spirit which glorified thee so on Earth thou art raised from the dead carried to Heaven set at the right hand of God and made the King of glory This is the Lord 's doing and it is marvellous in our eyes This is the sovereign Balsam of all our wounds This is our solace and comfort in the greatest troubles This raises our Spirits when they are oppressed and gives us life in death it self Be thou honoured and acknowledged by me and by all mankind with the humblest the most hearty and affectionate devotion to thy service Be thou ever praised as much as thou wast reproached and blasphemed Let thy Name be sweet and mentioned with delight and joy throughout all the World Live O blessed Jesus in the glory wherein thou art inthroned Sit and reign there till all thine Enemies become thy foot-stool For among the Gods there is none like unto thee O Lord neither are there any works like unto thy works All Nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee O Lord and shall glorifie thy Name For thou art great and hast done wondrous things Thou art Lord alone O give unto the Lord ye kindreds of the people give unto the Lord glory and strength Ascribe unto the Lord the glory due unto his name O worship him in the beauty of holiness Say among the Heathen the Lord reigneth who was dead but is alive again and liveth for evermore O sing unto the Lord a new song sing unto the Lord all the Earth Yea sing unto the Lord a new song and worship him all ye Gods For thou
simple words more than all that could be found here and there scattered in the vast Volumes of the Philosophers Nay they advanced the sence of the Law of Moses They called Men to the noblest degree of purity For they cleansed and scowred them from all filthiness not only of the flesh but also of the spirit They advanced the business of holy living to such a pitch that some said it was impossible to be so good And what did they do now How did they overcome this objection This is the greatest marvel of all and gave their testimony a mighty force they show'd by their own example that it was possible This says Lactantius made the Philosophers miscarry in their design that though they spake well yet they did not live as they taught For men had rather have examples than words Because it is easie to talk and hard to do Our Saviour therefore and his Apostles convinced men by their actions that if they would not follow one that taught them they might follow one that went before them They guided them by their feet and not only by their tongues they led their hearers the way in all manner of vertuous and godly living Nay they refused sometimes to do those things which they might lawfully that all men might see their upright meaning and that they had no worldly design in their head So S. Paul tells the Corinthians that whereas he might have lived upon the Gospel and expected maintenance from them yet he chose to preach freely and make the Gospel without charge that it might have an easier passage into their hearts 1 Cor. ix 12.18 And thus he did at Thessalonica also where he wrought with labour and travel Night and Day that he might not be chargeable to any of them Not because he had not power to do otherwise but to make himself an example unto them to follow him 2 Thess iii. 8 9. And such was his practice you heard before at Ephesus xx Act. 34. So that one would think he had taken up this generous resolution at the very first which he continued every where not to make the smallest advantage by the Gospel of which he was a Minister It might have been sufficient one would think that he laboured in the Gospel and took pains to convert souls He needed not have laboured also for his living but expected food from those whom he fed with the bread of life But to make his Ministry unexceptionable and to show he intended nothing in the World but to bring men to this belief in Jesus he would not so much as support himself by their contributions but by the labour of his own hands provided both for himself and for others too as he tells the Ephesian Elders who were instruments with him of their Salvation Can there be any suspicion of the sincerity of such a Man as this What could he have in his mind but this one thing to win Disciples to his Master And could he doubt think you of his power to reward him for all his labour He was no fool it is plain but understood himself as well as the wisest of us all What should make him then neglect all other interests and bend his mind wholly to serve Jesus Such noble spirits as his were the unlikeliest of all other to cheat and deceive whose only business it was to take pains that they might give to others And men of such wisdom would not have taken all that pains for no other end but merely to perswade others to believe in Jesus if they had not been as sure that he was the Son of God as it was that they should get nothing by preaching it but stripes imprisonments infamy reproaches and perhaps lose their lives to the bargain And what should make men so prodigal of their bloud think you II. That 's now fit to be considered in the next place their sharp sufferings the BLOUD whereby our Saviour CAME that is was proved to be the Christ when he was preached by their Ministery No sooner did they appear but all the world with its whole power armed it self against them As the Jews under pretence of Religion opposed and persecuted them so when they fled into other Countries the Philosophers upon the same score set their wits against them and summoned all their Learning and their Arts of reasoning to dispute this new Doctrine out of doors To whose assistance came the Sophisters and Rhetoricians who imployed all their quirks and their eloquence to make it seem ridiculous Nor did the Magicians and Juglers with all the Daemons the then Lords of the world forget to oppose it with all their might But excited Kings and Presidents and Magistrates to exercise all kind of cruelties not only against the preachers of this Religion but against their followers The Edicts of Princes thundred out nothing but confiscations proscriptions banishments imprisonments rods axes strapadoes crosses fire wild-Beasts so that we may say of them all as it was said of S. Paul and Barnabas who were men that hazarded their lives for the name of the Lord Jesus xv Acts. 26. Men set forth appointed unto death as those that fought with wild-Beasts and made a spectacle unto the World and to Angels and Men 1 Cor. iv 9. Even unto this present hour says S. Paul in the following verses we both hunger and thirst and are naked and are buffetted and have no certain dwelling place and labour working with our own hands being reviled we bless being persecuted we suffer it being defamed we intreat God for them we are made as the filth of the World and are the off-scouring of all things unto this day And as they were long thus vilely used and destined to death so at last every one of them together with other great servants of Jesus Christ actually suffered death in justification of this truth that he was the Son of God S. Steven led the way who is called the Martyr of Jesus having shed his Bloud for him xxii Acts 20. And he that calls him so protests that he was ready not only to be bound but also to die at Jerusalem for his name xxi 13. Nay when he speaks of the Martyrdom of S. Steven he was in the hands of his enraged enemies who were ready to stone him too and began to prepare themselves for it as you may read there xxii 23. And both before and after this he was persecuted with such violent and bitter zeal that his whole life was a kind of death which he suffered over and over again for his Masters cause Which makes him say when he gives a large catalogue of his sufferings that he was in deaths often 2 Cor. xi 23 25. and protest in another place that he died daily 1 Cor. xv 31. and in another that he was alway delivered unto death for Jesus's sake and that death wrought in him that he might make others live 2 Cor. iv 11 12. More than this you find in
xvii Rev. 5 6. that the mother of harlots that one City Babylon was even drunk with the BLOUD of the Saints and with the BLOUD of the MARTYRS of Jesus A Sea of BLOUD flowed from their veins to cover the Earth with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord for whose cause they suffered themselves to be slain as so many innocent sheep that make no resistance This gave them the name of MARTYRS in English WITNESSES because they were beheaded for the WITNESS of Jesus and for the Word of God xx Rev. 4. that is they constantly affirmed him to be the LORD and chose rather to die and seal it with their BLOUD than not preach this Truth for which S. John also was now an Exile in a desolate place 1 Rev. 9. What was it think you that made them thus hot and eager to be the most miserable of all mankind to despoil themselves of all the comforts of life and to endure perpetually the pains of death From what cause was it that their bloud thus boiled in their veins and they were so zealously forward to have it let out It could be nothing but only this that they loved Jesus ardently and were extremely desirous if he thâ—ught it best to die in his service knowing that he would hear the cry of their bloud and reward them abundantly for all their sufferings S John beheld the Souls of those who were slain for the Word of â—od and the TESTIMONY which they held under the Alâ—ar vi Rev. 9. which signifies that they were sacrifices to God when they witnessed thus unto Jesus For by Souls in the language of the old Scriptures is often meant the Bloud i. e. the life which here was represented at the fooâ— of the Altar where the bloud of the acrifice used to be poured out They died in an holy cause they were very well assured and should be an offering well pleasing and of a sweet savour unto God else they would never have thus willingly offered their throats to the sacrificing knife of their bloudy persecutors No when it came to that they would have confest the truth sure if they had not preached it before A few of their sufferings would have taught them more wit than to lose their heads for the testimony of Jesus if they had not been verily perswaded they were in the right and ought to be his WITNESSES even with their bloud The scoffs of the Heathen would have been very reasonable if they had not dealt sincerely and been certain their Testimony was the Truth Who were wont to say as we read in Minutius Nec resurgitis miseri nec interim vivitis Miserable wretches you do but fancy you shall rise again and in the mean time you do not live You are hungry and pale and enjoy none of the pleasures of life and have no hope of being better you are dead To which he replies after a long demonstration of the evidence they had of what they believed Ita beati resurgimus futuri contemplatione jam vivimus So you see we shall rise again to blessedness and we live now in the blissful contemplation of it Yea they not only lived but they rejoyced and more than that they gloried in tribulations Which they could not have done had not their integrity been as great as this confidence and their sincere intentions upheld and supported their boldness Which was the greater you may be sure because as they bare witness to Jesus so God bare WITNESS to them as you read expresly ii Heb. 4. both with signs and wonders and with divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost according to his will whereby he testified to them that they were honest men and did not cunningly follow devised fables when they made known to men the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ but were as the professed eye-witnesses of his Majesty Which is the next thing to be considered III. Hitherto I have only proved that they had all things necessary to make them credible witnesses being void of guile and such as could not be reasonably supposed to be mere inventors of what they preached Men who both knew what they said and did not speak contrary to their knowledge Nay men of eminent knowledge sanctity and zeal which made them more than common witnesses But still they were only humane Witnesses not divine nor could all this put it quite out of doubt and give a full assurance that what they said was true but only that they thought it to be true and were not likely to be deceived And therefore that they and those who heard their testimony might be sure and have infallible proofs as S. Lukes words are that they were not deceived and that the faith which relied upon their testimony might be Divine there followed the Witness of the SPIRIT which accompanied them as it had done our Saviour together with the Witness of the HOLY GHOST which he had promised to send them that they might be his Witnesses in all the world This was an undoubted evidence that they were men sent of God upon this message to preach Jesus and testifie that he was the Lord of all This made the faith of those who heard and believed them to be more than an humane perswasion because it relied not only on the word of men but upon the testimony of the Spirit of God It might have been a very strong faith without this because the men who reported it were persons of great vertue void of all fraud or worldly design but it could not have been Divine had not this Witness come and joyned its testimony with theirs For they would but have received the testimony of very pious and good men it was no more till the testimony of God himself came in such signs wonders miracles and various gifts as you have heard already and as you read of in many other places They went forth saith S. Mark speaking of all the Apostles and preached every where the Lord working with them and confirming the Word which they preached with signs following xvi 20. All places were filled with wonder as they were with the HOLY GHOST At Jerusalem for instance S. Steven as well as the Apostles full of faith and power did great wonders and miracles among the people vi Acts 8. In Samaria S. Philip preached Christ and the people with one accord gave heed to the things which he spake hearing and seeing the miracles which he did for unclean Spirits crying with a loud voice came out of many that were possessed with them and many taken with palsies and that were lame were healed viii 6 7. And at Thessalonica S. Paul tells them that his Gospel came not in word only but also in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance And at Iconium both he and Barnabas stai'd a long time speaking boldly in the Lord who gave testimony unto the Word of his grace and granted signs and wonders to be done
Ulcera oris immensi wide and very gaping Ulcers they gave feet to the lame eyes to the blind and life to the dead Nor was there any thing that astonished all beholders done by him which he did not subject to the power of these infants these rusticks and gave them authority to do it What say you now O ye incredulous ye hard ye obstinate hearts Did your Jupiter himself ever give any mortal man such power Did he ever so much as bestow upon his High-Priest upon the most sacred of all his High-Priests I will not say the power to raise a dead man or make a blind man see but so much as to make a wheal or a pimple sink down and lye even with the skin by speaking a word or cure a little cleft which a loose skin sometimes makes in the fingers end only by touching it or bidding it be angry no longer And was it an humane power then from which such great things as I have told you of proceeded Sure it was sacred sure it was Divine or if you will admit any more superlative expression it was more than Divine more than Sacred For when thou dost that which thou art able to do and which is proportionable to thy power and strength there is no such reason that admiration should cry out thou didst that which thou hadst strength to do and which one might expect from such a power But now to be able to transfer thy right and power to another and to make a frail weak creature do that which is proportionable to thy might alone this is the effect of a power which is above all and which contains in it the causes of all things and the natures of all faculties Go then and fetch us Zoroastres that great Magician you brag of through the torrid zone or go and bring hither the Armenian that Ctesias writ of nay summon Apollonius Damigero Dardanus and all the rest of your most eminent wonder-workers that ever were let them be gathered together and joyn their forces and let us see them give but one of the common people power to command by a plain word a dumb man to speak or a man whose arms and leggs are withered to work and walk Or if this be too difficult a thing to make another do this and do it with a simple command let us see any of them do it themselves And let them call in the assistance of all their Daemons let them gather all the magical herbs which they can find in the bosome of the Earth and come with the whole power of their murmuring words and with all their charms we will except none of them we forbid them nothing that they can get to aid them and let them try if with the help of all their gods to boot they can do any such thing as these poor rustick Christians effected nudis jussionibus by their naked and bare command Cease O ye ignorant souls therefore to scoff and to curse when ye hear of these things which cannot hurt him at all but will bring no small prejudice to your selves For the Soul is a precious thing nothing ought to be so dear to a Man as that which is in hazard by blaspheming Christ Who is no such contemptible person that you may laugh at him but as appears by these things Deus ille sublimis c. That High God God of God God from unknown Kingdomes God sent by the most High to be the Saviour whom neither the Sun himself nor the brightest Stars if they have any sense nor the Principalities and Rulers of the World no nor your great Gods or those who feigning themselves to be Gods terrifie all mankind with their formidable power could so much as know or suspect whence or what he was he is so great But now that it is known and he hath demonstrated it to the World by his Divine works you had best submit to him and not imagine he is but one of us And that truly is good counsel for us all to acknowledge Jesus to be the Lord and submitting our selves to his authority to be governed by his Laws which God from Heaven confirmed by the most miraculous operations of the Spirit and of the Holy Ghost It is true we do not see and hear those things of which the Apostles and they that lived in their days were spectators and auditors but we have the faithful records of those miraculous works and of their Sermons left by themselves Registers were delivered under the unquestionable hands of those divine men of what they had seen and heard and of what they themselves said and did That is the Testimony of the Apostles and the Testimony of God was preserved and kept in the Holy Books which spake the same to the next Age which their Fathers had seen with their eyes and heard with their ears in the Age foregoing And moreover for a further confirmation that these were the lively Oracles of God his word transmitted unto them on which they might rely they had a continuance of the gifts of the Holy Ghost for some Ages following As Justin Martyr and Tertullian witness for the second Age after our Saviour And Origen Minutius Arnobius and Lactantius to name no more in succeeding times witness for the third and part of the fourth How could they doubt of the truth of the reports which they had received when they beheld them still verified as much as was necessary in their own days by the testimony of God himself And as for the incredulous Gentiles who stopt their ears to these reports they pressed them very strongly in this manner to use the words that follow in Arnobius as we may do those who question or disbelieve the Evangelical History in our own Age. Will you not believe good witnesses of things that were done unless you see them done your selves Shall Authors of certain credit be rejected who received such things themselves and delivered them to their posterity to be belived with no small approbation You will say who are those I answer whole Countries People Nations all that incredulous race of mankind are our Witnesses and the Authors we produce Who would never have entertained these things unless they had been clearer as we say than the light Do you think that the men of that time were such vain lying fools such sots such brutes that they feigned and imagined they saw such things as they never saw and that they childishly affirmed such things were done when there was nothing like it and when they might have lived with you in good esteem and contracted alliances and kindred among you would chuse to become the publick hatred and to make their very name execrable without any reason for it If this story be false whence comes all the world to be filled so soon with this Religion Or how was it brought about that so many people in such distant Countries and of such different humours should all conspire and agree
together to believe it Were they drawn away with mere words And with the danger of their lives followed a poor despicable Preacher when they saw nothing that was wonderful for strange to perswade them to this worship What vain senseless imaginations are these Therefore they believed and suffered themselves to be torn in pieces rather than deny it because they saw all these things done by him and by his Preachers who were sent through the whole world to carry the benefits of our Father to mankind and to bestow the gifts of healing both on their Souls and Bodies But our Writers have not set these things down faithfully They have extolled small matters and ambitiously magnified them beyond their just proportions Why so I beseech you By what reason shall we believe any of your writings if this History of ours must be rejected In which but a few things of the many that were done are recorded by men of truth and honesty Did any God come down from Heaven and write with his own hand the stories that you believe Or is there any thing of that nature writ against ours Then you believe men and so do we Your Books were writ by men and so were ours And whatsoever you will say of ours look for the same to be retorted upon your own Will you have all things contained in your writings to be true so are all contained in ours Do you say ours are false the same we say of yours And how will you help your selves You cannot say that you saw the things that you believe no more than we But others saw them and therefore you believe them and so do we But ours were writ by rude and unlearned men and therefore not to be believed Consider if this be not an advantage to our cause and a stronger reason to conclude that these writings are stained with no lies but delivered with a simple mind ignorant how to amplifie things and so set them off with deceitful dresses As for that which follows concerning the trivial sordid stile wherein they said the Apostles writ it does not in the least render the faithfulness of their relations suspected and therefore I pass it over and omit his reply to it though I cannot well neglect this pertinent observation of Erasmus in his Preface to his Paraphrase upon S. Lukes Gospel The language says he of the Gospel is so simple and rude that if any body compare it with the History of Thucydides or Livy he will want abundance of things and be offended at as many How many things do the Evangelists pass by How many do they but just touch in two or three words In how many places do they disagree in the order of their Narration and in how many others do they seem to thwart one another These things might make a Reader less like them and not give such credit to what he reads For on the contrary they that wrote humane Histories how solicitous were they about their entrance upon their work How scrupulously did they weigh their words What care did they imploy to observe a decent order to set down nothing but what was plausible and exactly described And with what art do they endeavour to set things lively before our eyes With what pleasures do they intice and detain the minds of the Readers that they may not at all grow weary of them And yet these elaborate Monuments for the greatest part are lost and those that remain are not read with any assurance that they report nothing but the truth For who is so credulous as to believe that Titus Livius tells never a tale in his History But there are millions of men found who had rather die ten times than think there is one sentence false in the Evangelical story Is it not plain by this that it is not a business of humane power and prudence but conducted by a Divine vertue What Philosopher is there that ever had the confidence to propound such Paradoxes as these with hope to be believed That one Jesus was crucified and by his death saved mankind that he was God and Man born of a Virgin that he rose again from the dead and sits at the right hand of God the Father that he taught they were blessed men who mourned hungred and thirsted were afflicted ill-spoken of and killed for the profession of his name and that one day they should live again and see him sit in judgment to give immortality to the pious and endless pains to the ungodly What is there plausible and taking in all this And yet the humble low stile of the Gospel perswaded men of this so that thousands millions will rather forsake their lives than this plain truth which a few private unknown poor mean disciples of his delivered to the World What should move us then to distrust these records of the faithful WITNESSES of Christ which are come down to us through the hands of all Ages since so as they were delivered to them What do we see now more than our Forefathers did in Arnobius his days or those which succeeded that gives us any cause to suspect their truth Are they altered from what they were If any company of men had been so bold as to venture at such a change they would first have mended the stile no doubt and placed things in greater order and method according to the exactest rules of art But that they are untained an uncorrupted and in no material passage vary from what they were in former Ages appears by what all Christian Writers have transcribed out of them into their Books which agrees with that which we now read They are the same now that ever they were They contain a relation of those things which converted as Arnobius says the incredulous world who did not want wit nor learning no more than we but saw great reason to renounce all the fables which had been told of their Gods and to believe what they read here concerning Jesus For it is the testimony of God Almighty they evidently perceived that is recorded in those Books Which when we receive our faith will not be less divine than theirs in the first Age because we both receive the Witness of God only they saw or heard it and we read the record of what they saw and heard Which makes no considerable difference 〈◊〉 the nature of the testimony For the 〈◊〉 â—â—ny of any man standing upon aâ—â—â—â—ed record is as good an evidence 〈◊〉 he were alive in person to give it No man loses his cause when his Witnesses die if they have already given their evidence in any Court of Record And therefore there is no reason that our Lord Jesus should lose his authority among us because the Apostles his WITNESSES have left the world and so has the WITNESS of the Spirit and the Holy Ghost since that which they testified to mankind stands upon authentick record in the holy Gospel which cannot with any show of reason be
questioned For if we do not allow this way of conveying down a testimony to future times we can know nothing of what was done before us And by denying all credit to these writings we shall only teach posterity how little credit is due to any of ours Nay we shall shake all mens titles to their estates and Kings will not be able to keep their Crowns fast upon their heads Nothing will be certain but it may be questioned whether all the Records in the Tower and the publick Acts of former Kings and Parliaments be not mere Forgeries Besides no body in those days ever went about to disprove what these Witnesses of Christ preached and have writ Neither Jew nor Gentile undertook to show that these things were only devised for his credit There were too great Testimonies from Heaven still remaining in the Church for several Ages to confute such a slander And therefore all that the Devil himself could think of to shake mens belief was to set up some wonder-workers of his own to confront Jesus and as it were to vie miracles with him and his Disciples But all were so soon scattered like mists before the Sun that they appeared to be but thin shadows in comparison with the living SPIRIT of God that was in the Church which baffled and overcame them all Insomuch that Origen assures the Heathen and they never went about to confute him that there were not above thirty of Simon Magus his followers then to be found in the world though he had made diligent enquiry after them by travel into all parts They were all vanished though he made a great noise for a time whilest the followers of Jesus multiplied and increased even by their persecutions Nor could Apollonius afterward gain any Proselytes that continued but his fame soon died together with himself Whereas the authority of Jesus bare up it self against all the opposition of the Roman Empire and not only was supported but advanced and prevailed more and more their barbarous cruelties only making it grow the faster For herein as Lactantius observes the faith and constancy of Christians was bravely displayed Men thought they did not without cause abhor the Heathenish superstition when they saw them rather die than do that which others doing lived and enjoyed the greatest worldly prosperity It made them enquire what that good was which they defended even unto death which was dearer than all the pleasures and glory of this world The people heard them in the midst of torments glory in Christ Jesus And whilest they enquired who he was the truth of the Gospel was divulged and spread abroad among them Their sufferings brought many to see their Martyrdom and there they saw that which moved their enquiry and by their enquiry they were satisfied and learnt to believe in Jesus as those Martyrs did But it is time to put an end to this Chapter which I shall conclude with a few remarks upon some places of the holy Books relating to the testimony of the Apostles or those that followed them The first is in the 2 Cor. vi 4 5 6 c. where you read how the Apostles approved themselves as the ministers of God in much patience in afflictions in necessities in distresses in stripes in imprisonments in tumults in labours in watchings in fastings by pureness by knowledge by long-suffering by kindness by the Holy Ghost by love unfeigned by the word of truth c. In which words if they be well considered you will find every one of these three WITNESSES which S. John says gave testimony to our Saviour on Earth so that he might be said to come in the ministry of the Apostles by Water and Bloud and the Spirit They expressed the Holiness of his life by their pureness by their long-suffering by their kindness by love unfeigned by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left that is they were every way appointed and armed with integrity against all calumnies there was none that could touch their reputation and say that these men had any worldly design And as they witnessed to him thus in their holy lives so they did in their holy doctrine by knowledge and by the word of truth preaching the Gospel sincerely as those that studied not to please men but God who trieth the hearts And they were made conformable also to his death and thereby continued the witness of the BLOUD in much patience in afflictions in necessities in distresses in imprisonments and all the rest of the hardships here mentioned which I need not transcribe again And lastly He forgets not to remember them of the Witness of the SPIRIT which they brought along with them For he says they approved themselves as ministers of God by the Holy Ghost and by the power of God That is beside all the other Divine gifts wherewith they appeared they confirmed their doctrine by many miraculous works which could not be done but by the power of God Thus they became not only his witnesses as our Saviour said they should xxiv Luke 48. but they witnessed to him after the very same manner that he had taught in his example by Water by Bloud and by the Spirit And therefore when he exhorts Timothy to preach the Gospel and to be strong in the grace of Jesus Christ and to commit the charge of preaching also to other faithful persons He enforces his perswasion by this argument that the things he was to deliver were only such as he had heard of him among or by MANY WITNESSES 2 Tim. ii 2. He learnt them by so many good evidences which S. Paul had given him that he need not fear to speak them to any man much less doubt to commend them to other faithful preachers upon the same account that he had received them that they might be able to instruct posterity Such one would think from what hath been said were those TWO WITNESSES mentioned in xi Rev. 3. men of an Apostolical spirit whom Jesus raised up after his prime Witnesses had left the world to justifie still by all manner of arguments that great Truth which they had preached and sealed with their Bloud and God had sealed by the testimony of the Spirit The next words indeed seem to import that the whole body of Christians whom they instructed joyned with them in this testimony But still these great ministers of Jesus Christ the guides and leaders of those Christians whosoever they were and in what times soever they lived I meddle not with such difficulties were his most eminent Witnesses Who preached the Gospel with such power that it excited against them the fury of unbelievers who could not endure that such Witnesses should speak for Jesus For they testified to him these three ways here mentioned which is all that I alledge this place for not taking upon me to interpose in the controversies there are about the explanation of this Vision by Water Bloud and the Spirit First by Water if
we understand thereby their holy preaching and living For it is said ver 3. that they had power to prophesie which signifies that they were endowed with extraordinary gifts for Prophets were next to Apostles in the Church to interpret and expound the holy writings and prove out of Moses and the Prophets as our Saviour did xxiv Luke 27. all things that concerned him both his sufferings and his glory And this they did cloathed in sackcloth that is in the habit of mourners for the abominations I suppose which they saw committed and the provoking infidelity of those to whom they preached Which was a notable mark of their great piety and charity as you may learn from ix Ezek. 4. and v. Matth. 4. They are said also to be the two Olive-trees ver 4. that is like Zerubbabel and Joshua two famous persons among the Jews after the captivity who were represented by this Emblem iv Zach. 3. King and Priests unto God men endowed with great authority and illumination from above and with as great purity For they had so much of the oil of gladness that they imparted it to others to the Candlesticks that is the Churches wherein they shined For so S. John teaches us in the beginning of this Book to interpret Candlesticks which is a great argument of the excellency of these men who by the witness of their life and doctrine made all those who were under their care to testifie some way or other to the same truth that they did At least by their lives for they are said to stand before the God of the Earth Which is an Hebrew phrase signifying to minister unto God to be imployed in his worship and service as the Priests and People were at the Temple and therefore sets forth the piety and devotion of these persons whose business it was to serve God even then when it was most dangerous so to do And as by Water so by Bloud also they bare witness of him For they had war made against them and in the fight since they would not yield they were killed ver 7. Nay it was notorious to all that their persecutors had not only drawn the sword against them but that they had resisted unto bloud for their dead bodies lay in the street of the great City ver 8. and they would not suffer them to be put in graves ver 9. which shows the enraged malice which they bare to these zealous WITNESSES who had tormented them ver 10. by the sharpness of their arguments and by their constant reproofs of their infidelity and wickedness Nor was the Witness of the SPIRIT wanting for they approved themselves as Ministers of God to speak in S. Paul's language and Witnesses of Christ by wonders and miracles so great that they might be compared to the two great Prophets Moses and Elias who appeared with our Saviour on the holy Mount For they sent fire out of their mouths ver 5. and had power to shut up Heaven that it should not rain ver 6. both which were the known works of Elias They had power likewise over the Waters to turn them to bloud and to smite the Earth with all plagues as often as they pleased ver 6. which is the plain description of men like to Moses who brought such plagues on the Egyptians as these had power to do upon those who were like them both in hardness of heart and in oppression of the faithful servants of God And therefore I suppose they are described with a power to hurt and destroy rather than with that healing and saving vertue wherewith the first Witnesses of Christ principally came to signifie that their rebellious enemies should be punished for their rejecting Jesus and doing despight to the SPIRIT of grace which once came to them in a more healthful and salutary manner casting out Devils turning Water into Wine healing all manner of Plagues and Diseases and that as often as they themselves pleased to desire And more than this you read ver 11. that after the time appointed by God for it he restored these Prophets to life again and thereby made their testimony something like that of his Son 's That is men animated with the very same spirit stood up in their place to the amazement of all their opposers Who were so far from being able to hurt them that they were as safe as if they had been in Heaven The presence of God was with them as in the cloud which preserved the Israelites from all danger And he advanced them to great honour by the Heavenly gifts wherewith they were adorned As Elias is said to come though he did not appear in person but another in his spirit and power and David is said to be raised up to reign over the Jews xxx Jer. 9. because his Son that is Christ was set upon his Throne so did the Spirit of life from God enter into these witnesses and they stood upon their feet when he raised up other Apostolical persons in their stead who were not less eminent than those who were dead but full of the same spirit of wisdom holiness burning zeal and might and power also from God This frighted all their enemies as well it might when they saw the Christian Cause would not die do what they could But if they killed some others started up in their room to witness unto Jesus and assert the same truth by wonders by their admirable preaching by their holy life and by death it self if nothing else would satisfie them For thus all the MARTYRS testified to him Whose BLOUD witnessed not only that they believed his Religion and that they valued the favour of Jesus more than their lives but that they had very good reason so to do or else men of such wisdom would not have endured such torments as they freely exposed themselves unto with so much chearfulness as we find they did For as S. Hilary tells us Some gloried in the chains which they wore in prison others being beaten till they died did nothing but give thanks others readily laid down their necks to be cut off and more ran to those piles which they saw built to burn them and with a devout haste leapt into those fires at which the ministers of their torments trembled and there were those who were thrown into the Sea not as if they were to be drown'd but went to partake of the refreshment of eternal bliss So he writes upon those words of the Psalmist lxv 10 12. Thou hast tried us as silver is tried we went through fire and water c. The fruit of which was that thereby many were converted unto Christ Their death gave life to others who seeing their zeal their constancy their meekness their patience and their charity became Proselytes to that faith for which they suffered A new race of illustrious Martyrs rose up in their stead in whom they yet lived For there was no other cause as that Father adds upon the following
meerly by the power of the Spirit and the Holy Ghost so being thus propagated all the learned part of the World is of our Religion They that are of any other are ignorant of good learning as their great enemy But this fears not to be tried because it is sure that knowledge is its Friend and that wisdome as our Saviour said will be justified of her Children Who clearly see even from their own Writings that Mahomet at the best was but an hot Enthusiast who took his own warm thoughts for inspiration But he had no assurance of what he said As the humour wrought he was for new illuminations It was not his fault that his Disciples had not another Book which should have put down the Alcoran For as our famous Professor of this Learning * Mr. Pocock Ib. p. 178. has observed out of Alsharestanius when he lay sick of the Fever of which he dyed he called for Pen and Ink that he might write them an infallible Book it seems as yet he had not done it to keep them from erring when he was dead This Omar lookt upon as a frenzy though Mahomet took it for an inspiration and said Alas the sickness of the Apostle of God is very strong It is sufficient that we have the Book of God i. e. the Alcoran there needs no more But some were of another mind and while the Company that stood by contended and strove among themselves some calling for the Pen and Ink and others agreeing with Omar that he was beside himself Mahomet cryed out Get ye gone it doth not become you to dispute before me and so there was an end But some bewail this as a great misfortune that he did not write them such a Book as he then had in his Head that is more frenzies and ravings of his brain-sick imagination But it is time to have done with this which I have said not meerly to show how senceless that Religion is which hath over-spread so great a part of the World but how happy we are who are taught by our Lord and Master Christ Jesus Whose faith relies upon such certain evident and divine grounds that if we did but live according to it we need not fear but by its power and force it would overcome and vanquish the other though supported by never so numerous followers The Lord of his infinite mercy quicken our Faith that we may out-live them for it is plain we can so far out-reason them that there is no more comparison between our grounds and theirs than there is between the wisest man that ever was and those blocks of Mecca that could neither write nor read II. The only Religion that can come into any competition with ours is that of Moses who indeed was sent of God and as became a faithful servant of his in the House or Family committed to his charge followed his orders and honestly testified and reported those things which God commanded him to speak iii. Hebr. 5. But if you seriously weigh what hath been said you will find the Jews had not such weighty Arguments to perswade them to believe on Moses as we have to believe in Jesus who hath abrogated a great part of that Religion And first for the Witness of the FATHER the Jews say ix Joh. 29. We know that God spake to Moses But how did they know it What evidence were they able to give themselves of it If it had pleased them to lay aside their passion and look beyond the prejudices of their education the proof of it would have appeared so slender in comparison with the assurances they might have had of his speaking to Jesus that they would never have added those scornful words which there follow as for this fellow we know not whence he is God appeared indeed to Moses in the Bush and said to him iii. Exod 6. I am the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. And bids him say to the Children of Israel to whom he ordered him to go I am hath sent me to you vers 14. But which of the Israelites stood by when God spake these words to him What person was there like John Baptist to be a Witness of this Voice which was his Commission What Creature was there with him but the Flock he was feeding that could come afterward and say I was present and heard God call to him out of the Bush Doth the Voice say any where I am hath sent HIM as if it spake to others besides himself or what words did he himself hear comparable to those which God spake to our Saviour saying Thou art my Son my well-beloved Son Nor was the manner alike wherein these two Voices were delivered One out of the Bush the other from Heaven And the Glory wherewith this came to Moses was much inferiour to the glorious appearance of the Holy Ghost descending upon Jesus An Angel of the Lord you read appeared then to Moses in a flame of fire vers 2. But the flame was in the midst of the Bush not upon Moses Whereas the Holy Ghost not an Angel of the Lord came down at our Saviour's Baptism when he was sent and not into some distant place but lighted upon HIM and there remained God therefore is said to DWELL in the Bush xxxiii Deut. 16. but never to dwell in Moses and the dwelling of God there was only by the Presence and Ministry of an Angel Whereas now Jesus himself is the dwelling place of God as I have proved and it is God himself that dwells in him The Divine Majesty came upon him and there it setled its abode in his Person Who is God manifested in the flesh and whose Glory we behold the Glory as of the only begotten of the Father which cannot be said of any other man All this is so plain that Moses himself saw this appearance of God to him though sufficient to perswade him that he was sent of God because he heard him speak to him out of the Bush would not prove a demonstration to others who did not hear or see any thing to make them believe him nor had any credible witnesses to justifie this beside himself He says as much afterward to him that sent him Behold they will not believe me nor hearken to my voice for they will say the Lord hath not appeared unto thee iv Exod. 1. And how could he confute them when they made this exception unless he had some sensible demonstration to give them that God was with him which God immediately furnishes him withall ver 2. though nothing like to the Power of our Saviour as you shall hear presently All the miracles he wrought were as short of our Lords as His first Commission was which you see plainly was nothing so noble nothing so clear as that of our blessed Saviour's Moses himself is sensible of it and confesses he wanted some Witness that God spake to him and that he knew not what to say
no knowledge of those who work iniquity but bid them depart from him whatsoever relation they pretend to him And by his Bloud he assures us that he preached nothing but the undoubted Truth of God What is it then that makes men still continue either to slight all that he says or to give him the lye It is no better if we presume to believe that we shall shift well enough in another world though we do what we list while we are here It is to contradict the voice of the Father of the Word and of the Holy Ghost It is to oppose the Doctrine the Life the Sufferings the Power and Spirit of the Lord Jesus who all tell us that we must be holy and unblameable before him in love if we hope to be accepted with him They that live wickedly and yet hope well do in effect say that He is a Lyar and that there is no such necessity of holiness without which he says no man shall see the Lord. Or else they despise that blessed sight which is as bad and neither dread his displeasure nor desire his favour If they be believers then they reproach him by their wicked lives as if he were still dead and could do no more to make his disciples better or to reward and punish their good or bad behaviour than Mahomet can or any other impostor All the Oaths curses and blasphemies which we hear out of Christian mouths are as so many spears to pierce our Saviour again because they forely wound his Religion and tend to the destruction of his Kingdom and Government All the lasciviousness wantonness and filthy debaucheries that are among us are a kind of crucifying Jesus afresh they are a scoff and mock at his Cross as a ridiculous piece of folly They reproach him as if he were an ideot that did not understand pleasure but would put himself to unnecessary pain and trouble Nor can we put a much better interpretation upon mens eager pursuit of riches and honours in unjust uncharitable and irreligious ways which charges him with great ignorance to say no worse who took the quite contrary course to happiness As for all those who gibe at his Religion and make themselves sport with the History of his Birth and of his Sufferings they come under another rank being open and professed Enemies to his Majesty They do as much as in them lies to hang him upon the Gibbet again and expose him to the scorn of the world They justifie the Jews in their calumnies and blasphemies and take part with Judas or rather are worse than He who was tempted only by his covetousness to betray him And better it had been for these men if they never had been born It were better for them that a milstone were hang'd about their neck and they were cast into the Sea or that they had been hang'd themselves on a Gallows as high as that of Haman than that they should live thus to expose the Saviour of the world to shame For though he will not die and rise again to convince them yet he will come and appear again to condemn them He will be revealed from Heaven in flaming fire taking vengeance of all them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power 2 Thess i. 8 9. Let us therefore take good heed to our selves that we be neither faithless nor unfaithful to our belief But let us settle such an unmoveable faith in our Souls upon these strong foundations which God hath laid for it and let us so stir it up by new reflections every day on what we believe that we may have our portion among those who are spoken of in the next words ver 10. When he shall come to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired in all them that believe But some perhaps will pretend that there are so many things to hinder every man from doing his duty that though he believe never so well and think obedience never so necessary yet he shall never be able to comply with the commands of the Lord Jesus but must be forced to break them even after he hath resolved the contrary To this S. John hath here also taken care to give us an answer when he tells us that such is the power of Christian Faith that by it we OVERCOME THE WORLD ver 4 5. For whatsoever is born of God OVERCOMETH THE WORLD and this is the victory that OVERCOMETH THE WORLD even our faith Who is he that OVERCOMETH THE WORLD but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God V. That is the next thing therefore which I am to give a brief account of that our Lord expects which he would not do if he did not endue us with sufficient strength that in the vertue of this Belief we should get the better of all temptations which stand in the way of our duty and would hinder us from the performance of it By the WORLD with which we are to conflict till we overcome is partly understood wicked men xv John 18. partly the tribulations and miseries we may here endure by their and other means xvi Joh. 33. and partly the allurements and enticing enjoyments wherewith all our senses are entertained 1 John ii 15 16. All these oppose us and set themselves against us either by discouraging or else flattering us from our known duty It is hard to be the object of hatred contempt or scorn harder to endure also poverty hunger restraint and such torments as the Apostles and other blessed Martyrs suffered and perhaps hardest of all to resist the perswasions of pleasure which prosperity and wordly Glory bring along with them What must a Believer do when he is thus beset Must he be content to yield himself too weak to deal with these enemies Must he let the WORLD have the day and declare that it was impossible to stand against its mighty forces Or will it be sufficient to enter into a conflict with them if it be but to say that he was not false or cowardly though he suffer himself to be over-powred by them No the Faith of Jesus is stronger than so if it be deeply rooted in our hearts and will enable us to master all these which seem to be no equal match for us Their strength lies only in the weakness of our Faith If we stand fast as the Apostle speaks in the faith grounded and setled and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel they will lose their force and flee before us and leave us victorious These six Witnesses are such Champions if I may so call them that the Faith which is led by them and firmly relies upon them cannot come off basely but must needs be triumphant 1. As for the hatred of men and their despisal alas what a contemptible thing does it seem how
in your breasts and preserve the fire for one hour from going out and you cannot imagine till you try to what an heavenly temper it will purifie and refine your Spirits It will make you heartily in love with the Life of Christ here which leads to such a blissfull Life in the other world You will zealously follow those holy desires and resolutions which you will necessarily feel it inspiring you withall And you will not suffer any temptation whatsoever to divert you from that earnest pursuit but still be saying as St. Austin begins and ends his Confessions Thou Lord hast made us for thee and our heart is uneasie and restless untill it repose it self in thee Who being that Good which needs no good art always at rest for thou thy self art thine own Rest But to understand this what man will give to man what Angel to Angel or what Angel to man Let it be askt of thee let it be sought in thee let it be knockt for at thee So so shall it be received so shall it be found so shall it be opened Amen III. And the more we think of it the more we must needs still desire it because our Understanding being filled with the knowledge and our Will with the love of the chiefest Good we shall sensibly perceive a Divine joy resulting from these and flowing into our heart with inexpressible pleasure For it is essentially included in every act both of that Knowledge and that Love as may be clearly discerned by what hath been already said We are now compounded of different and sometimes contrary passions which frequently disquiet us and disturb our peace by falling out with our Reason and with one another But in that blessed LIFE there will be no such troublesome mixture no fear no sorrow no hatred no anger or any the like remaining But joy alone advanced to the greatest height of glory will be left in the possession of the whole Soul and have the sole Dominion of it to it self The reason is because we shall for ever have the presence of the greatest Good which will exclude the presence of any evil to give us the least fear of losing what we love That 's the originall of all our Passions As we are glad when we enjoy any thing that we love so we are troubled when we want it or when we lose it and we are full of care and solicitude when we eagerly pursue it and rise up in hatred and displeasure at that which opposes our desires When Love then is secure by the possession of that Supreme Good whom no evill can approach the cause of all other passions will be banished and Joy alone be left to triumph in the conquest of them For which cause this heavenly Joy must needs be the more excessive when we shall have nothing else to do but to rejoyce This will mightily increase the greatness of it that there will be no employment for the rest of our Passions which here whether we will or no take their turns together with it and consequently there will be nothing to diminish the greatness of it by any trouble or disorder that can be given it For the proof of which I need onely refer you to the foregoing discourses and desire you to reflect upon what you have read of the Knowledge and Love of God You could not but observe how joy and pleasure was so inseparably knit to them and interwoven with them that I could not well speak of them but I must touch upon this also 1. As for the first of them we all feel a certain complacency which our very Senses as well as our Understanding takes in objects conformable to them even before our appetite moves at all towards them Truly the light is sweet says the Wise man and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the Sun xi Eccles. 7. Look then how much the Divine Light excells all other and how much the Majesty and Splendour of the Authour of Nature is beyond the best of his Works the glory and brightness of the Sun and so much sweeter and more pleasant will it be for our Mind to be filled with that Light and to behold that first and Originall beauty from whence all other are derived We cannot think of God and of our Saviour now without a singular joy and therefore we shall not be able to SEE them without an excess of it 2. And secondly as for Love Joy is a no less necessary attendant on it or rather is intwined with it being nothing else but that delight and pleasure which springs up from the sense of any Good that we have taken possession of So that look how great the Good is to which the passion of Love hath carried us proportionable will be the Joy when we feel that we are owners of it And if it now please us so much to think that we are really beloved of God and of his Son Jesus what an endless pleasure will the sense of their Love yield us when it hath placed us in Heaven Do but consider now how vast the Love of the Lord Jesus is in coming down from Heaven to us and that he knows better reasons of his Love then we do and that his own pleasure is concerned in loving us and that he cannot but finish his Love to those who are purchased with his Bloud and are of his Spirit and it will give a marvellous satisfaction to your heart at present But what it will do then when he will have expressed all his Love to us and perfected his kind intentions towards us we are not able to tell We can onely consider a little farther how he hath plainly told us that they who love him will rejoyce now because he is gone to the Father xiv Joh. 28. And therefore it must needs be an additionall pleasure in the other life to see what we here believe our Dearest Lord shining in the Glory of God the Father and inthroned on the right hard of the Majesty in the Heavens It will be an exceeding high satisfaction to us to behold him who loved us so much and was so ill requited for it by men so gloriously rewarded for it by God himself But it is so easie to apply what hath been said to this purpose that I shall leave such considerations as these to your own diligence and note something that is not altogether so obvious 3. Which is that pious Souls will considerably augment their joy by the reflexions they will make upon their happiness and the strong attention of their mind to their own delight and pleasure For we are never so truly delighted as when we find that we are not deceived in the comfort and contentment which we promised our selves and when we take notice of all the pleasing motions that are in our hearts and duly mark and observe the sweetness of them Before this reflexion and self-observation our Souls are onely touched by the Objects
which they apprehend and receive such impressions as they are able to make there But by this means the Soul touches and strikes it self sealing those impressions deeper and pressing them harder upon our spirit The presence of a Friend without asking our leave excites a joy and sudden passion of pleasure in our heart upon his very first approaches But when we consider with our selves not onely that he is our Friend but how good a Friend he hath been and what joy he hath now and many other times given us we then affect our selves with his presence and sweet company and make the joy greater by minding how great it is For it is the highest kind oâ— life in this world which hath an apprehension that it lives This makes the life of a man above the life of beasts and his pleasures above those that they enjoy This is it also which makes a man in â— Lethargy to be no better then dead because he hath no perception of his own life The quicker therefore and the more lively this apprehension of our LIFE and of the happiness and contentment of it grows the more blessed and joyfull will the LIFE it self be which we shall then lead If by loving without seeing we rejoyce in this world with joy unspeakable and full of glory 1 Pet. i. 8. how glorious will the joy be there when Sight or Knowledge shall be if I may so speak in its high-noon and Love at its full sea and when there will be no declension much leâ— night nor the least ebbe any more and when we shall with the most accurate quickness instantly apprehend and observe every circumstance that adds to our unconceivable happiness We have many considerations left us now in the Gospel of Christ to refresh our minds withall from his great Love in becoming a Man for us from his Cross from his Resurrection from his Ascension and sitting at God's right hand from his promise of coming again and the hope we have of reigning with him for ever but by not attending to such blessed Truths as these we lose the comfort of them And when they are mightily urged upon us by others and the Holy Spirit of God also touches us and makes us sensible of the glad tidings that they bring us we lose still a great deal of the pleasure by not pressing them farther upon our hearts marking how they are affected with them And when all this is done we shall still feel a damp upon our spirits unless we can comfortably reflect upon our own sincere love to God and assure our selves that we are persons qualified for this supreme Joy But there will be no danger of any such defects in that happy World above where holy Souls will as readily improve as they easily discern every thing that gives them satisfaction As nothing will escape their observation which brings any joy along with it so they will please themselves in the contemplation of their own pleasures till they grow greater And so far they will be from wanting any reflexions on themselves as the persons whom God loves and delights to honour that they cannot but perceive it and be transported with the joyfull sense of it For if we should speak strictly this Joy will be so great that it will need no attention to it It s own strength will make it be most sensibly felt and as some have ventured to express so sublime a state it will by the transcendent force of its delight essentially reflect upon it self 4. But let us come down from these heights and consider again that as much as the Joy which God hath in himself exceeds all other satisfaction so much will the Joy which we shall have in him exceed all that we have or can enjoy in any other thing In his presence says the Psalmist xvi 11. is fulness of joy and pleasures everlasting which cannot fail to be the portion of those who shall be admitted into his presence and have the happiness to See him For since by our sight of him we shall be assimilated to him as was said before and made in a manner such as he is we must needs be partakers with him in his Joy as well as in other things and have such a measure of it as exceeds all the measures that our scanty apprehensions can now take of so full a Good It is too little to say that this Joy alone exceeds all worldly pleasures as far as the longest life exceeds a moment or this whole World the least mote we see in the Sun-beams rather we may say as far as God surmounts this World or Eternity Time between which there is scarce any comparison to be reasonably made 5. To all which you may subjoyn this as the highest consideration of all that such are the Perfections of the Divine Nature such is his infinite Bounty that they who are united to him in Love will meet with an infinite Satisfaction All objects of our delight here may be comprehended by our Understanding and we may see an end of all their perfection For which reason they may be slighted by our Will as less then our selves and unable to give us the contentment we desire It is at our choice whether we will love them or no or at least what portion of our love we will bestow upon them and therefore it is no great joy that they can give to one who feels how much he is above them But God now is so full so infinitely above us that he intirely satiates the heart of those that love him We cannot refuse him when we are perfectly acquainted with him nor is it at our liberty to love him but to such a measure No He will force our Soul then to love him and delight in him as much as it can yea more then naturally it could without the presence of such a Good more then it believed it should ever have been able to love And this is not a force of which the Soul grows weary as in other cases when it is strained beyond its present capacity but a plesing violence to which it opens it self and perceiving the power of that great Good would willingly be more possessed of it The pleasure that it feels sweetly dilates it and with a gratefull constraint so stretches and widens it that the extension becomes natural to it And with all this New Love created in it the joyfull Soul will for ever remain thus big embracing its most beloved Good and delighting it self in this largeness of Love This is the incomparable pleasure of the LIFE that Christ promises All other joys are but cold and dull in respect of the flames and spirits of this It is but a dream of drowzy delight which we enjoy here in comparison with that substantiall sprightly pleasure which our Souls will find in the bosom of God's Love wherein they will repose themselves with such a transport as if they would lose themselves to be all one with
all power in heaven and earth and hath said as it there follows ver 54. I will raise him up at the last day Well then seeing that these are the things we expect to have our sins blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come to be made children of the resurrection to be delivered from the wrath to come to have glorious bodies to reign with Christ and to be made heirs of all things and seeing we are said to have this bliss i.e. to have a certain right to it if we believe on him and seeing also that our right is apparent from the same Records or Witnesses whereby it was proved that Jesus is the Son of God All that I can apprehend remaining to be done to give us a fuller certainty of these promises is to make particular inquiry what every one of those Witnesses which testify to Jesus say to this point that God hath given us eternall life and that this life is in his Son This is the RECORD St. John saith i.e. this is the matter of it Let us examine if you please all these Six Witnesses one after another upon this matter and see if they do not give the same evidence of it that they have done of the other and make as infallible proofs that God hath given us this blessing and that it is in him as they do that Jesus is the Son of God and came from him There is no way like to this that I know of to attain a strong faith and hope of Eternall Life which it infinitely concerns us all to make sure and to have a well grounded perswasion of both that we may live comfortably in the midst of all troubles and that we may be able to overcome all temptations and that we may be willing to die and when nothing else will give us the least comfort we may lift up our heads with unspeakable joy For what can deject their hearts Macarius Hom xxxiv whose hope is firmly fixt in Heaven What should make them complain who have for their Inheritance everlasting Life Vnspeakable unconceivable are the glories innumerable are the good things which God hath prepared for those that love him As in things visible the plants the seeds the flowers are so numerous that none can count them nor is it possible to cast up the summe of all the other treasures of the Earth or as in the Sea the wit of man cannot comprehend the creatures in it either their number or their kinds or their differences or take the measure of its waters or of its place or as in the Air none can number the Birds or in the Heavens tell all the Stars So it is impossible to tell or conceive the riches of Christians in the invisible world their unmeasurable their infinite their incomprehensible Riches For if these Creatures are so infinite and incomprehensible by man how much more He that made and form'd them all And therefore it ought to fill every Christian heart with the greater joy and exultation of spirit because the Riches and Inheritance prepared for them so much surpasses all that can be uttered And with all diligence and humility should we buckle our selves to the Christian Combate that we may be partakers of their Riches For the Inheritance and the portion of Christians is God himself They may say with David The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance My lines are faln unto me in pleasant places yea I have a goodly heritage Glory be to him who gives us himself Glory be to him for ever who mixes his own Nature with Christian Souls 〈…〉 effable kindness of God who free 〈…〉 less then himself upon us O the ineffable happiness of such Souls who are wholly in joy and mirth and peace as so many Kings and Lords and Gods Behold here thy Nobility Christianity is no vulgar or contemptible thing Thou art called to the dignity of a Kingdome not like that of earthly Princes whose glory and riches are corruptible and pass away but to the Kingdom of God to Riches divine and celestiall which never decay For there blessed Souls reign together with the heavenly King and in the heavenly company Since such good things therefore are set before us such glorious promises are made us such great good will of our Lord is manifested towards us let us not despise his kindness nor be slack in our motion towards Eternall Life but give up our selves intirely to the good pleasure of the Lord. And let us call upon him that by the power of his Divinity he would redeem us from the dark prison of dishonourable affections and vindicating his own Image and Workmanship cause it to shine most brightly till our Souls be so sound and pure that we be made worthy of the communion of the Spirit giving glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost for ever Amen CHAP. VI. Concerning the Testimony of the FATHER WE must begin as we did before with the Witnesses in Heaven the first of which you know is the FATHER who spake three times from Heaven by an audible voice to testify to our Lord Jesus And if you examine again all that he hath said you will find both these things recorded in his words that he hath given us ETERNALL LIFE and that this LIFE is in his Son I. The first time that God the FATHER spake from Heaven was at our Saviour's Baptism when the Heavens were opened and a Voice came from thence which said Thou art my beloved Son in thee I am well pleased iii. Luk. 22. In which words there are two things very remarkable which plainly testifie to the Truth of those two now mentioned that LIFE is in his Son and that we shall partake of it I. That He calls Jesus his SON and his beloved Son Which being spoken from heaven in such a glorious manner as the Gospell describes it must needs signifie him to be his SON in the most eminent sense for it was never said to any Angel in this sort Thou art my Son my beloved Son This declared him to have the fulness of the Godhead dwelling in him bodily to be invested with his own authority and power and to be that Seed promised who should bless all the World which is a thing too great for any one to doe but for GOD himself It was by an audible voice from heaven that the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham to tell him the LORD had sworn by himself that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed xxii Gen. ver 15 16 18. And so now to shew us the Seed was come who should be such a great Benefactour to mankind the LORD himself speaks by a voice from Heaven declaring Jesus to be his SON the Authour of that Universall Bliss which he had promised Which tells us plainly enough that LIFE is in him which is one of the things that St. John affirms upon this Record for else he
Israel And if we carefully enquite into it we shall find it to have been as clear a Witness that it is in his power and in his purpose to give Eternall Life to all his faithfull subjects I. For first the very end of its appearing was to invest him with the highest office and dignity which from this time he took upon him and exercised whereas before he had lived as a private person So you reade x. Act. 38. that he was anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power Which being a ceremony whereby Kings are created we are to understand that by the coming down of the HOLY GHOST he was appointed our Lord and Sovereign one part of whose office is to bestow rewards on those that doe him good and faithfull service Now his Kingdom not being of this World as he professed and as was apparent by his life and death and yet he constantly asserting that he was a King and exercising severall acts of Royall Authority as I have formerly proved we must conclude that by this Vnction he was designed to be a King in the heavens where he disposes of all places and preferments and will promote all his loyall subjects to the greatest honours and dignities There is no reason to doubt of it for the Glory of the Lord which at his Baptism descended on him so as it had never done on any man was the Seal or if you will the Crown of God upon him which markt him to be the Lord of Glory from whom we may expect the blessing of Eternall Life The very opening also of the Heavens at the descent of the HOLY GHOST upon him signified as much as St. Chrysostom thinks and was a plain declaration of the exceeding great favour of God towards us Who now open'd to us as he speaks * Homil. xii in Matthaeum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those gates above and sent the Spirit from thence to call us to our celestiall Country and not simply to call us but with the greatest prerogative for he hath not made us Angels and Archangels but making us the Sons of God and his beloved Sons so he draws us to that heavenly portion II. Which we may with the greater confidence expect because the HOLY GHOST as I observed heretofore not onely came down upon him but rested or took up its abode in him It did not onely overshadow him as the Glory of the Lord did the blessed Virgin but descending on him settled it self in him as its habitation insomuch that every day one might see the Glory of the Lord shining in him Thus John Baptist who was a carefull observer of it relates in i. Joh. 32 33. where he twice takes notice of the abiding and the resting of the HOLY GHOST with him In which Isaac Abarbinel himself in xi Isa a known enemy to Jesus confesses the excellency of Christ's prophecy consists This being one of the Ten privileges which the Messiah he saith shall be indued withall that the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him xi Isa 2. So it did upon our Saviour as an undoubted Prophet testified in whom all the fulness of the Godhead dwelt bodily and therefore He must needs have Life in himself and out of his fulness as St. John speaks we may expect to receive grace for grace For he that bad John baptize you may farther consider told him that this person who had the HOLY GHOST not onely descending on him but residing in him was He that should baptize men with the Holy Ghost Be a King that is in the heavens and have all power committed to him as he would demonstrate by sending the Holy Ghost upon others as now it came upon him And till that time came it was as visible as the Light wherein the HOLY GHOST appeared that it did inhabit in him by the constant sensible effects of his Divine power every-where St. Luke as I observed in the First Part remembers how he returned immediately from Jordan where he was baptized full of the Holy Ghost iv Luk. 1. As was manifest not onely from a number of miraculous operations but from the no-less wonderfull wisedom whereby he spake and opened the ancient Oracles of God For to this end also he was anointed and herein he exercised the authority of a King as the very first place of the Propheticall Books which he expounded clearly tells us iv Luk. 18 19. Where you may note that the great business for which he was anointed by the Spirit was to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. The time of grace that is wherein the good will and pleasure of God was shewn to the world which consists principally in giving remission of sins and eternall Life This he came to proclaim and publish with the power of the HOLY GHOST having all those divine gifts mentioned in xi Isaiah to qualify him for this high office four of which belong to the Mind and was well represented by that luminous body which came down upon him at his Baptism and one to the Will and another to the power of action viz. Wisedome Vnderstanding Counsel Might Knowledge and the Fear of the Lord. He was able on all occasions to speak most divinely to teach as one that had authority to evade all the secret plots which his adversaries had upon him to search into their very hearts and desires to shew the straight way to that bliss which he preached to foil all the power of the Enemy and to raise even the dead to life again Which were evident demonstrations that the Spirit of the Lord rested on him and made him the greatest Prophet that ever was not onely the Preacher but the Giver of ETERNALL LIFE III. For as by this power of the Holy Ghost it was manifest he had Life in himself so God's intention to give this Life to us was apparent from the manner of its descent which is said to have been like a Dove The phrase indeed is dubious and may signify onely that this glorious Body which came down from heaven was in its descent or falling like the coming down of a Dove with its wings spred abroad Yet since St. Luke saith that it came in a bodily shape and the Church though the words do not necessarily inforce it hath thus understood it we may most probably conclude the word Like hath relation not onely to the coming down but to the Dove it self telling us that the form or figure of this celestiall glory which now appeared carried the resemblance of that creature Now to think that this form was assumed without any design at all would be very contrary to common reason which leads us rather to conceive that God would shew at the very first entrance of our Saviour upon his office by this known emblem of meekness and love what great favour and kindness he intended to shew to mankind and with what a tender spirit of gentleness and sweetness our Lord should exercise the Ministry
flesh armed what might which thou hast given to grass and hay As well may a butterfly think of mounting up to heaven or a flower attempt to pluck up a cedat as we poor wretches conceive a thought of effecting such wonderfull things This sure signifies that men are very dear to God or else he would not thus dwell among them It may well make us believe there is nothing so great nothing so glorious promised by Jesus but he will work it for us having already transformed us into such noble creatures As Manoah's wife said to him xiii Judg. 23. If the Lord were pleased to kill us he would not have received a burnt-offering and a meat-offering at our hands neither would he have shewed us such things as these so might they in this case say and with greater advantage then she If the Lord would let us still remain under the power of death he would not have given such gifts into our hands for that is more then to receive the poor oblations we make to him nor would he have revealed such secrets to us He would not have sent us the spirit of wisedom and knowledge nor raised us to the degree of prophecy nor put new tongues into our mouths to declare his wonderfull works nor made all diseases submit to our word All which gifts with divers others they had reason to look upon as the earnest of the Spirit and the Seal of the Holy Ghost whereby they had an assurance given them as I hope to shew elsewhere of the everlasting inheritance which Jesus hath promised in the heavens For they demonstrated that He who had power thus to alter and advance mean men and to make them Stuporem mundi the wonder and amazement of the world could also give that Life which he had promised by that very power which they felt already working in them And they also made it evident 6. that he would bestow it For there is no more reason that he should thus bestow the Holy Ghost at present then that he should hereafter give us Eternall Life His faithfull promise is the security for both our hopes are built upon that sure foundation If there be any difference between the ground there is for one more then the other the advantage lies on the side of the hope of Eternall Life Which there is more reason now that he should give us then there was for giving the Holy Ghost even because he hath already done so much for his Church and there is more reason we should expect it because as I said before we have seen a remarkable instance of his fidelity in pouring out such rivers of living water when he sent the Spirit which he promised And here it comes to my mind in xi Isa that another Wonder which Abarbinell says the Messiah shall work at his coming is a Miracle like that of dividing the Red sea when Israel came out of Egypt Which he endeavours to prove from xi Isa 15. The Lord shall utterly destroy or dry up the tongue of the Egyptian Sea c. that is says he of Nile the great River of Egypt This our Lord hath done more excellently then they imagine For it was nothing near so great a wonder that Israel should be baptized into Moses in the Sea as it was that the people who followed Jesus should be baptized into him with the Holy Ghost poured down upon them from heaven The passing through the Sea and the Cloud to boot was not such a certain argument that Moses would bring them out of the great affliction wherein they had been plung'd and lead them to Canaan their rest and inheritance as these rivers of living water the gifts of the Holy Ghost and the admirable effects thereof filling the world with the Glory of the Lord were an undeniable proof to those who were under its conduct that Jesus was the person who would lead them to a better rest in a more heavenly Country which flows with far sweeter delights then milk and hony This did as it were dip their souls into this belief and made them sensible that Jesus is the Authour of Eternall Salvation far more then the Sea it self could baptize their forefathers into Moses i.e. persuade them that he was the Prophet of God who would deliver them and bring them to the peaceable enjoyments they desired And therefore I observe after the Jews who quarrelled at St. Peter's preaching to the Gentiles were satisfied that the Holy Ghost was faln upon them even as upon themselves they had no more to say but this then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life xi Act. 18. This they lookt upon as the beginning of God's favour and loving-kindness to them which would conclude in nothing less then the ETERNALL LIFE of which we are discoursing And so this very Apostle St. John after he had put the Disciples in mind of the UNCTION they had received and exhorted them to continue in that Doctrine which it taught Chap. ii of this Epistle 20 24. immediately adds that this is the promise which he hath promised us even Eternall Life ver 25. Which was as much as to say that the Vnction by the HOLY GHOST had so perfectly instructed them in the certainty of this great happiness that it was sufficient to move them to abide in the Doctrine of Jesus none being able to teach them better or to put them in hope of any thing greater then this ETERNALL LIFE which he promised and by the HOLY GHOST assured It is true indeed which some are forward to object that we in these days see not such evidences as those Believers had the Holy Ghost not inhabiting thus in every one of our Souls as it did in theirs Nor is there the like reason it should we being ingaged in no such hard services as theirs which stood in need to be incouraged with the strongest hopes of a glorious reward They were in deaths often as St. Paul speaks and therefore were in danger to faint without a most lively gust of immortall Life The whole World was their enemy and with the greatest rage oppos'd their preaching which required a clearer sight of the World to come and a more sensible descent of invisible powers for their assistence and support From whence we also derive no small benefit because the more sensible demonstration they had of it the firmer grounds of hope are laid for us whose faith relies upon their testimony and the power of the HOLY GHOST in them This is sufficient to hearten us in our duty that our Lord hath given to those whose testimony we have the greatest reason to believe such visible and palpable evidences of his being alive and of his intentions to quicken his servants to Life everlasting with himself Let us but heartily apply ourselves upon these grounds to live by the faith of the Son of God and we shall find the same Spirit that wrought in them operating in us
5. is most lively represented there But this is not all that is intended by it for even those * Arias Montanus who in that sense were already mortified and renewed by receiving the Holy Ghost before their baptism as Cornelius and his family proceeded notwithstanding to receive that holy washing and by their submersion took upon them the likeness of the dead and by their emersion appeared as men risen again from the dead If there were no other death to be escaped but that in sin and no other resurrection to be expected but that to newness of life why were they who had attained these baptized as dead men and being already dead to sin why again sustained they the image of death out of which they believed and professed they should come This very action of theirs proves that they lookt for another resurrection after death which is the resurrection of the body And this profession of theirs was so much the more weighty as they were the more learned and instructed being already taught by the Holy Ghost By whose power they were already dead to sin and made alive to God and by whose instruction they professed to believe that as there is another death viz. that of the body so they should overcome it by the mighty power of Christ raising their very bodies from the dead There are severall other interpretations of this place as that of Epiphanius * Haeresi 38. who expounds it of those who received Baptism at the point of death but I shall not trouble the Reader with them because they all conclude the same thing that Baptism was a publick profession of the hope of immortality and a Seal also of the promises of God not onely to that particular person who at any time received it but to the whole Church both to the living and the dead Who as oft as Baptism was repeated had an open assurance given them from God by whose authority it was administred that they should rise again to everlasting life And so I shall dismiss this First Witness on Earth which is the more to be regarded because though it be not so great in it self as those which speak from heaven yet to us it is very considerable and cannot be denied by those who cavill at some of the other For all men acknowledge the Life and Doctrine of our Saviour to be incomparably excellent and John the Baptist stands upon record in Josephus for a person of severe and strict sanctity and the whole Christian Church who were not so childish as to build their hope on a sandy foundation but stood immovable as you shall hear like a house upon a rock when all the world storm'd and made the most furious assaults upon them believed thus from the beginning as appears by their holy profession which they made when they entred into the gates of the Church by Baptism The mighty power of which WATER OF LIFE they have thus celebrated with their praises Greg. Naz. Orat. xl Baptism is the Splendour of the Soul the Change of the life the Answer of the Conscience towards God It is the help of our weakness the putting off the flesh the attainment of the Spirit the Communion of the Word the Reformation of God's workmanship the drowning of Sin the participation of light and the destruction of darkness It is the Chariot which carries us to God our fellow-travelling with Christ the establishment of our faith the perfecting of our minds the key of the Kingdom of heaven the foundation of a second life * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Orat. xi At this the heavens rejoyce this the Angels magnify as of kin to their brightness this is the Image of their blessedness We would willingly praise this if we could say any thing worthy of it Let us never cease however to give him thanks who is the Authour of such a gift Greg. Nyssen L. de Baptismo Christi returning him the small tribute of a chearfull voice for such great things as he hath bestowed on us For thou truly O Lord art the pure and perpetuall fountain of Goodness who wast justly offended at us but hast in much love had mercy on us who hatedst us but art reconciled to us who pronouncedst a curse upon us but hast given us thy blessing who didst expell us from Paradise but hast called us back again unto it Thou hast taken away the fig-leaf covering of our nakedness and cloathed us with a most precious garment Thou hast opened the prison-doors and dismissed those that stood condemned Thou hast sprinkled us with pure water and cleansed us from all our filthiness Adam if thou callest him will be no longer ashamed he will not hide himself nor run away from thee The flaming sword doth not now incircle Paradise making it inaccessible to those that approach it but all things are turned into joy to us who were heirs of sin and death Paradise and Heaven it self is now open to mankind The Creation both here and above consents to be friends after a long enmity Men and Angels are piously agreed in the same Theology For all which Blessings let us unanimously sing that Hymn of joy which the inspired mouth in ancient times loudly prophesied I will greatly rejoyce in the Lord my Soul shall be joyfull in my God For he hath cloathed me with the garments of Salvation he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness he hath decked me with ornaments as a bridegroom and as a bride adorned me with jewels lxi Isa 10. This adorner of the Bride is Christ who is and who was before and who will be blessed both now and for ever Amen CHAP. X. Concerning the Testimony of the BLOVD the Second Witness on Earth THE next Witness which comes in order to be examined is the BLOUD by which I told you we are to understand the Crucifixion and Death of the Lord Jesus with all the attendants of it This is a Witness which the greatest enemies of Christianity cannot but confess was heard to speak in his behalf The stubborn Jews who will be loth to grant that a voice from heaven declared him the Son of God cannot deny that their forefathers imbrued their hands in his bloud For in the Babylonian Talmud * Vid. Horae Hebr. in Matt. p. 3â—9 Tzemach David ad an 3761. it is delivered as a tradition among them that they hanged Jesus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the evening of the Passeover and that a Crier went before him forty days saying He is to be carried forth to be stoned for conjuring and drawing Israel to Apostasy If any one can speak any thing for him to prove him innocent let him appear It is an hard matter to have any truth from these fabulous people without the mixture of a tale together with it When they cannot gainsay what we believe that their Nation were the great Instruments of his death they endeavour to find false reasons
his preaching or presently followed it is a very strong argument to induce you to believe that he taught the way of God in truth having revealed all things pertaining to life and godliness as God himself attests For by the Glory wherewith he called us i. e. preached the Gospell and perswaded us to believe we are to understand his Transfiguration on the holy Mount where they saw his glory ix Luk. 32. and to which the Apostle afterward appeals ver 16 17. of this Chapter as a justification of the truth of their Ministry The coming down also of the Holy Ghost at his Baptism the voices from heaven in one of which God said he would glorifie him again as he had done already and the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles are here also to be understood by Glory for by these we are called and moved to receive the knowledge of him And then by Vertue is undoubtedly meant that very thing which I last treated of his mighty power in miraculous works and the mighty power of the SPIRIT in raising him from the dead For it is well observed by Drusius and others that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vertue in these holy Writings never signifies as it doth in heathen Authours Piety and morall goodness in opposition to Vice but power and might in opposition to weakness And therefore by this word the Greek Interpreters of the Old Testament render the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which denotes the Greatness Majesty and height of God's excellency and sometimes the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies strength and stoutness According to which in the New Testament it denotes either the mighty power of God as here in this place or else our courage and valour as in the fifth verse of this Chapter But it is no-where found in the sacred style used for piety and therefore we must not render the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to but by vertue that is the power and mightiness of God's arm or strength as the Scripture speaks by which our Saviour convinced the World that God the Father had sent him to give Life unto it Thus the Apostle St. Paul saith which will very much explain this that He was raised up from the dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the glory of the Father vi Rom. 4. That is by his glorious power as Camero well renders it for his power appeared most gloriously in that wonderfull Work whereby as St. Peter here speaks he called us to believe on him So we are to understand him it appears by another Argument For if we should say we are called to glory understanding thereby heaven we could not be said to have precious promises as it follows hereby given to us For this would be to say that by calling us to heaven he hath called us to heaven But if we take these words the other way then the sense runs currently and delivers to us this excellent Truth That by such means as I have treated of the Descent of the Holy Ghost the Transfiguration of our Saviour the Voices from heaven the Miracles he wrought the might of his power which wrought in him when God raised him from the dead he perswaded men to receive him as the onely-begotten of the Father who was come by his authority to shew them the true way to everlasting life By these we know that we are not cheated but that he who hath called us is the Son of God by whom we are sure to attain everlasting life if we follow those directions he hath given us which will infallibly bring us to it And then the next words ver 4. are still more pertinent to my purpose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or by which GLORY and VERTUE are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises We are so sure to attain eternall life that we have many promises of it which are so strongly confirmed that we cannot doubt of them being delivered in such a divine manner For when he gave them it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by glory and vertue with such demonstrations of his Authority to promise them and of his power to make them good that we cannot but depend upon his word None I suppose question but by these great these precious yea exceeding great and precious promises he means those of raising us from the dead and carrying us to heaven to live with God and that eternally These are the chiefest things of which our Lord hath given us such assurance when he called us to believe on his Name Things which as much exceed all that was promised Israel as the heavens are wider then the smallest spot of this earth More precious are they then all lands if they flowed with milk and honey more to be desired then gold yea then much fine gold then all the gold of Ophir more to be valued then the Crowns of Kings which are not so much as an Emmet's Egge in comparison with this Happiness Now as there is nothing that can be compared with these promises so we have no testimony on Earth comparable to this of the SPIRIT that exceeding greatness of his power whereby these promises were brought to us and assured to be infallible For by this we know that He hath all power in heaven and earth and is able to doe whatsoever the Father Almighty doeth that is give life to the dead which is the property of the Almighty alone So the Enemies of our Religion are forced to confess who say there are three keys which God keeps to himself and commits to none of his Embassadours the keys of the womb the keys of heaven and the keys of the grave Thy power saith Joseph Albo speaking of God is not the power of flesh and bloud for the power of flesh and bloud is to put those to death who are alive but thy power is to raise those to life who are dead The very same we may justly say of our Lord Jesus Christ who challenges this power to himself as I have noted before out of the first of the Revelation where he tells St. John I have the keys of hell and of death ver 18. He was no ordinary Embassadour but can doe more then any whom God sent into the world ever did or could He can raise even the dead bodies of his subjects to life again And when he hath lifted them out of the dust if I may apply the Psalmist's words to this purpose can set them with Princes even with the Princes of his heavenly Court to praise and bless his love among those great Ministers the Angelicall powers for ever and ever Which is a power he doth not assume to himself vainly but was conferred on him by God the Father who raised him from the dead and gave him glory wherein St. John beheld him when he said I am he that liveth and was dead and behold I live for evermore Amen and have the keys of hell and of death Great is
will reward well-doers with the Crown of Life and be so far from letting their labour be in vain that he will doe for them as his Father hath done for him viz. bring them into his own joy So St. John writes in the very beginning of his Gospel i. 4. that in him was life and the life was the light of men He brought the promise of Eternall Life that is to mankind and can himself bestow it which is the best news the greatest cordiall that can be thought of to revive our spirits like the honey on the top of Jonathan's rod inlightning our eyes and making us live most chearfully and happily if we believe it and prepare our selves for it This they laid as the very ground and foundation of all Christian piety unto which St. Paul saith it was his office to call men in hope of eternall life i. Tit. 1 2 c. which God that cannot lie promised of old but did not manifest till the preaching of the Gospell which was committed to him by the commandment of God our Saviour who authorized him to open this Doctrine more fully then it had been even by our Lord himself while he was on Earth For St. Paul shews that at the last day so often mentioned by our Lord he himself will appear again in person after a visible and glorious manner to consummate all the faithfull whose happiness begins as soon as they depart this life These two weighty Truths are notably asserted by this Apostle I. Who declares by the Word of the Lord that is a speciall revelation from our Saviour the manner of his coming again from heaven with the attendance of his Angels to raise the dead and to lift them up to himself and give them the Crown of righteousness which till that time shall not be bestowed Reade 1 Thess iv 15 16 c. 2 Tim. iv 8. where the splendour of that great day when he will openly appear as the Lord of all is described no less lovely then magnificently as I hope to shew in another place It is the day of rejoycing ii Phil. 16. because he will then most eminently appear as our life iii. Col. 4. as our Salvation 1 Cor. v. 5. ix Heb. 28. to the praise and honour and glory of our fidelity 1 Pet. i. 7. And therefore for this time Christians are said to wait and look 1 Cor. i. 7. ii Tit. 13. as the time that will compleat their felicity which till then the Apostles plainly suppose wants its Crown and perfection And so the Church hath from the beginning understood them Who describe Souls departed as in a state of Expectants waiting for the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ who will come out of his most holy Temple to perfect those who now stand as they speak 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the porch or entry of it in atriis as the Latin phrase is in the outward Court of the Temple or holy place of God For as the Children of Israel stood in the outward Court which yet was a part of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Temple as we render it expecting the Priest every day to come out of the Sanctuary and the High-priest on the day of expiation to come out of the Holy of holies to give them the blessing In such manner do the Ancients describe the now blessed waiting and looking without though in Heaven of which the Sanctuary was a figure for that blessed hope of our Lord 's coming out of his Most holy place where he now is without sin unto their Salvation And thus the best of the Jews express their happiness saying that pious Souls are in the bundle of life as the most learned Dr. Pocock shews out of Judah Zabara * Not. miscell cap vi p. 176. in the high place in the treasury where they enjoy the splendour of the Divine Majesty being hidden under the throne of glory Which phrases signify a state of imperfection in comparison with that which our Lord Christ with whom saith the Apostle our life is hid and kept in safe custody will bring us unto at the day of his appearing II. But all this time they do not imagine that their Souls lie asleep without any sense of joy and pleasure no more then the Israelites did who were at their Prayers all the time that the Priest was in the Sanctuary desiring God to accept his intercession for them For what good doth it doe them to be in the Garden of Eden or pleasure as the Jews also call the place where they live if they have no taste of its fruits and happy enjoyments They would be as well any-where else as in the Bosome of Abraham by which the same Jews * Vid. Vcy 〈◊〉 de 〈◊〉 bil L. i. c. 16. as well as our Saviour describe this state if they do not feast there as that expression properly signifies and as the Parable of Lazarus supposes he did when it saith that now he was comforted or enjoyed his good things which made a recompence for all the evill he had here suffered The sense of the Christian Church in this matter is admirably expressed by St. Orat. x. p. 173. Greg. Nazianzen Who comforting himself and others for the losse of his Brother Caesarius concludes with these words I am perswaded by the words of the Wise that every Soul that is good and beloved of God when it is loosed from this body to which it is tied straightway 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 conceives a certain wonderfull pleasure and rejoyces exceedingly in the sense and contemplation of the good it expects Which makes it go most chearfully to its Master because being got out of its prison and having shaken off its fetters which pinion'd the wing of the mind 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it already injoys as it were an image of the Blessedness laid up for it And not long after receiving out of the earth from whence it came and where it is deposited its nearly-allied body in such a way as God who tied them together and dissolved them knows it shall together with it inherit the glory there And thus St. Paul also plainly teaches us 1. When he relates how he was transported into the third heaven and into Paradise and for any thing he knew out of his Body 2 Cor. xii 2 3. Which evidently shews he believed that Souls could act without their bodies and that they shall enjoy God and have a sense of heavenly things as soon as they depart this life And so much the Jews themselves well conclude from the Spirit of Prophecy whereby holy men of God were separated for a time from their bodies so as to perceive nothing either by their senses or their minds but onely what God presented to them The phantasms indeed which they had received from this sensible world were commonly used to represent those things which were then offered to them by Divine Revelation but without any assistence of the
godliness Rom. vi Col. iii. which they supposed all Christians had already felt these men fansied there was no other affirming the resurrection was past and none to come If they had onely doubted of it the Apostle it is like would not have so sharply punished them no more then he did the Corinthians But they blasphemed as he expresly tells us of Hymeneus 1 Tim. i. 20. that is reproached this Doctrine as a foolish opinion and reviled it is like the Apostles who were the preachers of it And therefore he inflicted on them the most grievous punishment by delivering them up to Satan which was not so little as merely banishing them the Christian Society but turning them over to the power of the Devill 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as unto a publick Executioner to torture and scourge them They are the words of St. Basil * Homil. in princip Proverb p. 439. with whom agree divers others of the ancient Doctours who think the Apostle speaks of surrendring such persons into his hands that he might inflict bodily diseases or pains upon them to humble and bring them down to submit to the Apostolicall doctrine when they felt the miraculous effects of their Authority For that 's the reason this punishment is called delivering up to Satan because it visibly appeared by some plagues on the body that they were faln under his power by being thrown out of the Church He was as a common Galoer and Executioner in a City or Kingdome the Apostles as the Magistrates and Governours as was said before sitting upon thrones to judge and pass sentence on men either by giving the Holy Ghost to those who sincerely believed or by delivering those to be tormented and set on the rack by this Evill spirit who blasphemed the Christian Religion There was then no other power in the Church to correct and punish them for so high a crime and this being done by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ as you reade 1 Cor. v. 4. was a notable testimony of the SPIRIT to the truth of Christianity and bad all men beware how they spake evill of this holy Doctrine especially of this fundamentall part of it that the Lord Jesus will give us everlasting life and raise us up at the last day The terrible execution which they saw done upon those who subverted this foundation of all piety was a great means to confirm all Christian people in the faith and to make them reverence those who had this mighty power either to give men ease or to torment them to restore men to life or to strike them dead to give them as was said before the gifts of the Holy Ghost or to put them into the possession of the Devill There is a great deal of difference it is observed by Tertullian * L. de Pudicitia c. xiii between an Angel of Satan sent to buffet a man and being delivered up or put into the possession of Satan himself To the former St. Paul himself was by the Divine permission obnoxious for his exercise 2 Cor. xii 7. The latter was the punishment of blasphemers and other horrid offenders for their cure But both served to give a testimony to our Saviour and to settle the hope of immortall Life For by the Angel of Satan which buffeted that is disgraced and vexed St. Paul a great many ancient Writers * S. Chrysostom Theodorer Photius apud Oecumen Ambros Theophylact understand those troubles and sore afflictions all sorts of injuries and reproaches which infidels and wicked men by the instinct of some of the Devil's agents tormented the Apostle withall Alexander the Coppersmith saith St. Chrysostom who did St. Paul so much mischief Hymeneus and Philetus all those that set themselves against the Gospell cast him into prison beat him drove him out of their cities were Ministers of Satan 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because they did Satan's business who by such instruments laboured all he could to dishearten the Apostles and hinder the free course of the Gospell Here now appeared the mighty power of Christ which rested as the Apostle speaks or took up its dwelling in them 2 Cor. xii 9. They were never so strong as when they were thus afflicted Then they mightily prevailed and advanced the Kingdom of Christ by whose powerfull grace they endured all hardships and distresses courageously and demonstrated they had a strong and immovable hope of being with him in that blessed place unto which St. Paul was rapt just before this Messenger of Satan as we render it raised such a terrible storm of persecution against him By that glorious sight he was fortified against it and standing as firm as a rock himself confirmed others in that faith which made him so invincible that he gloried and took pleasure in all those infirmities and reproaches and necessities and persecutions and distresses which that Angel of Satan stirred up against him ver 9 10. That was all the Devill got by his ill usage of him which onely gave the Apostle matter of glory For when our Saviour pleased not to grant his desire of having this Angel removed but onely told him his grace should be sufficient for him immediately he adds that he would gladly glory more then ever in his afflictions Which plainly shews both what he meant by that Angel of Satan and how much hereby the Christian Religion was promoted and the Souls of believers strengthened in the faith They might easily believe he had been in the third heavens when they saw him so much superiour to all the power on earth and the powers of the air too who conspired to beat him down and oppress him All the art in the world could not so declare the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the unutterable words St. Paul heard which the impious Cainites and Gnosticks * Epiphan Haeres xxxviii in a Book of theirs called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 concerning St. Paul's ascent pretended to relate as this inexpressible power of Christ residing in him and supporting him under the greatest miseries which declared those words remained still imprinted in his Mind And that other power of Christ whereby the Apostle delivered up high offenders to Satan that he might inflict plagues and diseases or aches and pains on their bodies as evidently shewed what a great Minister he was in Christ's Kingdom and how credible the Doctrine was which he preached to them For he was ready to revenge all disobedience with remarkable punishments and alledges this power as a proof of his authority in the next Chapter 2 Cor. xiii 2 3 4. If I come again I will not spare since you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me He is not weak indeed towards you but is mighty in you having given by me exceeding great demonstrations of his power and my Apostleship xii 12. Yet since you are not convinced it seems by what you have seen already and desire a farther proof that Christ speaks in me you shall
Peter says that those heavenly Ministers have so great a value for the Gospell that they desire to look into these things wondering that we Gentiles should be made not onely fellow-citizens with the Saints but equall to themselves They rejoyced when they heard the good news that our Lord was come down to men and it seems he hath told us things beyond all their expectation Shall not we then set a due esteem upon them and look into them and consider them who have them so near unto us and are so much concerned in them Then it were better for us if we had no eyes or if we lived in those places where no such things are to be seen for none will be so miserable as they that might have been exceeding happy and chose to remain miserable and that when so few thoughts would have secured their happiness For there is no way to be undone but onely by not believing or not considering the Gospell of God's grace Secure but these two passages and strict piety will necessarily be our imployment and Eternall Life our reward No temptation will be strong enough to make us neglect our work and I am sure faithfull is he who hath promised and will not fail to pay us more then our wages VI. And what now remains but to put those in mind who obediently believe in the Lord Jesus what cause they have to entertain themselves beforehand with great joy in the comfortable expectation of God's mercy in Him to Eternall life Let all his true-hearted Disciples who hear his voice and follow him rejoyce yea let them be glad in him with exceeding joy Let them say O how great is the goodness of God! how rich are those blessings which he hath laid up for them that love him how exceeding great and precious are the promises he hath made them Our calling in Christ Jesus how high is it what is there nobler then his kingdom and glory To which also he hath called us by glory and vertue Heaven and earth concur in the most glorious and powerfull manner to give us assurance that it shall be well exceeding well with all those that love the Lord Jesus in sincerity Why should we suffer our selves then to be dejected at any accident in this world which falls cross to us Shall we take pet when any thing troubles us and let our spirits die within us who have such glorious hopes to live upon and mightily support us Jesus is alive He is alive for evermore And in him is Eternall life for all his followers The Father the Word the Holy Ghost are come to comfort us with this joyfull news The Water the Bloud and the Spirit all say the same and ask us why we are so sad when life and immortality is brought to light by the Gospell It is the desire of the Lord Jesus that we would not mourn as though he still lay in his grave and could doe nothing for us He is certainly risen and gone into the heavens where God hath made him exceeding glad with his countenance And it will adde to his joy if it be capable of increase to see us rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory And therefore let us doe him the honour to glory in his holy Name and let us say alway Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for us 1 Pet. i. 3 4. We ought to say so with joyfull hearts even when death it self approaches which of all other is the most frightfull Enemy of mankind but is made our Friend by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ who hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality to light through the Gospell 2 Tim. i. 10. Which hath given us as the same Apostle saith such everlasting consolation that it would be a great reproach to it to receive Death timorously which Wise men before our Saviour came concluded might be for any thing they knew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the greatest of all goods Our Lord assures us they were right in their conjectures and hath made that certain which Socrates whose words those are left doubtfull Plato Apolog Socr. And therefore we ought not to leave the world as if it were the greatest unhappiness that could befall us It is for him onely to fear death as St. Cyprian speaks * L. de Mortalitate p. 208. who would not go to Christ and he onely hath reason to be unwilling to go to Christ who doth not believe he shall begin to reign with him This is the onely thing as he writes a little after which makes men take death so heavily quia fides deest because Faith is wanting because they do not believe those things are true which He who is Truth it self hath promised But though they give credit to what a grave and laudable person promises they are wavering about that which God saith and receive it with an incredulous mind For if they believed they would entertain that which now seems dreadfull as St. Greg. Nazianzen * Orat. xviii p. 284. says that blessed Martyr did whose Death he doubts whether he should call his departure from this life or rather 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his departure of God or the fulfilling of his desire And thus if we may believe Calcidius the famous Trismegistus died Fr. Archangel Dogm Cabalistica saying to his Son that stood by him My Son hitherto I have lived an exile from my country but now I am going safe thither And therefore when a little while hence I shall be freed from the chain of this body see that you do not bewail me as if I was dead For I am onely returning to that most excellent blessed City whither the Citizens cannot arrive unless they take death in their way There God onely is the Governour in chief who entertains his Citizens with a marvellous sweetness in comparison with which that which we now call Life is rather to be termed Death And what if in our passage to it we should fall into divers temptations or trialls of our sincere affection to the Lord Jesus There is no reason that this should dishearten us and deaden our spirits For it is the singular privilege of a Christian to rejoyce in the Lord alway iv Phil. 4. especially when he suffers for righteousness sake In that case the Apostles thought it an honour that they were counted worthy to be beaten and suffer shame for his Name v. Act. 41. And St. James thought their example was not unimitable by other Christians to whom he saith i. 2. My Brethren count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations And so they did as you reade in the Epistle to the Christian Hebrews of whom the Apostle gives
this testimony x. 34. Ye took joyfully the spoiling of your goods knowing in your selves that you have in heaven a better and enduring substance This consideration made them look upon the rapine which the seditious people committed in their houses without that dejection which on such occasions appears in other countenances And yet they were men like our selves who walked by faith and not by sight that is did not enjoy the thing it self which they expected 2 Cor. v. 7. And therefore what should hinder the same effect in our hearts if we believe as they did And to shew the mighty power of this heavenly principle these three things may be here pertinently noted out of the records they have left us of their spirit in all their sufferings I. And first I find that when the heaviest cross lay upon them the sense they had of things to come supported them under it with admirable resolution This was the least effect of their holy Faith which made them when the hearts of others sunk under the load and fell down as we say into their knees stand like a strong pillar which bears up the whole weight of the house and never yield at all The thoughts of what our Lord had promised not onely preserved them from murmuring and repining at their present condition knowing what good provision he had made for them hereafter but from fainting and being sluggish in their Ministry For which cause we faint not or do not grow lazy saith St. Paul knowing that is that he who raised up the Lord Jesus would raise up them also for though our outward man perish or wear away yet the inward man is renewed or grows more youthfull day by day 2 Cor. iv 14 16. And 2. this faith also preserved them from swounding fear either of disgrace or pain or death being in nothing terrified by their adversaries saith the same Apostle i. Phil. 28. who seeing them undaunted under all their sufferings had reason to look upon this as an evident token of their perdition and of the Salvation God would give to these his valiant Champions And 3. from sorrowing also and lamenting the loss of any thing because this Good they found was still secure 2 Cor. vi 10. Which made them as he there saith again to be always full of joy though in the eye of the world they lookt very sorrowfully And so lastly they kept their stedfastness and turned not away from the holy commandment delivered unto them Whereby they marvellously promoted Christianity And the God of all grace who hath called us unto his eternall glory by Christ Jesus after that they had suffered a while made them perfect stablished strengthened settled them 1 Pet. v. 10. II. But the hope of Eternall life did not merely support and uphold their spirits it wonderfully refreshed and comforted them in all their afflictions so that they durst confidently promise to all other suffering Christians the same heavenly comforts from God Who comforteth us saith St. Paul in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we our selves are comforted of God And our hope of you is stedfast knowing that as you are partakers of the sufferings so shall ye be also of the consolation 2 Cor. i. 4 7. Their comfort and rejoycing was the testimony of their conscience that every-where they acted sincerely ver 12. and that they served a good Master who had promised them better fare in the next World where he reigns in full power and glory His Kingdom they knew was not of this World even as he was not of the World and therefore they did not expect he should give them a portion of good things here No He told them plainly in the World ye shall have tribulation but adds in the same breath be of good chear I have overcome the World xvi Joh. 33. III. Which victory of his over death and the grave incouraged them to follow him in all their tribulations not merely with simple comfort but with joy as I have observed already and more then that made them exceeding glad and even shout for joy So our Saviour himself required them to doe when they were reviled and persecuted for his Name sake v. Matt. 12. Rejoyce and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven And so they did as St. Paul tells us v. Rom. 2 3. We rejoyce in hope of the glory of God and not onely so but we glory in tribulations also For they had this strong consolation as the Divine Writer to the Hebrews calls it First that nothing either in this World or the other could take away that heavenly Good from them As St. Paul also testifies in that triumph of his viii Rom. 38 39. I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. When their goods were taken away they could make their boast in Christ and say Our inheritance is immovable When they were driven from house and home as we speak they could triumph and say Our house is eternall in the heavens from which none can exclude us When they were in pain they still remembred our Saviour's own words Your joy shall no man take from you In death it self they could glory and say Jesus our Life dies not and because he lives we shall live also And 2. as they knew they could not lose their future Happiness so they knew it to be incomparably greater then all their sufferings viii Rom. 18. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us For our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternall weight of glory 2 Cor. iv 17. Where there is a Third Reason of their exceeding great joy because these afflictions which they endured for Christ's sake would increase their glory hereafter and make their crown beyond all expression heavier And more then that 4. hereby not onely their present afflictions were alleviated and seemed triviall but they gave them a clearer sight of that most excellent glory beforehand while they looked not as it there follows ver 18. at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen The removall of these things here below from before their eyes fixed them more stedfastly on the invisible World Now their joy was full as our Saviour speaks xvi Joh. 24. now it overflowed when all things else had forsaken them and nothing else but those unseen enjoyments remained to comfort them This heavenly glory shone brightest in the dark and horrible pit where their afflictions brought them sweeter contentment then ever was the fruit of any earthly pleasure And so we may still
think of removing to a strange country but confidently rely on his knowledge more then our own Let us remember the words of these Witnesses which say He is the Son of God in whom is Eternall Life Let us trust his judgment who thought it more desirable to go away though upon a Cross then to stay here in the greatest pleasure And since all these Witnesses say He is in heaven let us resolve that we will die looking up to him and saying Lord remember it is the will of the Father that we should have Everlasting Life Thou thy self appearedst to St. Stephen and madest him confident thou wilt receive our Spirit The Holy Ghost which is the Spirit of Truth saith thou art glorified and wilt glorifie us with thy self This thou hast preached to us This thy Bloud hath purchased for us This thou didst rise again to prepare against our coming to thee This thy holy Apostles say thou sentest them to publish to the World This thou hast made us believe and wait for and suffer for and long to enjoy O Dearest Lord and most mercifull Saviour who art the true and faithfull Witness though we miserable sinners deserve to be denied yet deny not thy self let not the price of thy precious Bloud be lost let not the Word of the Father of the Holy Ghost thine own Word fail If thou art not alive I am content to perish But if thou art as thou hast perswaded me then I will not cease to call upon thee I will die with these words in my mouth and be confident thou wilt hear me LORD JESUS RECEIVE MY SPIRIT Thus the blessed Martyr St. Stephen expired looking up stedfastly unto Jesus the Authour and Finisher of our Faith who then appeared in glory to him Whose example all the rest of that Noble Army followed triumphing over death in an assured hope of immortall life Which they had not the least doubt of it is manifest from hence that as Clemens Alexandrinus observes * L. vii Stromat p. 756. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the very extremity of their torments they gave thanks to God who they knew would reward their fidelity having in this very way consecrated Jesus to the highest Office of being the Finisher or Crowner of our Faith Therefore their heart was glad and their glory rejoyced And they sang chearfully with the holy Psalmist but with a far greater confidence God shall redeem my Soul from the power of the grave for he shall receive me xlix Psal 15. And O thou Lord Greg. Naz. Orat. x. in Caesarium fratrem p. 176. and Creatour of all things especially of this thy Workmanship O thou God and Father of thy Men O thou Lord of life and death O thou benefactour of Souls and dispenser of all good things O thou who didst form all things and in due time thou best knowest how in the depth of thy wisedom and administration wilt transform us by that Divine Artificer the WORD Receive me also hereafter when thou seest most convenient in the mean time governing me in this flesh as long as it will be profitable And receive me in thy fear prepared not disturbed nor hanging back at the last day and dragg'd by force from hence like the lovers of the World and the Flesh but chearfully and willingly unto that everlasting and blessed Life which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And Id. Orat. xlii 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 696. O thou WORD of God! thou Light thou Life and Wisedom and Power for I delight in all thy Names O thou Off-spring and Image of that great Mind O intellectuall WORD and visible Man who upholdest all things by the word of thy power May it now please thee to accept of this Book though not the first-fruits yet the last perhaps that I may be able to offer thee both as a gratefull acknowledgment for all thy benefits and an humble supplication that I may have no other troubles beside the necessary sacred ones of my Charge Stop the fury of any disease which may seize on me or thy sentence if I be removed by thee And if thou art pleased to grant me a dissolution according to my desire and I be received into the Heavenly Tabernacles there I hope to offer acceptable Sacrifices to thee at thy holy Altar O FATHER and WORD and HOLY GHOST for to thee belongs all Glory Honour and Dominion for ever and ever Amen THE END Books written by the Reverend Dr. Patrick and Printed for Richard Royston at the Angel in Amen-corner THE Christian Sacrifice a Treatise shewing the Necessity End and Manner of receiving the holy Communion together with suitable Prayers and Meditations for every Month in the Year and the Principal Festivals in memory of our Blessed Saviour In Four Parts The Third Edition Corrected The Devout Christian instructed how to Pray and give Thanks to God Or a Book of Devotions for Families and particular persons in most of the concerns of Humane life The 2. Edition in Twelves An Advice to a Friend The 2. Edition in Twelves A Friendly Debate between a Conformist and a Non-conformist in Octavo In two Parts The Witnesses to Christianity or The Certainty of our Faith and Hope In a Discourse upon 1 S. John v. 7 8. In two Parts in Octavo new A Sermon Preached before the King on St. Stephen's day Printed by His Majesty's special command
it was no common thing but the BLOUD of the Holy one of God It witnessed to that WITNESS and proved that as he did not speak contrary to his knowledge so he did not speak contrary to the truth And if the SPIRIT could not be believed in this it would have lost all its credit and never have been believed more we could never have known any thing by the greatest wonders it can work if such things had been done for a deceiver as it is apparent were done for Jesus For that he was raised up to life again we are assured by the testimony of the Apostles and by the testimony of the Holy Ghost of which none can reasonably doubt as it were easie to show if it were not my present business rather to demonstrate that this was an irrefragable testimony of the SPIRIT to him a most powerful means to beget faith and assurance in mens minds that Jesus is the Son of God It was for this very end that S. John wrote the History of his Resurrection and the several signs and tokens they had of it as he tells us in those words xx John 30 31. Many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his Disciples which are not written in this Book But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing ye might have life through his Name For this plainly reversed the sentence of condemnation which the Jews had pass'd upon him It showed that he was acquitted in a far higher Court than that which judged him worthy of death Whose decree it rescinded and openly declared that he was no Blasphemer when he said he was the Son of God If he had God would have been more concern'd than they to have kept him fast in his grave for ever that there so great a lye might have been buried together with himself For the further clearing of which it will be fit to consider briefly these three things First that before he died he promised his Apostles that he would rise again and gave this also as a sign to all the people whereby they should know that he was the Christ And secondly that he declared this to be the greatest sign he had to give of it And thirdly that his very enemies confess it is a sufficient sign and satisfactory testimony of any truth I. For the first of these that it was a sign promised to his Apostles and predicted to the people there is nothing more easie to be observed in the Gospel story For he tells his Apostles very often that they should see him betrayed and killed but on the third day he would rise again No sooner had S. Peter confessed that he was the CHRIST but from that time forth Jesus began to shew them how that he must go to Jerusalem and there suffer many things and be killed and be raised again the third day xvi Matth. 21. For he would not have them expect a Christ that should reign here on Earth but in Heaven And till he went thither he would not have them so much as preach that he was the CHRIST ver 20. And what he had said here at Caesarea he repeats again when they were in Galilee xvii Matth. 22 23. And again when they were going up to Jerusalem xx 19. And not many hours before he was apprehended he said again A little while and ye shall not see me and again a little while and ye shall see me because I go to the Father xvi John 16. At which words they were greatly troubled because they minded more what he said about his death than they regarded his resurrection which was to follow But the greater their trouble was then the greater their satisfaction was afterwards when they saw him alive again The less disposed they were to believe it the more confident they grew when they saw such a wonder They wept and lamented when he was gone as he told them they would ver 20. But when he came to see them again their heart rejoyced with such a joy as none could dispoil them of ver 22. The ground of which joy you shall see presently when I have also remembred you how he foretold his Resurrection to the people as a testimony that he was the CHRIST It was their wont in all Ages and with great reason to ask for a sign that a man was sent of God And therefore now that Jesus came with such authority as to redress many abuses among them and to reform that Nation and Temple they ask him what sign shewest thou unto us seeing that thou doest these things ii Joh. 18. He had given them signs enough already and therefore makes no other answer but this to let them know what should be the last sign Destroy this Temple pointing to his own body and in three days I will raise it up vers 19. From whence we may safely argue that Jesus having given this as a sign and token whereby it should evidently appear more than by all his miracles that he was the Son of God the Almighty would never have fulfilled this promise and prediction if He had usurped his authority and taken upon him to be his ANOINTED without his leave Nothing was more easie than to quash all his pretences which relyed upon his Resurrection without which his Apostles as I told you had no authority to Preach that he was the Christ It had been but letting him rot in his grave as all men naturally do when they are dead and all the World would have been of the mind of the Pharisees that he was a Deceiver And God sure hath not so little care of the World as to deny them such ready and obvious means of satisfaction about the most important truth We ought to think rather that he would have concerned himself to see that this Temple which he spake of should lye for ever in its ruines and be turned to dust and ashes He who alone could do it would have been so far from rearing it up again that he would have provided it should be prophaned and made the vilest rubbish in the World But there being very good proofs many infallible proofs as S. Luke speaks i. Act. 3. that it was quite otherwayes and that indeed it was raised after three days as he had told the People it was a Testimony from God most high that He dwelt in that Temple and that it was his Holy place where he manifested his glory He declared to them by this that Jesus was no Deceiver but that they ought to believe he was the Christ of God For that a man should be raised from the dead by any other power than that of God's all the World concludes is impossible If any of those lying spirits which love to cheat and abuse the world could do such feats why do we not see this frequently happen that so they might break the force of this testimony and overthrow our belief Above
our neighbours will we not allow God says the Apostle as much as we yield to them Shall not his word determine and conclude us When he gives evidence of a thing shall we still dispute it with him That besides the undutifulness of it is too great a stubborness We may rather be taught how to behave our selves towards him by the measure men expect from us and we from them Yea God does more deserve credit than any man for as he adds the witness of God is GREATER i. e. is of far more validity and certainty it may more securely be relied on than the witness of any men whatsoever God is not only greater than men but his Witness also or Testimony is greater which must be carefully noted it is of more force and strength to support any conclusion we may more undoubtedly found our faith upon it because it is not liable to any of those exceptions which may prejudice the best testimony of men Two things there are that lessen the testimony of men if we compare it with God's and make it to be of a nature more weak and infirm The one is that though a man be reputed honest and therefore we cannot legally except against his Testimony yet it is possible he may be a deceiver and we cannot look into his heart to know whether he be or no. We may not be able to prove the least deceit by him in what he says or ever has said or done and it is possible he never delivered any thing contrary to truth or did any thing contrary to justice but yet we can never free our mind from this thought since we know not his inward man that there is a possibility also it may be otherwise with him But then secondly suppose him perfectly honest and that it is impossible he should put a cheat upon us yet it will be always possible that he may be cheated himself because all men are fallible and may be mistaken The greatest integrity in the world cannot secure a man but the weakness of his understanding and the subtilty of others may sometimes impose upon him so that though he thinks what he says to be true it may be otherwise in it self than it is in his thoughts Herein therefore the Testimony of God is GREATER than the testimony of men that it is not liable to either of these suspicions it being utterly impossible that he should either be deceived himself or that he should deceive us He can neither lead us into an error which we all acknowledge to be contrary to his Goodness and Truth nor fall into one himself which is as contrary to the perfection of his understanding and his Omnipresent being The testimony of God then being so indubitable that it is above the testimony of any men it ought with all reverence to be received when he declares that Jesus is his Son for if it were but equal to humane testimony it ought not to be refused Now this is the WITNESS OF GOD says the Apostle which he hath testified of his Son That is It being granted to be most rational that we should receive the testimony of God nay give it greater respect than we bear to that of men I assure you that the evidence which we give you concerning Jesus is the very testimony of God and therefore do not slight it It is not we that bear witness to him so much as God We do not desire you to hear merely what we say but what God himself hath said who hath given many assurances of this truth If there were but two of them they might by your own rules very well expect to find entertainment but there are no less than six witnesses every one of them Divine they all speak from God and therefore you cannot deny your assent to what they prove For the first witness is God the Father himself who called Jesus his well-beloved Son And the second is the Word of God upon which account whatsoever he says is God's testimony also The Holy Ghost which is the third that proceeds from the Father and came on purpose to bear witness to his Son As for the fourth Water the Doctrine was of GOD his life was the life of GOD John's Baptism was from Heaven and he is called i. John 6. a man sent from GOD. Then for the Bloud which is the fifth witness it is called GOD's own Bloud xx Acts 28. And it appeared to be his by his gathering it up again after it was shed and taking it into the Heavens where he appears with it in the presence of God for us And the last of these witnesses is expresly called the Spirit of GOD xii Matth. 28. So that it is GOD you see who so many ways bears witness of his Son there is something Divine in every one of these Witnesses in those on Earth as well as in those in Heaven and therefore we cannot without an affront to GOD reject their testimony For then He would have worse measure from us than men have and we should give less respect to six Witnesses of his than to two or three of our neighbours If Jesus came not with clear demonstrations with fulness of proof then deny him any admittance but if God hath so many ways justified him to be his Son if his Life was so excellent his Bloud so holy his Spirit so Divine then we shall never be able to justifie it before any knowing man much less before God if we do not believe him and that heartily and fully in every thing no more doubting of the truth of what he says than we do of those things which our eyes and our ears report to us or of those which are delivered unto us upon the faith of the whole world For which end it should be our endeavour that our Faith may rest upon a sure and strong foundation and be laid on such grounds that it may stand the faster in a time of temptation The ignorant man's Faith indeed may be as strong as his that knows most and what he hath learnt by Education may be so confirmed by Custom that he will never stir from it but is only the effect of Nature which produces the same resolutions in those who are of other Religions The Christian way of obtaining a strong Faith is first to see the Son and then to believe on him to everlasting life as our Saviour himself teaches us vi John 40. To see him is to perceive and discern by evident tokens that he is the Son of God the true way to life upon which sight and plain demonstrations we ought to believe in him and submit unto him as our Lord. That 's the true Christian Faith which flows from knowledge and is founded upon the understanding of what such Witnesses as these say concerning Jesus It relies upon the testimony of the Father of the Word and of the Holy Ghost is wrought by the Spirit and confirmed by Water and Bloud And
also to confirm our Faith and Hope and make us rejoyce in hope of the glory of God And so much may suffice to have been said of the Witness of the HOLY GHOST which perfectly agrees with the other two of the FATHER and of the SON who are all one you see still in their Testimony as well as in their Nature So I express'd my self in the Conclusion of my former Discourse about these Three Witnesses * Chap. iv pag. 235. supposing these words though few would have sufficiently testified my right belief in the Holy Trinity and that none would have imagined I waved the farther explication of that passage THESE THREE ARE ONE because I entertained a sense of it differing from that of the Catholick Church I was not conscious to my self of any such Heresy and therefore had no reason to be solicitous to prevent this accusation by diverting from the subject I had in hand unto another Argument But some I have heard have been so unkind to say no more let them examine their hearts from what grounds as to whisper such suspicions And therefore I judge it necessary to take occasion here to declare that I believe these three to be one in the same sense that all Catholick Writers have done who have treated of the ever-blessed Trinity And St. Augustine assures me * L. 1. de Trin. c. 4. that every one who meddled with this argument before him intended to teach this according to the Scriptures That the Father Son and Holy Ghost enjoy the divine Vnity of one and the same Substance in an inseparable Equality Haec mea fides est quia haec est Catholica fides as he concludes that Chapter This is my Faith because it is the Catholick Faith We have but one God because there is but one Godhead and they that are of him have relation to One though we believe them to be Three For this is not more God and that less nor is this before and that behind nor are they separated in will or divided in power nor are any of those things to be found there which belong to divided Beings but to speak all in a few words there is One undivided Godhead in severall Persons as in three Suns cohering together there is one commixture of Light They are the words of St. Greg. Nazianzen Orat. xxxvii p. 601. whom these Whisperers sure if they have read him take for a Catholick Writer in his Discourse concerning the HOLY GHOST To which I will adde what St. Aug. again writes in his Book of Faith to Petrus Diaconus Chap. i. If there should be one Person of the Father Son and Holy Ghost as there is one Substance there would be nothing that could be truly called a Trinity And again if as the Father Son and Holy Ghost are distinct from each other in the propriety of Person they were also severed by diversity of Nature there would indeed be a true Trinity but this Trinity would not be One God But because it is the Trinity in one true God it is true not onely that there is one God but also that there is a Trinity therefore that true God is in Persons Three but in one Nature One. Thus our Blessed Saviour Cateches xi St. Cyrill of Hierusalem observes doth not say I am the Father but I am in the Father And again he doth not say I and the Father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 am one but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are one That we may neither exclude the Son from the Godhead nor confound him with the Father One as to the dignity of the Divinity because God begat God One as to their Kingdom for the Father doth not rule over some and the Son over others as Absalom who opposed his Father but over whom the Father reigns over those reigns the Son One because there is no difference nor any distance between them for the Father doth not will one thing and the Son another One because the Son doth not make one thing and the Father another but there is one Workmanship of all the Father making all things by the Son I suppose this excellent Man will pass for orthodox among our Censurers though he mention many other regards wherein the Father and the Son I may adde the Holy Ghost are one besides that of their Divinity And therefore I may justly wonder why any should find fault with me if they be so well skill'd in Christian Writers as no doubt they would be thought for saying these three are one in their Testimony as well as in their Nature I took it for a Catholick Exposition else I would have rejected it And if this was its onely fault that it was too short I hope they will rest satisfied now that I have made it longer Unless they be in the number of those whom a late Pamphlet speaks of who judge their Brethren as if they had a faculty to see into their hearts and resolve not to be satisfied with any words they can speak though in all appearance they have no other design in the world but onely according to the best of their understanding sincerely to serve God and his Church As for those who would have a farther search made into this Mystery I leave it to themselves if they please thus to imploy their time after they have considered what the most Catholick Writers have thought of such inquiries We ought to acknowledge saith St. Gregory Nazianzen * Orat. xxvi p. 445. One God the Father of himself and unbegotten and One Son begotten of the Father and One Spirit having its Substance of God of the same nature the same dignity the same glory and the same honour in all things the same but onely that he is not unbegotten as the Father nor begotten as the Son These things are to be known these things are to be confessed within these things we must fix leaving that long babbling and profane novelty of words to those who have nothing else to doe And the forenamed St. Cyrill passes the same sentence on those who curiously pried into this Secret in his days He that begot says he onely knows him that is begotten and he that was begotten of him knows him that begat him Believe then that God hath a Son but how do not enquire for if thou dost thou shalt not find Tell me first who he is that begat and then I will tell thee who the begotten is But if thou canst not know the nature of him that begat do not curiously ask after the manner of the Son 's being begotten ☜ It is sufficient to piety to know that God hath onely one Son one naturally begotten who did not begin to be when he was born in Bethlehem but was before all worlds The Holy Ghost hath in the Scripture revealed no more he hath not told us any thing of the generation of the Son out of the Father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Why then dost thou