all guile c. his reasons follow the Text and the first is edification in these words That you may grow thereby The second is taken from the Subject or maine Argument of the word and that is Christ propounded unto us by taste if so be yee have tasted that the Lord is gracious ver 3. Now that Christ is the primary Subject and cheife Argument of the word is declared from the fourth verse unto the eleventh First in beleevers adhering to Christ by Faith set forth to us under the terme of coming to whom coming saith the Apostle Then wee have the reasons of this duty First because Christ is the foundation of the spirituall edifice or building called therefore a livingst one verse 4. Secondly because Beleevers are thereby also made lively stones verse 5. Christ is the foundation and Beleevers are the superstructure Both these reasons are illustrated First Christ was chosen and precious Secondly Beleivers were a holy Priesthood Now that Christ is a lively and precious stone the Apostle confirmes by testimony of Scripture verse 6. Behold I lay in Sion a chiefe corner stone 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 elect and precious This Testimony is explicated by the contrary affections of men viz. to Beleivers he is precious to unbeleivers a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence Vnto you which beleeve hee is precious here for expositions sake wee must observe in the words two things first what is meant by the word precious Secondly what manner of faith it is that is here spoken of He is precious the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Honour as if the Apostle had said he is to you that believe an honour or honourable Prayse glory and honour are promiscuously and indifferently taken for one and the same thing but if we respect their propriety they differ thus First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 praise is when we make honourable mention of others this is externall and expressed by the tongue or pen. Secondly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Glory is a reverend and venerable opinion that we have of others this is internall lying in the mind Thirdly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Honour comprehends both those being a testification of the opinion that wee have of other mens excellency and worth declared by outward signes as respectfull salutations uncovering the head bowing the knee and the like Wee have a double expression 2 Pet. 1. 17. Christ re-received from his Father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 honour and glory as much as to say transcendent glory glory in the highest degree The Hebrew word importing honour and glory is properly of weightinesse as Paul mentioneth the weight of glory 2 Cor. 4. 17. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Kabad signifieth to aggravate adde or increase so must * Thâ—â—â—a â—stud signâ—ficatâ— gâ—â—vâ—sâ—ere fecâ—t in Hâ—pâ— Buxâ— in Lâ—xiâ— wee adde excellency price estimation and weight of honour unto Christ not that we can really and substantially adde the least cubit unto the stature of his glory of his beauties and perfections for he is rich and full and absolute without us but we must adde condigne and worthy prayses to him and so acknowledge him to be that which he is wee adde not any worth unto Christ but onely an agnition or acknowledgement of his worth I come to the second question namely what manner of Faith it is that the Apostle speakes of The Divine speakes of three kinds of Faith naturall legall and Evangelicall The naturall Faith is to beleive that God is or that there is a God Hebr. 11. 6. generally all reasonable Creatures both Angels and men have such a Faith as this the Devils beleeve that there is a God and tremble saith the Apostle Legall faith is to beleive that God speaks Truth in the Scriptures or that the word of God is true Histories Prophesies Promises threatnings every line of that sacred Text as it was indighted by the Spirit of God they all breath out Truth without the least jot or tittle of falshood in them Now the Faith that assents to this is called Legall because the Law and particularly the first Commandement injoynes me to honour God and I doe honour him when I beleeve that which he saith is true Evangelicall Faith is to beleive God in Christ God is objectum ultimum fidei the ultimate or the highest object of Faith and Christ is objectum mediatum the mediate object thereof Christ is the Medium by which we goe unto God by him we beleeve in God 1 Peter 1. 21. and saith Paul we trust through Christ to Godward 2 Cor. 3 4. True Evangelicall Faith is that whereby the soule doth roll or cast it selfe upon Christ as upon a sufficient and faithfull Saviour And that this is the nature of Faith is declared by these phrases of Scripture To leane upon the Lord the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to leane produces and brings forth the word that signifieth a a staffe because we leane upon it now Faith in Scripture is set forth by both these termes in respect of Faith the Lord is said to be the staffe of his people 2 Sam. 22. 19. and they are said to leane or to stay themselves upon him Esa 10. 20. Againe the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies both confidence hope and security all which are effects of Faith the radicall word is used to expresse the act of Faith Psal 40. 3. And very significant and choyce to declare the worke of Faith is that phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and applyed unto David and to Christ Psal 22. 8. as much as to say to roll ones selfe on the Lord. Arius Montanus renders it volve ad Dominum roll to the Lord the Hebrew word besides the primative sigsignification of rouling imports also a confident committing of ones selfe unto another Againe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Faith signifies a steady or firme resting upon the Promises of God It is said Exodus * Aâ—nsw in Loc. 17. 12. that Moses his hands were steady untill the going downe of the Sunne where the same word is used for steady as for Faith Now then seeing that to beleive in God is to leane upon him as on a staffe or a supporter to roule our selves to him or on him as Creatures that cannot subsist happily separated from him and also to rest steadily in him as in God al-sufficient and the very life and Salvation of our soules certainly this cannot be done by an act of the understanding but by an act of the will Confidence indeed is a fruit of Faith but yet you must take it thus as it relates to God in dependance on him for some future good so it is hope But as it respecteth him offering himselfe to us in Christ at present so it is faith and hence are those phrases of the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being fully perswaded Rom. 4. 21. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the substance or ground of things hoped for and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
is the safest adventure that you can make Christ will be a rich gaine unto you here and when you come into that endlesse world he will set the never-withering crowne upon your heads So prayeth Your much obliged servant JOHN ROBOTHAM TO THE CHRISTIAN READER THou art not I conceive such a stranger to these times but thou knowest that there is a spirit of bitternesse and contention among us whereby abundance of Gospel-love is lost and our affections become unprofitable unto us if wee could live more in the love of Christ wee should live more in the love one of another this following Treatise being first preached through the earnest importunity of many friends is now printed for to elevate thy affections and cause them to mount up with wings as Eagles unto Christ who is the delight of all delights and abstract of all prayses The Subject of this discourse is the pearlesse and unmatchable excellency of Christ wherein is discover'd his rarity price usefulnesse with the high esteeme that the Father puts upon him in which respect he is precions to Beleevers Love is the attractive Lord-stone of Love and never was there such a love-deserving object as Christ upon whom should Saints place all their sweet affections that are to be exercised upon good as love joy and delight but upon him who is the brightnesse of Gods face and the expresse Image of his glory It will be worth thy time to study the absolute necessity and transcendent excellency of Christ he is precious and excellent in all relations whether as man as Mediatour as God he is attractive in his love ravishing in his beauty winning and delightfull in all his graces he is absolute gaine without losse he is absolute for all supply in a word all the riches of Gods love the brightnesse of his glory and the shining of his face are treasured up in Christ and by our union with him we come to enjoy them Now this excellency of Christ must not lie as a contemned thing but it calls for the strength of our soules and the height of our affections to be fixed upon it There is no object in the world but there is a will relating to it and inclinable to close with it Now what better object can the will of man have then Christ if wee be not here what doe we differ from beasts and a beast in the shape of a man is worst of all 'T is good for us that God hath placed such sweet affections of love of joy of delight and the like in our soules but it is much better that God hath provided such an object for them as Christ who is the summum bonum and the top of all felicity and happinesse It is pitie we should lose so much of our affections as we doe upon the world when we cast our affections upon Christ they be not lost he onely makes them heavenly and gracious and gives them to us againe if we lay down our lives for him they be not lost but gain'd unto eternall life Thus I have shewed thee whereon this discourse is grounded namely in setting forth Christ in his beauty in his love in his graces in his offices in his riches and in all the operations of his Spirit in all those rich and costly gifts which he doth bestow upon Beleevers redeeming of them with his precious bloud sanctifying of them with his precious graces enriching of them with his precious premises reviving of them with his precious love comforting of them with his precious Spirit and ennobling of them with precious priuiledges and all this is as an attractive Load-stone to attract and draw our hearts unto him Now if thou wilt but take a view of all the high perfections and supereminent excellencies of Christ if thou wilt anotomize him in every particular and particularize him in every excellency thou wilt find him to be lovely in all the parts of his Mediatorship in his person in his natures all Offices and Graces yea he is the chiefe or Standard-bearer of ten thousand he is altogether lovely be is wholly delectable Now it is my earnest desire that as God hath honour'd his Sonne and Angels they venerate him and Saints highly esteeme of him that hee might be precious unto thee which is the chiefe thing I can desire for my selfe or for thee who am June 4. 1647. Thine in the service of the Gospel JOHN ROBOTHAM A Table of the maine things contained in this following TREATISE THe coherence of the Text. p. 1. 2. What is meant by precious p. 2. 4. What the faith is that esteems Christ precious p. 5 6 7. The division of the Text with the Doctrines contained in it p. 8 9. The maine Doctrine propounded viz. that though Christ be slighted and undervalued by unbeleevers yet he is exceeding precious to those that doe beleeve p. 10. The Doctrine is proved by three eminent ex-examples p. 11. In the prosecution of the Doctrine three things are insisted on 1. some demonstrations 2. Some illustrations 3. Grounds and Reasons of the point p 12. 1. Demonstrations and they are foure 1. Beleevers are impatient of Christs absence ibid. 2. Beleevers make diligent search after Christ when absent p. 13. 1. They seeke Christ diligently in the use of all meanes p. 14. 2. They seek Christ constantly without intermission ibid. 3. Beleevers have a prudentiall care in keeping Christ when they have found him p. 15. 4. Beleevers doe bewaile Christs absence seeke him with diligence and keep him with prudence out of a principle of love p. 19. Love what it is ibid. The will cannot be forced ibid. The will must have a sutable object to draw it out p. 21. Christ is a sutable good to the soule of a Beleever ibid. 22. A second thing in the prosecution of the Doctrine is the illustrations viz. 1. Rarity 2. Esteeme 3. Price 4. usefulnesse p. 23. 1. The rarity and scarcenesse of a thing makes it to be precious ibid. Christ is rare in the world ibid. 2. The high esteeme that is cast upon a thing makes it precious p. 24. Christ is highly prized by the Father p. 25. By Angels p. 26. By Saints p. 27. 3. The great and excessive price that is given for a thing makes it precious p. 29. Much hath been given for Christ p. 30. 4. The usefulnesse and profitablenesse of a thing makes it precious p. 31. Christ is precious for all things but especicially for Justification p. 32 Sanctification p. 34. The parts of Sanctification are two viz. Mortification Vivification p. 35. Beleevers are sanctified by an influence of grace flowing from Christ their Head page 36. 37. The third thing in the prosecution of the Doctrine is the grounds and reasons why Beleevers doe soe highly esteeme of Christ p. 38. 1. Reason Beleevers are in some measure convinc'd 1. Of their misery without Christ ibid. 2. Of their inability to help themselves ib. 2. Reason Beleevers apprehend an infinite treasure and
sweetnesse and efficacy of grace it is done by the secret operation and working of the Spirit inclining the heart and swaying the will I conclude then that if the will be so impassible and cannot be forced Christ must needs be a Load-stone as I may say very attractive and an object very tempting and alluring else certainly hee could never have such power over mens wills to incline them to draw them to bend them and bow them as he doth he could never make the Wolfe to dwell with the Lambe and the Leopard to lie downe wiâ—h the Kid as 't is in the Prophet he could never tame the fierce natures and the ravenous dispositions of persecutors he could never change mens mindes and alter the constitution of their soules so as he doth if there were not excellency in him super-humane and above all that which any creature can boast of doubtlesse it must argue the excelling dignity and preciousnesse of Christ when our wills which are subject to no enforcement are so kindly and so sweetly swayed and commanded by him Againe we must know that the object of the will according to the mind of the Philosopher is something that is good bonum est objecium voluntatis saith the Moralist whether it be bonumreale a reall and substantiall good or bonum apparens a shadowish and seeming good it is so both are the object of the will but Christ is altogether substance and no shadow no lye no falshood no fuke no varnished appearance of good but the most solid and absolute blessing that is in the world so revealed by the Spirit and so apprehended by the Saints and therefore it is that he is so choyce and precious to them That excellent glory that transcendent good that spirituall beauty that supereminent worthinesse that overflowing fountaine of Grace and the shining of Gods face in Christ these make him to be the best object these set a high rate and price upon him these incline the will attract the heart and draw the love of our soules to him Againe observe that the object of the will must be a thing sutable bonum sibi conveniâ—ns a good agreeable to it selfe Now such an object is Christ he is most sutable and agreeing too us in all his Offices in all his communications sutable in his bloud for pardon in his grace to adorne us yea in his very debasements to lift us up sutable in his love for lost sinners in his fulnesse for for empty and beggerly soules yea the summum bonum the chiefest good that wee can desire or be possest of this makes a child of God to love nothing so well as him there is none on earth that I desire besides thee saith the Psalmist If Christ were not very precious to beleevers dâ—ubtlesse they would not overlooke all the world to claspe and close with him as they doe A second thing illustrating the Doctrine is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 how it is so there are foure things spoken of in the Scripture which make a thing to be preciâ—us viz. the Rarity The Esteeme The Price And the usefulnesse thereof First the rarity and scarcenesse of a Illustration I thing makes it to be precious for this cause is the word of God viz. the word of Prophesie called precious 1 Sam. 3. 1. It is said there that the word of God was precious that is it was rare in those days so is Christ rare in the world few and rare they be that find him one of a City and two of a Tribe as 't is in the Prophet Christ is a Pearle yea a Pearle of highest price as in Matth. 13. Pearles are rare in the world the Merchant onely that seekes farre obtaines them there are more wayes to misse then to hit the marke the stoney ground and the young man in the Gospel came neare the Kingdome of God but yet missed it 't is rare to see a soule embellished and adorned with such a Jewell as Christ is this then must needs make him to be precious If things excellent were common the plentinesse of them would take off the price of them it is said 1 Kings 10. 21. that all Solomons drinking vessels and all the vessels of the Forrest house in Lebanon were of pure gold none were of Silver it was nothing accounted of in the dayes of Solomon the King made it as common as stones in Jerusalem as we read in verse 27. The excessive and superabounding quantity of that mettall made it so cheape and so worthlesse as it was had it been rarer it would have been more precious this then confirmes the exceeding preciousnesse of Christ because they be thinne sowne and come up as thinly that have him for their portion the paucity and fewnes of such as are enriched with him argues his dignity and worth not a little Secondly the high esteeme that is cast upon a thing makes it also to be precious Illustration II so is Gold and Silver precious because men make great account of it Neither doth Christ come short of this Argument whatsoever worldlings account of him it skils not fooles and mad-men cannot judge of excellencies Let the foolish Gadarens esteeme more of their swine then of Christ we will not lay him in such a balance looke upon God the Father and see what reckoning he makes of him he calls him choyce and precious as we reade 1 Peter 2. 6. Behold I lay in Sion a chiefe corner stone elect and precious God hath honoured Christ committed all Judgement even the full administration of all things to him that all men might honour him Christ was in the bosome of the Father he was from all eternity privie to all his counsels and decrees as we finde Prov. 8. 22 23 24. c. The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way before his workes of old the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is there used put for eternity à parte antè as we say as if Christ should have said even from all eternity before his workes made in the Creation of the world I was my fathers Darling when he made the Heavens girded the Sea and gave the unresistable decree that it should keep in its bounds I was as one brought up with him I was as a child with the Father I was dayly his delight the originall word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 delights in the plurall number intimating that the eternall Sonne was the greatest delight of his Father hee was variety of delights unto him while God was making of the world he tooke infinite pleasure in him in so much that he made all things by him every creature hath a beame of the Fathers wisdome in it and the wisdome of God is the Sunne This is a great mystery but God speaks of it in tearmes very quaint and familiar Christ speaking of the dayes of eternity and everlastingnesse saith that he was alwayes rejoycing before God the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as much as
furtherances of salvation Adde hereunto that adoption communion with God and with his Saints and assurance of eternall â—lory are all of them the blessed concomiâ—ants of sinne pardoned We recover the Image of God and in some measure the freedome of our wills unto good when our Consciences are washed and our sinnes pardoned We have a continuall feast in our soules and songs in the very night of affliction when our sinnes are pardoned Wee are freed from the spirit of bondage our hearts are strong we are as bold as Lyons and desire nothing more then the presence and comming of the Judge when our sinnes are pardoned Oh what a confluence of all blessednesse and happinesse is there in Jesus Christ if we have him wee are rich we are full we have all if wee be without him all that we have how excellent soever it be is as nothing we are miserable wretched lost and the very worst of creatures all the maledictions and curses of God lie upon us and death when it comes will gnaw upon us everlastingly Certainly Christ must needs be exceeding precious with whom wee enjoy such a world of blessings and without whom wee are so extreamely unhappy The Lord give us to know the things that belong unto our peace Christ procures for us the pardon of sinnes and the pardon of sinnes is not a solitary blessing it comes not alone but with a long traine of good things at the heeles of it Christ therefore that obtaines it must needs be precious and excellent in the highest degree Thirdly it is Christ alone that doth as it were unmask and unvaile the face of God and helps us to such a manifestation and sight of it as our nature is capable of his glory in the absolutenesse and perfection of it no creature can behold When Job had set forth the greatnesse of Gods wisdome and power expressed in his marvellous workes he concludes thus Loe these are part of his wayes but how little a portion is heard of him but the thunder of his power who can understand Job 26. last verse now that thunder of Gods power is the highest degree of it the Apostle expounds it when he saith that God is able to doe above all that wee can either aske or thinke we can aske much and we can thinke more yet wee can neither aske nor thinke so much as God can doe here 's the thunder of his power Zophar also saith that we cannot finde out the Almighty unto perfection he compares it in height to Heaven in depth to Hell in length to the Earth and in breadth to the Sea yea he makes it higher deeper longer and broader then all these And God himselfe tells Moses that no man can see his face and live We may see Jehovah's back-parts but his face that is his absolutenesse and perfection cannot be seen and therefore he is called the invisible God Yet howsoever this doth not a little set forth the excellency and worthinesse of Christ that Revelation which wee have of God we have it by him and hereof wee may see a notable figure in Moses The Lord proclaimed his mercy his patience his goodnesse his Truth and his justice before him these are his backparts and more then these he could not see and therefore it is said that the Lord covered Moses with his hand while he passed by But to come now to the point where was Moses when he had this vision and appearance of the Deity he was in a clift of the Rocke now verily that Rock was a shadow of Christ wee see the glory of God through him per speculum as it were in a glasse Christ is the lively Image of God 2 Cor. 4. 4. He is the brightnesse of his glory and the expresse character of his person Heb. 1. 3. There is no excellency in the Father which is not compleate in the Sonne and by the Sonne we come to know it so saith the Apostle God who hath commanded the Light to shine out of darknesse hath shined in our hearts to give the Light of the Knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ 2 Cor. 4. 6. both this expression and that in the Hebrewes before-mentioned where Christ is called the brightnesse of Gods glory are a metaphor taken from the beames of the Sunne As the Sunne is manifested by his owne brightnesse viz. by his beames for wee cannot see the Sunne in Rotâ in his Charret or circumvolution but by his beames so the inaccessible Light of his Fathers glory is revealed tanquam per radios ac splendorem as it were by beames and brightnesse shining most clearely in Christ and the roote and Fountaine of that brightnesse is in Christ's God-head but darted upon us through the manhood according to that testimony Joh. 1. 18. No man hath seen God at any time the onely begotten Sonne which is in the bosome of the Father he hath declared him The bosome is the place and seate of secrets now it is Christ onely that opens the bosome declares the secrets and reveales the glory and brightnesse of Gods face unto Beleevers therefore hee must needs bee exceeding precious Thirdly if wee consider Christ in Reas III all his relations either as he iâ— man or as he is Mediator or as he is God wee shall find him in all these to be most precious and excellent First of all as Man he was holy and harmelâ—sse and separate from sinners Heb. 7. 26. a Lambe without blemish and without spot 1 Peter 1 19. The Apostle relates to the Paschall Lamb which was to be so conditioned it was behoofefull that Christ should not onely be man but also a man perfectly holy and righteous else he could not have been a competent and sittâ—ng Saviour yea he had been so farre from satisfying for the sinnes of others that he must have dyed for his owne And besides it was requisite that there should be that beautifull analogy and proportion between him that lost all and him that recover'd all that as Adam who plaid the Bank-rupt was perfect so should the Redeemer be Christ indeed in a certaine place doth turne off from himselfe the appellation of good in a sense of perfection One called him good Master but he replyed why callest thou mee good there is none good but God Matth. 19. 16 17. But why doth Christ doe so was not he perfectly good yes but the other was not ware of his God-head when he cal'd him so he looked upon Christ saith Chrysostome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as upon a meere naked extenuated debased man and yet he attributes unto him a more then humane goodnesse and perfection according to the errour of the Pharisees whose Disciple no doubt he was The Pharisees held that even men by a strict observance of the Law might attaine to perfection of Righteousnesse and sanctimony in this life and such a thought no question had this Schollar of theirs concerning Christ so that if wee looke well
Apostle Galat. 3. 20. so did Christ indifferently partake of both natures Godhead and Manhood that so he might be fit to stand in the gap between his Father and us We must beleeve therefore that whole Christ offred up himselfe unto God even the Manhood as well as the Godhead did offer it selfe Christ is a Priest according to both natures And whereas it is said that hee offred himselfe through the eternall Spirit without spot unto God Heb. 9. 14. that doth not put the manhood from its share in priesthood but onely it shewes how the Sacrifice came to be without spot or blemish namely by the hypostaticall union of the two natures the eternall Spirit that is the Godhead of Christ assuming the flesh into one person with it selfe Secondly Christ was the Tabernacle or Temple most properly according to his God-head for he saith himselfe in the Gospel that the Gold of the Temple is sanctified by the Temple it selfe so is the manhood sanctified and made noble by the God-head Neverthelesse in some respects his humane body was the Temple also Destroy this Temple saith he and I will build it againe in three dayes he speakes it of his body which is called a Temple not onely because the holy Spirit dwelt in it after a singular and peculiar way conceiving it at the first and sanctifying it perfectly but also because in the offring of it up God found in it an acceptable sacrifice and smelt in it a sweet favour as in a Temple But yet further to this purpose the flesh of Christ is called a vaile Heb. 10. 20. in which the Apostle alludes to the opertory or vaile in the Tabernacle of old and in the Temple by which alone there was entrance into the holiest place of all so by the vaile of his flesh rent and torne upon the Crosse hath Christ opened a new and a living way for us to passe to God and to Heaven Thus is he the Tabernacle or Temple according to both natures too Thirdly Christ is the Altar most properly according to his Divinity for he saith himselfe that the Altar doth sanctifie the Gift Matth. 23. 19. And thus doth the God-head like an Altar sanctifie the Manhood as a gift or sacrifice making it of infinite merit and and worth with God the Father the Altar ought to be of greater dignity then the oblation But now although the God-head of Christ alone be the sanctifying and dignifying thing in respect of the offering of himselfe that is of his flesh unto God yet in respect of his presenting us blamelesse and a sacrifice as it were without spot and blemish unto his father so whole Christ God and man in one person is the sanctifying Altar that makes us accepted with God The Scripture it selfe speaketh thus Isaiah 56. 6 7. God promiseth that he will bring even the sonnes of the stranger that is the Gentiles to his holy Mountaine and make them joyfull in his house of Prayer and their burnt offrings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon his Altar for saith he mine house shall be called an house of Prayer for all people in which place by the Altar we are to understand whole Christ God and man the blessed Mediatour upon whom as upon an Altar all Nations promiscuously both Jewes and Gentils were an offering acceptable to God And a like place there is in Isaiah 60. 7. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee the Rammes of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee they shall come up with acceptance on mine Altar and I will glorifie the house of my glory Here also whole Christ is the Altar that makes the Gentiles to be as I may say a sacrifice of a sweet-smelling savour unto God To this also tends that in Isaiah 6. 7. where a coale from the Altar touching the Prophets lips his iniquity is taken away and his sinne purged now what is it that taketh away iniquity but the Lamb what is it that purgeth sinne but the bloud of Christ although I grant as before that if wee respect the offring of himselfe the body and bloud of Christ was most properly the sacrifice I will adde a few words more touching this matter out of Mr. Brightman upon Revel 6. 9. he saith that the soules under the Altar are most eminently the Martyrs whose salvation is placed onely in the death of Christ under which those holy Champions lying hid as under a Buckler they might safely and without terrour appeare before God now it is true that this death of Christ in respect of himselfe was the sacrifice but to the Martyrs and to all the Saints it is together with his God-head as an Altar under which and not under their own perpessions and suffrings as any whit meritorious they lie safe and secure Lastly Christ according to his manhood is most properly the sacrifice Heb. 10. 10. yet for as much as whole Christ presents himselfe now in the sight of God for us wee are to judge that whole Christ God and man was after a sort the oblation or offring and hence the bloud thereof is said to be the bloud of God Acts 20 28. Neverthelesse though in respect of us who are reconciled justifyed sanctifyed and eternally saved thereby whole Christ is offred up yet let us be wise unto sobriety Let us as I may say give unto Caesar the things that are Caesars and unto God the things that are Gods that is let us give unto each nature of Christ it s owne properties and offices both his Deity and his humanity did distinctly act their parts his humanity by suffring the punishment due to us and by fulfilling all righteousnesse and his Deity by conferring upon those suffering infinite and saving vertue The humane soule and flesh of Christ was the holocausto or whole burnt-offring rosted it the fire of his Fathers wrath his God head was the Temple in which and the Altar upon which this sacrifice was offred and lastly Christ both God and man was the Priest most willingly and cheerefully officiating in this service Thus I have shewed you that Chrisunlike unto all other Priests was himself both the Priest and the Sacrifice and the Temple and the Altar all in one person and in some respects also all according to both natures so that wel may he be called wonderfull as we read of him Isaiah 9. 6. and well also may the Apostle say that the Mystery of Godlinesse is without controversie a great Mistery Now then to conclude this discourse of Christs Priesthood if he were a Priest alone an everlasting Priest a Priest offering but once and yet sufficiently for ever the substance and verity of all those Priests which went before him gone into heaven which never any did as Priests but he onely not needing to offer for himselfe but onely for us a most mercifull and pitifull high Priest and lastly sacrifice Temple Altar and Priest all in one if Christ I say be such an high Priest then
King he raignes in righteousnesse he speakes in righteousnesse he makes warre in righteousnesse he betroths his Church to him in righteousnesse he delivers her from her Enemies in righteousnesse he answers her prayers in righteousnesse he doth all in righteousnesse Neither is he personally righteous alone but efficiently also not onâ—ly righteous himselfe but he makes others so too just and a Justifier as the Apostles phrase is called therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lord our Righteousnesse Jer. 23. 6. He is our true Melchisedec King of Righteousnesse that King in Abrahams dayes bore the name that he might be a Type of our King Lastly Christ is a most mild and mercifull King meeke gentle long-suffering he is the true propitiatory or Mercy-seate that in the Tabernacle of old did but prefigure him hee keeps mercy for thousands his mercy is everlasting his mercy indureth for ever is the versus amoebaeus or the bearing of the song as we say in the 136. Psalme He delights in mercy yea it is so pleasing to him that even in wrath hee remembers it he beares long with his Enemies he forgives them he dies for them hee saves them eternally and crownes them with glory for ever Thus I have shewed you that Christ is a King a Spirituall King a univerversall King over all Nations rankes of men ages of the world and over all Creatures a King ruling alone without a mate or associate an everlasting King and eminent above all other Kings in all royall vertues and qualifications as wisdome fortitude peaceablenesse Righteousnesse Mercy and the like Where shall we finde such a King as this It is said of Solomon that there was no King like him and so of Josiah but it may more truly and properly be said so of the Lord Jesus Christ the heavenly King On Earth there be Kings that have rule and domination over other Kings but Christ hath them at his steps and under his girdle as we say and they for the most part have such command by usurpation and incroachment but Christ is so constituted of his Father I will make him my first-borne higher then the Kings of the Earth Psal 89. 27. and all this is for the good of the Saints certainly then Christ must needs be very precious unto Beleevers Having spoken of Christ as Mediatour I come now to commend him to you as God and here wee be come to the supreame and highest pitch of all glory Here are fathomlesse depths and bottomlesse bottomes if I may so speake here are stupendious and amazing Mysteries astonishing and confounding excellencies such as the holy Angels themselves cannot pierce into God is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dwelling in inaccessible light 1 Tim. 6. 16. here are such beauties and perfections that had I as the Poet speakes a hundred tongues a hundred mouthes and a voyce of steele yet I could not sufficiently describe them but must be driven with the Philosopher to aske more dayes to thinke of it and at length resolve as he did that the matter is so intricate and perplexed so inscrutable and unsearchable that I cannot resolve Neverthelesse let me say something though I doe it but slenderly and weakely as children doe of mens matters Christ then is in the altitude â—nd summity of all glory one eternall God with the Father and with the Holy Ghost proved to be so by a cloud of witnesses we have the Authority of the sacred Scriptures both in the Old and New Testament for it most frequently where he is called God and Jehovah the onely begotten Sonne of God the Image of the Father his substantiall Image and not as the forme of a face in a glasse â—lso to him are attributed such things â—â— can agree to none but God he is said to be equall with the Father eternall the author of election a searcher of hearts one that must be beleev'd in sâ—orne by worshipped with Divine worship one that gives eternall rewards one that hath power to pardon sinne one that doth illuminate by the Spirit one that shall judge both quick and dead one that is omnipotent one that hath power to worke Miracles to create to send the Holy-Ghost one that hath power to raise himselfe and others one in whose name we must be baptised and the like Paraeus that Godly and learned Divine of Heidelburgh in his Commentary upon the Revelation pick 's out of the text of that booke no lesse then forty two Arguments of the Divinity of Christ By all which wee may see the blasphemy of those who have affirmed him to be no more then a particular God and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 patri but not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like unto the Father but not of the same Essence and substance with him But we shall farther see the madnesse of these men if wee consider these particulars First of all Christ shines as a Sunne in the firmament of the world in all perfection and sufficiency of wisdome power goodnesse love Majesty and glory Secondly whatsoever measure the most excellent of the creatures have of these things they are beholding unto him for it he is the never failing spring and fountaine of all blessing and goodnesse Now the Logicall Rule is quod efficit tale illud magis est tale that which makes a thing to be so as it is is much more so it selfe if the creatures be full of beauty and excellency and yet all in a derivative way how unspeakeably excellent then and beautifull is he that is the Beginning of the creatures of God and made them all so as they are whatsoever energes or powers they have they are but relative and borrowed as the Light of the Moone from the Sunne and also subject to subordination but in Christ according to his God-head all is absolute and compleate and all without him is by him and for him of him and through him and to him are all things saith the Apostle Ro. 11 36. Great dispute hath been among the Philosophers about the Summum bonum the chiefe and soveraigne good now loe here it is Finis et bonum converâ—untur saith the Logician the end and good are coincident and come both to one Christ then being God and God the ultimate and farthest end of all things it followes necessarily that Christ is the Summum bonum and the top of all felicity and happinesse Thirdly whatsoever vertue or goodnesse is in the creature it is not of the essence and substance of the creature but onely an accident or an inherent quality as a man may be said to be wise mighty just mercifull but not wisdome strength Justice and mercy as God may who is all this and much more in the very abstract as we speake whatsoever then is properly attributed unto Christ as God we cannot divide it from his very essence It is proper to substances and materiall things to have accidents adhering and cleaving unto them but God is immateriall and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without matter
it nor any thing taken from it now wee have abundantly proved that Christ is God our salvation then doth not stand upon our owne mutable and variable will nor upon the weake legges of our owne power which is as nothing but upon the unchangeable counsell and mighty power of God in which our Lord Jesus hath as great a share as either the Father or the Holy-Ghost Thus I have given you some taste of Scripture aphorismes as I call them leaving the rest to private observation and collection And this know assuredly that whatsoever iâ— said of God in the Scriptures a Spirituall man and a Beleever may see in it the preciousnesse of Christ and one way or other suck sweetnesse out of it I proceed to a fourth Reason Christ Reas 4 must needs be a most precious a most lovely a most delightfull and a most desireable objâ—ct to a beleeving soule because he is most absolute for all manner of supply and the supply which he makes to Beleevers is 1. Full. 2. Sutable 3. Constant First it is a full supply if there be Light in the Sunne the aire cannot be darke if there be sappe in the stock the branches cannot be dry if there be fulnesse in the fountaine the streames cannot be empty This full supply through Christ is manifested by all those types and shadowes which of old had relation to him The striking of the bloud of the Pascall Lamb on the posts of the doores where the Israelites dwelt was a token and assurance to them that the destroying Angel should passe over them and smite onely the first borne of the Egyptians now what else did that bloud prefigure but the bloud of Christ wherewith the Elect being sprinckled the Destroyer cannot hurt them This bloud certainely is the inke of the Angels inke-home spoken of in Ezek. 9. 3. wherewith the Godly are marked for deliverance while others perish and are cut off The pillar of the cloud by day and of fire by night was a type of Christ leading and guiding his people continually The water of the Rock and the Manna in the wildernesse were signes that Christ should spiritually feed and refresh his people The Serpent of brasse lifted up by Moses signified that he should be their Physician and healer All the sacrifices of the Law did typifie that Christ should make atonement for Beleevers The Arke or Holy Chest in the Tabernacle did likewise represent Christ unto us in whom God hath treasured up all perfection of wisdome grace power goodnesse and mercy for it pleased the Father that in him all fulnesse should dwell Coloss 1. 19. Now from the redundancy and overflowing fulnesse of all blessing that is in Christ Beleevers doe receive their sufficiencie and fulnesse of his fulnesse saith the Apostle wee all receive and grace for grace Joh. 1. 16. that is graces answerable to every communicable grace of Christ that as face answereth to face in water so wee may in all things be like unto our head Secondly the supply that wee have by Christ is sutable also The faithfull soule lookes upon him and saith loe here is most precious and pure bloud to wash away my guilt here is strength to support me in my weaknesse here is a garment of righteousnesse to cover the shame of my nakednesse here is a spirit of Truth to leade me and guide me in all my wayes here are sweet mercies and consolations to comfort me in my droopings here are gold and Pearles and precious stones to enrich me with here is perfect purity and holinesse to sanctifie and cleanse my corrupt nature in a word here is the plenitude and fulnesse of all grace to fill my empty and destitute soule The Spirit of the Lord anointed Christ and did solemnly designe him to be home unto every Saints condition and to be made as the Apostle saith of himselfe all things to all men he was anointed to preach good tidings unto the meeke to bind up broken hearts to proclaime Isa 61. 1. 2 3. Liberty to captives to appoint beauty for ashes joy for mourning and garments of festivity and praise for sad and heavie spirits Christ is as I may say for every turne hee hath in him sufficiency relative and sutable to all conditions there is no disease but this Phisician can cure no case but this Counsellour can resolveus and direct us in no Enemie but this Champion can conquer no difficulty but this mighty Saviour can overcome he is made unto us of God all that we stand in neede of wisdome to cure our folly righteousnesse to justifie our persons Sanctification to purifie our nature and Redemption from those many sorrowes and miseries which we here are subject to As Job saith that he was eyes to the blind and feete to the Lame and a Father to the poore so is Christ made every thing unto Beleevers in proportion to their wants As Elisha when he raised a child to life put his mouth upon the childs mouth his eyes upon the childs eyes his hands upon the childs hands still similar parts were applyed to similar so doth Christ apply himselfe to us in a relation suting and answering to every necessity Thirdly the supply that wee have from him is likewise constant 't is not like a winter-bourne that failes and dries up in the Summer but it is as the streames of living waters and of an ever-springing Fountaine Christ doth not onely give grace but maintaines it It was a just complaint which long agoe was made against the Heathen Gods O faciles dare summa Deos eademque tueri Difficiles They could give their Favourites great gifts but they could not maintaine them in the possession of them The Lord Jesus Christ our blessed benefactour is not so he gives to his Saints not onely the first grace but the grace of perseverance also As David said in another case thou maintainest my lot so doth Christ maintaine that lot of grace which he bestowes upon his faithfull Members he is the Author and finisher of our faith his gifts and calling are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without Repentance he is not like the foolish man that began to build and was not able to finish but having begun a good worke in his Saints hee will finish it and make it persevere unto his owne day and then when grace is full hee will crowne it with eternall glory Now by that which hath been said we may see that the condition of Beleevers and of such as are ingraffed into Christ is farre better then was that of Adam in his innocency he had excellent gifts of knowledg and grace conferred upon him but hee was never confirm'd in them and therefore being left to the mutability of his owne will he chose the evill and lost the good but it is not so with the Saints now under the Covenant of grace by Christ whatsoever heavenly endowments they have they are confirmed and established in them so that they can never be
with unspeakable delight his riches his love his goodnesse his greatnesse his power and all that is his is mine I have interest in all those transcendent graces of his his mercy his truth his promises they are all mine Now this must needs render Christ very precious when he is not onely in himselfe whatsoever is excellent and desirable but also the Saints may justly challenge and claime him for their own I come now to the application of the Vse 1 Point And first of all it shews us the reason why the most in the world doe despise Christ and care not for him namely because they have no faith they are infidells and unbeleevers and therefore they set light by him Christ is very precious but it is onely to Beleevers worldlings have no faith and therefore Christ seemes a despicable and worthlesse thing to them Now that they have no faith this appeares First by their ignorance Most have not so much as the theory or doctrinall knowledge of Christ they are like Festus who tould Agrippa that Pauls adversaries had questions against him concerning one Jesus Act. 25. 19. So let these be asked and they can answer nothing truly nothing rationally nothing punctually of Christ Christ is to them as Logicians speake an Individuum vagum quidam homo a certain man one Jesus but they for their part know little of him onely they have a wilde hope that if he be good for any thing they shall have a share in it as well as others and therefore Jesus Christ have mercy on us is a frequent and high point of their devotion they have it by tradition to receive Christ but what he is and how made ours they know not Others there be that have pretty store of knowledge they can reason and discourse of Christ distinctly and satisfactorily but they have no experimentall knowledge of him they have not felâ— the work of his Spirit upon their hearts they have not tasted how gracious thâ— Lord is they may perhaps have a flashiâ—â— relish and light tast of him such as their is of whom the Apostle speaks Heb. 6 4 5. Temporary gusts apprehensionâ— of Christs sweetnesse causing joy for â—â— while but they doe not sit downe with Christ at his Table to eate even to saturation as I may say and to make a full meale of his spirituall dainties the heavenly Manna the marrow of fatnesse neither have they drunke abundantly as the charge is Cantic 5. 1. of wine on the lees well refined out of Christs wine-cellar In a word they have not a thorough and saving experience of Christ though their braines have some print of him yet their hearts are strangers to him and therefore they have no faith They that know Christs name will put their trust in him Psal 9. 10. But these know it not they know not the power they know not the vertue they know not the worth of Christ neither doe they know their owne misery without him And what faith can there be where there is no knowledge Knowledge is so necessary to breed and beget faith that sometimes it includes faith and faith beares the name of it as Esa 53. 11. By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many and againe Not having mine own righteousnesse saith the Apostle which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousnesse which is of God by faith that I may know him and the power of his resurrection Phil. 3. 9 10. That is one token then that men have no faith because they have no knowledge Secondly It appeares by their stumbling at Christ Christ is a stone of stumbling and a rocke of offence to the disobediâ—nt as the Apostle saith and disobedient ones are opposed to beleevers unbeliefe is the greatest disobedience in the world 't is to make God a liar and it is the mother and damme of all other disobedience because men beleeve not therefore they are so vicious so prophane so ungodly and so disobedient as they are and therefore it is that Christ seemes so vile and so base to them as he doth therefore it is that they are offended with him and stumble at him overmuch hast makes a man to stumble now the Prophet saith that he which beleeveth shall not make hast Esa 28. 16. Had the Jewes beleeved they had never stumbled at Christ his poverty and depressed condition had never been any scandall to them but they not beleeving looked for a Saviour and a Messias that should come in the riches in the glory in the pompe and magnificence of an earthly Monarch which wheâ— it failed they were â—ffended and said Wee will not have this man to reigne over us The Prophet Eâ—â—y brings forth carnall people speaking thus of Christ He hath no forme nor comelinesse and wheâ— weâ— shall see him there is no beauty that â—â— should desire him Chap. 53. 2. This is noâ— meant of the bodily visage and countenance of Christ but of the strict lawes of his Kingdome and of the hard terms upon which he offers himselfe he tells men that if they will be his followers and will have him for a Saviour then they must deny themselves renounce their own wills take up his Crosse suffer mocks and reproaches bonds and imprisonment be hated and persecuted in the world and resist even to bloud and losse of life if need be These are the termes conditions upon which Christ offers himselfe and these are very unsavory most cannot relish them they will not downe Christ is very offensive being so tendred without forme without comelinesse without beauty a most nauseous and loathsome object Now where it is thus it is evident that men have no faith a man will not rest or relye upon that which he hath no good conceit of Thirdly It appeares to be so also when men doe not improve Christ True faith is a growing thing and makes all other graces to grow it is not idle and lazie but active and advancing and still pressing forward What is ground if not goodded and manured What is a Ship if not rigged and sent to Sea What is a trade if not driven and made use of So what is Christ if not working not acting not improved in us What is his incarnation death resurrection intercession if wee receive no vertue or vigorous impresse no accession or augmentation from them the businesse of Christ in a soule is not a matter of words and names as Gallio thought but it is a work of the highest and greatest concernment that can be the aimes of it are above all created excellencies and therefore where it is true and not fained it is ever in agitation ever girding forward to the marke ever building ever running ever growing if not so it is manifest that men haw no faith and if they have no faith it is no wonder that they should despise Christ Fourthly When a man is carelesse and regardlesse of the things of Christ this
soule is to thy Name and to the remembrance of thee With my sâ—ule have I desired thee in the night yea with my spirit within mee will I seeke thee early Esa 26. 8 9. Now I must tell you that it was faith which caused such love-sicknesse in the Spouse such panting and thirsting in David and such soule-desires such incessant seeking of Christ in those godly ones that wee reade of Give me children or else I dye said Rachell so certainly nothing can quiet and content the minde of a Beleever but union and communion with Christ It argues then a dead darke a hopelesse a faithlesse condition when the soule can goe whole moneths and yeares pleasing it selfe with rattles and toys as I may say and never labour for sweet intercourse or commerce with Christ at the very best here can be no better then a divided esteeme of Christ which is nothing worth When the heart is divided between Christ and the world there is alwaies a disproportion the world hath most and Christ least yea even then when Christ seemes to have most yet it is but occasionall dangers feares the ficke bed a spirit of bondage stings of conscience and the like may perhaps make Christ most relishable for a spirt but when the fit or storme is over and God gives respit then the heart is hardened like Pharaohs and there is a returning with the dogge 2 Pet. 2. 22. to his vemit and with the washed Sow to wallowing againe in the mire It is possible for a man to esteeme of Christ meerely for ease he would be freed from anguish but not from sinne he would be eased of the burden of sinne I meane those horrors and terrors and wounds and affrightments which it workes he would be delivered from paine and the hell of sinne but he cares not to be purged from the impurity and filthinesse of it Now where Christ is welcome and accepted onely for such an end as this truely he counts himselfe to be but little set by such an esteeme of Christ is but an occasionall esteeme of him a divided esteeme a disproportionable esteeme which he doth nothing esteeme of and it declares a soule quite destitute of faith and Christ cannot be precious where there is no faith Secondly Here is discover'd to us a Vse 2 fit object whereupon to spend the marrow of our best affections wee should labour to place all our sweet affections that are to be exercised upon good as love joy and delight upon this love-deserving object Christ It is pittie wee should lose so much of our affections as wee doe upon worldly things when we suffer a pure streame to run through a dirty channell our affections to run after the things of the world wee doe but lose our affections and they become unprofitable unto us I confesse that the love of Christ is not alike in all the Saints some are more and some lesse intensive in their love to Christ Wee all know that in the naturall body there is not so much strength in a finger as there is in the arme so in the mysticall body of Christ the members have not all of them the like measures and abilities of grace And it is possible also to sleepe spiritually while the heart that is to say the life and inmost affection of the soule is waking I sleepe saith the Spouse but my heart waketh Cant. 5. 2. The meaning is that shee was somewhat secure and kept not that watch against the pleasures of this life and the baits of this world as shee should doe and yet her heart was upright still So the wise Virgins slumbred and slept as well as the foolish Mat. 25. 5. And yet they had oyle in their Lamps and were ready to go in with the bridegroome The spirit may be willing when the flesh is weake as our Saviour saith Neverthelesse it were to be wished that every childe of God had heavenly affections in him at the height and like an arrow drawn up to the head And wee must take heed that our pusility and dwarfishnesse in them do not flow from a vicious and adulterate love love of the world love of ease love of any thing more then Christ Many of Gods deare ones are not without some tincture of this they have as it were fits of it sometimes as we may see by those excuses which the Spouse makes when Christ did knock at the doore of her heart for entrance I have put off my coat saith shee how shall I put it on I have washed my feet how shall I defile them Cant. 5. 3. 'T is a Metaphor taken from those that are gone to bed and are loath to rise for any mans pleasure and the meaning may be this that shee had now shaken off many feares and troubles shee was free from persecution delivered from many afflictions and miseries formerly endured shee had now thrown off these things as one going to bed doth his garments shee had washt them off as in the Eastern Countries travailers were wont to wash off the soile of their feet when they went to their rest and shee was now in the bed of fleshly ease and worldly contentment loath to disrest her selfe loath to rise and to be pincht with cold againe loath to set her feet into the dirt of former sufferings though in her heart shee preferr'd Christ above all yet so sweet were those earthly accommodations that shee would rather forbeare intercourse with him for a while then lose her share in them Thus it was with her but this was a naughty temper and cost her deare to be purg'd of it The true and healthfull temper of the soule is when Christ is a joy to us even in the absence and want of all other things when wee can say with the Prophet Although the fig-tree shall not blossom neither shall fruite be in the vines the labour of the olive shall faile and the fields shall yeeld no meat the flocke shall be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stalls yet I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my salvation Habac. 3. 17 18. Thirdly This may discover unto us what singular effects the excellency of Christ have upon the hearts of Beleevers and how eminently their affections are drawn out toward him Wee may judge of our esteeme by our affections and chiefly by the affection of love Love is the height of our esteeme and there are in it these three acts or effects viz. 1. Complacency or well-pleasednesse 2. Desire of union or enjoyment 3. Benevolence or good will First Complacency or well-pleasednesse being referred to Christ is an affection whereby wee doe approve and like of all that is in him resting in his goodnesse as in the most lovely and desireable object in the world Thy love is better then wine saith the Church because of the savour of thy good ointments thy Name is as ointment powred forth
cut off the race and succession of them There is a remarkable passage to this purpose In Josephus * Antiq. lib. 18. cap. 4. At that time saith he meaning when Pilate was Governour was Jesus a wise man if it be lawfull to call him a man for he was the performer of diverse admirable workes and the instructure of those who willingly entertaine the truth And he drew unto him divers Jewes and Greekes to be his followers this was Christ who being accused by the Princes of our Nation before Pilate and afterward condemned to the crosse by him yet did not those who followed him from the beginning forbeare to love him for the ignominy of his death for he appeared unto them alive the third day after according as the Divine Prophet had before testified the same and divers other wonderfull things of him And from that time forward the race of Christians who have derived their name from him hath never ceased Here you see what an honourable testimony this Jew that was no Christian gives of Christ and his Disciples so precious and desirable was hee notwithstanding his suffering notwithstanding all the shame and trouble that came upon his followers for him that they never would forsake him neither could the generations of them be rooted out of the Earth unto this day This is my beloved and this is my friend ô daughters of Jerusalem Secondly from complacency or wel-pleasednes flowes another thing in love viz. a desire of union or enjoymeÌ„t When the soule eyes a tempting or tickling object as I may say it presently covets the possession and fruition of it there is by and by a kinde of clasping or closing with it or a strong appetion of peculiarity or private Intrest Whence it is that the French Divine writeth Molinus thus of love Love saith he is that point of our spirits whereby it joyneth it selfe unto objects That which is weight in heavie things love is the very same in our soules for as weight moveth earthly bodies toward the place of their rest so love moveth our soules toward that object which promiseth rest and contentment Now Beleevers highly esteeming Christ desire nothing more then the possession and enjoyment of Christ Now Christ is enjoyed In his Ordinances In his secret and sweet appearances to the soule and in his personall presence First Christ is enjoyed in his Ordinances The Ordinance is as I said before a walke wherein Christ is wont to meet with his people a Beleever therefore doth with great delight and study put himselfe upon that way that he may enjoy Christ in it But Secondly Christ is enjoyed in his secret and sweet appearances to the soule What are all holy Ordinances but dead and heartlesse things without such revelations Job tells us of Ordinances of Heaven and Jeremiah in like manner of the Ordinances of the Sun of the Moone and of the Starres these are naturall Ordinances but to what purpose were they if this inferiour world did not partake of their light and heat and sweet influence Wee read also of politick and Judiciall Ordinances which God constituted and set in the common-wealth of Israel but to what purpose were these likewise or what benefit could an Israelite reape by them if he lived in such corrupt and lawlesse times that he could not have them administred so what are all heavenly and sacred Ordinances to a Beleever if he finde not the vertue the life and the power of them enjoying Christ in the Ordinance and finding an influence of his spirit and grace flowing in upon his soule As there is a desire in a Beleever to communicate his heart unto Christ so Christ communicates his grace unto a Beleevers heart Christ as a Fountaine sends forth his streames of comfort and joy and as a Sunne sends forth his glorious beames of grace and love into a Beleevers soule Now a Beleever doth account prayer preaching Sacraments and all other meanes of his soules welfare to be nothing unlesse the Spirit of Christ comply with them flowing in upon the soule with such heart-ravishing discoveries of his grace as no tongue can possible expresse Hence it is that a Beleever sets open the windowes of his soule desiring that Christ may shine into it with the bright and glorious beames of his grace and favour but if Christ eclipse and hid himselfe from the soule there is nothing but darknesse and complaining sorrow and mourning and no rest at all untill the mist be dispelled and the cloud blowen over and the day-starre arise in the heart againe untill Christ come and refresh the soule with new supplies of revelations The Church never left off seeking Christ untill she had found him till the King had brought her into his bed-chamber and into the banqueting-house and imparted some of his love unto her Oh how precious is that sweet and secret communion which a Beleever enjoyes with Christ ô what a delight is it to sit under Christs shadow and to enjoy him in such a way at this is Thirdly Christ is enjoyed in his personall presence at his second coming The Saints are described to be such as long and looke for Christs appearing 1 Cor. 1. 7. you come behind in no gift saiâ—h the Apostle waiting for the comming 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 revelation of Jesus Christ It is called the revelation of Christ because the glory and Majesâ—y of Christ it now hid but then his brightnesse shall appeare and be manifested for he shall come in the clouds and great glory And the Apostle saith in 1 Thess 2. 10. that Christ shall be glorified in his Saints and admired in all them that beleeve that is the Saints seeing themselves to shine as the Starres for evermore and to be made conformable to the glorious body of Christ they shall infinitely admire his grace and Mercy unto them Hence it is Beleevers wait for the consolation of the second coming of Christ as they did for the consolation of his first coming because here they receive good in promise but then they shall receive it in the fruit of the promise here they receive the first fruites of his Spirit then a full harvest of joy and blessednesse here they see Christs glory at a distance and through the lattesse but then in the luster and brightnesse of it Christ is the object of a Beleevers affections and nothing but fruition will give him satisfaction his heart is never at rest untill it come to his proper place of rest and repose agreeable to that of the Father fecisti nos Domine ad te inquietum est cor nostrum donec requiescit in te thou hast made us ô Lord for thy selfe and our heart is never at rest till it rest in thee Now whence is it that a Beleever desires to enjoy Christ in his Ordinance in that sweet and secret communion in his personall presence but from this love of union when he sees such a glorious object as Christ is
were in our naturall filthinesse and uncleanenesse which we drew from our first Parents God loved us freely and not for our worth or merit not for our beautie or comelinesse wee had no worth in us nor no beauty upon us yet he loved us and said unto us live that is he made us to live spiritually he did put the life of grace into us he did breath into the nostrills of our soules as I may say the breath of heavenly life his saying in this new Creation was as his saying was in the first Creation of all things he did but speak the word and it was done Againe he addes in the forementioned Prophesie verse the eight I spread my skirt over thee He alludeth to a custome or Ceremony of the Jewes whereby at Mariages the Husband in token of his Interest and propriety and also as a pledge of his most tender love and endeared affection to his wife did cover her with a lappe or skirt of his garment now this matrimoniall rite was a figure of the merit of Christ who hath by his righteousnesse covered all our sinnes and transgressions veiled all our filthinesse and polutions and hid all our spirituall nakednesse and deformities and that most freely most graciously most undeservedly according to that Hosea 14. 4. I will heale their back-sliding I will love them freely Thirdly Christs love to his Saints is a liberall love a munificent a magnificent and bountifull love this appeares plainely by those hard and bitter things that he underwent for us Philip 2. 7. the Apostle saith that he made himselfe of no reputation he tooke upon him the forme of a servant and was made in the likenesse or habit of men The originall word in the place signifieth that he emptied himselfe or redegit se ad nihilum he brought himselfe as it were to nothing he devested and stript himselfe of the robes of Divine Majesty laying them his Throne his Crowne and his Scepter of Glory aside for a while Through the extremity of his agony his body did sweat drops of bloud he did exhaust such an infinitely rich and precious treasure as all Heaven and earth could not recompense and make up againe It is reported of the Pelioan that she openeth her breast with her bill and feedeth her young ones with the bloud distilling from her and therefore saith mine Author the Egyptians did make that kinde an hieroglyphick of Piety and pitie and upon that consideration they spared them at their Tables Now this creature is a lively picture and Embleme of Christ he parted with that which was most deare unto him the soule in his body the bloud in his veines and which was more then all the rest the sweet and ravishing apprehensions of his Fathers love eclipsed and darkned in his agonies and so totally eclipsed that he cryed out with a loud voyce my God my God why hast thou forsaken me And all this he did in his infinite pitie and love to us the Apostle saith that he loved his Church and gave himselfe for it Ephes 5. 25. Lastly Christs love is eternall and everlasting a love that never decayes or waxeth cold like the stone Asbestos of which I read in Solinus that being once hot it can * Iul. Solin polyhistor cap. 12. never be cooled again The love of Christ is like a Fountaine ever flowing and never dried up or like the sacred fire which never went out I have loved thee with an everlasting love saith he Jer. 31. 3. and in another place with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy upon thee Though the Saints offend Christ often yet he loves them still he onely purges them and heales them of their spirituall maladies which cannot be done without some smart but he doth not a whit lesson or detract his love from them Though his people come upon him every day for new favours and new supplies yet his good-will is never wearied or tired out yea though thousands millions of his Saints presse upon him at once yet hee hath for them all and the Fountaine of his love is never emptied I like the matter of the Poet very well although I confesse his verse be something jiggish and toying Sumit unus sumunt mille Quantum isti tantum iâ—e Neque sumpius absumitur One Beleever drawes water of life and supply of all needfull blessings out of this well of salvation and a thousand like gracious soules doe the like and the one drawes as much as the thousand and yet the well is never drawne drie Now then a little to recapitulate If the love of Christ unto his Saints be infinite boundlesse and unmeasurâ—ble if it be gracious free and undesâ—rved â—r it be liberall rich and bountifull Lastly if it be eternall everlasting and never decaying ô what a whetstone should this be to our affections what a spurre to our Spirits and what a bellowes to blow up and kindle the fire of our love to Christ nothing doth more conciliate and attract love then love it selfe it were horrible ingratefulnesse not to spend and be spent as the Apostle speakes for one that hath loved us so much as Christ hath done certainely if love doe not draw us unto him nothing will The acts of Christs love are the cords wherewith he drawes soules unto himselfe I drew them with the cords of a man with bands of love saith hee Hosea 11. 4. and in another place with Jer. 31. 3. loving kindnesse have I drawne thee* 'T is an Argument then that wee are not drawne at all if love doe not effect it Fiftly Christ bestowes upon Beleevers Mot. 5 his precious Spirit This is that which Christ promiseth to his Disciples Joh. 14. 26. The comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name saith Christ he shall teach you all things c. Now let us consider how excellent the Spirit is in all the workings of it upon our hearts and then we shall see what a precious and lovely gift this is The Spirit of Christ doth these things It illuminates our minds It sanctifies our natures It seales our adoption First of all the Spirit of Christ doth illuminate the mind and understanding it opens the windowes of the soule as I may say and sets up a new Light in it it brings in light upon light Even by nature men have some Light such as it is by Art and industry they acquire more but the saving Light of the Spirit of Christ farre excelleth all that of the naturall man as the Light of the Sunne doth the light the Moone or as the Light of seven dayes doth the light of one hence is that Spirit by an excellency called the Spirit of wisdome and understanding and it is said to lead us and to guide us into all truth Joh. 14. 16. I have many things saith Christ to say unto you but you cannot beare them now but when the spirit cometh he shall lead you into all truth
that is he shall open your understandings he shall enlarge your capacities and shall make you able to comprehend those Divine and heavenly Mysteries of the Kingdome of God which shall be dispenced unto you Yee have an unction from the Holy one saith the Apostle and yee know all things 1 Joh. 2. 20. The Holy one here spoken of is the whole Trinity God the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost the unction is not the Spirit it selfe but a thing different from the essence and substance thereof viz. the grace of illumination and saving Knowledge wherewith the eyes of our minds being anointed as with an unction wee come to know all things not absolutely and omnisciently as God doth but to know all things that are needfull to be knowne unto salvation And hence in the 27. verse the same anoynting is said to teach us and that wee need no other teaching but that it is called eye-salve Revel 3. 18. Secondly the Spirit of Christ sanctifieth the hearts and natures of Beleevers whereby they are really changed from the filthinesse of sinne unto the purity of Gods Image that as Christ himselfe is holy so are they in some measure by an inherent holinesse their love and their hatred their joy and their sorrow all their passions and affections are not such as they were before but they are quite altred and changed new-moulded and fashioned made after Gods owne heart and conformed to his holy will This is the blessed worke of the Spirit We are sanctified through the Spirit and beleefe of the truth saith the Apostle 2 Thess 2. 13. The Spirit is principall in stamping the Image of God upon the soule the Spirit it is that doth convey the efficacie of Christs death and bloud unto us Hence it is called in Scripture wind fire water and the like First it is a winde Awake ô North and come thou South Cant. 4. 16. and that for these reasons As wind allayeth heate so the sanctifying Spirit of God asswageth hot and burning distempers in the soule it suppresses inordinate and lustfull desires moderating all our affections and keeping them in a good temper Againe as wind purges the aire and dries up superfluous moysture in the earth so the Spirit purgeth our corrupt natures and dries up the excrementious humours of sinne which are Enemies to spirituall health Also * Favâ—nius the West-wind dicâ—â—ur à savendo from cherishing of fruits and other things as the wind is a great fructifier causing the fruits of the earth to spring out so the Spirit of God makes that soule which naturally is as a barren and dry wildernesse no plants of grace growing in it but the weeds of sinne rankling every where to be a fruitfull and flourishing garden where Christ delights to walke and to take his repast beholding how his trees of Righteousnesse doe spread and blossome and beare most pleasant fruit When the wind of the Spirit doth blow upon the garden of the soule then the spices of grace flow out then Christ may come into his garden and eate his delicious fruits of union and Sanctification The soule is not now an emptie vine neither doth it beare wilde grapes it doth not beare grapes of gall and bitter clusters but fruites of Righteousnesse and holinesse most sweet and well relishing most pleasing and acceptable to Christ Againe the wind is a quickning and enlivening thing the breath of every living creature is a winde Come from the foure winds ô breath and breath upon these slaine that they may live saith the Prophet Ezek. 37. 9. Now such is the Spirit of God also it raiseth up the soule from the death of sinne and puts the life of grace into it it sets us upon our feet and makes us to walke before God in the Light and in the land of the living Lastly As the winde is not in the power of any man it bloweth where it listeth as our Saviour saith and it is impossible to hide it Prov. 27. 16. So the Spirit of regeneration is not at the arbitrement will and disposing of any creature but it is sui juris at its owne choice and disposing at its own pleasure when where and how it will breath and dispense grace Of his owne will begat he us with the word of truth saith the Apostle Jam. 1. 18. Secondly the Spirit of sanctification is also called fire in the Scriptures He shall baptize you with the Holy-Ghost and with fire Mat. 3. 11. It resembles fire in the purging property thereof as fire is a great purger attracting and drawing corrupt aires to it selfe segregating severing pure substances from drosse as wee see in the trying of gold and silver so doth the fire of the Spirit draw away from our soules all pestilent and infectious sents of sinne and by little and little purges away all the drosse of our corruptions Againe The Spirit resembles fire in the consuming property thereof fire purgeth onely when it meets with a substance that can endure it but when it lights upon combustible matter then it wasts and consumes so the fire of the Spirit doth no more then purge the hearts of the Elect yet it wasts and consumes their lusts because they be things to be wasted and abolished Lastly The Spirit of grace resembles fire in the assimilating property thereof fire turns other things that are approximate into its owne nature it makes things hot as it selfe is hot it propagates and spreads it selfe increasing its own flames by licking up and catching in other things to it selfe so the sanctifying Spirit of God doth fire our hearts and affections heating them with his own heate kindling them with his own sacred sparkes assimilating and making us like unto himselfe holy as he is holy pure as he is pure and perfect as he is perfect The soule being acted and wrought upon by the Spirit is changed into the same glory and becomes spirituall like it selfe Wee know that a paper will smell of the muske or civet that is put in it so a soule endued with the Spirit of grace cannot but become gracious it must have the same savour the same odoriserous and pleasing sent that the Spirit it selfe hath Thirdly The precious Spirit which Christ bestows upon his Saints is called water also because as water washeth away the filthinesse of the flesh so doth that Spirit the uncleannesses of the soule And againe as water hath a softning and suppling vertue with it so the gracious Spirit of Christ doth mollifie and soften hard hearts making them of impenetrable and insensible to become broken and contrite of stubborne and froward to be flexible and pliable unto Gods holy will so that though they were before like Leviathans heart as hard as a piece of the neither milstone yet now they can tremble at judgements submit to commands and be glad to close with the promises of Christ Thus you see that the Spirit which Christ bestows upon his Saints is a sanctifying a
purging a regenerating and a renewing Spirit Lastly This Spirit sealeth our adoption our filiation or son-ship unto us By adoption wee are received into the number of the sonnes of God and by the Spirit of Christ we come to be assured of this prerogative The Spirit of God seales up our salvation and blessed state unto us The Apostle saith That God hath sealed us and given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts 2 Cor. 1. 22. He hath given us the earnest of his Spirit for the assurance of our heavenly inheritance The Apostles manner of speaking is taken from the custome of men who to assure and confirme others in the truth of their promises and covenants are wont to set their seale to bills and bonds and such like instruments so God sets his seale to all his promises and to the covenant of grace which he hath plighted with us by giving us his holy Spirit to renew us to imprint his image upon our soules and to beare witnesse within us that we are his children and consequently heires of life and glory everlasting Now this Spirit is expresly called the Spirit of the Son Gal. 4. 6. Because the Holy-Ghost sealeth up our adoption in Christ so that through Christ it is made sure unto us Let us now summe up all which hath been said of this gift if Christ hath not withheld his gracious Spirit from us but hath given even that unto us to enlighten us to sanctifie us and to assure us of our adoption and salvation where can we finde greater favour then this and where should our mindes be lifted up into the opinion of any thing more then of Christ Doubtlesse the giver of such a precious gift ought himselfe to be much more precious unto us If wee make great account of the gift much more ought we most highly to esteeme of the bestower of it Lastly Christ bestowes upon Beleevers Mot. 6 precious priviledges and they are many but I will speake onely of these two Accesse to the throne of grace Good successe of our prayers First Beleevers have blessed accesse Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace saith the Apostle that wee may obtaine mercy and finde grace to helpe in time of need Heb. 4. 16. The Apostles phrase is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word which signifieth libertie of speech and boldnesse of face when a man intrepidly and undauntedly utters his minde before great ones without blushing without weaknesse of heart without shaking of his voyce without haluccination imperfection and faltring in speech when neither majesty nor authority can take off his courage so as to stop his mouth and make him affraid to speake With such spirits would the Apostle have us to come unto God by prayer wee must come with paresie with confidence of heart and freedome of speech This is a fruite of our accesse to the throne of grace to which doubtlesse the Apostle would never have exhorted us if wee were not blessed with such a priviledge Againe A like exhortation wee have Heb. 10. 22. Let us draw neare with a true heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in full assurance of faith that is in stedfastnesse of faith without wavering without doubting The Apostle meanes it of our full assurance of Gods favour and acceptance of our persons in Christ In the Law the high Priest going into the Sanctuary did beare upon his shoulders and in his pectorall or brestplate the names of the twelve Tribes of Israel Now this figures unto us the great love that Christ beares unto his people he hath them alwayes at his heart hee loves them most tenderly and dearely he beares them also upon the shoulders of his mighty protection carrying them a loft out of the reach of all adversary power And he is gone into the heavenly Sanctuary with Vrim and Thummim with the names of his people upon his breast for a memoriall before the Lord continually so that now through his mediation we may draw neare unto God in plerophorie and full assurance of faith nothing doubting but that God will for his sake accept both of our persons and of our prayers Secondly Beleevers have not onely accesse to God but also good successe of all their suites and petitions which they put up unto him Christ by his office of mediation and intercession is an advocate for his people and doth in his own person appeare before God for them he takes upon himselfe their suite and their cause as an Advocate in Law doth his Clients Hence is that exceeding sweet and consolatory promise of the Apostle 1 Joh. 2. 1 2. If any man sinne saith he wee have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins Here is never a word but hath sweetnesse in it Marke I pray first he saith If any man sinne not as though there were some that did not sinne for that this very Apostle beats against expresly in the end of the first Chapter but when he saith If any man he speakes cordiall things he speaks to the heart and comfort of sinners shewing that with God there is no accepting of persons but all without exception of any for exteriour adjuncts and qualities doe finde grace in his fight through Christ this is plainly the inference of the indefinite particle Any Secondly He saith That wee have an Advocate an Advocate is a forensicall word and it signifieth properly one that is called to or assumed as an Assistant as a friend as an helper as an Intercessor such Advocates did guiltie ones among the Greeks and Romans assume to themselves Now such an Advocate is Christ unto us he is our Patron he is our spokes-man he it is that pleadeth our cause for us he it is that by the merite of his expiation doth intreat for us The Devill is called our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our Adversary another Law-terme 1 Pet. 5. 8. he lays in hard against us and therefore he is elsewhere called the Accuser of the Brethren and guiltie we are too but Christ is our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our Advocate and he intreats the Judge for us he implores mercy and clemency for us Thirdly The Apostle saith that wee have an Advocate with the Father with him still at his right hand so with him that he is his own naturall Sonne so with him that he needs but onely shew himselfe for us and without speaking any word wee are accepted At that day namely at that day when I shall be ascended into heaven yee shall aske in my Name saith Christ and I say not unto you that I will pray the Father for you for the Father himselfe loveth you because yee have loved mee and have beleeved that I came out from God Joh. 16. 26 27. In these words Christ bids us not so to depend and hang upon him as to have no confidence in God the Father as if he were angry with us and did not love us Christ is