God doth suspend their comforts so that though they may be in a good estate for the maine yet they shall not know it and all because they are not carefull to keepe their evidence which we should preserve cleare and bright that it might be seene and read upon all occasions And we should so keepe them bright that our consciences may witnesse with us and that the Spirit and the Word may joyne their witnesse with our consciences The Word saith That he that loves the brethren is translated to life and he that heares the word as the word is Christs sheepe Now doth thy conscience tell thee that though in weake measure yet I do so Then here is the word and thy conscience for thee and doth the spirit witnesse with thy conscience that it is so indeed then it is well thou keepest thy Evidence to purpose 4 And when we have done this let us make conscience not to yeeld to any base doubts and feares and objections of Sathan and our owne hearts When we finde any worke of grace deny not the worke of God lest we grieve the Spirit of God As some melancholy Christians that though every man may see the worke of God in them yet yeeld so slavishly to the misguidings of their hearts and the temptations of Sathan that they conclude they have no faith no love though other Christians that can reade their evidence better see that they have these in them what dishonour is this to God and his Spirit when a darke humour shall prevaile more then the Word the truth it selfe this is a great bondage which Sathan brings the soule into that when there is evidence of faith in the fruits of it yet men will beleeve a peevish humour before the word and testimony of conscience enlightned by the spirit Take heed of it as a great pride in the heart when we yeeld more to a sturdy darke unsubdued humour then to Evidence it selfe Therefore in such cases hearken not to what feare sayes or humour saith or Sathan saith or what the world saith but hearken what truth it selfe saith and what conscience saith when it is enlightened by the Spirit as in good times when we are at the best True Christians though more remisse shall have so much comfort as shall support them from falling into despaire yet not so much as shall strengthen them and carry them into a vigorous life fit for Christians 5 When we have found any worke of grace and thereupon that our faith is true we ought to comfort our selves and to maintaine our comfort by all meanes Everie grace is but faith exercised when our Saviour saith Ye beleeve in God beleeve also in me he might have said also in particular Be patient be contented be comforted But he names the root of all Faith wherein all graces are radically which is therefore discerned in the fruits of it so that if any grace be found as love to the brethren hope of life everlasting or the like there is faith For the root and branches be together though the root is not alwayes discerned And therefore when we discover any true faith in the fruit of it let us support and comfort our selves with it For when a man is in Christ and by Christ an heire of heaven and a childe of God what in the world can befall him that should deject over much and cast him downe What losse what crosse what want of friends hath he not all in God and in Christ and in the promise Do not the promises weigh downe all discouragements whatsoever Surely they do And therefore we must strive against dejection For besides what I spake the last day it is a dishonour to the profession of Religion which is in it selfe so glorious what a dishonour to God and to Christ when we have such glorious prerogatives and priviledges which the Angles themselves admire yet every petty crosse and losse that we meet withall in the world should cast us downe we should take heed exceedingly of this and should labour every day to have a more and more cleare sight of the promises that belong unto us and to know the priviledges of Christianity and renew our faith in them continually that they may be fresh to us in all temptations and occasions whatsoever I beseech you do but consider any one grand promise which if it be rooted in the soule how it is able to support the soule against all troubles whatsoever As that Feare not little flocke for it is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdome Or that other If God spared not his Sonne for us how will he not with him give us all things else Labour to have these things fresh in memory together with the priviledges belonging to Christians Thinke what is it to be a childe of God and an heire of heaven We must not looke onely to the blinde and darke side of our condition Christians have two sides one to heaven ward and God-ward and that is full of glory certaine and immoveable Another towards the world and that is oftentimes full of abasement full of disgrace and dejection That is moveable sometimes better sometimes worse as God pleaseth to dispense his government in the Church Let us looke to the grace to the comforts that belong to that grace to the promises the best side and not to be carried away with the darknesse of the other It is a terrible sight to looke upon sinne and miserie and hell and judgement to come but what are these to a Christian that is in Christ that seeth them all subdued and overcome to him The afflictions of the world and the crosses of the world what are they to a soule that is alreadie in heaven by faith and seeth them all overcome in his head Christ Be of good comfort I have overcome the world And therefore we must not be so malignant as to looke all upon one part of a Christian and that the worser part which is the object of sence for shame live not by sence but if we be Christians let us live by faith looke to the best part looke upwards and forwards to that which is eternall 5 And withall labour to keepe the grace of the Spirit in continuall exercise upon all occasions For grace exercised brings certaine comfort it may be with a Christian in his feelings as with the worst man living but he may thanke his owne negligence his owne dulnesse his not stirring up of the graces of God in him For therefore it is that he hangs the wing upon every pettie crosse on every occasion Labour to have an heart ready to exercise grace suteable to that occasion for then grace will reflect sweetly where there is sinceritie and grace in exercise Sinceritie alone will not comfort a man unlesse it grow up to fruitfulnesse and fruitfulnesse which springs from the exercise of grace hath a sweet reflection upon the soule Remember Lord how I have walked before thee in truth and
faith is the grace that apprehends the joyes thereof and hope expects that which faith beleeves and that hope becomes an anchor to the soule that stayeth the soule in all the waves and troubels of the world and what is the ground of that hope but faith Faith stirreth up hope and hope pitcheth on the promise especially of life everlasting And thus faith becomes a quieting and a stilling grace because it raiseth the soule by representing and making reall to it better things then the world can give or take as it doth also at other times present heavier things then the world can threaten faith makes things present to the soule and because it layes hold on divine things greater then any thing here below therefore it overcomes the world and all things in the world yea hell it self because it layes hold on heaven and happinesse upon the power of God and the mercy of God in Christ and upon those rich promises What is in the world or in the rank of good things but faith out-bids it by setting heaven against it and what evill is there but faith overcomes the feare of it by setting hell against it I shall have such a good if I yeeld to such a lust I but what is that to heaven saith Faith For faith being the Hypostasis the substance of things to come makes them substantiall and evident to the soule as if they were alreadie subsistent being looked upon in the certaintie of the word and so it affects the soul deeply and upholds it strongly even as if the things themselves were present and so it banisheth and dispels all discomforts the 11. Chapter to the Hebrews is a Comment upon this truth in the example of Moses and many others What greater object of feare might be presented to a man then the angry face and countenance of a terrible Tyrant Yet when by the eye of faith he saw him that was invisible and then looked upon Pharaoh what was Pharaoh to God When Micaiah had seene God sitting on his Throne what was Ahab to him And when the soule hath entred into the vaile and sees the glorious things of heaven and happinesse what are all things below Faith sets the Soule on a Rocke above the reach of waves upon the love of God in Christ. And therefore set the grace of Faith on worke keepe it on the wing preserve it on exercise and faith exercised will be able to comfort the most dejected soule in the world and to raise it above all the troubels that can be imagined or befall us The Second SERMON IOHN Ch. 14. Ver. 1 Let not your hearts be tronbled ye beleeve in God beleeve also in me THe words of dying men departing out of the world as being most serious and weighty are most to be regarded The children of God the neerer they are to heaven the more suteable they are to their heavenly condition So was our Saviour Christ and therefore he labours to furnish his Disciples and in them us with good counsell to establish their hearts against the troubles and scandals to come If you consider the time when he spake these words it was when he himself was to be troubled more then ever was any creature yet ye forgets himselfe and his future troubles and thinks how to raise up and comfort them He foresaw that Peter would deny him that the rest would leave him he foresaw that they would be dejected when he was gone yet let not your hearts be troubled Oh what a blessed and sweet Saviour have we that thinks more of us then of himselfe that he forgets his own troubles and sufferings and extremities and thinks of the supporting and upholding of his Disciples This came from the same love that drew him from heaven to earth which moved him to take our nature and in that nature to dye for us and what may we not expect from that sweet and large love out of the same bowels of pittie and compassion was it that they should not be over much dejected that he saith Let not your hearts be troubled He knew his Disciples were in the state of grace already yet he foresaw they were such as would sinne Nay that Peter would deny him Yet the foresight of Peters and their unkindnesse did not take away his love and pittie and compassion towards them Yet notwithstanding he gives them sweet counsell nay after they had dealt unkindly with him and denyed and forsooke him Indeed he took no advantage of their weaknesse He knew they had a secret love to him that they had in them a root of affection and he was so farre from taking advantage for it that presently after he saith Tell my brethren that I ascend to my God and their God yea and tell Peter so too that hath dealt most unkindly of all with me What a gracious and mercifull Saviour have we that foresees what ill we will do and when we have done it takes no advantage against us but is carefull to keepe us from too much dejection though he knew we would deale so unkindly by him and indeed he did of purpose take our nature that he might be a mercifull high Priest Christians must distinguish bewixt dejection and griefe It had beene a sinne for them not to have grieved as well as it was a sinne for them to be over much troubled None are more sensible then a Christian Sentit dum vincit he feels troubles whiles he overcomes them Christ speakes to the heart because the heart is the seat of trouble Let not your hearts be troubled Christ could speake to the eares and heart at once his words were operative and conveighed comfort with them Together with his words he let in his holy Spirit that comforted them Gods commands in the ministery of his word suppose not that we have any abilitie to execute them but together with his word there comes forth a power As when Christ said Lazarus arise there went forth a power that caused Lazarus to arise As in the Creation he said Let there be light for the Word and the Spirit go together Having taken them off from trouble he shews a way how to raise them which is by faith Ye beleeve in God beleeve also in me The object in beleeving is God and Christ Mediator we must have both to found our faith upon We cannot beleeve in God except we beleeve in Christ for God must be satisfied by God and by him that is God must that satisfaction be applied the Spirit of God by working faith in the heart and for the raising of it up when it is dejected all is supernaturall in faith The things we beleeve are above nature the promises are above nature the worker of it the holy Ghost is above nature and every thing in faith is above nature there must be a God in whom we beleeve and a God through whom if God had not satisfied God the conscience would never have beene satisfied there would still have
beene misdoubtings And yet if the holy Ghost sets not downe the heart and convinceth it throughly of the all-sufficiencie of that satisfaction it would never beleeve neither And therefore as ye beleeve in God beleeve also in me for I am God too We may know that Christ is God not onely by that which Christ hath done the Miracles which none could do but God but also by what is done to him And two things are done to him which shew that he is God that is Faith and Prayer we must beleeve onely in God and pray onely to God But Christ is the object of both these here he is set forth as the object of Faith and of Prayer in that of Saint Stephen Lord Iesus receive my spirit And therefore he is God for that is done unto him which is proper and peculiar onely to God That which I shall now touch upon is this we must remember what a strong foundation what bottome and basis our faith hath there is God the Father Sonne and holy Ghost and Christ the Mediator that our faith may be supported we have him to beleeve on who supports heaven and earth As in 1. Hebr. and Colos. 1. he created all things as well as the Father he is honoured of all as well as the Father he that supports the pillars of heaven and earth is able to support the pillars of thy soule But how doth faith in Christ ease the soule of trouble In a word as it carrieth the soule out of it selfe unto God in Christ and unto Christ uniting and making us one with him and so sets the soule above all trouble whatsoever for being one with Christ we are already with him in heaven And againe faith is a grace that presents things to come as present and so establisheth the soule It is the hypostasis of things it gives subsistance to them in the promise and it doth never leave to do it till the things subsist indeed It is grace that accompanieth the soule to heaven looking upon things in the word of him that is truth it selfe and so giving a kinde of being to them throughout all the way to heaven till they have a being indeed And then faith is out of office yeelding it up to sight and the full enjoyment of all But did not the Disciples beleeve already Yes they did but they had need to renew their faith as occasions were renewed and as troubles were to increase Beleeve in me it is as he should have said Now there is occasion for you to use your faith I must be taken out of your sight you must see me suffer and you had need of an extraordinarie measure of faith to see me in such abasement and yet to beleeve that I am God We must grow from faith to faith we may live by it continually and we must increase with the encrease of God that as our difficulties do encrease our strength to go through them may encrease also as they prayed Lord encrease our faith I gave some directions how we might not be troubled And first we must labour to have our part and portion in Christ else there is nothing belongs to us but trouble There are two sorts of men in the Church some that usurpe a peace and exemption from trouble as if joy and comfort were their portion Sathan is wise enough not to trouble them and they take an order with their consciences that they shall not trouble them till needs must till the houre of death or some dismall accident the onely way for such is to be troubled that their trouble may be a foundation of their comfort For to such as live in their sinnes against conscience apparantly so that every man may see it and yet are not troubled they have no interest in comfort nothing but wo and misery belongs to them Indeed Christ came to save sinners but it is broken-hearted sinners penitent sinners that are wearie and heavy laden under the burthen of sin And therefore though these speake peace to themselves yet we dare not speake any comfort to them from Christ As Iehu said to Ioram What hast thou to do with peace as long as the whoredomes of thy mother lezebel are so many Dost thou talke of peace as long as thou art a sweater a prophane liver a malitious person against all that are truly good what hast thou to do with peace Now in the visible Church there is another sort that Sathan laboureth to trouble since he cannot keepe them in the state of nature but they breake from him Christ pulling them out of Sathans kingdome by the power of his ordinances and holy Spirit he labours to trouble them in their peace all he can because they be in the world above the world he enjoyes their condition that they should enjoy that paradise which he left the comforts that he once had and therefore he labours to disturbe them in their comforts The estate of such is mixt here in this world they have that in them and without them which will alwayes be a cause and occasion of trouble They have corruption in them not altogether subdued and they have without them Sathan taking advantage against them and the world opposing them These although they have something in them that must be subdued yet something also that must be cherished and strengthened And therefore these are the persons to whom comfort properly belongs In heaven we shall have no need of being comforted for there our peace shall be to have no enemies at all our peace here is to have comfort in the midst of discomfort and an heart inlarged in troubles He speaks this to them here who were beleevers already Ye beleeve in God who he knew should not be troubled Let not your hearts be troubled So that to the end we may be subjects capable of comfort we must be such as by faith are one with Christ and so reconciled to God All motion ends in rest and all the rest of the soul ends in God the center of the soule And therefore before the soule can settle it selfe it must be brought to God through Christ that must be laid as a ground Now there is a threefold malady that troubleth us and there must be a threefold peace and ground of comfort against them First it is a trouble to the soule when once it is awakened that God and it should be in ill termes when the soule looks upon God as angry and is displeased with it Againe the soule is troubled when it looks upon it selfe and sees nothing but turmoiles and seditions there Thirdly when it looks upon the affaires of the world and accidents here below it is full of confusion for the present and it is full of feares for time to come that things will be worse and worse Thus the soule whilest it is in the world is troubled about its peace with God and with its selfe and about this evill world Now before the soule can
with a perfect heart saith Hezekiah He stood then most in need of comfort and this comforted him this his reflection upon his former sinceritie So when a man can appeale unto God as Peter did Lord thou knowest I love thee so much sincerity so much boldnesse with God And therefore let us keep grace in exercise that we may be fruitfull in our lives and conversations and then we shal be alwaies comfortable And to adde a little there is no grace in a Christian but if it be exercised there is a suteable comfort upon it even here in this world There is a Praemium ante praemium A reward before a reward Nay the Heathen men Socrates and the best of them so farre as they exercised the naturall goodnesse that was in them their consciences reflected peace so farre as they were good and did good they had peace much more peace then bad men had God gave even them some rewards upon discharge of their duties he will not be beholden to any man that exerciseth any degree of goodnesse that is in him Much more therefore shall a childe of God enjoy it when he exerciseth his graces in any temptation when he overcomes any uncleane earthly vaine-glorious vindictive or any other base lust he shall finde peace of conscience suteable and the more he grows in strength and resolution for the time to come the more he groweth in inward peace Righteousnesse and peace go together not onely the righteousnesse of Christ and our reconciliation before God but also the righteousnesse of an holy life and peace in our own consciences The righteousnesse of Christ entitles to heaven and the righteousnesse of an holy life sheweth my title unto comfort As faith in Christs righteousnesse brings peace so sanctification also Christ is first King of righteousnesse and then King of peace And therfore where there is no righteousnesse there is no peace But on the contrary as heat followeth the fire and as the beames have an emanation from the Sunne so doth comfort arise from grace especially from grace exercised Therefore they that would have inward peace let them labour to be gratious and that not onely in the inward frame of the heart but in the exercise of grace upon all occasions For they that walke according to this rule that is of the new creature peace be to them and the whole Israel of God Gal. 15 16 an exact and carefull life will bring constant peace Therefore let us labour first for interest in Christs righteousnesse and then for the righteousnesse of an holy life for a conscience to justifie us that we have no purpose to live in any sinne and a not accusing conscience will be a justifying conscience What a blessed condition shall we be in to be in Christ and to know that we are so Oh the heaven on earth of such a man as is in that condition For which way soever he looks he finds matter of comfort If he looks backward to the government of the spirit that hath ruled him in the former part of his life he may say with Saint Paul I have fought a good fight I have runne the race that God hath set before me And what a sweet reflection is this he is not afraid to looke backe to his life past as other men If he looks forward he seeth a place prepared for him in heaven and there he sees himselfe already in Christ hence forth there is laid up for me a crowne of righteousnesse which the righteous judge shall give me at that day and all that love his appearing saith he there When there comes ill tydings of the Church abroad and at home it doth not much dismay him his heart is fixed he beleeveth in God and in Christ and that keepes him from being like a reed shaken with every winde For reproaches and disgraces that he meets withall in the world he weares them as his crowne if they be for Religion and goodnesse sake For his witnesse is in heaven and in his owne conscience And God in heaven and his conscience within do acquit him and if he suffer for his deserts yet in all afflictions God dealeth with him as a correcting father he knoweth he hath deserved them but he lookes on them as coming from a father in covenant with him And what can come from a father but what is sweet He sees it moderated and sweetened and in the issue tending to make him more holy The sting is taken out and a blessing is upon it to make him better And therefore what can make a Christian uncomfortable when he hath the Spirit of Christ and faith the root of grace These comforts being warmed with meditation will sticke close to the heart comforts that are digested are they that worke Let them therefore not onely enter into the braine and fleete there but let them sinke into the heart by often consideration of Gods love in Christ and the priviledges of Christians here and in heaven where our head is and where we shall be ere long Warme the heart with these and see if any petty thing can cast thee downe FINIS Psal. 90. Chap. 8. 10. Ob. Ans. Non durant in adversis quae non in pace quaesita Heb. 12. 5. Quest. Answ. Quest. Answ. 2. Pet. 1. Heb. 7. 1. 2. Tim. 4. 7.
TVVO SERMONS VPON THE FIRST words of Christs last Sermon IOHN XIIII I. Being also the last Sermons of RICHARDS SIBBS D. D. Preached to the honourable society of Grayes Inne Iune the 21. and 28. 1635. Who the next Lords day following died and rested from all his labours 2. Sam. 23. 1. These are the last words of the sweet singer of Israel LONDON Printed by Thomas Harper for Lawrence Chapman and are to be sold at his shop in Holborne at Chancery lane end 1636. HONORATISSIMO DOMINO DOMINO ROBERTO COMITI WARVVICENSI HAS MELLITISSIMI THEOLOGI RICHARDI SIBBS S. THEOL DOCTORIS QUEM Percharum habuit cuiusque concionantis auditor erat assiduus unà cum nobilissima Familia CYGNEAS CONCIONES IN â—ENTISSIMI AVTHORIS AFFECTVS NEC NON IPSORVM SINGVLARIS OBSEQVII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 D. D. D. THOMAS GOODVVIN PHILIPPUS NYE Imprimatur Tho. Weekes R. P. EP. Lond. Capel Domest The first SERMON lOHN 14. chap. 1 verse Let not your hearts be troubled ye beleeve in God beleeve also in me HOly men as they be trees os righteousnesse and desire to be fruitfull at all times so most especially towards their end having but a short time to live in the world they be willing to leave the world with a good savour so it was with Iacob so with Moses as appeares in his excellent Song made before his death you may see it in King Salomon and David before their deaths but especially in our Saviour The nearer to heaven the more heavenly minded when grace and glory are ready to joyne the one to be swallowed up of the other then grace is most glorious All the passages of Christ are comfortable but none more comfortable then those Sermons of his that were delivered a little before his death of all words that come from loving men to those they love such are most remarkable as be spoken when they be ready to die because then men are most serious they being about the most serious businesse then they bee wisest and best able to judge for the consideration of their end makes them wise And therefore sayth God Oh that my people were wise to consider their latter end And Teach mee to number my dayes that I may apply my heart to wisedome sayth Moses And indeed there is no wisedome to that for it teacheth men to passe a right judgement upon all things in the world they be no longer drunke with the prosperity of the world they be no longer swayed with opinion but they passe an estimation of things as they are Besides love at that time is especially set on worke Therefore our blessed Saviour being now to offer himselfe a sacrifice on the Crosse he sweetly delivereth these words before his departure Let not your hearts be troubled Let us heare them therefore as the dying words of our Saviour to his Disciples and in his Disciples to us all as in the 17 of Saint Iohn I pray not for them onely but for all such as shall beleeve in me through their word for his comforts concerne us all as his prayers did This Chapter is sweetly mixt of comforts counsels and gratious promises but especially it affords matter of comfort mark who it is that gives this comfort our blessed Saviour And at what time when he was to sacrifice himselfe What admirable love and care and pitie is in this mercifull high Priest of ours that should so thinke of comforting his disciples as to forget hemselfe and his owne approaching death It is the nature of love so to do and we should imitate our blessed Saviour in it you see how he laboureth to strengthen them especially towards his end he knew they would then need it most and therfore he endeavoureth by all means to strengthen them both by counsell as here by the Passeover and by a newly instituted Sacrament But what need we wonder at this in our blessed Saviour who so regarded us as he left heaven took our nature became man put himselfe under the Law became sinne The words containe a disswasion from over-much trouble and then a direction to beleeve in God and Christ comforts must be founded on strong reasons For we are reasonable and understanding creatures and God works on us answerably to our principles He stayes our spirits by reasons stronger then the grievance For what is comfort but that which establisheth and upholds the soule against that evill which is feared or felt from a greater strength of reason which overmastreth the evill If the grievance bee but even with the comfort then the consolation workes not but Christs comforts are of an higher nature then any trouble can be for hee not onely disswades from trouble but also perswades to confidence Be of good comfort I have overcome the world The occasion of this comforting them and of remooving their discouragements was this In the former Chapter hee had told them that he should leave them and that they should leave him the best of them all even Peter should take offence at him and denie him and that all the rest should leave him From whence they might gather that the approaching trouble should be great That should cause Peter to deny him and them all to forsake him And thence must needes arise great scandalls Our Saviour saw by the power of his Godhead into their hearts and like enough in their lookeshee saw a spirit of discouragement seyzing on them for his departure and Peters fall their forsaking of him and the persecutions that would follow And therefore Christ discerning this dejection of their spirits he rayseth them by this Let not your hearts be troubled The heavenly Physition of our soules applieth then the remedy when it is the fittest season There was some good in their trouble something naturally and something spiritually good There was ground of naturall trouble at the departure of such a friend at the hearing of such persecutions For wee are flesh not steele and in that sence Christ was troubled himselfe to shew the truth of his manhood nay trouble is the seasoning of all heavenly comforts so as there were no comforts if there were no trouble and therefore this naturall trouble was not disallowed by Christ. There was likewise something spiritually good in this trouble they loved their Master who they saw was going away And they knew it was a shamefull thing for them to forsake him there was love in them towards him all this while Christ could discerne gold in â—oare some good in a great deale of ill and therefore loved them againe and manifested it by comforting them Let not your beares be troubled They were right in this principle that all comfort depends on the presence of Christ. And so the maine ground of the sorrow was good For as all heavenly light and heat and influence comes from the Sunne it being all gathered into that body so all heavenly comfort is gathered into Christ and therefore must come to us from Christs presence