as he rose we shall arise As verily as he is at Gods right hand we shall be there too for by faith we sit now in heavenly places with Christ and we shall judge the world and be for ever with the Lord. Whatsoever we see in Christ interest our selves in it And therefore we must not conceive of Christ as a severed person but conceive of our selves in union and communion with Christ our head and to conceive of Christ as our head and surety and second Adam And as a quickening spirit that communicateth all to us And therefore when we are to deal with God be sure to go through Christ as we expect all from God through Christ so give all to God through Christ again Be sure to take Benjamin with us when we go come cloathed with the Garments of our elder Brother and do not doubt when we come with Christ for else we dishonour Christ shall I come in the sweet name and mediation of my Saviour that hath perfected salvation and not be accepted of God when God hath ordained him for that purpose If we stagger and doubt to receive any thing at Gods hands we wrong not only Gods bounty but Christ the Mediator carry this therefore all along with us do all in him and desire God to pardon all for his sake and God will regard us Let us therefore make this use of it and add this further That if so be God is first the Father of Christ before he is our Father and first the God of Christ before he is our God and that all our good is dependent upon what God is to Christ first then doth not this follow from hence that we should not only thank God for our selves but thank God for whatsoever he hath done to Christ not only comfort our selves in it but let God have the glory of it And this the spirit of God in the holy Apostles Peter and Paul led them to Ephes 1. Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ what and nothing but so nay with a reduplication Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ even because he is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ because out of his infinite depth of wisdom and goodness he hath found out a way to save us in Christ to be a Father to him and in him a Father to us It is said of the Virgin Mary Aâ— Generations shall call her blessed Why because she was Mother of the person that was God she was the Mother of Christ in humane nature and of God because we may not sever the persons And shall we blesse the Virgin Mary as Mother of God and not God as Father of Christ If she be the Mother of Christ-man then God is the Father of whole Christ and therefore blessed be God not only that he is our Father and our God but that he might be thus with satisfaction to divine justice he hath found out such a way to be the Father of Christ and Christ as man is an object of Gods love and predestination as well as we We deserved nothing at Gods hands but he found out â—uch a way by taking the nature of man into unity of his second person and so became a Father of Christ and of us And therefore blesse God who hath predestinated Christ to â—e the Lamb of God that hath freed him from sin and raised him from the dead that hath carried him into Heaven and set him at his right hand ordained him to be judg of quick and dead Are these things severed from us no they be favours that be ours in Christ his first then ours And therefore whensoever we think of any thing Christ hath of his glory in Heaven as he is King of Heaven and earth and hath all power committed to him glorisie God for it and think of it this is mine he is mine Husband my head he hath taken up that glory and whatsoever is in Heaven and injoyeth them he hath taken it up for me and therefore we should blesse God for it So the Apostle Peter blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ that hath begot us again to an inheritance immortal undefiled that fadeth not away reserved in the Heavens He hath begot us to a lively hope through the Resurrection of Christ from the dead So it is from the Resurrection of Christ from the dead that Christ saith God is my Father and your Father since Gods justice is satisfied by my Resurrection that is declared to be satisfied I ascend to my Father and your Father to my God and your God I beseech you let us not lose the comfort of these things since our Saviour Christ intendeth them for comfort To come to the words First Christ saith God was his God and our God because his God In what sense is God Christs God As mediator as man both in regard of his person and in regard of his office God is Christs God every way See Psal 22. which is a Psalm of Christ David being but a type of him in it Thou art my God from my mothers womb and so God is Christs God in his particular person from his Mothers womb For first God was Christs God when by his holy spirit he sanctified him in his Mothers womb and brought him out into the world Let the foolish disputes of Fryars and dreams and dotages of dunsical times go But thou art my God from my Mothers womb And 2. He is Christs God because he saved him from the massacre of the Infants Our Saviour Christ makes that prayer in Psal 22. on the Crosse My God my God why hast thou forsaken me 3. God was Christs God in protecting of him in his young time and afterward in going along with him still to his death and in death my God my God still He would own God to be his God still when God had deserted him to his sense and feeling yet my God still So God was Christs God as Christ wasâ—man take Christ as mediator God is the God of Christ for God the Father hath by his Authority put on Christ whatsoever he hath The Father hath sent him into the world The Father sealed him the Father set him out as a propitiation for our sins The Father hath declared him and annointed him and all these tearms of Authority whereby the Father hath shewed himself to be Christs God even in his office of Mediatorship So in regard of the care of his person from his Mothers womb and for ever and in regard of his office as Mediator he might well say I go to my God In regard of the intimate familiarity and acquaintance maintained even on the Crosse he might say my God But the comfort of it lyeth in the second clause That as God is the God of Christ so he is our God because he is the God of Christ What is it to be a God to any In a
A HEAVENLY CONFERENCE BETWEEN CHRIST AND MARY AFTER HIS RESURRECTION WHEREIN The intimate familiarity and near relation between Christ and a Believer is discovered LONDON Printed for John Rothwel and are to be sold at the Fountain and Bear in Cheapside 1654. TO THE READER THe scope and business of this Epistle is not so much to commend the Workman whose name is a sweet savor in the Church As to give thee a short and summary view of the generalls handled in this Treatise Though much might be said of this eminent Saint If either detraction had fastened her venomous nails in his pretious name or the testimony of the Subscribers of this Epistle might give the Book a freer admission into thy hands This only we shall crave leave to mind the Reader of That this bright Star who sometimes with his light refreshed the souls of many of Gods people while he sâ—one in the hoâ—izon of our Church set as we may say between the evening of many shadowes and the morning of a bright hoped for Reformation which though it be for the present overcast yet being so agreeable to the mind of Jesus Christ and ushered in with the groans and prayers of so many of his Saints we doubt not but will in Gods own time break forth gloriously to the dissipating of those Clouds and foggs which at the present do eclipse and darken it Now as it is the wisdom of God in bringing about his own designs to raise up fit and suitable instruments for the work of every Generation So it is also the gratious dispensation of God to put seasonable words into the mouths of those his Servants who by faith do fix their eyes on him for the guidance of his blessed spirit as every judicious Reader may observe in the works of this reverend Divine who foreseeing as it were what a degeneracy of spirit Professors in his time were falling a pace into that itch of Questions and Disputings like anoxious humor beginning then to break forth among Professors like a skilful Physician applyed himself to preserve the vitalls and essentials of Religion That the souls of his hearers being captivated with the inward beauty and glory of Christ and being led into an experimental knowledge of heavenly truths their spirits might not evaporate and discharge themselves in endless gainless soul-unedifying and conscienceperplexing questions For as it is in nature a man that hath tasted the sweetness of honey will not easily be perswaded that honey is bitter But he that hath only taken it up upon credit may soon be baffled out of it because no act can go higher then its principle and so it is in Religion for those good souls that have imbraced the truths of Jesus Christ upon a supernatural principle and experimented not only the truth but the goodness of them in their own souls they are the clinched christians the good hold-fast men as Mr. Fox stiles some Christians in his dayes they are the even and steady walkers Whereas those that have only a form of godliness a slight tincture who have only out of novelty and curiosity or pride and ambition or other self ends professed Religion will prove giddy and unconstant like Clouds carried about with every blast and while they promise themselves liberty be a prey to the net of every fancy and opinion To the sound and practical Christian that is not squeesie stomacked will the truths in this treatise be grateful supposing therefore and desiring if thou are not thou may'st be such a one Here is offered to thy consideration a divine and heavenly Discourse betwixt Christ and Mary between a soul-burthened sinner and a burthen-removing Saviour Thou may'st here see how diligent Mary is to seek how ready Christ is to be found Mary hath her heart brim full of sorrow Christ Comes as it were leaping over the Mountains with comfort and bowels of compassion Mary was in a strong pang of affection nay her affections were wound so high that her expressions seem broken and her actions might seem to savor of irregularity were it not to that excellency of the object did warrant the height of her affection and the compassion of Christ was large enough not only to interpret for the best but also to pardon and cover all her infirmities The woman was better at her affections then expressions They have taken away my Lord she speaks at random names no body whether Jews or Disciples or Souldiers But see the strength of her faith she is not ashamed to call him Lord even in the lowest state of humiliation though Christ be reproached persecuted despised rejected dead buried yet he shall be Maries Lord. Again I know not where they have laid him she dreams of a bodily asportation and resting of Christ somewhere and speaks with indignation as if she looked upon it as an indignity or incivility nay of cruelty Saevitum est in cadavera saevitum est in ossa saevitum est in cineres Cyprian of the Roman Emperors cruelty to remove a dead body What was done to Christ Mary takes it as done to her and good heart she thinks she hath so much right to him that he should not be stirred without her knowledge And I know not where c. Now while Mary is seeking Christ who is never far absent from a seeking soul he stands at her back Christ is neerer to us many times then we think of Sometimes a poor soul wants the sight of comfort more then matter of comfort and is like Hagar weeping for water when the well is hard by seeking of Christ is the souls duty but Christ manifesting himself is the souls comfort Mary turned her self and she saw Jesus Gerson saith the Angels rose up at the presence of Christ which Mary seeing made her turn about but omitting that conjecture The original word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is sometimes used for a turning of the face but most frequently for a turning of the whole body but to put it out of doubt here it is said exegetically 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 She turned her self back The same phrase the Steptuagint use of Lots wise looking back Many times Christ hath his face towards us when we have our backs upon him and therefore if thou wouldest finde Christ turn thy self to him Again here thou may'st see the true Joseph he knowes Mary when she knows not him but takes him for the Gardner Christ is alwayes before-hand with us in his grace he loves us before we love him and calls us before we call him Mary travails with desires to find Christ and Christ is full of yernings towards her like Joseph he could refrain no longer and because the general manifestation of Christ wrought little he calles her by her name Mary and she being a sheep of Christ knowes his voice and answers him with a title of dignity Rabboni that is to say my Master We may see here that discoveries of grace are not fruitless they stir
presently 4. But to go on you see here again that Christ must begin to us before we can answer him He began to Mary and then she said Rabbony all the passages of salvation are done by way of Covenant by way of commerce and entercourse between God and man but God begins first In election indeed we choose him but he chuseth us first And he knoweth who are his and we know him but he knows us first And in calling we answer I but he calleth first and we do but eccho to his call in justification forgivness of sins we accept of justification and submit to the righteousness of Christ and Gods purpose of saving man that way but he giveth faith first for faith is the gift of God We glorifie him here on earth but it is from a result of Gods glorifying us in Heaven some earnests we have but they are of Gods giving All we do is but reflexion of his love first or his knowledge first The Christian soul saith thou art my God I but he saith first I am thy salvation As Augustine saith non frustra dicit anima Deus salus tua when God saith I am thy salvation it is eaâ—ie for the soul to say thou art my God And this may teach us in our devotions when we are to deal with God when we are to bring to him any request to desire him first to reveal himself to us desire Christ to reveal himsâ—lf by his spirit to us It is an errour in he case of mens devotions they think to bring something of their own strength and to break in as it were upon God without his discovery first But Paul saith Gal. 4. 9. We know God or rather are known of him We must desire that he would make known his heart to us first and then we shall know him again that the would speak to us by his spirit and then we shall answer to him again That he would say to our souls he is our salvation and then we may lay claim to him he is our God Desire the spirit of revelation to reveal his bowels and love to us in Christ by his holy spirit for certainly in every return of ours to Christ God begins to us all in all though not so sensibly but we ought to pray every day more and more for a sensible revelation that God would reveal his love to us in Christ And we cannot but answer if Christ saith Mary Mary cannot but answer Rabboni But you will say then it is not our fault but Christs fault if he must begin If God begins we shall answer I answer briefly That God doth alwayes begin to us and is before-hand with us in all dealings with our selves He giveth us many motions and never withdraweth himself from us but when he is despised and slighted first therefore let us take heed that we labour to answer Christs call vvhen he doth call If vve slight it then in a judicious course he ceaseth to speak further to us if vve slight his beginnings of revelations There be many degrees and passages to faith and assurance if vve do not observe the beginning hovv God begins to reveal himself to us by little and little speaking to us by his spirit in our hearts vvhen he begins then in a spirituall judgement sometimes he leaves us to our selves And therefore let us regard all the motions of the spirit and all the speeches of the spirit of Christ for he begins by little and little else our consciences will say afterward we are not saved because we would not be saved We would not yield to all the passages of salvation but when he was beforehand with us and offered many sweet motions yet we loved our sins better then our souls and so repelled all Therefore I beseech you do not refuse the sweet messages from Heaven the gracious and sweet motions of the spirit of Christ make much of them God hath begun to you be sure to answer Learn it of Mary when Christ began she set not her heart and infidelity against it but she opened her heart and said Rabboni learn therefore the duty of spirituall obedience when God speaks speak Lord for thy Servant heareth Do not shut your eares to the motions of Gods blessed spirit do not harden your hearts against his voice but open your hearts as she did Rabboni Our Saviour Christ here saith Mary but when after he had concealed himself from her a long time It is not presently Mary nor Rabboni He had coÌ„cealed himself a great while Christ doth not usually open himself fully at first though at first he doth in some degree but he observeth degrees as in the church in generall You see how that he discovers himself in his gracious promises by little and little darkly at first and at last the Sun of righteousness ariseth clearly So the day-Starre ariseth in our hearts by degrees It is a great while before Mary heareth the satisfying speech of Christ Mary But why doth Christ thus conceal himself in regard of his fuller manifestation It is partly to try and exercise our faith and other graces and therefore God doth seem to withdraw himself in the sence of his love 1. To see whether we can live by faith or whether we be all together addicted to sense as the world is who live altogether by sense and not by faith 2. He would have our patience tryed to the utmost he would have patience have its perfect work she had much patience to indure all this but her patience had not a perfect work till Christ spake 3. Christ will stir up and quicken zeal and fervency in his Children and therefore he seemed to deny the woman of Cnnaan first he giveth no answer but a harsh answer A Dogge And she works upon it though I am a Dogge yet Dogs have crumbs All which denyal was only to stir up zeal and earnestness And therefore though Christ doth not manifest himself to us at first yet it is to stir up zeal and affection to seek after him more earnestly A notable passage there is of this Cant. 3. 16. The soul sought Christ and sought long and sought in the use of all means but at length she waited and in waiting she found him 4. Christ doth this for to set a greater price upon his presence when he comes to make his presence highly valued when he doth discover himsâ—lf Desiderata diu magis placent Things long desired please more sweetly And things when wanted are ingratiated to us as warmth after cold and meat after hunger and so in every particular of this life And therefore God to set a greater price on his presence and that he would be held more strongly when he doth reveal himself he defers a long time That is one reason why he did defer revealing himself to Mary that she might have the more sweet contentment in him when he did reveal
as are taught of God Who can take away the opposite disposition of mans nature to goodness but God by his spirit who can shine into the soul and quicken the soul but Christ by his spirit who is above the heart and conscience but Christ by his spirit therefore take heed of formality submit your hearts to the great Prophet of the Church that Moses speaketh of Deut. 18. who shall be the great teacher of the Church lift up our hearts to him that he would teach our hearts and remove the naturall disposition that is in us that he would take off the veil from our hearts and teach not only what to do but to teach the very doing of them Teach us to hate what is ill teach us to believe and to resist all Satans temptations who can teach this but the great Teacher whose Chair is in Heaven therefore take heed of depending on formall things Lift your hearts to God that he would joyn his teaching with all other teaching This cannot be too much stood upon I beseech you therefore take it to heart Give me leave to add a few things more If Christ speaketh in generall to Mary she answereth in generall And when he speaks aloof to her she answereth aloof to him a far off and never gave him a direct answer till he gave a direct word to her When he said Mary she gave him a direct answer Rabboni not before I beseech you therefore let us not rest in generall promises and the generall graces that be so much stood on by some That God hath a like respect to all Trust not to that we must not enter into his secrets but let us obey his precepts and Commandements And withall remember this When we hear of a generall mercy and Commandement for all Nations to believe and that Christ came to save a world of sinners alas what is that to me unless thou by thy holy spirit speakest to my soul and saist in particular I am thy salvation and speakest familiarly to my soul Generalls are in some degrees comfortable But if I find not particular interest by the witness of thy holy spirit to my soul if thou sayst not to my soul I am thine and thou art mine all is to little purpose Therefore in the desires of our souls in prayer let us desire the Lord to reveal himself in particular We trust too much in Generalls God is mercifull and Christ came to redeem the World They be truths and good foundations for to sound faith upon but they will not do the deed till by daily prayer vve seek to the Lord that he vvould in a particular manner reveal himself to us This doth Paul pray for Ephes 1. That God would vouch safe to them the spirit of Revelation And this is the office of the holy Spirit his speciall office is to reveal to every one in particular his estate and condition to God-ward The Holy Ghost knoweth the secrets in the brest of God and in our own hearts Now the Holy Ghost only can reveal the particular love that lyeth in Gods brest to our particular souls And therefore we should desire God that the holy spirit may be sent to seal to us our particular salvation and never be quiet till we be sealed in particular assurance that we be they whom Christ came to save This we ought to labour for if we labour for it we shall have it sometime or other for God loveth to be familiar with his Children He loveth not to be strange to them if they seek his love but to reveal himself first or last And few seek it but God revealeth himself by his spirit to them before they die if he doth not they are sure of it in Heaven And therefore they that be against particulars they are enemies to their own salvation Mary regarded not while Christ spake of generalls But when he came to particulars then Rabboni and not before Jesus saith unto her touch me not I am not yet ascended to my Father c. This verse containeth Christs Prohibition or Christs Commission or Charge His prohibition Touch me not and his reason for I am not yet ascended to my Father His Charge Go to my Brethren And then directeth what to say to them I ascend to my Father and your Father to my God and your God The words be very naturall and need no breaking up to you But I shall handle them as they follow one another Jesus said to her touch me not Touch me not Why he would have Thomas not only touch but to put his finger into his side that is more then touching him But our Saviours intent is to meet with a disposition in Mary something carnall something low and mean in regard of this glorious occasion Christ being now risen and glorified for his resurrection was the first degree of his glorification And therefore touch me not She came with too much a carnall mind to touch him when we said Rabboni it was not satisfaction enough for her to answer Rabboni but she runneth to him and claspeth him and clingeth about him as the affection of love did dictate to her But saith he touch me not in such a manner this is not a fit manner for thee to touch me in now I am risen again In a word she had a thought to converse with Christ in as familiar a manner as before when she powred oyntment on his head He was the same person but the case is altered that was in the dayes of his humiliation now he was risen again and it was the first degree of his glorification There was another manner of converse due to him and therefore touch me not Thou thinkest to touch me as thou didst before but thou must not do it She was too much addicted to his bodily presence 1. It is that that men will labour after and have laboured for even from the beginning of the world to be too much addicted to present things and to sense They will worship Christ but they must have a picture before them They will adore Christ but they must bring his body down into a peece of bread they must have a presence And so instead of raising their hearts to God and Christ in a heavenly manner they pull down God and Christ to them this the pride and base earthliness of man will do And therefore saith Christ touch me not in that manner It is not with me now as it was before We must take heed of mean and base conceits of Christ What saith Paul 2 Cor. 5. I know uo man now according to the flesh no not Christ himself now he is risen Christ was of such a Tribe Stature had such gifts and qualities What is that to me Christ is now Lord of Lords and King of Kings He is glorious in Heaven and so I conceive of him I know no man after the flesh no not Christ himself I forget what
but Christ ascended to Heaven that his departure from them might not be prejudicial to them but that they might have comfort through the God of comfort the spirit of comfort the Holy Ghost I will send the Comforter And though there was no losse by the ascension of Christ they might fear by losing of Christ that all their comfort was gone I but Christ telleth them I go to prepare a place for you He goeth to take up Heaven for his Church and then to send his spirit What a blessed intercourse is there now since Christs ascension between Heaven and Earth Our body is in heaven and the spirit of God is here on earth The flesh that he hath taken into heaven is a pledge that all our flesh and bodies shall be where he is ere long In the mean time we have the spirit to comfort us and never to leave us till we be brought to the place where Christ is This is great comfort and this is the main end why Christ ascended to the Father that he might send the comforter And comfort might well come now in more abundance then before because by the death of Christ all enemies were conquered and by the Resurrection of Christ it was discovered that God was appeased The Resurrection of Christ manifested to the world what was done by death and now all enemies being conquered and God being appeased what remains but the sweetest gift next Christ the Holy Ghost And that is the reason why the holy Ghost was more abundant after Christs Resurrection because God was fully satisfied and declared by the rising of Christ to be fully satisfied and all enemies to be conquered 4. One end likewise of his Resurrection was to make a shew of his Conquest There is a double victory over the Enemy There is a victory in the field and triumph together with it And then there is triumphing in Civitate Regia a triumphing in the Kingly City So Christ did conquer in his death and shewed his Conquest by resurrection but he did not lead captivity captive and make shew thereof till he ascended and then he made open shew of his victorious triumph in Civitate Regia 5. One special end likewise why he would have this Message sent that he was to ascend was that he might appear there in Heaven for us as Heb. 9. He appears for ever in Heaven for us and maketh intercession for us When the high Priest was to enter into the holy of holies which was a type of Heaven he carried the names of the twelve Tribes ingraven in stones upon his brest Christ our true high Priest being entred into the true Holy of Holies carried the names of all his Elect in his breast into Heaven and there appeareth before God for us He carrieth us in his heart Christ doth fulfill that which in John 17. he prayeth for appearing in heaven before his Father by virtue of his blood-shed and that blood that speaketh better things then the blood of Abel it speaks mercy pardon the blood of Abel crieth for vengeance justice but the blood of Christ saith here is one that I shed my blood for And when we pray to God God accepts of our prayers and by virtue of Christs blood-shed there is mercy and pardon and favour procured which is sprinkled by faith upon the soul God manifesting to the soul by his spirit that Christ dyed in particular for such a soul which soul praying to God in the name of Christ that blood not only in Heaven but sprinkled upon the soul speaketh peace there The spirit saith that to the soul which Christ doth in Heaven Christ saith in Heaven I dyed for such a soul the spirit saith in the soul Christ dyed for me and the blood of Christ is sprinkled on every particular soul As Christ in Heaven appears and intercedeth for me so the spirit intercedeth in mine own guilty heart that always speaks discomfort till it be satisfied with particular assurance Christ dyed for me and God is mine and Christ is mine Thus particular faith sprinkleth the blood of Christ upon the soul So that now my sins are not only pardoned in Heaven but in my soul There is not only intercession in Heaven but in my soul My soul goeth to God for pardon and for mercy and rejoyceth in all the mercies it hath and hopeth to have What is done in Heaven is done in a mans soul by the spirit in some measure 6. The last end is that he might shew that our salvation is exactly wrought that God is perfectly satisfied to the full else he should never have risen much lesse ascended to Heaven And therefore if we once believe in Christ for forgiveness of sins and yet say I doubt of salvation it is all one as if you should go about to pluck Christ from Heaven The doubtful distrustful heart till it be subdued by a spirit of faith saith who shall ascend to Heaven to tell me whether I shall go to Heaven or who shall enter into the deep to tell me I am freed from hell I am afraid I shall be damned saith the guilty heart till the spirit of God hath brought it under and perswaded it of Gods love in Christ Say not who shall ascend up to Heaven for that is to bring Christ down from Heaven And what an injurious thing is it to bring Christ from heaven to suffer on the Crosse This is a great indignity though we think not of it to doubt of our salvation and not cast our selves on his mercy For as verily as he is there we shall be there He is gone to take up a place for us he is there in our name as the Husband taketh a place for his spouse And if we doubt whether we shall come there or no we doubt whether he be there or no. And if we doubt of that we doubt whether he hath wrought salvation or no and so we bring him down to the Crosse again Who shall descend to the deep that is to bring Christ from the dead again such is the danger of a distrustful heart So that by Christs ascending into Heaven we may know all is done and accomplished all our enemies are subdued God is appeased and fully satisfied Heaven is taken up in our room and therefore labor for a large heart answerable to the large unchangeable grounds we have for faith to pitch and bottom it self upon Therefore make this further use of this ascension of Christ and thereupon his intercession in Heaven for us He is there to plead our cause he is there as our surety to appear for us and not only so but as a Councellor to plead for us and not only so but one of us as if a Brother should plead for a Brother and not only so but a favorite there too all favorites are not so excellent at counselling perhaps but we have one that is favorite in Heaven
into Christ by a spirit of adoption and have the stamp of the Father upon them The likeness of the Father and of Christ whom God begetsto his own likeness that are in a word like Christ Christ is the first Son and in him and for his sake we are Sons He is the natural Son and they may say our Father that labor to express the disposition of Christ who is the first Son See this disposition of Christ in the Gospel how marvellously patient he was under the hand of his Father obedienâ— to the death of his Crosse humbled full of love full of goodness He went about doing good Do we thâ—n walk as Christ did carry we the image of the second Adam have we the patient humble meek disposition of Christ in our measure do we love Christ in his members God in his Image do we love the Ordinances and the power of Reâ—igion this sheweth what we are and is our conversation sutable to our inward disposition do we walk in light do we shew by our conversation whose Children we are do our speeches give a Character of the inward man If this be in us though in never so small a measure with comfort we may say our Father But may not another man that is not in Christ come to God under the sweet name of our Father yea he may come to him as his Father by creation and providence or sacramentally a Father or as brought into the Church and having God to create him and to provide for him Lord thou hast shewed thy self a gracious Father thus far though I cannot from any inward perswasion say My Father Thus far as I can I say my Father strive against our spiritual infidelity believe God and cast our selves on his gracious promises in Christ God will meet us at the same time and he will send us his spirit to make us his Sons And therefore let no man that hath been a wicked liver be discouraged from going to God in the name of a Father in that wherein he is a Father Lord thou hast created me and preserved me and it is thy mercy I am not in Hell yet thou offer'st to be my Father in Christ thou hast made gracious promises and invited me and upon this when the heart yieldeth to the gracious apprehensions of God as a Father there is a spirit of faith wrought in the heart presently therefore think of the name of a Father and the very thoughts of it will bring the spirit of adoption Only it speaks no comfort to the bitter malicious satanical enemies of Christ and the power of Religion they be Children of the Devil But now poor souls that groan under the burden of sin let them think that God is a Father and of the mercies of God though they do not see they be interested in them By the very contemplation of the mercies of God in Christ and his inviting them to receive them the spirit of God will be wrought in the soul whereby they may have confidence to come to God as a Father I desire you therefore to remember this it is the first Sermon of our Saviour Christ after his Resurrection and therefore forget not to think of God as a Father and Christ as a Brother Indeed whatsoever comfort is in any relation God and Christ have taken it on them A Father is more comprehensive then any other Title Christ is Father and Husband and Spouse And God is our Rock and Shield and whatsoever is comfortable he hath taken on him and in Christ we may command him to be so And if we had ten thousand Worlds they could not be compared to the comforts that arise from hence that we can call God Father It is more to us if we could improve it in our spiritual Trade for Heaven then if we had a thousand worlds especially in dayes of affliction and in the hour of death For it improveth whatsoev er is in the bowels of God for poor distressed souls When nothing else will comfort this will comfort if we can say to God Father Though we cannot make a distinct prayer yet if we can say Father God can pick matter out of our broken Language Now Christ is ascended up to Heaven he doth us more good then he did when he was upon the earth The Sun in the Firmament yieldeth us heat and comfort but if it were nearer it would do us hurt or if further off it would not do us so much good God hath placed it being a common light of the world high to inlighten inferior bodies and to convey influence by means into them And so Christ the Son of righteousness being ascended and advanced to Heaven doth more good then on earth And therefore saith he it is for your good that I ascend It is for our good that we have Christ in Heaven to appear there for us I ascend to my Father and to your Father Father is here taken personally not essentially though it be true in that sense to my Father as the first person of the Trinity especially Christ might well say I ascend to my Father now for he was risen again and was mightily declared to be the Son of God by his Resurrection from the dead Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee that is this day have I declared thee It is said of things fiunt cum pate fiunt they are done when they be open and declared to be done Christ was the Son of God when he rose again because he was discovered by his glorious Resurrection to be so indeed And therefore Christ may well say after his Resurrection I go to my Father and your Father Observe from hence That God in Christ is our Father We say Relations are Minimae entitatis they are little entities founded on others but they are maximae consequentiae of great concernment I beseech you before I leave the point give me leave to go on a little further in this to shew that wonderful mercy that admirable goodness which the tongues and hearts of all the men in the world and Angels in Heaven are not able to express that love of God which is contained in the Relation he hath taken on him in Christ to be our Father 1. Consider who and whom Who the great God that hath the Son to solace himself in he did not adopt us because he wanted Sons he had Sons of his own and Sons of his love to sollace himself in what need he have took Traitors Rebels enemies to make them his Sons Oh it is a marvellous advancement of our nature that God should in Christ become our Father It is said Psalm 113. God abaseth himself to behold things below and indeed so he doth with reverence be it spoken to his great Majesty he abaseth himself in regard of things below In regard of us worms of the earth that be enemies yea Devils by nature For
again from the dead our Lord Jesus the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting Covenant By the blood of Christ there is an everlasting Covenant God will be our God to death and in death and for ever For this relation being on Gods part extendeth it self from forgiveness of sins to life everlasting It is alwayes the blood of Christ is the blood of an everlasting Covenant I will marry thee to me for ever It holdeth sure on Gods part Let us therefore labor to maintain this assurance of salvation from Gods love 2. But for our comfort we must do our parts too though it begin with God It beginneth on Gods part He loveth us first and imbraceth us first and we must love again and imbrace again We must desire of God grace to answer relation Therefore I will prescribe some rules how we may say God is our God with comfort That we may have the comfort of it by making good our interest in him to make it good that we are Sonnes as well as to call him Father that we are his people as well as to call him our God his spouse as well as call him our Husband And because this cometh from God joyn this withall our endeavors Lord thou must begin I desire to shew my self as a spouse to thee but thou must discover thy self to me I desire to love thee but discover thy love first all I can do is but reflection Thou must shine on me first so desire God to reveal himself more and more in Christ Jesus and then we cannot but carry our selves to him as we should do in our Relation This day we must perform the relation on our sides there be two words that go to this heavenly bargain The Covenant consisteth of two parts Now deâ—ire God by his grace to inable us to do our part for he doth both And desire him according to his promise to teach us to love him and to write his Law in our hearts to do what is good and circumcise our hearts and give his holy spirit We aske no more then he hath promised and so go boldly to him Lord thou hast made a Covenant with us we cannot keep it without thee thou hast not only promised grace and gifts but the grace to perform the Covenant on our parts must come from thee And this God will do therefore in the use of means attend upon him and looking to him we shall have grace to do our parts and then maintain this assurance without which we cannot live as Christians should live That we may further maintain this Relation that God is our God Let us labor to get into Christ for it is in him that God is our Father and to grow up in Christ to growe more and more to grow up in faith and in all grace A gratious Christian never wanteth arguments of assurance of salvation It is the dead-hearted Christian the careless Christian therefore labor as to be in Christ so to grow up in the knowledge of Christ And so to know God in Christ labor to see the face of God in Christ for in him are all the beams of his love as the beames of the Sun in a glasse are gathered so the beams of all Gods love meet in Christ So lovely is God in Christ whatsoever we have in Christ it is from God in Christ And whatsoever we have from God it is through Christ therefore growe in the knowledge of Christ in faith in Christ To this end are the Sacraments that we might growe up in him and be fed into Christ And then we may make right use of it as the Ordinance that God hath sanctified for this end And as God doth take us out set a stamp upoÌ„ us so labor to make choyce of God more more choice of God in Christ for there be the 2. objects of our faith love Chuse God for our God esteem him above all and renounce all other and resign our selves wholly to him for all is ours when God is ours He setteth us apart from other men taking us out and appropriateth us to himself chuseth us for his Jewels I beseech you labor daily to chuse God to be your God If we say we are Gods let us make choyce of him at the same time and appropriate him with our choyce He is mine in particular there is renunciation of all others I have served other Gods heretofore the world and the flesh and the favor of man have been my God but they shall be my God no more If we chuse him not and appropriate him as ours and renounce all other and give our selves to him we cannot say he is our God this we should practice every day In the solicitation of sin or despair for sin make use of this choice and appropriation and resignation If we be tempted to any sin why I am not mine own I am Gods I have chosen him to be my God I have appropriated my self to him I have renounced all other I have offered my self to him therefore what have I to do with sin with this temptation I have taken the Sacrament on it that God is mine and Christ is mine with all his benefits therefor e if there be any solicitatioÌ„ to sin make this use of it so we shal grow in assurance of our interest in God when we can make use of it on all occasions If when we be moved to any sin by Satan or our own flesh which is a Devil within us this is contrary to my Covenant this is contrary to the renewing of the Covenant so often renewed in the Sacrament therefore I will not commit it It is contrary to the State I am advanced to and contrary to my relation God is my Father and my God and therefore I must be his and what have I to do with sin what hath pride to do with a heart bequeathed to God what hath lust and filthiness what hath injustice or any thing else that is sinful to do in a heart that hath dedicated and consecrated it self to God who hath given up himself and all he can do and to whom we have given up all we have and shall we give our strength to sin and Satan his enemies Thus we should grow in assurance exercising the increase and knowledge of our interest I beseech you therefore let us use these and the like things to make God our God And if any temptation for sin be joyned as Satan cannot but solicit to sin so he laboreth when we have sinned to tempt to despair for sin for they be the two wayes by which Satan prevails Now fetch comfort against both from hence God is my God and my Father and Christ teacheth them to call him so and therefore notwithstanding sin I may go to God and call him Father The Disciples though their sin was great yet on their humility they were to
acknowledge God to be their Father and their God And therefore answer Satan I ought not to abuse and break off and deny my interest in God as my Father and my God for any sin because the Disciples did not so and Christ hath taught how to make use of God and to acknowledge him for my comfort We cannot have a better guide then God and therefore never think of God but as our God and our Father and labor to answer all Satans temptations in that kinde from hence 3. Again this assurance that God is our God in Christ and our Father is wrought by the sealing of the spirit and sanctifying of us therefore take heed we grieve not the spirit of God Gods spirit moveth our hearts often times in hearing the word or reading or praying when we have any good motions or when we entertain them and therefore do not grieve the spirit of God whose office is to seal us to the day of redemption to assure us God is our God and our Father in Christ Grieve him not least he grieve us by reaching and tormenting our consciences and that is the way to maintain our interest Take heed of crossing the spirit especially by any sin against conscience Conscience is Gods Deputy grieve not the spirit grieve not conscience for Conscience is God Deputative it is a li ttle God within us And therefore if we will not alienate God from us to whom we have given our selves if we be true believers do nothing against his Deputy and Agent the spirit that sanctifieth us and sealeth us to the day of redemption This is the way to maintain assurance that God is our God For men may be led with a spirit of presumption and say God is my God But if Conscience telleth them they live in sin against Conscience and the motions of the spirit and suppress them and kill them as birthes that they would not have grow in their hearts then they cannot say God is my God but conscience telleth them they lie And therefore I beseech you labor for an holy life That faith that maketh this claim that God is my Father and my God is a purifying faith It is a faith quickening the soul a faith purifying a faith cleansing Faith is wonderfully operative especially having these promises what promises I will be your God and your Father Having such promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of flesh and spirit and grow up in all holiness in the feare of the Lord. And therefore labor for that faith that layeth hold upon this priviledge God is our Father and our God make it good by this that it be a purifying faith an operative faith that worketh by love that sheweth it self in our conversation The more we labor and grow this way the more we growe in assurance of salvation Beloved favor cannot be maintained with great persons without much industry and respect and observance of distance A man that will maintain the favor of great persons must be well read in their dispositions must know how to please them and yield them all observance and respect And shall we think then to preserve respect with God without much industry and holiness It cannot be And therefore give all diligence not a little to make your Calling and Election sure It requireth all diligence it is worth your pains We live on this that he is our God and will be our God to death and in death for ever more That God is our God to everlasting that he is of an equal extent with the soul he liveth to fill it and make it happy Our souls being of an eternal subsistance therefore it standeth us upon to give all diligence to make our Calling and Election sure else it will not be maintained Why do not Christians injoy the comforts of this that God is their God in Christ more then they do the reason is they be negligent to maintain intercourse between God and them We must know our distances there must be reverent cariage to God A loose Christian can never injoy the comforts of God He is so great and we so mean we ought to reverence him we ought to love him with fear and rejoyce with trembling Humble thy self to walk with thy God where there is a great deal of humility it maintaineth friendship We cannot walk with God as a friend as Abraham is said to be Gods friend We must acknowledge our selves to be dust and ashes know him in his greatness and our selves in our meanness if he will maintain this to our hearts that God is our God If we be careful to maintain this surely he that delighteth himself in the prosperity of his Servants will delight to make himself more and more known to us that we may be assured of our salvation All that hear me are such as have not yet made choice of God to be their God or have made choice Let me speak a word to both for there be many that yet have their choice to make that have other Lords and other Gods to rule over them Let them consider what a fearful state it is not to be able to say in regard of life everlasting God is my God and my Father They can say they be Gods Creatures but what a fearful condition is it` not to be able to say God is my Father will not these know whom he is not a God to in favor he will be a God to in vengeance He must be friend or enemy there is no third in God God and the Devil divide all mankind they share all If thou be not Gods and canst not say so on good titles thou art the Devils Yet God is daily pulling men out of the Kingdom of the Devil by opening their eyes to see their miserable condition yet all go under these two grand titles Gods and the Devils If thou canst not say God is thy God then the Devil is thy God and what a fearful condition is it to be under the God of the world by a worldly carnal disposition and perhaps thou maist die so if thou be not careful to get out of it If God be not our God he is our enemy and then Creatures Angels Devils are against us conscience against us word against us all against us If he be for us who is against us If he be against us who is for us a terrible condition and therefore get out of it I beseech you But how shall I doe is there mercy for such a wretch yea he offereth himself to be thy God if thou wilt come in wherefore serveth our Ministry the word of grace but to preach life to all repentent sinners He that confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall have mercy And therefore God hath ordained Ambassadors of peace to proclaim if you will come in And he intreateth you to come in and he chargeth and commandeth you You be Rebels not only against him but enemies