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
bring forth weighty sheaves of joy at the last Now then to come to the point that we drive at in this manner doth the Scripture hold forth Christ as precious he is very precious because he is very usefull he is usefull for many things yea for all things but especially for these two viz. Justification Sanctification First Christ is usefull for Justification he is the onely mine pit of this treasure the golden and precious veines of it runne along in him onely That he might be just which beleeveth in Jesus saith the Apostle Rom. 3. 26 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is of the Faith of Jâ—sus that is which seeke not Justification by their owne righteousnesse viz. by the works of the Law but by Christ alone and hence we are said to be made the righteousnesse of God in him 2 Cor. 5. 21. marke I pray The Apostle doth disertly and emphatically adde the clause 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in him that he may take away all conceit of inherence in us and establish the Doctrine of imputation as Christ is made sinne in us by imputation so wee are made righteousnesse in him by the same way St. Augustines place which Beza cites is a most full commentary God the Father saith he made him to be sinne who knew no sinne that we might be the righteousnesse of God not our owne and in him that is in Christ not in our selves And being thus justified we are so righteous as if we were righteousnesse it selfe It is Christ alone that can administer life and righteousnesse it is he alone that bindes up the broken-hearted opens the prison dores proclaimes Liberty to Captives and the acceptacle yeare of the Lord or the Lords yeare of good will the Quire of the heavenly host sang good will towards men when this accepted and welcome yeare was come Luke 2. 14. This was Christs worke the Law was too weake for it that could kill but not make aalive Christ alone bare the whole weight of his Fathers wrath made reconciliation for iniquity and brought in everlasting righteousnesse none but he was of use for this and therefore he must needs be precious Secondly he is likewise usefull for Sanctification that Spirit alone which Christ sends forth is of power and ability to instill and breath grace into us and so make us meet vessels for the heavenly masters use It is Christ that stamps afresh the impression of Gods Image defaced and decayed in our soules it is he that restores the life of God in man lost by sinne by the blessed influxe and droppings of his grace we come to put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the Image of him that created him as the Apostle speakes Coloss 3. 10. he uses a Metaphor of putting on taken from garments to shew that those new qualities of the soule are aâ—iâ—â—ed as Venuâ—t and beautifull ornaments to our nature the substance of the soule is not changed as some have foolishly dream't but onely it puts on new properties and affections new powers and abilities and this benefit wee derive from Christ The parts of Sanctification are mortification a dying unto sinne and vivification a living unto righteousnesse now both these come by vertue of our implantation inserting or ingraffing into Christ the first when wee are implanted into his death and the second is a fruit of his resurrection Christ reviving his members could not lie dead a living head and dead members were a Monster never seen in nature Neverthelesse observe this that though wee are sanctified by the death and resurrection of Christ yet his death is the Primum mobile as I may say that strikes the first stroke that is the meritorious and exemptory cause of our sanctification and hence is that saying of the Apostle Rom. 6. 5. If we have been planted together in the likenesse of his death wee shall be also in the likenesse of his resurrection this is an elegant metaphor representing unto us that as plants engraffed doe receive moysture juyce and nourishment from the stock whereby they sprout out budde and beare fruit so wee being as it were inserted into Christ doe receive vigour and life from him whereby we walke in the Spirit and become spirituall holy gracious and active in all good workes Christ is the Olive tree that standeth before the Ruler of the whole Earth and emptieth it selfe by the pipes and conduits of his word into the golden Candlesticks of his Church Zach. 4. â—ight and grace in the Ministration of holy Ordinances flow from him he is the head and seate of spirituall influence from which the whole mysticall body receives breath life and motion this is the Apostles simile Coloss 2. 19. He makes there Christ to be the Head and the Church the body knit together by certaine joynts and ligaments as wee see it is in nature and by this meanes it hath convenient nourishment ministred to all parts whereby it increaseth with the increase of God that is with mighty and most blessed increasings Christ hath goodnesse enough for himselfe and for all his Members he is a Fountaine never drie and the Philosophers property of good agrees to him most of all Bonum est sui communicativum that which is good spares noâ— but communicates it selfe this is most true of Christ his grace is diffusive like water of which the Naturalist saith that it is difficultly contained within its owne bounds but easily within the bounds of some other thing Christ is that sunne of righteousnesse that compasseth the whole world enlightning warming and cherishing every one of his elect with his beames of his fulnesse we all receive and grace for grace saith the Apostle John 1. 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is abundant grace or graces sutable to his owne The first day of union a Beleever enjoyes this participation of grace Union is the ground of Communion Wee must remember also that Christ did sanctifie himselfe to the end that we might be sanctified for their sakes I sanctifie my selfe that they also might be sanctified through the Truth saith Christ Joh. 17. 19. Christ is the principall cause of our Sanctification wee are sanctified vertually by his sanctifying of himselfe he being set apart and separated from sinners such as are by his Spirit and by faith knit to him must needs be also separated from the world to walke with God in holinesse of life and conversation Thus much of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 demonstrating and declaring how Christ is precious I come now to the third thing which is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shewing why it is so There be many reasons and causes why Beleevers doe esteeme so highly of Christ as they doe First beleivers are in some measure Reason I convinced of their most miserable and wretched condition without him and also of the impotency of the creature in respect of any help and deliverance in that condition First when the soule findes it selfe in darknesse
Father begotten yet eternall and the Holy Ghost is proceeding from them both yet eternally too for though they be one before another in order of nature yet not in order of time But now here is the Question seeing the Father is first the Sonne second and the Holy Spirit last in that naturall order why doth the Apostle in the fore-mentioned place set the Sonne first verily because he is next and immediate unto us being our Mediatour being the canalis or conduit pipe as I may say by which the love of God and the communion of the holy-Holy-Ghost is brought and conveyed to us as the meanes is ever before the end Now the Saints being convinced and perswaded of this Truth this is the thing that makes Christ so deare and precious unto them as he is if Isaac loved Esau for his venison for a carnall respect much more have wee cause to love the Lord Jesus and highly to esteeme of him having procured for us the love of the Father a love like Jonathan's love to David passing the love of women yea a love of infinite dimensions and measures if I may so speake the breadth of it is infinite because it is without respect of persons the length also infinite because it is from everlasting to everlasting the depth infinite because it redeemes and delivers from Hell and the height likewise infinite because it lifts us up to Heaven Certainly Christ having purchased such a wonderfull love as this he must needs be precious he must needs be amiable and lovely to a beleeving soule Secondly for the pardon of sinne there is likewise an absolute necessity of Christ The bloud of Christ onely and not of Buls and Goats is availeable to take away sinnes The soule being convicted of its sinfulnesse speakes as the Prophet doth Who among us shall dwell with devouring fire who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings God is devouring fire and everlasting bumings in relation to sinners his wrath is the fewell of Hell as I may say the breath of his indignation is like a river of brimstone kindling and perpetually maintaining the flames of Tophet what shall the poore sinfull soule doe now here 's nothing but menaces and threatnings terrours and amazements death and destruction and where is the remedy verily no where but in Christ alone Israel passing through the wildernesse had a cloud to cover him and defend him from the scortching Sunne-beames now what was this cloud but a type and shadow of Christ as the Apostle makes it 1 Cor. 10. 1. hee makes there the cloud and the Sea and the Manna and the water of the Rocke to be all figures and Images of Christ Christ is a sea to wash Manna to feed water to refresh and a cloud to hide the soule from the hot and burning wrath of God the fiery beames of that wrath would surely suffocate it and stifle it were not the bloud of Christ interposed and set between to veile it the bloud of Christ obnubilates and covers the soule from the fierce anger of God it is Christ onely that reconcileth us to God it is he alone that is our Advocate to plead our cause with his Father when man had sinned Justice and Mercy strove one with another seemed to be at variance Christ redintigrates them and makes them friends againe he is our blessed Umpire to set there two together againe giving satisfaction to Justice and place to mercy so honouring and dignifying both making both to rejoyce both to kisse and embrace each other God smels a sweet savâ—ur of rest in Christ onely all the hilasticall and propitiatory sacrifices of the Law did â—â—oke to him as to their end and substance of themselves they could not puâ—ge away the guilt of the least sinne the repetition of them as the Apostle teacheth showes plainely how invalid they were to expiate the crimes and offences of the soule the strictest observance of them could not make the worshipper perfect as touching cleerenesse of Conscience Heb. 9. 9. When David cryes purge me with bysope and I shall be cleane wash me and I shall be whiter then snow he alludes indeed to the Leviticall Ceremony but he aimes at the bloud of Christ onely this alone was able to purge away his foule spot his hainous sinne of murder would not out by any other washing then this In one of the old sacrifices there were two Goates appointed one to be slaine and the other to be kept alive which was called the scape-Goate now both these have an eye to Christ the slaine or sacrificed Goate was a type of his dying for sinne and the surviving or scape-goate figures his rising againe and ever living to mainetaine the worth of that oblation the Apostle saith that he ever liveth to make intercession for us and how doth he make intercession but by continuall holding forth in the presence of his Father the merit of his sufferings so that still Christ both dying and living is the fountaine of our peace and attonement with God still Christ is he and the onely he that obtaineth remission of sinnes for us Now if wee consider the many and great benefits that redound to us by the pardon of sinne we must needs conclude that Christ is very precious by whom we enjoy such a mercy When sinne is pardoned there is an end of Gods heavie wrath and displeasure Satan's Kingdome goes downe the power of our corruptions daily decaying we have peace and joy within whereas before wee had nothing but raging stormes and tempests and a very hell in our Consciences our prayers finde acceptance at the throne of Grace all the creatures are in league with us and are become our faithfull servants that which comes from them is sweet and benigne healthfull and good our blessings are blessed yea our very curses if they may be so called are likewise blessed unto us Judgements are removed every bitternesse is taken away even the sting of death is puld our Christ as a tree of most excellent vertue is cut downe and throwne into our Marah Some things may worke adveâ—sly and crosly to us but the Apostle speakes of a cooperating or working together which makes amends for all all things worke together saith he for good unto them that love God Rom. 8. 28. and they be such that have their sinnes pardoned Though some things worke untowardly and against the haire as I may say yet take them altogether and there is a blessed harmony and complyance a sweet relishablenesse and savourinesse in them one thing doth recompence and make up another the mixture of sweet and sowre through the wisdome and mighty working of God is very demulcent and wholsome full of benediction and blessednesse that even the sinnes of the Godly are an advantage to them and turne to their melioration and betternment God makes use even of them to doe his children good he brings meate out of the very eater and converts the causes of damnation into
must needs be precious which hath such precious props and pillars to uphold it God Christ and a sure word of promise all the wisdome and power of the Father and the Sonne and the Spirit all that they can doe to establish and confirme their own word and that is more then enough Lastly The preciousnesse of faith appeares from the nature from the effects and workings of it The nature of it is piously to know and to affect the things of God to cleave unto God in Christ to rest upon him for the obtaining of the promises Faith joynes us to God who is our life in whom the lives of our soules are bound up as Jacobs life was bound up in his darling Benjamins Faith filleth the soule with solace unspeakable with peace passing all understanding and with joy everlasting As bloud is in the veines dispersing it selfe into all parts of the body so giving life and heate and continuall nourishment thereunto such is faith in the soule it works upon all the affections it diffuseth and sheddeth abroad in our hearts the love of God in Christ it attracts and draws our spirits to delight in nothing more then in Christ it entertaineth the soule with feasts of fatted things and of wines refined it leadeth it into the wine-cellar it invites us unto those apples and flâ—ggons of pleasure which Christ hath prepared it sweetens the crosse it makes us to rejoyce in tribulation and that with joy unspeakable and glorious it workes in us a childe-like confidence toward God whereby wee approach boldly to him crying Abba Father it carrieth the soule up to heaven and giveth ravishing sights of God and Christ and the joys of eternitie it brings us into communion with God whereby we have most intimate and familiar conference with him it brings us into his bed-chamber into his galleries of love In a word it enlightens justifies sanctifies and saves us for ever because it lays hold on Jesus Christ who is made 1 Cor. 1. 30. unto us of God wisdome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption as the Apostle saith O how precious is faith that hath such wonderfull vertues and operations as these how precious also are those graces that flow from it as love and the feare of God and humilitie and patience and the like But above all the rest how precious is Jesus Christ and how highly to be esteemed of who hath bestowed upon us such precious such royall and such rich gifts as these Thirdly Consider likewise the promises Mot. of Christ these are also exceeding great and precious as they be called 2 Pet. 1. 4. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises saith the Apostle I confesse that by promises he meanes the effect of the promises or the things themselves that are promised which are of no small value and worth and therfore the promises themselves are of no little weight and moment This will easily appeare if wee consider The nature of the promiser The antiquity of the promises And the precious things which they containe First God who hath promised is by nature wise and powerfull true and unchangeable God is infinitely wise he hath a profound reach his counsells are very deepe even his foolishnesse is wiser then men as the Apostle saith and he knows wayes beyond our imagination and capacity how to bring about his owne ends and to accomplish his promises He is also almighty to effect and bring to passe his designes he can doe above all that wee can either aske or thinke And againe he is true and cannot lie and therefore he is called the God of Amen by the Prophet Esa 65. 16. And lastly he is unchangeable he cannot repent there is no variablenesse or shadow of turning with him all these are the fulera the props and supporters of the promises on which they stand firme and sure and cannot fall to the ground The saying is Pollicitis dives quilibet esse potest Every man can be rich in his promises even a beggar may be as rich as a King in promises but all the question and doubt is about the performance of them Among men it is frequently thus they are facile and forward in making of promises but they are ignorant of the meanes how to fulfill them or if they know the way yet they want power and abilitie or if they be both knowing and able yet they want a will they have a heart and a heart as the Scripture speakes they pretend what they never intend The children of men are deceitfull upon the ballances or lastly though they know how to be as good as their word though they can doe it yea though for the present they doe really intend what they promise yet Multa cadunt inter ealicem supremaque labra many things fall out between the pot and the lip as the proverb is they are fickle and inconstant well instructed how to play fast and loose unstable as water like Reuben and so their promises prove to be nothing worth perhaps the fault may be in their intellect and understanding though they be wise to day yet after a while they may grow sots and fooles and so know not how to steere their course and to wheele about their purposes or perchance the default is in their hands though they be in possibility of performing their promises to day yet to morrow their armes may be cut off and they are left shiftlesse or if not so yet it may be worse the fault may lie in their affections they may be honest now and after a while dishonest and so say and unsay promise and change their mindes Thus it is with men oftentimes but with God it is not so he knows how to performe his promises he is able to make them good and he is most true and faithfull in all his proâ—essions yea he is ever wise ever powerfull ever true ever the same never altred or changed in the lest measure how precious then and sweet are his promises and how lovely also ought Christ to be by whom we enjoy them Thus much of the nature of the Promiser Secondly Consider the antiquity of the promises The maine and chiefe promise of God is that which concerneth eternall life and this was made at the beginning of the world unto Adam when God said that the seed of the woman should breake the Serpents head yea it was made before the world began Tit. 1. 2. In hope of eternall life saith the Apostle which God that cannot lie promised before the world began Here by the way we learne that the promise being before all time it must needs be absolute and without all condition But let that passe The question is to whom that so ancient a promise was made when there was yet no world nor any men created to receive it to whom did God make it I answer that it was made to him that even then was ordained to be our head and Mâ—diatour even the Lord
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
without any Light lying under shame and dishonour under the guilt of sinne and not able to deliver it selfe this cannot but make it looke out for it selfe and seeke with great importunity for a Saviour The Dove could find no rest for the soale of her foot till she returned into the Arke It is a perfect hyeroghyphick or resemblance of a wounded Spirit as Solomon calls it when it is as the blessed Redeemer was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 surrounded with sorrow and it is full of restlesse vexations fluctuating and tumbled up and downe in a whole Ocean of perplexities and feares and can see no shoare no Land no creek or haven of comfort then it must into the Arke then it uses the soliloquie of the Psalmist returne unto thy res◠ô my soule then it cries out with the blessed Martyr ô none but Christ none but Christ there 's my Arke ther 's my rest there 's my refuge there I shall find reliefe and refreshment or else no where Christ will be a calme to me after a storme he will dispell and drive away all these clouds he will hold my head above water and keep me from sinking he will be light and joy and unspeakable solace after all these distempers thus the poore afflâ—cted soule as a prisoner of hope as the Prophet speakes Zach. 9. 12. returnes unto Christ as to its strong hold The misâ—rable soule seeks for cure the whole need not the Physition saith Christ but the sick sin-sick sinners will enquire and seek after the Physition of soules The sense of misery is the primum mobile the first mover that sets us on seeking for Christ The more wee know our owne misery the more we know how to prise Christ and set a true value upon him Againe Beleevers are likewise convinced of the impotency and weaknesse of the creature in respect of any help or succour that it can afford None can by any meanes redeeme his brother nor givâ— to God a ransome for him Psal 49. 7. iâ— not redemption from temporall death much lesse from eternall Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of Rammes saith the Prophet or with ten thousand rivers of oyle shall I give my first borne for my transgression the fruit of my body for the sinne of my soule The truth is should all the Angels in Heaven and righteous men upon Earth joyne their goodnesse together and offer it up to God as a sacrifice it would not be sufficient to expiate so much as one sinne Now when the soule is sensible of this it crieth out as Peter in another case help Lord or else I perish Solomon saith that as good newes from a farre Country so is cold water to a thirsty soule Prov. 25. 25. So it is with a poore distressed soule when it seeth it selfe as it were in a farre Countrey farre from God farre from â—oy and farre from any deliverance in it selfe or in any other then if one bring him newes of a Saviour of a Redeemer this is welcome newes indeed this is as cold water to a thirsty soule An instance of this is seen in the Prodigall who when he came to himselfe that is when he saw what a wretched and helplesse creature he was he cast his thoughts upon his Fathers house he loathed any longer to feed upon the huskes and hogs meat of the world then he desires the bread of his Fathers hired servants Nothing but home will content him farewell feasting and revelling and all filthy pleasures that I have lived in I have gotten nothing by them but wounds and sorrowes and vexation of Spirit I will home to my Fathers house there is bread and durable cloathing there is whatsoever I can wish or desire here I starve and die there I shall live and sweetly enjoy my selfe here I want all things but there I shall lack nothing This is a lively pourtraiture of a thirsty and wearied soule flying unto Christ for ease and comfort This then is one reason why Christ is precious to Beleevers namely because they are in some measure convinced of their misery with him and of their owne impotency and utter inability to help themselves therefore Christ is precious unto them Secondly Beleevers are not onely Reas II convinced of their owne misery without Christ and of their impotency and inability to help themselves but also they see and apprehend an infinite treasure of good and happinesse that God hath treasured up in Christ and that to be joyned unto him is the onely way to obtaine these blessings Viz. the Fathers Love Pardon of sinne Manifestation of Gods face The love of God being infinite like himselfe cannot be conferred upon any creature for its owne sake the causa procuratrix or the procuring cause of this love must of necessity be infinitely meritorious now this is not found among the sonnes of men but onely in Christ the eternall Sonne of God onely in Christ who was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God-man as I may say Immanuel God with us or God in our flesh God that he might be a fit object for the infinite love of his Father and man that he might derive and bring that love to us God first loves his Sonne and then Beleivers through him It is impossible that the infinite love of the infinite God should bee drawne out but by an infinite motive and where is this motive but in the second person coe-eternall co-essentiall and co-equall with the Father were it not for his Sonne God should have no object for his love in the world Love is as fire which must have fewell to maintaine it Now let all the Creatures men and Angels be set before God yet they all with all their excellencies and lovely parts cannot deserve the least minute or tittle of his Love God loves himselfe in his Sonne and his creatures for his beloved Sonnes sake God will supply saith the Apostle all your need according to his riches in Glory by Jesus Christ Philip. 4. 9. The treasures of Gods love and riches are first in Christ and by our union with him wee come to enjoy them So Ephes 1. 6. To the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in which he hath ingratiated us through that Beloved Gods love and his favour is undeserved on our parts wee finde grace in his sight through Christ Notable to this purpose is the order of the three persons which the Apostle sets Cor. the last and the last The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the Communion of the Ho-Ghost be with you all Amen You must know now that this is not a right naturall order for by order of nature the Father whom the Apostle cal's God in a personall sense as John 1. the word was with God that is with the Father I say by order of nature the Father is first of himselfe not begotten the Son is from the
upon it we shall see that our Saviour doth not deny himselfe to be perfectly good but onely he checks the pharisaicall opinion of perfection in those that are no more then men Christ was more then a meere man if the young man had knowne so much he should not have been reproved for calling him good in a sense of absolutenesse and perfection such an Epithite was rightly applyable unto Christ had the young Pharisee been ware of his Deity or had he knowne the strange manner of his conception viz. by the Holy Ghost he might have said of him as the Psalmist doth thou art fairer then the children of men and so the title of good Master would never have been excepted against Secondly Christ as man also was abased and yet in his abasement hee was very excellent it is a very comely sight to see a great Personage of a meek humble and lowly carriage willing to stoope and to come downe from his height so it be not in a sordid and unfitting way Now so it was with Christ he washed the very feet of his Disciples he became poore to make us rich hee fasted that we might feast he went on foote that wee might ride as I may say he died that wee might live The Apostle saith that though he was in the forme of God and thought it no robbery or Sacriledge to be equall with God yet he made himselfe of no reputation and tooke upon him the forme of a servant and was made in the likenesse of men and being found in fashion as a man he humbled himselfe and became obedient unto death even the death of the Crosse Philip 2. 6 7 8. Now marke I pray the antithesis or opposition which these words hold forth Christ was from all eternity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the * essentiall forme of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly signifieth the outward shape face or figure of a thing which because God hath not therefore here it is put for the Divine Essence or in the glorious nature and condition of God yet he tooke upon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the state being and condition of a servant He was equall with God called therefore the mighty God and the everlasting Father Esa 9. 6. and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very or the true God 1 John 5 20. yet he was content to be found 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the similitude and shape of men that is in the very rank nature and quality of men subject to mans passions and every way a right man sinne onely excepted whereof you heard before Againe be thought it no rapine or robbery to be equall with God yet he suffered himselfe to be denuded and rob'd of his glory by sinfull men God cal's him the man that is his fellow Zach. 13. 7. and yet he was made a fellow to theeves and malefactours yea he was made inferiour and underling to base men a very murderer being preferred before him Though he was full of glory and excellency yet he did empty himselfe of all for so are the words of the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he evacuated or emptied himselfe that is he reduced himselfe as it were to nothing or as a Father hath it he exhausted himselfe he drew himselfe dry Lastly though he was the Prince and Lord of life yet he humbled himselfe unto Death and the basest death of all the death of the Crosse it was a Roman kinde of execution and asserted even by a Romane Oratour to be of all other most ignominious and shamefull Civem Romanum scelus est verberare propè paricidium nâ—care quid dicam in crucem tollere said that Oratour It is a hainous wickednesse to beate a Romane it is almost paracide to kill him what is it then to crucifie him how beyond measure hainous is that yet thus low was the Sonne of God brought And it addes likewise to the measure of his humility and lowlinesse that he was voluntary in all this debasement he was not forced or compelled to it no man taketh my life from me saith he but I lay it downe of my selfe Joh. 10. 18. and what he saith of his life is true also of all his Divine glory it was not violently snatch't from him whither he would or no but he did willingly cheerefully spontaneously and of his owne accord devest and strip himselfe of it Now certainly thus to descend from Heaven to Earth from Divinity to humanity from a Kingdome to slavery from life to death and all this of his owne free and willing disposition without any compulsion or enforcement this addes no little grace and luster to him 't is a very seemly sight to see a venerable person condescending stooping low and denying himselfe to see a King casting aside his Robes of Majesty and descending to a lower pitch for the doing of some good which otherwise cannot be atcheived we had been eternally lost if the Sunne of God had not done thus unlesse he had humbled himselfe wee could never have been exalted Thirdly Christ as man was obedient unto the will of his Father he was universally and constantly obedient he was obedient without any the least reluctation grudging or unwillingnesse To this purpose makes that of the most excellent song where it is said of Christ that he cometh leaping upon the Mountaines and skipping upon the hills Cantic 2. 8. there were great Mountaines of difficulties and hardship in the way of our Redemption yet he past lightly and cheerefully over them all to doe the will of him that sent him Yea he was so farre from grumbling and murmuring that it was even meat and drinke to him to doe that will and he was straitned and pained in his mind till the bloudy baptisme of his suffering was accomplished Luke 12 50. It is written of him in the rowle of Gods booke Loe I come to doe thy will ô God those words Loe I come shew his alacrity and cheerefulnesse his readinesse and forwardnesse to doe his Fathers will his loynes were alwayes girded and his feet shodde unto it The Spirit of Christ dwelling in the Saints makes them to be prompt and ready unto all duties and workes commanded of God how much more then was Christ himselfe so in whom the Spirit of God was as water in the Fountaine when he conquered death and the grave and all the powers of darknesse for us Repentance was hid from his eyes he shrunke not nor drew away the shoulder from it Three times he was under such an infinite pressure of Divine wrath as had been enough to have crushed ten thousand worlds yet he flinched not but dranke the bitter cup off to the very bottome hee patiently endured the Crosse and despised the shame Indeed it cannot be denyed that when he was in his agony he prayed to his Father to save him from that houre and thrice he prayed that the bitter cup might passe from him yet he did not this through disobedience or
God present in the flesh to every faithfull and beleeving soule was likewise Vcal Almighty able for all things so that by these two names the faithfull are assured of their Justification Sanctification and eternall Salvation through the presence and power of God and this doubtlesse is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a great Mystery Furthermore Christ as man was our Sacrifice and expiation he was our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the price of our Redemption 1 Tim. 2. 6. though I confesse that this price had its worth from the union of the two natures Againe Christ as man was conceived of the Holy-Ghost Christ as man is ascended into Heaven Christ as man sits at the right hand of God Now all these things and much more that might be brought doe speake Christ a very precious and excellent person and that even according to his manhood Secondly consider Christ as Mediatour and there also he shines forth most gloriously and appeares to be the most peerelesse and precious thing in the world In the Mediatorship of Christ wee are to consider his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or his three-fold Holy Office of Prophecie Priesthood Kingdome Christ is a Prophet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in way of eminency and excellency above all other Prophets he was the Head of them all and that in these respects First of all other Prophets were but Types and shadowes of this great Prophet even Moses himselfe was but a figure of him a Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your Brethren like unto mee saith Moses Acts 7. 37. those words like unto me doe plainly shew that Moses was at the best but an Image and a shadow of Christ Moses fasted forty dayes before the giving of the Law on Mount Sinâ—i so did Christ before he began to preach the Gospel God did more clearly and perspicuously manifest himselfe unto Moses then unto other men it is said that he spake unto him face to face as a man speaketh to his friend Exod. 33. 11. so did the Eternall Father more openly reveale himselfe unto Christ then unto any creature no man knoweth the Father save the sonne and he to whomsoever the Sonne will reveale him Matth. 11. 27. Moses became a Shepheard in the Land of Midian so is Christ the Shepheard and overseer of our soules 1 Peter 2. 25. Moses was faithfull in all Gods house and so was Christ but yet in a farre more excellent manner then Moses as the Apostle declares Heb. 3. Moses was faithfull as a servant Christ as a sonne over his owne house Moses was himselfe a part of that house but Christ was the builder of it Moses under God did institute Sacraments 1 Cor. 10. 1 2. It is said that the Fathers pâ—ssed under the cloud and through the Sea and were all baptised unto Moses in the cloud and in the Sea marke that phrase unto Moses they were baptised unto him as unto the type or deputy of Christ for Baptisme is a Sacrament of the New Testament and properly of Christ's Institution Moses also instituted the Passeover so did Christ the Lords Supper As the Law was exhibited by Moses so was the Gospel which brings grace and truth free Redemption and the accomplishment of all types unto Beleevers exhibited by Christ Job 1. 17. Thus you see that Moses that egregious and eximious Prophet was no more then a shadow of Christ And the like may be said of all the rest of the Prophets it were no hard matter to shew how they did all of them in one thing or other resemble Christ just as the lively picture of a man doth his person as Enoch and Elijah in their Translations resembled the ascention of Christ Noah by his righteousnesse saving all the rest that went into the Arke with him shadowed Christ who by his perfect obedience saves all true Beleevers Concerning the Prophet David it is said that even those which sate at his Table rose up against him Psal 41. 9. so did Judas against Christ who dipt with him in the platter David also was a man after Gods owne heart so was Christ without the least flawe or failing and what an evident type of Christ was the Prophet Elisha when a dead body rose againe being cast into his grave and touching bis bones a Kings 13. 21. This was not done by any Native or inherent vertue of the Prophet but by that accident to foreinstruct the faithfull concerning the vertue of Christs flesh which rising from the dead should likewise raise up our perished bodies according to that Esa 26. 19. thy dead men shall live together with my dead body shall they arise awake and sing yee that dwell in the dust for thy dew is as the dew of herbes and the Earth shall cast out the dead Againe Jonah lying three dayes and three nights in the belly of a fish was a signe of Christ lying so long in the grave The Prophets were all of them types and resemblances of Christ even John the Baptist then whom there arose not a greater Prophet of all those that are borne of women even he I say was but Christs harbinger or fore-runner Now then as substances doe farre excell shadowes and Kings their Ante-ambulos or harbingers so doth Christ farre excell all Prophets they all of them were but shadowes and fore-runners to him Secondly other Prophets could speak only to the ears of men but Christ spake and still speaks to the heart he hath the Key of David he openeth and no man shutteth he shutteth and no manopeneth Rev. 3. 7. it is a similitude taken from them that keep the Keys of a City or Castle without which they can neither be opened nor shut no more can any open the heart or breake in upon the Spirit beside Christ he alone is able to open the eyes of the mind and to convince the Conscience by the secret kindly and powerfull working of his owne Spirit Other Prophets can preach wisdome unto men but Christ can preach them wise other Prophets can warne men by telling them of their sinnes and denouncing the Judgements of God but Christ can reclaime them and turne them from their sinnes the dead heare the voyce of the Sonne of God and live Joh. 5. 25. and hence it is said that he taught as one having Authority and not as the Scribes it came coldly and driely from them but full of paresie and boldnesse full of conviction and raeproofe full of the evident demonstration of the Spirit and of power as the Apostle speakes in this manner came the word from Christ Thirdly other Prophets were instrumentall to search out the mind of God and they did it by way of act onely the Divine will being revealed and discovered unto them but the mind of God was in Christ habitually and radically the fountaine and roote the source and principall cause of Christ's Prophecie was in himselfe Before all time Christ had the honour to sit in the seat of most
excellent secrets the bosome of the Father and therefore he is able as from himselfe to reveale all the Oracles and secrets of God needfull to be knowne he is able to reveale them when and how and to whom he pleaseth Now that these things are habitually in Christ as heate in fire or water in a living and ever-flowing spring appeares by this 1. That Christ is essentially wisdome and understanding Counsell is mine and sound wisdome saith he I am understanding Prov. 8. 14. 2. It appeares also by this because he counsels us to buy eye-salve of him that wee may see and because he hath power to send the Spirit ye have an unction from the holy One and yee know all things saith the Apostle 1 Joh. 2. 20. Christ is the holy one from whom wee receive the anoynting of the Spirit opening our eyes and discovering unto us all saving truthes In him are hid all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge Colossians 2. 3. They are hid in him as Gold and Silver are in suo loco as the Philosopher speakes hid in the veines of the Earth that 's another Argument of the habitualnesse of Prophecie in Christ Thirdly and another is this that all fulnesse is said to dwell in him Coloss 1. 19. where by the terme of plenitude or fulnesse Mr. Beza understands 〈◊〉 â—â—cumulation or heaping up of all 〈◊〉 gifts in a most copious and plentifull manner which he saith that the Schoolemen doe call habituall grace distinct from the grace of union the union he meanes of the two natures Now one part of this habituall grace and fulnesse in Christ is the gift of Prophecie and marke I pray it is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to inhabit or dwell in Christ this implyes the habitualnesse of it Fourthly other Prophets could reveale but some part of the will of God and at sometimes onely Heb. 1. 1. that God spake unto the Fathers by the Prophets at sundry times and in divers manners that is he did let out his Light minutatim by little and little till the day-Starre and Sunne of Righteousnesse a-rose but saith the Apostle in these last dayes he hath spoken by his Son ver 2. that is he hath spoken more fully and plainely The antithesis or opposition which the Apostle sets between Gods speaking by the Prophets of old and by his Sonne in this latter age of the world shewes plainely the dimnesse and darknesse of those former ages in comparison 〈◊〉 â—hose which have been since the coming of Christ in this respect 〈◊〉 Apostle saith that the heires of life and salvation were but children before Christ's incarnation Galat. 4. 1 2 c. for the generality of them they knew but as Children for that we have done since besides other points of minority and non-age touching Legality and Ceremonies which the Apostle in that place termes elements or rudiments of the world and the State of the Saints under them a state of bondage as wee see now but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 through a glasse darkely for what we shall doe in the life to come all is wâ—apt up in a riddle now for what it will be then so did they of old in comparison of us their Light was but an obscure and glimmering light to ours Christ hath flowed in upon his people in greater abundance of Revelation since his coming then before His discovery of himselfe then was but a standing behind the wall a looking forth of the window a shewing himselfe through the Lattice Cant. 2. 9. Fifthly other Prophets might not preach themselves the Apostle inveighs against selfe-commenders 2 Cor. 10. 12. we dare not saith he make our selves of the number or compare our selves with some that commend themselves and in another place he speakes out plainly no man saith he liveth to himselfe Rom. 14. 7. that is none ought to live unto himselfe Yea even Christ himselfe relating to himselfe as a meere man saith that his witnesse is not true if he beare witnesse of himselfe Joh. 5. 31. but in another place relating to himselfe as Mediatour as God and man in one person and one with the Father he speakes cleane contrary to this though I doe beare record of my selfe saith he yet my record is true Joh. 8. 14. Here then is a wide difference between other Prophets in reâ—pect of their Office and Christ they might not preach themselves they did indeed report something of their owne vertues but it was for holy example and instructions sake and it was still with reference unto the maine object of the word which was Christ But now Christ being our Mediatour our great Prophet the Apostle of our Profession and the Angel or Messenger of the Covenant between God and us he may and doth preach himselfe to him give all the Prophets witnesse Acts 10. 43. and he beares witnesse of himselfe because he hath not a greater in the point of our Justification Sanctification and eternall Salvation to beare witnesse of than himselfe and hence are those selfe-predications of his which wee finde in the Scriptures Looke unto me and be yee saved all the ends of the Earth Come unto me all yee that labour and are heavie laden When hee read that place of the Prophet Isaiah chap. 61. 1. c. he told the people this day is this Scripture fulfilled in your eares When the excommunicated man asked him who the Sonne of God was he answered him thou hast both seen him and it is he that talketh with thee and he told the Samaritanesse plainely that he was the Messias And it is said of the two Disciples that beginning at Moses and all the Prophets he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himselfe Now surely it commends unto us the Prophecie of Christ that he might preach commend himself without any blot of arrogancie or taking too much upon him this argues him to be a high and honourable Prophet above all other Sixthly all the Prophets had their Commission and Authority from him the words of the wise are as Goads and as nailes fastned by the Masters of Assemblies which are given from one Shepheard saith Solomon Eccles 12. 11. the words of the wise are Divine and heavenly instructions the Masters of Assemblies are Gospel-Ministers and Teachers and Christ is that one Shepheard from whom those words are given and from whom those Masters have their Authority Hence it is said that he went by the Spirit that is by his Divine vertue and power and preached unto those Spirits that are now in prison in Hell wee must conceive having been disobedient unto the word of God and despised his long-suffering in the dayes of Noah while the Arke was preparing 1 Pet. 3. 19. 20. here we see that that which Noah a Preacher of righteousnesse did is attributed unto Christ because Noah was but instrumentall and had his Commission from him just as it is said that whatsoever the Prisoners did in the prison Joseph was
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
their abused rule power and authority and quite abolished death the last Enemie so that then Christ shall cease to reigne any longer as Mediatour he shall then cease to reigne according to the present dispensation and administring of his Office but not as one God co-essentiall with the Father for his Kingdome according to his God-head shall then be compleate consummate and perfect yea and his humanity also shall reigne then not as by or of it selfe but as joyned in one person with his Godhead and as the common head of all those whom he hath redeemed and sanctified and brought toglory through taking their nature upon him and suffering in it So that the forementioned place in the Corinthians doth not speake of the abolishing of Christs Kingdome but of the perfection of it rather when God whose glory is now much obscured and darkned by Enemies shall be all in all among his Saints and the eternall Father shall triumph eternally in his Sonne as a finall Conquerour The like answer also must be given to the objection which may bee made from the words of the Apostle 1 Cor. 15. 28. where he saith that the Sonne also himselfe shall be subject unto him that did put all things under him These words are not so to be understood as if the Father were not for the present well pleased with the Sonne or as if the Sonne were not already subject to the Father as Mediatour but the meaning of them is this that when all things which doe now during the present forme of his administration make opposition and resistance against Christ shall bee subdued unto him and brought under his feet then Christ himselfe also as touching his Mediatorship shall be subject unto the Father and God shall be all in all neither doth this subjection imply a depressing or pulling downe lower but rather Christ and his Saints shall be at the height and top of their glory when they shall be so subject as on the other side whosoever shall not then be so subject they shall be at the bottome of all remedilesse misery and wretchednesse Before I passe away to another head I must needs touch againe upon a place of Scripture before cited 1 Tim. 1. 17. Now unto the King eternall immortall invisible c. Here be two words that doe expresse the perpetuity and everlasting duration of Christs Kingdome eternall and immortall and neither of them is idle or superfluous the Holy Ghost doth not use tautalogie or vaine repetition in them I have shewed you already what is meant by immortall namely that the Kingdome of Christ is not subject to succession it is not liable to be devolved and rould downe to after comers which Daniel expresseth thus his Kingdome shall not be left unto other people as the Monarchies of the Babylonians Medes Alexander and the Kingdomes of the Seleucidae which the Prophet had spoken of were they were translated from Nation to Nation and from man to man and at last quite dissolved But Christs Kingdome shall not be pluck't up for others beside himselfe but it shall hold on constantly through all ages and centuries of the world unto the end and when the end commeth it shall not expire and give up the Ghost but it shall attaine to its full beauty and perfection it shall come to its meridian or verticall point as I may say and shall never decline never decay it shall last beyond the world and beyond all time for ever therefore the Apostle calls Christ not onely an immortall King but also an eternall King Thus you see that the Spirit of God doth to good purpose use two words somewhat of kinne iâ— signification one to the other that thereby hee might set forth the excellency of Christs Kingdome above all other Kingdomes by the one word is shewed the course of his Kingdome through this world during the time of his Mediatourshipâ— and by the other word is declared the lasting of it unto all eternity after his Mediatorship is laid downe Lastly Christ is matchlesse and eminent above all other Kings in all Royall vertues endowments and accomplishments First he is a most sapient and wise King called therefore Counsellour by the Prophet and onely wise by the Apostle the wonderfull Numberer he that sealeth up the summe full of wisdome none essentially wise but he none but are depending and beholding for their wisedome but he his foolishnesse is wiser then men they be all doters to him Earthly Kings have their Counsellours but he needs none Solomon was the wisest among them but a greater then Solomon is here Secondly he is Rex armipotens bellicosus a most puissant and warlike King called therefore a man of Warre the Lord of Hosts the Captaine of our Salvation the armies in Heaven Angels and righteous men follow him he is the stone cut out of the Mountaine without hands sent from heaven and acting by no humane but meerely Divine Authority which smote the Image and brake in pieces the iron the brasse the clay the Silver and the Gold the great Monarchies and Kingdomes of the world to make way for his owne Kingdome he is terrible to all the Kings of the Earth that withstand him he is so mighty and so politick that he gets ground of his enemies by giving ground to them The world Hell Death sinne the Accuser of the brethren the enmity of the carnall mind all these are in the Trophes of his victories All his foes are and shall be made his footstoole he will make even the proudest of them to stoope and to hold his stirrup yea he will make them his very stirrup to get on horse-back by as once Sâ—por the Persian served Valerian the Romane Emperour Thirdly Christ is as eminent in peace also as he is in warre called therefore the Prince of Peace When hee was borne warres were husht every where and all the world was at peace Jacob beheld him as a ladder reaching from Earth to Heaven and what was this but the Image of a Peace-maker between God and man the Angels of God ascended and descended by that ladder signifying that by Christ wee have the benefit of the Ministry of Angels they ascend to receive new commission from God concerning the Saints and again descend to execute it by Christ also our prayers as Intelligencers and signifiers of our wants doe ascend into the presence of God and againe his blessings as Angels and Messengers of his good will towards us doe descend and light upon us Thus is Christ a ladder reaching from Earth to Heaven partaking of both God and man in one person our blessed Reconciler and Peace-maker he died to purchase peace for us when he went away he left his peace with us and he reignes for ever to maintaine our peace Melchisedec was King of Salem that is King of Peace nominally and in a figure onely but Christ is the very body and substance of that shadow Fourthly Christ is a most just and righteous
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
drops of bloud which hee did sweat in his agony had nothing availed without death Death is the summe of the curse due to us in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death Christ then dying for us here was the accomplishment of all his sufferings and the height of his love towards us Surely that bloud must needs be very precious which could not be let out but the vitall spirits must follow after it Those that professe skill in words doe derive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bloud from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth to burne or to kindle whether this be a true etymologie or not I will not dispute the heate that is in the bloud of a living creature if at leastwise in good temper speakes for it sure I am that the bloud of Jesus Christ shed for our sinnes both testifies his ardent and burning love toward us and requires a like affection in us the kindling and fiering of our love toward him Fourthly the preciousnesse of Christs bloud appeares likewise from the personall union of his manhood with his God-head The Divine and humane natures of Christ subsisting together in one and the same person is called an hypostaticall union properly the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies a placing or standing under when the Godhead stands under the manhood and the manhood is taken into the same person with the God-head this is hypostaticall Now from this marvellous and wonderfull union floweth though not a reall communication of properties yet a promiscuous predication of them as if they were all alike common and naturall to both natures Hence the manhood is said to be in heaven even while it was circumscribed compassed with a place on earth John 3. 13. and on the other side the bloud of the humane nature is called the bloud of God Acts 20. 28. and else where by reason of this union God himselfe is said to be crucified Oh how precious was the bloud of Christ then doubtlesse it had more worth in it then all the creatures in Heaven and earth Angels and men and all the world beside The uniting and consequently the cooperation and compliance of the impassible Deity in the same person with that soule and body which suffered must needs put infinite dignity and preciousnesse beyond all account upon the bloud of Christ yet this was not thought too deare for his Saints Fiftly and lastly the blessed effects of Christs bloud is another strong Argument of the inestimable value and price of it It justifies our persons in the sight of God It frees us from the guilt from the punishment and from the power of all sinne It saves us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from that wrath that is to come 1 Thessalonians 1. 10. Wicked people are Light and merry-hearted and never dreame of an after recoming but there is a thunder shower of Gods wrath to come which will light heavily upon the heads of unbeleeving ones Wee are all of us by nature obnoxious to and involved in this danger therefore the Apostle useth the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 snatching or pulling us out from the wrath to come even wee of the children of God wee of the Corporation and society of the Saints we Beleevers as well as others were liable to this wrath but Christ hath dâ—livered us this is his tender loving kindnesse and good will to his Elect. Againe the bloud of Christ obtaines eternall redemption for us Heb. 9. 12. whence it is that the Apostle opposes it to Gold and Silver though these be among the most precious things that the Earth affords yet being corruptible and transitory they cannot purchase incorruption and eternity for us The bloud of Christ is the price of our Redemption yee are bought with a price saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 7. 23. and a like phrase he uses in the end of the precedent chapter yet there is neither a pleonasme in the words that is to say a fulnesse of speech though that sometimes be rhetoricall enough nor impropriety or unfitnesse of Language as if a thing could be bought without a price though I confesse the Scripture in some respects doth sometimes speake so neither is there an hebraisme whereby words of the same signification are itterated and repeated ob vehementiam to set the matter on with the greater vehemency and force but the word price is used 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to shew the superlative excellency and dignity of the price wherewith the Saints are bought so that ye are bought with a price is as much as to say yee are dearely bought 't was a price with a witnesse that was given for you a price of inestimable value a price past the number of a man it cannot be calculated or summed up it is so infinite such a rich and exceeding price is the bloud of Jesus Christ costly and chargeable were our soules that required such a ransome This is the price wherewith wee are bought from the earth bought out of Hell and bought into Heaven and everlasting glory This is the price that redeemeth us from condemnation and this is it that cleanseth us from the filth and staine of sinne This is it that purgeth our Consciences from dead workes to serve the living God Heb 9. 14. The Apostle in that place draweth an Argument â— minori ad majus as the Logician speakes If typicall rites and sacrifices as the bloud of Bulls and goates and the ashes of an Heifer sprinckled upon the uncleane availed for externall Sanctification namely for the purifying of the flesh legally and ceremonially how much more shall the bloud of Christ sprinkled upon our Consciences purge away the guilt of sinne and avayle to the internall spirituall and everlasting sanctifying of our persons Againe by this bloud it was that Christ as the high Priest of our profession that is of Christians entred into Heaven so saith the Apostle Heb. 9. 12. Christ entred â—y his owne bloud into the holy place hee did not enter into the presence of God as the high-priest of old did with the bloud of Goates and Calves what should those slender things doe in the Tabernacle made without hands there are no such meane and poore offerings there Neither did Christ enter to offer for himselfe as well as for his Family as Aaron did Levit. 16. 6. he had no need of expiation himselfe but he went into the holiest to offer for his people only whom he hath for ever washed justified and sanctified not with bloud of others as the Apostle speakes but with his owne bloud Lastly from the precious bloud of Christ we also that are so cleansed and purged have boldnesse to enter into the holiest Heb. 10. 19. 20. The bloud of Christ breeds us and begets us this confidence The Apostle in that place doth covertly oppose the liberty of Christians unto the restraint of them that lived under the Law The Jewes of old might not presse into the Holy of Holies it
was lawfull onely for the High-Priest to enter into it and that but once a yeare Great in this regard is our preeminence now above Gods ancient people they might not passe so much as into an earthly Sanctuary inclosed with materiall walls and coped with a roofe but wee have licence and leave to enter into a farre more holy and undefiled place Christ hath consecrated or initiated a way for us hee hath trod the path first as our fore-runner and hee hath done it by his bloud or as the Apostle speakes through the vaile that is to say his flesh he alludes to the vaile of blew and purple scarlet and fine twined linen which was to divide the holiest of all from the rest of the Tabernacle That vayle was a type of Christs flesh Now as the High-priest of old entred into the holiest by removing of the veile so Christ by the death of his body did as it were turne aside the veile and so hath entred into heaven the holy of holies there to make intercession for us Yea by the renting and tearing of that veile of his flesh upon the crosse he hath for ever opened a way for all Beleevers a new and a living way that of old is obsolete and vanished this is such as the vigour thereof shall never decay that of old being by the bloud of beasts could not give life to the comers this being by the bloud of Christ revives and raises up them that are dead in trespasses and sinnes and doth also conferre eternall life upon them O how precious beyond all thought and conceit is the bloud of Jesus Christ the bloud of a most righteous person most noble bloud the very life and heart-bloud the bloud of God justifying sanctifying redeeming bloud bloud purchasing eternall redemption for us bloud that quickeneth us and conferres both spirituall and everlasting life upon us Lastly Bloud that opens to us a never decaying way into Heaven How precious I say is this bloud of Christ and how doth it call upon us to stirre up our affections to embrace Christ to lay hold of him and to love him with a most ardent and unfained love who hath bestowed such a precious gift upon us Secondly Christ hath bestowed upon Beleevers precious Graces Grace is called by the Apostle the renewing of the Holy-Ghost and the forming of Christ in us It consisteth in the rectitude and conformitie of our will unto the will of God and to Christ the absolute patterne of all grace and holinesse the image of the invisible God the expresse character of his Fathers brightnesse the Sun of righteousnesse the morning starre most eminently and gloriously above all others chiefest of ten thousand for sweet and gracious deportment How precious are those qualities of the soule which come neare such a patterne as this which imitate resemble and take after such unmatchable beautie Now all grace is precious but the Scripture gives that Epithite especially to faith 2 Pet. 1. 1. and that for these Reasons First Because it is the roote and wombe as I may say of all grace it is the inward fountaine and principle from whence all grace flowes it is the mother grace it purgeth the conscience and purifieth the heart and so breedeth every needfull grace in us You may see this genealogie or pedigree of grace notably delineated by the Apostle 1 Tim. 1. 5. There we finde that charitie or love which is the fulfilling of the commandement of God and a chiefe grace or Christian vertue flows from a pure heart and a pure heart springs from a good conscience and a good conscience is the off-spring of faith Faith is the Genetrix and breeder of Grace as Eve was the mother of all mankinde I speake so in respect of an internall principle for if we regard externall causes the race and genealogie may be stretched farther as thus faith comes by hearing of the word of God the word of God is declared by the mouth of a Preacher and every true Preacher is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sent from heaven But I must speake ad rhombum though there be sundry externall efficients and workers of grace yet faith is the internall roote and principle of it and that is one reason why it is called precious Secondly it is precious in respect of its Author which is the Father Sonne and Spirit The Father draws us unto Christ Joh. 6. 44. And hence wee are said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be taught of God and to heare and learne of him The Sonne likewise draws us draw me we will run after thee saith the Spouse Christ is both the Author and the finisher of our faith Heb. 12. 2. He casts in the first seed of it and also makes it to persevere he layes the foundation of it and brings it up to the roofe as I may say he makes us first to apprehend him and then leads us to the end of our faith which is the salvation of our soules Whence it is that he is called the Apostle and high Priest of our profession that is he is the teacher of our faith and the Captain thereof Lastly the Holy-Ghost is likewise the Author of our faith No man can say that Jesus is the Lord saith the Apostle but by the Holy-Ghost 1 Cor. 12. 3. And in the ninth verse of that Chapter faith is reckoned among the gifts of the Spirit Faith then must needs be very precious having God the Father God the Son and God the Holy-Ghost for the Author of it Thirdly Faith is precious in respect of the object thereof that is to say the thing upon which it leanes or rests which is God himselfe or God in Christ God is said to be in Christ reconciling the world unto himselfe and not imputing their trespasses unto them 2 Cor. 5. 19. Now this is the highest and most excellent object of faith Christ also as Mediatour is the object thereof David prayeth Lead me unto the rocke that is higher then I Psal 61. 2. And the rock that he speaks of is Christ he is the strong rocke on which his Church is built firmely and unmoovably Needs then must faith be precious while it leanes on such a solid and stedfast foundation Againe the promises are metonymically an object of faith because they are made unto us in Christ they are in him as adjuncts in their subject we rest upon the power and truth of Christ for the obtaining of that good which is in the promises All the promises of God are in him yea and in him Amen 2 Cor. 1. 20. He is mediate or in the middle between the promises and us God makes the promises and Christ is his pledge and assurance for the accomplishment of them so that faith rests on the promises of God mediante Christo through the mediation of Christ and anon you shall see what precious things those promises are in the meane while we may conclude even from them likewise that faith
Travailers in the Wildernesse who by surrounding themselves with a fire did thereby fray away the wilde beasts and kept them off from annoying them now such a defence will Christ be unto his Saints he will be with them in most deadly dangers When they passe through the water and when they walke through the fire Esa 43. 2. Fire and water are two most devouring elements good servants but bad masters as we say and therefore here they are put for all other perilous and dangerous kindes Christ will save and deliver his people from them all Wee reade Dan. 3. 25. that the three Children were cast into the fiery furnace But what said the Tyrant I see foure saith he and the fourth is like the Sonne of God and in all probabilitie it was so it being usuall under the old Testament for Christ upon some weightie occasions to appeare in humane shape Thus Christ will be with his people in the furnace of affliction and either he will provide that it shall not be over-heate or else he will worke a miracle to restraine the power of the flames he will both preserve them in and deliver them out of trouble he will so sanctifie affliction that it shall prove a very blessing and mercy to them Secondly Great also and precious are the promises which appertaine unto spirituall grace The Apostle saith That by them we partake of the divine or godly nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. He doth not meane it of the essence or substance of God as some of the Heathen conceited affirming man to be aurae divinae particula a little piece of the divine Spirit Thus did the Platonicks dreame and also the Manichees and Priscillianists not so I say for the essence of God is incommunicable but wee are to understand it of the graces of the Spirit whereby the image of God is stampt againe and restored in man therefore the Apostle doth not call it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the essentiall nature of God but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the godly nature as if he had expressed it in one word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sainthood or a nature approaching to Gods resembling and like unto Gods So that Beleevers through Christ have in their soules a lively image and representation of the perfections of the vertues and of the life of God according to that of the Apostle Colos 3. 10. And have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him he puts knowledge which is the incipient part of regeneration for the whole including under that both holinesse and righteousnesse And answering to this is that precious promise Esa 65. 17. where the Lord saith That he will make new heavens and a new earth This is meant of the spirituall excellency of the Church in regard both of doctrine of discipline and of life and therefore it holds forth a promise concerning the renewing of the soule by the Spirit of the Lord where doctrine is sound discipline wholesome and life holy there are new Heavens and a new earth as I may say and there the soule is become a new creature by the sanctifying Spirit of God Lastly great and precious also are the promises appertaining to eternall glory they containe in them that heavenly inheritance of the Saints in Light where they shall have blessed communion with God with Christ with the Holy Spirit with elect Angels and with one another for ever where they shall have the quintessence of all good things the sweetnesse of all Mercy and consolation where they shall have the splendour and bright rayes of everlasting honour where after this life and this life is but a bubble a smoake a wind a shadow they shall have that unutterable immortall Crowne of glory set upon their heads which Christ hath promised in a word where they shall have totum quod volunt nihil quod nolunt all that they would have and nothing that they would not have Hence it is that the Gospel which holdeth forth the promise of these things is termed glorious and the ministration thereof likewise glorious And therefore as the Apostle makes the comparison between the Law and the Gospel if the ministration of death and condemnation be glorious saith he how shall not the ministration of the Spirit and of righteousnesse be rather glorious so may I say if the glory of Christ be so splendent and shining so attractive and alluring even in the promise and expectation of it what then will it be in the full fruition and enjoyment thereof if so excellent and surpassing at a distance and through the lattice as I may say what will it be in the neerest touch and vision thereof when wee shall come our selves to participate of that glory Now wee see but in a glasse darkely saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 13. 12. that is here wee see God but as we see our owne Image in a glasse and not the very face it selfe here wee see him by a kinde of reflection and at second hand as I may say in the Ordinances in the creatures and such like dimme representations which at the farthest are in some sense aenigmaticall full of intricacy and obscurity But then wee shall see God face to face and then we shall know him as we our selves are knowne by him that is to say perfectly I meane with such a perfection as a glorified creature is capable of Thus have I shewed unto you what excellent and precious things are contained in the Promises for our soules and for our bodies for this life and for the life to come for ever ô then how much more precious and excellent how much more to be desired and longed for is Jesus Christ by whom so manifold and unspeakeable blessings are conveyed unto us Fourthly Christ hath bestowed up-Beleevers Mot 4 precious love and precious it is because Infinite Gracious Liberall Everlasting First the love of Christ unto his Saints is infinite and unmeasurable it is beyond all imagination or conception As the Father hath loved me so have I loved you saith Christ Joh. 15. 9. Now who can understand with what love the Father hath embraced his Sonne who can dive into the bottomelesse depth of that tender affection which the infinite God beareth unto Christ no more can wee define and fully set forth what the love of Christ unto his Saints is The Apostle indeed would have the Ephesians able to comprehend with all Saints the breadth and length the depth and height of the love of God in Christ but yet for all that hee concludes that it passeth knowledge Ephes 3. 18. 19. Secondly Christs love is a gracious love That which the Lord speakes by his Prophet concerning Jerusalem may fitly be applyed to all his people When I passed by thee and saw thee polluted or troden under foot as the word signifieth in thine owne bloud I said unto thee live That is as we use to apply it spiritually when we