sinnes to witnesse against you Si homo Angelus Archangelus aliquid promiserit fortè quis dubitaverit suprema verò essentia Spiritus dei testimonium nobis intus perhibente quisnam dubitationis locus Chyrs apud par But I have prayed for thee that thy faith faile not I will put you in my sive and sift out your chaffe but preserve your wheat for a witnesse against Satan and all his fellowes the evill Angels that kept not their standing as you shall doe but fell from it And this is the promise I 'le make unto mine that I will purely purge away all their drosse and take away all their tinne Isaiah 1.25 Doe you doubt that your faith may faint waxe weake pale and wanne that your affections may bee cooled and lessened that your zeale of God his glory may be quenched what of this your ebb of grace I will pray the Father for you that your graces faile not And you shall have your floud of grace as well as ebb But I am troubled with such temptations as I have not heard of I am sometimes tempted to beleeve Christ will not pray for me nor will God heare for such a wretch as I am well saith Christ he is a lyar and was so from the beginning Resist him e Debuit juxta vos dicere non quidem surgite orate sed surgite resistite Inquit Hier. contra pela l. 2. and so weake is his power that he hath and so strong is the power that thou hast of me that he will flee from thee f Idem hortatur ut pugnemus adjuvat ut vincamus deficientes sublevat vincentes coronat Christ perswadeth and possesseth the soule of two things to confirme and comfort it First that he hath prayed for as bad as that soule can be 2. That hee alwayes prevailed for what hee prayed for though 't is said that God heares not sinners and that their prayers are in his esteeme as abomination yet he heares his sonne for he is no sinner never was Father I thanke thee saith Christ g Tam refert quis quam quid that thou hast heard mee and I know that thou hearest mee alwayes Joh. 11.41.42 The Father loveth the Sonne and sheweth him whatsoever himselfe doth Joh. 5.20 and hee loves his Saints though they have sinned in his Sonne The Apostle gives a strong reason of this for God hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that wee should be holy and without blame before him in love So that you see Christians for your comfort when the Father did choose Christ hee also chose you in Christ Hence although you are full of blame blame-worthy in your selves yea although very unholy in your selves respecting the strictnesse that should be in you yet saith the Apostle you are chosen in him for this end that you might be and appeare blamelesse in this Christ before the Father All this is through love in love Now Christians looke about you remember and consider what a Jesus you have how good he is how dearly and greatly hee loves you what a friend he is to you with the Father and then tell me can you shew unkindnesse to this Christ can you deale discourteously with him in sinning against him I tell thee ô man I tell thee ô woman whosoever thou art h Etsi multi Gehennam omnium malorum supcemum atque ultimum putant Ego tamen sic sentio sic assidue praedicabo multo accerbius esse Christum offendere quam in gehenna malis vexari Chrysost Matth. Hom. 37. that hast come under the working power of the Lords goodnes thou canst not willingly prove unkind to this friend of friends And if thou doest forget the rocke whence thou art hewne and the brests that gave thee suck as some have done will it not grieve thy heart pierce thy soule and wound thy Conscience if it hath any tendernesse in it to heare thy sweet Saviour replie to thee as Absolom to Hushai 2 Sam. 16.17 Is this thy kindnesse to thy friend as he will doe if thou abuse his love will not such a saying of Christ as this be quick and powerfull sharper then a two edged sword to dagg and stab thy heart Consider thy selfe therefore and be to Christ as thou wouldest hee should be to thee Secondly Christ prayes that thy nature soyle not be not soyled by sinne the best of men have uncleane natures but Christ prayes they may be cleansed in love Joh. 17.15 I pray saith Christ that thou wouldest keep them from the evill of the world 2 Pet. 20. that they may never be stained with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the defilements of the world and v. 17. Father sanctifie them through thy truth thy word is truth Cleanse wash purge away their soiling sinnes even theirs and all that beleeve through their word v. 20. Christ prayes for all his And the meanest christian if he do's beleeve ha's a share in Christ's prayers for his Sanctification What though the Lord replies not to a poore Christian when he cries out to him about his soule as Moses about Miriam heale her now what if hee doth not heale now even now when thou desirest healing yet heale he will he heares his sonne and thy selfe in him and will heale when healing is best for thee Some languish under sinnes filth guilt and pressure with a Spirit of bondage many yeares cannot beleeve their sinne is pardoned their soules purged and yet at the last they find Christ who is the meanes of escape from the evill of sinne doth wash it away by his bloud so that they can sensiblie say as that Martyr at the stake who had long waited for the Lords Christ he is come he is come Yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarrie Thirdly Christ prayeth to the Father in you by his Spirit which is another spirituall help and sufficiency the Spirit it selfe makes intercession for you that is the Spirit of God within you Rom. 8.26 Thus first by giving matter of prayer to them all the prayers of the Saints that are made aright are the dictates of the Spirit of God and Christ The Spirit dictates and works a sight and sense of sinne of a mans owne wants inward or outward emptinesse and unworthinesse A sight of Christ's fulnesse worth and freenesse for the good of all his people as also what he is of God to every beleeving soule viz. wisdome Righteousnesse Sanctification and Redemption Christ within you reveales himselfe and his Father to you Christ is said to pray in Christians for they have his matter use his matter Because you are sonnes Gal. 4.6 God hath sent the Spirit of his Sonne into your hearts i Remanet quaedam ignorantiae obseuritas in intellectu secundum quam ut etiam dicitur Rom. 8. Quid oremus sicut oporter nescimus propter varios enim retum eventus
But Christs flock are his owne thus 1. By right of donation God hath given some to Christ and what 's more a mans owne then that which is given him The great God gives great gifts like himselfe millions of soules had Christ given him 1 Tim. 2.6 2. By right of purchase and Redemption Jesus Christ hath bought some 1 Cor. 6.20 given precious d Fortasis epithetum pretiosa nonnullum habet respectum ad pretium sanguinis Christi meritorium ejus Lorinus in locum bloud for some precious soules 1 Pet. 1.19 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he gave himselfe for us not onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a ransome but also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a counter-ransome for all our sinnes Oh thou man of God ponder these things well in thine owne minde Christ gave his owne selfe for thy selfe and art not thou then his owne canst thou then have the heart to act such a part of unkindnesse against him as to serve thy selfe God forbid 3. By right of conquest hee hath conquerd some with kindnesse and overcome some with unexpressible love he hath subdued them to himselfe and their sinnes with Satan downe to the dust and therefore they may well be his and shall not he have the greatest share in them May not Christ say to a subjected soule as Paul to Philemon thou owest mee even thine owne selfe Me think 's the soule should thus reply yea Lord and take me and all mine for thine owne use my soule Spirit strength what I am or may be for it 's thine owne 4. By right of stipulation Ezek. 16.8 or Covenant-making I entred into a Covenant with thee and thou becamest mine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I entred into a contract or bargain with thee and shall not the Lord have his bargaine 5. By right of a gracious communication some are sweetly sanctified to the use of Christ to the service of Christ and no other The Lord hath set apart him that 's godly for himselfe Some are vessells of honour fitted for their Masters use Jo. 17.19.22 Ps 4.3 6. A Beleever is Christs owne by a right of Regeneration as he 's begotten againe in and after Christ's owne Image God the Father through Christ by his Spirit hath begotten them againe into Christ's owne likenesse The first Adam begat a sonne in his own likenesse after his owne Image e Gen. 5.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vel ut aliqui volunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 genuit secundum figuram suam the second Adam did so too And being begotten againe in his likenesse as children truly like their owne heavenly Father they are truly and properly call'd his own children End signifies diversly f Denique Erasmus tandem Beza ad finem usque i. e. indesinentur Piscator Omni tempore hoc est semper perpetuò First the continuation of a thing Psal 102.17 18. He shall regard the prayer of the destitute and not despise it this shall be written for the Generations to come i. e. inperpetuum for ever Isal 9.7 The Lord shall endure for ever * Assiduè Drusius this sence from the place Nazian perpetuò vulg lat in finem Where the Chaldie hath it in saeculum the Septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christ loves his owne with an everlasting love Christians doe yee sometimes doubt through misapprehensions and mistakes 't is without cause given on Jesus his part Secondly end 's put sometimes for extremitie as misery sorrow and suffering is the end of sinning death is the end of life sorrow misery and death is mans extremity Messiah loves his owne in all their extremities 3. Sometimes it signifies perfection g The Graecians significantly call end and perfection by one and the same terme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 significat tam perficio quam finem facio fineo obeo or consummo benevertit ergo Poeta Phyllirides pucrum citharâ perfecit Achillem also as growth is the end of youth i. e. the perfection of youth Glory is the end of grace viz. the perfection of grace for grace is initiall glory glory begun a christian that is sanctified seasoned and set apart to the Lords use begin's to live the life of glory even here in the Kingdome of grace Grace is glory inchoate Glory is grace consummate 4. Sometimes the scope or finall cause h Scopus seu causa finalis Rom. 10.4 1 Tim. 1.5 significat etiam exitus seu eventus Phil. 3.19 James 5.11 of things Christ is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the end of the Law for righteousnesse to every man that beleeveth viz. that perfection of holinesse and that exquisite righteousnesse with greatest fulnes which the most holy God and his most holy Law aimed at and which is more he did compleatly answer and fully satisfie the exactest mandates and precepts of the same strictest Law for every beleeving soule Christ loves his to the same end the Law aimes at viz. to make them holy and present them blamelesse before his Father with exceeding great joy Ah Lord who is wise and see'th not strength of love shed abroad by the Spirit in the hearts of thine In this text it 's put for death onley he loved them to the end i. e. to the death not that death could put an end to Christ's love by which he adhered and doth adhere to his * Christ's love's immortall Mors igitur non finit omnia Death only ends mortall things Death was not able to breake the bands of friendship which were betwixt head and members Christ and christians that could not destroy the power of union betwixt him and his for how could death put an end to that which tooke away its sting from it Christ's love to his subdu'd him to incounter with Death Hell and the grave who is now triumphing over all principalities and Powers The sence then may be such as this that it put an end to his terrene and mortall life and conversation amongst them here i Mors vocatur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non quòd omnia in morte cum morte siniantur quia etiam de Christi morte haec appellatio usurpatur sed quia terrenae mortali huic vitae ac mundanae conversationi finem imponit Gerh. in locum comin Joh. 13.1 and so hee loved them to the end of that course he steered with them here in the body For 't was come to this that bodily presence must now for a time be suspended corporall fellowship certainly ended though very sad newes to the hearts of his followers Disciples yet all in love Now he and his must be taken asunder for a time that they may be joyn'd together againe when time shall be no more Thus when Jesus knew the houre was come that he should depart out of this world to the Father loving his owne he loved them did cleave to them even unto the end The note from the words then may be such as this Christ loves
qui nos ipsos non perfectè cognoscimus non possimus ad plenum scire quid nobis expediat ideò necesse est ut à Deoditigamur protegamur qui omnia novit omnia potest Aqu. sum 2 â— q 109. a. 9. crying Christians when you crie unto God Christ by his Spirit is crying in you and calling out Abba Abba Father Father can you then doubt of being heard when Christ prayes in you whom the Father heares alwayes Secondly Christ in them poures forth their requests to the Father and that by words sutable to his Majesty and their necessity this is called the help of the Spirit by reason of mans infirmity and this help is afforded because we know not what to pray for as we ought 'T is good to have a helper when wee goe into the presence of a great God especially when wee are helplesse for did not the Spirit help who else can give supplie in such a case Or what can be pleasing to God save that which comes from God can any thing lead to God ascend unto him besides that which descended from him surely nothing onely he that searcheth the heart knoweth the mind of the Spirit because that makes intercession according to the will of God Rom. 8.27 God and Christ puts words in his peoples mouthes as is clear from Hos 14.2 Turning to the Lord say these words take away our iniquities remove our sinnes from us receive us graciously be favourable to us so shall wee render to thee the calves of our lips that is we will bee thankfull so Luke 11. from the first to the fift When the Disciples desired Christ to teach them to pray hee puts words into their mouthes saying when yee goe to my God and your God speake thus call him Father the very name prayes for us k Ipsum nomen â—rat pro noâ—is pray him to sanctifie his owne name to let his Kingdome come his Kingdome of grace into the hearts of the gracelesse to let his will be done upon you in you and by you and for manner so an earth as 't is done in heaven viz. willingly chearefully readily with much willingnesse without any the least wearinesse aske for bread for the day all necessaries for the comfortable being of the outward man aske forgivenesse of sinnes for he is blessed to whom the Lord imputes not sinne though hee hath little of the things and necessaries of this life Beg you be not lead into temptation viz. not suffer'd to be tempted or else be kept from falling under the temptation l Jubet orare ne in tentationem dueantur i. e. ne ab câ vincantur Aug. l. de Cor. grat c. 6. and from being overcome of it and that you may bee delivered from all evill of sinne and suffering Yee shall aske what yee will and it shall be done unto you if yee continue in mee and my words abide in you Joh. 15.7 aske and ye shall have Christ names not what shall be given to let us know that gift is above all that can be named m Non dicitur quid dabitur quia donum supra omne nomen Aug. Secondly or without words for prayer is mentall as well as vocall and although a Spirit of son-ship is a Spirit of Prayer and every son of God is a man of prayer yet some sweet soules as deare to Christ as others cannot sometimes by reason of some distempers and distractions of body and mind I say they cannot utter their minds by words at the Throne of grace Rom. 8.26 Now Christ by his Spirit helps n Est metaphora ab onerious sumpâ—a quae utrinque admotis manibus sublevantur Beza 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so Luk. 10.40 The Greek worâ—â—'s a decompound and there 's great force in it these sometimes even to sigh out their wants and sorrowes before him and obtaine o sometimes to groane out their desires unto him sometimes by weeping shedding teares which have a secret language and voyce in the eares of the Lord of rests Psal 6.8 Thou hast heard the voyce of my weeping and Christ himselfe hath wept for some * ChristuÌ„ flevisse legimus rifisse nunquam Salvian l. 6. Cum Spiritus hominis suspiâ—or Spiritus Dei aspirat Cyprian Matth. 6. sometimes the heart 's so full of sorrow so sad and heavie that nothing can bee said or done then even then the Spirit helps and all through love Christ ha's promised his beloved friends corporall succours every morsell a Saint receives hee hath it in way of a promise The Lord feedes others too but 't is onely so as he doth the beasts of the field in an ordinary way of providence wicked men may have much and yet inherit nothing because they possese not God in their injoyments injoy not him in conjunction and connection with the Creatures Take no thought saith Christ what ye shall eate or what yee shall drinke or wherewithall yee shall be cloathed It 's enough for a Gentile a Heathen a stranger to God and Christ to bee cuttingly carefull for these things that hath ne'r a heavenly Father to provide for him Doth your heavenly Father feed the fowles of the Heavens and shall hee not much more feed you Doth he cloath the Lillies of the field better than Solomon in all his glory and cloath the grasse of the field * Wicked men are like the grasse of the field with their gloria brevis whose end 's to be burn'd which remaines but for a time and shall hee not cloath thee who shalt live for ever abide for ever these are some of Christ's comfortable love discovering words And many other such like there be which for number are as the Starres of the Firmament that cannot be told 'T is said that one Crane a precious Christian though of meane estate in outward things being about to die and it being demanded by his friends what should become of his children hee answered thus God that provided for the Ravens will also certainly provide for the young Cranes and according to the good mans faith so it was that all his children were well provided for in this evill world Psal 34.9 There is no want to them that feare him that is of what is good for them and to misse an evill thing is no injurie to them If the Lord of his goodnesse doth foresee that riches will be a snare to one or other his sonnes of love and therefore withholds them from them what doth that child want save something which if hee had 't would make him more wanting in better things Some have much of the world and this hath been the fruit of it the cares of getting and keeping together with the feares of loosing the things of this life 'tas almost drunke up all that delight Joy and content they should and might have had in a spirituall God Christ and spirituall things If any man loves this world the love of the Father
seeme to shew some love to themselves but doe no more then grope after true blisse Some seeke to be and doe well in their latter end but 't is but as the Sodomites grop'd for Lots doore in the darke Reach after it they doe but 't is onely ignorantly as some worship they know not what so some seeke they know not what others seeke they know not where vitam beatam quaerunt in regione mortis They seeke Heaven in Hell Is est homo calamitatis fabula insoe-Ncitatis tabula the living among the dead a living Christ in wayes of death Is this to love thy selfe The Lord bee good to such a soule Christ loves thee more then thou lovest thy selfe for his care is more for thy soule then is thine owne Thou canst let slip away precious opportunities of soule refreshing rarities and ne're observe the emptinesse of all seene things but Christ watcheth alwayes ne'r slumbreth ne'r sleepeth waites that hee may be gracious to thy gracelesse selfe Oh sinner what 's the frame of thy heart when thou ponder'st these things Did'st thou ever heare of such a friend that could over-love thy selfe in thee seeke things for thy owne peace like to Christ Is not this love of the highest degree do's not this speake him an inlarging good when thou art straitning thine owne bowells against and towards thy selfe in the things of thine owne welfare Fifthly Christ loves more then a soule For first a soule may leave her bodie in the dust but cannot raise 't up againe but Christ will raise his body though buried in bottomes of greatest depth Secondly the soule quickens with a borrowed life but Christ quickens with his own life Christ loves his owne bodie more then the soule can love her owne body Two things shew the soule 's strength of love to her owne body 1. Feare of death 2. Loathnesse to die For the first men tremble to thinke of that separation which is then made betwixt soule and body it 's as he calls it a terrible separation f Horrendum divortium Bern. sup Cant. ser 26. not onely of the dead from the living but also of the dead from it selfe a separation of the dead body from its owne soule which is it selfe Timore casto autem timeat homo separationem à Deo Bern. Secondly loathnesse to dye the soule shrink's at the bodies dissolution and they each of them grieve to part with each other Is there not in them who shall live for ever a loathnesse to die which loathnesse arising neither from a desire of possessing present pleasures nor from a feare of suffering future torments in hell fire must needs spring from this root the love that is betwixt soule and body Hylarion when he was about to die spake to his soule thus Goe out my soule goe out what fearest thou what doubtest thou g Egredere anima mea Egredere quid times quid dubitas Hierom. in vita Hillarion discovering that his soule was loath to leave her earthly home loath to goe to her heavenly Father the onely Father of Spirits oh the love it selfe of none but of such an one who is love its selfe * D. Wals ser lise death of Christ 1 Joh. 4.8 God is love Christ's and Christians union is greater then that of soule and body thus 1. The soule is truly and properly said to be in the body but the body cannot truly and properly be said to be in the soule for 't is impossible h Ultra posse non est esse But Christ is said to be in his and they are said to be in him 2. There is a greater union between the one then is between the other i Caput corpus unus est Christus Aust and therefore the greater love for the more the unitie is the more is the amity Sixthly Christ loves man more then man loves God though you take in the best of men within the limits of this conclusion Abraham may give a Sonne an onely sonne k Sint in hoc parenti triplicata supplicia silius charissimus quem diligis Orig. in locum Fulmen non minus terribile Abrahamo quam si jubetur cor sibi cruere immo secum universo mundo in Infernum praecipitare Paraeus in Gen. 22. a sonne he lou'd to the Lord his God in love through many straits and yet not be so much in love with God as he 's in love with him a man may give his owne life selfe and soule to Jesus Christ and yet not love as he 's belov'd For first love in this life is little and can you think its acts are so great Nothing acts beyond the compasse of its owne abilities Secondly wee are the Lords debtors our lives are his by right but Christ is debtor to none he paid many debts of many thousands but ow'd not a mite to any l Promittendo se fecit debitorem Aug. 3. Christ's love to us is greater then ours to him for 'tas a greater fruit his love makes lovely but ours addes nothing to his beauty wee may get by him but what gaines he by us can we augment his glory that were to help the Sunne to shine whose glory needs no increase Deare friends tell mee what thoughts have you of Christ's love and what worke doth it make on your spirits can you at last admire the height depth length and breadth of such a grace in such a person as Christ is you see friends of Christ all these lovers have done worthily Prov. 31.29 and yet as Solomon saith of the vertuous woman many daughters have done vertuously but thou excellest them all so may I say of Christ and much more many lovers have done worthily but thou excellest them all CHAP. IV. Of the Discoveries and manifestations of Christs love SOme things have a greater shew than substance but the things of Christ are no such things Some men have got an Art to seeme what they are not these doe like themselves not like Christ for Christ cannot doe so He 's as good as he seemes but cannot seeme the halfe of that he is in himselfe and unto his while they live in this inferiour world Some want Bowells or else shut up those they have in time of others need but Christ abounds with Bowells and they are alwayes open never shut against his chosen Hence is that multiplication of that mercifull word Hosea 11.8 How shall I give thee up how shall I deliver thee how shall I make thee as Admah how shall I set thee as Zeboim and the Lord gives you the reason of this his arguing within himselfe his heart was turned his repentings were kindled set on fire within his bless'ed brest Christ's love and the discoverie on 't doe passe th' apprehension of mortall weights but unto you who must put on immortality bee it shadowed out thus DIscoveries of love are either verball or actuall and practicall Christ discovers