the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Who is it that shall appear at the last Day in the Clouds but Christ who is called the great God and our Saviour God blessed for ever saith Paul to the Romans The great God saith Paul to Titus And lest any Heretick should hope to shift it off as they are as full of shifts as the Serpent is of turnings and windings and should say Why Angels are called gods and Magistrates are called gods To stop their mouths St. John telleth you He is the true God I and God properly so called The true God You know what they use to object against this as if the Object Father were onely called the true God And the place seemeth to have some colour in it Joh. 17. 13. This is life eternall that they know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent Jesus Christ seemeth to be made a different Person from the true God I answer There is no necessity of limiting this phrase Answ The onely true God to the Person of the Father the First Person in the Trinity It is true indeed that the word Thee in the third Verse referreth to the word Father in the first Verse These words spake Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said Father glorifie thy Son c. And this is eternall life that we know thee the onely true God Ye must know the word Father is taken two manner of waies in Scripture First Sometimes it is taken for the First-Person in the Trinity And Father is taken for the Divine Essence or rather for an Attribute that is common to all the Persons in the Trinity Every one is Father in this sense So Christ is Father as well as the First Person He is called The everlasting Father and The Prince of peace Isa 9. 6. Father in that sense is no more than God in his Essence Mal. 2. 10. Have we not all one Father hath not one God created us There is a concurrence of all the Persons in this great work of Creation and so in this Relation of Father That Jam. 1. 27. True religion and undefiled before God and the Father Father here belongeth to all the Persons 1 Pet. 1. 17. We know that all judgement is committed to Christ So that Father is taken here essentially and belongeth to all the Trinity If ye understand it so here then the Objection is of no force But Christ is conceived here as Mediator and as Man praying to the whole Trinity under the name of Father and saying This is eternall life to know thee onely true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent So that 1 Tim. 2. 5. is parallel There is one God and one Mediator between God and man the man Christ Jesus Nothing is so familiar in Scripture as to distinguish Christ as Mediator from God taking the word essentially for all the Persons in the Trinity Secondly Suppose the word Father Joh. 17. be taken Personally for the First Person in the Trinity yet the word Onely is not here to be limited to the First Person I pray you observe that This is eternall life that they know thee the onely true God It is not Thee onely the true God as if the Father onely were the true God Indeed the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not to be tyed to the saying Thee onely but Thee God is to be tyed to the word Onely To know thee the onely true God So as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word Onely is not exclusive from the other two Persons the Son and God distinguished from Creatures and Idols not from the other Persons the holy Ghost but onely exclusive from the Creatures who are improperly called gods as sometimes Angels and sometimes Magistrates are called so and Idols so called falsly The onely true God excluding Idolls but not the Son and the holy Ghost You may as well argue from that place 1 Cor. 8. 5 6. that God the Father is not Lord as argue from this that Christ is not the true God for it is said there Though there be that are called gods both in heaven and in earth as there be gods many and lords many But to us there is but one God the Father of whom are all things and we in him and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him But one Lord Jesus Christ May men from hence argue and say The Father is not the Lord Jesus Christ But many argue and say That Christ is not God because he saith There is but one God the Father of whom are all things I will not hold you long upon this because I hope there are not many here that need solution in this point though the errour be spreading Consider that place Matth. 11. 27. All things are delivered to me of my Father saith Christ And None knoweth the Son but the Father neither knoweth any the Father save the Son and he to whom the Son will reveal him None knoweth the Son but the Father Why doth not the Son know himself doth not the holy Ghost know the Son Yes It is said The Spirit searcheth the deep things of God Neither knoweth any the Father save the Son Doth not the Father know himself and the holy Ghost both the Persons Yes But this none excludeth Creatures from the other Persons So the true God is distinguished from Creatures and Idolls not from the other Persons in the Trinity I will make Use of this to meet with such Hereticks as Vse 1 deny this Would to God I could say there were none in this City but mine ears have heard a man stifly to deny the Divinity of Christ and dispute against it and blaspheme that great truth without which I think a man may safely say there is no possibility of salvation I wonder that of all the old Errors swept down into this latter Age as into a sink of time this of the Socinians and Arians Beware of Heresies should be held forth amongst the rest Let us beware of their doctrines shun their meetings and persons that come to us with the denyall of the Divinity of Christ in their mouths This was John's doctrine and his practise Irenaeus tells us that after he was returned from his Banishment and came to Ephesus he came to bathe himself and in the Bath he found Cerinthus that said Christ had no beeing till he received it from the Virgin Mary Upon the sight of whom John skipped out of the Bath and called his companions from thence saying Let us go from this place lest the Bath should fall down upon us because Cerinthus is in it that is so great an enemy to God Ye see his Doctrine see his words too 2 Joh. 10 11. If any come to you having not this doctrine receive him not into your house neither bid him God-speed for he that biddeth him God-speed is partaker of his evill deed What the Doctrine was ye may see
man but by Jesus Christ and God the Father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Who was the principall Efficient not Paul the Apostle then certainly Jesus Christ and God the Father he is said to be an Apostle by Them So then Christ is the principall Efficient of the Creation And in this sense it is said By him were all things made not as by an Instrument but as by the chief Efficient No more of the Proposition By him till I come to make Use of it I come now to the Illustration of this And without him was not any thing made that was made These words are considerable three waies First as an Hebraism a manner of speech borrowed from the course of the Hebrews in their Writings Secondly As an Addition to what Moses had said concerning the works of Creation Thirdly As an Explication of the former Clause By him were all things made First Look at them as an Hebraism which this Evangelist is full of Ye must know that amongst the Hebrews there was nothing more usuall for the heightning of an expression then to joyn an Affirmative and Negative together in one sentence when they had first affirmed a thing positively then to joyn another clause that should deny the contrary I will give you an instance or two to make it clear that in Isa 39. 4. Hezekiah answered All that is in mine house have they seen there is the Affirmative There is nothing in my treasures that I have not shewed them there is the Negative and both make up one compleat sense Jer. 42. 4. And it shall come to passe that whatsoeever thing the Lord shall answer you I will declare it to you there is the Affirmative I will keep nothing back from you here is the Negative And the sense is inforced by it Just as it is here All things were made by Him and without Him was not made any thing that was made Secondly If ye look at them as an Addition to what Moses had mentioned concerning the Creation He had made an expresse mention of all things visible Our Evangelist All things visible and invisible created by Christ intending to carry the Efficiency of Christ to the making of all things that receive a being whether visible of which Moses speaks or invisible therefore he contenteth not himselfe by saying By Him were all things made but addeth further without Him was not made any thing that was made The former clause hath reference to what Moses said The latter carrieth it further All things visible and invisible Colos 1. 16. By him speaking of Christ who is the Image of the invisible God by Him were all things created that are in Heaven and Earth visible and invisible whether Thrones or Dominions or Principalities or Powers All things were created by Him Thirdly These words are considerable especially as an Explication of the former clause By him were all things made wherein are two things to be noted The Efficient and the Effect Here is something to explain both The Effect first These words without him was not any thing made that was made Any thing that was made helpeth to explain That these words limit All things in the former clause to all created things all things that receive a being whereas otherwise God himselfe God the Father the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost these are in the number of all things The three Persons in the Trinity God the Father Son and Spirit have the most excellent beeing have the most excellent Beeing But some have brought desperate arguments from this Text That Christ is a Creature because in the number of all things Now say the next words without him was not any thing made that was made Ye must limit the first words All things that receive a being not that have a being As the Apostle argueth in another Case so we may reason in this 1 Cor. 15. 27. He hath put all things under his feet but when he saith All things are put under him it is manifest That he is excepted that put all things under him So all things are created by Him But when He saith All things are Created by Him it is manifest that he is excepted by whom all things are Created Secondly Here is something to explain the Efficient from these words without him was not any thing made It implieth a kind of Co-partenership in the work of Creation Christ alone doth not make all things But Christ together with the Father and the Holy Ghost yet so as without the Word without Christ was nothing made by any of the other Persons This wisdome challengeth as the Prerogative of the Son of God Prov. 8. from the 27 vers to the 31. When He prepared the Heavens I was there when He set a compasse upon the face of the deep and stablished the Clouds above when He gave to the Sea his decree then I was by Him as one brought up with Him and was daily His delight rejoycing alwayes before Him It excludeth onely Creatures not the Co-operation of the other Persons in the Trinity to what was made without Him was not any thing made It is an usuall distinction amongst Divines God hath two sorts of works some Opera ad intra works terminated upon some Person in the Trinity works within And these are done by some one person not by another So the Father begetteth That work is terminated upon the Son he is begotten the son begetteth not The Holy Ghost proceedeth the Father doth not That is a proper work Adintra But works Adextra Works without God And these are all common to all the three Persons The Father createth and the Son createth and the Holy Ghost createth and yet but one Creator because it is a work that proceedeth from the Will of God and the will of God is the same in all the three Persons and accordingly though the work be ascribed to every Person yet they make but one Creator because all Three have but one Essence But because they have different Subsistencies the Father a distinct Person from the Son and the Son from the Holy Ghost therefore they have a distinct manner of working even in this businesse of the Creation In all things the Father works All matters of Inchoations are ascribed to the Father of Dispensations to the Sonne of Consummations to the Holy Ghost But I will no longer dwell upon that you see the meaning of these words Let us now come to apply them All things were made by him that is by Christ and without him was not any thing Vse Of Instruction made that was made To passe from more knotty difficult matter to what may I hope come home to the conscience Here are both Instructions and Consolations and Directions to be borrowed from hence Three Instructions four Consolations and five Directions I shall give you from this truth That Christ is the Creator of all things and without him was made nothing that was made First It instructeth
Saviour telleth us there was none greater than John excepting Christ who had not a naturall generation Matth. 11. 11. Verily I say unto you Amongst them that are born of a woman there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist This great John the first What is his Employment Certainly so honourable a Person must be called to some honourable service It is The employment of the Ministers of the Gospel is an honourable employment Luk 2. 11. Mar. 16. 6. To bear witnesse to the light than which no service is more honourable It is that which Angels have not disdained They ye know bare witnesse to Christ's Incarnation they tell the shepheards That to them is born in the City of Bethlehem a Saviour which is Christ the Lord. And then they bore witness of his Resurrection to women at the Sepulcher God the Father and the holy Ghost thought it no disparagement to them to bear witnesse to Christ God the Father at his Birth This is my beloved Son in whom I am well Matth. 3. 17. Matth. 17. 5. pleased and at his Transfiguration in the Mount And it is the great work of the holy Ghost in all his negotiations to the sons of men to testifie of Christ Joh. 15. 26. When the Comforter shall come whom I will send to you from the Father even the Spirit of truth he shall testifie of me There is his work I will not insist long upon this Let us learn onely from hence every one in his and her place to bear witnesse to Christ Ministers by preaching Christ as Paul did who desired to know nothing amongst his people but Christ and him crucified therefore he is called a Chosen vessell Paul is But to what end Act. 9. 15. The Lord said to him Go thy way for he is a chosen vessell to me to bear my name before the Gentiles and Kings and children of Israel Here is the Minister's work to bear Christ's name before the people like those Pitchers of Gideon Judg. 7. earthen pitchers indeed and so earthen vessells as Paul calleth them but they have a Lamp in them and are chosen vessells to bear the name of Christ to witness to this truth And so Believers in their conference should bear witness to Christ by telling one another what great things he hath done for their souls discoursing of him as the Disciples in the way to Emmans their talk was of Christ As people when they come from Market they tell of their penny-worths When people How to bear witnesse to Christ come from Sermons they speak what they have heard and what a good bargain Christ is All of all sorts are called to witness for Christ by their living and if they be called to it by their dying living to him dying for him there is witness born to Christ both these waies All are not indeed called to Martyrdom and so to testifie of Christ by their death but all are called to Testifie of Christ by their Life As ye read of some that professed God in their works so some confesse Christ in their lives those that shew forth the grace of Christ as Peter speaketh who are called out of darknesse into his marvellous Light Those that can carry themselves meekly towards the malitious and humbly towards the proud they may hereby by their Carriage bear witnesse to that meeknesse and humility which they receive from Christ as the head and fountain of it Whosoever hath received Christ Jesus the Lord truly he will walk in him not onely talk of him but confesse him not only with his mouth but his life Here is a way of witnessing to him That ye may be incouraged to witnesse for Christ take two Considerations First If we do not witnesse for Christ now Christ will one day witnesse against us Mal. 3. 5. I will come neer to you in judgment and I will be a swift witnesse against such and such sinners as he there mentioneth Christ himself will be a witnesse against us if we be not witnesses for him and a swift witnesse too And now beloved Consider with your selves what astonishment seized upon the souls of Joseph's brethren as soon as he stept up to witnesse against them and said I am Joseph whom ye sold into Egypt And yet he did this meerly to inform them and not to affright Gen. 45. 3. them Who can tell the horrour and amazement which will fall upon the souls of men when Christ will at the last day say I am Jesus whom ye Crucified and whom ye refused to believe and whose Word and Gospell ye have trampled under your feet Secondly Consider That if we do witnesse for Christ we shall have Three witnessing for us in whose Testimony we shall receive aboundance of Comfort First We shall have a witnesse without us and a witnesse within us and a witnesse above us Without us That is the Testimony of men that fear God If we witnesse for Christ They will witnesse for us even the Consciences of wicked men will be inforced many times to witnesse for us when their words witnesse against us But though they should not yet by faith the Elders obtained a good report Hebr. 11. 2. The Saints will have a good report amongst them that are Saints like themselves Jonathan will witnesse for David though he incurre Saul's displeasure for so doing Secondly We shall have a witnesse within us That is the Testimony of our Consciences Though there should be storms without yet there will be a calme within And it is the wind within that maketh the Earth-quake And the wind within that maketh the soul to quake Conscience is a witnesse within us Thirdly God is greater then our hearts He is a witnesse for us so saith Job Job 16. My witnesse is in Heaven and my Record is on high Though men upon earth should witnesse against him and though he should not at all times have the peace of his Conscience speaking good things for him yet he hath a witnesse above all His witnesse is in Heaven and his Record on high As Augustine saith Deus major Conscientia pro nostra Conscientia testatur That is one end why God will have men witnesse for him because he might have occasion to witnesse for them if time serve what a comfort is here to have him witnesse for us who is our Judge whose sentence will never Certainly go against his Testimony I have done with that and proceed now to another argument which the Evangelist useth to prove That Christ is the Fountain of Light namely from the effect of Illumination generall Illumination Vers 9. That was the true Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the World Here is both the Agent the Act and the Subject The Agent Christ under the name of true Light The Act Lightning The Subject Every man that cometh into the World That was the true Light Light ye know was the first distinct Creature that God made And as
ye compare these two places in the Galathians Gal. 5. 6. with Gal. 6. 15. In Jesus Christ neither Circumcision nor uncircumcision availeth any thing but Faith which worketh by love What is that see the fifteenth Verse of the sixth Chapter Neither Circumcision nor uncircumcision but a new Creature New Creature and Faith is all one where faith is there is a new Creature So then All believers are new born and new born of God because as ye have heard already which will save me a labour to exemplifie this It requireth a Divine power to beget a man to Christ Jam. 1. 18. Of his owne will begot he us with the Word of Truth Of his owne will begot he us To make a man partaker of godlinesse there must go Divine power as Peter saith 2 Pet. 1. 3. According to his Divine power He hath given us all things pertaining to Life and Godlinesse Such a power as went to the Regeneration requireth a greater power then Creation Creation yea a greater power then went to the Creation if a greater can be God putteth forth a further act of power in Regeneration then in Creating men and the whole World at first because there was then nothing to resist God spake the Word and there was no opposition made Let there be light and there was light Let the waters be gathered together and they were gathered together into one Channell But when God cometh here to Convert all is up in arms Corrupt nature struggleth for it selfe and the Devill likely to be thrown out of his hold maketh the best of it that he can and musters all his forces to maintain his possession here is required a greater power because of resistance which was not in the former work Would not a man say if he should go into a Potters shop or Glasse-house that a man might sooner make a thousand pots or glasses then when a pot or glasse is broken all to pieces to make it whole again That is a much greater work This is the case here In the Creation God brought all things out of nothing Here is but one single work But when he comes now to regenerate he findeth men's hearts broken to pieces and he must make them sound again That is a further work a double work He must pull down the old building and set up a new frame none of the old not a stick will serve Old things are done away all things are Cor. 2. 5. 17. become new Therefore it is that all the works of the Creation though an Almighty work is but the finger as it were of God When I consider the Heavens the work of thy fingers The works of man's Redemption and Conversion require the whole arme So speaking of God after the manner of men for to him all things are alike easie Luk. 1. 51. He hath shewed strength with his arme speaking of the work of our Redemption by Christ Who hath believed our Report To whom is the arm of the Lord revealed That which is manifest in the Gospell that telleth us of our Redemption saying It is the arm of God At the first it was but a word Let there be light and it was so The work of our Redemption cost not onely words but tears and sweat and blood and the Life of our Saviour God breathed the breath of Life into man that he might revive him and become a new Creature So that this work considered one cannot be born again of any but of God I proceed now to the Application If believers are born Vse 1 of God then it calleth upon them to be thankfull to God This presseth thankfulnesse for our new birth for their new birth They have received that from the hands of God that the rest of the World are strangers to They are better born then others that is the word the Apostle useth Acts 17. 11. We stand ingaged to the whole Trinity for this blessing Behold what manner of love the Father hath shewed unto us We owe our new birth to God the Father And to the Son too Isai 9. 6. The name of Christ is the Everlasting Father And to God the Holy Ghost Joh. 3. 5. Except we be born again of Water and of the Spirit born of the Spirit To th end we may be the more 3. Graces and priviledges that accompany new birth sensible of this inestimable blessing consider the graces and priviledges that accompany this new birth I will name but three First Is likenesse to God We are so born of God as to 1. Is likenesse to God bear his Image to be righteous as he is righteous 1 Joh. 2. ult If ye know that he is righteous ye know that every one which doth righteousnesse is born of him It is true of all the Creatures They are made of God But it is true onely of Saints They are born of God Therefore though every Creature hath something of God in him yet a Saint hath more All have the foot-steps of God but Believers have his Image They represent him as a man's son represents his father There may be the Image of a man taken in a Picture that may shew something of him and his Image in a glasse that sheweth more that representeth his motion which the other doth not But his Image in his son that is the most lively of all that representeth his disposition Such an Image of God is in every Saint it represents the quality of God and the disposition of him He is made partaker of the Divine nature Secondly There is in him a love to God and to the Saints 2. Love to God and to the Saints which is another adjunct of the new birth of which 1 Joh. 4. 7. compared with 1 Joh. 5. 1. vers Beloved Let us love one another for love is of God and every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God Chap. 5. 1. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God and every one that loveth him that begetteth loveth him that is begotten of him First here is love to God the Common father of all the Saints It is true in this Case Amor descendit sed non semper ascendit Love amongst men descendeth It goeth down from the Parent to the Child but it doth not alwayes ascend from the Child to the Parent But here as there is a love descending to us so from us ascending to God As the Iron that is touched with the Load-stone hath an inclination of following the Load-stone So when God hath touched the soul with Love it leaveth an instinct behind it of following after God As every one that is new born hath a love to God so hath he also to the Saints He that loveth him that begetteth loveth him also that is begotten of him Look as it is in nature Light ye know is the prime object of sight It is the principall visible object and the more of light in any thing the more visible
John knew neither Jewes nor Gentiles would indure the tearm of the Son of God They could not indure to hear of a sonship in the Deity and Godhead but with this tearm Word applied to the Godhead they were well acquainted both Jewes and Gentiles But John had often met with it in the Old Testament in this sense for the second person in the Trinity I shall shew you a place or two Psal 33. 6. By the Word of the Lord were the Heavens made and all the hosts of them by the breath of his Mouth Here is JEHOVAH the Lord and the Word of the Lord for the Second Person and the Spirit of his Mouth for the Third The Creation is ascribed to the whole Trinity So here is Word In the same sense ye shall find Jesus Christ is called the Word 2 Sam. 7. 21. in that speech of David For thy VVord's sake and according to thine own Heart hast thou done all these great things What is that For thy VVord's sake 1 Chron. 17. 19. Compare these two places O Lord for thy Servant's sake and according to thine own Heart hast Thou done all these things Thou hast done them for thy VVord's sake saith Samuel Thou hast done them for thy Servants sake in the Chronicles And who is that Servant but Christ My servant whom I have Chosen and in whom I delight c. There is a place in Haggai that calleth Christ the VVord Haggai 2. 4 5. Yea now be strong Oh Zerobbabel saith the Lord and be strong Oh Joshua son of Josedeck the High Priest and be strong all ye people of the Land-saith the Lord and work for I am with you saith the Lord of Hosts according to the VVord that I Covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt so my Spirit remaineth amongst you fear ye not Here is JEHOVAH and VVord and Spirit according to ye may see by the Character is not in the Originall it is in another Letter in our Translation of it Therefore thus according to the Originall or more neerly I am with you saith the Lord of Hosts with that VVord in whom I covenanted with you In quo vobiscum pepegi I am with you together with that VVord in whom I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt So that God promiseth the Church deliverance in the Name of God the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost Well then the Jewes you see were well acquainted with this tearm of VVord applied to the second Person in the Trinity They had it in the beginning and in the Chaldee Paraphrase which is applied to JEHOVAH it is rendred the VVord of God What JEHOVAH is said to do they translate it The Word of God did it applying the Word of God to Christ Yea the very Heathens whom John would likewise take and therefore baiteth his hook accordingly the Heathens had a strong notion of the Word They said There was an eternall Mind from which proceeded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Word which was the Creator of all things Ye have it in Plato Trismegistus and divers of the Philosophers yea the very Oracle Pheuros the King of Egypt sendeth to the Oracle to know Who should be the greatest in the World hoping the Oracle would have named him But he received this answer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 expressing the whole Trinity clearly and expresly First God saith the Oracle then the Word and together with them the Spirit So then this tearm Word being known and applied to God both by Jewes and Heathens and St. John knowing that Ebion and Cerinthus were better versed in this Philosophy than in the Scriptures of God he to win them baits his hook with this expression of the Word whereas the expression of the Son of God would have angred them In this sense John practiseth what St. Paul confesseth to become all things to all men He setteth forth Christ under the term of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Word which they would better receive Whence the third Quaerie doth arise which is the main How doth it appear that Christ is fitly called by this Quaerie 3 term The Word We must distinguish There is a two-fold Word There Respons is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A word conceived in the mind I pray you set you selves to understand it As when ye read The fool hath said in his heart There is no God Here is what the fool thought He said that is within himself When the mind speaketh to a man's self that is a word conceived Secondly there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word delivered that is two-fold either verbum quod or verbum quo The word delivered is either that word which is one's mind expressed that is the thing which he hath spoken Then it is said he keepeth his word when he hath done the thing uttered And then there is the verbum quo that is that thing by which a man's mind is expressed Yet more plainly take it thus There is a three-fold word Verbum mentale A word conceived Verbum reale A word uttered Verbum orale A word uttering The word conceived verbum mentale is the Apprehension that a man hath in himself which we call a Notion or a Conception The word uttered verbum reale is the thing that is spoken In the Originall see Luk. 1. 37. With God nothing can be impossible 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with God no word shall be impossible So in the Originall There is nothing that God hath spoken but it shall come to passe Ye have a very clear place for that Matth. 4. 4. Man doth not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God As I take it the most proper meaning of that place is By every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God we understand every creature which God hath ordained for food And ye will be of that mind too if you see Deuter. 8. 3. He humbled thee and suffered thee to hunger and fed thee with Manna which thou knewest not nor thy fathers before thee that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread onely but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God Whatsoever the word of God maketh food whatsoever God appointeth to be instrumentall as he did Manna here There is verbum reale Then verbum orale the word uttering is the expression by which that thing is delivered That is the end why God hath given us speech If we were to deal onely with God we should need no tongue or speech because God knoweth the thoughts of our hearts If we were to deal onely with our selves we should need no speech for every man knoweth Why the use of Speech is given to man what himself thinketh But because we are to deal one with another therefore God giveth us the use of speech that there might be a word uttering and declaring to one another what one another thinks Psal 139. 4. There
lusts before the embracing of and yielding obedience to our blessed Saviour We are ready to defie the Jewes for crying Not him but Barabbas and yet our actions cry as loud Not Him but the world not Him but the flesh Rather imitate good Tremelius who was himself a Jew born and after when he turned Christian in reference to what his Country-men the Jews had once said Not him but Barabbas he made this his Motto Non Barabbam sed Christum Not Barabbas Tremelius his Motto after his Conversion but Christ to intimate his having renounced all for the Lord Jesus Christ Let it be thine Not the world but Christ not the creature but Christ not the flesh but Christ He was before all and shall be before all in my esteem Whom have I in heaven but thee Psal 73. 25. That is one Duty we are to learn from hence Secondly Seeing Christ is Eternall trust him for Eternall things expect such from him that is an everlasting Father Isa 9. 6. Do you think an everlasting Father will lay up none but temporall blessings for his children He that was from the beginning hath provided something that shall be after the end for everlasting for you if ye will seek after him Remember what the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 4. ult While we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporall but the things which are not seen are eternall Oh! look at those eternall things trust in an eternall Saviour who hath purchased them first and since provided them for you He is gone before to provide heavenly things for you Grace is a thing which hath something of eternity in it The way of holinesse the Scripture calleth it the everlasting way Psal 139. ult Lead me in the way everlasting Seek to Christ for that For your everlasting Saviour will give you that which Grace begets Glory hath an influence into eternity so Grace hath It is an immortall seed that begets its glory and that is everlasting too Ye have a Promise Isa 45. 17. Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation He that was before the world hath happinesse world without end for all that believe in him So much for the first Proposition namely In the beginning was the word The second is that that concerneth the Personall Coexistency Propositi ∣ on 2d of the Word with the Father and it lyeth in these words The word was with God By the Word we still understand the same Person Jesus Christ By God in this Proposition ye are to understand the Father For you must know this tearm God is taken two manner of waies in this Verse Sometimes the term God is taken essentially and so it is appliable to all the Persons in the Trinity as when it is said God is a Spirit God there is taken so as to signifie the Nature of God and the Essence of God which is common to all the three Persons And so it is taken in the last clause of this Verse The word was God But otherwhile it is taken Personally and so it signifieth not the whole Essence but some one Person in the Trinity As when it is said God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself The Father in the Son When it is said Joh. 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son Here is God loving the world and giving Christ So in the second Proposition The word was with God that is with God the first Person This implyeth at once a Nearnesse and a Distinction A Nearnesse to God The word was God and yet a Distinction from him for it was but with him Now that which is with another doth imply a person distinct We do not say a man is with himself but Peter is with Paul or Paul with Peter So here The word was with God Take two or three places to help you to understand this Joh. 1. 18. No man hath seen God at any time the onely begotten Son which is in the bosome of the Father c. Here is the Son in the bosom of the Father that is the Word with God Here is a nearnesse and yet a Personall Christ near to and yet distinct from the Father distinction Nearnesse for it is in the bosom and yet a Personall distinction it is the Son in the Father's bosom One more clear that is fully parallel with the Text that is 1 Joh. 1. 2. The life was manifested and we have seen it and bear witnesse and shew to you that eternall life which was with the Father Eternall life is a Person here By Eternall life ye must understand the very self-same Person who is called the word of life in the first verse Eternall life is something that was seen and born witnesse to namely the Lord Jesus Christ of whom saith he vers 1. they have seen him and lookt upon him and have handled the word of life So that it is no new thing for John to call Christ the Eternall life He saith This is the true God and eternall life What doth he say of this Eternal life Why that we have seen it and bear witnesse That is of that Eternall life which is with the Father Take another which is parallel to the Text Prov. 8. 29 30. where by Wisdom is understood Christ which saith of it self Then I was by him as one brought up with him and was daily his delight Rejoycing alwaies before him rejoycing in the habitable part of his earth and my delights were with the sons of men Where Christ is spoken of as a son in the presence of the Father He is said to be with him as here in the Text. Take notice of two Praepositions there used in reference to Christ In and With 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is said Joh. 14. 10. Believest thou not saith Christ to Philip He that hath seen me hath seen the Father And then he saith I am in the Father and he in me Here Christ is said to be in the Father and in my Text with the Father with this difference in that noteth Unity with that importeth Distinction in that falls upon the Essence with that falleth upon the Person So as in plain tearms Christ is in the Father in regard of the Unity of the Essence which is the same with that of the Father Christ is with the Father in regard of the Distinction of his Person So as between the Son and the Father there is alius alius but not aliud aliud as Divines say That is The Son is another Person from the Father but not another thing from the Father The Father and the Son are Unum but not Unus the Father and the Son are one Thing but not one Person Ye may truly say The Son is with the Father as my Text hath it but ye cannot say The Son is
the Father because there is distinction of Persons and yet a personall Co-existency The word was with God So ye have the meaning of that Proposition Let us now make Use of it First Take notice here of the distinction of Persons in Vse 1 the Godhead a distinction without their Divinity Here is the Son the word with God and the Son with the Father not divided from him And yet one Person with another and so distinct one from another With him not without distinction and in him without division As in the night-time if a man set up three Candles in a room all these concurr to the lightning of the room yet there is but one light So but one Essence in the Divinity Yet here are three Candles that give that Light but no man can say that this light is peculiar to the First Candle and this to the Second for all shine together and yet the light of the second Candle is with the first but the light is all one But O the depth It is no wading here farther than a man hath footing out of Scripture for fear of being past our standing and be drowned The Word of God is with God and one Person with another but the manner How as Basil said when he met with some knots of difficulty in this Mystery I believe saith he I do not busie my self in searching over far what we cannot make out in plain reason we must make out in believing where we have the Scripture for our bottom onely take notice of such a thing Certainly there is a distinction of Persons in the Trinity Here is One with Another The word was with God Secondly Learn from hence to worship God according Vse 2 to a distinction of Persons Learn we to worship and look at Christ as a Person distinct from the Father and the holy Ghost or else we worship not Christ but our own fancies If we conceive him not as he is as he is distinct This is the great difference between the Christian and the Turkish Religion I might say the Jewish too for the Turks and Jews agree in that they hold one God but deny a distinction of Persons in the Godhead We Christians according to Scripture acknowledge that too There are three that bear record in heaven the Father the Word and the Spirit and these three are one And some kind of necessity appeareth in a way of reason which we may take notice of for the strengthning of our faith in this great Mystery that there should be a distinction of Persons God The benefit of the distinction of Persons the Father was the Person offended Reconciliation was to be made None but God hath enough in him to satisfie God Therefore it was requisite there should be a Person to satisfie the Person offended That the second Person the Lord Jesus undertakes and goeth through with it But how shall this be made known Poor man is as far off as ever he was if he be left here he hath no power in his own nature to reach this Therefore there is a Third Person the holy Ghost who discovereth this and applieth it So that the Salvation of Man is by the concurrence of the whole Trinity But I must here again take off my self with O the depth as Bernard did Hoc magnum est Mysterium This is a great Mystery a Mystery rather to be adored than searched into Well saith he Quomodo esset Pluralitas in Unitate unitas in Pluralitate How there should be a Plurality in Unity and how a Unity in Plurality three Persons and yet but one Essence Scrutari temeritas est It is rashnesse to search too far into it Credere pietas it is piety to believe it Cognosâ—ere vita aeterna It is life eternall to know it We can never have a full comprehension of it till we come to enjoy it Thirdly This may serve to Answer that Question which some make What was God a doing before he made the Vse 3 world Object It might suffice to Answer them as Augustine did in Answ the same case with a short Answer He was a making Hell for such as put these Questions But there is a fairer Answer in the Text which telleth you That the Word that was in the beginning before the Creatures were made that Word was with God God was delighting himself in his Word God and his Word were a contriving the Redemption of Mankind and had thoughts of peace towards the Elect from all Eternity That place Prov. 8. speaketh something to it When he appointed the foundations of the world vers 30 31. then I was by him as one brought up with him or as a Nourisher in Intention or decreeing of the Creatures that were to be made or out of the Church that was to be gathered out of the world I was daily his delight rejoycing God delighting in his Son before the world was alwaies before him This God was a doing before the world was made he was delighting in his Son this Text saith so clearly So saith Peter 1 Pet. 2. 19 20. The pretious blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot who verily was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world but was manifested in these last times for you Before the foundations of the world what was God a doing Plotting as I may speak with reverence the work of mans Redemption projecting my Redemption and thine Before we were he had thoughts of peace and mercy towards us Therefore we may trust him as long as we live When we think little of him he thinks much of us The fourth Use we may make of this is this It should Vse 4 teach us and I pray God we may all learn infinitely to prize the love of Christ I say to prize and adore the love of Christ Who though he were from all Eternity the Word with God yet was pleased in the fulnesse of time to become Emmanuel God with us What an act of respect and love was it in Moses to his Country-men the Jews Moses his exceeding love to his Country-men the Jewes poor Hebrews in sore bondage and he in Pharaoh's Court brought up in all the learning of the Egyptians adopted by the King's daughter full of honour some say Lord Treasurer of Egypt and they build their conjecture upon that because it is said He forsook the treasures of Egypt It was a great thing for him to leave the Court and sort himself with poor Labourers at Brick-kilns yet that he did Here is an act of great condescention in Moses of much respect to his Country and love to the poor Hebrews But what is this of Moses to that of Christ who was with God in the Court of Heaven taken up with the mutuall delights which the blessed Trinity had in each other To leave this all this for a time and to come to be Man with us To leave his Mansion which was Heaven and to pitch his
word Power for it rather signifieth as the Margents of your great Bibles have it Right or Priviledge or as the Geneva hath it The Prerogative What is this to the Point of the Power against Free-will Read it so and the colour for their pretence is taken off and so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 often signifieth Right and Priviledge as in that 1 Cor. 9. 5 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Have we not power to eat and to drink and to lead about a sister a wife as well as other Apostles and have not we power to forbear working that is right and priviledge as well as the rest Thirdly Suppose we should read it Power to become the 3. Power and Priviledg signifie one and the same thing sons of God as our Translation hath it yet this Power will imply no more than the word Priviledge doth As if a man should say That the Pope had a speciall eye to those Bishops that wrought for him in the Councell of Trent and gave them all power to become Cardinalls that is he gave them this priviledge to be so What is this to Free-will Lastly read it Power and suppose it to imply some liberty 4. This Power is given to Believers not to them in the state of Nature of will yet it serveth not their turn neither For the power here spoken of is a power received by those that formerly believed in Christ What is this then to the power of of them that are yet in the state of nature To as many as believed in him to them gave he power It is not Free-will if not set free by Christ But to avoid all ambiguity we shall take it for a Right or Priviledge or Prerogative which indeed is the better reading And so I ground this Observation from hence That for the sons of men to become the sons of God is a very high priviledge To as many as received Observ him to them gave he this priviledge this right this prerogative to become the sons of God When God would set forth his favour towards David to the heighth in that goodwill which he would bear to his son Solomon mark 2 Sam. 7. 14. I will be his father and he shall be my son he could not promise him a greater prerogative than this When Saul would encourage some of his Army to undertake the Duell with great Goliah that defied the Host of the living God What is the motive I will give him my daughter to wife and he shall be the King's son in law When God will encourage men to fight it out against the world and to separate from the sins thereof he useth this motive I will make them sons and daughters if they do so and so He holdeth that forth as the great prerogative 2 Cor. 6. 17 18. Come out from amongst them and seperate your selves saith the Lord touch no impure thing then will I receive you and I will be unto you instead of a Father and ye shall be to me instead of sons and daughters saith the Lord that is Almighty This will appear to be a very high prerogative If we consider first The estate from which we are raised to become sons secondly The state to which we are raised by becoming sons First this Sonship will appear to be a great priviledge 1. The high priviledge of being the sons of God if we consider from what estate we are raised That we may become sons from a state of bondage and death misery and slavery from being sons of perdition Children of wrath as the Apostle calleth it Ephes 2 3. We are by nature the children of wrath even as others For God to take children of wrath and make them children of love Heirs of perdition and make them heirs of Heaven what a rise is here It was a great matter for Pharoah's daughter to cast an eye upon poor Moses when he lay in the Bull-rushes ready to be drowned in the water and to adopt him for her owne son The Scripture speaketh of it as a great priviledge and therefore raiseth the commendations of Moses By faith Moses refused to be called the son of Pharoah's Hebr. 11. 24. daughter yet this Adoption of hers would not have made him heir to the Kingdome Here is an higher priviledge men are taken not out of the water but out of Hell-fire that is our portion by nature and deputed to be heirs to the King of Heaven and so as that they are made heirs to a Crown of Glory for all deputed children are heirs of the Kingdome Matth. 13. 38. The good seed are the children of the Kingdome If sons then heirs heirs of God joynt-heirs with Christ Rom. 8. 2. It will appear to be a high priviledge if ye consider that estate to which we are raised by being sons It is a wealthy and honourable and free and sweet and safe estate All this raiseth the price of it in our esteem First It is a wealthy state God doth not adopt us to a 1. Our estate by Christ is a wealthy estate poor Inheritance but to a rich as the Apostle speaks Ephes 1. 18. That you may know what is the hope of his Calling and what the riches of the glory of his Inheritance in the Saints Here is riches in this Inheritance So many times riches when there is no honour Ignoble spirits scrape a great deal of Wealth together in which they place their happinesse 2. Here is honour but here is not onely wealth but Glory to and he Glory of a Kingdome There is not such an honourable incorporation in the World as this to have God the Father for his Father and Jesus Christ for his Head and Governour and all the Saints for his Members a body politique that â—ath the eternall spirit of God for the soul of it The society of Saints is an honorable Society Here is both wealth and honour which may sometimes be where there is no liberty It is but Splendida serviâ—us a glittering slavery for men to be rich and honourable and yet in slavery But here ye read of a glorious liberty of the Sons of God 3. Here is liberty not onely riches and honour but a glorious liberty Joh. 8. 31. If the Son hath made us free we shall then be free indeed from the service of sin and bondage of Satan free from Temporall afflictions and free from the danger of eternall wrath There may riches and honour and freedome meet in some one person who yet cannot have content nor doth he live a Comfortable life for all that Therefore this in the fourth place is a Sweet state as well as wealthy 4. Here iâ— a sweet estate and honourable and free There lieth a great deal of sweetnesse in the name of a Father when the soul can say howsoever things go in the World I can look up to Heaven and say doubtlesse Thou art our Father there is so much sweetnesse to be
found in this Relation as to take away the bitternesse of all other dispensations and providences though in other respects very averse Our Chroninicles tell us of King Edward the first when he was in forraigne parts newes was brought him at once both of the death of his father and of his son The King was exceedingly struck into sadnesse at the relation but especially at the death of his father For saith he I may have more sons but never another father We may have more friends and more estates if we lose our friends or estates but we can have no more fathers if we once lose our God we shall never have such a Father as he lose him once and all is gone Am not I said Elkanah to Hannah better to thee then ten sons Well may God say to us Am not I better to you then ten thousand sons and ten thousand times ten thousand estates All sweetnesse concenters in this Relation God is our Father we are his Children But there may be a great deal of wealth and honour 5. It is a safe estate and freedome and sweetnesse and yet no safety may attend this condition This is a safe estate that is the commendations of it This honour and riches and freedome and sweetnesse they shall all continue The servant he abideth not in the house for ever but the son abideth ever saith our Saviour Joh. 8. 35. Therefore fear not little flock saith Christ It is your Fathers pleasure to give you the Kingdome Nothing shall intervene so as to hinder a son from the Inheritance It is his Fathers good pleasure and his will shall stand to give them a Kingdome in the issue So it is clear that this is an high priviledge What use shall we make of it First examine whether we be thus preferred yea or Vse 1 no. It is that which almost every one in the visible Church Examine our selves wherher we be sons or not pretendeth to be a son and daughter of God It is therefore worth the while to try whether the Lord Jesus Christ hath made us partakers of this priviledge It is a use both for the assurance of the Saints and for the discarding of Hypocrits that are but pretenders to it They favour even those men of whom Christ saith You are of your father the Devill They pretend sonship to God Joh. 8. 41. We say they be not born of fornication we have one Father even God And yet Christ saith to them ye are of your father the Devill We are of God say they ye are of your father the Devill saith Christ One way to try this and the onely one that I will name is by the spirit of adoption If we be sons then God hath sent forth into our hearts the spirit of adoption by which we cry Abba Father This ye have expressely laid down in so many words Gal. 4. 6. Because ye are sons God hath sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba father Wheresoever there is sonship there will be crying Abba Father Crying implyeth fervency of spirit as Why cryest thou to me faith God to Moses when he was in a great strait at the Red-sea Because both the profane persons and formall professors will put on for a share before we can break the childrens bread we must discard them from the comforts of this If crying Father and if praying argue my sonship Formality and Prophaneness reproved then I am a son saith the profane person for I say my prayers ever and anon Alas what is this to the purpose Thy praying is but craving yea thy praying is but houling in God's esteem Isa 7. 14. They have not cryed to me with their hearts when they houled upon their beds How irksom is the houling of dogs to the ears of men such is that which profane persons call Praying in the ears of God The truth is their praying is but a driving of contradictions because their life all the while giveth their tongue the lie Our Father saith the profane person which art in heaven and in the mean while he serveth his father the devill which is in hell Hallowed be thy Name so say his lips but in the mean time he dishonoureth God in swearing and lying and whoring and drinking and prophaneness Thy kingdom come and in the mean while he opposeth the Kingdom of Christ in his heart and in the lives of his Saints and doth what he can to hinder the comming of it Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven and in the mean while he doth the will of Satan that will which the damned do in hell Give us this day our daily bread seemingly acknowledging that he receiveth all even his outward mercies from God and in the mean while perhaps sacrificeth to his own net commending his own skill for the estate he hath gotten Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespasse against us and in the mean while he goeth on in malice and envy sinning to his very hour of death as it were Lead us not into temptation in the mean while he tempteth the devill to tempt him He cryeth Deliver us from evill and delivereth himself up to evill while he saith so He layeth the reins upon the neck of his lusts that run away with him into all mischief Call you this praying I but saith the formall professor I pray and that frequently not in distress onely but haply keep a constant course of prayer Surely I must go for a child of God That we be not deceived let us consider It is one thing to draw nigh with the heart and another thing to draw nigh with the lips You know the complaint of Isaiah compare two places together Isa 1. 15. When ye so read forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you and when you make many prayers I will not hear you And yet he complaineth of them by Isaiah Isa 4. They make many prayers and yet none heareth that prayer Why Because Isa 29. 13. This people draw near to me with their mouths but remove their hearts far from me Therefore they pray and their prayers are no prayers because their hearts are not in them I will not deny but many a formall professor may have attained to the gift of prayer but that which I make an argument of Sonship was a spirit of prayer the spirit of adoption by which we cry Abba Father What that is ye may see Zach. 10. 12. I will pour out upon Jerusalem the spirit of grace and supplication How worketh that They shall look upon me whom they have pierced and mourn for me as one mourneth for his onely son Wheresoever the spirit Spirituall Prayer looks up to Christ of prayer is there will be a looking up to Jesus Christ in all our devotions The spirit of Adoption that commeth from the Son guideth to the Son and taketh us along with him in all our addresses to God They that
would have their voices to resound will make choice of Rocky places which send forth the best Eccho This Rock the Lord Jesus Christ is he that maketh our prayers to return with a blessing into our own bosoms You shall have many men that go to devotion and leave Christ behind them What a poor devotion is here The spirit of prayer is alwaies accompanied with Evangelicall humility with a mourning that floweth from our looking to Christ I know there is a great deal of legall sorrow in formall professors Men may go blubbering to hell without true repentance But here is a mourning that floweth from a looking up to Christ Where there is a spirit of Adoption men will speak from feeling which floweth from the apprehension of Christ and the certainty of God's grace in him Now this spirit of Adoption argueth Sonship But then commeth in the poor weak Believer and saith Object I am undone The other plead for themselves without a cause and he pleadeth as much against himself without a cause I cannot find such enlargement in prayer Surely the Spirit of Adoption is not in me if it were I should cry Abba Father with more importunity All Believers are not alike gifted there may be a gift of Answ prayer where there is not a spirit of prayer and a spirit of prayer where there are but poor gifts Haply thou canst onely chatter with Hezekiah like a Crane and Swallow yet consider whilst thou canst not speak there are two Spokes-men for thee the consideration whereof may render A Believer hath two Spokesmen to stand for him thee confident of success even in thy devotions how weak soever they be The lispings and stammerings of a child God liketh better then all the Oratory in the world The Spirit of God is in thee and the Blood of Christ is for thee The Spirit and We know not what to pray for as we ought but the Spirit maketh intercession in us And God knoweth the meaning of the Spirit and heareth the least whispers of his own Spirit in the soul of a poor Believer And then The Blood of Christ that speaketh better things than the blood of Abel the Blood of of Christ As Christ saith of himself it may be said of this Blood Father I know thou hearest me alwaies But I pass now from matter of Triall and I come now to matter of Exhortation All Dignity ye Use 2 know calleth for Duty Such as are partakers of this Priviledge To exhort to Duties of being the children of God they are obliged to certain Duties that flow from hence First Obedience The sons of Jonadab they were obedient 1. To Obedience to the commandment of their father Jer. 35. I set before the sons of the family of the Rechabites pots ful of wine and cups and I said unto them Drink wine But they said We must drink no wine for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father hath forbid us saying Drink no wine you nor your sons for ever Neither build houses nor sow seed nor plant ye vineyards but dwell in tents all your daies that ye may live all your daies upon the face of the earth where ye are inhabitants So we have hearkned to the voyce of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he commanded us So we drank no wine all our daies we nor our wives nor our sons nor our daughters When God hath said Drink not of the world's cup taste not of the world's dainties lest you surfeit on them it becommeth an obedint child to say My Father hath commanded me I dare not drink when he is tempted to the enjoyment of any unlawfull pleasures Mal. 3. 17. Ye read there of a son that serveth Indeed the best service God hath done him is by his sons all other services are little worth in comparison I will spare him as a man spareth his own son that serveth him The son goeth naturally and ingenuously about his father's work he doth it kindly much more kindly than a servant will that doth it onely for his wages Therefore of old they were wont to set their children to the work The chief work lay in husbandry We read of Rachel's keeping her father's sheep Gen 29. 6. and so of Jacob keeping his father in law's sheep Would we approve our selves children of God we must do the works of God Our Saviour beateth off the Pharisees from their plea upon this ground We are the children of Abraham say they If ye were saith Christ then would you do the works of Abraham Abraham believed in me No man can ever approve himself the child of God that doth not abound in the work of the Lord. The second Lesson is for Imitation Ephes 5. 1. Be ye 2. For Imitation followers of God as dear children It is naturall to children to imitate their parents look what the father doth the child is apt to learn the same If we be dear children we must be followers of God and walk in love as Christ hath loved us Blessed are the mercifull they shall be called the children of God Why Because that maketh it appear they follow God And so Be ye holy saith Peter 1 Pet. 1. 15 16. As he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation Because it is written Be ye holy for I am holy Thirdly We should learn from hence this Lesson that is 3. Learn Dependency upon God of Dependency Children hang upon their parents so should we upon God if we will carry our selves as becommeth sons This Argument Christ useth Matth. 6. 22. Take no thought saying What shall we eat and drink and be cloathed with for your heavenly Father knoweth you have need of all these things Leave the care of all these to your Father If ye were Orphans and had no father or if your father were not willing or not able to supply your wants then ye might be carefull but seeing you have an heavenly Father that knoweth all these things cast all your care upon him for He careth for you Doth not he tell us That he that provideth not for his owne family is the worst of Infidells Ye are of Gods family therefore be sure He will provide for you if ye trust Him Fourthly It teacheth us a lesson of Patience Hebr. 12. 4. It teacheth us to be patient 5. Forget not the exhortation which speaketh to you as Children My son despise not thou the Chastisements of the Lord For whom the Lord loveth He chastiseth Faint not under the correction of a Father and because it is from a Father that will lay on no more no longer than the Child standeth in need of it Herein that of our Saviour should be often in our thoughts Joh. 18. 11. The Cup which my Father hath given me shall I not drink it Why every affliction that befalleth me is a Cup out of my Fathers hand and from Him I should
were not some Havens and Harbours to strike into in a storm so no living in the World if there were not some comfort to be fetched from Heaven Look through all the Scriptures and ye will hardly find a safer harbour than this The relation between God and believers He is their Father they his Children They receive Christ and so become sons This will afford comfort to us in severall Cases which I shall briefly run over First In case of weak abilities and performances when they shall think that God is their Father and therefore is 1. Receiving Christ affordeth comfort in case of weak Performances willing to bear with them though their performances be but weak and their abilities small according to that Psal 102. 13 14. Like as a father pittieth his children so the Lord pittieth them that fear him For he knoweth our frame he remembreth that we are but dust God consider what mould we are made of that we are Men and not Angels sinfull men and not men in a state of Perfection Therefore when we follow on to know him and go lamenting after the Lord as it is said of the men of Israel Jer. 9. though God discover a great deal of weaknesse in our services yet we find a great deal of acceptance in him when he looketh upon us as children The truth is though our faith be weak our God is strong and from thence commeth our safety As when a father carrieth his little child in his armes the Infant with his little feeble arms layeth hold upon the father but the safety lyeth in the father's holding him and not in his clasping about the father So we hold Christ by the feeble arm of our faith but Christ holdeth us more strongly by his Spirit and our safety commeth from thence It is true our faith is weak and so our services are accordingly weak but still look at God as a Father Suppose a man have a son in forraign parts sent abroad for his education before he hath well learned the Language he writeth a Letter home to his father He is but a scribler what he writeth is written but in broken language and badly writ But it commeth from a child and therefore the father taketh it well and passeth by all the faults The father biddeth the child shoot at such a mark the child draweth the bowe and letteth go the arrow falleth a great deal short of the mark yet he is encouraged by the father because he hath done his best As men are in a condition of belief so accordingly in a condition of As our Faith is so is our Comfort comfort If I can but go to God as a Father though with a great deal of infirmity I may hope to find successe Indeed Lord Lord is often sent away without a blessing they cried Lord Lord and had no blessing But Father Father that alwaies proceedeth from the Spirit of Adoption by which we cry Abba Father that is never sent away without an answer Deus non negavit sua petentibus saith Augustine sweetly God that freely offereth himself to those that ask not for him will be sure to give his good things to them that ask him because he is their Father Secondly As in the first place it ministreth comfort thus 2. In case of sinful failings in case of weak abilities and performances so In case of sinful failings We are not onely weaklings but sinners in what we do But yet Look at God as a Father and consider that Mal. 3. 13. I will spare them as a father spareth his own son that serveth him If we be sons serving-sons that go on to serve our Father according to what we have received from him he will spare us as a man spareth his son that serveth him Doubtless many are here that know the bowells of parents let those that do not consider David's carriage towards his sinfull son Absolom Absolom taketh up arms against his father and endeavoureth to deprive him of his Estate Crown and Life An Army commeth against him and messengers come and tell David that Absolom is overthrown What enquiry doth David make How fareth it with the Host No but Is the young man Absolom well And when a second messenger came and told him Absolom was slain How do his bowells break out at his mouth My son Absolom my son would God I had died for thee Let us judge by this how God looketh at a failing child whose bowells are infinitely much more large than those of David's Ye know the Parable of the Prodigal Luk. 15. he had run a wild course but resolving with himself to take up I will go to my father saith he and say unto him Father I have sinned against heaven and before thee He doth so And this word Father breaketh the heart of him to whom he made his addresse as ye know the story He fetched the robes and the ring and killed the fatted calf Though a prodigall yet a son still Our Saviour knew the comfort of this Relation and therefore directeth us to make use of it in his Prayer Our Father which art in heaven for give us our trespasses That is a melting word and therefore this must needs be a comfortable Relation Thirdly This affordeth Comfort to Believers In case of 3. In case of temporall sufferings temporall sufferings and want and losses and dangers Whatsoever our sufferings be they come from a Father And the holy Ghost calleth upon us again and again to consider that Deut. 8. 5. Thou shalt a so consider in thy heart that as a man chastiseth his son so the Lord thy God chastiseth thee The father will call for a rod to correct his son but will not turn him out of doors Ye have it at large Heb. 12. from the 5th verse to the 11th Ye have forgot the exhortation which speaketh to you as unto children My son despise not thou the chastening of the Lord nor faint when thou art rebuked of him for whom the Lord loveth he chastiseth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth For they verily for a few daies chastise us at their pleasures but he for our profit that we might be partakers of the holinesse of God All chastisements tend to make men partakers of the holinesse of God As for the wants of Believers whatsoever they be here is comfort for them they do not want a Father It is the great consolation that Christ gave to his Disciples when he was to depart from them in regard of his corporall presence Joh. 14. 18. I will not leave you comfortlesse but I will come to you That is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the word in the Original signifieth I will not leave you orphans or fatherlesse A child though he be a son and heir yet in his minority is often kept short a servant haply the steward of a family hath as good allowance as he The children of Christ here are in minority therefore they are
in some wants but here is their comfort they have an inheritance laid up for them and that is a rich one They are now in their nonage when they come to heaven they shall have enough In all dangers let it be considered what care their Father taketh for them because they are his children Are they not all ministring spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation An heir of a great family what shall he need to fear so long as he is conversing among his fathers servants All the creatures are such to God and thou being a child thou art amongst thy Father's servants and therefore needest to fear no danger from them Fourthly In case of spirituall faintings and fears and 4. In case of spirituall faintings fears and desertion desertions The soul of a believer sometimes fainteth away for fear David saith My heart and flesh fail me Here is now a swounding child consider what fathers are wont to do in such cases how they send out for help presently all the house is little enough to look after a child in such a condition God himself pittieth his swounding children and sendeth his Ministers yea his own Spirit to speak comfort to such and to administer some Aquavitae to them some water of life that he may fetch them again out of their faintings Sometimes fear possesseth a child of God perhaps of falling into desertion as it is possible such may befall the dearest of God's Saints as with Heman who thought himself free amongst the dead God sometimes doth this but sal 88. 5. still as a Father As a father that seeth his child ready to run into a river or into the mire he will take the child and make him believe he will throw him in but it is to make him fearfull of being thrown in So God makes his children believe that he will throw them into hell it self but it is for this very end and purpose that they may never come there for this fear will keep them from the waies of hell Yea sometimes God is pleased to desert his own children Sion saith My God hath forgotten me as it is in Isaiah but then it is no more but as when a father goeth behind a door and suffereth his child to cry after him and hideth himself on purpose to try the affections of the child to make him the more eager in the pursuit of his father which done then he discovereth himself Just so it is with God He withdraweth the light of his countenance not on purpose to keep it so for ever but to make it more endeared to his children As the Prophet speaketh In a little while I hid Isa 54. 8. my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy God and thy Redeemer Lastly Here is comfort in case of approaching death a 5. In case of approaching death time when men stand much in need of comfort when they are to leave all their outward comforts in this world therefore they had need of better Now if a man can say in assurance of faith as Christ did Father I commend my spirit Luk. 23. 46. into thy hands Here is an everlasting consolation a Fort that all the devills in hell cannot batter A man that in his life-time hath got acquaintance with God may with confidence commend his soul to God as to a Father when he dieth Other people may leave an estate behind them and men may look after that A man may commend his estate to his friend and his body to the grave and some may have so much charity as to interr that But whom shall he commend his soul to It is not for every man to think to commend his spirit to God with confidence Upon what acquaintance will God say can you do this Will we trust our Jewels to any but our best friends will we put them into the hands of those that we never saw in our lives No. But a man that hath known God for his Father he will with confidence say Father into thy hands I commend my spirit I do not onely lay my Jewell at thy feet but put it into thy hands that so it may be safe in thy custody I commend it into thy hands out of which all the devills in hell shall never be able to pull it With this confidence Paul believed Happy is that soul that is able to say as our Saviour did before his Ascension to his Disciples I go to my Father and to your Father and to my God and your God When a man is able to look his friends in the face though with a dying look and shall say Be of good comfort I shall be no loser I go to my Father and your Father Blessed are the people that are in Joh. 20. 17. such a case Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord. Blessed are the people that have received Jesus Christ aright and so are become sons of Adoption I have now done with that Point and shall go on Vers 13. Which were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God This verse containeth a further description of them that received Christ They were described in the 12 Verse by their faith And in this 13 Verse they are described by their birth To them that believe in his Name which were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God Their birth concerning which we are here told First what is not the efficient Cause of it Secondly what is First what is not the efficient Cause of it Three things are here removed 1. Blood 2. The will of the flesh 3. The will of man Secondly what is God and God onely I shall take the Clauses as they lye in order First I shall shew That Believers as such are not born of blood Secondly That they are born not of the will of the flesh Thirdly not of the will of man But Fourthly they are born of God First Believers as such They are not born of blood 1. Believers are not born of blood what is that Ye know in our ordinary manner of speech we are used to make mention of base blood Noble blood blood Royall and accordingly they are said to be born of blood to intimate that they have not grace from their Ancestors It doth not come to them by descent We say of many diseases that such and such come of a blood because they are derived from parents They are not born of blood to shew that the work of grace is not derived from one's Ancestors Therefore the word in the originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we are not born of bloods We may think it on purpose to be put in to meet with that mistake of the bragging of the Jewes who still boast to be the sons of Abraham Joh.
is there is a farther thing then restraining grace there is holinesse of life Ephes 4. 24. That ye put on that new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse Now holinesse goeth farther than to the abstaining from some evill and doing of some good Holinesse reacheth to the mortification of lust where there is a new man created after holinesse lust will be pursued not onely to imprisonment but to death The Woolf is not onely tied up but turned into a Lamb the Sow is not onely put into a pasture but changed into a Sheep A woolf tyed up doth not so much mischief as before a Sow in a pasture is not so swinish and filthy as when it walloweth in the mire but their natures still remain So it is in restraining grace their natures are the same if not some change in their conversation Where the new-birth is there is a change of the heart and a new nature wrought therefore men do duties with delight and constantly Men look at lusts now not as David did at Absolom but as Joab did at Absolom that I may use that comparison Asolom he rebelled ye know David and Joab they both set themselves against him but so as David though he could not but be displeased with Absolom's rebellion yet he carrieth affection towards him and desireth that the young man may be dealt gently withall On the other side Joab when he getteth an opportunity throweth dart upon dart and never 2 Sam. 18. 14. leaveth till he hath slain him So ye have many a man that hath some work of grace upon his heart that yet hath a months mind and longing after sin he would have his sin supprest as David would have Absolom but yet Absolom must live though a rebellious son Many would have sin supprest that it may not expose them to hell and damnation but all this while their sins must live But the new creature is carried out with hatred against sin therefore it is not content without its destruction Mortifie your earthly members saith the Apostle Such a sin saith the regenerate soul will have my death therefore I will have its death I will not be content till it be crucified with the lusts and affections thereof I shall now proceed to the 14 Verse Vers 14. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us and we beheld the glory thereof as the glory of the onely begotten Son of the Father full of Grace and Truth Heretofore the Evangelist having proved the Divinity of Christ's manifestation in the flesh and the glory of his Person in both Natures Jesus Christ he commeth now to tell us of his manifestation in the flesh and of the glory of his Person consisting of both Natures So as this Verse calleth to us for attention because it holdeth forth the Object of our faith the Person of Christ in both his Natures And certainly every soul that is married to Christ will be affected with his Person and therefore desirous to hear of that The difference between a wife and a harlot is The wife desires and loveth the husband's person therefore careth not for his tokens unlesse his person be enjoyed The harlot loveth the token and careth not for the person It is the property of the Spouse not to be content with the Love-tokens of Christ but with the Person of Christ And concerning him ye have four things laid down here First The Incarnation of Jesus Christ The Word was made flesh Secondly His Conversation on earth And dwelt amongst us Thirdly Here is a speciall manifestation of his glory And we behold his glory as the glory of the onely begotten of the Father Fourthly The singular Qualifications of his Person Full of grace and truth First I shall begin with the Incarnation of Christ in these words And the Word was made flesh A Clause out of which Bees may suck hony and Spiders may gather poison These words have been a stumbling-block to many Hereticks and on the other side a sure and strong hold to many Saints Some think that when the children of Israel were in the land of Goshen and had some Egyptians mixed with them at the same time the Scriptures are light to Saints darknesse to unbelievers Hebrewes drew wholesome waters out of the fountains and the Egyptians bloody water at the same springs and that it was dark to the Egyptians in the same house and light to the Hebrewes If so me-thinks It affordeth that which may lead us into the Consideration of this and the like places of Scripture Hereticks have darknesse and Believers light The one draweth bloody waters and the other wholesome waters out of the same Text of Scripture as ye shall hear in the application what use may be made of this Clause Apollinarius saith That because the Word was made flesh Therefore Christ took upon his flesh the body but not the soul of a man Three things are here to be declared to you First Who is meant by the Word Secondly What is meant by the Flesh Thirdly In what sense the word was made Flesh First The divine nature of Christ is in the Word Secondly The human nature of Christ The Flesh Thirdly The personall union The Word made Flesh These are mysteries by some more spoken of and lesse understood Things that we cannot be ignorant of without danger nor discourse of without all Reverence Things that no Eloquence of man can reach no soul of man apprehend in the full latitude of them Yet some thing we shall speak hereof by God's assistance First Who is here meant by the Word I answer the 1. By the Word is meant the second Person in the Trinity second person in the Trinity so called in that known place There are three that bear witnesse in Heaven the Father and the Word and the Spirit and these three are one 1 Joh. 5. 8. The same person that is called the word in the beginning of this Chapter is said to be with God I shall not speak of that because heretofore I have been large in it but come to the second Secondly What is here meant by Flesh Flesh signifieth 2. By Flesh is meant the whole man the whole man in diverse places of Scripture Man ye know consisteth of two parts which are sometimes called flesh and spirit and sometimes called soul and body Now by a Synecdoche either of these parts may be put for the whole sometimes the soul is put for the whole man As when it is said there were so many souls in the Act. 27. 37. Gen. 46. 27. ship with Paul And seventy souls went down into Egypt with Jacob sometimes flesh or body is put for the whole man Rom. 12. 1. I beseech you brethren by the Mercies of God offer up your bodies a living sacrifice That is offer up your selves And sometimes flesh which is the word in the Text Rom. 3. 20. Therefore by the deeds of the Law shall
this Tomb for nothing And so indeed the creature hath no satisfaction in it A man comes and thinks to find much and he hath there nothing but a sad lesson for himself to carry away with him Wherefore let us no longer play the Prodigall seeing there is bread in our Father's house let us not go to feed upon husks the creatures are no better All is vanity and worse they are not onely vanity but vexation of spirit which ariseth from the disappointment of a man's hopes when a man is vexed when he is frustrated looks for much and finds a little That is his case here a man looks for contentment and findeth trouble As our Saviour in the daies of his flesh it is said He went to the fig-tree expecting Mar. 11. 13. fruit and found none therefore he was provoked and cursed the tree Many a one leaves the creature with a curse which he sought after with expectation of satisfaction from it Oh! it is a cursed preferment and pleasure saith he even of that very thing which he thought would have fully satisfied his soul when he first enjoyed it But now this fulness of Christ is such as there is no vanity in it no vexation from it nay so far is it from vexation that it giveth satisfaction which nothing else can give Psal 36. 8. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatnesse of thy house and thou shalt make them to drink of the rivers of thy pleasure For vexation in the one here is satisfaction in the other and for those drops of pleasure which men find in the creature here is rivers of pleasure such are those everlasting joyes that are in Christ For the pleasures of the creature here are Rivers every man may have his fill If it were a Cistern an Army might come and empty that But here is enough therefore I need not to envy another's satisfaction there is enough for all that come to Christ I have now done with the first Observation of the first part of my Text. The Second hath diverse Branches The first that offers it self is the Partakers hereof and those are a great many We all saith the Apostle here We all have received even grace for grace A short Observation is to be taken from thence namely Observ That all the members of Christ are partakers of some spirituall endowments We all have received of his fulnesse Not one but Christ imparts something to in his measure Therefore it is clearly said by the Apostle Ephes 4. 7. Unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ Here is grace and grace to every one and grace from Christ to every one yet to every one in his measure not alike measure to all but some measure to each One star saith the Apostle differs from another in glory Not a Star but receiveth light from the Sun the 1 Cor. 15. 41. one receiveth more light than the other Therefore there is a different glory in the Stars The Lord Jesus shineth upon every believing soul but not upon every one in a like lustre You know there was a time when Esau question'd his father's store strongly Hast thou but one blessing my father Gen. 27 38 but no man needeth to question the store of this everlasting Father he hath more blessings than one he hath some blessings Christ hath blessings for every Member for every Member of his We have all received Therefore it is said Mal. 2. 15. And did not he make one yet had he the residue of the spirit Some read Abundance and some read Residue of spirit both well God hath given endowments of spirit to an hundred and he hath a residue of spirit for a thousand more and when he hath endowed a thousand thousands he hath a residue of spirit for ten thousand millions more Ephes 2. 5. Which is the head Even when we were dead in sins hath he quickned us together with Christ by grace ye are saved Here is one head but many members The Head is Christ the Believers are the members All the members of the body they are compact together saith this place The whole body is joyned together by the bones that meet in the joynts and let into one another Compact by that which every joynt supplieth So the souls of believers as they are all knit to Christ their Head so they are let into one another by a spirit of love And something every joynt supplieth therefore every joynt hath its particular work As there is a vegetative power in the soul that putteth forth it selfe to every member One member to the proportion of an arm another of an hand another of a finger So there is a working of the spirit of grace in the whole body of Christ that brings every member to its proportion one to this degree another to that which God hath predestin'd him to Therefore it is that the growth of every member upon the increase of the body helps to the edifying of it selfe in love Look then that as in the body every member shares with the soul that bringeth it to the perfection due to that member So doth every believer share with the spirit of Christ in some spirituall indowment fit for his station It may be of great use to us First It may serve as an Antidote against scornfulnesse and contempt Secondly As a spurre to improve First The consideration of this truth That all the members of Christ partake of some spirituall indowment We 1. Spirituall indowments are as Antidotes to keep us from scorning and contemning one another all have received serveth as an Antidote against scornfulnesse and contempt of one another If every man hath received his part Who art thou that despisest thy brother Prov. 17. 5. Who so mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker And he that is glad at Calamity shall not be unpunished It pleaseth God to make him so therefore to mock him is to reproach God so to contemn the poor Saint for want of those parts to expresse himselfe by that thou hast thy reproach is to the Spirit of God God hath purposely dispenced his gifts and graces so that there is no believer but hath some and none that hath all indowments in an eminent way None hath all that he may not think to stand alone And none but hath some that every one may have use of another that the highest should not contemn the meanest The head should not say to the foot I have no need of thee As it is in Countries Non omnes fert omnia Tell us one Country produceth Wines another Sugars another Spices God hath purposely so done this that one Kingdome might have interest one with another In the like manner God hath ordered things in his mysticall body and given to all his members severall indowments that they might not contemn one another As it is in a materiall building where there is a sort of stones laid
even as the Angels It is said of them that they behold the face of God Matth. 18. 20. Christ saith there I say to you that in heaven their Angels do alwaies behold the face of my Father which is in heaven So when men come to be like Angels in a state of glory they shall also see the face of God But no man hath seen God at any time during this life God in his Essence For this we have more than one place of Scripture the same words in the Text are repeated in 1 Joh. 4. 12. No man hath seen God at any time And Paul hath a place to the same purpose 1 Tim. 6. 16. Who onely hath immortality dwelling in light which no man can approach unto whom no man hath seen nor can see There are but three waies that can be imagined by which man in a state of mortality can see God in his Essence either it must be by his Bodily eyes or by the eye of Reason or by the eye of Faith But a man cannot see God by any of these therefore no man can see God in that sense First No man can see God by his Bodily eye for the very 1. The eyes of our bodies cannot behold the Essence of God light wherein he dwelleth is inaccessible to the eye of sense we cannot so much as see our own souls or the Angels that are inferiour spirits How then shall we be able with our bodily eyes to see the Father of spirits the Lord of glory The Israelites could not so much as endure the shining of Moses his face How then can the eye of the body be imagined capable of that infinite glorious light that is in the essence of God And yet there is a place that speaks as if a man in the state of mortality by his bodily eyes had seen God Gen. 32. 30. Jacob called the name of the place Penuel for I have seen God face to face and my life is preserved Here is a man in the state of mortality that saw God face to face For this ye must know that Jacob did indeed see God but God in a representation not God in his essence He saw the Second Person in the Trinity in the shape of a man that wrestled with him This was all the sight of God that he had The Second Person in the Trinity before he took the nature of man took the shape of man such a shape had Christ taken here in which he wrestled with Jacob and this is that God which Jacob saw face to face not God in his essence but God in a representation And that very thing of God appearing in the Old Testament in a representation to the eyes of the body sheweth that he never appeared to them in his essence because his representations are many and his essence is one He appeared in a Bush to Moses and to Eliah in a still Voice to Jacob as a Wrestler to Joshua as a Captain of the Lord's hoast These were all representations that God was pleased to make of himself and thus men saw him But his essence all this while was invisible neither could it be diversified as his representations were being but one That is memorable which Isaiah saith Isa 6. 5. Mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of hosts The Jews took this advantage against him and said he was a false Prophet Why He said he had seen the King the Lord of hoasts whereas God saith to Moses Thou canst not see my face and live Therefore they put him to death No man can see God in his essence and live But Isaiah saw him and he said true but it was in a representation Secondly No man can see God in his essence no not by the eye of Reason Reason hath but three waies by which it 2. The eye of our Reason cannot behold him in his Essence Reason knoweth God three waies 1. By way of Causality comes to the knowledge of God and those are known to Schollars by these names Via causalitatis via Remotionis and via Eminentiae First By way of Causality and so reason comes to gather of God by all the creatures which it seeth lovely and looks at all these as effects of God as the cause of all and so comes to the knowledge of God as the first cause Thus Reason collects of God But how far is this from seeing the essence of God Reason discovers a God but not what God is in his Beeing onely that He is For no effect can shew the nature of its cause fully but either such as manifesteth the whole force of the cause or else such as is of the same kind with the cause as burning that sheweth the nature of the fire because the fire being a naturall agent burns to the utmost of its power Therefore burning sheweth what nature the fire is of as carrying the nature of the force in it As a child sheweth the nature of the father because of the same nature with the father But the creatures cannot shew God because they are of effects different from him These are parts of the way but how little proportion is readd of him The thunder of his power who can understand Neither are the creatures of the same rank and kind with God as the child is with the father they are all of them finite God is infinite So that all that Reason can do this way is to gather that there is a God but not what he is Secondly There is the way of Remotion by looking over 2. By way of Remotion all the creatures and by setting aside whatsoever savours of imperfection in them and ascribing the remainder to God Thus we say that God is Immortall Impassible Impeccable because we say that to die to suffer and to sin are the imperfections of the creature God cannot sin God cannot die God cannot lie God cannot suffer But this still comes short of seeing God in his essence for by this we see what God is not not what he is by this way of Remotion 3. The third way which is a way of Eminency Reason 3. By way of Eminency goeth over the creatures once again and looks whatsoever is good in them and savours of perfection in them and ascribes that to God as the Author of those perfections So when it seeth in Man wisdom and strength and goodnesse Reason can ascribe to God as the cause of them a more eminent goodness and wisdom and strength And this is the nearest and the farthest Reason can go And yet in all these it cometh short of the essence of God because in this way it findeth out what he is rather in regard of his qualities speaking after the manner of men then what he is in his essence Thus we cannot see God in his essence no not by the eye of Reason There is onely one more that is the eye of Faith which â— The eye of Faith cannot apprehend God in his