Spirit Job 32.8 there is a Spirit in man and it is called the Spirit of a man Prov. 18 4. he will hear his infirmity by a stout and gallant resolution he will bear any thing from the hand of man as we see our Indians will unto which they are trained up from their Child-hood and it is infusâ—d into them as an honourable Character of a man of courage but a Spirit wounded by God who can bear The Spirit of a man is that part of Gods Image or likeness in a man that fitteth him for action his Spirit doth exert and draw him forth to action and judgeth of his action when he hath done it Job 32.18 I am full of matter the Spirit within me conâ—traineth me Psal 39 2 3. my sorrow was stirred my heart was hot while I was musing the fire burned then spake I with my tongue and when he hath acted his Spirit judgeth of his action by the rule Prov. 20.27 the Spirit of a man is the Candle of the Lord searching to the bottom of the belly The Spirit of a man naturally is carnal and unsanctified 1 Thes 5.23 sanâ—tifie you throughout in body Soul and Spirit that which is called the Spirit of a man is chiefly as I conceive Conscience because conscience constraineth us to action and judgeth of our action when it is done by carrying it to the Rule and glass which is Gods Candle a wounded Spirit mentioned Prov. 18.14 is a wounded Conscience Zeal is acted partly in Conscience which exerteth action Joh. 2.17 the zeal of thy house hath eaten me up This zealous Spirit maketh a man devout to God in all dutyes of the first Table just loving and benificent to man in all duties of the second Table Conscience is called the spirit of a man because it is one chief seat in a man where the ruling spirit of a man sitteth abideth and acteth The spirit dwelleth in the whole man in every faculty especially in the Will Conscience and Vnderstanding All mankind are secretly acted by a spirit either good or bad the carnal sort are acted by the Devils spirit Eph. 2.2 the spirit that acteth in the Children of Disobedience Thus it is ordinarily though Gods Spirit may sometimes break in yea effectually in such as shall be saved But the Godly are acted by the good Spirit of God Rom. 8.11 13 14. if the Spirit dwel in you he shall quicken you And if through the Spirit ye mortifie the deeds of the flesh and as many as are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God One chief seat or residence of the Spirit of God is the Conscience where he sitteth and overlooketh the understanding the will the affections the passions and all the figments and imaginations And hence Conscience chiefly raiseth the spiritual War and sets all grace into action against all sin The evil Spirit that ruleth in the carnal hath his chief seat in imaginations figments affections and Lusts and the smoak of them blindeth the understanding yea and conscience too perverteth the will and all the powers o the soul and inclineth them to evil continually and by those doors he creepeth in yea sometimes breaketh into the hearts of the godly Thus we see why Conscience may be called the Spirit of a man and so the Spirit of Iesus and of Iohn may be their Conscience in a good part Q. 2. What is it to be strong in spirit A. To be full of Grace Zeal and Courage for God so Jesus Christ was Joh. 2.17 when he was eaten up with Zeal for the purity of Gods house and instituted Worship Act. 6.10 Steven was so full of the Spirit of grace and zeal in conscience for the Gospel of Jesus Christ that none was able to gainsay or resist him viz. with Scripture and reason but with rage and stones about his ears they did resist him till they had killed this blessed Martyr Jesus was strong in grace and zeal and as he grew in years and as his humane nature grew in capacity so this Spirit grew in him strong in Spirit the word which the Holy Ghost useth signifieth a growing in strength as the word is used 1 Cor. 16.13 quit you like men and be strong c. very fully is it expressed in that Text Eph. 3.16 that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man and thus did this blessed child Jesus wax strong in Spirit in his Child-hood he grew up to be a mighty powerful gracious zealous child 3. The third branch of the description of this holy child Jesus is in these words filled with wisdome wisdom is that part of Gods Image in man whereby he is capable of and furnished with diâ—ine knowledge and undersâ—anding to be furnished with all the intellectual virtues and that not onlâ— in knowing the rules of Art but especially the Rules of Râ—ligion in the knowledge of the Scriptures 2 Tim. 3.15 from a Child thou hast knownâ—th holy Scâ—iâ—turâ—s which are able to make thee wise unto Salvation through Faith which is in Jesuâ— Christ Iesus Christ received his Fulness from God and out of his Fulness we all recei e he is full of grace Joh 1.14 when the word dwelleth richly in us Col. 3.16 it filleth us with wisdom so it dwelt in Iesus and inriched him in all wisdom as the vessels of nature grâ—w greater in capacity so the indwelling Spirit of God did fill them unto all fulness This is as the child whom Solomon describeth Eccles 4.13 a poor wise child 4. The fourth branch of the description of this holy â—h ld Iesus the grace of God was upon him that word upon him sheweth the meaning partly to be that visible port and outward carriage the demeanour of his person in his conversing with men This outward grace is that part of Gods Image which shineth in the gravity and Authority of his port gestures and actions which command acceptation Deut 33.24 acceptable to his brethren so was Iesus Christ Math. 7.29 he spake as one having Authority Mark 1.22 and Luk. 4.32 his word was with power Ioh. 7.46 neâ—â— man spake as he speaketh Ioh. 18.6 as soon as he said I am he they went backward and fell to the Earth good gesture good voice good speech gentle grave loving behaviour such things make up this outward grace of God in which some persons both men and women are eminent So was Iesus Christ and yet more may be meant by that word Object But here is a great Obiection Isai 53.2 c. he hath no form nor comeliness no beauty that we sâ—ould desire him Answ So Iesus Chriâ—t was in the worlds eye Isai 53.3 despised rejected of men but in the Church sâ—ye that looked by faith and love he was far otherwise Joh 1.14 we beheld his glory as the glory of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth Tâ—is â—â—orâ—ous person thus
his Saints compleat Arms even the whole Armour of God and weapons of war that are mighty through God none of our Enâ—mies are able to stand before them the Devil himself will fly from that Christian that is expert to use and improve the Sword of the Spirit the Word of God T mptation is Gods School wherein he doth train up his Children to prepare and sit them for Service on Earth and for glory in heaven when Jesus Christ himself was entering upon his publick Ministry he began in the School of Temptations he began also with fasting and prayer he exercised these preparatories together and come forth of the School eminently filled with the Spirit yea he was fillâ—d with the Spirit when he entered into this School Luk. 4.1 and Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wildern ss The Spirit of God doth attend and assist such as are in Temptations and doth furnish them unto such Services and sufferings as the Lord shall please to call them unto Temptations are Gods usual preparatories of his Children for great services when God was about to call up Abraham to be a Father of the faithful a Corner stone in subordination to Iesus Christ of that Church in which Iesus Christ came into the world and to be a Father in the holy line of the promised Seed we may see that God prepared him for these great services by great Temptations and tryals When God was about to call up Moses to deliver Israel out of Egypt to change the Church polity to be Gods Instrument to create new heavens and a new Earth to erect the Church and common wealth of Israel glorious services we see that God prepared him for all this by great Temptations and Tryals When God was about to call up David to make great Reformation in the Church of Israel to gather up and settle all the scattered parts of Gods instituted worship and fix it in a Temple and to erect a typical Kingdome of Iesus Christ and to fix the line of the Incarnation of the promised seed all of them very great and eminent services with sundry more that I name not only include them in these generals I say when God was about to call up David to these great services O what a storm of Temptations did he arise through When Solomon was called to finish what his Father David had begun in building the Temple and setting in order the fixed national worship of God We read little of his passing through Temptatious to humble and prepare him But we read much of his sensuality whereby he so stained the glory of his high services that it should raise thankfulness to God that pleaseth to call us up to services of renown through a field of very great Temptations We see in our present subject touching the sufferings of Christ that when the Lord was calling him up to that greatest and most honourable of services that ever was performed unto the Lord in this world viz the Redemption of man and the salvation of souls Iesus Christ entered upon the service through many tribulations and temptations it is an experimental saying of holy men that prayer meditation and Temptation make a good Christian a good Minister a good Magistrate it fitteth a soul for any service that the Lord shall call him unto Temptations are humbling providences they are rods of correction and Instruction that wean us from all kind of self confidence or self seeking they rectifie and purge us in our grounds and ends in all our motions and when a Christian is duly sanctified in his grounds and ends he is a fitted instrument to glorify God in any service whatsoever The less of man the more of God Furthermore we see that when Christ was about to enter into this difficult field of Temptation he first received the Sacrament of Baptism to fulfill all righteousness no other Gospel Sacrament being yet instituted Federal Sacramâ—ntal Communion with God doth greatly strengthen Faith We see also that when Jesus Christ was entering into the field of Death he first exercised sacramental Communion with God yea double sacramental communion with God He first eat the Passover and then instituted and celebrated the Lords Supper then entred upon his garden conflict and Agony all the suffering that followed even to his Death By these Examples of Jesus Christ when Gods people are to enter upon any great design especially when they goe upon hazzard of their life they will if they can orderly and regularly receive the Sacrament before they enter upon their design Get as near to God as you can True it is that many doe this superstitiously regard not the regular receiving the Sacrament in the Communion of the Church but minister it in private or in a sick mans chamber but consider that these errors and abuses cannot frustrate the effect of Gods institution regularly attended unto Mans lye doth not make Gods Truth of none effect Rom. 3.3 4. Jesus Christ his thus arming and fitting himself when he was entering upon his greatest Temptation and upon his last conflict with Death it self is ground sufficient for our regular attending upon the Lord in our great concernments in like manner as he did Our coâ—enant communion with God sealed with a divine instituted Seal regularly adminiâ—tred is to be numbred among the greatest external means of Grace for the confirmation of our Faith The evidences of our Faith have the broad Seal of hâ—aven affixed to them And that is also set on by the efficacy of the Spirit who sitteth in his Sealing-Office in the administration of the Sacrament and ratifieth the application of the publick Instituted Seal unto the Soul in particular unto which act of the Spirit in the administration of the Sacraments when a poor doubting trembling Soul doth reverently attend he shall find such an efficacy of the sealing Spirit in his Soul as shall inable him to go away as Hannah did when she received Ely his blessing 1 Sam. 1.18 so the woman went her way and did eat and her countenance was no more sad when we celebrate the death and sufferings of Jesus Christ in our Sacramental Communion with God it doth revive our damped and discouraged Faith it seals our inseperable union to Jesus Christ inabling us to say what shall seperate me it doth also quicken animate and encourage Faith to venture upon the greatest most difficult and dangerous enterprize when called thereunto it enables the Soul to say my life is not dear to me so I may but finish the Lords work unto which he hath called me whatever Sufferings sorrows Tryals Temptations I am thereby exposed unto When Faith is strengthned all grace is on the thriving hand because it is the work of Faith to goe forth to Jesus Christ and fetch out of his fulness whatever Grace we want and to fetch supply to enable us unto any Service in doing or suffering the good
in your hands that God cannot deliver him out of your hands had you patience to have suppressed this blasphemy but till the morning of the first day you might have been prevented of this sin for you might have seen him mightily proved to be the Son of God by his Resurrection and that God hath power to deliver him out of your hands and greater then yours too 3. The third sort of mockers were the Souldiers Luk. 23.36 37. the Souldiers also mocked him coming to him and offering him vineger and saying if thou be the King of Israel save thy self Touching their giving him vineger we see by this it was no act of favour but such as was accompanied with mocks of this more hereafter Little did these men know that his dying upon the Cross was the way appointed by God for the salvation both of Jew and Gentile 4. The fourth and last sort of mockers instanced in the Text were the Theevs Math. 27.44 but of this part of the History we have already spoken CAP. XIV The last part of the Sufferings of Jesus Christ upon the Cross THe whole life of Jesus Christ was a suffering life the first and the last parts of his time in this world were fullest of sufferings the last and greatest of his sufferings were on the Cross Phil. 2.8 obedient to the death even death upon the Cross here all his bitter sufferings met upon him upon the Cross he fulfilled to answer and satisfie all that was to be said by the Law against us Col. 2.14 15. blotting out the hand writing of Ordinances that was against us which was contrary to us and took it out of the way nailing it to his Cross and having spoyled Principalities and powers he made a shew of them openly tryumphing over them in it viz in the work that he did accomplish on the Cross in giving full satisfaction to the Law The full stream of his sufferings fell on him on the Cross Jesus Christ did both suffer and agonize before the Cross as appeareth Luk. 12.50 I have a Baptisme to be baptized with and how am I streightned till it be accomplished Joh. 12.20 now is my Soul troubled in the garden he had a great Soul Agony Luk. 22. 44. his body was not yet in a suffering condition only by way of simpathy with his agonizing Soul which so wrought on him as that he swet drops like blood But on the Cross all kind of sufferings met together the whole stream of wrath against sin fell upon him and he was under it altogether 1 His body suffered all those cruel torments wrackings before mentioned 2. His mind suffered all the grief they could afflict him withal by mocks reproaches blasphemies 3. His Soul suffered the full cup of the Justice of the Law and desert of sin His great sufferings upon the Cross he underwent in his near three hours silence for after he had forgiven his persecu ors â—nd provided for the comfort of his widdow mother and took care of the penitent Thief he did with holy patience and silence suffer all that fell upon him until the ninth hour and then spake such words as expressed what he was doing and suffering all this while The sense of cruel pain that his body was in all this while may in a small measure be apprehended by what hath been said in the particular Tortures The sufferings of his mind by the reproaches mocks blasphemies taunts which he heard and saw all this while of his silence these were a bitter part of his suffering as it is expressed in the Prophesy Psal 69.20 reproach hath broken my heart and I am full of heaviness and I lookod for some to take pitty but there was none comforters but found none vineger and gall was all that the creatures afford him ver 21. The causes of this affliction of his mind are expressed ver 19. by three words reproach shame and dishonour which are said to have this effect upon him reproach hath broken my heart an heart wound is deeper and more terrible then a bodily wound ungrateful men pierced and wounded his heart when he was dying for them Ovile ingratitude O infinite patience and pitty the tongues of men did pierce Jesus Christ to the heart as he hung upon the Cross they so filled his heart with heaviness that there was no room for comfort When he looked for some to pitty and bemoan him or help him but there was none that had power to help him his mother and John stood by and many more no doubt but alas they could not help him be trade the wine press alone Isai 63.3 There is a threefold wounding of the heart by words 1. A penitential piercing of the heart by words of conviction Act. 2.2.37 this is a blessed gospel wound 2. There is a wrathfull cutting of the heart when reproofs are applyed as Act. 7. 54. this is a sinfull wound But 3. There is a sorrowfull piercing of the heart by words of reproach and this was the heart-breaking sorrow that Jesus Christ suffered upon the Cross Object But can the words of a man so pierce the innocent heart of Jesus Christ Answ Jesus Christ stood in the stead of those that were guilty and therefore divine justice set them home to his heart to the uttermost None can tell the force of words till he have experienced the same Words are the means whereby Souls have converse and communion Words carry the mind heart judgement notion affection passion of one party to another If we use Gods words and apply them right they both wound and heal and are most wholsome But they were mens words that broke the heart of Iesus Christ When words flow from anger envy hatred wrath revenge such words are full of the breath and spirit of Satan and make cruel wounds upon the heart and such wounds were made in the heart of Iesus Christ Some sorts of wounding words did especially pierce the heart of Iesus Christ 1. When they upbraided him Where is thy God Psal 42.3 4. Mat. 27.45 Psal 22.7 2. When they forge a Lye against him and impose it upon him Psal 119.69 3. Vngratefull saucy words against him that is beneficent Ioh. 10.32 Many good works have I done for which of them do you stone me So Psal 35.3 4 11 12. Among ungratefull men abusers of Iesus Christ two men are to be wondered at and they are Iudas and Malchus Sect. 2. The last part of the Sufferings of Iesus Christ when he dyed for our Redemption is recorded by all the four Evangelists I desire the Reader to turn to all these Scriptures and first read them Mat. 27.45 ad 55. Mark 15.33 ad 40. Luk. 23.44 ad 49. Joh. 19.28 ad 38. OVT of all these texts together we may gather these two particulars 1. The history of the three hours darkness which was the time most of it of Jesus Christ his silence wherein his soul did agonize under the punishment of our