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
When creatures fail and men are wanting Happy is he that trusteth in God saith the Psalmist Beloved God himself is All-sufficient and needeth not the help of any creature therefore he never made all these things for Himself that is clear For if he had need How could he have endured to be without them till within these 5672 years I say If God had needed them himself he would not have been without them till then Therefore certainly he made them for some other end Not for his enemies his friends have an interest in them If Christ made all these things he made them with a speciall reference to them that have the greatest interest in his favour Therefore dispair not For God hath promised to with-hold no good thing from them that walk uprightly I speak now of temporall blessings It is much more true of spiritualls That which is good and good for me at this time I shall have it God will not with-hold it He may indeed with-hold something that is good but it may be it is not good at this time or in this estate I am in Water is good one of the most usefull Elements but not for a man in the heighth of a Feavour though good for him at another time None of those things that God hath made will he withhold from his servants when they are fitted to receive them Ye have a great experience of this how God provided for his Apostles in this case in the want of the creatures Luk. 22. 35. Christ saith to the Disciples When I sent you without purse or scrip and shoos lacked ye any thing And they said Nothing Here were men as poorly provided for as one could imagine sent to travell without any shoos upon their feet Here is want of apparell without No meat Believers want nothing that is necessary for their support they could carry along with them When I sent you without scrip and without any mony to buy any food or rayment with I sent you without purse as well as without food or shoos And yet lacked ye any thing And they said Nothing The Maker of all things so disposed that though they carried nothing with them they had some that bestowed all things upon them that were necessary As that reverend Divine Vrfine whose Catechism you have amongst you at this day was frequently heard to use this expression being a poor youth I had many and many a time lyen in the streets if the Providence of God had not been mine Hoste taken me in and given me a lodging Well But are they spirituall blessings that thou wantest All wants of spirituall blessings are supplied by Christ All these thou maist have from the Creator of all things if thou believest Dost thou want Grace Fetch it from him Create in me a clean heart O Lord and renew a right spirit within me Psal 51. 10. Dost thou want Peace peace of Conscience Have ye that Whence commeth it Christ who is the Creator of all things is the Creator of that I create the fruit of the lips peace peace to him that is afar off and to him that is near saith the Lord. Go then to Christ as the Centurion did when his servant was sick and say Speak the word and my servant shall be whole Lord speak the word and my soul shall be whole It is but as at the Creation He said Let there be light and there was light Lord let there be light in my understanding and there shall be light Let there be peace in my conscience and there shall be peace there It is as easie for him to make thee righteous as to make thee at first Therefore trust Him Secondly Here is comfort in case of Scruple about right to the Creature which is a very usuall case and that many 2. In case of Scruple times with the dearest servants of God They think they have no right to the least bit of bread they put into their mouths and therefore some have starved themselves out of scruple Who is the maker of all these things Is not Christ and art not thou his All are yours if you be Christ's and Christ is God's The Apostle resolveth that case clearly 1 Cor. 3. latter end Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or principalityes or powers or things present or They that have Christ have all things to come all are yours and ye are Christ's If ye be Christ's all are yours Whatsoever question may be made of what right unregenerate men out of Christ have to the creature yet it is out of all question thou that art a Believer hast a right The ungodly have the right of a servant but thou hast the right of a son Take this comparison A Simile maid-servant while she liveth in a family hath a right to the good things of that house but now put case as it often happeneth that the Master of the family marry that Maid and make her his wife she hath a farther right now to the same things an higher right and a more comfortable right than before So when a soul commeth once to be married to Jesus Christ to have a sanctified use of all the creatures as part of her Joynture All is yours and ye are Christ's Thirdly Here is Comfort in case of fearing harm from the Creature Are they not all of thy Saviour's making 3. In case of fearing harm from the creature are they not all thy Father's servants Shall a son and heir be afraid to converse in his Father 's own family and fearfull of those that serve him whom he calleth Father The creatures are more they are not onely servants to Christ but they owe their beeing to Christ Ye see great men when they raise men they are wont to call such a one their Creature What are the servants of the family have they been raised up from nothing by the Master of the family and shall the son fear to be amongst them I will lift up mine eyes to the hills from whence commeth my help My help standeth in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth He speaketh nothing of help from the creatures because he trusted in the Lord that made them Ye have it Isa 54. 16 17. God himself suggesteth this consolation to his people Behold I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work And I have created the destroyer to destroy No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper Therefore fear not He that made all these things hath them at his command and if he speaks the word they shall do thee no harm Without him was nothing made and without him can nothing hurt If God speaketh a word in a dream to Laban and saith concerning Jacob Hurt him not Laban shall have no power to do him mischief when God rebuketh him If God say to the creatures even when they are armed against us as David
in consideration of this it may be of Use to us diverse waies as First Take it to pieces again In him was life as in the 1. In Christ is Life as in the Subject therefore fear and tremble before him Subject This should serve as a Canon to fear which we find called for in Daniel in this respect Dan. 6 26. I make a decree saith Darius that in every dominion of my kingdome men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel for he is the living God Let all fear and tremble before Christ for in him is life he is the living God What saith Paul Heb. 10. 31. It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God O therefore tremble before him There are hands of God into which it is a comfortable thing to fall There are mercifull hands of Christ which he stretcheth forth to poor sinners to invite them and call them in to himself but if we refuse the Call which he now maketh to us if all the benefits which those bountifull hands of his spread out amongst us scattered in our Congregations and in our Houses if all these allure us not then remember what followeth It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God one will follow upon the other If this mercifull hand cannot win us this destroying hand will be sure to reach us This maketh it fearfull because His is the living God Every death is the more fearfull by how much the more terrible the immediate Executioner of it is For a man to be drowned is more gentle than to be burnt Why Because Water is not so operative and active and quick as Fire Fire is a more raging element The wrath of God is the immediate Executioner of damned souls And what so terrible as that is If God live such souls must die And because God liveth for ever such souls must die for ever as fall into his revengefull hands Fear and tremble to offend Christ because such as fall into the hands of the living God must be miserable as long as he is happy and die as long as he liveth Secondly The consideration of this truth That in Christ is life as in a Fountain from whence all sorts of life are He is Life as in the Fountain therefore trust him seek him and depend upon him derived to the creatures according to their severall kinds may serve as a ground of faith First to put us upon trusting in Christ and seeking to him and depending upon him for all kinds of life Psal 36. 7th and 9th verses compared together The children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings vers 7. and the reason is rendred vers 9. For with thee is the fountain of life Therefore our trust should be in him because life is in him as in the Fountain Whither should he that wanteth water go but to the Fountain Carry Faith as the Bucket and then according to the bignesse of thy bucket shall be the proportion of thy water thou drawest from thence Life commeth in as Faith draweth from Christ Trust him for temporall life when we are sick and in dangers though means may be used and ought to be used there is no relying upon Physick Our utmost confidence must be in him from whom all life commeth Deut. 32. 39. I even I am he and there is no god with me I kill and I make alive I wound and I heal there is none that can deliver out of my hand And so for spirituall life when the pulse of Grace beateth slowly and unevenly Who shall we then depend upon for life but upon him that is the fountain of it the second Adam whom God hath made a quickning Spirit Secondly as it may be a ground of Faith at all times so 2. Therefore a ground of Martyrdom a ground of Martyrdom at any time when a man is called to seal the truth of his profession with his blood Now this being considered that life is in Christ as in the Fountain and derived from him to us this is a speciall ground to prevail with the soul to suffer it self even to be laid down for Christ Now he calleth for that life which he himself first gave we had it from him and now we are called to restore it to him the best husbandry that can be But to be provident of our lives in this case and to be over-thrifty is the way never to thrive as Christ saith Mar. 8. 35. Whosoever will save his life shall lose it Whosoever will lose his life for my sake and the Gospel's the same shall save it It is no such great matter Life is as common to brute beasts as to men and therefore when Christ calleth for it there is reason to part from it because he gave it It must be given up as a tribute to Nature What is it to part with it a little sooner as a sacrifice to Christ as a seal of our profession and as a pledge of our thankfulnesse It is not so much parting with it as restoring it to the Owner Thirdly it may serve as a ground of Encouragement Life 3. Therefore a ground of Encouragement is in Christ as in the Fountain therefore let all that wait upon Christ be encourag'd to expect life in abundance A great deal of complaining there is of dead hearts and dull spirits no life in the soul in duty or service Exercise Faith go to the Fountain for all and you shall have life and have it in abundance Christ doth not use to give niggardly when he is sued to It is said of Araunah All thâ—se things Araâ—nah gave as a King Christ giveth as a Saviour in this very particular Joh. 10. 10. I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly He giveth so as to give it in abundance It will not be amisse to spend some time in clearing of that that Christians may go away with encouragement Whether we speak of the severall sorts of life of Spirituall life for I will not speak of Naturall or to the severall blessings that accompany every sort of spirituall life which is all derived from one fountain I take them together that I may speak the more briefly of them There are five sorts of Spirituall life which are proper to Saints besides a Naturall life which is common to all Five sorts of Spiritual life men First There is a life of Reconciliation which standeth in 1. A life of Reconciliation opposition to the wrath of God The wrath of God that killeth but in the favour of God there is life saith the Psalmist Psal 30. 5. Thy anger endureth but for a moment but in thy favour is life This life is from Christ because it is he in whom he is well-pleased and through whom he is well pleased with us God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself If any Reconciliation it is in
it was the first so it is the most Excellent of the visible Creatures and putteth an excellency into other things What is it that maketh pretious stones and Jewells of so much value but because Christ the true light they are so light-some above other things The Sun Moon and Stars differ one from another in glory but all are glorious because all Lightsome Therefore light is fit to set forth Christ by who is Excellently super-Eminent He delighteth to compare himself to such things as to the Sun to the bright Morning-star to pretious stones and is often called the Light in scripture Only in this place there is an Epithite given to the Light That is The true Light 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The true Light in four respects First because Undeceiving Light Secondly because Reall Thirdly because Underived Fourthly because Supereminent First The true light because undeceiving in opposition 1. The undeceiving Light in opposition to false light to false and deceitfull In that sense ye find the word used by Joseph's brethren when they came into Egypt and were taken for spies Gen. 42. 11. Joseph had said ye are spies to see the nakednesse of the Land ye are come No say they we are all one Man's sons we are true men thy servants are no spies True in opposition to deceitfull So Christ is called the true light in opposition to all the false lights of the Gentiles They had their Idols and Balaams And so all naturall men to this day have their Lights but they be false ones The naturall man's light is the Ignis fatuus It is lightsome indeed but he that followeth the light of it is lead into ditches and boggs such is false light which the Creatures afford it leadeth to sorrow Man may hope for cheering but he shall lye down in sorrow for all that Isaiah 5. ult Behold all ye that kindle a fire and compasse your selves about with sparks walk in the light of your fire but ye shall lye down in sorrow because these are deceitfull lights But Christ is the true Light because whosoever followeth him is lead to everlasting happinesse Joh. 8. 12. I am the Light of the World he that followeth me shall not walk in darknesse but shall have the light of Life Secondly True light because a Reall light True in 2. Reall in opposition to Ceremoniall types and shadowes opposition to Ceremoniall types and shadowes As true that is undeceiving in opposition to the false light of the Gentiles So true that is reall in opposition to the Ceremonies of the Jews So it is opposed to Ceremonies 1 Joh. 17. The law came by Moses grace and truth by Jesus Christ Where it is commonly thought that Grace is opposed to the Morall Law and Truth to the Ceremoniall The Jews had their light much light shined in Ceremonies and Types of old But Christ was the true light because he was the Substance of all these Col. 2. 17. which are all shadows of things to come but the body is Christ Thirdly The true light because underived True is 3. Underived in opposition to borrowed c. sometimes opposed to Borrowed Communicated Participated from another Thus Christ is called The true God and so God The true God in opposition not onely to Idols that have no Deity in them but to Magistrates who are called gods by derivation of their Authority from another 1 Joh 5. 20. We know that the Son of God is come and hath given us understanding that we may know him that is true and we are in him that is true even in his Son Jesus Christ This is the true God but Magistrates they are gods but gods by derivation and so not true gods But Jesus Christ is the true light in this respect because he borroweth not his light Some of authority they say are light Ye are the light of the world Joh. 5. Ephes 5. Ye were darknesse but now are ye light How Light in the Lord. Christ hath light in him You are a borrowed light he is an underived light and so The true light Fourthly True because super-eminently true in opposition 4. Super-eminently true in opposition to Common and Ordinary to ordinary and common So he saith Joh. 6. 55. My flesh is meat indeed it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 truly meat and my blood is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 truly drink that is not ordinary not common but super-eminently meat and drink Joh. 15. 1. I am the true Vine not an ordinary common Vine but a super-eminent one because his Blood is more cherishing than Wine And so The true Light a super-eminent light more excellent than the naturall light in many respects If the naturall light be cheering why Christ is so much more light refresheth the eye Christ refresheth the soul more abundantly Doth the naturall light penetrate and search into the most secret corners Christ doth more search into the heart and spirits of men to discover what is hidden there The hidden things of darknesse are made manifest by light The hidden things of God are manifested by Christ even the great mysteries of the Gospel Is the light of the Sun able to shine upon dunghills and not receive defilement from them Christ doth so much more He searcheth into filthy hearts and receiveth no defilement from them Therefore the true Light because not ordinary What shall we learn from hence Why to make out after Christ and that upon this ground because he is the true light Who is there that is not desirous of light Truly saith Solomon Eccles 11. 17. the light is sweet and a pleasant thing it is for men to behold the Sun Christ is light true light Christ is sweet truly sweet A pleasant thing it is for men to lay hold upon the Sun of righteousness no true pleasure can be had any where else If we find a dark room in a house we say This is a melancholly room It is the saddest condition in the world for The saddest misery to lose our Communion with Christ Exod. 10. 21 22. Act. 27. 20. men to want this light nothing is worth the grieving for in comparison of this being out of Christ or having lost fellowship with Christ A sad condition it was for the Egyptians to be three daies in a palpable darkness and for Paul and his fellowes to be diverse daies and nights without the light of the Sun and Moon and Stars What is it for men and women to continue for many years without God and Christ in the World Suppose a room were never so full of the most curious Pictures if there be not windowes to let in light the Pictures lose their lustre So let men have beauty strength and never so good parts all these without the light of Christ in their souls are neither beautifull nor lovely nor of any worth at all Ye should therefore learn to thank God for this great Gift that he hath bestowed his Son upon us 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
that thing is So Christ is the principall object of a Christians love and the more of Christ is in any person the more lovely Christ the principall object of a Christian's love that person is in a Christian's eyes The object that standeth most in the light is most seen and the Saint that hath most of Christ in him is most beloved by every one that is new-born when they come to discern that amiablenesse in him 3. The third thing that accompanieth this new-birth is 3. Victory over spirituall enemies Victory over spirituall enemies which doth exceedingly raise the priviledge of being born of God Victory over the world and victory over the devill ye have them both 1 Joh. 5. 4. Whatsoever is born of God overcommeth the world It is true Regenerate persons may get many a blow and knock from the world and many times be foiled too and from the frowns and flatteries of the world a Saint may be worsted As it is when a thief setteth upon a man in the high-way and aimeth at his purse he may stand in his own defence and haply receive some wounds or blowes but yet the thief is not able to take his purse from him Here a man commeth off a conquerour though not without blows So Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world because in the issue Grace getteth the upper-hand Though he that is born of God may be conquered yet That which is born of God cannot be conquered It is not Whosoever is born of God but Whatsoever is born of God There is an Emphasis in that As a victory over the world attendeth this new-birth so a victory over the devill too 1 Joh. 5. 18. We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not But he that is begotten of God keepeth himself and that wicked one toucheth him not He sinneth not so as to be touched by that wicked one Take them together that is He sinneth not against the holy Ghost sinneth not so as to be devillified He that is once a child of God never becomes a child of the devill That is the meaning of that That wicked one toucheth him not Not but that That wicked one the devill may annoy a Saint and foil him many times but not with that which the Schools call Tactus qualificativus such a touch as altereth the nature of a thing As for example Men that speak of the Philosopher's Stone they suppose it to have such a property in it as when it toucheth the metal it turneth it into Gold Such a property the Spirit of God hath upon the soul of man when it toucheth the soul it putteth a divine nature into it Now saith the Apostle The wicked one toucheth him not so as to alter him and to turn him into his own nature and make him as very a devill as himself which they that have sinned against the holy Ghost do Because even as very a devill as Satan is he that is once made partaker of the divine Nature cannot be touched so as to be made partaker of the diabolicall nature Secondly This may serve in the next place To undeceive 2. To undeceive carnall Professors carnall Professors that stand so much upon their faith and have no new birth to shew that say They have believed ever since they were born when as indeed no man can believe till he be born again There is an inseparable connexion between these two Faith and the New-creature the Evangelist John putteth them together To those that believe in his name who are born of God Wheresoever Christ is received by faith there he doth renew the soul as well as save it He bringeth with him plaisters that do not onely hide sin but heal it not onely cover it but cure it He bringeth with him not onely pardoning mercy but purging mercy and renewing grace And therefore it is in vain for men to call themselves believers if they be not new-born The Pleas of carnall Professors 1. They are baptized Some pleas indeed they have which I will briefly answer First They are baptized and therefore born again their baptism is the Laver of Regeneration That is all some have to shew Whether that place Tit. 3. 5. According to his mercy he saved us by the washing of the new-birth and the renewing of the holy Ghost be meant primitively of Baptism yea or no may be disputed But I wave that Secondly Those that ascribe most efficacy to Baptism they say That Infants Elect and onely they do in baptism 2. They onely that are Elected receive Regeneration in Baptism receive a Regeneration But what kind of Regeneration whether Potential Habitual or Initial they know not not such as will serve their turn when they grow up to years for then they must have an Actuall and farther Regeneration before they can be saved Peter telleth us expresly that the outward washing with water saveth none there must go a farther work to that 1 Pet. 3. 21. Wherefore the baptism that now is answering that figure which is not the putting away of the filth of the flesh but a confident Demanding which a good conscience maketh to God saveth us also by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ That no man can have that is not new born There cannot be a good conscience till there be a sprinkling of the blood of Christ For we are sprinkled from an evill conscience Heb. 12. 24. Now a man that is new-born when Satan putteth in a Plea against him he can put in his Answer against Satan's Bill he is able to plead Sincerity when he is accused of Hypocrisie and to make an apology for himself against the accusations of the Law If this satisfie not consider one or two places more to shew the vanity of this plea Gal. 6. 15. In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new creature Baptism is what Circumcision was Baptism availeth not but a new Baptism availeth not without a new-birth creature Baptism without new-birth can bring no man to salvation One may be a kind of baptized Turk as there were circumcised Ellemits in Jerusalem that is Men circumcised in the flesh and yet Heathens in their dispositions Ezek. 18. 31. Cast away from you all your transgressions wherein ye have transgressed and make you a new heart and a new spirit for why will ye die O house of Israel They must die unlesse there were a new spirit and a new heart within them Nothing but death without the new creature though an Israelite When men are beaten from this they fall to a second 2d Plea of carnall Professors plea and pretend to a New-birth Why Because they are not so bad as they have been some duties they neglected before but now perform them some errours they committed before but now abstain from them Therefore surely they are born of God To make Answer to this Plea we must know wheresoever Their Plea answered this new-birth
said to purchase the Church with his blood because that Person which was God had blood to shed according to his human Nature though it was sanguis humanus yet it was sanguis Dei It was human blood yet the blood of that Person which was God as well as Man Now the ground of all this is that personall union The Word being made flesh Divines have laboured much to make this clear therefore have invented divers Comparisons I shall tell you of one or two of them They suppose a flaming fiery Sword here is a union of the metal and of the fire that are met together in this sword and therefore there may be a communication of the properties This fiery thing may be said to cut and this sharp thing may be said to burn because they are so united in one sword Or thus They suppose a man under two capacities one and the same man that hath skill in two Sciences suppose he is both a good Physitian and a good Lawyer Now one may in propriety of speech say This Physitian is a Lawyer and this Lawyer is a Physitian because both meet in one man A man may say This Physitian is a diligent follower of his Clyent 's businesse and this Lawyer is very good at curing his Patients Or thus A branch of a Vine is graffed into the stock of an Olive-tree and that so as it takes of each tree both the Vine-branch and the Olive bear according to their severall natures yet are in the union both of one tree but both Grapes and Olives grow upon it One may say This Vine beareth good Olives and this Olive-tree beareth good Grapes because united in one tree So it is in respect of the Manhood united to the Godhead This Son of Mary made the world and this Son of God shed his blood upon the Crosse But no more of this The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the onely begotten of the Father full of Grace and Truth I now go on to what remaineth And dwelt amongst us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word signifieth properly Dwelling as in a Tabernacle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth a Tent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth to dwell in a Tent or Tabernacle Then this Clause Dwelt amongst us is capable of a three-fold sense though as I suppose but one is here intended There is a Mysticall sense of these words a Spirituall sense a Civill sense First A Mysticall sense and according to that this 1. The Divinity of Christ dwelt in the human Nature phrase Dwelt amongst us is an amplification of the former The Word was made flesh and implyeth this That the Divinity of Christ dwelleth in the human Nature as in a Tabernacle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in us the plurall number noteth the human Nature and implieth as diverse go this way especially the Greek Fathers and the Arabick and Syriack all give this sense of this place to intimate That the habitation or dwelling that Christ assumed to himself was not the Person of man but the Nature of man and therefore dwelt in us There is a place of Scripture that seemeth to favour this sense Col. 2. 9. where ye find it thus said In him dwelleth all the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily As if so be he should have said The Godhead dwelt in the body of Christ as in a tabernacle or tent which it had erected for its own habitation Dwelt and dwelt bodily Secondly There is a Spirituall sense of this Clause and 2. Christ dwelleth in us by his Spirit according to that the meaning is this Dwelt in us namely by his Spirit by influence from heaven and this way Cajetan goeth Lest men should suspect saith he because of what was said before The Word was made flesh that now we are to have none but fleshly communion with the Son of God Though It was made flesh yet he dwelt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in us by his Spirit and conversed with us in that respect and this is implyed in the Praeposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We say not inter nos but in nobis If he had meant it of Christ's dwelling in the world he would have said Inter nos but he saith In nobis that implyeth a communication of himself to our inward man according to that sense which other Scriptures hold forth That Christ-Man dwelleth in our hearts by faith Ephes 3. 17. 2 Cor. 6. 16. God hath said I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people Thirdly There is a third sense of these words that is a 3. By his conversing amongst us Civill sense Dwelt amongst us that is Conversed amongst us as one man converseth with another He took upon him the form of a servant and was in the likenesse of man and carried himself for about 33 years upon earth as a man This is his dwelling amongst us and that is the most proper sense in this place though there be a truth in all the former yet neither of them is here intended not the First which I call the Mysticall sense because the human Nature of Christ was not assumed like as a Tabernacle or Tent which is pitched for a while and then removed but as a Mansion The Divinity took up his habitation forever in the human Nature Christ now continueth and shall for ever as true Man as he was when he was born of the Virgin Mary In that place Col. 2. 9. the Apostle useth another word where he saith that all the fulnesse of the Godhead dwelleth in him bodily the word is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as in a Tabernacle but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as in a Mansion and abiding place He so took the human Nature as never to lay it down again Therefore not as in a Tabernacle As for the Spirituall sense that cannot well be the meaning here Though it be true that Christ dwelleth in the hearts of his Saints and converseth with their spirits yet the Evangelist speaketh of some kind of habitation amongst men but this kind of habitation dwelling in our hearts was that which was usually in the Word from the beginning of the world so he dwelt amongst the Jewes for they were his beloved people long before he was Incarnate Besides this was ceased when the Evangelist wrote The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 habitavit in the Praeterperfect Tense If ye take it of Christ's conversing amongst men upon the face of the earth he did dwell amongst them so but he did not dwell amongst them at this time that was past but his dwelling in his Spirit amongst us that is not past Joh. 6. 56. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him It remaineth therefore that the sense of this place is plainly thus not to seek into abstruse senses The
and getteth not the fruit Would ye have Christ ye must go to God for him the reality of all is founded in him What are the things men doat upon but either honours or riches or pleasures the worlds Trinity as some call those three We shall find them all in Christ Prov. 3. 16 17. where Wisdom speaks thus that Wisdom is Christ In her right hand are riches and honour Her waies are waies of pleasantnesse Here is all three riches honour and pleasure and all found in Wisdom which is the Lord Jesus Christ Vers 15. John bare witness of him He cryed saying This was he of whom I spake He that cometh after me is preferred before me for he was before me 16. And of his fulness have all we received and grace for grace For this fifteenth verse which I am now to close with there are in it these particulars First The Witnesse-bearer that is John the Baptist John bare witnesse of him Secondly The manner of his Witnessing He cryed saying Thirdly The time when he witnessed which lyeth couched in these words This was he of whom I spake I shall open that by and by Fourthly The matter of his testimony here He that commeth after me is preferred before me for he was before me I shall begin with the first The Witnesse-bearer was John the Baptist of whom we read vers 7. that he came The office of John the Baptist for a witnesse to bear witnesse of the Light and here we find him doing what he came for He came for a witnesse and here he bears witnesse This is the Observation That a good man will not be wanting to the duty of his Observ place This was his Office and ye find him taken up in the discharge of it and so should every one be For we must walk Circumspectly not as fools but as wise not to forget the errand we are sent about Every blessed man is like that Tree Psal 1. that bringeth forth his fruit in his season which is proper to his Calling and in such a time as is most proper for that fruit Rom. 12. 7 8. Ye have an Apostolicall Injunction Let him that hath a Ministry wait upon his ministry or he that exhorts upon his exhortation He that giveth let him do it with simplicity he that ruleth with diligence he that sheweth mercy with Cheerfulnesse Men lose nothing by being imployed in that service that Nothing lost by diligence in God's service God cals them to and men get nothing by being busie in other men's matters One may be over-busie and yet in God's account but an idle person if he doth not his proper work 1 Tim. 5. 13. And withall they learn to be Idle wandring about from house to house and not onely idle but Tatlers also and busie-bodies speaking things which they ought not Busie bodies and yet idle Why why because busie in matters that concern them not The next is the manner of John's witnesse bearing He 2. The manner of his witnesse-bearing bare witnesse and cried The Baptist cried in his witnessing of Christ There is something remarkable in that whereas the Scripture contents it selfe in other Cases to say He opened his mouth and spake here John Crieth What is the mystery of this He is said to cry for some one or all perhaps of these three Reasons First In reference to a fore-going Prophecy Isaiah 1. In reference to fore-going prophecies had fore-told as much which is applied in Matth. 3. 3. speaking of John the Baptist This is he that was spoken of by the Prophet Isaiah Behold the voice of one crying in the wildernesse Prepare ye the way of the Lord make his paths straight He fore-told he should have the voice of a Crier therefore this voice is applied to him Or Secondly In reference to the time when he first began 2. To the time of his witnessing to witnesse of Christ and that was as Philogus telleth us in the year of Jubilee under the Law every fiftieth year the Jewes were to keep a Jubilee wherein they were to ordain liberty to their servants and restore men to their possessions that had been mortgaged Levit. 25. 9 10. Then shalt thou cause the Trumpet of the Jubilee to sound in the tenth day of the seventh month in the day of attonement shall ye make the Trumpet sound through all your Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof It shall be a Jubilee unto you and ye shall return every man to his possession and ye shall return every man unto his family John that came to be the Minister of the Gospell he began in a year of Jubilee because he was to proclaime a liberty that came by Christ who was now to be exhibited and to shew himselfe because he came by the Ministry of the Gospell to restore men to those possessions they had lost in Adam even to an Eternall Inheritance reserved in Heaven for them The year of Jubilee was to be proclaimed by a Trumpet Therefore John comes crying The Interpretation receiveth a strong confirmation of that Isaiah 58. 1. Cry aloud spare not lift up thy voice like a Trumpet and shew my people their transgressions and the house of Israel their sins Here John's voice cometh as a Jubilee-Trumpet to proclaim liberty to them that were Captive therefore he is said to Cry Thirdly Crying may referre to the temper of his spirit 3. To the fervency and alacrity in his witnesse-bearing Exod. 14. 15. in his witnesse-bearing to Christ you may note his fervency or alacrity or both Crying noteth fervency Why Criest thou to me saith God to Moses at the Red Sea when Moses was most fervent in spirit yet we read of nothing he said saith Augustine The people cried and God heard them not Moses held his peace and yet was heard because there was a louder cry within Of Christ himselfe it is said In the daies of his flesh He offered up Prayers with strong cries and tears The spirit crieth Abba Father It is a term of earnestnesse and so of alacrity too Hos 12. ult Cry out and shout thou inhabitant of Sion for great is the Holy one of Israel in the midst of thee John went about this work with a great deal of earnestnesse and delight He that leapt in his Mother's Womb when the newes came Luk. 1. 41. of the Conception of Christ now he leapeth with much more joy when he himselfe came to be the proclaimer of Christ He himselfe hath the honour to be the Day-Star that shall usher-in the Sun of Righteousnesse to be more then a Prophet He pointed at him with the finger and said This is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the World Let us all learn from hence to cry up Christ in our severall places and according to our severall capacities John did so when he witnessed of him to cry up Christ with all the alacrity and fervency that may be You know how
The merit of all these redound to thee if thou canst but believe Therefore may the poor soul say as David doth in the Psalms I will go out in the strength of the Lord God I will make mention of thy righteousness even of thine onely But How comes it to passe then if there be such a fulnesse Object in Jesus Christ that so many of his Members are so empty so little grace to be seen in their conversation and belief to be found in their souls It is not for want of fulnesse in Christ but it is because Answ we are wanting to Christ and to our selves that we are so empty notwithstanding the fulnesse of our Head It is because we do not answer his fulnesse of worth and grace with the fulnesse of our affection Fulnesse should be answered with fulness As Excellency calleth for Respect so according to the degrees of the excellency should be the degrees of respect There is a full and abundant grace and merit in Christ therefore go with full assurance of faith when thou goest to him What is the reason thou art no fuller Quaer Why because thou dost open thy mouth no wider Respons Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it Could we believe enough we should have enough But Christ saith as to many of his Patients Be it to thee according to thy faith According to the measure of thy Bucker so shall be the proportion of water that thou drawest out of the Well of Salvation Christ is the fountain and his blessings and graces are the water and faith is the bucket A large faith a faith drawn out fetcheth a large blessing from heaven and so as he expecteth fulnesse of faith that coming to a great God we should look for great things from him and not content our selves with outward Mediocrities but have our faith exercising it self in some proportion to the object upon which it acteth So also that we should come with the fulness of obedience in our lives as well as of faith in our hearts We should not onely draw near with assurance of faith but follow God fully as Caleb did Numb 14. get that spirit as was in Caleb to follow God fully We should have great comforts but we tread awry and so wrench our faith We go after God a little and the world a great deal when we are following God we are taken off from the pursuit of God Thence it is that our comforts are no more Suppose the head in the naturall body full of sense and spirits yet if the lower parts through which the influence should be conveyed to the vitall parts of the body be obstructed the lower parts may decay for want of the influence of the head because there is something that hinders that conveying of them namely those obstructions We suffer our understandings and wills and affections to be obstructed with the world and the things thereof therefore the fulnesse of our Head is not conveyed to us in so full a manner Herein do I exercise my self saith Paul to keep a good conscience towards God and towards man These exercises will open those obstructions and so make way for the influence of the Head That is the first Use by way of Consolation to them that are Within Secondly Here is matter of Invitation to them Without that they would from hence be perswaded to come in to Use 2 Jesus Christ because there is such a fulnesse in him as ye Matter of Invitation to them that â—â—e Without have heard of in other cases Fulnesse inviteth and why should it not do so in this The laden Bee that flyeth abroad into Gardens and Meadows Why Because they are full of flowers there is food to be had for them and something to carry home to their Hives Why doth the Merchant take such long voyages to the West Indies but because that is full of Mines of gold and silver And to the East Indies but because they are full of spices The sons of Jacob took a long journey from Canaan into Egypt because that was full of corn and they were loath to starve in their own Land The Queen of Shâ—ba came a great way to see Solomon because 1 King 19. 2. he was full of wisdom Will not all these rise up in judgment against us one day if we be not invited and drawn in by the fulness of Christ in whom there is more sweetness than in all flowers and spices more riches than in all mines of gold and silver more excellency and fulnesse than of milk and hony in Canaan than of corn in Egypt than of wisdom in Solomon Therefore me-thinks our souls should hasten to him and the rather because we all naturally affect a fulness and will be seeking it one where or other either in Christ or in the Creature and man doth dream of a fulness in the creature That which Agur speaks of speaking after the manner of men Prov. 30. 9. Give me not riches saith he lest I be full and deny thee and say Who is the Lord There is a fulnesse in wealth and pleasures and preferments that men may truly affect Let the very consideration of the emptiness of this fulnesse that is supposed to be in the creature be a motive to invite men to come in to Christ If ye go not after Christ ye will go after the high expectations of that fulnesse which will deceive you This of Christ is a filling fulnesse And That ye may call a fulnesse if ye will but it will prove emptiness in the issue Solomon at last comes to this conclusion Eccles 1. 14. I have seen all the works under the Sun and behold all is vanity and vexation of spirit that is emptiness so the word signifieth As empty the creatures are even as Cisterns that hold no water Jer. 1. 13. What refreshing can be had from a cistern that hath no water in it or but little ay but that little in the issue comes to nothing they are broken Cisterns and all runs out of them that seemeth to be put in broken Cisterns that can hold no water There is a meer delusion in all the creatures they make fair promises but when a man commeth to seek for comfort in them he is like a Traveller that comes to a Well for water and findeth nothing but aire there and so cries out It is an empty Well I remember a story of Semiramis that when she did lie upon her death-bed she caused her Monument to be made and this Verse written upon her Tomb Hîc fodâ—at quisquis si princeps indiget auro If any Prince standeth in need of Treasure let him dig in this Sepulcher and see what he can find there Many years after Darius passing by and beholding the Inscription caused the Monument to be digged open where instead of a great deal of treasure he findeth another Inscription to this purpose Had'st thou not been extreamly covetous thou wouldst never have digged into