the pointes of his Iustice it behoued Him to suffer all the points of Iustice vnder the earthly judge Pontius Pilate in His condemnation in His taking from the crosse in His burial this was all to the intent that thou mightest be fully freed from all the points of the Iustice of GOD for whatsoeuer thing He either did or suffered it was for thy cause There is another thing here that would not be passed by There is no question but it comes of the Prouidence of God that this body is neither reaued away by violence nor stollen away by slight but the taking away comes of a speciall request◠no question this matter was so dispensed that the death of Iesus should bee made notable and come to the eares of Pilate and all other men the death was to be made notable to the world likewise the buriall was to be made notable to the end that His glorious resurrection might be made knowne to the world These are the two pillars of our Faith the death of Christ and His resurrection these are the two points that the deuill and the Heretiques haue from time to time striuen to hew and cut downe that they should not appeare to the world because they are the chiefe pillars of our Faith but honour glory be to the Lord who of His grace hath kept these pillars constantly in His Church in despite of the deuill all his instrumēts Now the God of Heauen grant vs grace to take holde on His death and glorious resurrection that through His death and resurrection we may bee raised from death to newnesse of life here that hereafter wee may reigne in glory with Him To whome with the Father and the Holy Spirite bee all honour praise and glorie world without end AMEN THE XXVI LECTVRE OF THE BVRIALL OF CHRIST MARKE CHAP. XV. verse 44 And Pilate marueiled if hee were alreadie dead and called vnto him the Centurion and asked of him whether hee had beene any while dead verse 45 And when hee know the trueth of the Centurion hee gaue the bodie to Ioseph verse 46 Who bought a linnen cloth and tooke him downe and wrapped him in the linnen cloth c. IOHN CHAP. XIX verse 38 And after these things Ioseph of Arimathea who was a disciple of Iesus but secretly for feare of the Iewes besought Pilate that hee might take downe the body of Iesus And Pilate gaue him licence Hee came then and tooke Iesus bodie verse 39 And there came also Nicodemus who first came to Iesus by night and brought of myrrhe and aloes mingled together about an hundreth pound verse 40 Then tooke they the bodie of Iesus and wrapped it in linnen clothes with the odours as the manner of the Iewes is to burie THE last day welbeloued in Iesus Christ wee entered into the History of the Buriall of the Lord Iesus and wee hearde that the Buriall came by a request made to Pilate the Romane Deputie for the time The request maker was one IOSEPH Hee is set down and described by all the foure EVANGELISTES in all his properties Hee was a man of ARIMATHEA a Towne in IVRIE Hee vvas a rich man and also an honourable and graue Counseller Then as concerning the qualities of his person Hee was a good and an vpright man who liued vprightlie in the worlde and yet hee had a further respect than vnto this life for he waited constantlie for the Kingdome of God And therefore when Christ came into the worlde and tooke vpon Him that great office of the Mediator betwixt GOD and man hee enters into His schoole and became His Disciple howbeit for feare of the IEVVES hee durst not manifest himselfe but lurked secretlie for a time euen to this time that it came to the Buriall of the bodie of Iesus and then hee shewes himselfe to bee a Disciple of Christ In that Councell which was against the Lorde hee vvas a Counseller but hee vvoulde neither giue counsell nor consent to the condemning and slaying of CHRIST Thus much yee hearde before concerning this man and his properties Then wee hearde howe hee goes forwarde boldlie to Pilate to seeke the Lordes bodie Hee lurked before so long as Iesus was in the worlde working such wonders as neuer man wrought speaking with such a grace as neuer man spake with But nowe when Hee is dead hee comes out boldlie and goes to Pilate and hee manifestes himselfe To let vs see that IESVS in His death had greater force to drawe the soules of men vnto Him than Hee had in His life for from that death there came so sweete and sensible a smell to the soules of sinners that it drewe the soules of sinners vnto Him Namelie the heart of this man IOSEPH So that hee comes out boldlie as saide is and hee goes to PILATE and requestes him to giue him the bodie of IESVS to bee buried Thus farre vvee hearde the last daye Nowe this daye wee haue PILATES answere to IOSEPHS request PILATE wonders that He was dead so soone and for the more certaintie hee calles a Centurion and askes him if Hee was dead alreadie The Centurion affirmes that Hee was dead alreadie PILATE grantes the request After this we come to the maner of His Buriall Wee shall goe forward as time shall suffer God shall giue vs grace Pilate wonders that hee was so soone dead This wondering of Pilate no question imports that the death of Iesus was extraordinary It was not after the common fashion of men y t were crucified for men who were crucified they vsed to hing long on the Crosse before they yeelded the spirit dayes nights and in end ere they yeelded the spirite the life was taken from them by violence They were broken on the Crosse So Pilate hearing that the Lorde was so soone dead hee wondered as at an extraordinarie thing There are sundrie thinges that testifie that death of Iesus to haue beene extraordinary as first That mighty and loude voyce crying which the Lord vttered on the Crosse immediately before He yeelded the spirit for who will giue a loud crie at the yeelding of his spirit for at the poinct of death when nature failes it is a rare thing to finde a man to haue a voyce or a word Next The yeelding of His spirit so suddenly whē by the power of nature He might haue liued longer Last This wondering of Pilate testifies That His death was extraordinarie that there was a power in Iesus which controlled nature When nature would haue kept life the diuine power puts it out In a word This wondering testifies That the death of Iesus was the death of God the death of a man but God in the man glorious and blessed for euermore Now it is said Pilate vnderstood of the Centurion that Iesus was dead when hee granted the request of Ioseph and gaue the bodie to him to bee buried First I see Pilate is a good Iustitier the Romane Iustice was
difference betvveene them and the vvomen when the vvomen vnderstood that Hee vvas risen they came home vvith joy the men of vvarre came home vvith sadnesse and vvith discontentment and they preach this to them that were sad to heare it and ashamed of it they preach it not to the Apostles as the vvomen did but to the High Priestes Marke this Lesson Looke how ye tell tythings there are some that will make good tithings of euill tithings and euill tithings of good as they please albeit they be neuer so good if they be not contented with them they vvill make them euill but be they neuer so euill if they be contented with them they will make them good and tell them vvith joy Bevvare hovv ye tell tithings of the Church of ENGLAND of FRANCE or of GERMANIE or of other partes Looke when thou speakest of the prosperous estate of the Church that thou speake it with joy and vvhen yee heare that the Church is troubled speake that not with joy but vvith sadnesse Thou that art not content vvith the prosperous estate of CHRISTS Church thou vvouldest haue hid CHRISTES Resurrection as the Scribes did and if thou hadst beene liuing with them So in a vvord if the Church be sad tell it vvith sadnesse and if she be joyfull tell thy tithings vvith joy if thou speakest of IESVS and His glorie speake of Him vvith joy and pleasure in thine heart Novv to goe forvvard The High Priests when they heare these newes they are nothing content therevvith but are ashamed They call a Councell of the High Priestes and the Senatours of the people The thing that they decerne is to bribe the men of vvare that vvatched the graue and to hire their tongues to lie they gaue them a great summe to say That the body of the Lord was stollen out of the graue by the disciples in the night whilst they slept and lest the men of vvarre should bee affrighted for Pilate and so refuse to lie they preuent that for say they take no thought of Pilate ye shall get no harme If hee heare of this wee will perswade him and so keepe you harmelesse Well these men were once disappointed and yet leaue they off No they will haue His glory and Resurrection smoothered and because they could not get it by violence nowe they will smoother it by craft No that thing that they cannot doe by violence they shall seeke to bring it about vvith lies No thinke yee that these Traitours and Apostate Lordes doe rest No that thing that they could not get done by violence they seeke to doe it by craft Well yee vvould maruell at this yee vvould aske Whether or not they were assured that the LORD IESVS was risen and beleeued the report of the men of warre I answere It could not bee but they beleeued that He rose by a diuine power No it could not be but they thought it and if they had thought that the disciples had stollen His body away they would haue pursued them and gotten the bodie againe Then seeing the arme of GOD raised Him vp and they knew that the Lord was risen Is not this a wonder that they repent not but will oppone them to the power of God No wonder not at it Men who haue once begunne to fight against the Holy Spirit and God Himselfe immediately can scarcely euer repent and turne backe againe but rather goes forward to fulfill their sinnes as the Apostle sayes 1. Thess 2.16 the wrath of God is come vpon them to the full This is not the first time they fought against God immediatly but they had often times done so before and beginning they leaue not off but goe forward So learne this lesson marke how dangerous a thing it is once to beginne to oppone thy selfe to God if thou beginnest once to oppone thy selfe against that Majestie the wrath of God shall so sease on thee that thou shalt not get leaue to goe backe till thou bee shut in hell So Steuen Acts 7.31 speakes of these same Iewes O stiffenecked people yee euer resist the Holy Spirit that is as yee haue begunne to sinne against that Holy Spirit so yee continue ye cannot goe backe againe So that they are set out as a spectacle of Gods judgement and it should learne vs to tremble once to thinke euill against that Holy Majestie these people may be a document to all them that oppone themselues to Him The Lord saue vs from all sinnes but namely from this sinne against the Holie Ghost that can haue no repentance Nowe to goe forwarde The souldiers against their owne conscience sell themselues miserably to lie and it was a wonder that the Iewes knew it not to be a lie the men who made this lie were prophane men of warre who commonly vse to haue litle godlinesse or religion Indeede I grant the Lord hath His owne of all sortes but seldome finde ye that men of warre are either good or godly Besides this they were Ethnikes and without God in the world in a word they were prophane hearted men then what wonder was it that they sell their tongue their conscience No if thine heart be prophane thou shalt soone sell thy tongue and thy conscience to any man and thou shalt soone sell thine hande to murther albeit it were a King as ye haue heard of sundrie Our Kings Majestie had neede to take heede to this that there bee no prophane men about Him for they will sell him his kingdome for a litle price It is said of Esau Heb. 12 16. He solde his birthright he solde Heauen he solde his part of Paradise for a messe of pottage What was the ground of all this The Apostle sayes Let no prophane man be among you as Esau prophanitie was the ground and hee brings in this as an effect following prophanitie if thou be prophane thou wilt sell thy conscience and I say this marchandise of buying and selling of consciences that is so frequent in this Lande tells that this Land is ouerspread with prophanitie The Apostle sayes It is the will of God that yee bee holy but Scotland may say farewell holinesse Alas if thou kept in thine heart holinesse thou wilt keepe thy conscience but if thou be prophane like Esau thou wilt sell thy conscience for a pennie So I direct mine exhortation to all sortes of men to Traffiquers be not prophane but keepe an holy heart and thou shalt keepe a good conscience and if thou be a Iudge if thou bee prophane thou wilt sell thy conscience for a crowne art thou a Marchand if thou wantest an holy heart thou wilt sell thy conscience a Minister if his heart be not holy hee will soone sell his tongue and his conscience So in a word Let vs striue with our conscience to haue an holy heart Alas the ground of all this mischiefe in Scotland is prophanitie of heartes When they haue sold their tongue they went and said He was stollen
scorpions and that nothing shall hurt you Neuerthelesse in this reioyce not but rather reioyce that your names are written in Heauen Luke 10.17 There He willes them to count life and Saluation to bee a greater miracle than all others Peter testifies likewise that whē the Gentiles in that first age of the Church sawe them that were conuerted to the Lord Iesus not walking after their olde manner in wantonnesse lustes drunkennesse c. it seemed strange to them they marueiled much that they ranne not with them vnto the same excesse of riot as they were wount to doe 1. Epist 4.4 Where hee telles vs that the conuersion of sinners was a wonder to the Gentiles and indeede it was no maruell that they counted so of it for a man truely renued by the Spirit of grace and conuerted vnto Christ is a wonder of the world and thou who art renued by the Spirite of Iesus and haue gotten an assurance of the Remission of thy sinnes of life and saluation thou wilt neuer seeke any new outward miracles to confirme to thee the trueth of the Gospell for thine owne saluation will confirme thee more than all the miracles in the world can doe Againe consider here that this gift of working of miracles followes not euer nor absolutely that justifying Faith but this gift of working of miracles requires further another sort of Faith which wee call the Faith of miracles which is nothing els but a speciall and extraordinarie gift of the Holy Ghost whereby some of the faithfull in that first age of the Church were able to worke miracles and wonders and this Faith of miracles is grounded vpon some particular promises and sensible perswasions in their heartes who get that extraordinarie gift that God by them at such times and vpon such persons and such occasions would worke miracles This would be marked against the Papistes who confound this Faith of miracles with justifying Faith for they say to worke miracles none other Faith is required but this true Faith which wee call justifying Faith whereas indeede they are two different Faiths of diuers kinds natures Thus shortly of the second promise Now it rests that we speake of the third promise which wee haue set downe by Matthew in the last words of his Gospell there he sayes Loe I am with alway vnto the ende of the world This promise the Lord makes vnto His Apostles to whome Hee had giuen commission to goe into the world to preach the Gospell and to baptize with this sweet comfortable promise He ends His cōmuning that at this time He had with them as in the beginning of His cōmuning to the end Hee might encourage them the more chearfully and couragiously to vndertake and discharge that high and painfull calling of the Apostleship Hee shewed and declared vnto them His great and incomprehensible power which He had giuen Him both in Heauen and in earth so heere Hee closes vp His communing with them with a promise of the presence of that same incomprehensible power for sayes Hee I am with you alway vnto the end of the world A promise moste excellent and full of heauenly consolation as if Hee had said I euen I who haue all power giuen me both in Heauen in earth I shal be with you not to remaine with you for a season but for euer vnto the end of the world not at certaine diets and with any intermission but alway euery day at all times Marke well the degrees of this promise First there is a promise of an infinite and incomprehensible power Next there is a promise of the presence of this His power with them Thirdly Hee promises that this power shall not be present with them for a certaine time onely but euen to the ende of the world Fourthly Hee promises it shall be present vnto the end of the world not by set diets and dayes but without any intermission But is this promise made vnto the Disciples absolutely without any condition No it is not absolute but conditionall and what is the condition Euen that same which Hee set downe in the words immediatly preceeding if the Apostles teached men to obserue all things whatsoeuer Hee commanded them that is That they teached these thinges which He had taught them before all these things and no other thing This promise which here He makes to His Apostles is extended vnto the Ministerie in all ages yea euen to the Ministerie at this present time for the LORD sayes I shall be with you vnto the ende of the world But so it is that the Apostles are nowe dead they are no more in the worlde therefore this promise is made vnto the Ministers of the CHVRCH to the successours of the Apostles vvho should remaine in the Church vntill CHRISTES comming to judgement Then all Ministers who faithfully discharges their duetie in their calling and sincerelie teaches all these thinges and onelie these thinges vvhich CHRIST taught and commanded them to preach haue in this promise great matter of comfort and rejoycing The Lord requires faithfulnesse and painfulnesse in the Pastor in discharging of his calling and if hee labour faithfullie and painfullie in his Ministerie let him commit the issue and successe vnto Him who has promised neuer to leaue His owne but continuallie to blesse their trauels vvith His presence Now as it is required of the Pastor that he should bee painefull and carefull in his calling to the ende that hee may enjoye this presence So it is the duetie of the people to haue a care that the Pastor bee not abstracted and vvithdrawne from his charge by vvordlie affaires For sayes PAVL no man that warreth entangleth himselfe with the affaires of this life 2. Timoth. 2. 4. And if so they doe they shall bee partakers of this same presence which the LORDE promises here to His Disciples for the presence which the Lord has promised and giues to the Pastor is not for himselfe onelie but it redoundes to the vveale and commoditie of the people also The Pastors blessing is the peoples blessing And by the contrarie the curse that the Lord layes vpon the Pastor is for a curse to the people vpon whome the Lorde will bee auenged for the contempt of the Ministerie The Papistes bragge much of this promise and they gather vpon it That the Kirke cannot erre for saye they seeing the LORDE hath promised to bee with His owne vnto the ende of the worlde howe can it bee possible that Hee can leaue His Kirke that it can erre But if they weigh aright the condition whereupon the promise is grounded they may see that they haue no matter of bragging For as vvee shewed you before this promise That the Lorde will bee with them is not made absolutelie and in all cases howsoeuer they behaue themselues but vpon this condition Hee promises His presence That they teach men these thinges which Hee hath taught them before that they teach all these thinges onelie
hee is not vvakened till the Prophet of the LORD came vnto him The longer that thy conscience lieth still in sinne the bitterer the vvakening vvill bee A reprobate vvill get an harde vvakening Iudas got a sore vvakening he vvas asleepe vvhilest hee kissed his Master but vvhen hee vvakened he hanged himselfe But the Lord dealeth otherwise vvith His owne Hee vvill vvaken them in mercie and in the heauiest displeasure they shall haue the sweetest joye and in the greatest aboundance of teares the greatest comfort Of all the thinges in the vvorlde take best heede to the conscience for it is alwayes verie readie to fall asleepe and of all judgementes a sleeping conscience is the greatest and therefore let vs striue night and daye to haue a waking conscience which may rounde in our eares when vvee lay vs downe at Euen vvhat vvee haue done all the daye if thou hast done good then thou mayest sleepe vvith a sound conscience but if thou hast done euill it is better a thousand times to vveepe vvith teares and vvake in mourning till thou findest thy selfe to be recōciled to God againe than to sleepe We should neuer let the conscience sleepe but euer hold it vvaking to tell vs vvhen vve doe euill that vve may haue dolour vvhē vve haue done vvell vve may haue joy through Iesus Christ To vvhome vvith the Father and the Holy Spirite bee all Praise Honour and Glorie for euermore AMEN THE FOVRTH LECTVRE OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST IHON CHAP. XVIII verse 19 The high Priest then asked IESVS of his Disciples and of his Doctrine verse 20 IESVS answered him I spake openly to the worlde I euer taught in the Synagogue and in the Temple whither the Iewes resort continually and in secret haue I said nothing verse 21 Why askest thou mee aske them that heard me what I said vnto them beholde they know what I said verse 22 When he had spoken these things one of the officers which stood by smote IESVS with his rodde saying Answerest thou the high Priest so verse 23 IESVS answered him if I haue euill spoken beare witnesse of the euill but if I haue well spoken why smitest thou me verse 24 Now Annas had sent him bound vnto Caiaphas the high Priest verse 25 And Simon Peter stood and warmed himselfe and they saide vnto him Art not thou also one of his Disciples He denied it and said I am not verse 26 One of the seruants of the high Priest his cousin whose eare Peter smote off saide Did not I see thee in the Garden with him verse 27 Peter then denied againe and immediatly the Cocke crew BELOVED in the LORD IESVS we haue heard the first part of the Passion of the LORD which was in the Garden beside that inward agonie with the wrath of His Father that Hee felt in His soule outwardly in the Garden where Hee was taken like a thiefe bound Hee was taken to deliuer vs from that captiuitie and bondage of sinne and death And then after we entered into the seconde part of His suffering which was in the Hall of Caiaphas being taken and bound He is led away to Hierusalem The first house that He is brought vnto is the house of Anna◠the father-in-lawe to Caiaphas and there Hee tarrieth a certaine time till the Priestes the Elders and Scribes were assembled in the house of Caiaphas and then Annas sendes Him bound to Caiaphas the High Priest Now we heard the last day the Historie of Peter how hee denied his Lord and Master Peter vpon a vaine confidence notwithstanding of an admonition of the Lord hee will followe Him to the house of the High Priest Now the Lord entereth in and the other disciple vvho knewe the High Priest and Peter vvas stopped at the doore this might haue beene an aduertisement for him to haue left off but yet hee would not and the other disciple thinking to gratifie him he desireth the maiden that kept the doore to let him in and beeing no sooner entered in but that same seruant vvoman tempteth him This temptation is by a sober instrument neither vttered she any reuiling vvordes vnto him yet neuerthelesse Peter falleth vvhereby yee maye see vvhereunto the confidence of fleshe and blood turneth for the lightest assault vvill throwe him downe vvho trusteth in it Hee is standing vvarming himselfe vvith euill companie and being standing securely he getteth his reward hee deare bought his vvarming there for hee is tempted and denieth his Lord and Master Now to come to this Text There are two parts of it shortly the first containes the suffering of the Lord Iesus in the Hall of the high Priest the second containes the second and third deniall of Peter As for the first it is saide that Caiaphas the high Priest begineth to aske of Iesus concerning his doctrine and his disciples he layeth not downe first such and such particular pointes of false doctrine because he had none to lay to the charge of the Lord and therefore this was no formall proceeding and dealing to draw a man before a judge and then not to haue one word to lay to his charge Should not the dittay be made before the man was taken ye may see the malice of this persecution Well then to examine his words he enquireth about his doctrine and then for his disciples whilst he asked him of his doctrine he would meane that his doctrine was not allowable and that it might not abide the light and that Hee teached lies and whilst as hee speaketh of His disciples hee would meane that the Lord was a seducer and had seduced so many among the people the Lord answeres The thing that I haue teached I haue teached openly before the world and therefore why askest thou me of my doctrine as though it were not allowable and as if I had teached in secret holes and caues then he appealeth to the witnessing of his enemies aske of these men who haue heard me I will bee judged by them This is the effect first of the question of the high Priest and next of the answere of the Lord. The first thing that wee marke here is shortly this Beholde in the person of Caiaphas the malice of the enemies of the trueth in their heartes they know the trueth and yet they will seeme that they knowe it not CAAIPHAS knewe the trueth but hee seemeth not to knowe it the enemies will count light darknesse albeit the truth should shine in their faces more bright than the Sunne in the noone-tide of the day yet they will say Light is darknesse But to come to Christs part as the trueth loues the light and desires not to be hid neither to bee teached in secret holes and caues so the trueth so farre as is possible is publikely to bee teached in the presence of the worlde it would haue all men to know it it would euer bee heard and the light would euer shine through the world The Ministers of the trueth should euer
hurt him not which are done by the hands of the Emperour Who executes them in the Inquisition The Kinges the Popes holy hāds are cleane of all Excuse as they will I pronounce and the Lord shall ratifie it in that Great day that they are greater murtherers than the secular power Away with their vaine excuses When they haue murthered the man they will put the fault in the Magistrate Wil God accept such excuses In the next vers Iohn subjoynes wherfore y e Iewes would not take vpon them to judge of y e life or death of Iesus Christ and saies that they answered so that that might be fulfilled that the Lord spake signifying what death he should die When He was conuersant with His Disciples He fore-told them that He should die vpon the Crosse Now the Iewes will not take vpon them the right of the judging Him that these words might be fulfilled If the Iewes had taken it vpon them they would not haue crucified him because it was not vsuall among the Iewes they vsed to stone a deceiuer or blasphemer to the death according to the lawe as they did Steuen afterwards This death of the Crosse was familiar and vsuall among the Romanes Then Brethrē we see here the God of Heauen is the disposer of the whole action of the persecution passion of Christ what euer be mans part There is not a word vttered nor an action done either by Pilate or any of the Iewes which the Lord did not dispose All that Pilate did all that the Iewes did as that spitting and buffeting of Christ were all disposed by the Lord And this is it that ye reade in that prayer in y e Acts of the Apostles cap. 4. vers 28. The princes of the earth are gathered against thine anointed Herode Pilate and the Gentiles Whereto That they should doe that thing that thine hand and thy councell hath ordained Neither Herode Pilate nor any of the Iewes or Gentiles did anie thing in this execution but that vvhich God appointed The vnderstanding herof serues to this that there was nothing done to our Redeamer but that which His father appointed they were but persecuters appointed by God euen as the hang-man the Iewes Pilate Herod were like as many hangmen to execute that decree of God This would seeme a very light word that the Iewes say We haue no power to sit ouer the life or death of men yet this is a meane whereby the Lord bringes to passe that forme of Cursed death Brethren we may speake as lightly of thinges as wee please and many times to little purpose but there is nothing that passes GODS decree Looke to that prouidence that GOD hath in His creatures The LORD disposes the lightest wordes that thou speakest He rules thine hand so that whatsoeuer thou doest He makes al to effectuate produce that which He hath decerned the thing that thou wilt speake or doe it will serue for some purpose to Him how beit little for thee In the meane time let no man thinke that when men speake or doe euill that they shall bee the more excusable for if there were no more but this it shall make thee vnexcusable because in speaking euill and in doing euill thou hast not the LORD before thine eyes Thou doest it not for obedience to His vvill Take this lesson Let euerie man and vvoman take good heede that they bee vvell exercised and if our GOD employe vs let vs take good heede that vvee bee in a good seruice in speaking good and doing good Lende not thine heart thine hande nor thy tongue to the Deuill in vnrighteousnesse And seeing thou canst not sleepe from morning to euening but must bee speaking and doing praye that the LORD maye employe thee to doe vvell and to speake vvell and saye LORD let mee bee an instrument to doe well And more in doing vvell bee not content of the outwarde face of the action but in doing vvhether it bee little or much goe euer to the heart and see the disposition thereof and looke thou doe it in sinceritie hauing regarde to GOD. Thinke it not enough and if the LORD vvorke a good vvorke by thee as an instrument but looke still that Hee vvorke in thee that thou mayest finde a good motion in thine heart For alas vvhat auaileth the outwarde action if the heart bee foule vvhich defileth all Indeed vvee maye not thinke that there is anie perfection in vs or in our actions in this life but this is the perfect ground that makes that action to smell sweetelie in the sight of GOD to vvit Faith in IESVS CHRIST If that thou findest that thou hast IESVS CHRIST in thine heart by Faith albeit vvith great vveakenesse in thy selfe yet in CHRIST all the imperfection and vveakenesse is hidden and vvhen the action commeth before the LORD it is pleasant and acceptable to Him All thinges are pleasant that come to the Father thorowe the Sonne there is the grounde of all grace and acceptation Sticke to the LORD IESVS and haue Him not in thy mouth onelie as the Hypocrites doe but let Him also bee inclosed in thine heart and dwell therein for then thou shalt bee acceptable to GOD through Him To vvhome vvith the Father and the Holie Spirit bee all Praise Honour and Glorie for euer and euer vvorlde vvithout ende AMEN THE SIXT LECTVRE OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST IHON CHAP. XVIII verse 33 So Pilate entered into the common Hall againe and called IESVS and saide vnto him Art thou the King of the Iewes verse 34 IESVS answered him Sayest thou that of thy selfe or did other tell it thee of mee verse 35 Pilate answered Am I a Iew Thine owne nation and the high Priests haue deliuered thee vnto mee What hast thou done verse 36 IESVS answered My Kingdome is not of this world if my Kingdome were of this world my seruants would surely fight that I should not bee deliuered to the Iewes but nowe is my Kingdome not from hence verse 37 Pilate then saide vnto him Art thou a King then IESVS answered Thou sayest that I am a King for this cause am I borne and for this cause came I into the world that I should beare witnesse vnto the trueth euerie one that is of the trueth heareth my voyce THE last day Brethren we entered into the suffering of Christ vnder Pontius Pilate the Romane Gouernour Ciuill Iudge in Iudeae for the time Iesus is led into the Common Hall to the House of Iustice as ye heard where Pilate sate Now Pilate is not rash in judging but before he sit downe to judge hee will haue an inditement and will see what things the Iewes haue to lay to the charge of the Lord He saw the accusers of Him the Iewes in multitudes he saw no accusation therefore he goes out vnto them because they would not come to him and asketh what accusation haue they against Him hee receiueth little answere or at least little
blindnesse of y e Iewes y t cannot know Him to be the Mediator but after that once a man be giuen to a reprobate sense he will say the Sun in y e noone-tide is but darknes The Gospel is hid sayes Paul 2. Cor. 4.4 to them who perish if thou see not beleeue not y e Gospell thou hast an earnest pennie in thy bosome y t thy damnatioÌ„ is sealed vp Thus farre for His thirst they gaue Him a drinke There is a vessell full of vineger This was a custome that they vsed they had a drinke beside them who were crucified Some thinke it was for this end that the paine might be stanched There is a drinke of vineger standing beside the Lord but I knowe not if they gaue such a sowre drinke to the thieues So this vessell standing beside one of them steps to it in scorne and takes a water sponge and puts it on a reede and puts it to His head he got litle thanke for his worke I take this giuing of this drinke to the Lord at this time to haue proceeded from bitter malice The wrath of His Father was begun to be asswaged yet the wrath of the Iewes could not be asswaged There is none end of the malice of the Iewes so long as breath is in Him they neuer cease to rage against Him WheÌ„ He was dead they persecute Him wheÌ„ He was in glorie they thought to shame Him WheÌ„ y e Lord looses y e raines of y e deuill of wicked men to chastise his own they run headlongs to wracke His Church y e Lord seekes but chastisemeÌ„t they seek wrack of body soule he y t knowes not this he knowes nothing if these persecuters got their will they would not only seeke y e wracke of y e body but also of y e soule What doth y e Lord for this when y e Lord hath pulled in their raines Hee takes y e scourge casts it in y e fire because they run far beyond their coÌ„mission This shal be y e end of their miserable soules O y t damnation y t shal ouertake them when y e Lord hath chastened vs by them they shal be cast in y e fire for euer Refuses y e Lord y e drinke indeede before He was raised vp on y e Crosse He tasted of this but would not drinke but He beeing on the Crosse it is said He dranke it It may by that after such a troublesome labour that His drought was so great that Hee was glad to drinke any liquour Alwayes this I know except the Lord had had a thirst of thy saluation Hee had not drunken it The thirst of thy saluation made Him as Hee dranke out the cuppe of the wrath of His Father So to drinke out this bitter cuppe that was propined to Him out of the bitternesse of their heartes Hee dranke out the wrath of God and the wrath of man that thou shouldest drinke the water of Life I say remember vpon that drinke that Iesus dranke when thou drinkest delicious drinkes it is not thy money that buyes the wine except it be bought with the precious blood of Iesus not a piece of bread or any thing pertaines to thee if it bee not bought with the blood of Iesus to them who are sanctified all thing is sanctified if thou be not in Him thou shalt bee accused as a violent possessour of all things in y t great day Now I goe to the next voyce when He hath drunkeÌ„ He saies Jt is sinished that is y t wearisome worke is now put to an end now the ransom is payed now the work of RedemptioÌ„ is ended Brethren that yee may vnderstand this The Lord when He was in the Garden had two workes The first was to buy Heauen to conquere life to vs The second to put vs in possession of it The first worke He beganne it in the first moment of His conception and continues still from that time to that moment He gaue vp the Spirit to the Father Now that worke beeing ended He proclaimes on the Crosse cries out in the audience of them all Consummatum est it is finished Now that wearisome worke is ended the deare worke is ended Heauen and life and righteousnesse is conquered to the worlde for euer This is the summe of the Gospel the worke of our Redemption is ended this is all our preaching Heauen life glorie is conquered againe to the lost world Thou needest not to giue one pennie out of thy purse for Heauen Cursed are they from the High Heauen to the low Hell that open their mouth to say Thou must pay some of that ransom out of thy purse Woe to the Papistes who will stand vp say Thou must pay some part of that ransome wo to that foule mouth that dare be so bold to open it and say pay thou a part of that ransome with thy money seeing that Iesus Christ hath proclaimed that all is finished bought by His blood woe vengeance and euerlasting damnation shall light on the Pope and all the Papistes that dare open their mouthes to speake such presumptuous wordes Yet there is another worke remaining which is to put vs in possession of Heauen and He began this at His resurrection and He holdes it on yâ—t and shall continue it vnto His comming againe And at that day of His comming yee shall heare Him crying All is ended not on His Crosse but in glory and all the Angels and all the Sainctes shall crie All is ended Glorie to him who hath ended all no more shall bee Looke downe to His heart and to the sense from whence this voyce arose wheÌ„ He saies this ye shall find that Iesus felt the wrath of His Father asswaged Before Hee was in an agony now Hee feeles the agony to cease where before He fouÌ„d no joy now joy returnes On the sense of all these thinges falles out this voyce All is ended WheÌ„ I looke to this I thinke I see y e image of a godly Sainct dying for the godly are like to him in death and life Before the last moment they are in a battell and suddenly they will say I haue gotten the victorie in Iesus and theÌ„ last they will yeeld vp the spirit Come to the last voyce It is a voyce of joy I am of that opinion that before the Lord yeelded vp the ghost the agony left him and that joy that had left him returned againe and made him to vtter joyfull words The Euangelists say He cryed with a loud voyce What voyce this is Luke expresses Father into thine hands I recommend my spirit All that were standing about might haue heard him vttering this powerfull voyce Now ye would wonder that a man immediatly yeelding vp his spirit should haue such a strong voyce Ye see men and women in death their voyce will faile them some will not haue any voyce and some not any signe some if they get that grace to speake
voyces vvere of joye for it appeares well that before the Lord gaue vp the ghost comfort and joye returned to Him againe And I am of this mind that there are none who are Gods owne but before their departure out of this life sooner or later they will get a sense of that joye which they are to passe vnto immediatelie The first voyce of joye was All is ended As though Hee vvoulde saye This wâ—â—ke is done and ended and nowe the ransome of the redemption of man is payed to the least farthing Nowe the last voyce vvas vvhen Hee vvas immediatelie readie to render vp His spirite into the handes of the Father sayes with a feeling of joy in the heart Into thine hands Father J commend my Spirit Now this day we haue to speake by His grace First of His death and the yeelding vp of His Spirit Next of those wonders that fell out immediatly after the Lord had rendered the Spirit and thirdly we haue to speake how the multitude were mooued when they sawe these wonders Novve as concerning His death the words are but few Iohn sayes When Hee had spoken and cried with a loude voyce Hee bowed downe His head and He rendered His Spirit The wordes are to be marked Hee renders His Spirit first as it were Hee tooke His soule in His owne Hande and deliuered it in the handes of the Father desiring Him to keepe it well to the day of His glorious resurrection for Brethren this is the difference betweene the godly vngodly in their death as they differ and are vnlike to other in their life so especially in their death The vngodly cast away the soule and life and cares not where it goes but woe is to them that doe so they will neuer take vp such a life againe when they haue cast it awaye not regarding where it goes to but thinking lightly of it No let no man nor woman cast away this life or dislodge this soule lightly if the soule goe from thee lightly and thou carest not for it better it were for thee neuer to haue had a life a soule or a body But againe Brethren The Lord Iesus as all His lifetime Hee is carefull for the soule that is lodged in an earthly tabernacle so chiefly in the moment when it is to fllit The godly they will not let the soule flit out of the body vntill they know that the hand of the Lord is sweetly loosing the soule to keepe it vntill the day of their glorious resurrection Brethren it would be well marked There is not one of the foure Euangelists Matthew Marke Luke or Iohn but they note very precisely the death of the Lord and the yeelding vp of His Spirit As for the circumstances that fell out in His Passion some will note one thing and leaue another As for example These voyces that He vtters on the Crosse not one of the Euangelists hath them all some hath one and some another But when it comes to the yeelding of the Spirit they all in one harmonie note The Lord gaue vp the Spirit This is a thing not to be passed by nor to be lightly looked on and it lets vs see the death of our Sauiour the separation of His soule from His body is so substantiall and so needfull a thing both to Him to haue suffered and vs to knowe that except the Lord had suffered the death all the crucifying of Him inwardly outwardly all the rest of His suffering had auailed vs nothing the ransome of our sinnes had not bene payed for that was the curse that was laide vpon vs to pull our soule from our bodie and as it was needfull that He should suffer the death for vs so it is needfull to euery one of vs to knowe this that my Sauiour died and His soule was really separated from His body it is needfull that thou haue euermore the Lord Iesus crucified before thee and know that the soule was separated from His blessed body for grace and remission of sinnes is conquered thorow the death of the Mediatour if thou hast not Faith of the death of the Mediatour it is vnpossible that thou canst beleeue that thy soule shall come to Heauen The Apost Heb. 9. hath a notable comparison hee sayes When a man hath made a Testament and his legacie wherein hee leaues such inheritance to any man his Testament can neuer bee sure nor ratified before the man be dead and if he ratifie not the Testament with his death it cannot bee sure for the man in this life may alter the Testament But after that once he die there it stands it cannot be reuoked Euen so sayes the Apostle The Heire of the world Iesus Christ hath made a Testament and such one as neuer man made leauing such goods and heritage to His Saints as neuer man left euen that heauenly Heritage that exceeding Glorie Now sayes the Apostle If the Heire of the World Iesus Christ had not sealed vp His Testament by His blood it had neuer beene sure but His death interueening and closing it then the Testament is sure all the world is not able to alter one jote of it to adde or diminish it Woe be to him that will adde any thing to the Testament of Iesus Christ he is counted a villaine who will adde to a mans Testament Wilt thou adde or diminish any thing at thy pleasure from the Testament of Iesus Christ This Newe Testament is the best Testament that euer was Let Worldlings bee content with the Testaments of their forefathers yet count thou nothing at all except thou get a part of the legacie left in His Testament Woe bee to thee albeit thou get Eaâ—ledomes and Kingdomes and great possessions left to thee by the Testament of thy forefathers if thou gettest not this Testament Well Brethren this Testament can not be ratified but by the blood of the Testator How can I beleeue it except I know that He died and that the soule was as verily separated from the body as euer the soule of man was so when I consider the death of my Sauiour who hath made such a Testament I am so farre from that to bee offended at that shamefull death that the death is the ground of my saluation and that in His death is all my glorie the assurance of my life is in the assurance of His death and His ignominie and shame is my glorie Now thus farre for the death of the Lord Iesus Now come to the consideration of these wonders that fell out immediately as He gaue vp the Ghost The Vaile of the Temple rent asunder from the toppe to the bottome The earth quaked Such things neuer fell out in all the deathes of men in the world No not in the deathes of all the Kings in the world The stones were clouen the graues of the dead did open These are the foure wonders that are noted to haue fallen out immediatly when the Lord gaue vp the Ghost Brethren
well the blood from the water and the water from the blood I see heere something aboue nature and I am compelled to thinke and saye that there was something heere extraordinarie As all thinges that fell out in the death of the LORD IESVS was extraordinarie and shewed Him to bee more and greater than anie common man that euer died The giuing vp of the ghoste with a loude voyce shewed that Hee was more than a man For Brethren to leaue the speaking of this matter let vs see what this blood this water meanes and to what vse the gushing out of the blood the water serues for No question the gushing out of the blood and the water out of the wounde testifies that the Lord was verily dead What man will liue when his heart blood is shed The heart is the most vitall part of the bodie It is the seat of the life Perse it and there is no life for the man So this effusion of the blood water testifies that the Lord was dead and there was no life in Him Yet Brethren this blood this water meaned more than this they testified of the force of that death they testified not of a death only but of a powerfull death No mans death was euer so powerfull as the death of the Lord Iesus All the Emperoures in the world had no such power in their death as Christ had It testifies of a power to purge the sinnes of man What Emperoures bloode ransomed sinfull man or could purge him from his sins What water came there euer from an Emperours heart which washed away the corruptioÌ„ of thy nature Now to speak it in a word This blood and this water testified of a power that flowed from the death of Christ to the remission of sinnes and the washing of our foule nature with the bloode bracke out remission of sinnes and with the water burst out regeneration Yet to make this plainer By the bloode of Christ which is the bloode of God God and man in one wee are ransomed from death and Hell the guiltinesse of all our sinnes is taken awaye the punishment with the guilt is taken awaye Hell is taken awaye the justice of God that required our blood is satisfied by that bloode of Christ that wrath that would haue sucked vp thy bloode it woulde not haue left one droppe of thy bloode vnsucked and that vvrath which cannot be satiate vvithout bloode is satiate by the onelie bloode of CHRIST Marke vvell It vvas not bloode onelie that came out of His side but it was bloode and vvater it vvas a vvaterie bloode IOHN vvho stoode by left this in register That sensiblie in the bloode hee perceiued vvater to testifie That by that bloode of IESVS vvee obtaine not onelie remission of our sinnes but by this same bloode the foulenesse and vncleannesse of our nature is vvashen away for vvater serues to vvash away filthinesse This same IOHN in his first Epistle Chap. 5. vers 6. saies that Christ came into the world by water meaning the vvater vvhich gushed out of His side IOHN coulde neuer forget this sight Hee came by vvater to vvashe awaye this inherent corruption vvhich is in vs for if it bee not purged there is no entrie to HeaueÌ„ I fore-warne thee thou shalt neuer see Heauen if thy corruption be not purged away Then he saies He came by water and blood not by water onely but by water and blood meaning this blood was waterie and this water was bloodie Not only to wash away the inherent corruption but also to ransomâ— vs to obtaine to vs remission of our sinnes and to take away the guiltinesse of our sinne both originall and actuall and that punishment and wrath that was due to vs In that same Chapter Iohn poyntes out the three witnesses of Christ in the Heauens and three witnesses of Christ in the earth And for the witnessing in the earth hee counts these same two the blood and the water the third the Spirit who testifies thâ—t Iesus came died for thee where we may see that this blood and this water that came out of the side of the Lord neuer leaues the earth neuer ceases to crie The Redeemer of the worlde is come If thou be in Iesus that blood sprinkling thine heart conscience within thee shall testifie vnto thee that Iesus is come in the world for thy purgation So that Brethren I affirme this that all the words in the world and all the hearing shall not put that perswasion in thine heart that Iesus Christ is come for thy Redemption except that blood and that water cry within thee certainly we haue no better assurance that the Lord is come than when we feele that effectuall working of the remission of our sinnes and the purgation of them by the mortifying of sinne Now we haue dayly in our Sacraments of Baptisme the Lords Supper outward signes of this water and this blood whereby they are outwardly represented to our eyes In the Sacrament of the Lords Supper we haue the signe of the blood in the Sacrament of Baptisme we haue the signe of the water and therefore the blood the water remaine euer in the earth as witnesses testifying that Christ is come and they are euer represented to vs in these outward signes and symboles in the Sacraments So in a word this blood gushing out of the Lords side and this water testifies First that the Lord was truely dead Next that His death is forceable to the remission of our sinnes and to our regeneration Vnto these two vses we may joyne the third this gushingouâ— of the blood and water out of the Lords side testified that the sacrifices purgations and washing of the Law were now abolished they were now no more to haue place because they were only certaine types and shadowes of the blood and water to come whicâ— gushed out both together out of the Lords side Now I come tâ— the testimonie of Iohn concerning the breaking of the thighes oâ— the Lord y e piercing of His side with y e speare Iohn seales vp this first he saies I testify this J beare witnes to this theÌ„ he aggreages hiâ— testimonie in sundry words First I as an eye-seeing witnesse stood by and I sawe with mine eyes that the thies of the Lorde were not broken and that a souldier pearced Hâ—m thoâ—ow â—he side vnto the heart and that bloode and water came out of His side Next As I saw these so I tell thee that my testimony is true Thirdly I know am perswaded my testimonie to bee true my conscience perswades me that it is true I belieue it my selfe to the end that yee may beleeue it So therefore as I beleeue beleeue thou This he saies to all to the end of the world yea who heares this beleeue it as well as I. Yee see heere IOHN is earnest to testifie the death of Christ that verily He died And he testifies it
with great weight and manie graue wordes Wee haue hearde before sundrie testimonies of His death The Lord in the last wordes Hee testifies of His owne death when Hee cryes Father into thine handes I commende my spirite All those wonders from the Heauen testified that the Lorde had giuen vp the ghoste His Heauenlie Father made the Burreoes and the men of warre to testifie that Hee was dead and to preach it to all the people about Now IOHN comes in last and with many words and wordes of great weight testifies that the Lorde gaue vp the ghoste What meanes all this Ye see there is not any thing in all the historie testified by so many testimonies The Spirit of God labours not to perswade vs of any thing in all His Passion so much as that He died and to certifie this that Hee was pearced with a speare To leaue the Heresies which fell in the worlde concerning the death of Christ for it was much to perswade the world of it they would not beleeue that IESVS died truelie All these testimonies lets vs see such a necessitie to bee in the death of IESVS that except the LORD had died as truelie as euer man died Hee coulde not haue beene our Redeemer And except Hee had died truelie wee coulde neuer haue beleeued to haue beene saued by Him Except I knowe as truelie as euer I knewe any thing in the worlde that my Redeemer died for mee I woulde neuer goe seeke life out of His death Indeed a wanton sinner who is ladeÌ„ with sin feeles not the weight thereof so loÌ„g as his coÌ„science is sleeping that he feeles not y e burreo sees not y t fearfull wrath that caÌ„not be quenched without bloode that terrible justice of God y t cannot be satisfied but by death will count little of the death of Christ It is alike to him whether He had died or no so loÌ„g as thou sleepest al is alike but after the coÌ„scieÌ„ce is wakened the Lord once let thee feele the weight of thy sinnes wherewith thou art ladned No if thou diddest but feele the weight of an euill thought thou wouldest groane as fast as if the mountaines and rockes were tumbled on thee and then thou wouldâ—st thinke no life nor saluation for thee but Hell and damnation if thou gottest not a Sauiour for thee and if thou feelest that Iustice of God and the terrours of Hell before thee the sight of the death of Iesus would be the most joyfull and comfortable sight that euer thou sawest and all thy joy glorie would be in that death of Christ Paul sayes Gal. 6.14 Far be it from me that I should reâ—oyce in any thing but in the death of Christ he fouÌ„d all his life to be in that death 1. Cor. 2.2 he sayes When I came amongst you to speake of the death of Christ to you who knew not what it meant a vaine companie they were who delited in vaine oratorie I would not begin to clawe your itching eares but I decreed to know nothing but Iesus Christ and Him crucified Nowe Brethren besides this In these wordes that IOHN sets downe and 〈◊〉 the which hee aggreadges his testimonie marke another lesson Will ye see from whence our Faith comes from whence comes our Faith from whence flowes it IOHN sayes And he that saw it bare record and his recorde is true and he knoweth that hee saith true that they should beleeue From whence then comes Faith in this death it comes by hearing Faith is of hearing of a testimonie and recorde and if thou hearest not a record thou shalt not beleeue and if thou beleeuest not thou shalt neuer see Heauen And if thou contemnest the recorde I giue thee this doome thou shalt neuer see Heauen with thine eyes if thou werest a King So Faith is wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit by a recorde and witnesse bearing So ere thou gettest Faith some witnesse must stand vp and beare recorde The Lord must send out some witnesse to cry and preach but what witnesses must these be IOHN sayes He that saw these things hath testified of them The witnesses must be seeing witnesses it must be Iohn and such as saw Him and felt Him with their handes Then who must bee the witnesses They must be the Apostles that were conuersant in this world with Iesus Christ who heard Him preach and saw Him vvorke vvonders and savv Him dead and savv Him crucified and savve Him pierced thorovv the side They must be the first witnesses But more Brethren Is it enough that they savve Him with their bodily eye No Iohn addes more that hee vvas persvvaded that his testimonie was true The vvitnesses as they testifie that vvhich they savve so they must beleeue it vvith their heartes There were great multitudes hundreths thousands vvho heard Him touched Him and savv Him crucified and some of them crucified Him too yet none of these are made vvitnesses to preach to the vvorld but the Apostles vvho savv and beleeued these are set vp as witnâ—sses in y e world that all should beleeue TheÌ„ the first ground of thy Faith is the very eye of the Apostles their sight and sense The next ground is Faith in the heartes of the Apostles And if yee will say to me Why beleeue ye the Gospell of Iohn and the Gospell of Matthew and the Epistles of Paul c. I answere because these were men who heard and saw Christ and I will say more I beleeue them because they beleeued in their heartes that thing which they saw and goe before not onely by sight of the body but also by Faith in the heart When yee heare these recordes albeit the men be not liuing yet we haue that same thing that they wrote and that which they themselues beleeued I beseech you consider them and passe not ouer lightly when yee reade of Iohn or Paul or the rest I beseech you passe not lightly seeing the ground of thy Faith is not onely their sight but the sense of their heartes and Faith ye who would read with judgement trauell to goe into the heart to seeke that Faith into the heart and that joy and that sadnesse that they felt and pray LORD seeing these men vtter a feeling of these things that they saw and which they wrote touch mine heart and giue me thine Holy Spirit that I may attaine to the sense and feeling of these things If ye would haue a testimonie of this beholde what PAVL sayes in the second Epistle to the Corinthians the fourth Chapter and fourteenth verse I beleeue that I my selfe shall gloriously rise and then he brings in Dauids wordes J beleeued and therefore I spake Alwayes looke that in reading we striue to haue a feeling and sense in our heart of that which we read otherwise we make no fruit of our reading we speake like parrats wee know not what we speake I say to thee if the word of grace rise not from the
see that all our honour stands in that that Iesus Christ may be honoured that we may be content with all men to glorifie Him he sayes not Nicodemus doe thou the rest of it I haue done my part I haue bought y e winding-sheete now I will goe my way doe thou the rest annoynt thou Him burie thou Him No he leaues Him not but when once he put his hand to Him he wil not leaue Him hast thou begun to serue Christ leaue Him not albeit a King should command thee leaue Him not if thou come not w t odours come with a windingsheet if not with y e windingsheet come put the towell about Him bind Him if thou doest no more stand by speake to His honur glorifie Him and if thou hast not a tongue to speake reuerently of Him think of Him reuerently honour Him in thy heart If thou honour Him not woe to thee if thou were a King wo to thee if y u glorify not y e God of glory this may let vs see by experience y t y e soule y t hath any will to glorify Iesus can neuer be at rest but wheÌ„ it is occupied in glorifying Him he saies this was done after y e custome of y e Jewes as they buried honorable men so they buried Iesus good reasoÌ„ was it y t so it should be there came neuer such an honorable man amoÌ„g them as Christ no not their kings Dauid Salomon c. were nothing to Him So it appeares y t this custome in y e buriall was according to their ceremonial law therefore these ceremonies y t y e Iewes vsed in these burialls their washing their odours the rest were all figures of Iesus to come of y t glorious resurrectioÌ„ of His which is y e ernest peÌ„ny of our resurrectioÌ„ for our resurrectioÌ„ depeÌ„ds on His glorious resurrection and if Hee had not risen we should neuer haue risen in glorie Seeing therefore they were shadowes after His death and resurrection all these ceremonies all this balming washing c. take an end and except thou wouldest say that Iesus is not risen and extinguish the sweet smel of His resurrection thou must leaue off all the ceremonies It is true buriall should be honoured and certainely in the buriall of men and women a great respect should bee had Why should the body of a man bee cast away the very light of Nature imprinted in the heart by the creation dites that the dead body of a man or a woman should be buried honourablie and that in hope of immortalitie Nature hath a smell of immortalitie and it causes the body be had in due regarde the beasts bodies ye see when they are dead they are cast avvay and no more is made of them Come to custome the custome of buriall that the Fathers vsed from the beginning teaches vs that the buriall of man and woman should be respected and that vpon the hope of resurrection Beginne at Adam goe to Abraham Isaac Iacob Joseph and all the rest of the holy Patriarkes they had a regarde of their burialls vpon hope of their resurrection for the bodies of the Sainctes vvho are buried shall rise gloriously in that great day and this they did not so much by Nature as by a reuelation of God and on this hope follovved these ceremonies the vvashing and balming of the bodies Acts 9.37 The very vvord the Scripture vses the vvord of slâ—eping shevv the bodie vvould not die for euer but that they laid downe the body in the graue to sleepe as if it vvere laide dovvne in a soft bed to sleepe not to lye for ay there but to rise againâ— in the morning vvhen the day shall rise Iesus Christ is the most glorious morning that euer vvas and the body that sleepes in Him shâ—ll rise againe to glorie vvhen Hee shall come in the cloudes vvâ—th millions of His Angels Come to the custome of the nations their buriall vvas honoured they did it of imitation follovving the Fâ—thers like Apes vvanting the hope of resurrection What hâ—lpeth thee thy buriall or the honours of it if thou vvantâ—st that hope of resurrection they vvanted the vvord of God the life of all ceâ—emonies what good doe all these ceremonies vvithout the vvord and promises of God by them only they are quickened by them only they liue vvithout them they are dead shadovves The very Ethnikes had a respect to buriall But this vvas in hope of resurrection but vpon a custome for pompe and vaine glorie As in all things the Lord gaue them vp vnto a reprobate sense so in buriall Hee gaue them vp to a reprobate sense They would cast out some dead bodies like dogges and some vsed to burne the deade bodies in the fire these are barbarous and inhumane fashions The body should be buried in the earth thou shouldest returne to the earth as thou camest of the earth Againe some amongst the Gentiles vsed ouer great gorgeousnesse and sumptuousnesse in their burialls placing the effect of the buriall in gorgeousnesse But to come to vs if thou werest a King thou shouldest not followe the Ethnickes in sumptuousnesse when the Lord brings a man low wilt thou exalt his head and exceede measure in gorgeousnesse vvilt thou hold vp his head when the Lord is casting downe his head the Lord will cast downe thine heade and his both to the dust Eschew two extremities First eschew contempt cast not away the body and secondly eschew gorgeousnesse and superfluitie keepe a Christian honour albeit thou werest a King or an Emperour thou shouldest keepe a mediocritie and Christian honestie and let that sweete smell of the death and resurrection of IESVS CHRIST sauour into his buriall What shall we say in burialls then Shall we make none exception No let vs looke to Circumstances Burie not a begger like a King looke to the place and time and person yet in all times places and persons let the buriall smell of that sweet smelling odour of IESVS CHRIST and let that simple Christian honestie be seene in your burialls Now because the time is spent and I will not wearie you I leaue the rest till the next daye and commend you to GOD beseeching Him that yee may bee like to Him both in life and death and in His buriall and resurrection that wee may dwell with Him for euermore in the Heauens To whome with the Father and the Holy Spirit be all honour praise and glorie world without end AMEN THE XXVII LECTVRE OF THE BVRIALL OF CHRIST MATTH CHAP. XXVII verse 59 So Ioseph tooke the bodie and wrapped it in a cleane linnen cloth MARKE CHAP. XV. verse 46 And layed him in a tombe that was hâ—wen out of a rocke and rolled a stone vnto the doore of the sepulchre LVKE CHAP. XXIII verse 53 And tooke it downe and wrapped it in a linnen cloth and layed it in a tombe hewen out of a rocke wherein was neuer man yet
good many suters to crucifie Him many suters to breake Him many suters to hold Him down in the graue ye read of none but of one Ioseph vvho makes sute to get the dead body of Iesus buried Read all the Ecclesiasticall Histories and ye shall finde these same things that fell out in Christ to haue fallen out in His members when a godly man hath beene drawen out before the ciuile Iudge or to martyrdome there hath bene sundrie suters for him some suters good some euill yet euer moe euill than good Therefore a Pâ—ince or Magistrate was neuer in such danger in any judgement as wheÌ„ he gets a good man fallen in his hands Pilate was neuer in such danger as he was into through this action for it lost him his life present the life to come When the action of a thiefe or a murtherer comes before a King there is no such danger but when a godly man is brought before him for the cause of CHRIST then he should take good heede where he shall get one to giue him a good counsell he shall get many to giue him euill counsell many shal crie crucifie Him woe to him if he assent as Pilate did for he shall inuolue himself in that same guiltines with them that cried crucifie him It is true indeede that Pilate granted a good suite hee gaue leaue to Ioseph to burie the body of Christ yet did this any good to Pilate saued it him No Thinkest thou when thou hast executed an innocent that thou doest enough when thou hast giuen His bodie to bee buried No that shall not excuse thee nor free thee from guiltinesse O how gâ—eat and weightie is the burthen of Magistrates Therefore they had neede euer to haue good men about them and we should pray the Lord earnestly to guide them and direct them in judgement This much for the suters now come to the sute the wordes are these The deceiuer said whilst as He was aliue that within three dayes He should rise command therefore that the sepulchre bee made sure vntill the third day lest His disciples come by night and steale Him away and say to the people that He is risen froÌ„ the dead so shall the last eâ—rour be worse than the first In effect this is as much as if they had said these wordes this man said that He should rise the third day therefore appoint Him a guard to testify of His glorious resurrectioÌ„ y e Lord so directed their words albeit their meaning was flat contrarie Marke therefore a good lesson euer more the Lord hâ—th snared the reprobate in their wicked deuises hath euer turned them from that mischieuous end they aymed them to the manifestation of His owne glory The Priests Pharises thought to obscure y e glorie of Christs resurrection if it had lyen in their hands to hold Him by force in the graue but the Lord who workes light out of darknesse makes their sute to serue for the clearer manifestation of His resurrection for they could haue done no more for the manifestation of His resurrection if they had bene hired for that purpose so looke what interprise wicked men will deuise to dishonour Him I say the Lord shall turne it in end to His glory but to their destruction I will say further it may seeme marueilous peruerse deuises of the wicked often times do serue more to His glory than the good purposes deedes of the godly for it is not a greater glory to GOD to bring light out of darknes than to bring light out of light the Lord is a most skilfull and mightie workeman Hee makes His glory to appeare by bringing light out of darknesse by bringing life out of death and by calling the thinges that are not as if they were all the deuises of the wicked are darknesse the doings of the godly are light so the Lord will sometimes bee more woÌ„derfully glorified in the doings of the wicked than in the doings of the godly But this doth y e wicked no good nor it serues nothing for their benefite for in y e meane time they are more malicious against y e Lord than euer they were they call Him a deceiuer this is a wonderfull thing they saw the Lords povver in obscuring of the sun in renting of the rockes in opening of the graues they saw His great glory shine in all these wonders yet such is the maliciousnes of these wicked men they call y e Lord of glory a deceiuer in so doing not onely they oppone themselues against God but also they doe so far as in them lay as to haue spitted in the face of God yet these miserable creatures I meane the Scribes Pharises came not on a suddaintie to this extreame maliciousnes but they shew some meane small beginnings of it wheÌ„ Christ first manifested Himselfe began to preach amongst them then they proceeded froÌ„ worse to worse continually all the time He was conuersant amongst them thereafter in His Crosse death they taunted mocked Him put Him to the most shameful death they could deuise now when He is buried laid in y e graue they vtter more maliciousnesse than euer they did they come to the extremitie of maliciousnes and induration they call the Lord a deceiuer Cursed be y t mouth that calles the Lord a deceiuer as Paul sayes He that loueth not the Lord Iesus Christ let him be anathema maranatha 1. Cor. 16.22 This lets vs see the nature of their sinne it was a sinne against the Holy Spirit and this is the nature of that sinne when once thou shalt enter in it thou vvilt hardly get backe againe vntill thou commest to extreame excecation and induration to thine euerlasting destruction My lesson is this If the Lord giue vs grace to learne it When it pleases the Lord to shine vnto thee albeit thou vverest a King or Earle or Lord looke as thou vvould eschevv Hâ—ll damnation that thou repine not to this light but greedily embrace it and vvalke in it for if thou step forvvard in repining thou shalt haue an hard backe-comming againe and thou shalt come from excecation to excecation vntill thou come to vtter destruction Novv I doubt not but ye are sorrovvfull vvhen ye heare the Lord a deceiuer yee are sorrovvfull to heare light called darknesse but comfort our selues vvith this the Lord vvho vvas free of all guile and deceit suffers Himselfe to bee called a deceiuer to purge vs from guile and deceit for it might seeme marueilous that the Spirite of God shoulde register this name of a deceiuer suppose they called Him a deceiuer for this name defiles the aire to call the Lord of Trueth a deceiuer Yet no question the Spirite hath left it in register to bee hearde and read of all Christians to the ende of the worlde that thou mayest knowe what the Lorde hath suffered for thee And doubtlesse this name was heauier to Him
first witnesse of His Resurrection Hee will not haue a man to be witnesse but an Angell Then He is carefull to whome this Angel should tell His Resurrection He will not haue him testifying it to the men of warre He wil not haue pearles casten before svvine but to the vvomen The LORD is carefull of the place vvhere His doctrine should be taught He vvill haue the vvomen to goe to the graue to the ende they should receiue the doctrine of Resurrection the better that by the emptinesse of the graue the Angell might the better demonstrate that the LORD was risen Thinke yee novv that the LORD hath casten off that care He had then That care He had of the person of the Preacher of the person to vvhome He sends Him of the place of preaching No that same LORD hath the same care yet and He vvill loue them vvell to vvhome He concredites His glorious Euangell He loues them vvell vvhom He lets attentiuely and carefully heare His glorious Gospell and the LORD hath a care vvhere a man may most commodiously speake for edification and vvhere men vvomen may heare Christ pointed out commodiously This for the thing they savv vvhat follovves The sillie vvomen are terrified as the guard of the men of vvarre vvere terrified I see then in the person of these vvomen the presence of GOD is terrible to the godly and more I see vvhen men and vvomen are seeking Iesus Christ the first sight they get of Him is terrible The ground of this is not only that terrible Majestie that no creature can bee able to looke on and why should not all flesh stoupe at the presence of that glorious GOD but this is not the onely ground but because in the most godly man or vvoman there is a remanent corruption therefore they are afraide at the presence of GOD. Feelest thou it not now thou shalt feele it ere thou go This remanent corruption can not abide the sight of that glory a spot of vncleannesse cannot stand in the presence of that Holy Majestie yet I see a greater difference betweene the women and the guard for the men of warre vvere terrified to the death but so vvere not the vvomē Where fro came this difference betweene the vvomen and the Guarde That Guarde vvas but a companie of prophane bodies vvithout God vvithout grace vvithout faith vvithout hope vvithout loue vvas full of sinne of an euill conscience But the vvomen suppose they were sinfull had partly an euill conscience for where sin is there is part of an euill cōscience yet in a part they were purged frō sin thorow the death of Iesus Christ they had their conscience sprinkled with His blood as that euill cōscience terrified them so that good consciēce held them vp Suppose so long as we remain in this body we cānot be quit free of sin corruption ye well is y e soule y t in the blood of Iesus findes their sins forgiuen them for suppose it be terrified yet it wil not despaire Now I come to the speach of the Angell to the women The Angell seeing thē terrified he speaks and encourages them first and saies to them Feare yee not and then he begins to testifie of the Resurrection of Christ last he giues them a commandement to tell the Disciples First hee saies to the women Feare not He spake not such a word to the Guarde but let them lye still till they gathered their spirites and rose vp and ran home for for all the world they durst not tarrie there There is another difference betweene the godlie and the wicked When the Lorde hath casten the wicked down He will not giue them a word to comfort them but will let them lye still Woe to them nothing within them to raise them vp no faith no hope no part of good consciēce they are full of sin nothing without them no the Lord shall not vouchsafe a good word on them He will neither giue thē an inward nor an outward comfort and at the latter day the Lord shall speak one joyfull word to them but He will say Goe your way ye cursed companie to be tormented with the Deuill and his angels Woe to the estate of them y t shal be foūd out of Iesus Christ Albeit y t now these things sound not in thy eares now thinkest Heauē Hell to be but matters of jests yet one day though thou be a king thou shalt find these things to be earnest thou shalt wish whē thou wast made a mā or a womā thou hadst bin made a stock or stone But by the contrary The Lord holds vp y e godly not only inwardly by a piece of good cōscience but also by outward means He speaks comfortablie to them And He will say to them by His Ministers Feare not Marke further He will not only holde them vp but that same thing y t terrified the wicked He will make it to cōfort them He makes this same Angell that terrified the men of vvarre to comfort and encourage them More than this Hee will not onely free and relieue them from terrour but He will poure in joye And no question this worde had a powerfull force to raise them vp comfort thē And then besides this He ministers joye by telling them of y t glorious resurrection So not only feare is put away but the glorious Resurrection of Iesus Christ is tolde them whereof there arises an vnspeakeable joye Well Brethren albeit we feele not this joy for the present yet hold still thy eare heare on continually howbeit with pain for it thou get grace to hold still thy eare heare I promise thee in the name of God thou shalt get such a joye in the ende as shall make thee to thinke all thy paine to be nothing Now one word ere I end Mark how the Lord prepares His own to heare these tidings He will not haue them to come with a light disposition of heart as wee vse to doe without any sight premeditation of sin misery Thou wilt come in not once think thou hast neede of the preaching of the glorious Resurrection of Christ But look the preparation of these women Ere euer the Lord will haue the Angel speaking one word Hee will haue them terrified no question they were exceedinglie affraid As euer thou wouldest look for joy thine heart must be prepared with terrour in some measure castē down ere euer the Lord speake one cōfortable word to thee And therfore let no man take hardily with the terrours of the word This is the first Thē the next poinct of preparation is Whē thou art casten downe ere He begin to speak to thee the glad tidings of saluation He will raise thee vp He will say to thee who art casten down thorow the sense of thy sin Be not terrified but be of good comfort And if the Lords spirit accōpany this word it will
preaching No not an Angell hath power to set thine heart on fire So thou that hast this burning thou mayest saye that the Lorde Iesus is present in thine heart But marke this We see in these men that our eyes are so blind that we cannot discerne the Lord so long as we liue here we cannot get full sight but we are in a strife if the heart shall say The Lord is here the flesh will say He is not here so that we hing here betwixt hope and despaire But when Hee once manifestes Himselfe in glorie then that burning which we felt in this life that sense which we then felt shall bee brought to our remembrance Thinke not that thou shalt loose that sense No Thou shalt take it vp with thee to the Heauen and we shall say one to another Remember yee not what burning wee had when wee spake and hearde of CHRIST in the earth Then it behooued this LORDE to haue beene then with vs in the earth So the remembrance of that joye which thou felt in the vvorlde shall bee a part of thy joye which thou shalt haue in the Heauens in the life to come Therefore get much joye here and laye it vp in store in thine heart goe on in feeling and I promise thee in the Name of GOD it shall neuer depart but it shall euer augment and enlarge thy joye and glorie in the life to come No as the worde of GOD which is the immortall seede of GOD euanishes not so neither shall the effect of the worde euer euanish Then euer striue to get a sense of the working of this worde in thine heart Nowe a worde and so I shall ende Yee woulde thinke this a sober conclusion As wee walked by the waye when hee spâ—â—e to vs our hearts burned therefore it was he that spake with vs So they concluded that it must bee his Spirit onelie which settes the heart on fire May we not in like manner conclude At the preaching of Paule the Spirite settes the heart on fire therefore Paul is Christ This is a false conclusion And I answere to this That if these men had felt no more but a common feeling in an ordinarie measure their argument had not beene good But they had another feeling than can be at the preaching of a man for no doubt vvith the vvorde Hee sent His Spirite to vvorke in them extraordinarilie And I put it out of question They had such a vvonderfull feeling as they coulde neuer haue had at the preaching of anie man vvhosoeuer So their conclusion is sure Seeing as Hee spake Hee breathed His Spirite vpon vs Hee must bee CHRIST It is a vvonder of them vvho haue gotten GODS SPIRITE howe they vvill discerne of GODS SPIRITE in others And manie are beguiled for fault of this SPIRITE There is verie much spoken of our feeling at the PREACHING And vvhat serues all They call it a fire for the Spirite which raises that feeling is like a fire and therefore He is compared to a fire Matth. 3.11 And a fire hath euer an vp-burning and if thou haue true feeling thine heart shall bee set on fire that fire is mightie will burne vp the drosse of thy saluation which is in thy foule heart No speake not of feeling except thou be regenerate Thou that art an Harlot speake not of feeling except thou feele it burne vp thine harlotrie And thou that art a murtherer saye not that thou hast a feeling and if it burne not vp thy bloodie heart So I charge thee before God heare not one worde except thou findest that Spirit to burne vp thy corruption thou tellest mee that thou feelest and yet thou remainest an harlot fye vpon thine harlotrie let not that word come out of thy mouth Againe as the fire of Gods Spirit burnes vp the drosse of thy corruption so it will inflame thy loue to God it will inflame thine heart and all the power of the soule to the loue of GOD and righteousnesse so that it vvill binde thine heart to God as the Apostle sayes The loue of God constraineth me so that thou wouldest bee content to die to liue with Him and to pleasure Him thou wouldest not care to liue or to die and what more as a fire is nourished with some matter that is meete for burning so this fire once kindled in our soules is nourished and fed by the continuall presence of GOD in IESVS CHRIST and that precious oyle of the Holy Spirit Further a flame tendes alwayes vpward and it will lift an heauie thing that falles downe vpon it ye see a traine of powder will blow vp an house Wee are heauie by nature and loadned with sinne yet that fire of loue will raise thee vp and place thee with the Lord whom thou louest and thine heart will bee lifted vp to Him There is neuer one that loues IESVS in the Earth but they are dwelling with Him in the Heauen and shall enjoy that presence euerlastingly So yee see what it is to haue the heart set on fire till we meete with our LORD and then our heartes shall haue the full fruition of His presence for euer To this IESVS with the Father and Holy Spirit be glorie for euermore AMEN THE XL. LECTVRE OF THE RESVRRECTION OF CHRIST MARKE CHAP. XVI verse 13 And they went and tolde it to the remnant neither beleeued they them verse 14 Finally hee appeared vnto the eleuen as they sate together and reproched them for their vnbeliefe and hardnesse of heart because they beleeued not them which had seene Him beeing risen vp againe LVKE CHAP. XXIII verse 33 And they rose up the same houre and returned to Ierusalem and found the eleuen gathered together and them that were with them verse 34 Which saide The Lord is risen indeede and hath appeared to Simon verse 35 Then they tolde what things were done in the way and how Hee was knowen of them in breaking of bread verse 36 And as they spake these things Iesus Himselfe stood in the middes of them and said vnto them Peace be to you IHON CHAP. XX. verse 19 The same day then at night which was the first day of the weeke and when the doores were shut where the disciples were assembled for feare of the Iewes came Iesus and stood in the middes and said to them Peace be vnto you WEE haue heard Beloued in Christ these dayes past of the conference which was betwixt Christ and these two Disciples who were going to Emmaus Christ reproued theÌ„ sharplie because they thought that Christ being crucified all hope of Redemption was past Next He instructed them affirming that it behooued Him to suffer and by suffering to enter into His glorie This His doctrine which Hee prooued by manie Testimonies of Scripture beginning at Moses and from Moses Hee comes to the Prophets interpreting vnto them what they had spoken concerning Christ concerning His Passion and concerning His glorie after His Passion for the preaching of
BELOVED in CHRIST IESVS vvee haue in hand as yet the Historie of the appearing of Christ after His glorious Resurrection First Hee appeares to MARIE MAGDALENE at the graue Next He appeares to another companie of vvomen as they returned from the graue Thirdlie Hee appeared to two of His Disciples that same daye of His Resurrection as they went from Hierusalem to Emmaus Fourthlie Hee appeared to Simon Peter alone And now last and this is His appearing which vvee haue in hand He appeares to a companie of His Disciples to the eleuen Thomas being excepted with others of the common sort where they were gathered together in the night in a secret place of Ierusalem The last day as God gaue the grace we spake of this conuention of the disciples of His miraculous and sudden comming and standing vp in the middes of them the doore beeing shut Wee heard when Hee stood vp amongst them what He did He salutes them after His olde fashion and sayes Peace be vnto you in such sort that they might haue vnderstood that it was the Lord by the voyce and that salutation wherewith they were acquainted but ye see what effect His presence His voyce and His salutation workes in them In the beginning of this Text which wee haue read when they see Him and heare Him it is said That they are abashed troubled in heart and terrified with Iesus Why Because they thought they had seene a spirit or an Angell in the shape of a man this His presence should haue confirmed and strengthened their Faith which euen they pretended to haue of the Resurrection of Christ but it falles out otherwise This is an hastie change and litle before they are speaking confidently one to another of Him and of His Resurrection These that were conueened at Ierusalem before were speaking of Him and assuring the two disciples that He was risen indeede then the two assuring them that Hee was risen now in an instant they are astonished so abashed and afraide that when they see Him they cannot beleeue that it is He their Faith almost euanisheth A litle before in their minde there was light there was knowledge now in steade of that light comes in blindnesse and dimnesse in the eyes of the minde a litle before there was Faith in the heart and joy in the Resurrection of Christ now there is such infidelitie that they wil not beleeue their owne senses in stead of joy there is trouble this is a sudden change from the better to the worse yee see howe suddenly the soule of man will bee changed now he will beleeue now Faith in an instant will bee turned in infidelitie now he will rejoyce and euen now his joy will bee turned in dolour This is our estate so long as we liue in the world but Brethren it would be marked where begins this change There are two partes in the soule of man there is the minde the eye of the soule that giues light to the soule and to all the partes of it and to the whole man then there is the heart and the affections that should be guided by the minde which is the eye of the soule both are changed in the disciples in an instant but where beginnes the change Not at the heart nor the affections first No but it begins at the minde the minde deceiues it selfe and she beleeues when she sees Christ she sees a Spirit when she sees one thing she supposes shee sees another shee blindes her selfe and when she hath blinded her selfe then followes terrour and all the affections of the heart are troubled by reason of the false imagination of the minde Brethren there is not one of vs but we haue this minde this heart these affections and these mutations Why then should wee not knowe them I marke this to let you see the vanitie of the reason of man the best thing in man is his reason but she is full of vanitie shee that should haue guided all the inferiour powers of the soule she is first out of order It is a miserable Commonwealth where the head is out of order for then it beeing out of order all is misordered commonly it is this minde that puts all the affections out of order and by her vaine imaginations reasonings and toyes she will giue in such terrours in the soule as is wonderfull If there be any power of the soule that hath need to be reformed and renued in IESVS CHRIST I say the wit and minde of man hath most need to be renued and illuminate by the Spirit of IESVS CHRIST And therefore the Apostle exhortes the Ephesians To be renued in the spirit of their minde Ephes Chapter 4 verse 23. Plato was a foole and Aristotle and all the Philosophers who were accounted wonders in the world for their wisdome in naturall things who said the minde of man was perfect and placed reason as a Queene in the soule to guide and holde all the affections in order The Papistes are a litte better than the Philosophers for they ascâ—ibe too much to the minde and reason of man they set themselues to aduance man and to extenuate grace and their wisdome is farre from the wisdome of God The Spirit of God sayes in the Epistle to the Romanes Chapter 8. verse 7. That the wisdome of the flesh is enimitie against God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither can it be But to goe forwarde When they see CHRIST They supposed that Hee had beene a spirit I doubt not but He appeared in some glorious forme they may not abide the sight of Him without great terrour and feare they are blinded with the sight of Him this eye of the bodie subject to mortalitie all is mortall the eye and all is so infirme and weake that it may not abide to see a thing immortall glorious and heauenly All that vve see is mortall the Earth the Heauens are mortall an heauenly spirituall thing the eyes of the bodie cannot behold I say more let be the eyes of the body and this outvvarde sense the eye of the soule that should be clearer in sight than the eye of the body may not abide any immortall and heauenly object so long as we are in this life it may not beholde an heauenly thing I speake by naturaull disposition a man that hath but nature may not looke to God and heauenly things but so soone as these glorious objects are laide before the eye of the minde there goes a great dimnesse ouer it and that exceeding brightnesse blindfoldes it so that it is not able to beholde it The fault of this is not so much in the glorious object as it is in thy soule and if it vvere right heauenly thinges should comfort thee The fault is in the euill disposition of the eye of thy soule it is but a bleered eye like the eye of the body looking to the Sunne growes blinde is worse than of before so is it vvith
be ministred by preaching thou who contemnest this preaching I denounce to thee thou shalt neuer taste of that Spirit thou vvho vvilt stand vp and saye I haue the Spirit and then contemnest the Ministerie I say thou liest albeit thou vverest the Emperour of the vvorld Now to goe forwarde there is a great necessitie of preaching But take heede to this preaching He describes this preaching by sundrie circumstances First it must bee in some name and in some authoritie a man that standes vp and preaches to the people hee must preach to the people in some name an Herauld vvill stande vp at the market crosse and make his proclamation it must bee in some name for if hee stande vp and proclame in his owne name he is but a knaue deserues to be hanged So vvhosoeuer stands vp to preach looke that hee preach neuer a vvorde in his owne name CHRIST sayes there must be preaching in my Name Looke that all preaching be in the Name of Iesus Christ Nowe vvhat is the name of CHRIST The Name of CHRIST is His power O that passing power His authoritie What power Euen that power that Hee speakes of in the last Chapter of Matthew All power in Heauen and Earth is Mine Then in the second Chapter to the Philippians and the ninth verse Wherefore GOD also hath highly exalted Him and giuen Him a Name aboue euery name He is exalted in a wonderfull sublimenesse O that high sublimenesse that the Lord hath receiued Hee hath gotten a Name aboue all names and a power aboue all powers and none shall haue such a power then he sets out this power All knees must bowe at the Name of IESVS all powers must bow to that power and all knees must bee folded before it bowe thy knee before that power or els thou shalt be thrust in Hell all knees shall be bowed before that Tribunall that Name vvill cause all the Deuils in Hell bow and stoupe It is written in the 4. Chapter of the Actes There is none other Name vnder Heauen able to saue men but the Name of Iesus Christ thou shalt neuer see life but by this power and this Name Marke it No life I vvill tell againe No saluation to man or vvoman in the vvorld but by the Name of Iesus and His power and therefore how great shall the power of this His Name as yee may well see by the word vvhich sets it out euen the Gospell The Euangel that speakes of the Name of Iesus Paul calles it to the Romanes Chapter 1. verse 16. The power of God vnto saluation Speake of Caesar and this Kingdome or that Kingdome will it be powerfull vnto life Will all the speaking of all the creatures in the world bee powerfull vnto life Speake of the Crosse of CHRIST what seemes to bee more base yet it is the power of God and the vvisdome of God vnto saluation So the power must be wonderfull when a word will haue such a power that it will saue a soule The LORD when Hee was in the worlde Hee preached in His owne Name and the Iewes marked that He preached with authoritie and Hee sayes Amen Amen I say vnto you That is in mine owne Name As for all other teachers all their preaching must be in the Name and authoritie of Iesus and not in a creatures name When a man hath this LORD in His eye without regard of himselfe when hee goes to set out that Name ye will not beleeue how the LORD will be with him and how He will make his authoritie to be seene But by the contrarie if a man haue no sinceritie and haue not the authoritie and Name of IESVS before him but seeke himselfe in his preaching hee will haue no spirit no grace none authoritie his language will be vnsauourie his preaching will be of litle value Paul because He preached Christ and Him crucified therefore sayes Hee that his preaching was with euidencie and demonstration of the Spirit on the other part because the Corinthian Doctours had themselues not Christ before their eyes therefore hee sayes that they preached with ostentation and humane eloquence all their preaching was but winde The Philosophers of old spake much of matters of vertue but because they neuer spake one worde in the Name of Christ therefore all their speaking was but babling neither were they changed themselues nor yet changed they others they might teach men to bee Hypocrites and to couer their vices but they could not bee instruments of Regeneration because they spake not in that powerfull Name of Iesus Christ I put the Papists in this same rancke that vvill speake in the Popes name I say all their doctrine and their speaking of saluation is more in the name of man nor in the Name of Iesus Christe and therefore it may well worke errour and hypocrisie in thee but no saluation thou mayest well thinke that thou hast something but in effect thou hast nothing Then we see of necessitie there must be preaching but whereof must this preaching be The LORD sayes it behooued that preaching bee in my Name Of repentance and remission of sinnes There is the summe of the Gospell Would yee knowe the effect of all preaching The whole Gospell is summed vp in those two Heades Repentance and Remission of sinnes It is not my purpose to insist largely in these pointes but I shall speake of them shortly Repentance is none other thing but a preparation to the soule Whereto To receiue grace to receiue remission of sinnes saluation and life euerlasting It is but a making straight the wayes of the Lord who is comming with grace and mercie to the soule This Repentance is wrought partly by the Law and partly by the Gospell The Law sayes Cursed be he that continueth not in all which is written in the booke of the Law to doe them and because the conscience of all flesh accuses them as guiltie of the transgression of the Lawe therefore there arises in the soule horrours and terrours vnspeakable Then the Gospell comes in to comfort the casten downe soule and it sayes Whosoeuer beleeues in Iesus he shall be saued for this is the summe of the Gospell When the soule heares this it conceiues an vnspeakable sorrowe and sadnesse for the offending of so mercifull and louing a Father and this the Apostle calles a godly sorrow 2. Cor. Chapter 7. verses 9. and 10. Now it is this godly sorrow properly which workes repentance and turnes the heart to God that before was farre away from Him The other sorrow that is by the Lawe properly is not the cause of repentance but it prepares the heart thereunto Therefore seeing this godly sorrowe turnes the heart to God of necessitie it must be accompanied with faith for without Faith there is no conuersion to God The preaching of Iohn Baptist telles vs how necessarie the doctrine of the Gospell is to worke repentance for He sayes Repent for the Kingdome of God is at hande
and quicknesse of his wit may doe some things without the speciall assistance of the Spirit of Christ but in the Church no man can doe any thing without the presence of the Spirit the man that hath not the Spirit and His graces in some measure is altogether vnprofitable and vnmeete for the Lordes worke for this cause the Lorde makes a speciall promise of this Spirit to them whome He places in His seruice because their calling and function in all respects is spirituall Looke to experience and ye will finde the trueth of this promise There is not a faithfull Minister but in some measure hee hath the Spirit of God to bee powerfull with him in his calling in such sort that not himselfe only but others also who see and heare him will sensiblie perceiue and take it vp The Apostle Paul found sensibly the Spirit of God to be powerfull with him in his labouring in the Ministerie when hee sayes It was not I that laboured but the grace of God which is with me 1 Cor. Chapter 15. verse 10. And againe when he sayes That hee laboured and stroue according to His working which worketh in him mightily Col. Chapter 1. verse 29. And on the other part when hee sayes to the Corinthians Yee see the experience of Christ that speakes in me which toward you is not weake but is mightie in you 2 Cor. Chap. 13. verse 3. he importes that as he himselfe found the power of the Spirit within him so they to whome he preached found it by His Spirit But I insist not to bring in particular places for if we consider well the Epistles of Paul vvee will finde many sentences testifying to vs that not only he himselfe found the power of the Spirit in his Ministerie and the life of Iesus working mightely in him in the middes of his infirmities yea euen in death it selfe 2. Cor. Chapter 4. verse 8. but also that same power was manifest vnto them that heard him Naturall men thinke all is but scorne that is spoken of the Spirit and of His power in the preaching of the Gospell they laugh at it as if there were no such thing but the faithfull man findes that it is not for nought that Christ promised His Spirit to them whom Hee sends as also that vvithout that Spirit no grace could haue bene wrought in their soules Now in the last wordes of this Text to assure them the more that they should receiue this Holy Spirit that was promised the Lord commands them That they goe not out of Ierusalem but that they tarie there vntill they be endued with power from on high that is Vntill they haue receiued this Spirit that He promised to send vnto them So in a manner for their further assurance He prescribes to them a particular time within the which they should receiue the Holie Ghost The Lord commonly when Hee makes a promise of anie thing to His owne Hee will giue them some waâ—rand to confirme and assure them vntill Hee fullie performe His promise for because He knowes our weaknesse and infirmitie He giues vs as it were an earnest pennie to strengthen our Faith and Hope vntill He pay the whole summe to vs for such is our weaknâ—sse that albeit vve haue no more wee cannot bee able long to depend vpon His naked word It is true indeede that the Lord sometime for the triall of the Faith of His owne will charge them to rest vpon His bare and naked word only to beleeue His promise Hee will giue no furâ—her assurance as likewise for a season it may bee that they depend vpon His bare word but it is as true that this cannot continue long for except as by Faith they depend vpon the worde so also they haue some feeling and foretasting of the thing promised and some earnestpennie and securitie to assure them of the obtaining of the promise their Faith will faile and decay So weake are we in Faith so ready are we to mistrust that we cannot stand nor continue except wee bee vnderpropped and vpholden by some speciall warrand from God Now to end One thing further may be marked in these words The Lorde discharges the Apostles to goe out of Ierusalem vntill they haue gotten tâ—is Holy Spirite that Hee promised them The lesson is A Minister should not couet to goe to the worlde to preach the Gospell vntill the time hee bee assured that the Holie Spirit accompanies him and his trauells for if the Apostles themselues might not goe out to preach vntill the Spirit were sent vnto them it is a foolish thing for any man after them to presume to doe it But alas it is a thing greatly to be lamented in this age that there are so fewe that waite vntill they be accompanied with the Holy Spirit in their Ministerie and that so many goe rashly to vndertake such an high calling Many vpon a conceite that they haue of their naturall giftes their wisdome their quicknesse ingine memorie eloquence and such other giftes will start vp to the pulpet and preach confidently to the people in the Name of Iesus But the Lorde in His just Iudgement not only withdrawes all blessing from their labours but also heapâ—s shame and ignominie vpon them and makes it manifest to the world that He sent them not but they ranne vnsent But thou who wouldest haue a good conscience who wouldest haue the Lord to blesse thy trauells in His Ministerie presume not too farre of thy naturall giftes how great so euer they be but waite vpon the Lordes leasure vntill Hee preuent thee with His Spirit and endue thee with power from on hie and in the meane time be crying earnestly for the presence of that Spirit who when Hee comes will open thine heart and loose thy mouth to speake with boldnesse and freedome in the Name of Iesus To whome with the Father and that blessed Spirit be all praise and honour for euermore AMEN THE XLV LECTVRE OF THE RESVRRECTION OF CHRIST IHON CHAP. XX. verse 21 Then said Iesus to them againe Peace be vnto you as my Father sent me so send â— you verse 22 And when He had saide that He breathed on them and saide vnto them Receiue the Holy Ghost verse 23 Whosoeuer sinnnes ye remit they are remitted vnto them and whosoeuer sinnes ye reteine they are reteined HITHERTO beloued Brethren in Christ wee haue insisted in the opening vp of that Sermon that the Lorde vttered to His Apostles in His fift appearing after His Resurrection as it is set down by the Euangelist Luke wherein first He lets them see that it behooued Him to suffer and to rise againe from the death because it was so foretolde of Him and that it behooued Repentance Remission of sinnes to be preached in His Name to all Nations beginning at Jerusalem Next He giues them a direction to goe out to the world to be witnesses and preachers of these things albeit they were altogether vnmeet and vnsufficient and had
Pastours vvho before vvere called themselues But to goe forward When He hath charged them to goe out to preach the Gospell because it was a very weightie and painfull charge therefore He encourages and strengthenes them the more willingly to vndertake it First by bestowing vpon them the Holy Spirit and His graces Next by arming them with power and authoritie To come to the first it is said When Hee had saide this Hee breathed on them and saide vnto them Receiue the Holy Ghost In giuing to them the Holy Spirit He vses an outward and visible signe Hee breathes vpon them for this breathing vpon them was not the sending and giuing of the Holy Spirit it selfe but it was an outward signe and Sacrament to represent to signifie and assure them of the giuing of the Holy Spirit the outward breathing vpon them was a signe of the inward breathing of the Holy Spirit vpon their soules and a signe verie fit and conuenient to expresse the thing signified for the wind serues very well to represent the Holy Spirit and is vsed for that same purpose by the Lorde Himselfe Ioh. 3 8. Thâ— wind blâ—wes where it listeth c. But it would be marked that the Lord vses not only the bare and naked signe No that could haue profited them very litle but to the signe He joynes words telling the meaning of it He sayes Receiue the Holy Ghost For the Lorde in all Sacraments vses commonly to joyne the word to the Sacrament As in Baptisme and the Lords Supper to the end that not only Hee may declare and open vp the meaning of the signe but also to worke and confirme Faith in mens heartes that so the Sacrament may be powerfull and effectuall in them for the outward signe alone is not able to worke Faith in the soule but it is the word chiefly that workes Faith the worde is the life of the Sacrament and therefore except the word be joyned with the outward signe it cannot bee a true and effectuall Sacrament Nowe it is to be considered that this breathing of the Lord vpon His Apostles was not a thing that Hee would haue to bee kept ordinarily in His Church but it is an extraordinarie signe vsed extraordinarily by the Lorde in the sending out of extraordinarie men the Apostles to an extraordinary calling whereby the Lord at that time endued them with extraordinarie graces necessarie for that great calling And therefore foolish and damnable is the practise of the Pope his Cardinalls and his Bishops which they vse in sending out their shauelings into the world for when they admit them with their vile and stinking mouths they breath vpon them and say Receiue the Holy Ghost filthily abusing this action of the Lord as if it lay in their hands with their breathing to giue the Holy Spirit whereas the Lord hath reserued this power to Himselfe alone and communicates it not to any man they are but counterfaiters of such things as the Lord will not haue to bee counterfeited for this His action in all pointes was extraordinarie and therefore ought not to be vsed ordinarily but I leaue them to their owne vanitie A question may bee heere mooued How agrees this doing of Christ on His Disciples and giuing them the Holy Ghost recorded here by Iohn with the wordes that we heard before out of the Gospell of Luke where the Lord sayes Beholde I doe send the promise of my Father vpon you but tarie in Ierusalem vntill ye be endued with power from on high Which wordes importe that at this fift appearing to His Disciples which is one with this that John recordes He gaue them not the Holy Ghost but only promised to send Hâ—m to them I answere Both these places agree well enough together for in Luke the Lord promised to send His Spirit with His graces in a full measure vpon them which promise indeed hee performed on the daye of the Pentecosts when they beeing gathered together there appeared vnto them clouen tongues like fiâ—e and sate vpon each one of them and they were all miraculously filled with the Holy Ghost Act. 2.1 But the Lord heere only giues them the Holy Ghost and His graces in a small measure to be as it were a beginning of that full accomplishment which they were to receiue in the daye of the Pentecoste for wee may not thinke that the Holie Spirit and all His graces were giuen fully and compleetely to the Apostles at one time No but they were giuen piece and piece by degrees for first they got the fruites of the Spirit when the Lorde was conuersant with them in the flesh in the dayes of His infirmitie Next after He rose from the death they receiued them in a greater measure as we may see in this place of Iohn and last after the Lordes ascension Hee powred downe in abundance His Spirit with all His graces according as He had promised to them Luke 24.49 and was long before foretolde by Ioel Chap. 2. verse 28. But why would Hee not giue them the Holy Spirit and His graces in a full measure at the first Because there behooued to be a certaine proportion and correspondence betweene the Head and the members the Lord Iesus was their Head they were members of His body so long as He was not fully glorified Himselfe it was no reason that they should haue receiued the fulnesse of grace but when He was fully glorified He filled them abundantly with grace Ephes 4.10 The Lord now glorified in the Heauens hath store and abundance of grace to giue to His Church but our heartes are not prepared to receiue grace wee offend Him continually with our sinnes and grieue His Holy Spirit for this is the last age of the world wherein sinne aboundes and thâ—refore that vve are not so skant of grace the fault is not in the Lorde there is no scarcitie nor want of grace with Him but the fault is in our selues who entertaine sinne in our heartes whereby wee banish grace out of them and makes the Spirit who should be our Comforter to be a witnesse against vs in that great day of the Lord. Now after that the Lord hath encouraged His Apostles by giuing them His Holy Spirit and His graces in the words following to make them the more willing He armes them with power and auâ—hoâ—itie before He send them out He sayes Whosoeuer siâ—nes ye remit thâ—y are remitted vnto them and whosoeuer sinnes ye retaine they are reteined As if Hee had said to them I will not send you out powerlesse with a fectlesse worde in your mouth but to the end ye may the better discharge your commission I enarme you with power I will giue you power to binde and loose to forgiue sinnes and retaine sinnes The Lord sendes none out to his warfare till first Hee furnish them with weapons and armour But what weapons are they Euen spirituall weapons Paul sayes The weapons of our warfare are not carnall but mightie through
Father the Sonne and the Holy Spirit Indeed it is true that God was knowne in the Trinitie of persons in some sorte by the Fathers who liued vnder the Old Testament before Christs manifestation in the fleshe but the knowledge which they had was obscure and confused in respect of that knowledge which IESVS brought into the worlde at His comming but chiefely this distinct knowledge of the three persons of the Godhead was manifested after Christes Resurrection from the dead and His Glorification for Christ glorified is chiefely the image of the vnuisible God and the brightnesse of His glorie and the engrauen forme of His person And from Christ glorified especially proceedes th' effectuall operation of the Holy Spirit in the soules of His Elect. All tendes to this To let you see that the cleare and distinct knowledge of the Godhead in the Trinitie of the persons proceeded chiefely from the Kingdome of Christ and from His glory Nowe to this God one in essence in three persons The Father the Sonne and the Holie Spirit be all praise honour and glorie for euermore Amen THE LIV. LECTVRE OF THE RESVRRECTION OF CHRIST MATTH CHAP. XXVIII verse 20 Teaching them to obserue all things whatsoeuer I haue commanded you and loe I am with you alway vntill the ende of the world Amen MARKE CHAP. XVI verse 16 He that shall beleeue and bee baptized shall bee saued but hee that will not beleeue shall bee damned verse 17 And these tokens shall follow them that beleeue In my Name they shall cast out deuils and shall speake with new tongues verse 18 And shall take away serpentes and if they shall drinke anie deadlie thing it shall not hurt them they shall lay their handes on the sicke and they shall recouer THE last daye Welbeloued Brethren in Christ we began to speake of the nine appearings of the Lord to the Disciples as it is set downe by Matthew and Marke Hee appeared to them in a Mountaine of Galilie vvhere Hee had appointed them to meete Him Wee hearde vvhat vvas the Disciples behauiour The sight of that glorious Majestie made them to fall downe and worship Him yet in the meane time some of them doubted and therefore the LORDE to confirme them drawes neare vnto them and enters into communication with them and in His communing first Hee telles what power and authoritie was giuen Him both in Heauen and earth to the ende Hee might mooue them the more willinglie and chearefullie to vndertake the office of the Apostleship Then when Hee has layed downe this power as a ground of their office and Ministerie Hee sendes them out in the worlde charging them first to goe to all Nations Next to preach to euery creature And thirdly To baptize in the Name and authority of the Father the Sonne and the Holy Spirit Nowe in these wordes first Hee telles them what doctrine they shoulde teach to the worlde then hee makes them a threefolde promise The first is of life and saluation to then that beleeue and are baptised The seconde is a promise of th'extraordinarie and miraculous giftes of the Holie Spirite The thirde is a promise of His owne glorious and powerfull presence with them in discharging of their calling that not for a season but to continue to th' ende of the vvorlde Then in the first wordes which vve haue read He telles them what they should teach not al things not euery thing that they pleased themselues but He sayes Teach them to obserue all thinges whatsoeuer J haue commanded you So Hee restraines the doctrine that they should teach vnto the world vnto that doctrine which Hee Himselfe first had taught them In the 14. Chapter of John vers 26. after Hee has first promised the Holie Spirit to teach His Apostles all thinges then Hee telles vvhat Hee meanes by All these thinges which His Spirite should teach and Hee boundes them and restraines them to that doctrine which Hee Himselfe had taught them before For sayes Hee hee shall bring all thinges to your remembrance which I haue tolde you Euen so here Hee restraines the preaching of th'Apostles to these thinges vvhich Hee Himselfe had taught them So marke this lesson The doctrine of Iesus Christ which Hee deliuered the time that Hee liued in the vvorlde and had His conuersation among men is the grounde the rule and the measure of all true doctrine The Spirit of the Lord Iesus vvhome Hee left behinde Him to bee His vicegerent in th' earth kept preciselie this rule Hee taught not so much as one sentence in substance but that vvhich CHRIST had taught before Th'Apostles vvhome Hee sent out into the worlde declined not one jote from this rule for they taught the vvorlde nothing but that vvhich the Holie Spirite had furnished and suggested vnto them before and that Spirite taught them nothing but that vvhich IESVS had taught them before So that the doctrine of the H. Spirit th'Apostles come all wholly from Iesus as th' only doctor teacher of His Kirke of whom the Father said in His baptisme trāsfiguratiō Heare him So it should be w t ministers and Teachers of the Church to the end of the world they should make Christes doctrine to bee the rule of all their doctrine they should teach nothing but that which Christ teached before them the faithfull Ministers of Christ in all ages haue striuen to doe so they confirmed all their doctrine so farre as they could to the doctrine of Christ Indeede it is true through processe of time corrupt men entred in the Church who respected not God nor His glory nor the well and saluation of men but their owne honour their owne lusts and their bellie who taught the world not the doctrine of Christ the way of life but their own fantasies dreames and traditions Wee may see this lamentable experience this day in the kingdome of the Antichrist What teaches the Pope and his Clergie to the world Not the word of God Not the doctrine of Christ Not that doctrine which the Holy Spirit furnished to the Apostles not that vvhich the Apostles haue left in register this day they make not that to be the rule of their preaching but they teach their owne vanities deuised by themselues they teach mens traditions they teach vnwritten verities as they call them vvhich are for the moste parte altogether repugnant to the doctrine of Christ The Lord saue vs from their doctrine vvherewith they poyson the world and bring men to perdition Now as the Pastors are obliged to teach nothing but the doctrine of Christ so are the people bound to heare and receiue none other doctrine but the doctrine of Christ and for this cause they shoulde pray earnestly for the Holy Spirit who is promised to His owne to illuminate their mindes and to giue them the gift of discretion to discerne spirits as also they should be diligently exercised in reading and considering the Olde and New Testament the writtings of the
these thinges and none other thinges So that if they teach not these thinges but their owne dreames and fantasies they haue nothing adoe vvith this promise for if they keepe not the condition vvhat vvarrant can they haue to looke for the promise Nowe howe farre the Papistes are from keeping this condition from teaching the doctrine of Christ onelie it is more than manifest and they are blind that sees it not for in stead of the doctrine of the Gospell they teach their owne traditions dreames and fantasies They haue banished the Spirite of Trueth and haue bewitched the vvorlde vvith their lyes and vanities Therefore seeing the felicitie and happinesse both of Pastor and people standes in this To finde the Lordes presence with them in this pilgrimage the Lord grant that both Pastor and people may striue carefullie to holde fast the doctrine of the Gospell and that they may conforme their liues thereunto that so vvith confidence they may claime to this promise of the presence of Christ To whome with the Father and the Holie Spirit bee all praise and honour for euermore AMEN THE LV. LECTVRE OF THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST MARKE CHAP. XXVI verse 19 So after the Lord had spoken vnto them hee was receiued into heauen and sate at the right hand of God LVKE CHAP. XXIIII verse 50 Afterward hee led them out into Bethania and lift vp his handes and blessed them verse 51 And it came to passe that as hee blessed them hee departed from them and was carried vp into heauen verse 52 And they worshipped him and returned to Hierusalem with great ioye ACTS CHAP. I. verse 6 When they therefore were come together they asked of him saying Lord wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdome to Israel verse 7 And hee saide vnto them It is for you to knowe the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his owne power verse 8 Bu yee shall receiue power of the holie Ghost when hee shall come on you and ye shall bee witnesses vnto mee both in Hierusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and vnto the vttermost partes of the earth verse 9 And when he had spoken these things while they beheld he was taken vp for a cloude tooke him vp out of their sight verse 10 And while they looked stedfastlie toward heauen as hee went behold two men stood by them in white apparell BELOVED BRETHREN IN CHRIST vvee haue alreadie insisted at length in the Historie of the LORDES Resurrection vvherein vvee shewed you how often Hee appeared to His owne and especiallie to His Apostles to the ende that not onelie they themselues might bee more fullie perswaded of His Resurrection but also vvith the greater confidence and libertie they might speake therof to others In His last appearing to His Apostles vvee sawe Hee gaue them a commission and charge To goe out to the vvorlde to preach the Gospell and to baptize In the Name of the Father of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost but He willes them to teach nothing else but onelie these things all these things which He had taught them before And to th' end He might the more easily moue them willingly and chearfully to vndertake discharge this calling first He sets down His vnspeakable incomprehensible power wherupoÌ„ is is grounded shewing them that al power in heaueÌ„ in earth was giuen vnto him Next He subjoynes a threefold promise of blessing to them in the discharging of their Ministery The first is a promise of life saluation to them who beleeue are baptized The second is a promise of th'extraordinary miraculous gifts of the H. Spirite The third is a promise of His own powerfull presence to continue with them vnto th' end of the world vpon condition That they faithfully discharge their calling teach these things all these things onlie these things which the Lord had taught no other Now it rests that we speak of the History of His Ascension to Heauen which we haue briefelie and in fewe vvordes in th'Euangelistes for Matthew and Iohn makes no mention of it Marke touches it shortlie in his Gospell Luke also speakes something of it in his Gospell but hee insistes in it more largely in setting downe the Circumstances of it in the first Chapter of the Actes of the Apostles In the words which wee haue presently read we will see how the LORD leades His Disciples out to Bethania we will see what conference communication is betwixt the Lord and them we will shew how He blessed them we will see the manner of His Ascension what was the behauiour of the Apostles while Hee was ascending to Heauen and looked stedfastly to the Heauen as He went vp Then to come to the words Luke sayes He led them out into Bethania This was the place from the which the Lord ascended vp to the Heauen and therefore of set purpose He leades them out of Ierusalem to this place They come not to this place by fortune or chance they come not there of their owne accorde or vpon any foresight that they themselues had No but they were ledde out of Jerusalem to see that glorious Ascension of Christ and to be partakers of His grace But who led them out It is saide The Lord ledde them out none comes to grace by aime none comes to the place vvhere grace is in dealing by fortune or chance No it is the Lord which leades them as then the Lord ledde His Apostles as it were by the hande to Bethania to see His glorie and to be made partakers of grace so it is alwayes by the LORDS secret and powerfull prouidence that any man comes to the place vvhere the LORD distributes His grace for sayes CHRIST No man can come to mee except that Father who hath sent mee draw him Ioh. Chapter 6. verse 44. Therefore if thou findest at any time by this Ministerie grace to bee communicated into thy soule in His Church ascribe neuer the praise of it to thy selfe or to thy trauell but giue the praise and honour of all to the LORD IESVS vvho had a care of thee and by His gracious prouidence bâ—ought thee there But vvho are these vvhom the Lord leades out Not all they vvho heard Him vvho knew Him vvho had conuersed vvith Him but it is only His Disciples vvhome the Lord ledde out these only vvhome He vsed most familiarly vvhom Hee loued most tenderly and vvho in a manner vvere His domestiques The number of them vvhome the LORD chooses and leades out to grace at any time is not great they are but few in respect of the multitude vvhome the Lord passes by but especially at this time it was the LORDES pleasure to choose but a few to be eye-witnesses of His glorious AsceÌ„sioÌ„ for it was y e Lords will that His AscensioÌ„ should rather be manifested made known to the world by hearing than by seeing for y e Lord prefers likes better of that
of y e sending of y e H. Ghost imports y t although it was not loÌ„g time before made vnto theÌ„ yet they thought not of it nor remeÌ„bred it not as it became theÌ„ So y t in theÌ„ we may see what is our naturall disposition concerning spirituall things we are very careles to thinke of theÌ„ yea for y e most part we are altogether forgetfull of theÌ„ If a promise were made to vs of great earthly benefits so carnall earthly are our hearts we wold think on it day night but albeit the promises of HeaueÌ„ly things be ofteÌ„ renewed to vs hardly caÌ„ we think of theÌ„ or remeÌ„ber theÌ„ Thirdly in this answere He puts theÌ„ in mind of their office calling to y e Apostleship Ye shal be witnesses saies He to me both in IerusaleÌ„ in all Iudea in Samaria vnto the vttermost parts of the earth as if He had said vnto them Inquire not curiously of the things which belong not to you but looke to your calling the office which I haue chosen you to And He sets down what is their calling Ye must be witnesses And to whom Both to Iew Gentile And in what order First begin at IerusaleÌ„ Iudea then goe to Samaria to the rest of the world It is the Lords wil that meÌ„ so carefully atteÌ„d first vpon y e calling that y e Lord has set them into this life to bee faithfull painfull in it y t in it they may honour their Lord next vpon y e promise of grace saluation y t is promised in the life to come that they take no leasure nor spare no time vpon th'inquiring of curious questions Of this answere of the Lords we may learn this lesson the Lord deals very meekly gently with his own their curiosity wilfull ignorance deserued a more sharp rough meeting but the Lord meets theÌ„ not as they deserued for albeit that eueÌ„ now he was to leaue y e world ascend to his Father to enter into glory yet he staies a while with theÌ„ with the Spiâ—it of meeknes wonderful patieÌ„ce he teaches instructs theÌ„ who were so grosse carnal minded That which the Lord did at this time to his Apostles that same thing does he dayly to his owne in whom he has once begun to worke he wil not breake the bruised reed nor queÌ„ch the smoaking flax he wil not put out grace if it were neuer in so smal a measure but he wil cherish nourish it that it may come to perfectioÌ„ that y e litle sparke may grow to a fire flame Albeit we be rude earthly minded and take no pleasure in spiritual things yet the Lord continues with great lenitie and wonderful patience by his Ministery to teach instruct vs. Now to go forward to His Ascension Before He ascends He blesses His disciples Luke saies He lifted vp his haÌ„ds blessed theÌ„ What meanes this that the Lord lifted vp His hands to Heauen Euen this that he conueyed drew grace powerfully out of heaueÌ„ to his disciples Before He ascended to HeaueÌ„ He drewe downe grace out of Heauen to remaine with His Apostles whom Hee left behinde Him in the earth vvhen Hee ascended according to that which before His Passion He saide to them Peace J leaue you my peace I giue you Ioh. Chap. 14. vers 27. Nowe vvhen Hee liftes vp His handes vvhat sorte of blessing giues He them Was it a common sorte of blessing Was it such a blessing as one giues to another No but He giues them the blessing of God He giues theÌ„ an effectuall blessing And if vvee consider vvho this vvas that blessed them vvee may see that of necessitie it behooued this blessing to bee effectuall for Hee vvas not onelie a Priest but a King also Indeede as a Priest Hee blessed them for it vvas the Priestes office publickelie to blesse the people as a Priest likewise lifted Hee vp His handes in â—lessing of them for this vvas a Rite and Ceremonie vvhich the Priestes vvere accustomed to vse in their blessing but as a King Hee giues them effectuallie that blessing vvhich as a Priest Hee vvished vnto them for Hee vvas nowe to sit downe in the Throne of His Kingdome and therefore that blessing vvhich as a Priest Hee vvished vnto them Hee vvorkes it effectually in them by His infinite power as Hee is a king Men may vvish vvell one to another men may vvishe peace and blessing sincerely and from their heartes to others but it lyes not in their hands to effectuate to bring to passe that thing which they wish but it is proper to God only to Iesus His Sonne to make the blessing effectual One thing here wold be marked wel for our comfort to wit that Christ hath left a singular blessing to the Ministery of the Gospel for as before we heard that the Lord made a sweet and comfortable promise to this Ministery eueÌ„ that He would be alway with them vnto the end of the world Mat. 28.20 EueÌ„ so now we see here that y e Lord at His departure out of y e world leaues a special blessing to y e same Ministry yea such a blessing as is not left to any other calling in the world no not to the calling of a King for y e calling of a King al other callings whatsoeuer receiues their blessing only in this blessing which Christ giues to His Ministerie for except men in all callings by this Ministerie be brought to th' obedience of Christ to sanctification they are accursed if we looke to th' experience which y e faithful find in their soules we wil find that y t blessing which the Lord left to His Ministery at that time is effectuall this day for they finde it to be effectuall to worke faith repentance joy tranquillitie of conscience they find it to be as th'Apostl calles it The ministerie of the Spirit the ministerie of righteousnes 2. Cor. 3.8 9 if there were no more to testifie vnto vs the effectualnes of this blessing this were sufficieÌ„t that we see it hath continued so long in the world notwithstanding of all aduersarie power opposition made thereto for seeing this Ministery is so weak base coÌ„temptible in it selfe how had it bin possible y t it could haue coÌ„tinued endured so loÌ„g in the world against the fury craft assaults of Sathan against the malice hatred persecution of men against the oppositioÌ„ practises of the mightie great wise men of the world except that this blessing which at His departure He left with it had bin effectual if it had not bin effectuall it had soone euanished had bin rooted out Now come to the AscensioÌ„ it selfe it is set down partly by Marke partly by Luke in his EuaÌ„gel in the History of th' Acts of th'Apostles in these circumstaÌ„ces first Luke sayes
behoued to be in a greater humility w t greater reuereÌ„ce w t greater feruency thaÌ„ euer it was before Indeed they worshipped Him before knowing Him to be the Messias but their knowledge was but very mean sober but now they see know perfectly that He is the Lord of glory the glorious judge of the world therefore the worshipping of Him at this time behoued to be in greater reuereÌ„ce with greater perswasion boldnes than euer it was before The sight of that glorious majesty makes euer the creature in reuereÌ„ce to worship God the greater sight the greater reuerence The faithfull while they liue here in th' earth because by th' eye of faith in the mirrour of the Gospel they see the glory of the Lord therfore in humility they worship His majesty but because they see Him not clearly as He is but darkly and obscurely therfore their worshipping here is not like that worshipping y t shal be when they shal see Him face to face for when we shal see him as he is we shal worship Him with greater reuerence confideÌ„ce boldnes liberty than euer we did before for then vve shall be made like vnto Him that is vve shall bee made conformable to the image of His glory and vve shall shake off all this mortality corruption vvherewith th'Apostles vvere clad at this time vvheÌ„ they worshipped Him ascending to HeaueÌ„ So that that vvorshipping adoring of the Lord which the faithful shal giue Him in that great day wheÌ„ He desceÌ„ds from the HeaueÌ„s to judge the world shall surpasse exceedingly by many degrees that worship which the Apostleâ— gaue Him wheÌ„ they saw Him asceÌ„d into HeaueÌ„ for theÌ„ there shal be nothing to hinder them Now in the meane time while the Lord is ascending to Heauen as they worship Him so likewise they followe Him vvith their eyes and looked stedfastly toward heauen vvhere they saw Him ascending vvhich testifies plainly that their hearts were lifted vp to the Heauens together vvith Christ as Christ ascended so their hearts ascended vvere lifted vp to Heauen by the power veâ—tue of that same Ascention glorie of Christ in vvhome they beleeued for they that beleeue in Christ and are conjoyned to Him by faith of necessity must by that bâ—nd of faith be lifted vp together vvith Him to the Heauens for that soule that is linked to Him by faith caÌ„not be seuered from Him but it must follow Him vvhersoeuer He goes Mark this lesson wheÌ„ y e heart is lifted vp to Heauen it vvill lift y e eye of y e bodie to Heauen also y e sight sense of y e Ascension of Christ liftes vp the heart to Heauen for where there is in y e heart a sense feeling of y e power of Christs AscensioÌ„ of necessity both the soule th' eyes of the body must be lifted vp to Heauen And this lifting vp of th' eyes of the body proceeding froÌ„ the lifting vp of y e heart to Heauen this lifting vp of y e heart proceeding froÌ„ y e feeling of y e power of th'AsceÌ„sioÌ„ of Iesus which now y e faithfull find is a sure argumeÌ„t vndoubted warraÌ„â— to y e faithful y t one day th' eye y e heart y e soule y e body yea y e whole man shal be lifted vp to heaueÌ„ both soule body in y t great day wheÌ„ y e Lord appeares to judgemeÌ„t shal enjoy His glorious preseÌ„ce therfore y e godly haue great cause continually to be waiting looking for y t glorious apppearing of Christ happy art thou who art euer waiting for it for at y t glorious appearing thou shâ—lt be partaker of glory w t him to whoÌ„ with y e Father H. Spirit be all praise honor glory Amen THE LVI LECTVRE OF THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST MARKE CHAP. XVI verse 20 And they went foorth and preached euerie where And the Lord wrought with them and confirmed the word with signes that followed Amen LVKE CHAP. XXIIII verse 52 And they Worshipped him returned to HierusaleÌ„ with great ioye verse 53 And were continuallie in the Temple praising and lauding GOD Amen ACTS CHAP. I. verse 10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heauen as hee went beholde two men stood by them in white apparell verse 11 Which also said Yee men of Galile why stand yee gazing into heauen This Iesus which is taken vp from you into heauen shall so come as yee haue seene him goe into heauen verse 12 Then returned they vnto Hierusalem from the mount that is called the mount of Oliues which is neare to Hierusalem beeing from it a Sabbath dayes journey verse 13 And when they were come in they went vp into an vpper chamber where abode both Peter and Iames and Iohn and Andrew Philip and Thomas Bartlemew and Matthew James the sonne of Alpheus and Simon Zelotes and Iudas Iames brother verse 14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplications with the women and Marie the mother of Iesus and with his brethren THE last day welbeloued BrethreÌ„ in Christ we entred into the history of Christs ascension to heauen We heard of the circuÌ„staÌ„ces of it The Lord led them out to Bethania to the mount of Oliues from the which place He asceÌ„ded vnto heaueÌ„ we heard of the coÌ„muning y t was betwixt Christ his disciples who asked of him Lord wilt thou at this time restore the kingdome to Jsrael The Lord reproues this their curiosity It is not for you to know the times the seasons which the Father has put in his owne power And then he tels what they ought to doe First they shuld be mindfull of the promise of y e H. Spirit Next they shuld look to their own calling to beare witnesse of him to the world Wee heard how before his Ascension he blessed them we heard of the manner of his Ascension it was very sensible and visible He went a little space from them and was taken vp and receiued in a cloude hee was taken out of their sight and carried vp to heauen This was done the â—oth th'Apostle themselues might be perswaded and also with greater boldnesse assurance perswade others of His Ascension We heard that wheÌ„ He was taken out of their sight He was placed at the right hand of God and exalted to that sublimitie of glory that all the creatures in heauen and earth are subdued to him And last wee hearde what was the behauiour of th'Apostles In the meane time they worshipped him and looked stedfastly to â—he heauens This day by Gods grace wee shall follow out put an end to this history In the words which wee haue read we wil sâ—e what falles out While the disciples are looking vp to the heauens two Angels are sent to them by Christ who partly reproues them and partlie comforts them We will see likewise what the disciples doe after this They
retuâ—ne to Hierusalem with great joy when they come there they goe vp to an vpper chamber but they stay not there but they goe to the Temple remain there continually praising lauding God and last they went out preached the Gospel euery where and the Lord gaue them a good successe for He wrought with them and confirmed the word with signes that followed Luke in th' Acts telles vs that while they looked stedfastly toward heauen as he went behold two men stood by them in white apparell As they were worshipping Him the Lord sent incontinent from His Heauenlie Throne Legates Ambassadours And who were they eueÌ„ Angels two in number and in forme outward shape like to men therefore they are said to be two men and were clothed in white and glorious apparell Marke the lesson in a word Christ sits no sooneâ— down at the right hand of the Father but He makes His disciples whom Hee left in the earth behind Him not only to know y t He had a kingly power whereby He commands the very Angels themselues but also to know that singular care affection that Hee caried to them which He testifies by sending these Angels from heauen for their cause for their consolation This kingly power of Christ this care that He hath of His own continues eueÌ„ this day in the Kirk euery of y e faithful find the proofe experience of it to their great joy comfort Now let vs see what these Angels say to y e Apostles in their speech to them First they reprooue then they comfort them first they said Ye men of Galile why stand ye gazing vnto Heauen they reprooue them because they stood idly gazing looking to the heaueÌ„ whereas the Lord had coÌ„manded them to returne to Jerusalem that there they might wait for the Spirit that was promised them that hauing gotten the Spirit they might goe out to the world preach the Gospâ—l to euery creature as the Lord had commanded them This reproofe of th'Angels imports that they contented themselues too much w t idle looking gâ—â—ing that they were too vnmindfull of that great high calling whereunto the Lord had ordained them Of this reproofe we learn this lessoÌ„ it is not the Lords wil that any maÌ„ should be idle in the world nor that he content himselfe w t a bare idle contemplatioÌ„ of y e creatures of God No not of y e best of them it is not the Lords will y t we stand idly gazing vpon the very heauens whereunto the Lord hath ascended now is in glory No it is His will that all men all their dayes be painfully exercised in some calling wherein they may both glorifie God doe good vnto men Indeed it is true it is the Lords wil that men should alwaies haue their affectioÌ„s set aboue their hearts lifted vp to heaueÌ„ that they haue their eyes set vpon God vpon Christ vpon that glory which is to be reuealed but in the meane time while men are thus exercised they should be exercised likewise in some honest lawful calling Th' Apostle Paul by his practise lets vs see what should be the behauiour of a Christian While hee looked not to the things that are seene but to the things that are not seene 2. Cor. 4.18 While he choosed to remoue out of the body to go dwell with Christ 2. Cor. 5.8 While he minded not earthly things but had his conuersation in heauen from whence he looked for his Sauiour euen the Lord Iesus Philip. 3.20 contented hee himselfe thinke ye with this speculation Was he in the meane time idle had he not another calling Yes hee was very diligently exercised in the Ministry For sayes he we couet that both dwelling at home remoouing from home we may be acceptable to Him for we must all appeare before the Iudgement seat of Christ that euery man may receiue the things which are done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or euill therefore knowing that terrour of the Lord we perswade men bring them vnto the faith 2. Cor. 5.9 10 11. So Paul wheÌ„ he was looking to heauenly things he was in the meane time diligeÌ„tly exercised in his Apostleship in bringing men to Christ eueÌ„ so it becomes euery faithfull man so to haue his heart his affections set vpoÌ„ heauen heauenly things y t in y e same meane time in some honest lawful calling he may be doing some good in y â— earth on the other part wheÌ„ he is busie labouring exercised in his calling he shuld haue his eyes lifted vp to God should haue his heart his affections conuersatioÌ„ in y e heauens for except that in all things which we do we haue y e Lord His glory before our eyes it is not possible y t we can do any thing well vprightly Then in a word ye see here y e Lord by these Angels coÌ„demnes idle speculatioÌ„ coÌ„templatioÌ„ without any exercise in any lawfull calling This serues to coÌ„demne these idle bellies y e Monks of y e Romane Kirk who coÌ„tent theÌ„selues w t bare idle speculatioÌ„ hauing no regard in y e meane time y t they may be exercised in any lawful calling wherin they may either glorify God or do good to meÌ„ yea they are so far froÌ„ doing good y t by y e coÌ„trary they hurt y e Kirk of God exceedingly by bringing in their dreames faÌ„tasies y t they haue deuised in their idle braines to corrupt peruert mens minds y e Lord neuer allowed nor blessed such a life y e Lord abhors such idlenes if y e Angels reproue y e Apostles for gazing to heaueÌ„ where they saw w t their eyes y e Lord Iesus to ascend which by appearaÌ„ce to maÌ„s judgment was a very good exercise to haue their hearts fixed on Christ their eyes vpoÌ„ y e place whither He ascended what wold y e Angels say to these idle belly gods who withdraw theÌ„selues froÌ„ all honest callings liue vpoÌ„ y e sweat of other meÌ„s browes vnder y e preteÌ„ce of spiritual exercise now after y e Angels haue reprooued y e Apostles next in y e 2. part of their speech they raise theÌ„ vp coÌ„forts theÌ„ while they say This Iesus which is taken vp froÌ„ you into heauen shall so come as ye haue seene Him goe into heauen They comfort them by putting them in hope that Hee shal returne yea returne in glorie and such a glorie as they saw Him ascend vvith and so vpon hope of His glorious returning in that great daye they wil th'Apostles to comfort themselues against all trouble distresses that they might be subject vnto y e time of their remaining in y e earth Whereupon we may perceiue what is the ground whereupon the solide consolation of a Christian soule arises It arises euen
Hierusalem according to the Lords coÌ„mandemeÌ„t til they got that promised Spirit with His graces Then assoone aâ— they haue receiued the H. Spirit with His graces and were sufficienly furnishâ—d theÌ„selues they goe out to coÌ„municate that grâ—ce to the world wherewith they themselues were replenished beginning at Hierusaâ—eÌ„ then going throughout all Judea then to Samaria last to the vtmost parts of th' earth This doing of the disciples serues to teach these who intende to entâ—r into that holy calling of the ministery how they ought to behaue theÌ„sâ—lues They must not suddeÌ„ly rashly goe out to preach the Gospel before they bee well furnished themselues but they should keepe themselues close vsing holy meanes and exercises till they find themselues to be furnished with grace in some measure but being once furnished with grace it is the Lordes will that they keepe themselues no more close but that they goe out and communicate that same grace vnto others for the Lord giues them no spirituall graces to keepe to themselues but to th' end that they may employ them to the weale edification of others Men should beware of these two extremities first that they presume not to goe out to preach to others till they bee first well furnished themselues next when they are furnished with grace that they let not Gods graces rest within themselues but that they vse them chearfully for the benefite of the Kirke But if we consider more narrowly this going out of the disciples we wil find it to be extraordinarie and miraculous it fell out altogether vnexspected of the Iewes no the Iewes neuer thought that thinges should haue fallen out so either concerning Christ Himselfe or His disciples for as coÌ„cerning Christ they thought they should neuer haue heard any more of Him except cursed and detestable speaches of Him for they had nowe handeled Him shamefully they had railed on Him and crucified Him putting Him to an ignominious death and after Hee was buried and risen they perswaded the guarde y t watched the sepulchre to noise abroad that his discipleâ— had come by night stollen him away so they thought there should haue bene no more of Him But beholde vpon a suddaine the Lord vnexspected of them by His powerfull prouidence makes His glory to be sounded throughout the whole world and whereas they thought He should haue bene buried for euer in shame Hee is exalted to a wonderfull glory And as concerning the disciples The Iewes thought they durst neuer haue presumed to haue opened their mouthes againe to speake of the Name of Christ for they thought they were all but sillie based bodies who sled away when their Master was taken and were offended at His ignominious death and terrified and astonished with that sorrowfull spectacle that they saw when He hung vpon the crosse neither durst they presume to meete together againe openly for feare of their liues But while the Iewes are thus thinking and beleeue that there shall neuer be any moâ—e worde of Christ behold vpon a suddain when they thinke nothing lesse His disciples come out publickly in their presence and before the whole world holding out bearing before them y t crucifiâ—d man boldly charging the worlde to beleeue in Him From whence comes this that they vvho before vvere so dâ—shed and based that sledde away before durst nowe meet together so openly and preach with such boldnesse and libertie Him of vvhome before they vvere ashamed Euen from that incomprehensible vvonderfull power of Christ their King who was now sitting in the Heauens in glory vvho according to His promise sent vpon them His holy Spirit and indued them vvith power froÌ„ an hight Now the last thing is the successe that the Lord giues vnto their preaching He saies The Lord wrought with them and confirmed the worde with signes that followed If ye reade th' Acts of th'Apostles ye vvill see the successe has bene marueilous for within a short space by their Ministery they brought gâ—eat multitudes not onely of the Jewes but also of the Gentiles to th' obedience of Christ and by them suddenly the face of the world was changed The cause of this great successe th'Euangelist marks to be the Lords vvorking vvith them confirming the vvord that they preached vvith signes and vvonders When it is said that the Lord wrought with them we may not thinke that they vvere the chiefe workers and the Lord but an helper to them No the Lord is euer the chiefe worker and His faithfull seruantes but worke together with Him in the building of that spirituall house vnto the Lord He being the chiefe builder and His seruantes but worke with Him So Paul calles them workers together with God 2. Cor. 6.1 All the successe of the Gospel is His His seruantes are only instruments vsing the meanes Paul plants Apollo waters but God giues th' increase 1. Cor. 3.6.9 Now as we saw in their going out to the worlde in their preaching with boldnesse that Christes power was wonderfully manifested euen so in this great and glorious successe that they haue in their preaching that same power of Christ is as wondefully manifested If we compare this successe which the Gospel had in that first age of the Kirke of Christ with that successe which it hath now adayes we will find a great difference Many more were called then than there are nowe for then at one preaching thousandes were conuerted but nowe at many preachings scarcely will one be conuerted And what meanes this seeing the Gospel is taught nowe in that same sinceritie that it was then Euen this that by all appearance the Lord hath gathered in alreadie the most part of them who are to bee saued and the number of these that rest to be called and saued is few in these dayes in respect of that great multitude of them who were called and saued in the dayes of th'Apostles The great haruest is gathered in already onely glaininges now remaine And on the other part it importes that there is a great number ordained to wrath and destruction and therfore they are not conuerted by the preaching of the Gospel If our Gospel saith Paul bee hidden it is hidden to them that perish 2. Cor. 4.3 Now to end here Seeing all the successe of the Gospel proceedes from the powerfull presence of Christ by His Spirit the Lord grant that so long as He giues vs liberty to vse these outward meanes He would make vs find the powerfull working of the Spirit concurring with the meanes that wee may turne to Christ and so bee assured that wee shall bee saued from that wrath which is to come in that great day of the appearing of the LORD IESVS To whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit bee all praise Honour and Glorie for euer and euer AMEN FINIS
encourage thee it will raise vp thy dead soule Then when the sinner is raised vp to heare gladly then hee comes on to the gladde tidings of saluation Iesus is come into the world for thy sins this Iesus is crucified dead and buried for thy sins and this same Iesus is risen and ascended vp to the Heauen to bee an euerlasting Aduocate for thee What more This same Iesus shall come to judge the world and to take thee with Him one day and to make thee partaker of His glorie This is the vvhole summe of the Gospell The Lord giue vs grace to bee partakers of that joy vvhich the glorious Gospell offers in this IESVS CHRIST To whom vvith the Father and the Holie Spirit bee all Praise and Honour for euermore AMEN THE XXX LECTVRE OF THE RESVRRECTION OF CHRIST MATTH CHAP. XXVIII verse 5 But the Angell answered and saide to the women Feare yee not for I know that yee seeke Jesus who was crucified verse 6 Hee is not heere for hee is risen as he said come see the place where the Lord was layed verse 7 And goe quicklie and tell his Disciples that hee is risen from the dead and beholde hee goeth before you into Galile there shall yee see him loe I haue tolde you MARKE CHAP. XVI verse 6 But hee saide vnto them Bee not so troubled yee seeke Iesus of Nazareth who hath beene crucified hee is risen hee is not heere beholde the place where they put him verse 7 But goe your way and tell his Disciples and Peter that he will goe before you into Galile there shall yee see him as hee said vnto you WE heard the last day Brethrē that there were two companies of women that came out of Hierusalem to the graue of IESVS CHRIST The first companie came foorth in the dawning of the daye before the rising of the Sunne The next companie came foorth somewhat later I thinke about the rising of the Sunne In the first companie vvere Marie Magdalene and Marie the mother of Iames and Salome others vvho are not named These came out of Hierusalem altogether and as they drew neare to the graue they saw the great stone that vvas rolled to the doore of the graue rolled away Mary Magdalene assoone as she sees the stone to bee rolled awaye tarries no longer but supponing it was done by men and that they had stollen away the Lordes bodie by night then in haste shee runnes home and telles PETER and IOHN and shee saies to them They haue stollen awaye the bodie of the Lord and wee know not where they haue layed him But the other women tooke more aduisement than Marie Magdalene for they abode still and when shee was gone home they entered into the graue and they sawe an Angell standing in the graue in the likenesse of a young man clothed with a long white robe sitting at the right side of the graue at which sight they were wonderfullie astonished And this Angell to my judgement was euen that same Angel that rolled awaye the stone from the graue and with His bright looke terrified the Guarde and frighted them lest they should haue troubled the vvomen The women beeing astonished at the sight of the glorious Angell Hee begins to speake to them of the Resurrection and to tell them of these tidinges For the better vnderstanding of the Oration of the Angell wee shall speake of it in these foure partes The first is a voyce of comfort a worde of encouragement Feare not saies the Angell The next hauing encouraged them hee beginnes to preach to them of the Resurrection of Iesus Christ testifying vnto them that the Lord was risen And hee confirmes by one or two arguments that the Lord was risen In the thirde part of his Oration hee giues a commandement to the vvomen to tell the Apostles and namelie Peter that the Lorde was risen and more than that that that same Lorde should goe before them into Galile and there they shoulde see him In the fourth and last part hee concludes this speach and hee saies Beholde I haue tolde you Then after the Oration of the Angell vvee haue the effect that the Oration vvrought in the hearts of the vvomen to vvit they feare and rejoyce exceedinglie and they obey the voyce of the Angell and they runne home with all haste to tell the Apostles that the Lord was risen Nowe to returne to the Oration of the Angell It is short but wonderous pitthie As for the first part of the Oration Feare not Wee spake of it the last daye and there vvee left off therfore now wee proceede to the seconde part to that graue testimonie which the Angell giues to the Resurrection of Christ Before he speakes hee conciliates authoritie to his person Whosoeuer speakes in the name of Christ shoulde haue an authoritie of person The vvordes are these I knowe perfectly that yee seeke Iesus of Nazareth that was crucified sayes the Angell hee askes not Whome seeke ye but hee breakes off the speech and he sayes I know ye seeke Iesus of Nazareth that was crucified and buried and by this knowledge he lets them see that hee was sent of God and knew the purpose of the women ere euer they reueiled it to Him What man is he that knowes the minde of a man except that the Lord giue him knowledge extraordinarily No all the Angels of Heauen will not know my minde except the Lord reueile it No man nor Angell can know the heart and search the secrets thereof but onely GOD that made the heart So he lets them see that he was sent of God that the worde might haue the greater credite for wherefore serues the authoritie of persons but that the worde they speake may haue the greater credite Marke the lesson There is neuer one that the Lord sends to be witnesses in the world of Christ of His crosse and passion of His resurrection of the mercies and graces that passe all vnderstanding flowing from His Passion and Resurrection but either in one measure or other He wil haue them decored with heauenly reuelation with power euen to goe downe to the secret thoughts of mens hearts and to lay them open to them that they may see their owne vile heartes for our heartes are not knowne not to our owne selues vntill wee goe downe and pull off the vaile off them and all to this end that we may see God in that person that speakes and the last end is this that credite may bee giuen to that gracious word and should the word of life passe without credite Paul 1. Cor. 14.24 25. sayes If a Prophet stand vp to prophecie or a Preacher to preach and if an ignorant person come in loadned with sinne and not feeling the burthen alas there are too many of this sort if this person come in with the force of the word he is dejected and he falles downe and glorifies God and hee will say GOD is with that man that speakes
naturall wit thou hast if it be not sanctified the more foolish shall the Crosse of Christ and His Resurrection to glorie seeme to thee for the wisdome of the flesh is enimitie against God I tell thee thou must not bring thy naturall wit to the Scriptures Paul telles thee If thou wouldest bee wise in God thou must be a foole that thou mayest be wise Art thou wise in the world when thou commest to the Church leaue thy wisdome behinde thee art thou a Lawyer keepe it to the Session-house art thou a Mediciner Hast thou any great wisdome leaue all behind thee and come like a sillie childe that hath no wit or els the more thou hearest the greater shall bee thy blindnesse and induration Now come to the conclusion of the Argument Hee concludes That it behooued Christ to suffer and to rise againe from the dead the thirde day There is a necessitie of Christs death and Resurrection and so a necessitie that they shoulde beleeue them for to the ende that we may beleeue in the Gospell there must be a necessitie laid vpon vs to wit that wee be assured that otherwise it could not be but it behooued Christ to suffer and rise againe as the Euangell recordes Now this necessitie we shew you before We may know by the olde Testament Moses the Prophets the Psalmes for this we must lay as an infallible ground that whatsoeuer was foretold by them of necessitie it behooued to come to passe and so wee see that the Olde Testament serues greatly to strenthen our Faith for vvhen vvee see the thinges that vvere foretolde to be all fulfilled in Him all matter of occasion of doubting is taken away The Lord worke this Faith in our heartes for Christs sake To whome with the Father and Holy Spirit be all praise honour and glory for euermore AMEN THE XLIII LECTVRE OF THE RESVRRECTION OF CHRIST LVKE CHAP. XXIIII verse 47 And that Repentance and Remission of sinnes should be preached in His Name among all Nations beginning at Hierusalem IN opening vp of the fift appearance of the Lord after His Resurrection to His Disciples conueened in Hierusalem in the night time well beloued in CHRIST we haue heard how the LORD hath trauelled by sundrie meanes to make them to knowe Him while as He appeared to them and stood vp in the middes of them suddenly He spake to them familiarly and after His owne accustomed manner yet they beleeue not nor vnderstandes Him not by His speaking but thought that He had bene a Spirit or an Angell in the likenesse of a man Then He comes nearer them and shewing out His handes and His feete and markes of the nailes wherewith Hee vvas vvounded on the Crosse He sayes to them See feele and touch mine handes and my feete with your hands see I am euen He I am not a Spirit as yee suppose I am a verie bodie a Spirit hath no flesh nor bones therefore I am no Spirit yet they beleeue not for joy sayes the Text but they stoode wondering Then Hee comes nearer them and demandes whether if they had any meate amongst them and they gaue Him a piece of rosted fish and of an hony combe Hee eates in their presence testifying to them by His action of eating Hee was no Spirit a Spirit cannot eate nor drinke yet Hee leaues them not but Hee preaches to them a sweet Sermon whereof the last day ye heard there was two partes In the first Hee propones to them a necessitie of all these thinges that befell vnto Him all behooued to come to passe He behooued to be crucified He behooued to rise againe the third day And why Because it was written First in Moses Secondly in the Prophetes and lastly in the Psalmes What euer was written all behooued to be accomplished not so much as one sillable of it might perish because whatsoeuer was written by Moses the Prophetes and Dauid all was ordained and decreed all was bound in a fast decree from all eternitie This was the first necessitie Nowe this day Brethren as God will giue the grace we shall come to the other necessitie which is of the preaching and then we shall come to the second part of His Sermon concerning a direction vnto His Disciples to goe out to the world and testifie of these thinges that they heard and saw of Him Then to come to the purpose as it behooued that all these thinges that were foretolde of Christ should come to passe so there was al 's great a necessitie that all should be preached That repentance and remission of sinnes should be preached in His name among all Nations Now to speake somewhat of this necessitie of preaching Men thinke commonly all this preaching to be for a piece of policie and for the fashioun a man to stand vp preach to the rest they thinke it a piece of folie ueening to the Church to bee but for the fashion But I shall tell thee except there be preaching no saluation no life shall pertaine vnto thee except there bee preaching Christs comming into the worlde is in vaine for thee all His suffering is for nothing His Resurrection shall bee of no value to thee they will doe thee no good For to speake of the ordinance of God and of that eternall decree for as the Lord ordained from all eternitie Christ to come in the world to suffer to rise againe so He ordained preaching to be in His Name But to leaue that thinkest thou to come to Heauē without faith No thou shalt neuer see it without faith thou shalt neuer see y e face of Christ thinkest y ◠to get Faith without hearing If thou contemnest hearing thou shalt neuer get Faith in Christ But hovve canst thou heare if there bee no preaching thou must heare a voyce So vvithout the sounding of the Gospell no life Christ His suffering His rising is but dead to thee vvithout preaching That life that flovved from the Resurrection of Christ is conueyed in the soule by hearing and without hearing thou shalt ly deade and die euerlastingly Therefore Christ vvhen Hee came into the world He vvas no dumbe sufferer He preached on night and day Paul sayes Ephes 2.17 When Hee came Hee was the peacemaker and Hee preached peace And to the Romanes Chapter 15. verse 8. Hee is called a Minister of Circumcision and CHRIST knowing this necessitie of preaching vvhen He goes His vvay to Heauen leaues Hee the vvorlde vvithout preaching No Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 4. verse 11. sayes Hee gaue some to be Apostles some to be Prophetes some to be Euangelists some to be Pastours some to bee Doctours and all to the end that they might preach the Gospell of peace to His comming And Paul sayes of himselfe Woe to mee if I preach not the Gospell 1. Cor. Chapter 9. verse 16. Hee left His Spirit behind Him as yee see He promises in Iohn Chapter 14. verse 26. But marke He left His Spirit to