the Law The Law was a glorious ministery as appeares by the thunderings and lightnings the shining of Moses his face and trembling at Gods presence the service of the Angels and sound of the trumpet the ascending of the smoke and the quaking of the mountaine but yet still the glory of the Gospell was farre more excellent a better Covenant a more excellent ministery The Law had weaknesse and unprofitablenesse in it both termes of diminution from the the glory thereof and therefore it could make nothing perfect But that which the Law could not doe in as much as it was weake through the flesh the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus which is a periphrasis of the Gospell as appeareth 2 Cor. 3.6 did doe for us namely make us free from the law of sin and death So then the Law was glorious but the Gospell in many respects did excell in glory 2 Cor. 3.10 To take a more particular view of the spirituall glory of the Gospell of Christ in those excellent ends and purposes for which it serveth First It is full of light to informe to comfort to guide those who sate in darknesse and the shadow of death into the way of peace Light was the first of all the creatures which were made and the Apostle magnifieth it for a glorious thing in those other luminaries which were after created 1 Cor. 15.41 How much more glorious was the light of the Gospell The Apostle calleth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A marvellous light and therefore the kingdome of the Gospell is exprest by light and glory together as termes of a promiscuous signification Esay 60.1 2 3. Of all other learning the knowledge of the Gospell doth infinitly excell in worth both in regard of the object thereof which is God manifested in the flesh and in regard of the end thereof which is flesh reconciled and brought unto God A knowledge which passeth knowledge a knowledge which bringeth fulnesse with it even all the fulnesse of God a knowledge so excellent that all other humane excellencies are but dung in comparison of it What Angell in heaven would trouble himselfe to busie his noble thoughts which have the glorious presence of God and the joyes of heaven to fill them with metaphysicall or mathematicall or philologicall contemplations which yet are the highest delicacies which humane reason doth fasten on to delight in And yet we finde the Angels in heaven with much greedinesse of speculation stoope downe and as it were turne away their eyes from that expressesse glory which is before them in heaven to gaze upon the wonderfull light and bottomlesse mysteries of the Gospell of Christ. In all other learning a Devill in hell the most cursed of all creatures doth wonderfully surpasse the greatest proficients amongst men but in the learning of the Gospell and in the spirituall revelations and evidences of the benefits of Christ to the soule from thence there is a knowledge which surpasseth the comprehension of any angell of darknesse for it is the Spirit of God onely which knoweth the things of God It was the devillish flout of Iulian the Apostate against Christian Religion that it was an illiterate rusticitie and a naked beliefe and that true polite learning did belong to him and his Ethnick faction and for that reason he interdicted Christians the use of Schooles and humane learning as things improper to their beleeving religion a persecution esteemed by the Ancients as cruel as the other bloudy massacres of his predecessors To which slander though the most learned Father might have justly returned the lye and given proofes both in the canonicall bookes of holy Scripture and in the professours of that religion of as profound learning as invincible argumentation and as forcible eloquence as in any Heathen Author for I dare challenge all the Pagan learning in the world to parallel the writings of Clemens of Alexandria Origen Iustin Tertullian Cyprian Minutius Augustine Theodoret Nazianzen and the other champions of Christian Religion against Gentilisme yet he rather chooseth thus to answer that that authoritie which the faith he so much derided was built upon came to the soule with more selfe-evidence and invincible demonstration than all the disputes of reason or learning of Philosophie could create Though therefore it were to the Iewes an offence as contrary to the honour of their Law and to the Greekes foolishnesse as contrary to the pride of their reason yet to those that were perfect it was an hidden and mysterious wisdome able to convince the gain-sayers to convert sinners to comfort mourners to give wisdome to the simple and to guide a man in all his wayes with spirituall prudence for what ever the prejudice of the world may be there is no man a wiser man nor more able to bring about those ends which his heart is justly set upon than hee who being acquainted with God in Christ by the Gospell hath the Father of wisedome the Treasurer of wisedome the Spirit of wisedome and the Law of wisedome to furnish him therewithall It is not for want of sufficiencie in the Gospell but for want of more intimate acquaintance and knowledge thereof in us that the children of this world are more wise in their generation than the children of light Secondly another glorious end and effect of the Gospell is to be a ministration of Righteousnesse a publication of a pardon to the world and that so generall that there is not one exception therein of any other sin than onely of the contempt of the pardon it selfe And in this respect likewise the Gospell exceeds in glory If the ministration of condemnation saith the Apostle bee glory much more doth the ministration of righteousnesse exceed in glory 2 Cor. 3.9 It is the glory of a man to passe by an offence and the Lord proclaimeth his glory to Moses in that he would forgive iniquitie transgression and sinne that is multitudes of sinnes and sinnes of all degrees Exod. 34.7 And thus the Lord magnifies his mercie and thoughts towards sinners above all the wayes and thoughts of men even as the heavens are higher than the earth because he can abundantly pardon or multiply forgivenesses upon those who forsake their wayes and turne to him Esay 55.7 8 9. and therefore justifying faith whereby we rely upon the power of God to forgive and subdue our sinnes is said to give glory to God Abraham staggered not at the Promise through unbeleefe but being strong in faith hee gave glory to God namely the glory of his power and fidelity Rom. 4.20 21. Ye shall not bring this congregation into the Land which I have given them saith the Lord to Moses and Aaron because yee beleeved me not to sanctifie mee in the eyes of the children of Israel that is to give me the glory of my power and truth for to sanctifie the Lord of hoasts signifieth to glorifie his power by fearing him
it It cannot be that a creature should of it selfe and out of the corruption of its owne reason and judgement choose to relinquish the service of him to whom it is naturally and unavoidably subject and by that meanes become altogether unprofitable abominable and unfit for the Masters use and for those holy ends to which it was originally ordered but it must withall incurre the displeasure and thereupon provoke the revenge of that righteous Creator who out of great reasons had put it under such a service Fifthly By all this which hath hitherto beene spoken it appeares that God is not unjust but most holy and righteous First in making a Law for man to observe when hee forbade the eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evill to shew that man had nothing by personall immediate and underived right but all by donation and indulgence Any Law God might justly make the obedience whereof hee gave the creature an originall power to performe by reason of the naturall and necessary subjection of the creature unto him Secondly in annexing a curse and penalty to the violation of that Law which for the declaration of his glorious justice hee might most righteously doe because of the inevitable demerit or liablenesse unto censure from the disobedience of that Law resulting Thirdly in making man in such a mutable condition as in the which he might stand or fall by his owne election because hee would be obeyed by judgement and free choice not by fatall necessitie or absolute determination Sixthly here then comes in the fall of man being a wilfull or chosen transgression of a Law under the precepts whereof he was most justly created and unto the malediction wherof he was as necessarily righteously subject if hee transgressed for as by being Gods creature he was subject to his will so by being his prisoner he was as justly subject unto his wrath and that so much the more by how much the precept was more just the obedience more easie the transgression more unreasonable and the punishment more certaine Now by this fall of man there came great mischiefe into the world and intolerable injury was done by the Creature to him that made him First his dominion and authoritie in his holy command was violated Secondly his justice truth and power in his most righteous threatnings were despised Thirdly his most pure and perfect Image wherein man was created in righteousnesse and true holinesse was utterly defaced Fourthly his glory which by an active service the creature should have brought unto him was lost and despoiled So that now things will not returne to their primitive order and perfection againe till these two things be first effected First a Satisfaction of Gods justice And secondly a Reparation of mans nature which two must needs be effected by such a middle and common person as hath both zeale towards God that he may be satisfied and compassion toward man that he may be repaired such a person as having mans guilt and punishment on him translated may satisfie the justice of God and as having a fulnesse of Gods Spirit and holinesse in him may sanctifie and repaire the nature of man And this person is the Priest here spoken of by David Here the learned frame a kinde of conflict in Gods holy Attributes and by a libertie which the Holy Ghost from the language of holy Scripture alloweth them they speake of God after the manner of men as if he were reduced unto some straits and difficulties by the crosse demands of his severall attributes Justice called upon him for the condemnation of a sinfull and therefore worthily accursed creature which demand was seconded by his truth to make good that threatning In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death Mercy on the other side pleaded for favour and compassion towards man wofully seduced and overthrowne by Satan and peace for reconcilement and pacification betweene an offended Judge and an undone creature Hereupon the infinite wisdome and counsell of the blessed Trinitie found out a way which the Angels of heaven gaze on with admiration and astonishment how to reconcile these different pleas of his attributes together A Priest then is resolv'd upon one of the same blessed Trinitie who by his Fathers ordination his owne voluntary susception and the holy Spirits sanctification should be fitted for the businesse He was to be both a Surety and a Head over sinfull men to suffer their punishments and to sanctifie their natures in the relation of a surety to pay mans debt unto God and in the relation of an Head to restore Gods Image unto man and thus in him mercie and truth have met together righteousnesse and peace have kissed each other Psal. 85.10 So then the necessitie which man fallen hath of this Priest here spoken of is grounded upon the sweet harmony and mutuall kisses of Gods Mercy Truth Righteousnesse and Peace which will more distinctly appeare by considering three things First God did purpose not utterly to destroy his creature and that principally for these two reasons as we may observe out of the Scriptures First his owne free and everlasting love and that infinite delight which he hath in mercy which disposeth him abundantly to pardon and to exercise loving kindnesse in the earth Mic. 7.18 Exod. 34.6 7. Psalm 103.8 Esay 55.7 Ier. 9.24 Secondly his delight to be actively glorified by his creatures voluntary service and subjection Herein is my Father glorified that you beare much fruit Iohn 15.8 I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that hee turne from his way and live Ezek. 33.11 He delighteth most in unbloudy conquests when by his patience goodnesse and forbearance he subdueth the hearts affections and consciences of men unto himselfe so leading them unto repentance and bringing downe their thoughts unto the obedience of Christ he loveth to see things in their primitive rectitude and beautie and therefore esteemeth himselfe more glorified in the services than in the sufferings of men Hee loveth to have a Church and generation of men which shall serve him in the middest of all his enemies The Lord loveth the gates of Sion more than all the dwellings of Iacob Psalm 87.2 namely because hee was there more solemnely worshipped and served And therefore he resolved not to destroy all men lest there should be no Religion upon the earth When the Angels fell they fell not all many were still left to glorifie him actively in their service of him but when Adam fell all mankinde fell in him so that there was no tree of this Paradise left to bring forth any fruit unto God and this is most certaine God had rather have his trees for fruit than for fuell and for this reason he was pleased to restore mankinde againe These are the causes why the Lord would not utterly destroy man but these alone shew not the necessitie of a Priest to come betweene God and man
in dying rising and reviving he became Lord both of the dead and living Rom. 14.9 Revel 5.12 And thus he is Lord in two respects First A Lord in Power and strength Power to forgive sinnes Power to quicken whom hee will Power to cleanse justifie and sanctifie Power to succor in temptations Power to raise from the dead Power to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him Power to hold fast his sheepe Power to cast out the accuser of the brethren Power to put downe all his enemies and to subdue all things unto himselfe Secondly A Lord in Authoritie To judge to anoint to imploy to command whom and what hee will He onely is Lord over our persons over our faith over our consciences To him onely we must say Lord save us lest wee perish to him onely wee must say Lord what will thou have me to doe And such a Lord Christ was to his owne fore-fathers They all did eate of the same Spirituall meate and all dranke of the same Spirituall drinke even of that rock which was Christ 1 Cor. 10.3 4. He was the substance of the Ceremonies the Doctrine of the Prophets the accomplishment of the Promises the joy and salvation of Patriarchs and Princes the desire and expectation of all flesh The Gospell to us a History and narration and therefore delivered by the hand of witnesses to them a promise and prediction and therefore delivered by the hand of Prophets The Apostles entered into the Prophets Labours and were servants in the same common salvation these as sowers and they as reapers these as preachers of the seed hoped and they as preachers of the same seed exhibited The ancient Iewes then were not saved by bare temporall promises neither was their faith ultimately fixed upon Ceremonies or earthly things but as their preachers had the same Spirit of Christ with ours so the Doctrine which they preached the faith and obedience which they required the salvation which they foretold was the same with ours As the same Sun illightens the starres above and the earth beneath so the same Christ was the Righteousnesse and salvation both of his fore-fathers and of his seed They without us could not be made perfect that is as I conceive their faith had nothing actually extant amongst themselves to perfect it but received all its forme and accomplishment from that better thing which was provided for and exhibited unto us For the Law that is the carnall Commandement and outward Ceremonies therein prescribed made nothing no grace no person perfect but the bringing in of a better hope that is of Christ who as hee is unto us the hope of glory so hee was unto them the hope of deliverance for he alone it is by whom wee draw nigh unto God doth perfect for ever those that are sanctified Heb. 7.19 Heb. 10.14 If Christ then be our Lord wee must trust in him and depend upon him for all our present subsistence and our future expectations For he never faileth those that wait upon him He that beleeveth in him shall not bee ashamed And indeed faith is necessary to call Christ Lord. No man can call Iesus Lord but by the Spirit Because other Lords are present with us they doe with their own eye oversee and by their owne visible power order and direct us in their service But Christ is absent from our senses Though I have knowne Christ after the flesh yet henceforth saith the Apostle know I him no more Therefore to feare and honor and serve him with all fidelity to yeeld more absolute and universall obedience to his commands though absent though tenderd unto us by the Ministerie of meane and despicable persons than to the threates and Scepters of the greatest Princes to labour that not only present but absent we may bee accepted of him to doe his hardest workes of selfe-deniall of overcomming and rejecting the assaults of the World of standing out against principalities powers and spirituall wickednes of suffering and dying in his service needs must there bee faith in the hart to see him present by his Spirit to set to our seale to the truth authoritie and Majesty of all his commands to heare the Lord speaking from heaven and to finde by the secret and powerfull revelations of his Spirit out of the word to the soule evident and invincible proofes of his living by the power of God and speaking mightily in the Ministery of his Word to our consciences Therefore when the Apostle had said Wee are absent from the Lord hee presently addes We walk by faith That is we labor to yeeld all service and obedience to this our Lord though absent because by faith which giveth presence to things unseen and subsistence to things that are yet but hoped wee know that hee is and that hee is a rewarder of those that diligently seeke him And indeed though every man call him Lord yet no man doth in truth and sincerity of heart so esteeme him but those who doe in this manner serve him and by faith walke after him If I be a Master saith the Lord where is my feare Malach. 1.6 It is not every one that saith Lord Lord but hee that doth my will that trembleth at my word that laboureth in my service who declares himselfe to be mine indeed For the heart of man cannot have two Masters because which way ever it goes it goes whole and undivided Wee cannot serve Christ and any thing else which stands in Competition with him First because they are Contrary Masters one cannot bee pleased or served without the disallowance of the other The Spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy that is grudgeth and cannot endure that any service should be done to the Lord. For the Friendship of the World is enmitie against God Iam. 4.4 5. And therefore saith the Apostle If any man love the World the love of the Father is not in him and the reason is because they are contrarie principles and have contrary Spirits and lusts and therefore must needs over-rule unto contrary services Secondly because both Masters have employments enough to take up a whole man Satan and the World have lusts to fill the whole head and heart of their most active and industrious servants for the Apostle saith that all which is in the World is lusts And the heart of man is wholy or most greedily set in him to doe that evill which it is tasked withall Eccle. 8.11 The all that is in man all his faculties all his affections the whole Compasse of his created abilities are all gone aside or turned backward there is no man no part in man that doth any good no not one Psal. 14.3.53.3 Christ likewise is a great Lord hath much more businesse than all the time or strength of his Servants can bring about Hee requireth the obedience of every thought of the heart 2 Cor. 10.5 Grace and edification and profit in all the words
of their profession is not any experimentall goodnesse which they have tasted in him for by nature men have no relish of Christ at all but onely selfe-love and private ends wherby Christ is subordinated to their owne commodities Men are herin just like the Samaritans of whom Iosephus reports that when Antiochus persecuted the Iewes they then utterly disavowed any consanguinity with them denied their Temple on mount Gerosim to be dedicated to the great God and declared their linage from the Medes and Persians but when before that Alexander had shewed favour unto the Iewes and remitted the tribute of every seventh yeare they then claim'd kindred with that people and counterfeited a descent from the tribes of Ephraim and Manasse that thereby they might enjoy the priviledges of those people whom otherwise they mortally hated And so we finde that in the Vastation of the Citie of Rome by the Gothes and Barbarians when there was but one onely refuge allowed the Romanes for the safety of their lives namely to fly unto the Christians Churches those very enemies of Christ and his profession who before had persecuted him and after returned to their malice againe were yet then as hasty to fly unto his Temples and to assume the Title of his Servants as they were after ungratefully malitious in reproaching Christian Religion as if that had been the provocation of those calamities And may we not still observe amongst Christians at this day many men who contrary to the evidence of their judgment and peace of their consciences conforme themselves unto the vanities courses companies of this evill world and like cowards are affraid to adventure on a rigorous and universall subjection to the truth of Christ dare not keepe themselves close to those narrow rules of S. Paul to abstaine from jesting which is not seemly to avoid all appearances of evill to reprove the unfruitfull workes of darknesse to speake unto Edification that their words may minister grace unto the hearers to rejoyce alwayes in the Lord to give place unto wrath to recompence evill with good to be circumspect and exact in their walking before God and all this meerly out of suspicion of some disrespect and disadvantages which may hereupon meete them in the world of some remoraes and stoppage in the order of those projects which they have contrived for their private ends Now if such purposes as these doe staâ—tle men from a punctuall and rigorous profession of the Gospell of Christ and his most holy wayes notwithstanding our vow in Baptisme doe as strictly binde us therunto as unto the externall title of Christianity suppose we that the same or greater disadvantages should now as in the primitive times attend at the naked and outward profession of Christ would not such men as these fall into downright apostacy and deny the Lord that bought them certainly our Savior hath so resolv'd that case in the very best sort of unregenerate men noted in the stony ground when times of persecution happen that they are brought to the triall who it was whom in their profession they loved Christ or themselves the excellencie of the knowledge of him or the secure enjoyment of secular contentments they will then certainly fall away and be offended Matt. 13.21 so profound and unsearchable is the deceitfull heart of man that by that very reason for which men contend for the outward face and profession of Religion because they love their pleasures and profits which without such a profession they cannot peaceably enjoy they are deterred from a close spirituall and universall obedience to the power thereof because thereby likewise those pleasures and profits are kept within such rules of moderation as the nature of a boundlesse and unsatisfiable lust will not admit This is a certaine rule in love that the motions and desires thereof are strong and therefore in any thing which the soule loves it therin strives for excellency and perfection and this rule holds most true in religion because when the soâ—â—e loves that it loves it under the apprehension of the greatest good and therefore by consequence sets the strongest and most industrious desires of the soule upon it Therefore the Apostle saith that the Love of Christ namely that love of him which is by the Holy Ghost shed abroad in our hearts constraineth us to live unto him and to aspire after him who died for us and rose againe Love is as strong as death it will take no deniall It is the wing and weight of the soule which fixeth all the thoughts and carrieth all the desires unto an intimate unitie with the thing it loves stirreth up a zeale to remove all obstacles which stand betweene it worketh a languor or failing of nature in the want of it a liquefaction and softnesse of nature to receive the impressions of it an egresse of the Spirits and as it were an hast of the soule to meet and entertaine it Whence those expressions of the Saints in holy Scripture Comfort me with apples stay me with flagons for I am sick of love my soule breaketh for the longing which it hath unto thy judgments at all times The desire of our soule is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee My soule thirsteth for God yea for the living God when shall I come and appeare before God We that have the first fruit of the Spirit groane within our selves waiting for the adoption even the redemption of our Bodies O that my wayes were directed that I might keepe thy commandements with my whole heart have I sought thee I have stuck unto thy testimonies I will delight my selfe in thy commandements thy statutes have been my songs my soule fainteth for thy salvation c. By all which we see that a true love of Christ doth excite strong desires and an earnest aspiring and ambition of the soule to walke in all well-pleasing and to be in all things conformable unto him What the Apostle saith of Spirituall hope we may truly say of love which is the fundamentall affection and root of all the rest He that hath it indeed in him purgeth himselfe even as Christ is pure The Love of the World and the things and lusts of the world may indeed consist with the formall profession but no way with the truth or power of a true love to Christ or his government For love is ever the principle and measure of all our actions such as it is such likewise wil they be too Fourthly something like love there may be in naturall men unto Christ grounded upon the historicall assurance and perswasion of his being now in glory attended by mightie Angels filled with all the treasures of wisdome knowledge grace power and other excellent attributes which can attract love even from an enemie and that he hath and still doth procure such good things for mankinde in their deliverance from the guilt of sin and from the wrath to come as of which might
his graces unto it Psalm 42.3 105.4 2 Cor. 5.2 2 Tim. 4.8 Phil. 1.23 Cant. 3.1 2. Cant. 5 6-8 Gen. 49.18 Psal. 119.131 Cant. 1.4 2.4 Cant. 7.5 Ion. 14 21-23 Revel 3.20 Having thus by occasion of the enemies of Christ spoken something of the true and false Love which is in the world towards him we now proceed to the particulars mentioned before And the first is the terme of Duration or measure of time in the Text Vntill It hath a double relation in the words unto Christs Kingdome and unto his Enemies As it looks to the kingdome of Christ it denotes both the Continuance and the Limitation of his kingdome The continuance of it in his owne person for it is there fixed and intransient He is a King without successours as being subject to no mortality nor defect which might be by them supplied The kingdome of Christ as I observed is either Naturall as he is God or Dispensatory and by Donation from the Father as he is Mediator and not onely of the former but even of this likewise the Scripture affirmes that it is Eternall It is a kingdome set up by the God of heaven and yet it shall never be destroyed but stand for ever Dan. 2.44 I have set my King upon my holy hill of Sion that notes the unction and donation Psalm 2.6 and in mount Sion where God hath set him hee shall reigne from henceforth even for ever Mic. 4.7 Though hee be a childe borne and a sonne given yet of the encrease of his government and peace there shall be no end upon the throne of David and upon his Kingdome to order it and to establish it with judgement and justice from henceforth for ever and ever Esay 9.6 7. unto the Sonne hee saith Thy throne O God is for ever and ever Heb. 1.8 And here wee must distinguish betweene the substance of Christs kingdome and the forme or manner of administring and dispencing it In the former respect it is absolutely eternall Christ shall bee a head and rewarder of his members an everlasting Father a Prince of peace unto them for ever In the latter respect it shall be Eternall according to some acception that is it shall remaine untill the consummation of all things as long as there is a Church of God upon the earth there shall be no new way of spirituall and essentiall government prescribed unto it no other Vicar Successour Monarch or Vsurper upon his office by God allowed but he onely by his Spirit in the dispensation of his ordinances shall order and over-rule the consciences of his people and subdue their enemies yet he shall so reigne till then as that hee shall then cease to rule in such manner as now hee doth when the end comes hee shall deliver up the kingdome to God the Father and when all things shall be subdued unto him he also himselfe shall be subject unto him that put all things under him that God may be all in all 1 Cor. 15 24-28 He shall so returne it unto God as God did conferre and as it were appropriate it unto him namely in regard of judiciary dispensation and execution in which respect our Saviour saith that as touching the present administration of the Church The Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgement and hath given authority to execute it unto his Sonne Ioh. 4.22 27. Now Christ governeth his Church by the ministery of his Word and Sacraments and by the effusion of his Spirit in measure and degrees upon his members by his mightie though secret power he fighteth with his enemies and so shall doe till the resurrection of the dead when death the last enemie shal be overcome and then in these respects his kingdome shall cease for he shall no more exercise the offices of a Mediator in compassionating defending interceding for his Church but yet he shall still sit and reigne for ever as God coequall with his Father and shall ever be the Head of the Church his body Thus we see though Christs kingdome in regard of the manner of dispensation and present execution thereof it be limited by the consummation of all things yet in it selfe it is a kingdom which hath neither within the seeds of mortality nor without the danger of a concussion but in the substance is immortall though in regard of the commission and power which Christ had as Mediator to administer it alone by himselfe and by the fulnesse of his Spirit it be at last voluntarily resigned into the hands of the Father and Christ as a part of that great Church become subject to the Father that God may bee all in all Now the grounds of the Constancy of Christs government over his Church and by consequence of the Church it selfe which is his kingdome are amongst others these First the Decree and promise of God sealed by an oath which made it an adamantine and unbended purpose which the Lord would never repent of nor reverse All Gods Counsels are immutable though he may alter his workes yet he doth never change his will but when he sealeth his Decree with an oath that makes their immutability past question or suspition In that case it is impossible for God to change because it is impossible for God to lye or deny himselfe Hebr. 6.18 Now upon such a Decree is the Kingdome of Heaven established Once have I sworne by my Holinesse that I will not lye unto David saith the Lord Psal. 89.35 Once that notes the constancie and fixednesse of Gods promise By my Holinesse that notes the inviolablenesse of his promise as if he should have said Let me no longer be esteemed an Holy God than I keepe immutably that Covenant which I have sworne unto David in my truth Secondly the free gift of God unto his Sonne Christ whereby he committed all power and judgement unto him And Power is a strong argument to prove the Stability of a kingdome especially if it bee on either side supported with wisedome and righteousnesse as the power of Christ is And therefore from his power hee argues for the perpetuitie of his Church to the end of the world All power is given mee in heaven and earth Goe yee therefore and preach the Gospell to all nations and loe I am with you alwayes to the end of the world Matth. 28 18-20 And the argument is very strong and emphaticall for though kingdomes of great power have beene and may be subdued yet the reason is because much power hath still remained in the adverse side or if they have beene too vast for any smaller people to root out yet having not either wisdome enough to actuate so huge a frame or righteousnesse to prevent or purge out those vitious humours of emulation sedition luxury injustice violence and impietie which like strong diseases in a body are in states the preparations and seminaries of mortalitie they have sunke under their owne weight and beene inwardly corrupted by their
owne vices But now first the power of Christ in his Church is universall there is in him all power and no weaknesse no power without him or against him and therefore no wonder if from a fulnesse of power in him and an emptinesse in his enemies the argument of continuance in his kingdome doth infallibly follow for what man if hee were furnished with all sufficiencie would suffer himselfe to be mutilated and dismembred as Christ should if any thing should prevaile against the Church which is his fulnesse Againe this power of Christ is supported with wisdome it can never miscarry for any inward defect for the wisdome is proportionable to the power this All power and that All the treasures of wisdome Power able by weaknesse to confound the things which are mighty and wisdome able by foolishnesse to bring to nought the understanding of the prudent and both these are upheld by righteousnesse which is indeed the very soule and sinewes of a kingdome upon which the thrones of Princes are established and which the Apostle makes the ground of the perpetuitie of Christs kingdome Thy throne O God is for ever and ever a scepter of righteousnesse is the scepter of thy kingdome Hebr. 1.8 Thirdly the quality of Christs kingdome is to be a Growing kingdome though the originals thereof be but like a graine of mustard-seed or like Eliahs cloud to a humane view despicable and almost below the probabilities of subsistence the object rather of derision than of terrour to the world yet at last it groweth into a widenesse which maketh it as catholike as the world And therefore that which the Prophet David speakes of the Sunne the Apostle applies to the Gospell Rom. 10.18 to note that the Circle of the Gospell is like that of the Sunne universall to the whole world It is such a kingdome as groweth into other kingdomes and eats them out The little stone in Nebuchadnezzars vision which was the Kingdome of Christ for so Ierusalem is called a stone Zech. 12.3 brake in peeces the great Monarchies of the earth and grew up into a great mountaine which filled the world Dan. 2.34 35. for the kingdomes of the earth must become the kingdomes of the Lord and of his Christ Revel 11.15 Therefore the Prophets expresse Christ and his kingdome by the name of a Branch which groweth up for a standard and ensigne of the people Esay 11.1.10 Zech. 3.8 A branch which growes but never withers It hath no principles of death in it selfe and though it be for a while subject to the assaults of adversaries and forren violence yet that serves onely to trie it and to settle it but not to weaken or overturne it The gates of hell all the powers policies and lawes of darknesse shall never prevaile against the Church of Christ he hath bruized and judged and trodden downe Satan under our feet He hath overcome the world he hath subdued iniquitie hee hath turned persecutions into seminaries and resurrections of the Church he hath turned afflictions into matters of glory and of rejoycing so that in all the violence which the Church can suffer it doth more than conquer because it conquers not by repelling but by suffering And this shewes the sacrilege and sawcinesse of the Church of Rome which in this point doth with a double impiety therefore pervert the Scriptures that it may derogate from the honour of Christ and his kingdome And those things which are spoken of the infallibility authority and fulnesse of power which Christ hath in his body of the stability constancie and universalitie of his Church upon earth doth arrogate onely to the Pope and his See at Rome As the Donatists in S. Augustines time from that place of the Spouse in the Canticles Tell me O thou whom my soule loveth where thou feedest where thou makest thy flocke to rest in Meridie excluded all the world from being a Church save onely a corner of Africa which was at that time the nest of those hornets So because Christ sayes his Church is built upon a rocke and the gates of hell shall not prevaile against it therefore the Romanists from hence conclude all these priviledges to belong to them and exclude all the famous Churches of the world besides from having any communion with Christ the Head That scornefull expostulation which Harding makes with that renowned and incomparable Bishop under whose hand hee was no more able to subsist than a whelpe under the paw of a Lion shall wee now change the song of Micheas the Prophet Out of Sion shall come the Law and the Word of the Lord from Ierusalem and sing a new song out of Wittenberg is come the Gospell and the Word of the Lord from Zurich and Geneva may most truely and pertinently be retorted upon himselfe and his faction who boldly curse and exclude all those Christian Churches from the body of Christ and the hope of salvation who will not receive lawes from Rome nor esteeme the Cathedrall determinations of that Bishop though haply in himselfe an impure diabolicall and intolerable beast as by their owne confessions many of them have beene to be notwithstanding the infallible Edicts of the Spirit of God and as undoubtedly the Word of Christ as if S. Peter or Saint Paul had spoken it an arrogancie than which there is scarce any more expresse and characteristicall note to discerne Antichrist by It is true that Christs regal power doth alwaies shew forth it selfe in upholding his Catholike Church and in revealing unto it out of his sacred Word such necessary truths as are absolutely requisite unto its being and salvation but to binde this power of Christ to one man and to one See as if like the Pope he were infallible only in S. Peters chaire is the meere figment of pride and ambition without any ground at all raised out of a heape and aggregation of monstrous presumptions of humane and some most disputable others most false conceits of which though there be not the least vestigia in sacred Scriptures yet must they be all first wrested in for indubitate principles and laid for sure foundations before the first stone of Papall authoritie can bee raised As first that the externall and visible regiment of the whole Church is Monarchicall and that there must be a predominant mistresse Church set over all the rest to which in all points they must have recourse and to whose decisions they must conforme without any hesitancie or suspition at all whereas the Apostle tels us that the unity of the Church is gathered by many Pastors and Teachers Eph. 4.11 12 13. for as if severall needles bee touched by so many severall Loadstones all which have the selfe-same specificall vertue in them they doe all as exactly bend to one and the same point of heaven as if they had beene thereunto qualified by but one so in as much as Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastors Teachers come all instructed with one and
the same spirituall truth and power towards the Church therefore all the faithfull who are any where by these multitudes of Preachers taught what the truth is in Iesus doe all by the secret sway and conduct of the same Spirit of Grace whose peculiar office it is to guide his Church in all necessary and saving truth with an admirable consent of heart and unitie of judgement incline to the same end and walke in the same way acknowledging no monarch over their consciences but CHRIST nor any other ministeriall application of his regall power in the Catholike Church but onely by severall Bishops and Pastours who in their severall particular compasses are endowed with as plenary and ample ministeriall power as the Pope and his Consistorie within the See of Rome Secondly that Peter was Prince and Monarch Rocke and Head in this Vniversall Church and that hee alone was custos clavium and all this in the vertue of Christs promise and commission granted unto him Thou art Peter and upon this Rocke will I build my Church feed my sheep feed my Lambs unto thee will I give the Keyes of the kingdome of heaven In which respect Baronius calleth him Lapidem primarium the chiefe stone and againe though Christ saith hee bee the Author and moderator of his Church yet the Princedome and Monarchie hee hath confer'd upon Peter and therefore as no man can lay any other foundation than that which is layd namely Christ so no man can lay any other than that which Christ hath layd namely Peter And it is wonderfull to consider what twigs and rushes they catch at to hold up this their monarchy Because Peter did preach first therfore he is Monarch of the Church By which reasō his monarchie is long since expir'd for his pretended successors scarce preach at all And yet if that may bee drawen to any argument it proves onely that hee was Lapis primus the first in order and in forwardnesse to preach Christ as it became him who had three times denied him but not Lapis primarius the chiefe in dignity and jurisdiction over the rest◠and why should it not bee as good an argument to say that Iames had the dignity of precedence before Peter because Paul first names Iames and then Cephas and that in a place where hee particularly singles them out as pillars and principall men in the Church as to say that Peter hath jurisdiction over Iames and the rest because in their Synods and assemblies hee was the chiefe speaker Because Peter cured the lame man that sate at the gate of the Temple therfore hee is universall monarch By which reason likewise Paul who in the selfe same manner cured a creeple at Lystra should fall into competitiō with Peter for his share in the monarchie But the people there were not so acute disputants as these of Rome for though they saw what Paul had done yet they concluded the dignity and precedence for Barnabas they called him Iupiter and Paul Mercury Againe because Peter pronounced sentence upon Ananias therfore hee is monarch of the universall Church and why Paul should not here likewise come in for his share I know not for hee also passed judgment upon Elimas the sorcerer and we no where finde that hee derived his authority or had any commission from Peter to doe so And surely if by the same Apostolicall and infallible Spirit of Christ which they both immediatly received from Christ himselfe S. Paul did adjudge Elimas to blindnesse by the which S. Peter adjudged Ananias to death I see not how any logick from a parity of actions can conclude a disparity of persons except they will say that it is more monarchicall to adjudge one to death than another to blindnesse Againe because Peter healed the sick by his shaddow therefore Peter is monarch of the universall Church and even in this point Paul likewise may hold on his competition for why is not the argument as good that Paul is Monarch of the Church because the handkerchiefs and aprons which came from his body did cure diseases and cast out Divels as that Peter is therefore monarch because by the overshaddowing of his body the sick were healed But the truth is there is no more substance in this argument for Peters principality than there is for their supposed miraculous vertue of images and relicks of Saints because the shaddow which was the image of Peter did heale the sick for that also is the Cardinals great argument Againe because Peter was sent to Samaria to confirme them in the faith and to lay hands on them that they might receive the holy Ghost and to confound Simon Magus the sorcerer therfore hee is primate of the Catholike Church and hath monarchicall jurisdiction And yet the Pope is by this time something more monarchicall than Peter for he would thinke skorne to bee sent as an Ambassador of the Churches from Rome to the Indians amongst whom his Gospell hath been in these latter ages preached and doubtlesse they would bee something more confirmed than they are by the soveraigne vertue of his prayers and presence But alas what argument is it of monarchie to be sent by others in a message and that too not without an associate who joyned with him in the confirmation of that Church and if the confuting or cursing of Simon Magus were an argument of primacy why should not S. Pauls cursing of Elimas and Hymeneus and Alexander and S. Iohns of Cerinthus be arguments of their primacie likewise Againe because Paul went up to Ierusalem to see Peter therefore Peter was monarch of the Catholick Church And why should not by this argument Elizabeth bee concluded a greater woman than the virgin Marie and indeed the lady of all woman because the blessed Virgin went up into the hill countrie of Iudea and entred into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elizabeth but wee finde no argument but of equality in the Text for hee went to see him as a brother but not to doe homage to him or receive authority from him as a monarch else why went he not up immediately to Ierusalem but staied three years and preached the Gospell by the commission hee had received from Christ alone and how came S. Paul to bee so free or S. Peter to bee so much more humble than any of his pretended successors as the one to give with boldnesse the other with silence and meeknesse to receive so sore a reproofe in the face of all the brethren as many yeares after that did passe betweene them Certainly S. Paul in so long time could not but learne to know his distance and in what manner to speake to his monarch and primate By these particulars wee see upon what sandy foundation this vast and formidable Babel of Papall usurpation and power over the Catholike Church is erected which yet upon the matter is the sole principle of Romish religion upon which all their
enemies of Christ. They are before him as nothing lesse than nothing the drop of a bucket the dust of a ballance a very little thing What thing is heavier than a mountaine what thing easier than a touch what lighter than chaffe or softer than wax and yet they who in the eyes of men are as strong and immoveable as mountaines if God but touch them they shall bee turned into chaffe and flow at his presence If a man had a deadly pestilence and of infallible infection how easily might that man be avenged on his enemy with but breathing in his face Now the breath of the Lord is like a streame of brimstone to devoure the wicked As easily as fire consumeth flax or stubble as easily as poyson invadeth the spirits of the body as easily as a rod of iron breaketh in peeces a potters vessell as easily as a burdensome stone bruizeth that which it fals upon so and much more irresistibly doth the wrath of the Lord consume his enemies Not to insist long on so certaine and obvious a truth Farre easier wee know it is to destroy than to build up there is no such art required in demolishing as there is in erecting of an edifice those things which are long and difficultly growing up are suddenly extinguished Since therfore God had power and wisedome to make the creature no wonder if hee can most easily destroy him Againe Gods power is as it were set on by his jealousie and fury against sinners Anger wee know is the whetstone of strength in an equality of other termes it will make a man prevaile Nothing is able to stand before a fire which is once enrag'd Now Gods displeasure is kindled and breaketh forth into a flame against the sinnes of men Deut. 29.20 like a devouring Lion or a bereaved Beare like the implacable rage of a jealous man so doth the fire of the Lords revenge breake forth upon the enemies of his Sonne Adde hereunto our disposition and preparednesse for the wrath of God Strength it selfe may bee tired out in vaine upon a subject which is uncapable of any injury therefrom But if the paw of a Beare meet with so thinne a substance as the kall of a mans heart how easily is it torne to pieces Every action is then most speedily finished when the subject on which it workes is thereunto prepared Farre easier is it to make a print in wax than in Adamant to kindle a fire in dry stubble than in greene wood Now wicked men have fitted themselves for wrath and are the procurers and artificers of their owne destruction They are vessels and God is never without treasures of wrath so that the confusion of a wicked man is but like the drawing of water out of a fountaine or the filling of a bag out of a heape of treasure Lastly adde hereunto our destitutenesse of all helpe succor Even fire amongst pitch might bee quenched if a man could powre downe water in abundance upon it But the wicked shall have no strength either in or about them to prevent or remove the wrath to come Here indeed they have some helpes such as they are to stand out against God in his word Weatlh and greatnesse to bee the provisions of their lusts the countenance of the wicked world to encourage them in their wayes Satan and the wisedome of the flesh to furnish them with arguments and to cast a varnish upon uncleanesse but when the lion comes the shepheard can doe the sheepe no good when the fire comes the rotten post shall perish with the varnish which cover'd it Hee that was here strong enough to provoke God shall at last bee bound hand and foote and so have no faculty left either to resist him or to runne from him There is a foolish disposition in the hearts of men to thinke that they shall ever continue in that estate which they are once in The proud and wicked man hath said in his heart I shall never bee moved I shall never bee in adversity God hath forgotten hee hideth his face hee will never see it And the Prophet David was overtaken with this grosse error I said in my prosperity I shall never bee moved This was the vaine conceite of the foole in the gospell thou hast much laid up for many years take thine ease eate drinke and bee merry This ever hath been the language of secure and wicked men No evill shall come upon us I shall have peace though I walke in the imagination of mine heart To morrow shall bee as this day and much more abundant And so also in afflictions Hath the Lord forgotten to bee gratious and shut up his loving kindnesse in displeasure from day even to night wilt thou make an end of mee I said my hope is left and I am cut off for my part I shall never overcome such an affliction I shall never breake through such a pressure And both these come from want of faith touching the power of God to subdue all enemies under Christs feete If men would but consider how easily God can breake downe all their cobwebs and sweepe away their refuge of lies how easily hee can spoile them of all the provisions of their lusts and leave them like a lambe in a large place they would bee more fearfull of him and lesse dote upon things which will not profit they would take heed how they abuse their youth strength time abilities as if they had a spring of them all within themselves and consider that their good is not in their owne hand that the seithe can get as well through the greene grasse as the dry stubble that consuming fire can as well melt the hardest metall as the softest wax What is the reason why men in sore extremities make strong resolutions and vow much repentance and amendment of life and yet as soone as they are off from the rack returne againe to their vomit and wallow in their wonted lusts but because their sense made them feele that then which if they had faith they might still perceive and so still continue in the same good resolutions namely that Gods hand was neere unto them But what is not God a God afarre off as well as neere at hand doth not hee say of wicked men that in the fulnesse of their sufficiency they shall bee in straites cannot hee blast the corne in the blade in the harvest in the barne in the very mouth of the wicked Did hee not cut off Belshazzar in his cups and Herod in his robas and Babylon and Tyrus in their pride and Haman in his favor and Iezabel in her paint Have but faith enough to say I am a man and therefore no humane events should bee strange unto mee and even that one consideration may keepe a man from outrage of sinning It may bee I have abundance of earthly things yet am I still but a gilded potsheard It may bee I have
soule did before shelter whole flocks of evill affections when hee came out the tide was driven back the streame turned the center of his heart altered his forrest discovered his lusts scattered and subdued What ailes this man Hee hath but heard an houres discourse the same which others heare and their tide riseth the higher by it Certainly these Devils were not cast out these streames were not turned back but by the finger of God himselfe When the minister of Christ shall whisper in the ears of a dead man whom no thunder could have awakened and hee shall immediatly rise up and give glory to God when Christ shall call men to denie themselves to get above themselves to hate Father and Mother and Wife and Children and their owne life to sell all that they have to crucifie and be cruell to their owne members to pull out their right eyes to cut off their right hands to part from those sinnes which before they esteemed their choicest ornaments and from those too which before they made their chiefest support and subsistence to stand at defiance with the allurements or discouragements of the world to bee set up for signes and wonders for very proverbs of skorne and objects of hatred to those of their owne house to receive persecutions as rewards and entertaine them not with patience onely but with thankfulnesse and rejoicing to bee all their life long in the midst of enemies put to tedious conflicts with the powers of the world and of darknesse to beleeve things which they have not seen and to hope for things which they doe not know and yet maugre all this to refuse to consult with flesh and bloud to stand still more in awe of Gods word than of any other thing certainly that which with the voice of a weake man bringeth such great things to passe must needs bee Virga virtutis a Rod of strength A Rod like the Rod of Moses which can lead us through such seas as these to one whom wee have never seen nor knowen before Esai 55.5 Secondly the Gospell of Christ is a Rod of strength in the justification of men as it is Sceptrum Iustitiae a Scepter of Righteousnesse a word of reconciliation a Gospell of salvation a Law of the Spirit of life a ministration of the Spirit of life and of Righteousnesse an opening of prisons and a proclaiming of liberty unto captives in these respects likewise it is full of power There was a mighty power in the Law of God typified in those thundrings and terrors with which it was administred upon mount Sina the Apostle calleth it a Schoolmaster to scourge and drive us unto Christ and the Psalmist an iron Rod able to breake in pieces all the potsherds of the earth And we know boies in a Schoole doe not apprehend so much terror in the King as in their Master Yet in comparison of the Power of the Gospell the Law it selfe was very weake and unprofitable able to make nothing perfect The Power of the Law was onely to destruction the Power of the Gospell for edification The Law could onely hold under him that was downe before it could never raise him up againe Now the power is farre greater to raise than to kill to forgive sinnes than to bind them Herein is the mighty strength of Gods mercy seen that it can passe by iniquities transgressions and sinnes To preach the Gospell of Christ in his name and authority is an evident argument of that plenary power which is given unto him both in heaven and earth And the very dispensing of this word of reconciliation which is committed unto the Ministers of the Gospell how basely soever the ungratefull world may esteeme of them hath honored them with a title of as great power as a man is capable of to bee called Saviors to have the custodie of the keyes of heaven ministerially and instrumentally under Christ and his Spirit to save the soules and to cover the sinnes of men Now then that word which from the mouth of a weake man is able to reconcile a child of wrath unto God and by the words of one houre to cover and wipe out the sinnes of many yeares which were scattered as thick in the soules of men as the starres in the firmament must needs bee virga virtutis a Rod of strength Thirdly the Gospell of Christ is a Rod of strength in the sanctification of men as it is Sceptrum cum unctione a Scepter which hath ever an unction accompanying it As it is a Sanctifying Truth an heavenly teaching a forming of Christ in the soule a making of the heart as it were his Epistle by writing the Law therein and manifesting the power and image of Christ in the conscience If a man should touch a marble or adamant stone with a seale and taking it off should see the print of it left behinde hee could not but conceive some wonderfull and secret vertue to have wrought so strange an effect Now our hearts are of themselves as hard as the nether milstone when then a holy word so meekly and gently laid on upon them shall leave there an impression of its own puritie when so small a thing as a graine of mustard-seed shall transforme an earthy soule into its owne nature when the eyes and hands and mouth of Christ being in the ministerie of his word spread upon the eyes and hands and mouth of a Childe shall revive the same from death when by looking into a glasse wee shall not onely have a view of our owne faces but shall see them changed into the image of another face which from thence shineth upon us how can wee but conclude that certainly that word by which such wonders as these are effected is indeed virga virtutis a Rod of strength Fourthly the Gospell of Christ is a Rod of strength in the Perservation and Perseverance of the Saints as it is Virga germinans a Rod like Aarons Rod which blossomed and the blossomes perished not but remained in the Ark for a Testimony of Gods power For as those buds or the Manna in the Ark did not perish so neither doth the word of the Gospell in the hearts of the faithfull The Apostle saith that wee are kept by the power of God unto salvation and S. Iude that Gods power keepeth the Saints from falling and presenteth them faultlesse before the presence of his glory and what is this power of God whereby hee doth it but the Gospell of Christ which S. Peter calleth semen incorruptibile uncorruptible seed and the Spirit of Christ which S. Iohn calleth semen manens an abiding seed If I should see a tree with perpetuall fruit without any variation from the difference of seasons a tree like that in S. Iohns Paradise which every moneth did bring forth fruite of twelve severall kindes I should conclude that it had an extraordinary vitall power in it so
estate which shall be tendred unto them To admire adore and greedily embrace any termes of peace and reconciliation which shall be offered them To submit unto the righteousnesse and with all willing and meeke affection to bend the heart to the Scepter of Christ and to whatsoever forme of judicature and spirituall government he shall please to erect therein And this magnifies the strength of this Rod of Christs Kingdome that it maketh men yeeld upon any termes when we see the little stone grow into a mightie mountaine and eat into all the Kingdomes of the world when wee see Emperours and Princes submit their necks and scepters to a doctrine at first every where spoken against and that upon the words of a few despicable peâ—sons and that such a doctrine too as is diametrally contrary to the naturall constitution of the hearts of men and teacheth nothing but selfe-deniall and this for hope of reward from one whom they never saw and whom if they had seene they should have found by a naturall eye no beauty in him for which hee should bee desired and this reward too what-ever it be deferred for a long time and in the interim no ground of assurance to expect it but onely faith in himselfe that promiseth it and in the meane time a world of afflictions for his names sake How can we think that a world of wise and of great men should give eare most willingly unto such termes as these if there were not a demonstrative and constraining evidence of truth and goodnesse therein able to stop the mouths and to answer the objections of all gain sayers Of this point I have spoken more copiously upon another Scripture Secondly there is a Conviction unto condemnation of those who stand out against this saving power of the Gospell and Spirit of grace driving them from all their strong holds and constraining them perforce to acknowledge the truth which they doe not love Thus wee finde our Saviour disputing with the Jewes till no man was able to answer him a word and as he did so himselfe so hee promised that his messengers should doe so too I will give you a mouth and wisdome which all your adversaries shall not be able to gain-say nor resist And this promise wee finde made good the enemies of Steven were not able to resist the Spirit by which hee spake And Apollos mightily convinced the Jews shewing by the Scriptures that Jesus was Christ And this the Apostle numbreth amongst the qualifications of a Bishop that he should be able by sound doctrine to convince the gain-sayers and to stop the mouthes of those unruly deceivers whose businesse it is to subvert men for this is the excellent vertue of Gods Word that it concludeth or shutteth men in and leaveth not any gap or evasion of corrupted reason unanswered or unprevented Thus wee finde how the Prophets in their ministery did still drive the Jewes from their shifts and presse them with Dilemma's the inconveniences whereof they could on no side escape either there must be a fault in you or else in God who rebuketh you but now what iniquity saith the Lord have your fathers found in me that they are gone far from me Have I beene a wildernesse unto Israel or a land of darknesse wherefore say my people we are lords we will come no more unto thee O my people what have I done unto thee and wherein have I wearied thee testifie against mee I raised up of your sonnes for Prophets and of your young men for Nazarites Is it not even thus O yee children of Israel Here the Scripture useth that figure which is called by the Rhetoritians Communicatio a debating and deliberation with the adverse party an evidencing of a cause so cleerely as that at last a man can challenge the adversary himselfe to make such a determination as himselfe shall in reason judge the merits of the cause to require How shall I pardon thee for this and how shall I doe for the daughters of my people Set me in a way determine the controversie your selves and I will stand to the issue which your owne consciences shall make O inhabitants of Ierusalem and men of Iudah judge I pray you betweene me and my Vineyard that is doe you your selves undertake the deciding of your owne cause When a band of armed men came against Christ to attach him and at the pronouncing but of two words I am he fell all downe backward to the earth we must needs confesse that there was some mightie power and evidence of Majesty in him that uttered them what thinke wee can he doe when hee raigneth and judgeth the world who did let out so much power when he was to die and to be judged by the world Now Christ raigneth and judgeth the world by his Word and that more mightily after his ascending up on high and therefore he promiseth his Apostles that they should doe greater workes than himselfe had done When I shall see a man armed with scorne against Christ in his Word standing proudly upon the defence of his owne wayes by his owne wisdome and wrapping up himselfe in the mud of his owne carnall reasonings by a few postulata and deductions from Gods Word to bee enforced to stoppe his owne mouth to be condemned by his owne witnesse to betray his owne succours and to bee shut up in a prison without barres when I shall force such a man by the mighty penetration and invincible evidence of Gods Word to see in his owne conscience a hand subscribing to the truth which condemnes him and belying all those delusions which he had fram'd to deceive himselfe withall who can deny but that the rod of Gods mouth is indeed Virga virtutis a rod of strength an iron rod able to deale with all humane reasonings as a hammer with a potsherd which though to the hand of a man it may feele as hard as a rocke yet is too brittle to endure the blow of an iron rod Strange it is to observe how boldly men venture on sinnes under the names of custome or fashions or some other pretences of corrupted reason contrary to the cleere and literal evidence of holy Scriptures the most immediate and grammaticall sense whereof is ever soundest where there doth not some apparant and unavoidable errour in doctrine or mischiefe in manners follow thereupon Men will justifie the cause of the wicked for reward and by dexterity of wit put a better colour upon a worser businesse as hath beene observed of Protagoras and Carneades and yet the Lord saith expressely Thou shalt not speake in a cause to wrest judgement thou shalt keepe thee far from a false matter for God whom thou oughtest to imitate will not justifie the wicked Men will follow the sinfull fashions of the world in strange apparell in prodigious haire in lustfull and unprofitable expence of that pretious
generall motion from the supreme so in the motions of grace in the soule the proportion of all the rest a riseth frō the measure of our spirituall and saving light The more distinctly and throughly the spirit of a mans mind is convinc'd of the necessity beauty and gloriousnesse of heavenly things the more strong impressions therof wil be made upon all subordinate faculties for we move towards nothing without preceding apprehensions of its goodnes which apprehensions as they more seriously penetrate into the true and intimate worth of that thing so are the motions of the soule thereunto proportionably strengthen'd As the hinder wheeles in a Coach ever move as fast as the former which leade them so the subordinate powers of the soule are overrul'd in their maner measure of working towards grace by those spirituall representations of the truth and excellency thereof which are made in the understanding by the light of the Gospel Thus the Apostle telleth us that the excellency of the knowledge of Christ was that which made him so earnest to winne him the knowledge of the power of his resurrection and fellowship of his sufferings was that which made him reach forth and presse forward unto the marke and price of that high calling which was before him Thirdly the Glory of the Gospell of Christ with his Spirit may be considered in regard of the matters which are therin contain'd namely the Glory the Excellencies the Treasures of God himselfe We all saith the Apostle with open face behold as in a Glasse that is in the spirituall ministration of the Gospell having the veile of carnall stupidity taken away by the Spirit The glory of the Lord. What glory doe we here behold but that which a glasse is able to represent Now in speculo nisi imago non cernitur nothing can be seene in a glasse but the image of that thing which sheddeth forth its species thereupon and therefore he immediately addeth we are changed into the same image from glory to glory and he elsewhere putteth these two together Man is the image and the glory of God for nothing can have any thing of God in it any resemblance or forme of him but so farre it must needs be glorious But how doe we in the Gospell see the Image of God who is invisible The Apostle expresseth that else-where God who commanded the light to shine out of darknesse hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Iesus Christ. Christ is the Image and expresse Character of his Fathers glory as the impression in the wax is of the forme and fashion of the seale there is no excellencie in God which is not compleatly adequately and distinctly in Christ so that in that glasse wherin we may see him we may likewise see the glory of the Father Now the Gospell is the face of Iesus Christ that which as lively setteth forth his grace and Spirit to the soule as if he were present in the flesh amongst us Suppose we that a glasse could retaine a permanent and unvanishing species of a mans face within it though hee himselfe were absent might we not truly say this glasse is the face of that man whose image it so constantly retaineth So in asmuch as Christ is most exactly represented in his Gospell so that when we come into his personall and reall presence to know even as we are knowne we shall be able truely to say this is indeed the very person who was so long since in his Gospell exhibited to my faith sic ille manus sic ora gerebat it is therefore justly by the Apostle called the face of Iesus Christ and therefore the Glasse wherein we see the Image and glory of God as it is the same light which shineth from the Sunne upon a glasse and from a glasse upon a wall so it is the same glory which shineth from the Father upon the Sonne and from the Sonne upon the Gospell so that in the Gospell we see the unsearchable treasures of God because his treasures are in his Sonne Therefore that which is usually called Preaching the Gospell is in other places called Preaching the Kingdome and the riches of Christ to note the glory of those things which are in the Gospell revealed unto the Church It containeth the glory of Gods wisdome and that wisdome is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a manifold and various wisdome as the Apostle speaketh who therefore calleth Christ and his Gospell by the name of Wisdome wee preach Christ crucified to those that are called the power of God and the wisdome of God and we speake wisdome amongst them that are perfect wisdome to reconcile his owne attributes of mercy and truth righteousnesse and peace which by the fall of man seemed to be at variance among themselves wisdome in reconciling the world of obstinate and rebellious enemies unto himselfe wisdome in sanctifying the whole creation by the bloud of the crosse and repairing those ruines which the sinne of man had caused wisdome in concorporating Christ and his Church things in their owne distinct natures as unapt for mixture as fire and water in their remotest degrees wisdome in uniting the Iewes and Gentiles and reducing their former jealousies and disaffections unto an intimate fellowship in the same common mysteries In one word wisdome above the admiration of the blessed Angels in finding out a way to give greater satisfaction to his offended justice by shewing mercie and saving sinners than he could ever have received by either the confusion or annihilation of them It containeth the Glory of Gods goodnesse and mercy of that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good-will towards men which brought glory to God and to the earth peace for the Gospell is as it were a Love-token or commendatory Epistle of the Lord unto his Church God left not himselfe without witnesses of his care and evidences of some love even to those whom he suffered to walke in their owne wayes without any knowledge of his Gospell he did them good he gave them raine from heaven and fruitfull seasons so even they had experience of some of his goodnesse the goodnesse of his providence for hee is the Saviour of all men but the Gospell containeth all Gods goodnesse as a heape and miscellany of universall mercy I will make all my goodnesse passe before thee and I will proclaime the name of the Lord before thee and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and I will shew mercy to whom I will shew mercie Gods speciall and gracious mercy the mercy of his promises in Christ doth convey unto the soule an interest in all his goodnesse nay it maketh all things good unto us so that we may call them ours as gifts and legacies from Christ. He hath given to us all things that pertaine to life and godlinesse the world and life and death and things
more than men and by relying on him against the power and confederacies of men Esay 8.12 13. And therefore in the same argument touching the happinesse of the Saints if they suffer for righteousnesse sake or be reproched for the name of Christ Saint Peter useth in one place sanctifying of the Lord in our hearts and in another glorifying of him as termes equivalent And therefore unbeleefe is said to make God a lyar that is to dishonour him and to rob him of the glory of his truth And despaire to rob God of his mercy and to make the guilt of sinne greater than the power of God And therefore murmurers and unbeleevers are said to speake against God and to grieve him to tempt to limit him that is to call into question the glory of his power and truth Herein then consisteth another glorious effect of the Gospell of Christ that being a ministration of righteousnesse it is a glasse of that power truth mercy and fidelity of God which by faith we rest upon for the forgivenesse and subduing of sinne Thirdly another glorious end of the Gospell is to be a ministration and a law of life If the ministration of death saith the Apostle were glorious how shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious 2 Cor. 3.6 7 8. The Law alone by it selfe is towards sinners but a dead letter onely the rule according unto which a man ought to walke not any principle enabling him to walke If Moses alone should speake unto men he could onely tell them what they ought to doe hee could in no wise enable them to doe it nay further the Law hath occasionally from the sinne of man a malignant propertie in it to irritate and exasperate lust the more to beget an occasionall rage and fiercenesse in our nature As the Sunne shining on a dung-hill exhaleth noysome vapours and maketh it stinke the more But now the Gospell by the Spirit doth not onely teach but helpe too sheweth us what wee should doe and giveth us strength to doe it we doe not onely therein see the glory of God but are withall changed into the same Image even from glory to glory that is as I conceive from that allusion to a glasse the glory of the Lord shining upon the Gospell and from the Gospell shining upon our hearts doth change them into the Image of the same glory even as the glory of the Sunne shining upon a glasse and from that glasse reflecting on a wall doth therein produce a more extraordinary image of its owne light so that the Apostles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the same with the Poets è speculo in speculum from the glory of the Gospell which is one glasse of Gods Image there is shâ—ped the same glory in the heart which is another glasse of his Image This is that which the Apostle calleth the forming of Christ in the soule and the planting of it into the likenesse of his death and resurrection Fourthly it is a glorious Gospell in the Iudicature thereof The Spirit iâ— the Gospell doth convince not of righteousnesse onely but of Iudgement too that is the Spirit shall erect a throne in the hearts of men shall pull downe the prince of this world and dispossesse him shal enable mens owne hearts to proceed like upright Iudges with truth and with victory which are two of the principall honours of judgement against their owne lusts to censure to condemne to crucifie them though before they were as deare as their owne members to throw all their idols away as menstruous rags and to judge and revenge themselves Ephraim shall say what have I to doe any more with idols In that day saith the Lord every man shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold which your owne hands have made unto you for a sin I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himselfe After that I was turned I repented and after that I was instructed I smote upon my thigh Thus the government of the Gospell in the heart makes a man severe to sentence every sinne to hang up his Haman his favourite lusts to give up himselfe to the obedience of Christ and to have his conversation his trading his treasure his priviledges his freedome his fellowship in heaven as being now constituted under the gracious and peaceable government of an heavenly Prince Fifthly it is a glorious Gospell in that it was to be a continuing ministration and an Immortall seed If that which was done away saith the Apostle was glorious much more that which remaineth is glorious 2 Cor. 3.11 Now the Gospell is able to preserve a man blamelesse unto the comming of our Lord Jesus it will not suffer a man to be shaken nor overturn'd by all the powers of darknesse there is strength enough in it to repell and wisdome to answer all the temptations and assaults of the enemies of our salvation If the world set upon us with any temptations on the right hand or on the left with disgraces persecutions discomforts exprobrations lâ—e this was the man who made God his helpe and would needs be more excellent than his neighbours the Gospel furnisheth us with sure promises and sure mercies this is answer sufficient against all the discouragements of the world I know whom I have beleeved I know that hee hath overcome the world I know that he is able to keepe that which I have committed unto him untill the last day and in the meane time the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world that is we are at an equall point of distance and defiance the world contemnes me and I am as carelesse of the world If with pleasures honours and gilded baites to draw us away from God Faith in the Gospell easily overcommeth the world for it giveth both the Promises and first-fruits of such Treasures as are infinitely more pretious and massie than all the world can affoord the very reproches of Christ how much more his Promises how infinitely more his Performances at the last are farre greater riches than the treasures of Egypt The daily sacrifice of a godly life and the daily feast of a quiet conscience put more sweetnesse into the afflictions of Christ than is in all the profits pleasures or preferments of the world being made bitter with the guilt of sinne If Satan or our owne reasonings stand up against the kingdome of Christ in us the Gospell is a store-house which can furnish us with armorie of all sorts to repell them Faith can quench firie darts the weapons of the spirit can captivate the very thoughts of the heart unto the obedience of Christ no weapon which is formed against it can prosper and every tongue which riseth up against it in judgement it shall condemn it is a staffe which can carry a man over any Jordan and can support comfort him in any shadow of death This is the honour of the Word
duty of that honour which hee is called unto namely to hold on the Crowne on the head of his Soveraigne to make it the maine end of his greatnesse to study and by all meanes endeavour the establishment of his Princes Throne so every Christian as soone as he hath the honour to be called unto the kingdome and presence of Christ hath immediately no meaner a depositum committed to his care than the very Throne and Crowne of his Saviour than the publike honour peace victorie and stability of his masters kingdome The Gospell is committed to the custody of the Bishops and Pastors of the Church to preach it They are as it were the Heralds and Fore-runners of Christ to prepare his way into the soules of men To the custody of the Princes and Judges of the earth to defend it to be a guard about the person and truth of Christ to command the obedience and to encourage the teaching of it The Gospell is the Law of Christs Throne and the princes of the world are the lions about his Throne set there to watch and guard it against the malice of enemies And therefore it is recorded for the honour of David that he set in order the courses of the Priests and appointed them their formes and vicissitudes of Service Of Salomon that he built adorned and dedicated a Temple for Gods solemne worship Of Iosiah that hee made the people to serve the Lord their God Of Ezekiah that he restored the service and repaired the Temple of God that he spake comfortably to the Levites who taught the good knowledge of the Lord that hee proclaimed a solemne passeover that hee ordered the courses of the Priests and Levites that hee gave commandement concerning the portion of their due maintenance that they might be encouraged in the Law of the Lord a patterne worthy the admiration and imitation of all Christian princes in spight of the sacrilegious doctrine of those men who would rob them of that power and office which God hath given them for the establishment of his Gospell and it was imitated by the first Christian Prince that ever the world had Lastly the Gospell is committed to the keeping of every Christian to practise it to adorne it to pray for it to be valiant and couragious in his place and station for the truth of it And for a man to neglect these duties is to betray and dishonour the Kingdome of Christ and to degenerate from that high and publike condition in which God had placed him Againe it putteth a spirit of Fortitude and boldnesse into the hearts of men Boldnesse to withstand the corruptions of the times to walke contrary to the courses of the world to out-face the sinnes and the scornes of men to be valiant for a despised truth or power of religion not to be ashamed of a persecuted profession to spread out contra torrentem brachia to stand alone against the power and credit of a prevailing faction as Paul against the contradiction of the Iewes and Peter and Iohn against a Synode of Pharises and those invincible champions of Christ Athanasius against the power of Constantius the frequent synodicall conventions of countenanced heretiks and the generall deluge of Arrianisme in the world Ambrose against the wrath and terrour of the emperour of the world to whom having imbrued his hands in much innocent bloud that holy Father durst not deliver the bloud of Christ. Chrysostome against the pride and persecution of the Empresse Eudoxa Luther against the mistresse of fornications the princesse of the earth and as himselfe professed if it had beene possible against a whole citty full of divels The Christians of all ages against the fire fury and arts of torment executed by the bloudy persecutors of the Church Nay further the Gospell giveth boldnesse against that universall fire which shall melt the Elements and shrivell up the heavens like a role of parchment Herein saith the Apostle is our love made perfect that we may have boldnesse in the day of judgement because as he is so we are in this world that is we have his image in us and his love shed abroad in our hearts and therefore wee are able to assure our hearts before him and to have confidence towards him Now he who hath boldnesse to stand before God to dwell with consuming fire and with everlasting burnings who can get the Lord on his right hand and put on the Lord Jesus though he bee not out of the reach or beyond the blow yet is hee above the injurie of the malice of men they may kill but they can never overcome him I am he that comforteth you who art thou saith the Lord that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall dye and forgettest the Lord thy Maker c What an invincible courage was that of Eliah which retorted the slander of Ahab upon his owne face I have not troubled Israel but thou and thy fathers house And that of Micaiah against the base request of a flattering Courtier who thought God to bee such an one as himselfe that would magnifie and cry up the ends of a wicked king As the Lord liveth what the Lord saith unto me that will I speake And that of Amos against the unworthy instructions of Amaziah the priest of Bethel Thou saiest prophesie not against Israel and drop not thy words against the house of Isaac therefore thus saith the Lord Thy wife shall be an harlot in the citie and thy sonnes and thy daughters shall fall by the sword and thy land shall be divided by line and thou shalt dye in a polluted land and Israel shall surely goe into captivitie forth of his land And that of Ieremiah who boldly gave the lye to Irijah the captaine of the ward It is false I fall not away to the Caldeans The time would faile if I should speake of the unbended constancy or as the Gentiles stiled it obstinacie of Ignatius Polycarp Iustin Cyprian Pionius Sabina Maximus as those infinite armies of holy martyrs who posed the inventions tyred out the cruelties withstood the flatteries and with one word Christiani sumus overcame all the tyrannies quenched the fire and stopped the mouthes of their proudest persecutors Againe the Gospell putteth a kinde of lustre and terrour on the faces of those in whom it raigneth and maketh them as the Law did Moses to shine as lights in the world and to bee more excellent than their neighbours worketh in others towards them a dread and awfulnesse Though Ieremie were a prisoner cast-into the dungeon and in such extremity as he was there likely to perish yet such a majestie and honor did God even then put upon him and that in the thoughts of the king himselfe that he could not be in quiet till hee consulted with him about the will of the Lord and by his many conferences with him made it plainely appeare that hee stood in
interpretatively in the constitution and preparation of heart the violation of all because they are all grounded upon the same divine authority and directed unto the same saving ends and therefore wee ought not to picke and choose either in the preaching or practising thereof Thirdly we are to answere for the bloud of the people if wee prevaricate if wee let their sinnes alone they will have a double edge to kill them and us both like the mutuall embracements of two in a river which is the meanes to drowne them both Speake unto them all that I command thee be not dismaied at their faces saith the Lord to his Prophet lest I confound thee before them If thou warne not the wicked from his wicked way that hee may live he shall dye in his wickednesse thy bashfulnesse shall doe him no good but his bloud will I require at thy hands Is it at all congruous that men should have boldnesse enough to declare their sinnes to speake them to proclaime them to weare them to glorie in them and that those officers who are sent for no other businesse but in the name and authority of Almighty God to fight against the corruptions of the world should in the meane time hang downe the head and be tongue-tied that men should have more boldnesse to destroy themselves and to doe Satans works than we to save them or to serve God Fourthly we are to speake in the person of Christ and in the vertue of his Spirit We must speake as the Oracles of God and with his words as if he himselfe did by us speake unto the people We must give manifestation of Christ speaking by us that men may be convinc'd that God is in us of a truth and that we are full of power by his spirit that his spirit setteth to his seale to authorize our commission and to countenance our ministery and therefore we must use judgement and might that is spirituall discretion and inflexible constancy against the sinnes of men for these two are contrary to the two grand props of Satans kingdome which are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his craftinesse and his weapons of power for where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty his spirit will not be straightned neither will the Lord keepe silence hee that speaketh by the spirit of Christ must speake though not in equality which is impossible yet in some similitude and proportion as he spake that is as those that have Authority and power committed to them for the edification of the Church Lastly a partiall unsearching and unreproving Minister is one of Gods curses and scourges against a place the forerunner of a finall and fearefull visitation The dayes of visitation and recompence come saith the Lord. The Prophet is a foole the spirituall man is mad for the multitude of thine iniquity and the great hatred If a man walking in the spirit and falshood that is professing the worke of a spirituall man and yet betraying his office or in a false and lying spirit prophesying of wine and strong drinke that is cherishing and encouraging sensuall livers in their pernitious courses he shall even be the prophet of this people And therefore when the Lord will punish with an extreme revenge the rebellion of a people against his Gospell who judge themselves unworthy of so great a salvation hee either removeth their Candlesticke and taketh it away from them or else sealeth up the mouth of his Prophets that they may bee dumbe and reprove them no longer and that they may not bee purged any more from their filthinesse or else infatuates their Prophets and suffereth Satan to seduce them and to be a lying Spirit in their mouthes that he may destroy them as wee see in the ruine of Ahab and in the captivity of Iudah Againe as the Ministers of the Gospell must use liberty so must they likewise use sinceritie in the dispensation thereof because it is a glorious Gospell This likewise is the Apostles inference for having spent a whole chapter in this one argument of the glory of the Gospell he presently concludeth Therefore seeing we have this ministery that is the dispensation of such a Gospell committed unto us wee faint not but have renounced the hidden things of dishonestie that is as I conceive the arts of dawbing and palliating and covering over uncleane courses with plausible reasonings and fleshly apologies which is the use of false prophets not walking in craftinesse that is not using humane sleights or cogging to carry men about with every wind of false doctrine as sinners are very willing to be deceived and love to have it as false prophets say it is nor handling the Word of God deceitfully that is falsifying and adulterating it with corrupt glosses and so tempering it to the palat of sinners that the working searching vertue thereof whereby of it selfe it is apt to purge out and wrestle with the lusts of men may be deaded and so it may well consist with the power of lusts still as Physitians use so to qualifie and allay poison by other correctives and crosse ingredients that it shall serve as an instrument to strengthen us not extinguish life or as immodest Poets may so tamper with the chast expressions of Virgil or Homer as by them both to notifie and in corrupt minds to kindle uncleane lustings but by manifestation of the truth that is by such spirituall and perspicuous demonstrations as under which there cannot subesse falsum there can no falsitie nor deceit lurke commending our selves to every mans conscience in the sight of God that is working not the fancies or humours or fleshly conceits of men which alwayes take the part of sinne but their very consciences which alwayes is on Gods side to beare witnesse unto the truth which wee speake to receive it not as the wit or learning of a man but as the Word and wisdome of God to acknowledge the conviction the judicature the penetration thereof and so to fal down upon their faces and to glorifie God and report that he is in us of a truth and all this in the sight of God that is so handling the Word as that wee may please and approve our selves to his eye whose servants we are and whose worke wee doe This is that which the Apostle calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vncorruptnesse gravitie sinceritie soundnesse of doctrine such as the very adversaries themselves shall not be able to picke quarrels withall or to speake against we must not then make account to adorne the Gospell with our owne inventions or with superstructions of humane wit and fancie though these things may to fleshly reason seeme full of beautie yet indeed they are but like the mingling of glasse-beads with a chaine of diamonds or of lime with pure and generous wine they are indeed but
nothing at all but in the fellowship of the body and as they are thereunto applied by the same common soule which animates them all so Christian men should doe nothing but as parts of Christ and as actuated by the same gracious Spirit which is in him This is the meaning of our being Christians and of that consent which in our Baptisme we yeeld unto the Covenant of Christ that we will not follow nor be led by Satan the world or the flesh that is by that wisdome which is earthly sensuall or devillish but that we will be ordered by that Spirit of regeneration the seale of whose Baptisme wee receive in our sacramentall washing O then what is become of the Christianity of many men who forget that they have beene purged who live as if they had never beene baptized into Christ who lived as if they had never learned Christ What a prodigie and contradiction is it that that tongue which even now professed it selfe to be Christian and said Amen to a most cleane and holy prayer should like those beasts which Seneca speaketh of which by but turning aside their head to some other spectacle doe immediately forget the meat which they seemed most greedily to eat before breake forth presently into blasphemies oathes lies revilings clamours obscenities which are the very fumes and evidences of hell in the heart That those hands which even now were reached forth to receive the sacred pledges and most dreadfull mysteries of salvation which were even now imployed in distributing almes to the members of Christ or in helping to heave and lift up a prayer unto heaven which seemed like the hands of Ezekiels living creature to have wings of devotion over them should suddenly have their wings melted off and fall downe to covetous and cruell practices againe that those feet which in the morning carried men into the Lords Sanctuary and into the presence of Christ should the same day turne the backes of the same men upon the Temple of the Lord and carry them to stews and stages the nurseries of uncleannesse that those eyes which even now seemed to have beene nail'd unto heaven and to have contended with the tongue and the hand which should more earnestly have presented the prayers of the soule to God should almost in the space of their owne twinkling be filled with sparkles of uncleannesse gazing and glutting themselves upon vaine or adulterous objects What is this but for men to renounce their Baptisme to teare off their seale and dash out their subscription from the covenant of grace to deny the Lord that bought them to repent of their bargaine which they had made for salvation and really to dishonour that Gospell which they hypocritically professe This then is the first honour which wee can doe unto the Gospell of Christ when we set it up in our hearts as a most adequate rule of all wisedome and the alone principle of every action Secondly wee continue to honour the Gospell of Christ by walking in Obedience thereunto as our perfect Rule First in the Obedience of faith receiving it and leaning upon it laying hold on the covenant which is therein revealed as on the onely hope which is set before us for this is a great acknowledgement of the glorie and praise of God when we trust in him for salvation Therefore the Apostle having shewed the Glorie of Christ above Moses maketh this principall use of it that therefore we should heare his voyce and take heed of an evill and unbeleeving heart in departing from him Wee saith he are to the praise of Gods Glory who trust in Christ. Secondly in Obedience of life and Holinesse When for the honour of the Gospell we can denie our selves and dishonour our lusts and part from all that wee had before as from dung and drosse and expresse the image of Christ in our conversations This is indeed the true learning of Christ when we shew forth his life in ours when we walke as he also walked when as he was so we are in this world when the same minde judgement affections are in us which were in Christ. Thus the faithfull are said to honour God when they sanctifie his Sabbath and to glorie him when they bring forth much fruit Thirdly we honour the Gospell of Christ by constancie and continuance in our faith and obedience thereunto for standing fast or persisting immoveably in our course without sorrow or repentance is an argument of the excellencie of the Gospell Walke saith the Apostle as becommeth the Gospell that I may heare of your affaires that you stand fast in one spirit Lusts ever bring inconstancie with them and make the soule like weary and distempered bodies never well in any posture or condition wicked men flye like Bees from one flower to another from one vanity to another can never finde enough in any to satiate the endlesse intemperancie of unnaturall desires onely the Gospell being spiritually apprehended hath treasures enough for the soule to rest in and to seeke no farther And therefore falling away from the truth power or puritie of the Gospell is said to expose Christ to shame and to crucifie him againe For as in Baptisme when wee renounce sinne and betake our selves to Christ we doe as it were expose sinne unto publike infamie and naile it on the Crosse of Christ So when we revolt from Christ unto sinne againe and in our hearts turne backe unto Egypt and thrust him from us we doe then put him to shame againe as if hee were either in his power deficient or unfaithfull in those promises which before we pretended to relie upon If Israel as they consulted should likewise actually have rebelled against Moses and returned in body as well as in heart unto Egypt againe what a scorne would it have wrought in that proud nation that their vassals should voluntarily resume their thraldome after so many boasts and appearances of deliverance If a man should relinquish the service of some noble person and apply himselfe unto some sordid matter for subsistence would not the mouths of men be quickly open or their mindes jealous to suspect that however such a man carry an high name and there bee great expectations from attending on him yet in truth he is but a dry matter whom his own servants doe so publikely dishonour So when any men turne Apostates from the power and Profession of the Gospell of Christ presently wicked men are apt to blaspheme and to conceive desperate prejudices against our high and holy calling If any man make a boast of the Law and yet breake it hee dishonoreth God the more for saith the Apostle The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you as it is written so then constancie in Christs service giveth him the glory of an honourable master and his Law of a royall law putteth to silence the ignorance of those foolish men who lie in waite to take advantages that
and to compose those differences thereabouts which doe so much perplex the world Secondly for those places which in their meaning are easie to be understood but in their excellent and high nature hard to be beleeved as all Articles of faith and things of absolute necessitie are in their termes perspicuous but in their heavenly nature unevident unto humane reason the office of the Church is not to binde mens consciences to beleeve these truths upon her authoritie for wee have not dominion over the faith of men neither are we lords in Christs flock and how shal any scrupulous minde which is desirous to boult things to the bran be secure of the power which the Church in this case arrogates or have any certaintie that this society of men must be beleeved in their religion who will allow the same honor to no society of men but thēselves But in this case the office of the Church is both to labour by al good means to evidence the credibility of the things which are to be beleeved to discover unto men those essentiall and intimate beauties of the Gospel which to spirituall mindes and hearts raised to such a proportionable pitch of capacitie as are suteable to the excellency of their natures are apt to evidence and notifie themselves and also to labour to take men off from dependance on their owne reason or corrupted judgement to worke in their heart an experience of the Spirit of grace and an obedience to those holy truths which they already assent unto with which preparations and perswasions the heart being possessed will in due time come to observe more cleerely by that spirituall eye the evidence of those things which were at first so difficult so then the Act of the Church is in matters of faith an act of introduction and guidance but that which begetteth the infallible and unquestionable assent of faith is that spirituall taste relish and experience of the heavenly sweetnesse of divine doctrine which by the ministery of the Church accompanied with the speciall concurrence of almighty God therewithall is wrought in the heart for it is only the Spirit of God which writeth the Law in mens hearts which searcheth the things of God and which maketh us to know them Thirdly for those places which are difficult rather to be obeyed than to be understood The worke of the Church is to enforce upon the conscience the necessitie of them to perswade rebuke exhort encourage with all authority Which should teach us all to love the Church of Christ and to pray for the peace and prosperity of the walls of Sion for the purity spiritualnesse power and countenance of the Word therein which is able to hold up its owne honour in the minds of men if it be but faithfully published we should therefore studie to maintaine to credit to promote the Gospell to encourage truth discountenance errour to stand in the gap against all the stratagems and advantages of the enemies thereof and to hold the candlestick fast amongst us to buy the truth and sell it not betray it not forsake it not temper it not misguize it not This is to be a pillar to put the shoulder under the Gospell of Christ. And surely though the Papists boast of the word and name of the Church as none more apt to justifie and brag of their sobrietie than those whom the wine hath overtaken yet the plaine truth is they have farre lesse of the nature thereof than any other Churches because farre lesse of the pure service and ministration thereof for in stead of holding forth the Word of life they pull it downe denying unto the people of Christ the use of his Gospell dimidiating the use of his Sacrament breeding them up in an ignorant worship to begge they know not what in all points disgracing the Word of truth and robbing it of its certaintie sufficiencie perspicuitie authoritie purity energie in the minds of men And this is certain the more any set themselves against the light and generall knowledge of the Word of truth the lesse of the nature of the Church they have in them what-ever ostentations they may make of the name thereof The last thing observed in this second verse amongst the regalities of Christ was Imperium his rule and government in his Church by his holy Word maugre all the attempts and machinations of the enemies thereof against it Rule thou in the middest of thine enemies that is Thou shalt rule safely securely undisturbedly without danger feare or hazard from the enemies round about their counsels shall be infatuated their purposes shall vanish their decrees shall not stand their persecutions shall but sow the bloud of Christ and the ashes of Christians the thicker they shall see it and gnash with their teeth and gnaw their tongues and be horribly amazed at the emulation and triumph of a Christians sufferings over the malice and wrath of men The kingdome of Christ is two-fold His kingdome of glory of which there shall be no end when hee shall rule over his enemies and tread them under his feet and his kingdome of grace whereby hee ruleth amongst his enemies by the scepter of his Word And this is the kingdome here spoken of noting unto us that Christ will have a Church and people gathered unto him by the preaching of his Gospell on the earth maugre all the malice power or policie of all his enemies Never was Satan so loose never heresie and darknesse so thicke never persecution so prevalent never the taile of the Dragon so long as to sweepe away all the Starres of heaven or to devoure the remnant of the womans seed The gates of hell all the policie power and machinations of the kingdome of darknesse shall never root out the Vine which the Father hath planted nor prevaile against the body of Christ. His Gospell must be preached till the worlds end and till then he will be with it to give it successe Though the Kings of the earth stand up and the Rulers gather together against the Lord and his Christ yet they imagine but a vaine thing and hee that sitteth in heaven shall laugh them to scorne The grounds of the certainetie and perpetuitie of Christs Evangelicall Kingdome is not the nature of the Church in it selfe consider'd either in the whole or parts for Adam and Evah were a Church at first a people that were under the law of obedience and worship of God and yet they fell away from that excellent condition And the Prophet tels us that except the Lord had left a very small remnant the Church had beene all as Sodom and like to Gomorrah But the grounds hereof are First The Decree ordination and appointment of God Psal. 2.7 Acts 10.42 Hebr. 3.2 and wee know what ever men project the counsell of the Lord must stand Secondly Gods Gift unto Christ Aske of mee and I wil give thee the heathen for thine inheritance c. Ps. 2.8
of the worke but onely the willingnesse the loving and obedient disposition of the heart and therefore I passe over those failings and weaknesses which discover themselves for want of skill or strength and not of love praising the endevours and pardoning the miscarriages Thus doth the Lord deale with his children Fourthly if we be Christs he will pray for us I pray not for the world but for them which thou hast given me for they are thine and all mine are thine and thine are mine c. so that wee shall be sure to have helpe in all times of need because we know that tho Father heareth his Sonne alwayes and those things which in much feare weaknesse and ignorance we aske for our selves if it bee according to Gods will and by the dictate and mouth of the Spirit in our heart Christ himselfe in his intercession demandeth for us the same things And this is the ground of that confidence which we have in him that if wee aske any thing according to his will hee heareth us and we have the petitions that we desire of him For as the world hateth us because it hateth him first so the Father loveth and heareth us because he loveth and heareth him first Fifthly if wee be Christs then hee will teach us and commune with us and reveale himselfe unto us and lead us with his voice He calleth his owne sheepe by name and leadeth them and putteth them forth and goeth before them Because Israel was his owne people therefore he shewed them his words The Law was theirs and the Oracles theirs when hee entreth into covenant with a people that they become his then he writeth his Law in their hearts and teacheth them This is the Prophet Davids argument I am thy servant give me understanding Because I am thine in a speciall relation therefore acquaint me with thee in an especiall manner The earth is full of thy mercy there is much of thy goodnesse revealed to all the nations of the world even to those that are not called by thy name but as for mee whom thou hast made thine owne by a neerer relation let mee have experience of a greater mercy Teach mee thy Statutes Sixthly if we be his he will chastise us in mercy and not in fury though he leave us not altogether unpunished yet he will punish us lesse than our iniquities deserve he will not deale with us as with others Though I make a full end of all nations whither I have driven thee yet I will not make a full end of thee but I will correct thee in measure I will correct thee to cure but not to ruine thee The second thing considered in the words was the Present condition of the people of Christ which was to be military men to joyne with the armies of Christ against all his enemies As he was so must we be in this world no sooner was Christ consecrated by his solemne Baptisme unto the worke of a Mediatour but presently hee was assaulted by the Tempter And no sooner doth any man give up his name to Christ and breake loose from that hellish power under which hee was held but presently Pharaoh and his hoasts Satan and his confederates pursue him with deadly fury and powre out flouds of malice and rage against him Hell and death are at truce with wicked men there is a covenant and agreement betwixt them Satan holdeth his possession in peace but when a stronger than he commeth upon and overcommeth him there is from that time implacable venomâ— and hostility against such a soule the malice power policie stratagems and machianations of Satan the lusts and vanities the pleasures honours profits persecutions frownes flatteries snares of the wicked world the affections desires inclinations deceits of our owne fleshly hearts will ever plie the soule of a Christian and force it to perpetuall combates There is in Satan an everlasting enmitie against the glory mercy and truth of God against the power and mystery of the Gospel of Christ. This malice of his exerciseth it selfe against all those that have given themselves to Christ whose Kingdome he mightily laboureth to demolish by his power persecuting it by his craftinesse and wily insinuations undermining it by his vast knowledge and experience in palliating altering mixing proportioning and measuring his temptations and spirituall wickednesse in such manner as that he may subvert the Church of Christ either in the purity thereof by corrupting the doctrine of Christ with heresie and his worship with idolatrie and superstition or in the unity thereof by pestering it with schisme and distraction or in the liberty thereof by bondage of conscience or in the progresse and inlargement thereof endevouring to blast and make fruitlesse the ministery of the Gospell And this malice of Satan is wonderfully set on and encouraged both by the corruption of our nature those armies of lusts and affections which swarme within us entertaining joyning force and co-operating with all his suggestions disheartning reclaiming and pulling backe the soule when it offers to make any opposition and also by the men and materials of this evill world By the examples the threats the interests the power the intimacie the wit the tongues the hands the exprobrations the persecutions the insinuations and seductions of wicked men By the profits the pleasures the preferments the acceptation credit and applause of the world By all which meanes Satan most importunately pursueth one of these two ends either to subvert the godly by drawing them away from Christ to apostacie formalitie hypocrisie spirituall pride and the like or else to Discomfort them with diffidence doubts sight of sinne opposition of the times vexation of spirit and the like afflictions And these oppositions of Satan meet with a Christian in every respect or consideration under which he may be conceiv'd consider him in his spirituall estate in his severall parts in his temporall relations in his Actions or imployments and in all these Satan is busie to overturne the Kingdome of Christ in him In his spirituall estate if he be a weake Christian he assaulteth him with perpetuall doubts and feares touching his election conversion adoption perseverance christian liberty strength against corruptions companies temptations persecutions c. if he be a strong Christian he laboureth to draw him unto selfe-confidence spirituall pride contempt of the weake neglect of further proficiencie and the like There is no naturall part or facultie which is not aimed at likewise by the malice of Satan for Christ when hee comes takes possession of the whole man and therefore Satan sets himselfe against the whole man Corporeall and sensitive faculties tempted either to sinfull representations letting in and transmitting the provisions of lust unto the heart by gazing and glutting themselves on the objects of the world or to sinfull executions finishing and letting out those lusts which have beene conceived in the heart The phantasie tempted
purpose of God who had so ordained Act. 4.28 God would not suffer a bone of Christs to be broken and yet he did not disable the souldiers from doing it for they had still as much strength and libertie to have broken his as the others who were crucified with him but that which in regard of the truth and prediction of holy Scriptures was most certainly to be fulfilled in regard of the second causes by whom it was fulfilled was most free and voluntary Wee finde what a chaine of meere casualties and contingencies if we looke onely upon second causes did concurre in the offence of Vâ—sâ—ti in the promotion of Esther in the treason of the two Chamberlaines in the wakefulnesse of the King in the opening of the Chronicles in the acceptance of Esthers request and in the favour of the King unto her and all this ordered by the immutable and efficacious providence of God which moderates and guides causes and effects of all sorts to his owne fore-appointed ends for the deliverance of his people from that intended slaughter determined against them the execution whereof would evidently have voided that great promise of their returning out of captivitie after seventie yeares with relation unto which promise their deliverance at this time was in regard of Gods truth and purpose necessary though in regard of second causes brought about by a cumulation of contingencies In like maner when the hearts of men do voluntarily dedicate and submit themselves to the kingdome of Christ if we look upon it with relation unto the Spirit of grace which is the principium quo the formall vertue whereby it is wrought so it is an effect of power and as it were an act of conquest and yet looke upon it with relation unto the heart it selfe which is Principium quod the materiall efficient cause thereof and so it is a most free sweet connaturall action exactly temper'd to the exigencie of the second cause and proceeding there-from with most exact delight answerably to the measure of the grace of illumination or spirituall evidence in the minde whereby our naturall blindnesse prejudices and misperswasions may be remov'd and to the measure of the grace of excitation assistance and co-operation in the heart whereby the naturall frowardnesse and reluctancy thereof may be subdued In one word there are but three things requisite to make up a free and voluntary action First it must be cum judicio rationis with a preceding judgment Secondly it must be cum indifferentia there must be an internall indeterminatenesse and equall disposition of it selfe unto severall extremes Thirdly it must be cum dominio actus the will must have the power of her owne worke And all these three doe sweetly consist with the point of the Text That the heart is made willing to obey Christ by an act of power For first this power we speake of is onely the power of the Word and Spirit both which doe alwayes worke in the ordinary course of Gods proceeding by them with men secundum judicium by a way of judgement and conviction by a way of teaching and demonstration which is suteable to a rationall facultie Secondly which way soever the will is by the Spirit of grace directed and perswaded to move it still retaines an habituall or internall habitude unto the extremes so that if it should have moved towards them that motion would have beene as naturall and suteable to its condition as this which it followeth for the determination of the act is no extinguishment of the libertie thereunto Thirdly when the Spirit by the power of the word of grace doth work the will in us yet still the will hath the dominion of its owne act that is it is not servilely or compulsorily thereunto overswayed but worketâ— ex motu proprio by a selfe-motion unto which it is quickned and actuated by the sweetnesse of divine grace as the seed of that action according to that excellent knowne speech of Saint Augustine Certum est nos velle cum volumus sed Deus facit ut velimus Thus we see how the subjection of Christs people unto his kingdome is a voluntary act in regard of mans will and an act of power in regard of Gods Spirit inwardly â—llightning the minde with the spirituall evidence not only of the truth but the excellencie and superlative goodnesse of the Gospell of Christ and inwardly touching the heart and framing it to a lovely conformitie and obedience therunto The ground of this point why there is an act of power required to conquer the wils of sinners unto Christ is that notable enmitie stoutnesse reluctancie rebellion wearinesse aversenesse in one word fleshlinesse which possesseth the wils of men by nature such forwardnesse unto evill so much frowardnesse against good such a spring and byas from private ends and worldly objects such feares without such fightings within such allurements on the right hand such frownes and affrightments on the left such depths of Satan such hellish and unsearchable plots of principalities and powers to keepe fast and faithfull to themselves this chiefe mistris of the soule of man such slie and soaking such furious and firy temptations to flatter or to fright it away from Christ such strong prejudices such deepe reasonings such high imâ—ginations such scornefull and meane conceits of the purity and power of the wayes of Christ such deceitfulnesse of heart such misperswasions and presumptious of our present peace or at least of the easinesse of our future reformation such strong surmises of carnall hopes which will be prevented or worldly dangers incurred or private ends disappointed such lusts to be denied such members to be hewed off such friends to be forsaken such passions to be subdued such certaine persecutions from the world such endlesse solicitations of Satan such irreconcilable contentions with the flesh in the midst of all these pull-backes how can we thinke the will should escape and breake thorow if God did not send his Spirit as once the Angell unto Lot Gen. 19.16 to lay hands upon it while it lingers and hankers after its wonted course to use a mercifull conquest over it and as the Scriptures expresse it to lead it to draw it to take it by the arme to carry it in his bosome to beare it as an Eagle her young ones on her wings nay by the terrours of the Lord and the power of his Word and wrath to pull and snatch it as a brand out of the fire Certainly there is so much extreme perversenesse so much hellishnesse and devillish antipathy to God and his service in the heart by nature that if it were left to its owne stubbornenesse to kicke and rebell and fall backe and harden it selfe and were not set upon by the grace of Christ no man living would turne unto him or make use of his bloud by the same reason that any one man perisheth every man would too because in all there is as fundamentall and originall enmity
subscribe unto if God would then shew him mercy when the court of mercy is shut up wouldst thou returne to the earth and live there a thousand yeares under contempt and persecution for my service O yes not under thy service onely but under the rockes and mountaines of the earth so I may be hid from the face of the Lambe Wilt thou be content to goe to hell and serve me there a thousand yeeres in the midst of hellish torments and the reviling of damned creatures O yes even in hell infinitely better would it be to be thy servant than thine enemie Wilt thou revenge every oath with an yeare of prayers every bribe or corruption with a treasury of almes every vanity with an age of precisenesse Yes Lord the severest of thy commands to escape but the smallest of thy judgements O let us be wise for our selves there shall be no such easie conditions then proposed when it will be impossible to observe them and there are now farre easier proposed when we are invited to observe them Lastly from hence we learne that none will be Willing to come unto Christ till they see Beauty in his service which with a carnall eye they cannot doe for naturally the heart is possessed with much prejudice against it that the way of religion in that exactnesse which the Word requires is but the phantasme of more sublimated speculations a meere notionall and airy thing which hath no being at all but in the wishes of a few men who fancie unto themselves the shape of a Church as Zenophon did of a Prince or Plato of a Common-wealth And therefore though with their tongues they doe not yet in their hearts men are apt to lay aside that rigour and exactnesse which the Scripture requires namely to pull out our right eyes to cut off our right hands to hate father and mother and wife and lands and our owne life to deny our selves to crosse our own desires to mortifie our earthly members to follow the Lambe through evill report and good report through afflictions and persecutions and manifold temptations whither soever hee goeth to warre with principalities and powers and spirituall wickednesses to acquaint our selves with the whole counsell of God and the like and in stead thereof to resolve upon certaine more tolerable maximes of their owne to goe to heaven by certaine mediocrities betweene piety and prophanenesse wherein men hope to hold God fast enough and yet not to lose either the world or their sinfull lusts This is a certaine and confessed truth that the spirit which is in us by nature is contrary to the spirit of purity and power which is in the world and therefore the universall and willing submission of the heart unto this must needs finde both many antipathies within and many discouragements and contempts without Christ was set up for a signe of contradiction to be spoken against and that in the houses of Israel and of Iuda and as it was then so is it now even in Abrahams family in the houshold and visible Church of Christ They that are of the flesh persecute those that are after the spirit Christ had never greater enemies than those which professed his name This is one of the sorest engines Satan hath against his kingdome to make it appeare in the eyes of men as a despicable contemptuous and unbeautifull thing And therefore no man comes under Christs government till that prejudice by manifest evidence of the Spirit be removed And for this reason the wayes of Christ are set forth as beautifull even under crosses and afflictions I am blacke with persecution with the beating of the Sunne upon me but yet I am comely O yee daughters of Jerusalem When the watch-men smote the Church and wounded her and tooke away her veile yet still she acknowledged Christ for whose sake she suffered these persecutions to be the white and ruddy the fairest of ten thousand and the same opinion hath Christ of his Church though she be afflicted and tossed with tempest yet he esteemeth of her as of a beautifull structure How faire and how pleasant art thou O love for delights And this is that we should all endevour to shew forth in a shining and unblameable conversation the Beauty of the Gospell that the enemie may have no occasion from any indiscretions affectatitions unnecessary reservednesse and deformities ungrounded scrupulosities over-worldly affections or any other miscarriages of those who professe not the name onely but the power of religion to blaspheme or fling off from a way against which they have such prejudices offered them for all that which the faithfull have common with the world shall yet be sure to be charg'd upon their profession by wicked men who have not either reason or charity enough to distinguish betweene Gods rule and mans errour Submit your selves saith the Apostle to every ordinance of man for the Lords sake c. for so is the will of God that with well-doing you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men for this is certaine the ignorance of foolish men will not so much lay the blowes upon your persons as upon that truth and religion which you professe when you needlessely withstand any such ordinances as you might without sinne obey The last thing observed in this verse was the Multitudes of Christs subjects and the manner of their birth From the wombe of the morning thou hast the dew of thy youth Thy children are borne in as great abundance unto thee as the dew which falleth from the morning wombe From whence we may note First that Christ in the day of his power in the morning of his Church had multitudes of children borne unto him This promise the Lord made to Abraham and it is not to be limited to his children after the flesh but to his children of promise that his seed should be as the Starres and as the Dust for multitude And the Prophet applies that Promise to Israel by promise when those after the flesh should be dissipated and become no people yet saith the Prophet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea which cannot be measured nor numbred c. meaning the Israel of God amongst the Gentiles Thus the faithfull are said to flocke like Doves unto their windowes and to swell into a sea of great waters an hundred and foure and forty thousand with an innumerable company more all sealed and standing before the Lambe Now this was in die copiarum in the time when Christ first sent abroad his armies and the rod of his strength into the world Before this God suffered men to walke in their owne wayes yea in his owne life-time hee forbade his Disciples to enter into the Cities of the Samaritans or the Gentiles And he promised them that they should do greater works than he himselfe had done because he went unto his Father
Consider the Church in it selfe and so it is a very vast body but yet consider it comparatively with the other more prevailing malignant part of the world so it is but a little flock as many graines and measures of corne may lie hid under a greater heape of chaffe Secondly the Church now is many comparatively with the old church of the Iewes more are the Children of the desolate than of the married wife Esai 54.1 But not comparatively with the adversaries of the Church in generall Wee see of thirtie parts of the world nineteene are either idolatrous or Mahumetan and the other eleven serving Christ in so different a manner as if there were many Christs or many Gospels or many wayes to the same end Thirdly though Christ alwayes have a numerous offspring yet in severall ages there is observable a different purity and conspicuousnesse according to the different administrations and breathings of the Spirit upon his garden In some ages the Doctrine more uncorrupt the profession and acceptation more universall than in others In the Apostles times there were many borne unto Christ by reason of the more abundant measure of Spirit which was shed abroad upon them Tit. 3.6 In the times of the Primitive persecutions there were many likewise born because God would glorifie the foundations of his Church and the power of his Spirit above the pride of men In the first countenancing of it by Imperiall Laws and favors it was very generall and conspicuous because professed by the obedience and introduced by the power of those great emperors whom the world followed But after that long peace and great dignities had corrupted the mindes of the chiefe in the Church and made them looke more after the pompe than the purity thereof the mystery of iniquity like a weed grew apace and overspread the Corne first abusing and after that subjecting the power of princes and bewitching the Kings of the earth with its fornications Hence likewise wee may learne to acknowledge Gods mercy in the worst times in those ages wherin the Church was most oppressed yet many have yeelded themselves unto Christ. The woman was with Childe and was delivered even when the Dragon did persecute her Revel 12.1.4 and even then God found out in the wildernesse a place of refuge defence and feeding for his Church As in those cruell times of Arrianisme when heresie had invaded the world and in those blinde and miserable ages wherin Satan was loosed God still stirred up some notable instruments by whom hee did defend his truth and amongst whom hee did preserve his Church though they were driven into solitary places and forced to avoid the assemblies of Hereticall and Antichristian Teachers Wee learne likewise not to censure persons places or times God had seven thousand in Israel when Elias thought none but himselfe had been left all are not alike venturous or confident of their strength Nicodemus came to Christ by night and yet even then Christ did not reject him Therefore we must not presently censure our neighbours as cold or dead if they discover not immediatly the same measure of courage and publike stoutnesse in the profession of Christ with our selves some men are by nature more retir'd silent unsociable unactive men some by the engagement of their places persons and callings wherein they are of more publike and necessary use in the Church are put upon more abundant caution and circumspection in the moderate carriage of themselves than other men Paul was of himselfe very zealous and earnest in that great confusion when Gaius and Aristarchus were haled into the theater to have gone in unto the people in that their outrage and distemper but the wisedome of the Disciples and some of his chiefe friends is herin commended that they sent unto him desiring him that hee would not adventure into the theater and that they suffered him not Act. 19.30 31. It is a grave observation which Gregorie Nazianzen makes of that great champian and universall agent for composing the differences and distractions of the Church S. Basil that pro temporis ratione Haereticorum principatu by reason of the prevalencie of adversaries and condition of the times hee did in the controversies concerning the Deitie of the Holy Ghost abstaine from some words which others of an inferior ranke did with liberty and boldnesse use and that this hee did in much wisedome and upon necessary reasons because it was not fit for so eminent a person and one who had such generall influence by the quality of his place and greatnesse of his parts in the welfare of the Church by the envie of words or phrases to exasperate a countenanced enemie and to draw upon himselfe and in him upon the Church of God any inevitable and unnecessary danger And surely if the wisedome and moderation of that holy man were with the same pious affection generally observed that men when they doe earnestly contend for the truth once delivered which is the duty of every Christian did not in heate of argument load the truth they maintaine with such hard and severe though it may bee true expressions as beget more obstinacie in the adversarie and it may bee suspition in the weake or unresolved looker on differences amongst men might bee more soberly composed and the truth with more assurance entertained Againe wee have from hence an encouragement to goe on in the wayes of Christ because wee goe in great and in good Company many wee have to suffer with us many wee have to comfort and to encourage us As the people of Israel when they went solemnely up to meete the Lord in Sion went on from troope to troope the further they went the more companie they were mixed withall going to the same purpose so when the Saints goe towards heaven to meete the Lord there they doe not onely goe unto an innumerable Company of Angells and just men but they meete with troopes in their way to encourage one another All the discouragement that Elias had was that hee was alone but we have no such plea for our unwillingnesse to professe the truth and power of Religion now Wee are not like a lambe in a wide place without comfort or company but wee are sure to have an excellent guard and convoy unto Christs Kingdome And this use the Apostle makes of the multitudes of beleevers that wee should by so great a Cloud of witnesses bee the more encouraged in our patient running of that race which is set before us Heb. 12.1 Lastly It should teach us to love the multitudes the assemblies and the Communion of the Saints to speak often to one another to encourage strengthen one another not to forsake the assembling of our selves together as the manner of some is to concurre in mutuall desires to conspire in the same holy thoughts and affections to bee of one heart of one soule of one judgement to walke by one the same
of reconciliation and calling in his patent and shutting up his office of mercy againe How then comes it that this covenant is immutable and Christs Priesthood of everlasting and unchangeable vigor to all ages and generations of men That there shall never be erected in the Church any other forme of Gods worship or any other instruments of Mans salvation than those which we now enjoy The Apostle groundeth it upon two reasons Heb. 6.17 18. The Promise and the Oath of God First The Promise putteth a right in the creature which he had not before and that Promise determineth the Will of God to the being and leave not that indifferent to the being or not being of the Covenant For it is the foundation of a just claime which wee by faith may make upon the Fidelity Iustice and Power of God to make it Good He is faithfull and just to forgive us our sinnes 1 Iohn 1.9 The righteous God shall give unto mee a Crowne of righteousnesse 2 Tim. 4.8 righteousnesse and justice as well as mercy is the ground of forgivenesse of sinnes and salvation not in relation or respect to merit in us but to promise in God Onely mercy it was which moved him to promise and having promised onely truth and fidelity and righteousnesse bindeth him to performe As impossible it is for God to breake any promise and to lie unto David as it is to bee an unholy God or to deny himselfe Psal. 89.35 2 Tim. 2.13 1 Thes. 5.24 Secondly the Oath of God for that pawnes his owne Being Life Power Truth Holinesse to make good that which he hath so ratified and upon these two doth the immutability of the second Covenant and of Christs Priesthood depend Here then wee see upon what ground all our comfort and assurance subsisteth not upon any strength power libertie or inherent grace already received which wee of our selves are every day apt to waste and be cheated of by Satan and the world but upon Gods unchangeable mercy and covenant This was all Davids salvation and desire all that his heart rested upon that though his house were not so with God that is did faile much of that beautie and puritie which therein God required and therefore did deserve to be cast off yet God had made with him an everlasting covenant ordered in all things and sure 2 Sam. 23.5 When the conscience is afflicted with the sense of sinne with the feare of its owne slipperinesse and unstedfastnesse in Gods covenant this is all it hath to support it That God is one Galath 3.19 That Christ is the same yesterday and to day and for ever Heb. 13.8 that he is where he ever was ready to meet those that returne Esay 64.5 Luke 15.20 If I should doe to men as I have done to God they would despise forsake revenge themselves on me I should never receive grace nor favour againe But God is not as man Hos. 11.9 the whole cause of his compassion is in and from himselfe and therefore he doth not take the advantage of our failings and exasperations to alter the course of his dealing towards us Psalm 103 8-14 Though we faile every day yet his compassions faile not and therefore from his immutable mercy it is that wee are not comsumed Lam. 3.22 Mal. 3.6 His blessing of an adopted people is an irreversible thing because he is God and not man and therefore cannot repent nor call in the promise which he hath made for which purpose hee doth not behold iniquitie iâ— Iacob nor perversenesse in Israel Numb 23.19 20 21. If the Sunne should be alwayes immoveably fixed in one place as it was a little while in Ioshua's time at the destruction of the Kings Iosh. 10.12 13. though I might shut out the light of the Sunne from me yet as soone as I remove the curten the Sunne is still where it was readie to be found and to shine upon me The case were lamentable with us if so often as man provokes Gods justice he should presently revoke his mercy if the issue of our salvation should depend upon the frailty and mutability of our owne nature and our life should be in our owne keeping If the pure Angels of heaven fell from their created condition to be most blacke and hideous adversaries of the God that made them if Adam stood not firme with all that stocke of strength and integrity of will which he had in Paradise how can I who have so many lusts within so many enemies without such armies of feares and temptations round about mee bee able to resist and stand Grace inherent is as mutable in me as it was in Adam Satan as malitious and impetuous against me as against Adam Propensions to sinne and falling away strong in me which were none in Adam snares as many weaknesses more enemies as many temptations more from the grace which is deposited in mine own keeping I cannot but depart daily if the Lord should leave me in the hand of mine owne counsell even as water though it could be made as hot as fire yet being left unto it selfe will quickly reduce and work it selfe to its own originall coldnesse againe We have grace abiding in our hearts as we have light in our houses alwayes by emanation effusion and supportance from the Sunne of righteousnesse which shines upon us Therefore this is all the comfort which a man hath remaining that though I am wanting to my selfe and doe often turne from God yet he is not wanting to mee nor returnes from me for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance Rom. 11.29 The heart of the best man is like the wheeles in Ezekiels vision Ezek. 1.16 As mutable and moveable severall wayes as wheeles as perplexed hindered and distracted in it selfe as crosse wheeles in one another grace swaying one way and flesh another who can expect stabilitie in such a thing Surely of it selfe it hath none but the constancie and uniformitie of motion in the wheeles was this that they were joyned to the living creatures who in their motion returned not when they went vers 17-21 such is the stability of the faithfull in the covenant they have it not from themselves for they are all like wheeles but from him unto whom by the same Spirit of life they are united who cannot repent nor returne from the covenant of mercy which he hath made Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedech We now come to speake of the Priesthood of Christ it selfe which is thus sealed and made immutable by the oath of God Every high Priest saith the Apostle is ordained for men in things pertaining to God that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sinnes Heb. 5.1 These sacrifices are of two sorts some Eucharisticall as testifications of homage subjection duty and service as the dedication of the first fruits the offerings of Abel and Cain the meat and drinke offerings c. some Ilasticall or expiatory for the washing away
Zech. 2.5 And this is the ground of all the Churches comfort that more is with them than against them the enemies have combinations and confederacies of men but the Church hath Immanuel God with them Esai 8.9 10. none can pull Christ from the right hand of God or from the right hand of his people that is none can take away either his power or his love from his people The Church and truth can never bee crush'd and overthrowne no more than a rocke with the raging of the waves they are Heavenly things and therefore nothing of earth or hell can reach to corrupt them It was but a vaine attempt of the Gyants to build a tower to heaven The world was made that there might be therein a Church to worship and contemplate that God which made it therefore in the creation God never rested till he came to a Church to note that that was the end thereof and therefore it is easier to pull downe the world and to shake in peeces the frame of nature than to ruine the Church The Church hath Christ for her husband hee to whom all knees must bend hee whom every tongue must confesse hee who will subdue all things to himselfe so she hath Love Power and Iealousie all three very strong things on her side And therefore the onely way to be safe is to keepe Christ at our right hand to hold fast his truth worship and obedience for so long as we have Immanuel all adverse power is but flesh and all flesh is but grasse withered in a moment when God will blow upon it Note thirdly Christ in his appointed time will utterly overthrow the greatest enemies of his Kingdome and deliver his Church from under the sorest oppressions There is not any one argument in the holy Scriptures more frequently repeated than this of Christs victories prefigured they were in the deliverances of Israel out of Egypt 1 Cor. 10.2 4. In the deliverance of the Arke out of the waters 1 Pet. 3.21 22. in the deliverance of the Iewes from Babylon Revel 14.8 Esai 11 10-12.15 To note that in the sorest extremities and greatest improbabilities God will shew himselfe jealous for his people This victorie is expressed by treading of a wine-presse Esai 63.1 6. when there are none to helpe when the Church is brought to sorest extremities though multitudes meete against her as many as the grapes in a vintage they shall all be but as Clusters of grapes he shall squeeze out their bloud like wine and make his Church to thresh them Lam. 1.15 Revel 14.20 Ioel 3.12 Mic. 4.13 By the dissipation of smoke out of a Chimnie they shall bee as the smoke out of the Chimnie Hos. 13.3 As Athanasius used to say of Iulian the Apostate that hee was but Nubecula quae citò transiret a little cloud which would quickly be blowne away smoke when it breakes out of a Chimnie with a horrible blacknesse threatneth to blot out the Sunne and to invade and choake up all the ayre but a little blast of winde scattereth it and anon nothing thereof appeares By fire consuming thornes and briars Esai 10.17 While they be folded together as thornes and while they are drunken as drunkards that is while they have plotted their counsels and confederacies so curiously that no man dares so much as touch them and while they are drunken with the pride and confidence of their own strength they shall then be devoured as stubble that is fully dry Nahum 1.10 Esai 27.4.31.9 Therefore the Scripture calleth Christ a Man of war Exod. 15.3 Because he is furnished with all Arts of victory Power invincible as a Lion amongst shepheards so is he amongst his enemies Esai 31.4 wisedome unsearchable which must stand v. 1 2. If hee purpose none can disappoint him Esai 14.27 Authority by the least intimation to gather together all the forces of the world against the enemies of his Church If he but hisse unto them they presently come in troops Esai 5.26.7.18 He can command helpe for his people Psal. 44.4 Psal. 71.3 Ier. 47.7 and if that should faile he can create helpe for his people as hee did for Israel when hee wrought miracles to deliver them Psal. 106.22 We may more profitably consider the truth and comfort of this point by discovering it in the severall enemies of Christ and his people First the great enemie of the seed of the woman is the Serpent that great red Dragon whose names are all names of enmity The Accuser the Tempter the Destroyer the Devourer the Envious man furnished with much strength and mightie succour legions of principalities and powers attending on him and with much wisedome which the Scripture calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the wiles and traines and craftines of Satan And his Arts of destroying men are two To tempt and to accuse His Temptations are twofold either unto Sinne or unto discomfort either to make us offend God or to make us disquiet our selves either to wound us or to vexe us And in all these his Arts Christ our Captain will tread him under our feet and will give his Church the victory at the last either by Arming us with sufficiency of grace and faith in his Victories putting us by his Spirit in minde of his Temptations which taught him compassion towards us who are so much weaker and encouraging our hearts to cry out unto him who is our mercifull and compassionate high priest like a ravished woman in our extremities as Paul did 2 Cor. 12.8 9. stirring up our faith to lay hold on him when we are in darkenesse and our spirit of Adoption to cry unto him when wee are in danger and our spirit of wisedome to solve the objections to discerne the devices of Satan and to prepare and arme our hearts accordingly to wrestle with him Or else by rebuking of him pulling in his chaine and chasing him away and as our second undertaking the combate in person for us when he is ready to prevaile Zech. 3.1 2. Thus he overcommeth him as a Tempter and ever giveth some either comfortable or profitable issue out of them He likewise overcommeth him as an Accuser Satan accuseth the Saints either by way of complaint and naâ—ration of the things which they have done Revel 12.10 which the Apostle calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his laying of crimes to the charge of men Rom. 8.33 and thus Christ overcommeth him by his Intercession and in the hearts of his Saints by making them judge and accuse themselves that they may be able to cleere themselves too 1 Cor. 11.31 2 Corin. 7.11 Or hee accuseth by way of suspition or preconjecture as hee did Iob Iob 1.9 10 11. and herein likewise Christ overcommeth him in his servants by permitting him to tempt and vexe them that they may come the purer out of the fire and by putting a holy suspition and jealousie into them over their owne hearts which may still bee a meanes to prevent them against evils that
they called thee an out-cast saying This is Sion whom no man seeketh after Ier. 30.17 see Ier. 50.11 Ezek. 25.3.28.6 9. Obad. v. 3 4. when the high wayes were waste and the way-faring man ceased and the enemie regarded no man Now saith the Lord will I arise now will I be exalted c. Esay 33.8 11. when the enemies help forward the affliction of Gods people and by their pride and insultation doe double the misery which is upon them then will the Lord returne to them in mercies and be sore displeased with his enemies Zech. 1.15 16. Esay 40.2.47.5 6. Secondly when Gods people are throughly humbled and purged for God useth wicked men but as his staffe or weapon as his fire or fan to correct and purge them Esay 10.12 He intendeth not in his punishments such severity against them as against their enemies if the rod be for the childe the fire is for the rod Esay 27.7 8.9 When men are so smitten that they can returne to him that smiteth them and not revolt more and more for God will not throw any more darts at those who are sunke and dead already when they are stirred in their hearts joyntly to seeke the Lord and to meet him in the way of his judgements and to compassionate and favour the dust of Sion then is the day of his wrath for when Gods time to deliver a people is come he will more abundantly stirre up the hearts of his people to pray for it Psal. 102.16.17 Dan. 9.2.3 whereas when he will destroy a people hee will not suffer his Saints to pray Ier. 14.11 Thirdly when all humane hopes and expectations are gone when a people is so pilled and broken that they have no courage meanes succours or probabilities left then is Gods time to deliver his Church and to punish his enemies The Lord shall judge his people and repent himselfe for his Servants when hee seeth that their power is gone Deut. 32.36 Psal. 68.20 109·31 In one word when the preparations and premises as it were unto Gods glory are best ordered and put together then is the day of his wrath come The Church then need not to bee cast downe with the insultation of her enemies since Christ is the same yesterday and to day and for ever such as hee was ever to his Church such hee is still If hee have delivered his Church from the pride of her enemies heretofore his power truth watchfulnesse compassion is the same still and by faith in them wee may rebuke Satan wee may chide away the weaknesse and feare of our owne hearts wee may rejoice against those that insult over us when they rage most wee may hope their time is short and that it is but the biting of a wounded beast Therefore wee finde the Saints in Scripture arme themselves against present dangers with the consideration of what God hath done for his Church in times past Psal. 68.7 8 74.13-18 Esai 51.9 10 11. Habak 3. And in the confidence of the same truth and power breake forth into a holy scorne of their enemies Mich. 7.8 9 10. Esai 50.8 9. In the sorest extremities wee may fix our faith on God and hee delighteth to bee depended upon alone when all outward helpes and probabilities faile see Esai 41.17 18. Hab. 3.17 18. A million of men came against Asa one of the hugest hoasts of men that were ever read of yet by relying on God they were all delivered into his hand and the reason is added because God hath eyes and strength or as hee is described Revel 5 6. Seven hornes and seven eyes much wisedome and much power to shew himselfe valiant in the behalfe of those that walke uprightly 2 Chron. 16.8 9. Wee should learne likewise to rejoyce and triumph with all thankfulnesse of heart when Christ subdueth the enemies of his Kingdome and giveth deliverance and refreshment to his people When hee maketh his hand knowen to his servants and his fury to his enemies then should all they that love Hierusalem rejoyce Esai 66.10 Thus the Church after they were delivered from the malice of Haman instituted days of joy and feasting Ester 9.22 It is a signe of an evill heart against the peace and prosperity of the Church of Christ to envie or slight or thinke basely of the instruments and wayes whereby Christ delivereth it as wee see in Tobiah and Sanballat Nehem. 4.2 3. Lastly wee should learne wisedome to lay hold on the times and seasons of Gods peace because hee hath a day of wrath too to apprehend the offers and opportunities of grace Christ had been at the Churches dore and had knocked for admittance but neglecting that season hee was gone and much shee suffer'd before shee could finde him againe Cant. 5 2-7 When the Lord speaketh unto us in his ordinances and by the secret motions and perswasions of his holy Spirit wee should not deferre nor put him off as Felix did Paul to some other time but pursue the occasion and set our selves to doe every duty in Gods time There is a time for every worke and it is beautifull onely in its time and therefore fit it is that wee should observe wisely the signes and nature of the times Matth. 16.2 And accordingly proportion our devotions for the Church and our selves It is the worst losse of time to let slip the seasons of grace and spirituall wisedome till it may bee Gods time of mercy is passed over If thou hadst knowen in this thy day the thing that concerne thy Peace But now thy day is over and my day of wrath is come they are now hidden from thine eyes Hee shall judge amongst the Heathen By heathen we are to understand the same with Enemies vers 1. and People Esai 63.6 Meaning all the armies and swarmes of Christs enemies either spirituall or secular The word Gentiles was a word of great contempt and detestation amongst God people as the word Iew is now amongst us a proverbiall word to cast reproach and shame upon men Therefore the Apostle saith of the Ephesians that in times passed they had been Gentiles in the flesh Eph. 2.11 As if by being Christians they had ceased to bee Gentiles or rather that word had ceased to bee a terme of reproach So that Gentile was a word of scorne as Samaritan Ioh. 8.48 or Canaanite Ezek. 16.3 or Publican Matth. 18.17 Luk. 18.11 And therefore wee finde those two still joyned together Publicans and sinners and so the Apostle joyneth these two words Gentiles and sinners Gal. 2.15 So then the word Heathen is added by David to the enemies of Christ to render them the more odious and to expresse their more abject and hatefull condition and therefore when God would cast notable reproach upon his people hee calleth them Sodomites and Gentiles Esai 1.10 Ezek. 2.3 So then the meaning is his most abject and hatefull enemies that are unto him as Iewes and Samaritans hee shall judge that is hee shall