find falshood in him that witnesseth the trueth the Apostle Iohn hath a comfortable saying of himselfe in the end of his gospell these things are written that ye may beleeve these things we witnesse and these things we know are true O would to God Pastours would speake of nothing to Gods people but that they know to be Gods will and not to teach mens foolish fancies but Gods truth onely for that will make us free as Christ saieth in the 17. of Iohn if you abide in my word the trueth shall make you free so that our freedome in Gods sight proceeds from his trueth and he which teacheth falshood cannot keepe himselfe from bondage doe what he can The last point of this confession is this who so ever is of the trueth heares my voice this might have bin thought a very proud word of Christ at that time for hee tells Pilate to his face that he had no part in the trueth what meanes hee by the trueth certainly the word of God which is the immortall seed to beget men to be the sonnes of God this is that Christ calls the children of wisdome saying wisdome is justified of her children this then is the 4. part of Christs confession which he doth boldly witnesse even before the judge who had power to take his life from him even to tell him to his face that he had no part in the trueth because he harkened not to his voice thus you see the substance of Christs confession Let us now see if it concernes not us in every point that as being ministers to follow his example there are many things that we are to confesse but the substance of it is this which Christ confessed which we must keepe and observe to the losse of our lives where in stands the faithfullnesse of a Pastour according to the example of Christ when no feare to loose our lives will make us to conceale or to deny any part of Gods trueth but we will witnesse it freely faithfully And if this were amonge us at this day there would not be found such eorrupting of his truth in the howse of God as there now is there would not be such vaine Inventions of men in the howse of God as there is Pastours durst not deny his trueth as they do if they made conscience of this charge To be short I will ad one word more so end that is from the circumstance of the place where he did make this confession and that was under Pontius Pilate even when hee was arraigned and accused and the sentence of death was ready to be pronounced against him so as there was no escaping for him yet the feare of the Iudge never terrified him nor kept him from witnessing that hee was the sonne of God this is that the Apostle will have us to consider it is an easy matter for a Pastour that hath libertie as I have now to speake freely unto a people which have no power over my life but when a Pastour must answere for it before Kings is in danger of his life then to stād to it there is the triall of a faithfull Pastour a faithfull Pastour must do this although it were befor Pont. Pil. a faithfull Pastour must do this he must not shrink for the terrours of the flesh but we must openly beare witnesse to the trueth of God so the circumstance of the danger of the place where Christ did this is that wee are to lay before us how many are there of us that all though wee have preached the trueth of Christ Yet if it come to this that either we must change our minds or loose our livings how many are there that basely falsifie the trueth of God because they will not loose the favour of the King or of some great men yea they will rather falsifie the trueth of God for ever how many such are there to be found in this age that contrary to their knowledge conscience do beare witnesse to falshoode and lyes only to uphould them in their livings and in the favour of men Let these men thinke of that sentence the Apostle doeth speake of where he saith you have not resisted unto blood where the Apostle accounts it a base thing in a Christian that will deny the trueth when or before it come unto blood I say it were a happie thing if professours nay if Pastours would stand unto the trueth till it come unto blood that other allurements did not draw them from the trueth the contrary hereof doth declare how few faithfull Pastours God hath in his church and thus much for the circumstance of the place and of the danger that Christ was in when he made this good confession under Pontius Pilate Let us make use of all here we see that of all whatsoever is written or spoken in the gospell concerinng Christ the Pastour that above all we should lay this confession of Christ before our eyes for the carriage of Christ before Pontius Pilate is a lively patterne for all ministers to follow and it is set downe not onely to let us see the manner of our redemption but it is likewise to teach Pastours to know their duetie and to teach them how to walke in Gods house to maintaine his trueth when God shall call them to suffer the not consideration of this makes many Pastours and Christians carelesse of their duety because they looke not upon Christ for their patterne the Lord of his mercie give Pastours grace that they may follow him as in all things so in this constancie of maintaining his truth Amen vers 14. That thou keepe this commandemt without spot unrebukable untill the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ IN this comandement charge givē by the Apostle to Timothy we have heard already in what a waightie manner he imposeth this duety upon all that are Pastours teachers unto the worlds end It is a charge from the mouth of the Apostle and a charge in the sight of God of God considered in his omnipotency in that hee quickneth all things and it is before Iesus Christ to be considered of us as a patterne for us to follow in his witnessing a good confession before Pontius Pilate Now it followeth that wee should speak of those things wherewithall Pastours stand charged what the matter is which is of this high moment which the Apostle doth lay with such authoritye upon all Pastours teachers this is layd downe in this verse in these words that thou keepe this commandemēt without spott unrebukeable ūtill the appearing of our Lord Iesus Christ this is the matter the keeping of this commandement and the keeping of it without spott unrekukeable and continuing this till Christ appeare againe Now to encourage all pastors and teachers in the performance of this duetye which must last til Christes appearing againe he setts us downe the assurance of his comming againe in the next verse to keepe us that
keepe this Commandement without spot Secondly hee will let us understand by this charge what difficultie Pastours shall have to continue faithfull in Gods house for they have allwais need perpetually to have this Charge laid before them and sounding in their eares that the terrours of it may keepe them in their Compasse that they may practice this duetie which the Apostle hath charged them withall because whatsoever Sathan or this wicked world can do to make Pastours to pervert the waies of God and to walke in Gods howse otherwise then God hath Commanded hee knowes that if the shepheard be smittem the flock will be stattered that the corrupting of the Pastour will corrupt the flocke therefore mainly doth hee set himselfe against them that are Pastours if hee cannot quench the gospell yet that he may pervert the gospell that it may not yeald wholsome food of salvation to Gods people First in the charge we are to marke the manner of propounding of it it is commanded that a denunciation given with authority it is not a request or an exhortation but it is a straite injunction binding the soule and conscience to necessarie obedience Secondly wee declared unto you by what authority hee commands this law he doth it not by his owne but hee chargeth him before God that quickneth all things and in the sight of Christ the Lord hee laies the authority of God of Christ before him wherefore he did this we have allready shewed you and why that Christ is ioyned with God in this Charge because wee are to set before our eyes our Iudge and our advocate in this Charge God is the judge of the world and hee will judge the world by Christ Iesus the man so that although wee be guiltie of sinne in the sight of God and that God for the same may justly damne us yet there is hope of mercy in the mediation of Christ who hath given himselfe to death for us but in the transgression of this precept the Spirit will have Pastours to know that they are not to looke unto Christ as a mediatour but to God as a judge both God and Christ shall be against him that neglecteth this precept Yea all faithlesse Pastours shall find so farre as they neglect Gods service so farre Gods wrath shall be kindled against them We began to speake of the properties which are by the Apostle added to God and Christ to make this attestation of greater force and you heard that hee sets downe God by this that hee quickneth all things and the reason why above all the properties of God he chooseth this one fact of God in the secōd place as being of greatest weight to inforce this exhortation for the greatest weight or force or feare that wee can be in is of our lives this is the greatest feare that man can put in our hearts namely to take away our liues from us now that which armes us against this is the knowledge of God that hee hath all mens lives at his disposing and that hee both gives life and takes it away at his pleasure and can restore us to life when our lives are taken away from us so that wee need not to be afraid of any creature since we know this authority of taking away our lives is onely in his hands so as none can take them away without his permission and when they take it away God can restore it againe there is no feare of the losse of life that should make a faithfull Pastour to pervert the waies of God Now wee are to speake of the particulers that are here ascribed to Christ which in order followeth next to be handled and concerning him the Apostle ads this who witnessed a good confession before Pontius Pilate There are many things that may be said of God to make the conscience to tremble before him besides this that is here set downe that hee quickneth all things so there may be many things said of Christ besides this that hee witnessed a good confession under Pontius Pilate onely the Apostle chooseth this above all the rest to set forth our obedience to this charge the reason hee gives because the cheife thing that causeth teacheth us or Pastours to walke uprighly is the example of the Prince of Pastours Christ Iesus who is the Lord and head of all Pastours and hee that makes us Pastours as the Apostle shewes us that hee is ascended up on high and gave some to be Apostles some Prophets some Pastours and Teachers hee is the Prince of our calling and the Pastour of all Pastours to teach them how to discharge the duty of their calling therefore the Apostle sets Christ for the patterne which he did in the time of the greatest danger that ever he was in the very day that he was condemned to die even before a heathen judge to teach us by his patience what wee should do that are Pastours though wee be in danger of our lives Nay though wee know that our adversaries have power given them of God to take away our lives from us yet we should do like him that is our Prince which hath laid downe this foundation before us he having witnessed a good confession in the presence of Pontius Pilate and no terrour of the judge nor cruelty of the adversary nor feare of death made him afraid to confesse Gods trueth this example should wee set before our eyes all waies And this being the generall it should teach us this lesson that Pastours that would know how to walke faithfully in Gods howse must not be ignorant of the conversation of Christ the Lord but they must looke upon his boldnes perseverance faithfullnesse to the end make him to be the onely patterne of their owne carriage in Gods howse it is not enough for a Pastour to looke how this or that man behaves himselfe but hee shall answere in the day of account according as hee hath followed Christ who is the onely rule of our behaviour according unto which his damnation shal rest be just the Apostles them selves never durst presume to teach men to follow them absolutely but they bad the saints to follow them as they followed Christ for Christ is the pattern of all righteousnesse true Christianity according to whose footsteps wee must walke if ever we thinke to raigne with Christ in glory this is the patterne which the Apostle Peter tells us that Christ also suffered the just for the vniust leaving us an example that we should follow his footsteps what hee did in the worke of his ministrie in his life conversatiō was dō to teach us how we shold walke either as Christians in generall or as dispencers of the misteries of God and this is the reason why Christ is set in the scriptures before the Church of God that they might perpetually have their eye upon him who is the author and finisher of their faith so as that hee did endure
the spirit upon all flesh it shewes the great aboundance of grace that Christ should give his elect hee being glorified being made the head of the Church and was possessed with all power to give grace so this worke of his Kingdome is that which wee must take to heart as being the ground of our comfort to wit that the King of Saints as hee is called in the Revelation hee is with us hee it is that fighteth our battells against the dragon and the whore his might and power onely prevailes and the scripture telleth us that if wee will fight valiantly Christ shall tread Sathan vnder our feet all our strength stands in his strength as the Apostle saieth hee was able to abound and to want and to do all things through Christ that strengthened him elsewhere hee saieth with what power hee laboureth to convert men vnto God by power from him which worketh mightily in him where he did acknowledge that all the power he had to doe any good in Gods howse was even in Christ the sonne of God alone therefore saith he it is not I but the grace of God that is in mee seing then that all the vertue of a Preacher and strenght of a Christian and all the vertue of Christs mediation suffering depends upon Christs Kingdome and power how much the more should we consider this with ioy as the Cheife ground of our consolation in all dangers to vvit that Christ the Lord hath all povver given him in heaven and in earth to give eternall life to those that the Father hath given vnto him as hee saieth of himselfe the end of Gods giving such great povver vnto Christ is that hee may bring his Children vnto glorie therefore is hee called the Prince of our salvation and he saieth Christ being to bring many to glory to consecrate the Prince of their salvation vvell then this point being of such high moment it is not vvithout cause that the Apostle in this case calleth this confession of Christ a good confession which is nothing but his professing himselfe to be King And the reason of it may likewise be this because Christs propheticall and Priestly office are in two respects more easily imbraced then his kingly office first in what respect they are more manifested and more sensible and more easie to be seene of the world then his Kingly power for hee was seene to teach on earth and hee taught with authoritie and not as the scribes and Pharises did and hee performed his Priestly office in the sight of all the world the world heard him preach and the world saw him die these are not things of much secrecie as this is to wit this man so base on earth that now they should see him Crowned with honour and glory there is great difference betweene the glory of his messengers here and the glory of the servants or messengers of earthly kings for the one is wholly earthly the other is wholly spirituall and heavenly so that so farre as heaven differs from earth so farre differs Christs Kingdome from the Kingdoms of the earth his Kingdome stands not in fleshly pompe but it stands wholly in the spirit and power of it So this brings us to the second point of his confession to wit that his Kingdome was not of this world the Iewes would have made Christ a King but hee refused as hee was a King so hee was constant to avouch the matter of his kingdome to be spirituall and not carnall why should we that are his ministers make his glorie and his kingdome a worldly kingdome Doe we not thereby falsify Gods trueth seeing our master refused all carnall and wordly authoritie but onely the power of the spirit why should we seeke after a carnall glory and pompe when the glory of the sonne of God and his kingdome is not of this world Certainly the lesse we are in the world and the lesse we are like to men in worldly honour the more like we are to the sonne of God if we be cloathed with grace with Sanctification and the trueth of God dwell in us plentifully this should be our honour and thus we see how we are bound to place the kingdome of Christ in this wherein it stands certainely all earthly power is so farre from appertaining to the kingdome of Christ as that those that seeke it walke not with an even foote in the ministrie neither doth he the part of a faithfull Minister the Apostle hath a strange saying and yet a true one if our gospell be hid it is hid in them that perish vvhom the God of this world hath blinded for we preach not our selves but Christ Iesus the Lord and our selves your servants for Christs sake and that the excellencie of the power may be of God and of Christ that all the world may see that the power of our Ministrie is not from our selves that we should force your consciences to submit vnto the sonne of God for our Ministrie is wholly spirituall as the Apostle tels us that all the weapons of our warfare are from God in heaven they are not carnall but mightie through God it is God that makes the gospell powerfull and that makes the labours of mortall men powerfull to subdue men to obedience Thus to be briefe the second point of Christs confession is to disclame his kingdome from being a worldly kingdome therefore vve should Disclame all worldly pompe and not compare Christ to any worldly pettie king for it is wholy spirituall as the Lord saith to his peoples to comfort them against the Egyptians hee saith the Egyptians are flesh and not spirit as if hee would say they are but flesh and therefore they can doe nothing against the spirit The 3. point of his confession was this that hee came into the world and was borne to this end to beare witnesse of the trueth wherefore this is to teach Pastoures to follow his footesteps and to know what is our calling wherefore the Lord hath sent us into this world which was to beare witnesse of the trueth God hath not sent us into this world to beare witnesse vnto a lye nor to justifie any falshood but to maintaine the trueth vntill death as Christ avouched this to be his office and hee did accordingly so should we that are Pastours acknowledge this to be our office not to justify mens lies but to beare witnesse and record to Gods trueth so we see this affords great instruction for us to shew us wherein our felicitie stands especially in witnessing him to be our King and his Kingdome not to be of this world thus the penitent theefe did beleeve that hee was a King and that his Kingdome was not of this world therefore he besought him to remember him when hee came in his Kingdome and that we are sent of God to beare witnesse vnto his truth and for this we are to lay downe our lives it is a wofull thing to
from above First of all this letts us see that it is a vain thing to be astonished at the fury of Princes it is but miserable weaknes of men that know what God is certain it is if we serve God aright we would not be moved with the fear of anie man in the world Ye see when as Ieroboam would have apprehended the Prophet that God sent to threaten his judgments upō him for his idolatry when he stretched out his hand to apprehend him God so decred that his hand withered that when he had stretched it out he could not pull it in again This God that could make the hand of a King to wither when he did oppose the counsell of God what need anie man to feare whenas our Saviour and God is on our side We know what Saule did unto David he did use all his skill to destroy him but it was unpossible for him to do it because God who is the King of Kings was with David and God did shew his power against Saule in this when he put Sauls life into Davids hands but hee never put Davids life into Saules hands We knowe what enmity Ahab had against Elias the Prophet yet the Lord cōmaūds him to goe to him the Prophet answered the Lord that he sought his life but the Lord answered him saying goe be not afraid and the Prophet goes to him tells him that it was he that troubled Israell and the Lord restrained him that he could doe the Prophet no harme Infinite examples in the Scriptures wee have of this to let us see that he can hold Kings that they shall doe no more harm then God will suffer them to prove this truth of God that he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords To come yet to make more use of this why doth the Apostle lay this before us the use is partly for Kings and partly for us the first lesson for Kings is this that I touched before concerning Nabuchadnezar how God forced him to learn how to know God to be the King of Kings therfore let all Potentates learn to know that God hath rule over them and their Kingdoms and it is he that makes them Kings and serts them in their thrones and if they doe not this it is just with God to make them will they nill they to acknowledge this to their destruction for the saying of Isaie shal be accomplished which the Lord there speaks all knees shall bow to him and every mouth shall confesse him to bee the Lord for the Lord will not suffer himself long to be despised but in his own time hee will challenge his right in despite of the world it were a blessed thing if Kings would consider this that it is by God that they doe reigne observe what it is Christ shall doe in the last day the proper effect of this Kingdom shall be to put down all principallityes and powers and to give up his Kingdom to God that God may be all in all 1. Corin 15 then shall they see the trueth of this that he is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords if Kings would consider this that the time shall come that the world shall not have a Kingdom nor King but God alone me thinks they would then reverence this God in greater measure then they doe but this sort of doctrine is harsh to Princes eares to think that there is a God above them or that there should be anie of whom they hould their scepter and yet they must know this or feele the truth of it by experience in Gods judgment The second use for Kings and Lords is this that the Apostle doth teach them to doe that which is right to all men that they oppresse no man because they have a King over them in heaven unto whom they must give an accompt of their doings This Argument the Apostle useth to Maisters in sundry places that they should doe that that is right to their servants knowing they have a maister in Heaven If superiours would but acknowledge this that they have a Lord over them that shall take a reckoning of them aswell as they take a reckoning with their inferiours surely it would make them to doe nothing but that which is right these are the uses that doe concern Kings and rulers Now there is great use of this likewise for ourselvs besides the incouragement it gives us not to be afraid of anie power in the world but it teacheth us this lesson not to resist power nor authority because there is no power nor authority but it is from God as the Apostle shewes Now since all authority is of God he that resists authority hee resisteth God but some object what if they be tyrants and merciles men and such as make no conscience to doe wrong I answere even as the Apostle doth to servants whom hee commands to be subject not onely to their good masters and such as are gentle but also to them which are froward so I say if thou wilt doe thy duty thou oughtest rather to suffer wrong and to suffer thyself to be oppressed rather then to lift up thyself against authority which thou art under for if this bond of subjection to Princes were loosed Kingdoms could not stand if every servant should stand against their master and every subject against his Prince when he is wronged no common wealth could stand it is true wee may use all lawfull means to eschew wrong and Magistrates may plead in Parliament with their Princes for they have also their authority from God wee ought to use all lawfull meanes to escape wrong but if there be no possibility of escaping wee must rather suffer them to wrong us for power and authority is to be reverenced as being of God and indeed God doth sometimes in justice give bad rulers to avenge himself for the sins of his people hee gave to Israel a King in his wrath and hee stirred up a wicked King in Israel to avenge himself upō the people for their idolatrie doe you not think but that the divell is Gods instrumēt against the wicked so is every wiked king th◠Lords scourge the rod of his justice to inflict upō his enimies when as good rulers are the blessings of God upon a people that are carefull to please him the Lord will make them nursing Fathers and Mothers unto his church and so God in his infinit wisedom makes Kings and Rulers to subjects as hee sees cause either to plague them or to preserve them this is the secret of Gods providence thus to order the World according as he sees they carry themselvs towards him we see that so long as Israel did not know God so long God gave them into their enimies hands and they had tyrants to rule over them but when they sought the Lord as they should and ought the Lord gave them gracious judges to deliver them out of the hands of their enimies and assoone as they fell from
God that they have their immortality and therfore the objection takes not away this truth that God is onely immortall Again observe this that although the Lord give immortality to my soule and unto Angells yet neither man nor Angell can give immortality to anie creature in the World God onely is able to doe this therefore hee onely hath immortality because hee onely hath it of himself and because hee onely is able to give it to others therfore must hee needs continue to be immortall that hath the onely keeping of it himself and dispences the same to others at his pleasure so that in this point God is onely happy for man may begett children but we cannot make them immortall onely the Lord must doe this nay we cannot make ourselvs immortall doe we what we can reade Psalm 43. and you may see the spirit of God taxeth the miserable vanity of men that thinke their names great on earth and yet he saith no man can redeeme his brother from death all must goe to the grave the rich dye aswell as the poore and yet vain man he will call his Lands by his own name and all is but in vain so that this is proved that God is onely blessed We know that the divell did speake true to God concerning Iob when the Lord said unto him Hast thou not considered my servent Iob who is a righteous mā that doth no evill but good what saith the devill to God skin for skin and all that a man hath will a man give for his life Wheras the hand of God being stretched forth against Iob in his children in his estate yet it could not make Iob to blaspheme God but the devill thought that if God would stretch out his hand upon his own person that it would make him to blaspheme God a man will part with anie thing so as he may have his life for what is riches unto a man if he cannot injoy them without life there is no conceite of happines let men therefore learn this that their life and the continuance of their life the eternity of their life is in the hands of God alone and since it is so that he onely can give eternall life why then should I for the pleasure of anie man in the world offend this God and make him to be mine enimie can anie Prince in the world give me eternall life but he onely why then should I for the pleasure of anie man offend him in whom my life stands unlesse I care not what become of mee whether I be cast away into hell or whether I have eternall life If I desire life let me then make conscience not to greive this good God since he onelie can give life and he onely can take it away this is still but one part of his felicity and of our felicity in him if we obey him he hath promised to give eternall life unto us and they that remember not this promise that God hath promised to them that feare him certainlye that man cannott walk as a Christian To come then to speake of the 2. pointe of the felicity of God which is thus sett downe be dwelleth in that light which no man can attain unto I will consider two things in these words first that he dwells in the light secondly he declares what manner of light this is it is such a light as no man can approach unto The first shewes the infinite glory of God in that the very place of his habitation is light it self and such a light as the sunne cannot give it is a light surpassing all created light yea this light coms from God himself 1 Iohn God is light if anie man say he hath fellowship with God and walk in darknes he is a lyer for God is light and they which have fellowshich with God walk in the light and therefore those that are called of God they are called the children of light and God is said to call us out of darknes into his marvellous light that is God calls us from death to life so hee doth call us from darknes to light and this is the second part of our felicity for in this we must be like God in whom is no darknes for when God shall translate our vile bodies unto his glorious light then shall the light of the sunne be inferiour to this bright shining light of this mortall flesh what glorious creatures shall we be in that daye when this our mortall flesh shall not onely bee made immortall but our bodies shal be raysed in glory as the Apostle saith they are sowen in weaknes but they shal be raysed in glory glorious bodies even like unto the sonne of God who is now at the right hand of his father so that whatsoever is in mans body that makes it defective it shall then be taken away and the glorie of God himself shall be put upon our bodies in that day so this is the first thing to be considered of us that God dwells in the light What use should we make of this it should teach us where to lay the blame if we see not God for in the dark we can see nothing but in the light we can see anie thing now if thou canst not see God it is not because God is in darknes for God dwells in the light something therefore must be the reason why thou canst not see him and the reasons are one of these two First if thou seest not God at all the reason is this because thou art a child of darknes and the light of life was never putt into thy soule therfore the wicked are said to be of them which know not God and what wonder is it they doe not know him since they were never called out of darknes to the light of God the want of this calling out of darknes is the reason why they cannot see nor know this God as for example if a man be in a dark dungeon or prison that hath no windowes in it to shew light he cannot see such a man in such a place cannot see the sunne for untill he be taken out of that darke place he cannot see anie thing so untill men be taken out of that beastly blindnes wherin he is conceived and born he cannot see God But the second thing will bring us to a non plus in this point for suppose I be called out of darknes what will that help mee what the better am I for this calling if I cannot approach to this light this is the second thing that we are to mark in the felicity of God that besides his dwelling in the light he dwelleth in such a glorious light as is unspeakable which no man can approach unto which shews the unspeakable glory of the Majesty of God But then it may be objected what availes this light of God since we cannott approach unto it To understand this more clearely the words following make this doubt greater where he saith