others but for a season onely The summe then of this speech amounts to this Christ therefore prayeth that believers may be united amongst themselves because hereby a wide door is opened for the progresse of the Gospel Hereby the world may be perswaded that Christ was the true Messias because he had brought such true peace amongst his Disciples From whence observe That Vnity amongst believers is a special means to enlarge the Kingdome of Christ There is no such obstruction to the Gospel and scandal to the world keeping it off from faith in Christ as to see those who professe Christ divided and subdivided into many Sects and opinions Is it not imbred in all to think that truth cannot be contrary to it self That Christ cannot be divided That the Spirit of God is the same Spirit and therefore men do very speciously conclude certainly these men are not of Christ have not his Spirit they are so contrary to one another No wonder therefore if Christ thus earnestly pray for believers unity as being the most effectual means to propagate and preserve the Gospel which made the Apostle Rom. 16.17 when he had spent the Chapter chiefly in saluting of the Saints an expression of dear love he doth in a most fervent manner break out thus I beseech you Brethren mark them which cause divisions and offences and avoid them We are in a special manner to take heed of such turbulent and dividing persons The Apostle gives this general character of all such They serve not Jesus Christ but their own lusts and ends But to open this Consider First That though our Saviour presse Vnity of believers as a sign of his Disciples and a means to winne others to the Faith yet Vnity simply as so is not an inseparable note of the true Church The Papists indeed they professedly maintain this That where we see a Church in it's members all united together and that under one visible Head and Pastour there we are to conclude is the true Church and on the contrary when we see divisions and multiplicities of Sects and Opinions as they say there are almost an hundred amongst the Protestants there cannot be any true Church And indeed they have no fairer way to intangle men and to fill the hearts of people with prejudices against the truth then because of the many opinions that are amongst us But to this we answer these things First Vnity as Vnity without true Doctrine cannot be any distinctive Note of a true Church A whole Church as that of Israel may be universally corrupted so that neither the Worship or Truths of God were in any visible way received and yet in this universall corruption they were all as one man Thus the Jewes and Turks they have wonderfull unity amongst themselves yet who will conclude the Truth is amongst them Although the Heathens had multiplicity of Gods and religious wayes yet the Jewes are at great consent in the main things amongst themselves It is necessary therefore that to Unity there must be joyned true and sound Doctrine In the second place We say There is no such cause for Papists to boast of Vnity amongst themselves For our Divines doe abundantly shew That these Philistims doe not onely fight against the Israelites but even one with another Their Swords are often set one against another witnesse the Jesuites and Dominicans and that in great controversal points so also between Thomists and Scotists Now to this Bellarmine hath these answers First That their differences are not in substantial things they are only in secondary points But First So we say The Protestants truly so called for we cannot tell how to call the Socinians Christians do agree in Fundamentals so that although there be great disputes in their circa fundamentalia yet the foundation it self they fall not upon Secondly We say They have dissented in Fundamentals for is not that a principle of Religion with them Whether the Pope be above the Councell And yet there have been hot differences amongst them in this point And therefore some have asserted The Pope may be deposed by the Councel and deputed for an Heretique Now certainly with them either the Pope or a Councell is the generall Head of the Church and it 's of the necessity of salvation to be in obedience to such an Head yet they cannot agree who that is In the next place Bellarmine hath this evasion If saith he our Church have any divisions they arise from the meer malice of the Devil not for want of a remedy to keep the unity for we have a visible Judge to determine all controversies whereas saith he among Protestants their differences do arise from the very Genius of their Doctrine because they hold no visible efficacious remedy to such contentions But to this also it s answered easily That all the differences amongst the people of God come from the Devil without and corruptions within The Devil is not wholly conquered nor are our corruptions altogether vanquished and therefore it cannot be but that breaches and wounds will sometimes be made Yet in the second place We have a more sure and efficacious remedy to compose all differences then they have for they indeed alledge the Pope or a Councell as a visible Judge to end all controversies but these being men are subject to ignorance and passions and so cannot perform the Office of an infallible visible Church because not sufficiently qualified thereunto Again They have not de facto silenced all those debates that are amongst them Some of the fore-mentioned Disputes are as fervent as ever Neither hath the Pope yet interposed to decide Whether those Doctrines about scientia media and absolute predefinitions with the dependent controversies thereon be true on the Dominicans side or their adversaries Therefore thirdly We hold The Scriptures to be the infallible and unerring Rule and therefore have a proper and sufficient means to end all controversies And although it be said That many differences arise about the sense of the Scripture therefore that cannot be a Judge but the Church We reply That many controversies also may arise about the Church the Authority of it and it's infallibility and therefore they who acknowledge the Scripture the only adequate Rule of faith do thereby confesse a powerfull remedy to remove all differences Further That Vnity is not de facto alwayes a note of the Church appeareth from the opposition of Satan against the peace and quietnesse of it And therefore as it is in matter of practice peace and quietnesse is not alwayes a signe of a good conscience for our Saviour saith The Devil keepeth all things quiet while he ruleth Luke 11.21 Thus it is also in respect of Churches many times a false superstitious Church hath more plenty and ease then a true one because the Devil will not disturb his own but where the Kingdome of Christ is there the Devil doth also desire to erect his Throne Thus when the good
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they take for propter for it answereth the Hebrew ב Beth which is sometimes used so Gen. 18.28 Luke 22.20 And indeed here is a truth in this because whatsoever God doth about his Church he doth it for his own glory There is no merit or worth in us to move him It 's his own glory only as Joshua urged What wilt thou do for thy great Name Josh 7.9 Yet this Exposition seemeth not to be so pertinent Others by Gods Name understand his power his strength his might and thus it 's often used Prov. 18 10 c. and then the Preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 answers per and so the Hebrew ב is often used called therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beth auxilii This seemeth very pertinent and is part of the meaning but last of all that which late Interpreters pitch most upon is that Name is here taken for the Truth Doctrine and Knowledge of God both for the Object the Doctrine that is known and the Grace is that Faith whereby we are enabled to know it being usuall in Scripture to call the Object of any affection by the affection it self That Name is here taken for the Truth and Doctrine manifested by Christ appeareth from ver 6. where it's so used where the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is expounded by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Those therefore that understand it of the true and pure Doctrine Christ hath delivered retain the proper sense of the Preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Keep them in thy Name in thy true Doctrine So that they say Christ prayeth first for the purity of their Faith 2. their Unity of Love and Charity which are the two Pillars that bear up the Church of God Others take Name not for the Object but for our Knowledge and Faith of this Doctrine and so you have a notable use of the word Revel 2.13 and they make the Preposition instrumental Keep them through the knowledge and faith of thee as we have a like phrase 1 Pet. 1.5 They are said to be kept by the power of God through faith These three later Interpretations we take as one whole compleat sense for they are kept by the power of God in the true Doctrine and a true faith in Christ is the means whereby we are kept From the first Interpretation that God keeps us by his power Observe That it is not enough to be put into the state of Grace unless by Gods Power we are kept therein Or When a man is regenerated it 's not his own strength or ability but Gods power meerly that keeps him Let us take notice of that place again 1 Pet 1.5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith to salvation The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is observed to be very emphatical for it 's properly used of those who keep a place by a Garison of Souldiers it 's a military word here it 's applied to the Power of God that doth keep us as safely as strongly and as securely as if we had an whole Army about us So that the word denoteth two things 1. The Defence and Custody in a strong manner the people of God have 2. The great Danger we are in from Satan sinne and the world for what needeth such a defence if there were no danger It 's then God that keeps us and that to salvation Though God did never so much for us at the first yet should he not keep to the very last to salvation it self we should suffer shipwrack in the very Havens mouth To open this Doctrine Consider First That the power of God is necessary both to the beginnings of grace and the progress Christ must be not only the Author but the finisher of our faith Heb. 12 2. When the Apostle 1 Pet. 1.3 had shewed that God through his abundant mercy had begotten us again he sheweth this is not enough but we are kept afterwards by his power only the power of God in working grace in us at first findes us in a different estate then when it preserveth or keepeth us At first the power of God findes us dead in sinne and in respect of any holiness like that Chaos at first without form and void Therefore Ephes 2. it 's a quickning power which infuseth supernatural life and so maketh us of spiritually dead to live It 's an Omnipotent insuperable Power like that of Creation which was out of nothing and therefore we are said to be created and his new-creatures But in the progress of Grace the power of God findes us not dead but with spiritual life only there cannot be any further motions or actings of this life without power from above Acti agimus and moti movemus it 's God that inableth us to believe to hunger and thirst after the enjoyment of him Even as Conservation doth not finde the creature in the Womb of nothing as Creation did only it continueth that being already existent which otherwise would fall into nothing Thus did not the Lord bear up daily by his power that heavenly building raised up by him at first in thy soul it would become a very ruine and not a stone left upon a stone It 's this later kinde of power the godly need all the day long if his right hand bear them not up they immediately fall to the ground Secondly Although we say It 's the power of God onely that keeps the godly and not their own strength yet it cannot be denied but that the Scripture as in some places it affirmeth Gods keeping of us So it also speaketh of a godly mans keeping himself Thus 1 Tim. 5.22 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Keep thy self pure James 1.27 Pure Religion is to keep a mans self unspotted from the world 1 John 5.18 He that is begotten of God keepeth himself Sometimes they are put together Jude v. 21. Keep your self in the love of God and not long after he addeth To him that is able to keep you So 2 Tim. 1.14 Timothy is exhorted To keep the good thing committed to him by the holy Ghost By these places we see a godly man is said to keep himself and Gods power likewise Doth not this seem to attribute too much to man or at least divide the work of preservation between God and our selves I answer No. For first Our own keeping is wholly insufficient and unable without Gods keeping when man attends to the utmost with all watching and diligence yet if God come not in with his power all is in vain We like Gehezi may lay the staffe to the dead childe but it will not rise till the Prophet himself come Satan and his power is greater then ours if considered in our selves Therefore no wonder if we of our selves cannot combate with him he that is with us is stronger then the devil but not we our selves And 2. Though we keep our selves yet this is wholly from and by
from the world to God yet that which is here primarily intended is the perfection and consummation of them in unity which though it will not be compleat till in heaven yet it is inchoate and begun in this life Obs That the Father and Christs being in believers is the cause of that perfect and consummate unity which they ought to have of themselves There could be no union in the body if the Head did not unite it All believers union doth first flow from Christ as their Head and Mediator Insomuch that whatsoever unity they may have which doth not first arise from this spring is humane and carnall To open this let us consider What is implied in their being made perfect in one And First Here is implied sincerity and uprightnesse That their unity be from a pure heart and unfeigned faith This is often the use of the word perfect as opposed to that which is false and counterfeit many are said to walk with a perfect heart because they did not walk with an heart and an heart by dissimulation so that it 's a perfection of essence and parts not of degrees and this indeed is greatly to be urged that as all the other things in the godly be sincere so their unity that they be joyned together from spiritual principles and by spiritual means It was the Heathens Position That amicitia could onely be inter bonos that whatsoever friendship was from bono utili or jacundo and not honesto it did not deserve the name of friendship Now how much more is this true in that unity amongst the godly which hath for it's cause and original Christ himself and for it's patern such an unity that the Father and Sonne have To be perfect then in unity is to have sincere hearts one towards another as the Apostle Rom. 12. Let love be without dissimulation Let there be no water to debase this wine let not this fair fruit be rotten at the core Secondly To be perfect in Vnity doth imply not onely sincerity but integrity of all those substantials and essentials wherein this onenesse doth consist You have heard that the Unity of believers doth empty it self into two great streams one of Faith in respect of Doctrine The other of Charity in respect of life and affections Therefore if any of these be wanting the Unity is dissolved if love be pretended but yet there is no divine truth this is conspiracy not unity and if faith be pretended but not love as yet we have no signe of the true Disciples of Christ Let then the Church of God look it hath these two pillars like Jachin and Boaz to bear it up All Unity without Truth is like a stately building upon sand and Truth without love is like a foundation without superstruction pray that the Spirit of God would lead into all truth for the former and would also work those sanctifying fruits of it love peace meekness c for the latter Thirdly The word perfect in one doth imply an increase and daily progresse in the way of Vnity For though the Church of Christ be his Body yet it 's a growing body it 's not come to it's full stature no not in this life There are further degrees to be attained Ephes 4.13 We are to grow to a perfect man in Christ Jesus and thus we reade of many called perfect as 1 Cor. 2.6 Heb. 5.14 not in an absolute sense but comparatively because they are carried on to further degrees of grace then others We are not then to think that any Church will have such perfect Unity in this life but that it may be more perfected In the best constituted Churches there are several imperfections there is much weakness many carnal affections which are apt to discompose the beautifull frame of the Church Fourthly It doth imply That they are perfected in those means which are appointed by God for this Vnity For seeing the means are wholly for the end the end can never be better enjoyned then formerly if the means be not better improved so that if the Church of God be perfected more in one it must more faithfully improve the means of unity and they are especially two 1. The preaching of the Word of God For as by that at first the Church is called out of the world so by that also it 's kept up in it's purity and unity The Word of God preached is the onely means appointed to remove ignorance and mortifie corruptions which are the rares that hinder the good seed As the envious man soweth these so the Spirit of Christ by the Word worketh the clean contrary Hence Ephes 4. the Ministry is appointed as a means to bring us to this perfect stature farre be it therefore from them to make divisions and rents in the Church of God whose great office and imployment is to proclaim peace The good shepherd will not suffer his sheep so to fight with one another as thereby to be destroyed 2. The Sacrament of the Lords Supper that is a special means to preserve Vnity yea and to perfect it The Apostle 1 Cor. 10. speaketh fully to this For we being many are one bread and one body for we are all partakers of that one bread So Eph. 4. one Baptisme is brought as an ingagement to unity Therefore the more graciously and perfectly these Ordinances are received the more is this unity confirmed and established and therefore those primitive Christians who had one soul and one heart were constant also in their breaking of bread whereby their mutual love was strongly preserved Bellarmine not unfitly speaks of a six-fold Unity in the Church The first is Ratione principii of God who calleth though as he saith this makes the Church not so much una as sub uno one as under one 2. Ratione ultimi finis the salvation to which it 's called and this makes the Church not so much one as ad unum 3. Ratione Mediorum in respect of the means of Faith and Sacraments and thus the Church is rather by one then one 4. In respect of the holy Ghost as a separated Governour 5. In respect of Christ as an internal and conjoyned Head 6. In respect of the connexion of the Members amongst themselves and in these two last respects it 's properly one Lastly This Vnity will be wholly perfected in Heaven Then will all partition walls be destroyed Then shall it no more be said I am of Paul and I am of Apollo but God will be all in all Therefore as this life is a place like Hadadrimmon a valley of tears bewailing corruptions and sinnes amongst us so also the divisions and breaches that are upon us But in Heaven all opinions all different wayes will cease So that although this unity for the main of it be attained in this life yet in the life to come there it will be totally compleated Thus it is here perfect because the endeavours and breathings of the godly should be
which relateth to eternity so that the first and the last thing thou hast to think on is how to come to this eternall life The Apostle useth an emphaticall word 1 Tim. 6.12 Lay hold on eternall life as a man that runneth in a race at the end thereof streacheth out himself to lay hold on the garland so that as he who runneth in a race neglects all the pleasant objects he runneth by and hath his eye only upon the prize Thus it ought to be with us neither riches honours friends or earthly advantages ought to be inordinately minded by us but eternall life that is the prize upon that our eye is to be after that we are to pray and strive But who may not blame himself and judge himself for neglect herein Oh how little is this eternall life in thy affections and hopes thy cares about thy body about thy estate will greatly condemn that sluggishness about eternall life 2. As this ought to be the great question we are to rise with and go to bed with so we must take the right way to answer it It 's not enough to make the question as Pilate did to Christ What truth was and never matter an answer but we are to be restlesse in our souls till we have a full answer till we know the way Now that we can only be instructed in from Gods Word John 6.68 Whither shall we go thou hast the words of eternall life The Scripture then is this Tree of Life the fruit thereof and the leaves likewise are for eternall healing Hence our Saviour in the next verse tels us what is the way to have this eternall life even by knowing of God and Jesus Christ As all the Heathens were in dark confused thoughts about immortallity so they were in Egyptian darknesse or like the blinde Sodomites groping and feeling for a way to it but could never get in Wouldst thou therefore be resolved in this How may I have this eternall life betake thy self then to the Scriptures make them thy counsellers do not attend to the waies of the world matter not what they say or what they do for that telleth thee the way to heaven is clean contrary to the manners and practises of the world If you do not rectifie your self by the Scripture and resolve to follow the light of this starre though you should hear many hundred Sermons of eternall life yet they would do you no good say then let me consider what way the Scripture would put me into my life I yet live is wholly repugnant to Gods Word whatsoever course that prescribeth though never so contrary to my lusts to my former practises yet I will gladly renounce all Do this and then expect eternall life 3. Consider this deeply that upon this little moment we have here depends all eternity Thou hast a short brittle life in this world and upon the good improvement of this depends all eternity Oh the searchings and turnings of heart this particular should make in you My everlasting condition that estate which is to be for ever and ever it wholly hangs upon this uncertain life It may be thou hast but a day an hour to live longer and all thy eternity depends on this Oh men foolish and unwise who will not lay these things more to heart God hath given us a candle to work by a short day we have to improve and if this passe over thy head then comes unchangeable eternity As at thy death thou art cast for eternall life or everlasting torments so it must be without ever any recovery or alteration Oh how precious should thy time be how dear should every day every hour be all this hath influence into eternity Well might the Apostle Ephes 5.16 command us to redeem the time Time is the most precious jewell in the world eternity depends on it and therefore wilt thou let thy lusts or wicked companions steal away this jewel that is more worth then all the world Oh let us so live every day every hour as those that say as I do now so will eternity be to me 4. Consider this that the most of men even called and injoying the means of grace shall misse of this eternall life What is a thunderbolt if this be not Luk. 13.24 There are few that enter into the strait gate and many are called but few chosen our Saviour used that apothegm more then once How formidable and dreadfull should these words many and few be unto us Many perish in the broad way few enter in the strait way What will make thee cast off presumption security and negligence if this do not The number of those who shall have this eternall life is very few a little flock they are comparatively to those many millions that are cast into everlasting flames Oh how long shall we hear these things and yet be void of all spirituall understanding If such an asseveration should be used concerning any temporall misery or calamity Many shall dye of the plague few shall escape Many shall be cut off by famine or the sword and a very few shall be preserved who would not fear lest he should be one of the many And yet in these things many are as idle having ears they hear not and hearts they understand not 5. Desire to have such thoughts and resolutions now as if thou wert already in eternity For if the damned in hell that see no escape from those everlasting flames were asked what they thought of their sinne how they loved it would they not make miserable howlings it 's that which hath undone us oh that is the sting that enters into the very bowels that 's the scorpion which pierceth to the very heart Oh we mad men and void of all understanding who though forewarned of this and threatned about it yet regarded nothing beleeved nothing but now oh now after millions of years in this tormented place we are as unlikely to come out as at the first Think you they are not then altered and changed do they not cry out of those bitter sinnes which were once so sweet Should God give them leave to be here again upon the earth would they not repent in sackcloth and ashes would they not day and night mourn after God and his forgivenesse Oh that every wicked man who findes pleasure and delight in his sinnes would think and say Do the damned in hell judge it so Do they feel sinne so sweet And thus also desire to have the same inlarged affections and delight in God as those glorified Saints in heaven have Dost thou finde thy heart worldly unruly distempered say Do those in eternall life rejoyce no more have they no more enlivened flames of zeal for God then I have Thus to judge as those who are in eternity would be an excellent spurre to all piety 6. Remember this likewise that it 's farre better thou hadst never been born then to misse of this eternall life
it 's a good Rule that Divines have whereas Faith hath three acts ingredient to it 1. Knowledge 2. Assent 3. Fiducial application The Scripture describeth the whole nature of Faith sometimes by one act sometimes by another In other places it 's described by assent and most frequently by trusting but here by knowledge For whereas the Papists would make ignorance rather of the definition of faith then knowledge they shew plainly what an ignorant faith and Religion they would have people take up with In the second place there is the object which is twofold 1. The only true God 2. Jesus Christ That is both God in respect of his nature and attributes oppositely to those Heathens who worshiped Idols and 2. Jesus Christ that is opposite to the Jews who knew the true God but not Christ and withall that the knowing of the true God as a Creator by the creatures is nothing at all without the latter It must be as he is Father in Christ so that hereby is implied that the knowing of God absolutely is not saving it must be relatively in the glorious dispensation and mystery which is by Jesus Christ I shall not explain further on this only remove an Argument which the Arians and Socinians use to triumph in from this Text as their Achilles Oh say they here it 's plain That Christ is not a true God because they are distinguished God is the only true God and therefore Christ is not But this is absurd That the only true God is opposed to Idols and to the heathenish gods which were worshiped by them in which sence he is sometimes called The Holy One of Israel and not to Christ for if he were not God likewise how could eternal life be said to be both in knowing of God and Christ and that Christ is truly God take instead of many two undeniable places Rom. 9.5 Of whom after the flesh came Christ who is over all God blessed for evermore And the other which is an excellent Comment upon this place 1 Joh. 5.20 We are in him that is true even in his Sonne Jesus Christ This is the true God and eternal life and then addeth Keep your selves from Idols So that God the Father is the true God and Christ the Son is the true God and all other made gods are Idols This Answer is sufficient and indeed the Socinians themselves may be convinced for they grant this Rule that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 solus doth not exclude the inclusa or subordinate for they acknowledge Christ to be truly God though not essentially Whereas by their Argument Christ as true God should be excluded and nothing is more ordinary then to use the word solus not to exclude what is concomitant or homogeneall but diverse as Mat. 11.16 None knoweth the Father but the Sonne where the Father himself is not excluded nor the holy Ghost for it 's said 1 Cor. 2.11 None knoweth the things of God but the Spirit Others of old made this order of the words To know thee and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent to be the true God but this may seem too much forced Lastly Many answer that the restrictive word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not determine the Antecedent te or Patrâ—m but the true God so that the sense is not the Father alone is the onely true God but that he is the only true God and then this expression doth not exclude the Sonne or holy Ghost but because by other places it 's evident they are also the true God therefore they are necessarily included Obs That by the knowledge of the true God and Jesus Christ we come to eternal life 1 Tim. 2.4 God would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth Here you see the knowledge of the Truth is the way to be saved I shall not now treat upon the nature of this knowledge especially as it includeth faith but shall first handle it in the generall as it is opposite to ignorance and errour about the true God And to open this Consider 1. That all men by nature are ignorant of God in a saving true manner For although Rom. 1. it 's plain that God hath implanted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some imbred apprehension about a God so that Divines say there cannot be a natural Athiest yet this knowledge is so confused and dimmed that it is better called ignorance then knowledge Yet 2. This imbred knowledge may be actuated and perfected by the contemplation of the Creatures as Rom. 1. None that observeth such a curious Fabrick as the world is can conclude it made it self but it had some Creator Even as when a man heareth curious Musick upon some Musical Instrument every one will conclude there is some artificiall hand playing upon it that it doth not move it self Thus the Heathens have many expressions concerning a God whom they discovered no other way but by the creatures although this was accompanied with some hesitancy and doubting And their light was like that of the Moon and Stars yea not so much for it was not able to direct them in any manner acceptable to him Hence it is that the Scripture speaks of them as without God Eph. 2. and such as know not God Therefore 3. The true and right knowledge of God is only had within the Church That as God saith of his people You only of all Nations have I known so they only of all Nations have known God Hence the Samaritan Woman is said to worship she did not know what Joh. 4.22 because Salvation was only of the Jews viz. the knowledge and true revelation of it Hence is that saying of Divines Extra Ecclesiam non est salus As without the Ark every one perished For although some of the Ancients and others have been very prone to ascribe salvation even to a natural knowledge of God as if God would require no more of them Then in that condition thinking otherwise that he would reap where he had not sown yet this Text putteth out of all doubt as well as others that the knowledge of the true God and of Christ is necessary to Salvation Now whatsoever they might know of God yet it is plain they could not by the Creatures know any thing of Christ his Nature and Offices being of meer Revelation and from hence likewise it is apparent that even among the Jews though the knowledge of the Trinity and of Christ seemed more obscure and implicite yet those that were saved had some measure of the knowledge of it for saith Christ This is eternal life The way to it and those in the Old Testament went in the same way to Heaven as well as those in the new You see then our Saviour by this Proposition doth assure us that without the knowledge of God and Christ there is no eternal life and thereby that it is had only in the Church There are no flowers
plain by that of our Saviour If ye know these things happy are ye if ye do them John 13.17 Therefore meer knowledge without doing is not happinesse And this we see the very Heathens could pitch upon that happinesse did not consist in a speculative knowledge but in virtuous actions Yea Aristotle observed that a prophane dissolute life did not corrupt speculative sciences as Geometry and the Mathematicks but it would immediately morall habits So then Knowledge with affections and good effects is that which leadeth to eternall life Hence wicked men are many times said not to know God because though they have never so much speculative understanding yet because by their lives and ungodly waies they dishonour him therefore they are said not to know him Now the concomitants or effects rather of this knowledge are of two sorts either internall in the heart or externall in our actions We will enumerate the first and then the later Saving knowledge hath this internall effect 1. That it makes a man have a firm and divine immoveable assent to Scripture-truths For if we should have all the knowledge of men and Angels yet believe nothing what advantage could it be to us There may be knowledge meerly apprehensive as those heathenish Writers Julian Porphyrius and others who argued and disputed against the Christian Religion in this they knew what it was else they could not have disputed against it but they did not believe it to be true The Pharisees that so much opposed Christ they knew the sense and meaning of this doctrine but did not believe it so that if knowledge be not accompanied with faith though we had the highest degree of it yet it would profit nothing Therefore Christians are not called knowing men so much as Believers that is their frequent title because the firm assent they give to Gods truth is that which is most available to salvation Enquire then after thy faith men of great knowledge are many times great Atheists or Scepticks they can say as much for one way of Religion as for another and hereupon are alwaies wavering and doubting but have no determinate fixing of the heart upon God yea Aquinas observeth that a knowing man hath more temptations against his faith then one more simple It 's well then when with thy knowledge thy faith is also firm and stedfast 2. Then is thy knowledge saving when the main and noble act of the will doth presently follow which is to choose and take God for our chiefest good and to imbrace the goodnesse of all those things we know for the devils they have knowledge enough called therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because of their exceeding great knowledge yet they are most maliciously opposite to God because by their wils they do not choose and imbrace that which is good The two main pillars of the soul or the chief faculties thereof are the understanding and the will The object of the understanding is truth of the will is good Now the understanding is to be like a torch or starre to guide the will and whatsoever the minde discovers to be true and good that the will is readily to receive so that then our knowledge doth attain it's proper perfection when it prevaileth upon the will and moveth that the understanding is the counsellour the will is the Queen if that then be moved to choose the good discovered then hath the understanding obtained its end See then how it is with thee thou knowest God and Christ but how as the chiefest good as to be chosen above any worldly excellency and therefore thy will cleaveth fully to them this is rightly to know While something is done upon the will till that be bowed and changed the strongest hold stands out against God Oh then pray and again pray that thy knowledge may so farre prevail on thy will that it shall renounce all other things to adhere to God only 3. This knowledge of God must draw out those eminent affections of love joy delight and fear of God You see God in the Scripture is made the proper object of all these affections as if we had them for nothing but God our love that God will have all Thou shalt love him with all the heart and so for our fear that is often required Sanctifie the Lord God and let him be thy dread and we are often commanded to rejoyce in the Lord So then seeing God is the proper object of these affections and we may not place them any where but on him and things relating thereunto it behoveth us to see whether our knowledge do thus kindle and inflame us after God or no. Certainly it 's the greatest reason that our knowledge should have such Divine operations for if we know God as he is revealed in his word he is there discovered to be so great so glorious full of all goodnesse that we cannot but give him the superiority in all things 4. Another inward effect must be a melting sorrowfull and grieved heart that we have provoked God by our sinnes For who can but grieve and lament his folly when he knoweth how great and terrible a God he hath provoked Thus Manasseh after his great troubles and afflictions laid upon him when he had prayed mourned and humbled himself it 's said Then Manasseh knew that God was the Lord Then he knew not before 2 Chron. 33.13 A man then truly comes to know God when through the apprehension of his Majesty and glorious power he abhorreth himself is afflicted because of his rebellions As you see when Job had a further discovery of Gods greatnesse how greatly he debased himself 5. A genuine and proper effect of the knowledge of God and Christ is trust and dependance upon them This is so great a matter that it 's called the just mans life The just shall live by faith Heb. 2.4 Now this grace of trust or dependance is branched into two parts First A trust on God for his protection care and providence over us This is the trust David doth so often speak of in his Psalms and the Prophet makes him accursed that makes not God his trust Jer. 17. The rich man trusts in his riches the idolater in his Idols the great man in his power but all these set up another God besides the true God They that truly know God viz. that he is the Lord of hoasts that he is the principall efficient and all creatures are but instruments depending on him both quoad esse and operari will quickly see it a sacrilegious and idololatricall sinne to trust in any but the true God Psal 9.10 They that know thy Name will trust in thee All our unbelief diffidence and distrust all distracting cares about these things below argue our want of knowledge of God Therefore Mat. 5. when our Saviour forbids these dividing cares he saith All these do the Gentiles seek after they that know not Gods power and his goodnesse they are solicitous sinfully about
these things Hence when Israel did see her vanity by false confidences in the creatures see what God saith of her Hos 13.4 Thou shalt know no God but me for there is no Saviour beside me and Hos 8.2 Israel shall cry unto me My God we know thee Though therefore knowledge be better then the greatest duties performed out of ignorant devotion the same Hosea 6 6. God there desireth knowledge more then burnt offerings yet this is but a lame imperfect knowledge if it breed not dependance on God as on our heavenly and gracious Father The other branch of dependance is on Christ for Justification and Salvation that is the beleeving on him which our Saviour so often promiseth eternall life to Oh when our knowledge of Christ and the fulnesse and sufficiency of a Mediator makes us to cast all our burden on him and to have free accesse to the Throne of Grace by his bloud this is precious knowledge This is that excellency of knowledge Paul Phil. 3. counted all things dung unto comparatively See then what trust and dependance doth the knowledge of God cause in thee for all thy knowledge art thou not as full of cares distractions and diffidence as if God did not rule as if Christ were not the Mediatour as if there were no promises in Gods Word 6. Then is our knowledge saving when it makes us glorifie God as God giving the praise of all things to him Rom. 1. This the Apostle taxeth the Gentiles withall that though they had a knowledge of God by the creatures yet they did not glorifie him according to this knowledge but they made sensible Images of him and worshipped wood and stone the work of mens hands They did not glorifie him as God there is a great deal in that To glorifie God as God is so to honour him as to give him the best and the supremacy in all things When our hearts are as much upon the creature as God or when we would serve God and Mamon this is not to glorifie God as God When we do any thing not principally and chiefly for God we do not honour him as a God These are the inward effects of knowledge Now there are outward effects which will necessarily follow true and saving knowledge even as the beams of the Sunne do the Sunne though they are not called externall as opposite to internall no they both go together for they that know God know him to be a Spirit and that he must be worshipped in Spirit and truth that all outward duties done without the heart are but a meer hypocrisie so that these outward effects are to be taken as streams coming from a full and precious fountain within and they are such as these 1. The true knowledge of God doth make a man effectually purge himself from all filthy and noisome lusts To say we know God and yet give our selves to sin is a lye and it argueth no truth in us 1· John 3.6 He that commits sin hath not known or seen God which is the reason why the Prophets attribute all the ungodlinesse in a Land to the not knowing of God So our Saviour tels the Pharisees that all their wickednesse was because they did not know him and his Father and in this Chapter Christ saith The world hath not known thee but these have known thee Ephes 4. If ye have been taught as the truth is in Jesus and ye have not so learned Christ What is this when we have so learned Christ as to put off the old man with the lusts thereof Never then boast of thy knowledge and thy parts what mortification of sinne what cleansing from thy filth doth it cause in thee if thy Christian knowledge doth not work a Christian life but thou art bruitish and dissolute in thy life tremble at thy estate for thou art out of the way to heaven 1 Pet. 2.20 some are said to have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of God yet these did it externally only They were swine though washed not sheep but thou dost not come thus farre though thou hast the knowledge of God yet thou wallowest in thy mire and lickest up thy vomit Thy condemnation will be the greater because thou knowest thy Masters will and dost it not What sentence then shall we passe upon all the carnall and wicked waies of most men they know well enough they understand well enough but because this knowledge hath no efficacy upon their lives therefore they go in the broad way to hell 2. Saving knowledge as it causeth an avoiding of sinne so a ready and willing obedience unto the commands of God And for this sake all disobedient and rebellious sinners are said in the Scripture not to know God They are excellently put together 1 Thess 1.8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God nor obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ What obedience then and conformity to Gods Law doth thy knowledge work in thee this God looketh at he careth not for thy head or thy tongue if he have not thy heart thy hands and thy whole life If so be the Apostle say that he which doubteth whether such a thing be sinne he is damned if he do it Rom. 14. how damnable is that mans condition who knoweth and is assured that he sinneth and yet wilfully persists in it So that our knowledge is not to be carried only to truths to what is to be beleeved and there to sit down No but Rom. 12.2 we are to be transformed in our minde that we may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God We are to consider what is that which is acceptable and well-pleasing to God and when we know it we must readily fullfill it Oh that men of knowledge and parts would think of these things Dost thou that which is well-pleasing to God Doth God accept of such a life as thine Is there not a plain contrariety and opposition between Gods will and thy lusts A man of great knowledge and also great impiety were he not puffed up with self-flattery would easily see the opposition between his life and Gods Word the one is strict his life is dissolute the one calleth to avoid not only sinne but the appearance of it but thy life plungeth thee both into sinne and the occasions of it Oh consider all thy knowledge and understanding helps thee no more then the devils knowledge doth them they are not able to love or delight in God and his will 3. The knowledge of God will make a man keep a good conscience in all things it will make him take heed of sinne in secret as well as publique it will make him do duties in secret as well as openly for whosoever is not afraid to sinne in secret whosoever neglects private duties and holinesse this man knoweth not God he doth not understand that he is omnipresent that his eye is every where beholding all things that
thus bruitish to worship that as a God which they themselves made That they should have no more understanding The Lord gave them up and as it was with the Jews though our Saviour did all those wonderfull miracles amongst them yet they did not see with their eyes or understand with their hearts Why The Lord had put this Veil upon their eyes and thus the Apostle plainly saith 2 Thes 2.11 God shall send them strong delusions to beleeve a lie a wofull curse when God sends this abroad when men shall be so strongly deluded that that which is a very notorious lye and falshood yet they shall beleeve it so that you are to walk with all fear and trembling lest God deliver you up to such strong delusions and these sins do much provoke God 1. Pride and self-conceit this undid the devil at first and this draweth many into the like condemnation The humble and the meek he will teach his way Psa 25. See you a man proud conceited never look for good from him he is not a fit Scholar for Christ It 's pride that lifts up so many to such high Pinacles of dangerous opinions from which they fall headlong God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble man Jam. 4.6 He resisteth the proud by not giving grace to him The proud man hath no grace to fear and tremble lest he be carried away with the errours of the wicked he thinketh not O Lord Am not I swallowing down poyson now Will not this infect me for ever 2. Vnfruitfulnesse under the Gospel Oh when men live wantonly under the Light They love not the Truths of God They do not conform to the practical power of them this seduceth likewise The Apostle in that mentioned place instanceth in this as the cause of that strong delusion Oh wonder not if the Spirit of giddinesse and errour fall upon many for they never had any true love to the Word of God They never had any saving delight in the waies of God so far as they could carnally advantage themselves by the knowledge of Christ have esteem and applause so long as they could be fed with loaves they followed Christ 3 A neglect of the godly and learned Ministry which God hath appointed he runneth into the Whales belly of all errours that runneth from the Ministry God appointeth and dislikes that The Scripture is plain Eph 4. He hath set Pastors and Teachers in his Church Why That henceforth we should not be carried with divers errours Therefore they are called guides and salt and Heb. 13. twice in one Chapter they are commanded to obey them that rule over them This is so plain Scripture that it's wonder men dare go against it but yet it 's no wonder for some deny the Scripture they say How can you prove Scripture Thus do men wilfully run from the light into darknesse from denying one truth and another till at last they deny Christ and the Scripture Vse 2. Hath Christ thus an eternal being then here we see his immutable and unchangeable affections to those that are his He is not as man subject to changes and alterations loving and then casting off again As God is immutable so also is Christ and therefore though the people of God be subject to many changes and variable affections yet they are to comfort themselves in Christ who is yesterday and to day and the same for ever Though thou art not the same yet Christ is the same Thou art sometimes beleeving sometimes again cast down sometimes thou enjoyest Christ and sometimes thou losest him and knowest not where to finde him O but Christ is alwaies in the same love in the same care over thee and this should provoke thee at last to get to the same disposition To be like Christ whatsoever changes conditions or alterations go over thy head still to be the same as the rock in the Sea the Sunne in the heavens 3. Is Christ Eternal then in the midst of all changes and alterarions here is ground of faith Though Instruments die though Ministers die though all supports of thy spiritual comfort fail yet Christ abideth ever Thus Christ promised his disciples he would be with them to the end of the world Mat. 28. How apt are we to think that the death of such Magistrates or such Ministers will wholly ruine the Church of God not considering that the Church hath an eternal head The people of God have alwaies preferred the welfare of the Church above their own particular Thus David preferred Jerusalem above all his joy Psa 137.6 and the remembrancers of the Lord are to give him no rest till he hath made Jerusalem a praise upon the earth Isa 62.7 As Nehemiah was afflicted though he had all personal honour and advantages while Jerusalem lay waste The affairs of the Church have alwaies affected upon the most eminent in godlinesse When godly learned men have died they have cried as he did to the Prophet The horsemen and charets of Israel but this should support under all Christ is eternal Though the Ship of Christ seem to be overwhelmed yet because Christ is in it it cannot suffer shipwrack Though outward violence should encrease Though heresies and errours overflow yet Christ is where he was he is the same he liveth and so the Church cannot lose her Pilot In what sad exigences were the disciples cast when Christ spake of bodily leaving them but as for his spiritual presence he will never forsake them and this is the reason why the Church of God hath been preserved though the whole world hath combined against it had they not had this eternal head in heaven it could not have been supported Hence he is called Isa 9. the eternal Father because he alwaies hath a spiritual seed Vse 4. Is Christ thus an Eternal God then let those wicked men that despise his Law and disobey his Commandments tremble and be afraid All those Jews and Pharisees that refused him to be their Saviour and all wicked men who do so in their lives they will finde they had to do with an eternal God Psa 2. It 's said he will break the Nations with a rod of Iron as easily as men do an earthen vessell You apprehend nothing but meekness and mercy in him but though a Lamb yet the ungodly are brought in crying to the Mountains to cover them from the wrath of the Lamb Rev. 6.16 Though he be thus a glorious God yet there are men that despise his Word that crample under their feet his bloud that will not have Christ reign over them that say Let us break his bonds O such shall know to their terrour that Christ is an eternal God Lastly Here is a Vse of Exhortation Is Christ thus Eternal then get him for thy self for thy children for thy self because he will bring thee to an Eternity Thy body shall be eternal thy life he will make an eternal life
no good Thou wilt die and perish though the Prophets have been amongst you R. 2 2. The end of the Ministery is to bring men to the knowledge of God in a saving way because of the nature and property of it which is wholly supernatural The Word is commanded to be preached not for any natural or civill ends but spirituall and supernaturall When they followed Christ because of the Loaves it was a low and unworthy motive It should have been because of their souls and because of the bread of life to feed their souls If thou regardest a Ministry or comest to hear for any other end but divine and supernatural If it be for custome or to keep up thy good repute amongst men this is to be carnall this is to be a worm and no Christian for God hath given these Officers to the Church and commanded a diligent dispensation therein for sublime and holy ends to enlighten thy minde to soften thy heart to spiritualize thy affections to reform thy life even to polish and preserve thee that thou maist be a stone of glory in the heavenly Jerusalem Say then thou dost nothing if this supernatural improvement be not made of it Thus also it is for the Preacher if he preach to shew his Learning to make himself admired to satisfie any corrupt end This is also low and unworthy Malo ut me reprehendant grammatici quam non intelligant populi yet oh how prone are corrupt and insincere motives to creep in few being able to say with Paul That they handle the Word of God sincerely as of God and in the presence of God Let then the nature of the work raise up our hearts it 's sublime and supernatural in its use It 's holy merchandizing or trading for mens souls and therefore so often called by that glorious Title R. 3 3. The Ministers of the Gospel are to urge this because of the dignity and excellency of the work To bring men to the saving knowledge of God is a noble emploiment a work for Angels to do The great Rulers and powers in the world they do but order the body and the outward man but this work is to enlighten the soul and to make it fit for the enjoyment of God This made Paul so often rejoyce in and blesse God that he had chosen him a vessel to make known the Name of God We are a sweet savour unto God saith the Apostle We are the precious Apothecaries that open the sweet box of the Gospel Hence it is that the Apostle exhorts people to honour and to have the Ministers of the Gospel in high esteem and why for their works sake 1 The. 5.13 Their teaching and guiding of you in the way to heaven is that great work for which you are to esteem them if to direct a Traveller that is farre out of the way into a ready path be so acceptable a work what is it then to inform people who are going securely and joyfully in the broad way to hell of the danger herein and to direct to the way of life If then it be so excellent minde this in the first place Oh say what a wretch am I who know the way to my own house but not to my long home I know how to buy and sell but I know not how to enjoy God R. 4 4. We are to insist on this end because of the difficulty and great opposition that is in the work For 1. The devil by his Instruments endeavours to keep men in darknesse All those black cloudy times which have been upon the Church brought in Idolatrous Superstition and prophanesse insomuch that the devil reigned almost within the Church as much as without his Kingdom was not more promoted by those without then those within No wonder then if such opposition hath alwaies been against times of light and times of Reformation because the bright shining of the Gospel doth immediatly destroy Satans dominion as when our Saviour sent his Apostles to preach he said he saw Satan fall from heaven like lighening Luk. 10.18 and who can bewail that Ignorance which did overflow in the time of Popery The Sun of the Gospel being then in a constant eclipse and howsoever learning of it self is either used well or ill as the Subject is who hath it yet in the general Learning is a special means to preserve and conveigh the true knowledge of God for the Apostle saith The unstable and unlearned wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction 2 Pet. 3.18 So that in some sence we may take up that allegory of Philo Sarah cannot have children without the help of Hagar i. e. The doctrine and knowledge of God is not propagated without the help of humane Learning especially the tongues and arts Therefore it 's required of the Minister of God that he should rebuke with all doctrine and to be able to convince the gainsayers and to divide the Word of God aright which can never be done without learning so that you see the difficulty of it in respect of the opposition 2. The difficulty doth arise in that the true doctrine and knowledge of God is hardly obtained for there must be constant study in the Word of God daily praier unto God to be led into the Truth There must be a godly use of all the means God hath appointed to get this knowledge Hence the Scripture doth foretell of such as shall arise even from the Church and shall speak perverse things men of corrupt mindes yea many shall bring in damnable heresies that they shall have much craft much seeming piety that if it were possible they would deceive the very Elect Mat. 26. So that you see how difficult it is even for the Ministers of the Gospel to finde out the Truth how many think they teach you the way to heaven and leade you to hell Doth not the Papist Doth not the Socinian Doth not every heretick say None teacheth with the true knowledge of God as they do yea and they may be strongly perswaded of this for the Apostle speaks of many that are delivered up to believe a lye 2 Thes 2.11 So that it 's of infinite concernment for people to have such guides that do not give them poyson in stead of food Would the Scripture have said Mar. 4.26 Take heed how you hear and what you hear if there had not been such danger in hearing 3. It 's difficult because of the hearers Every man naturally is so corrupt that he loveth error and will sooner close with any false doctrine then the true You see the Apostle complaining what applause the false Teachers had Oh saith he You suffer if a man smites you 2 Cor. 11.20 If a man wrong you that is if false Teachers were never so tyrannical though they did abuse them and kept them under yet they could like them well enough but they could not abide the Apostles carriage though his severity was mingled with much meeknesse and
those that delight and are swift to hear are commonly such as are ready to obey Again that which is here called keeping of the Word is in other places called keeping the Commandments only this is more sweet and kindly for Word doth properly relate to him that is a Doctor or Teacher Commandment to him that is a Law-giver Now there is a great difference between the Imperious Soveraignty of a Law-giver and the benign condescention of a Teacher but here we take it largely for all that God hath revealed to us and our Saviour saith they have kept the Fathers Word not his because they looked upon Christ as the Mediatour sent from God and so received not his Word as the word of a man but as of God through and by him Obs That those only can pleade a propriety and interest in God and Christ who are careful to keep his Word All others do but cry Peace Peace to themselves when demnation is at hand So that this truth will do for the present as Christ will do at the day of judgement set the Goats on the left hand and the sheep on the right It will be like the Fanne in Christs hand it will winnow the chaff from the wheat Let us therefore consider how much is comprehended in this phrase to keep the Word of God What are the Ingredients of this duty And first In that it 's indefinitely spoken They have kept thy Word It 's implied 1. They had a diligent respect to the Whole Word of God he doth not say they have kept part or some particulars but thy Word Now the word of God hath these parts 1. It 's a word of doctrine to be understood and beleeved 2. It 's a word of commands to be obeyed 3. It 's a word of threatning to be humbled at And lastly It 's a word of promise and consolation to be rejoyced in so that he who keeps the Word of God keeps all these parts of it 1. There is the word of Doctrine to be understood and beleeved and so to keep his word is to abhorre all errours all false doctrines all unsound opinions Those that are Christs Disciples are as tender about Gods truths as about his commands as they would not willingly transgresse a command so neither erre about the Truths of God Hence Joh. 10. our Saviour doth at large shew the true character of his Sheep They will not hear a strangers voice They will flee from a stranger now who is a stranger any one though an Angel from heaven that shall bring any thing that is contrary to the Scripture whosoever shall obtrude that to be beleeved as a truth which is not in the word of God this man is a stranger his doctrine is strange doctrine the sheep of Christ will not hear it Oh then let the Disciples of Christ shew their truth and solidity of grace in this that they dare not receive errours or heresies Oh what pity is it that thou who art tender about the commands of God wouldst not commit a sinne for a world shâ—uâ—dâ—t be large and wanton in thy understanding about the Truths of God Remember it 's his word and so thou art to keep sound doctrine by a pure faith as well as his Commandments by upright obedience and the reason is plain partly because the same God commands both There is his authority upon truths to be revealed as well as precepts to be obeyed God commands the captivity of your understanding as well as of your affections and partly because the true doctrine of God only is instrumental to holinesse a man will never be godly by beleeving any errour Joh. 19. Sanctifie them by thy Truth thy Word is Truth so that as in the use of Superstious customes Popish Sacraments a man can never receive true grace because Gods promise and his efficacy will go only together thus the more errours thou beleevest the more carnal thou wilt grow God will never blesse a lie chaffe and poison shall never be true and good nourishing meat 2. There is the Word of his Commandments and often the Scripture saith if ye love me keep my Commandments and neither may there be any doubt but a true disciple of Christ will be carefull herein for how can he shew his Discipleship otherwise then by obedience to Gods precepts It 's a plain mocking of God outwardly to professe that we take him for our God that we acknowledge subjection to him and yet disobey his commands so that this particular cuts off most hearers from being as yet at least in the number of those who can truly pleade a propriety in God for doth not their constant course of life proclaim an open hostility against God Is prophanesse pride lusts and rioting the command of God Hath the Lord commanded thee to lye swear and curse Are they not rather the lusts of the devil Oh that men should be so foolish and sencelesse as to talk of God and Christ and yet live in open disobedience to them Dâ—dst thou belong to God such would be thy love to him yea such an heavenly nature wouldst thou have that Gods Law and thy heart would have a sweet proportion and sutablenesse to one another as David professeth often it was sweeter then the honey and the honey comb and Paul delighted in the Law of God The Law of sin in the unregenerate man doth not more please him then the Law of God doth the regenerate man There is not a grievous burthen in it The holinesse and spirituality of Gods cammand is that which doth exceedingly assure him 3. There is the word of thâ— eatning and although in one sence we are not to keep that yet in another respect we are with trembling and fear to observe it Thus whatsoever God doth forbid threatning it either with temporal or eternal judgements the godly have an holy awe of They dare not displease God How can I do this and sin against God saith Joseph Thus Josiah when the Law was read his heart did melt and tremble and therefore how graciously did God take notice of that tender disposition in him It 's a vain and erroneous conceit to think the threatnings do not belong to the godly or that they must not with fear make use of them For if so why doth the Scripture propound threatnings even to the godly and that very often and who is there so godly that hath not the remainder of corruption in him who needeth not fear as a bridle to curb sin in him especially when we see Adam though in the state of Integrity was yet threatned by God if he did eat of the forbidden fruit so that even then a threatning had its proper use to Adam though altogether holy Lastly There is the word of consolation or promise and that is worthy of all acceptation as when a man takes a thing with both his hands It 's called embracing the Promises Heb. 11. as gladly and
all his offices and works are spiritual so it 's onely the spirituall and heavenly heart that can close with it There must be a proportion between the Object and the faculty or Subject Supernaturall will not agree with that which is naturall If therefore thou art carnall earthly and wholly minding worldly Comforts thou wilt preferre every Thistle before this Jewell To you that beleeve Christ is precious saith Peter 1 Peter 2.7 but to others he is not so Oh then if thy heart doe not leap for Joy within thee as John did in the womb at the Presence of Christ it 's because thy heart is carnall and sensuall Thou knowest no better good then what pleaseth sence It 's not because the matter is empty but because thy heart is empty of heaven What makes Paul desire to know nothing but Christ and him crucified Was it not the high spirituall Frame of his heart and it cannot be otherwise for Christ is all that an heavenly heart can desire He is the Way the Truth and the Life He is the Head and the Vine He is the true Bread that came down from Heaven He is made of God Wisedome Righteousnesse and Sanctification If then there were more Pauls Christ in his Mediatourship would be more magnified but the generall sort of people are like the Gadarenes they had rather that Christ should depart out of their Countrey then that they should lose their Swine Or like unto the Jews that desire to shew more favour to Barabbas then to Jesus 3. Would you be affected with this Truth then pray earnestly for the Spirit of Adoption and an Evangelicall Frame of heart An heart not under the Law in a well-explained sence but under Grace Pray that ye may be led by the Spirit of God and so be as Sonnes For by this means Christ will be all in all It 's our hard unbeleeving and distrustfull thoughts of God that makes us keep at such a distance from Christ and so neglect him who is the Peace-maker and Reconciler Whereas an Evangelical disposition would make us draw nigh to God as a Father in Christ It would remove the great Gulf that is in the way It takes away the partition Wall So that the longer we are kept in discouraging Fears the lesse Fellowship have we with the Father and the Sonne and so the lesse esteem and respect of him who is to create and work all this 4. Would you Rejoyce in this Truth Then Acquaint your selves with the Imperfection of your graces and the insufficiency that is in you even when you have done the best For by this means you will finde that every thing within faileth you Nothing will stand sure enough and thereby you will be necessitated to seek for a Mediatour without Thus Paul Rom. 7. when he discovered all that drosse within himself That when he would do good evil was present with him Yet what doth this drive him to at last I thank God through Jesus Christ And David upon the apprehension of what defects did cleave to him praieth That God would not enter into Judgement for then no flesh should be justified Psa 133. Not any one person in the world because he is flesh Oh there is little cause for any man to bear up his Head though he did ten Thousand times more then he did though he were a Gyant in Grace whereas now he is but a Dwarf because there is so much Imperfection in the best Duty that it needs pardon Not onely our sinnes but our Righteousnesse needs the Righteousnesse of Chtist as you see Paul acknowledged and the Church of old complained comparing them to a menstruous Cloth Isa 64.6 Oh then if thou wert setled in this thou wouldest cry out Christ he is all in all Vse 3. of Invitation Even to great and grievous sinners to bewail their Iniquities and to come in to Christ For even your case is not desperate Seeing we have such a Mediatour if Christ be truely apprehended what he is all our sinnes will be no more to him then the Earth to Heaven It 's a long while ere the Law hath its due efficacy upon many sinners They blesse themselves when God curseth them They acquit themselves when the Law condemneth them But when once their hearts are mastered and they feel the wounds of sinne whether they will or no Then it 's as hard to direct them to this Mediatour Then they think their sinnes greater not onely then they can bear but then Christ can or at least will bear Then the thoughts of the Multitude and bloudy aggravations of them are so great that they see no way but Hell and Damnation before them Oh let such consider what this Mediatour is who is sufficient to save to the uttermost That he is more able to justifie then the first Adam to condemn Let them remember how well-pleasing it is to throw our selves into the Arms of Christ That he will not in any wise cast out those that come to him That he will not break the bruised Reed nor quench the smoaking Flax. But you will say This Truth if preached publiquely will do more hurt then good For the Prophane ungodly Wretch he will go home in the hardnesse of his heart and when he can sinne no longer nor live no longer then he will say Oh it 's good to trust in the Mediatour But first Consider That there is an Order and Method in our Trusting in Christ It 's not the first Duty we are to set upon But as he that would get the Fruit of some Tree must first pull away the Briars or thorns that haply hang in the way So it is here Before thou art called to beleeve in him thou art called to Know thy Self and thy sinnes how wretched and damnable thy Estate is Unto what wrath and vengeance threatned by the Law thou art obnoxious Thou must be lost in thy own self ere Christ will finde thee and further thou art called to have strong desires even as hunger and thirst is after Christ above all worldly and earthly things so that none can bid thee beleeve and as for thy Repentance or thy love to thy sins that is no matter Christ will receive you howsoever And then Secondly As you cannot come to Christ but this Preparation must be made so neither can you keep him as yours but with a constant holy and earnest endeavour to all Godlinesse 2 Cor. 5.17 He that is in Christ is a New Creature and He that is Christs hath mortified the affections of sin Never think the Spirit of Christ will abide with willfull and obstinate wickednesse SERMON XLI Of Praying both for the Godly and the Wicked With the Reasons and Motives thereof JOH 17.9 I pray for them I pray not for the world IN this Verse we see the End why Christ so largely commended the Faith and Obedience of his Disciples It is to shew that they were such Subjects for whom his Praier was proper and
several waies faith helpeth to keep us Vse of Exhortation to the godly above all keepings to keep faith up The Just is to live by faith and we are to walk by faith and all the while we do so we stand immovable upon a Rock If thou growest secure or revolting if thou beginnest to decay all is because thy faith weakens The streams must dry up when the Fountain doth If the branches wither there is some defect in the Root Vse 2. of Instruction That it 's no wonder if wicked men grow worse and worse if they stumble and fall and never rise more if they become like the Blackmore and Leopard that cannot change their skins for they have no true lively faith in God and so have not whereby to be staid up Till God make a wonderful change in them expect no other but he that is filthy will be more filthy still SERMON LVIII The Greatness of the Mercy of being kept sound in the Truth And the Damnableness of Errour demonstrated JOHN 17.11 Keep through thy own Name those whom thou hast given me WE are now come to the last Interpretation which is part of the compleat sense here intended in this phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that is to take Name for that pure and sound Doctrine whereby God in a saving manner is known Thus Name is used at the 6th verse I have manifested thy Name which is explained by the word they had kept And then the Preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is taken properly Keep in thy Name in thy Truth and Word which I have manifested to them For there is a two-fold keeping of Gods Word Obedientially by conforming our lives to it and Doctrinally by preserving the truth of it In this sense Timothy is exhorted to keep 2 Tim. 1.14 the good thing committed to his trust gold he hath received he must look this be not debased by erroneous dross Observe That it 's a special mercy to be kept in the truth and pure faith we have received Faith and Unity our Saviour prayeth for agreement in errour is not true peace and faith without Unity will like a live-coal quickly die of it self alone In these times of Errours and Heresies this Doctrine hath more than ordinary usefulness in it and therefore diligently attend to the grounds why it 's a special mercy to be kept sound in the faith and that we are more to rejoyce that our souls are kept from deceitfull errours than our bodies from infectious diseases And First It 's a special mercy because of the frequent and diligent Exhortations given to all that they fall not from the truth that they make not shipwrack of their faith 2 Pet. 3.17 The Apostle having spoken before that some wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction he bids even the godly beware a word used in matter of great concernment and where there is great danger lest they also be lead aside Therefore errour is not the way to Heaven and the Errour of the wicked it is called Wickedness is shewed in corrupt Doctrines as well as in prophane lives so as to fall from their stedfastness if you begin to shake to doubt it 's a sinne we must not fall from our stedfastness There is a notable place also Jude vers 3. when the Apostle gave himself diligently to write of salvation what doth he pitch upon to strive for the true Faith and he doth not barely write but exhorts his affections as well as his judgement are set on work and it 's not simply to believe or keep the faith but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be in an agony as they that are in a fight or race The faith should be as dear to us as our lives and the word implies a difficulty to keep it because of violent enemies to take away this live childe and put a dead one in the room Lastly you have the character of this faith it was once delivered so that new Revelations are not to be expected But we are to enquire What was once delivered Thus you see a Christian must not be cold and lukewarm in the truths of God but he must with all his soul imploy himself about it Secondly True Doctrine is a special mercy because one main end of the Scripture is to inform and keep us therein As God made the Sunne a fountain of all light and the Starres shine with a borrowed light from it so hath God put all spiritual light into the Scriptures and with this Sunne both Pastour and people are to be cloathed The Scripture is not only a rule of our life but of our faith principally 2 Tim. 3.16 The Apostle there reckoning up the admirable use and end of the Scriptures puts this in the first place That it is profitable for Doctrine How then dare a man say it 's no matter what Religion I am of all the doctrinal Disputes are but Scholastical Subtilties Is not this to blaspheme the perfection of the Scripture and is it not horrible ingratitude to God who giveth his Church the Scriptures as the most glorious Jewel it can enjoy This was the Jews priviledge to them were committed the Oracles of God Rom. 9. Thirdly It 's a special mercy to be kept in the truth because the Lord hath appointed Officers in the Church for this end among others to preserve and propagate the truth If it be then of such esteem with God ought it not to be also with us And wherein doth Gods regard to his truth more appear than in ordaining Officers in his Church whose main work and imployment should be to disseminate this pure seed wheresoever they come Ephes 4.14 There we have Offices given to the Church and one end is that believers be not tossed up and down with every winde of doctrine And though Timothy as some expound that place had prophesies concerning him what a glorious instrument he would be in the Church of God yet Paul doth again and again exhort him to keep the same doctrine he had delivered to him 1 Tim. 9.20 O Timothy keep that which is committed to thee That compellation is insinuating and argueth much affection in Paul and there is a reason even in the very expression of faith he cals it depositum as Aristotle observeth it 's a greater sinne to imbezil or alter that than any thing we have borrowed because this is committed to our Justice but a depositum to our faithfulness The Depositor doth rest upon us as trusty men So that by this all the Ministers of God are to be awakened Christian faith and doctrine is committed to you as the preservers of it The Priests lips are to preserve knowledge and the people are to require it at their hands The Apostle 2 Tim. 1.14 as if verbum sapienti sat est were not true in this matter doth again re-minde him to keep the good thing committed to him See with what esteem he speaks of the true Doctrine
and this is to be done by the holy Ghost The matter is so great that unless the Spirit of God inable us besides all our study and learning we are not able to keep it yea a Deacon must not be ordained unless he hold fast the mystery of faith in a pure conscience 1 Tim. 3.9 Oh then let none have low thoughts about that which God hath appointed an Office for and therefore given them the titles of the light and salt and nihil est sole sale utilius Fourthly It 's of special consequence to be preserved in the pure faith because the more godly and endeared any are to God this priviledge they shall have to be kept in the truth at least so as not damnably to erre Insomuch that a sound judgement in Religion will distinguish a godly man as well as an unblameable life Mat. 24. Our Saviour speaking of false prophets with what powerfull pretences they should prevail saith If it were possible they should deceive the very elect If it were possible You see by this that there are such false waies in Religion that are inconsistent with salvation and therefore the elect man shall not fall into them no more than into grosse and abominable sins viz. so as totally to lose Heaven and salvation Yea John 10. our Saviour describes his sheep and goats not by their lives but by their attending to the true Doctrine My sheep hear my voice and a stranger they will not hear yea they will flee from him vers 5. So that a godly man doth hang his godliness about his intellectuals as well as morals He is not onely to consider Am I diligent in prayer Do I walk conscionably in my wayes But am I also a lover and prizer of the true Doctrine of Christ Fifthly It 's of great moment to be preserved in the pure Doctrine because that is the foundation and necessary pre-requisite to holinesse The will can never apprehend that which is bonum if the understanding do not first show what is the true good The apprehensive faculty must guide the appetitive If the eye be dark the whole body is as our Saviour afterwards prayeth Sanctifie them by thy truth thy Word is truth Gods truth is only instrumental to holiness Errours can no more nourish spiritual life then chaff or stubble yea or poison can nourish a man bodily For as false Sacraments such as the Popish cannot increase grace because they have neither institution or promise so is it also for errours and therefore the same persons that had thrust away a good conscience they could not endure or abide it the same made shipwrack of their faith they put it away 1 Tim. 1.19 They had some good conscience once though not truly sanctified but this they repell they do not love it any more it 's against their interests their worldly advantages their lusts and carnal affections Can we then have too precious thoughts of Gods truths seeing they onely are blessed to a mans true godliness Sixthly It 's a mercy to be kept in the truth because of the proueness and readiness that is in men to be lead aside by errours Gal. 2. I wonder you are so soon carried away so soon Let there come a false teacher and he can quickly do more hurt and pervert mens mindes then the Apostle Paul could do good Wonder not if you see some seducer come to a Town and in a moment corrupt mens mindes and make them his Disciples and so overthrow that building which a faithfull Minister hath been many years building up you see it was of old so Paul though an Apostle neither by man nor of man yet found it so and at another time he complaineth how ready they were to become even slaves to false-teachers they might abuse and domineer over them you suffer if a man buffet you c. onely the true Apostles they could not bear them We see then why it is that a goodly field may suddenly be overrunne with tares a hopefull Church the body of Christ be all over with a Gangrene and made deformed There is a proneness in a man to erre in his judgement as well as in his life Happy then is he whom God keeps Seventhly Errours of judgement are damnable as well as sinfull practises It 's true some errours are fundamental some superstructive onely and so one kinde is not as damnable as another but thus it is in Saints also some are compared to a gnat some to a Camel but as we say of the least sinne it deserveth hell so of the least errour for as no sinne is in it self little because God is not a little but infinite God so no errour is in it self little because it 's against the same glorious God Hence Gal. 5. Heresies are reckoned as the fruit of the flesh among other grosse sinnes and can there be more terrible words spoken against any sort of wicked men then the Apostle Peter doth 2 Pet. 2.1 thunder out against some false Teachers that should privily bring in damnable heresies whose damnation sleepeth not Oh then tremble to lose thy soul among errours as well as sinnes For the Apostle 2 Pet. 3. saith Ignorant men wrest the Scriptures to their destruction Damnation is in perverting of Scripture yea 1 Cor. 3. we see there that even hay and stubble errours of a lighter nature make the salvation of a man difficult he shall be saved yet so as by fire Austin and Syrinensis distinguish between the Haeretici and Credentes haereticis the seducers and seduced The former are in a condition more exposed to vengeance then the latter howsoever errors in Religion as well as corrupt practises tend to hell Austin questioned who was worse a Christian believing truly but living wickedly or an heretick living unblameably but believing unsoundly Non audeo dicere I dare not determine it But Salvian a pious ancient Writer inveighs more against the prophane Christian and as for the unblameable heretick Errant saith he sed piè errant haeretici sunt sed tibi non sibi and thus Bernard reckoning up the three little ages of the Church the first under persecutions the second under heresies the third under corrupt manners makes this latter the more bitter But we cannot absolutely pronounce which of these two is the worse in some respects one exceeding the other Eighthly It 's a blessed thing to be kept in the truth because of that heavy censure the Scripture inflicts upon heretical persons to avoid them to turn from them not to bid them Godspeed John 2. They must not receive such into their house or have any familiarity with them and they are to avoid an heretick yea the Apostle would have us hold such accursed though they were Angels or Apostles themselves and Gal. 1. The same reason viz. a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump which is brought as a ground to cast out the incestuous person is also applied to a corrupt doctrine
The zeal and detestation then which ought to be in all the godly against heresies argueth the greatness of the mercy if kept from them Ninthly The more noble the subject is in which any habit or perfection doth consist the more noble is that perfection Now a sound faith and true Doctrine is seated in the minde and understanding which is like the eye and the Sunne in a man So that if the minde be corrupted all is corrupted and such are more incurable then prophane men because they have laesum principium they account their errour truth they believe a lie and then who can heal them Tenthly Gods command is laid upon us to believe the true Doctrine as well as obey the holy command both are indispensable The same God that saith Thou shalt not commit adultery saith also Believe this and that Doctrine revealed God hath laid a command upon the minde to believe as well as the heart to obey Vse of Exhortation to the people of God to take heed of erroneous opinions as well as sinfull practises The one are damnable are the fruits of the flesh and provoke God as well as the other let thy heart be equally bent both against heresies and prophaneness Nothing should be dearer to thee then Gods truth Did not the Martyrs burn at the stake meerly for sound Doctrine Did not Christ say For this end I came into the world to bear witness to the truth And know those errors thou hast been lead aside with when once truely enlightned will be bitter and sharp thorns in thy side Jam. 1.19 20. SERMON LIX That it 's a speciall Mercy for the Ministers of the Gospel to agree in one Wherein their Vnity should be And the Reasons of the Differences that are among them JOH 17.11 That they may be one as thou and I are one WE have considered the matter of Christs Praier Let us proceed to the End of it in these Words That they may be one Some indeed say that this relateth to the manner of Gods keeping of them as if it were a specification of that which would keep them If they agree in love among themselves they are sure to be preserved but we take it rather for a distinct mercy that as he had praied for their sound faith so now for their Union and love We may Consider the Disciples under a twofold Relation 1. Common as beleevers and disciples and so with others given of God to Christ and thus the Unity of Beleevers among themselves is a precious mercy But because he praieth for this at vers 21. I shall passe by that Consideration In the second place the Apostles may be considered strictly and particularly as men in office as those who were appointed to preach the Gospel and so our Saviour praieth for their Vnity in this Consideration It is of infinite consequence that the Ministers of the Gospel should agree among themselves for when they are divided the people must be divided If the Pilates in a Ship disagree the Ship must necessarily sink So that our Saviour knowing the devices of Satan to set Apostle against Apostle Pastor against Pastor he therefore praieth for their Unity in this Ministerial Office and emploiment and the expression is observable he saith not that they may be united but be one and that according to the highest example of all unity the Father and the Sonne Luther thinketh the Substantive answering 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one mystical body but we rather take it of their Office and Ministerial Employment as 1 Cor 3.8 The Apostle arguing against Church-divisions by setting up several Officers one against another saith He that planteth and he that watereth are one They all have the same end and all have one general emploiment viz. the conversion of men to God Obs That it 's a speciall mercy when the Ministers of the Gospel agree in one Nothing is so terrible to the Churches adversaries as their Pastors Unity This was the Reason say some why our Saviour chose Apostles that for the most part were of kindred one to another that so their love might be the more Inviolably preserved This Counsel also our Saviour gave the Disciples Have Salt in your selves and peace one with another Mark 9.50 Have Salt i. e. Season the world and one another with grace but lest this Salt should bite and smart too much he addeth and have peace with one anooher Thus peace and love is of so great concernment that Joh. 14.20 He leaveth only peace with them as a Legacy My peace I leave with you my Peace I give to you and Cap. 15. Cap. 13 14. He cals this the New Commandement he layeth upon them to love one another yea he makes this a Character of their Discipleship not if they cast out devils or work miracles but if they love one another To open this Doctrine Consider 1. That such is the corruption of the best men and Satan is ready to blâ—w up tho sparks immediatly that there have been contentions and differences amongst the most eminent pillars in the Church Twice we teade of the Disciples contentions amongst themselves concerning primacy and a preferment above one another Afterwards the Scripture tels us of a Paroxysme a sharp controversie between Paul and Barnabas Act. 15. yet Paul and Peter they have an hot contest and that in a religious Point of practise Now if the Sunne and Moon meet in such an opposition there must needs be an Ecclipse in the Church And if we descend to Ecclesiastical Histories we shall finde as bloudy pens against one another as the devouring Sword in civil affairs That which Cyprian complained Madet orbis Christianus mutuo sanguine quod cum privati fecerint homicidium dicitur cum publicè geritur virtus vocatur is true of Ecclesiasticall contentions The Christian Church is divided and subdivided against it self and that which if done in private causes would be called malice and revenge in religious affairs is called zeal and courage for Gods glory At that famous first Council of Nice when Constantine called the Bishops together for to end Religious Controversies instead of this they had prepared mutuall Libels and accusations one against another which Constantine perceiving took the Papers rent them in peeces and burnt them before their faces gravely exhorting to peace and unanimity It would be long to relate of the passionate contentions between Jerome and Austin between Epiphanius and Chrysostome who upon their parting did strangely threaten one another with that which came to passe Epiphanius told Chrysostome he should not die a Bishop and this proved true for he was ejected and dyed in banishment Chrysostome threatned Epiphanius he should not dye in his own Countrey and this also fell out for he died in his Voyage ere he got home and who can with heart tender enough speak of the many oppositions and divisions between Calvinists and Lutherans and others of the
as those Spies did of the Land of Canaan saying It 's impossible for any man ever to come thither and with the Disciples to say Who then can be saved but with God nothing is impossible To open this Doctrine consider that there is a fourfold principle which is operative to the conservation of the believers First There is an inward vital and vivifical principle of grace abiding in the godly which will never fail Not but that of it self it would as in Adam and Angels but as God could confirm and establish the grace of Angels that it never shall perish so doth God that supernatural principle of holiness put into his people 1 John 3.8 He that is born of God he neither doth sinne or can sinne viz. so as to be given up wholly to it and that because the seed of God abideth in him Though there be different thoughts about this seed what it is I do now suppose it to be that inward principle of supernatural life from whence all gracious operations do flow This God hath set in the heart and inward parts of his people never to be rooted out Thus John 4 14. The believer is said to have in him a well of water springing up to eternal life Here is a fountain that cannot be dried up Therefore it 's said He shall never thirst more viz. with a thirst of a total indigence and want Even in the greatest deficiencies and barrenness of Gods people there hath been sap in the root when the branches seemed dead A second principle thus conserving is That daily help of grace quickning and corroborating the soul in all holinesse The former grace is permanent and habitual this transien t actual and by way of motion This latter doth compleat and actuate the former For as it 's not enough to have a naturall life unlesse there be a further concourse of God by which we actually move and stirre So in our supernatural life it 's not enough to have that principle of life infused but we are to receive the daily impressions and powerfull quicknings of his holy Spirit and this is to have both the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 posse and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 operari the will and the deed These are the two internal principles of our conservation for the Lord Christ doth not keep us immediately but by means in a subordinate manner In the next place there is a two-fold principle extrinsecal of our preservation And The first is Our Election that is the fountain of all our perseverance This is the first round in that ladder by which we ascend to Heaven Rom. 8. It 's from Predestination that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Rom. 11. It 's Election hath obtained that elected remnant shall never perish and thus in this prayer of our Saviours all security of the godly it 's because the Father had given them to Christ viz. by Election as the root and source of all their good This is so cogent a truth that many who hold a falling away from true grace do yet maintain That no Elect man can ever perish finally because then God should be frustrated of his purpose and the counsel of man should make void the counsell of God This Election of God is the vivificall cause of all Preservation As by this they were Called and Converted from a state of sinne Election did bring them in so the same Election when they are Converted doth protect and keep them if they fall doth raise and repair them whereby they safely at last arrive at Eternity so that their Perseverance is not a merit or reward of their former holinesse but it 's a free gift of God and an effect of Election as their effectual Vocation was The second externall Principle is The Covenant and Promise of God made in Christ to the Godly So that the Covenant of Grace being confirmed by Christs death In whom the Promises are Yea and Amen 2 Cor. 1.20 being among other glorious ends to perpetuate and continue the work of Grace in them it 's impossible that hell or the world should quite put them out of the way to Heaven Jerem. 32.40 God there promiseth an Everlasting Covenant a Covenant that shall abide for ever And what is the Priviledge vouchsafed in that Deed of Gift It 's the putting his fear in their heart that they shall not depart from him You see by this notable place That it 's not we our selves but God who keepeth us and for this we have his Promise So that the godly may triumph in an holy Confidence because of it Many other Promises that are branches of this Covenant the Scripture declareth which should be sweeter then the honey and the honey-comb For what can be more precious to hear then that God will safely preserve thee in the way to Heaven so that no fraud or force without nor any lust or corruption within shall hinder thee of the Crown of Glory Isai 40.29 30 31. He giveth power to the faint and to them that have no might he increaseth strength c. God in the verse before is said Himself not to faint or to be weary Though he created the Earth and doth still preserve it yet he is not weary and because he is thus he will make his people so They in themselves may be fainting and weary but he will renew strength And he illustrateth this from natural strength Though young men in their full strength may be weary yet these shall not And again he compareth their strength to the Eagle that mounteth up with wings to the Heaven and is not weary Thus God will enable the godly soul Though they runne or walk they shall not be weary What a reviving place should this be to the dead dull and languishing believer Why do I lie groveling on the ground Let me flie up to Heaven like an Eagle We have also a remarkable Promise of Divine Protection Isai 4.5 6. where God by two similitudes doth notably declare it First by an allusion to that wonderfull Preservation of the people of Israel It was not enough that God had brought them out of Aegypt they would have perished for all that without his Protection Therefore we may reade the History Exod. 13. how God created a directive Protection for them both by day and night In the day time there was a Cloud and smoak and a shining flaming fire by night Thus God promiseth he will do upon every dwelling-place in Zion and upon her Assemblies by these are figured the several Churches that are assembled to serve God For upon all the Glory shall be a defence By Glory is meant the Ark which is here made a Type of Gods people and they may be called Gods Glory both because they glory in God and God is glorified by them So that the meaning is Look what care and defence God did once show to the Israelites to preserve them from
these things named in the Text and further the Apostle chargeth these persons to whom he attributeth these priviledges that they were dull and slow that they needed to be taught the first principles By all which it appeareth that the godly ought to have better things then those mentioned Do not therefore gather the Apostasie of those that are truly godly because sometimes you see men of eminent parts and professions in Religion become degenerate and unsound for possibly these never had the Truth of grace and such also were those named by Peter 2 Pet. 2.20 where some are said to have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of Christ and yet were again entangled in their former lusts We grant that the Faith of Christ had so farre a powerfull operation upon them that they left off those pollutions they lived in whilst Heathens but yet that they were never changed at the very root and heart appearrth in that the Apostle cals them but washed Swine they had not changed their Swinish nature they were not made Sheep though they had an outward Reformation Now that all such though never so wonderfull for parts and duties if falling off never were truly principled with the work of grace in their souls appeareth by that eminent place 1 Joh. 2.19 They went from us because they were not of us If they had been of us they would have continued with us Here it is plain that whosoever is truly of the Church of God he will alwaies abide so Indeed when we see the fall of such who seemed such glorious Starres and such tall Cedars we ought in an holy manner to fear and tremble We that stand are to take heed lest we fall but this doth not prove the total Apostasie of those that do truely belong to God Mat. 13. He that did beleeve and receive the Word with joy did yet at last wither because he had not a good and honest heart Now when we say all these mentioned had not true Grace we do not mean they were grosse Hypocrites as if they did outwardly professe they beleeved but inwardly were the clean contrary No only we take an hypocrite in a large sence for one who hath some imperfect and inchoate works of Gods Spirit upon him which are like dispositions in a tendency unto true Grace as the Embryo to a Childe but yet they fall farre short of Sanctification They in their thoughts and hearts are reall and serious others apprehend them to be in the state of Grace but still though Virgins they are but Foolish Virgins They have not that Oyle which will serve when the Bridegroom cometh Terrible it is to hear this and oh what sharp goads should they be in our sides lest we never as yet have gone further then such persons Say it again unto thy self Am I not gone further then such and such persons 3. It is good to observe That even the Adversaries to this Truth do grant that God is able to confirm a man in grace so that he shall never fall They grant God doth establish the Angels in that happy condition that they shall never fall from it yea they will not contend but that de facto God did confirm some as the Apostles that they should never be separated from Christ Now if this be granted it will overthrow all those reasons that they bring to prove the perishing estate sometimes of the godly For thus they argue If a Godly man shall certainly be preserved to what purpose then are all Counsels and exhortations Why are they commanded to fear and to take heed lest they fall Do not all these Admonitions seem vain and absurd As if we should bid a man take heed he do not fly up into the air if he do he will fall Now if there be any absurdity in this will not all this hold as well in those Apostles whom they grant to be infallibly preserved to Eternal Life Though Christ told them Their Names were written in heaven That he went te prepare a place for them yet for all that he exhorts them to take heed of the least motions of sinne and abide in him though he promiseth they shall continue in him 4. Consider That of those who pleade for an Apostasie of the godly there is a destinction to be made Some go further then others some hold one way and not another As first Some hold that though men be Elected to Salvation yet they may perish because their Elect on is not absolute but conditionall supposing their perseverance and thus the Arminians but some Papists and the Lutherans they hold that no Elect man can ever perish for then God might be frustrated in his Councels which were absurd to think Others they say That men may have true grace for the present but yet not Elected They do not make true Faith proper to the Elect only but say many besides such have for the present true lively grace now with them The Elect man he cannot fall from his grace but the other may The Learned Vâ—ssius doth at large endeavour to make this the Opâ—nion of Austin as we told you Though some deny it and bring places that seem to evince the contrary whose Opinion soever it be it cannot be justified by the Scripture Lastly Others hold that a Godly man though Elected may for the present totally lose all his grace and not so much as any Sparks remain but then they say he will not alwaies abide thus he shall at last recover So that he shall not finally perish Now we cannot joyn with any of these Opinions but affirm the truly godly though never so weak yet shall certainly be preserved to happinesse so that though he may fall grievously yet the Spirit of God doth not wholly and finally forsake him 5. When we say that such as are given to Christ shall never perish this is to be understood of all and every one of them Not only such who have an high degree of Grace but even those that are babes such as are like the smoaking flax and bruised reed Where there is true grace though but like a grain of Mustard-seed yet that shall be so quâ—ckened and enlivened that it shall never goe out and this is of great Consolation to the godly who are apt to think that though some eminent Beleevers be carried on to happinesse yet such weak and frail things as they are shall never hold they cannot withstand any temptation they presently are ready to fall as soon as ever they are set on their feet but they are to know that the same divine protection and power is to all because they are Christs It is not because one hath more godlinesse then another but because all are in Christs hands A Childe in the Ark was as safe as any strong man so that our protection is not founded upon the measure of our grace but the truth of our grace That which is true grace will persevere Perseverance
doth not make it to be true but the Truth of it makes it to persevere So that where true Grace is there Perseverance will certainly follow as where the Sunne is there will be Sunne-beams Therefore that distinction though applauded by the Learned Vossius of a threefold Truth of Essence To which is opposed no Faith or a seigned Faith Truth of intension or degrees to which is opposed a weak and remisse Faith Truth of radication or perseverance to which is opposed a temporary abiding is well called by Amesius futilis destinctio a meer frothy distinction for the least degree of true grace hath perseverance annexed to it and the good ground and the bad are distinguished not only by their perseverance but by the very nature of the soil and therefore the good Ground only is called a good and honest heart so that we are not to say Grace if it be rooted but if it be true will be brought to Eternal Glory 6. Though the Godly shall surely be saved yet this doth not exclude a great deal of difficulty and many dangers in the way The Apostle saith The Righteous is scarcily saved 1 Pet. 4.18 which by consequence at least relateth to a spiritual â—alvation Hence the way to heaven is a streight and narrow way and they are to strive to enter in Luk. 13.24 It is compared to all the hard and difficult things as are It is called crucifying and mortifying of sinne It is often compared to fighting and conflicting Thus they are wrestling Jacobs ere they can obtain the Blessing many Iebusites and Enemies must be conquered ere they can possesse Canaan Lastly The Godly are not only to be preserved thus to Eternal Salvation but they are to be assured and perswaded of it So that two Priviledges God vouchsafeth 1. Their Perseverance 2. Their assurance and powerfull perswasion of this As Paul Rom. 8. I am perswaded neither things present or future shall separate us from the love of God in Christ As Paul doth not speak only of himself from some speciall Revelation he had but from such common Arguments that agree to all that are holy Not that this assurance is such an assurance is such an absolute one that though I walk in all prophanesse and drink down the deadly poison of sinne that it shall never hurt me but it 's a well-ordered assurance in the constant and diligent use of the means So that as we give all diligence to make our Election sure to us so commonly our assurance is It is true the most tender and exact godly ones as Iob and David are sometimes in desertions and cry out God hath forsaken them but ordinarily the more formal and carelesse we are in our approaches to God the more are our doubts and fears As in standing Pools croaking Frogs are generated By this Doctrine then or Perseverance we may see two Graces ought to be conjoyned which the Godly by their weaknesse make one oppose another They are to beleeve firmly on Gods promise and yet to be humble in themselves They are to rejoyce and yet with trembling when thy confidence devoureth an holy trembling then take heed of presumption When thy fear devoureth thy Faith and Joy then take heed of despair But as in nature there is the humidum and calidum radicale both which preserve life Or as to the heat of the heart there is the pericardium to cool it Thus in our way to heaven These are the two Mill-stones by which we are made pure bread And as in the Old Testament so here neither of them may be taken to pledge because one cannot work without the other SERMON LXVII Arguments proving That Every One that is in the State of Grace shall be preserved to Eternal Life JOH 17.11 Not one of them is perished WE have been delivering several particulars to state and clear this necessary Truth viz. That every one in the state of Grace the weak as well as the strong shall by a divine power be preserved to Eternal Life The next thing is to produce those Reasons and Arguments which will confirm it for when it shall appear to be Gods Truth and not mans bare Opinion then we may the more confidently rest on it Argum. 1 And the first Argument shall be from Gods Election Those whom God hath ordained from all Eternity to Everlasting Glory they shall never perish but such who have true grace though in the least degree God hath thus predestinated and appointed to happinesse So that this Argument stands firmer then Heaven and Earth for it 's built on Gods Election and it 's good to observe how the cause of all good and preservation from a perishing condition is reduced to this as the Original of all Mar. 13.22 The false Apostles are there said to seduce if it were possible the very Elect If it were possible therefore the Elect can never be seduced into a perishing estate if it be said that Elect is to be taken adjectively for as much as good and precious as the Septuagint sometimes useth the word in which all Israel is sometimes called Gods Elect Isa 45.4 Isa 65.9 This cannot stand for in the same Chapter v. 20. These Elect are said to be those whom God hath chosen So that the word is not to be taken adjectively as denoting some inward excellency but as a participle relating to Gods action The Elect whom God hath chosen If again it be said that the phrase if it be possible doth not denote an absolute impossibility but a great difficulty as in some other places it is used Neither will this serve the Arminians turn for though it be used so in some places yet unlesse they can prove it 's alwaies used so and therefore in this place they do nothing Now we say that we are not to depart from the literal meaning when there is no absurdity yea in this Text we are to stand to it because it is brought in by way of aggravation of the deceitful waies of False Teachers They were so insinuating so specious that had not the Elect a firmer ground then their own prudence and knowledge viz. Gods Election they would be undone so that Grotins his illustrations in his Exposition on Mat. 24. from Galen who useth this Proverb to expresse a pertinacious adherent man to his Opinion You may sooner unteach a man Moses and Christ or out of Austin when they can write in the water c. then they may perswade a Christian to forsake Christ are but fair paintings to his deformity The Scripture intends a full impossibility and not a difficulty because brought in to aggravate and indeed it would be frigid and jejune to make this the sence They shall come with such lying wonders that they shalt difficultly and very hardly seduce the Elect Besides the Arminian who holds that indifferency in a mans power that when all pre-requisites on Gods part are put yet he can will or not will cannot say it's difficult at
Casuists But then there is a Scandal given or scandalum Pusillorum when those who appear for Religion do such things as are indeed inconsistent with holinesse that can never be made good by the Scripture and of such it is that our Saviour saith Wo be to him by whom offences come Mat. 18.7 Whosoever shall offend one of these little ones it had been better a Millstone were hung about his neck and he thrown into the sea For although it be also a sinne in any man to be prejudiced and alienated from Godlinesse because of the sinnes of those that professe it neither will that be an excuse to them yet because such put a stumbling block in the way therefore is the transgression great Distinguish then between such as through their wilfull obstinacy will be offended and from such who are so through weaknesse and a reall occasion given 4. Such is the enmity of man to what is good that he is glad to have any occasion to blame the Truth with whenas indeed they should mourn and grieve to see any failings amongst those that are religious they rather rejoyce in the discovery of such and they think this is a good reason for their Impiety Why should they come out from the common waies of the world Do not many of those that are so forward do thus and thus And therefore they hope they shall do as well as any other The Apostle seeing this wicked disposition in the world speaks notably to the godly 1 Pet. 3.16 To walk with such a good Conscience that whereas the world will speak against them as evil doers they may be ashamed So 1 Pet. 2.12 These things premised Let us consider the unreasonablenesse and sinfullnesse of condemning Religion for some hypocrites therein For 1. Dost thou not as well see many are sincere and walk unblameably Doth not thy own heart tell thee that thou hast no just cause to speak against them Dost thou not sometimes wish thy Soul might do as well as theirs Dost thou not with Balaam wish thou mightst die the Death of such Righteous persons Shall not the Graces and holinesse of Eleven Apostles more confirm thee then the wickednesse of one Judas offend thee Consider then how unreasonable thou art that dost only minde the weak places of the Wall not â—he strong Thou speakest of many that for gain and secret lusts have fallen off from God but how many thousands of godly sincere men can we tell thee of who because they feared God were neither terrified by threats nor yet seduced by allurements to deny Christ Though a Judas did betray him yet â—here are Millions of Martyrs who have valiantly died in the Confession of him 2. We are not to live by Examples but by Precepts It 's an Old Rule We are to consider what the Scripture requires and commands If that enjoyn a life separated and singular to the wickednesse of the world If that bid thee run not into the same excesse of Riot with them such a strict way and profession thou art bound to follow Though all that go before thee be hypocrites and that go with thee Though all the Apostles had been like Judas yet Christs Truth had still been to be embraced Therefore not mens lives but the Scripture is to be ouâ— Rule If all men prove Hypocrites or Apostates yet we are bound to keep close to the Word Let God be true and every man a Lyar It 's true the life and conversation of others in sincerity and uprightnesse may be a great inducement to holiness therfore the Scripture often cals for a life of light and holinesse that others may be won thereby but yet every one ought to have such an inward assurance both of the Truth of God and his Grace upon his heart that what Peter said presumptuously they are to acknowledge as a duty Though all men should forsake Christ yet he would not It 's not upon men that we are to build either our faith or our godlinesse but though all men should prove devils and there were none in the world but one man that would own Christ thou wert to joyn with him 3. If we should condemn Religion for the falshood of some we were to condemn all the waies of Religion and all parties in the world and so to turn direct Athiests for look upon all the severall waies and parties that are in the world Are there not some that are a reproach to them that the wiser and more sober persons in that way will not own Wonder not then if the Apostle say of some that they are spots in their Feasts Jude 12. And Rom. 2. that they are such by whom the Name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles This hath and will be It is impossible saith our Saviour but there will be offences viz considering the corruptions and sinfull inclinations of men but if you will own no Religion wherein an Hypocrite may come in you must do as Constantine bad the Novatian erect a Ladder and go himself only into heaven Even in heaven it self there were as we may say Judasses for what were those Apostate Angels that did not abide in the Truth but left their first habitation but betraiers of all that glory and honour that was due to God Know then that to throw away Religion because of the hypocrisie of some few is to run the broad way into Athiesm 5. It is not only sinful but very dangerous to thy own soul when thou art prejudiced or leavest the true way upon such grounds Thou dost not hurt them but thou wrongest thy own soul Those Disciples Joh. 6. that took offence at Christs Preaching they did not despise Christ so much as they damned their souls for saith Peter then whither shall we go for thou hast Eternal Life So then for thee to take up prejudices and objections against Christs way because of some mens miscarriages is to be a self-murderer wilt thou destroy thy own soul and throw thy self into one extremity because others may in another way undo themselves Oh know it is an heavy judgement upon thee when thou meetest with stumbling-blocks Those whom God loveth he giveth a better heart unto them Christ himself Luk. 1. 1 Pet. 2.7 To those that beleeve is indeed precious but a stone of stumbling and a Rock of offence unto those that do not beleeve Oh then be afraid lest this be the beginning of Gods judgement upon thee to be so prejudiced and offended by mis representations that thou shalt never have an heart to love God and his way Think not to do them a despight thou art the greatest Enemy to thy own soul 6. If any under the pretence of Religion do act their iniquities quarrell not at Religion it self for that condemneth such waies Neither do those that fear God own such for their members yea where Gods Order is put in practise they cast such from them as a dishonour to God and a reproach to that holy calling
most powerfull means of grace are It was thus with the Jews Col. 6. who enjoyed besides the ordinary Ministry of their Priests the instructions of extraordinary Prophets and yet the truth of God did not sanctifie them But go saith God to the Prophet make their eyes blinde and their hearts hard and this our Saviour did apply to their posterity also who enjoyed Christ himself and saw all the wonderfull miracles he did This is a dreadfull and terrible thing to consider of when in stead of sanctifying God shall say Harden them blinde them and make them more wicked by the truth It 's not the Word worketh thus of it self but wicked hearers through their unbelief and unprofitableness provoke God to give them up to believe a lie and for the abuse of heavenly light they are given up to vile affections To many cursed sins which is a greater judgment then to be cast into the mouth of wilde beasts for they will only devoure the body but these will damn the soul Vse of Direction to all the people of God whose burden and grief it is that they have no more holiness who cry out like the horsleech It 's not enough and their souls refuse all comfort because they cannot climb up this hill to Heaven faster let such be directed to take the right way How willingly is the earthly man ready to hear how he may get more wealth and the languishing man how he may get more health and strength Why then shouldst not thou rejoyce to know which is the way to purifie the heart more Few know the divine efficacy of Gods Word but such who set themselves to get the vertue of it And that this may be instrumentall to your Sanctification In the first place Remember faith without which it can do no more good then excellent medicines if they be not applied set faith a work and then the word of God will powerfully work upon thee It 's with thee as thou believest Believe and those high mountains of lusts shall be thrown down 2. Bring an humble tender and trembling heart at the teaching of it Such an heart King Josias had and he is commended for it yea Ezra 9.4 it 's the character of the godly to tremble at his Word The hard heart no more then the hard Rock can receive the seed sown into it 3. It 's not enough to receive the Word of God at first but keep it there The Apostle Peter cals it the ingraffed Word the Word that turneth us into the nature of it that we are walking Bibles as great Schollers are called walking Libraries David said He had hid Gods word in his heart This is the leaven that will diffuse it self 4. Rest not in the bare hearing but joyn earnest and fervent prayer that the Spirit of God may teach inwardly while the Word doth outwardly Vse 2. Of Instruction How terrible a thing it is to see men grow more wicked and ungodly by how much the more plentifully they enjoy the Word that the Word should work contrary to it's nature upon thee that this light should put out thy eyes that this life should bring thee to death Oh the rivers of water that should run out of our eyes for this matter and yet is there any more common judgment then this Oh bewail and cry out for fear of it Lord every thing I take doth me more hurt SERMON XCII Of the Truth of the Scriptures JOH 17.17 Thy Word is Truth THis is a Description or Explication of what was meant by Truth Thy Word is Truth which is a Proposition Wherein you have 1. The Subject 2. The Predicate The Subject is described by its Name and Nature with the propriety thereof Thy Word The Word of God is sometimes called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and sometimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It 's called Gods Word because spoken by him and that two waies Either 1. Immediately when God himself spake as unto the Patriarchs of old Or 2. Mediately when he inspired the holy Prophets and made them to publish his Word It 's called at other times 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All Scripture is given by Inspiration 2 Tim. 3.16 So Search the Scriptures and in many other places This is a Description of Gods Word from the accidentall form of it as it is put into writing Sometimes God did govern his Church by his Word as revealed only Thus it was with the Church at first In this latter Age he guides it by the Scriptures only There is no other Word of God but what is written In Christs time there was both for there were the Books of the Old Testament and they were Gods written Word and what Christ while on the Earth did with his own mouth speak to the Church that was the Revealed Word and Will of God We reade not that Christ wrote any thing but once upon the Ground and what that was though there are many and severall Conjectures yet none can certainly tell But what Christ spake and did the Evangelists afterwards being guided infallibly by the divine Spirit of God did commit to Writing Object If then you ask What Word of God it is our Saviour doth here mean I answer Both the Word that was written the Scripâ—ures that were the Oracles of God committed to the Jews and that Word which he did manifest to his Disciples of which he had spoken ver 6. Some indeed by Word understand Christ and it 's true that Christ is the Essential Word of God and so also the Essential Truth but the Context doth evidence it that he speaks of the Revealed and Preached Word Now this is called Gods Word because whether immediately delivered by God or commanded to be written It 's still Gods Word Speaking and Writing are but accidentall to it It 's the same Essentiall Word as it is the same man though he alter his Garment and the same wine though put in divers Vessels The Word of God written ought with as much Faith and Reverence to be received as if God did immediately speak it from Heaven and though it seem incredible yet our Saviour confirmeth it Luke 16.31 that he who doth not beleeve the Scriptures the Word of God written would not beleeve though there were miraculous waies of publishing it In the next place we have the Predicate its Truth Interpreters judge this to be taken out of the Psalm 119.151 They are therefore said to be Truth not true in the Abstract to shew the Fulnesse and Universality of Truth in them Obs That the Word of God is Truth This Doctrine if beleeved may work wonderfull changes in the mindes and lives of men for Certainly the Foundation of all Heresie and Impiety is because Gods Word is not received as true In the Scripture it is often called the Word of Truth Colos 1.5 2 Timoth. 2.15 James 1.18 And sometimes Truth in the Abstract 1 Peter 1.22 2 Peter 2.2 To Open this Consider That it 's not my purpose
at this time to prove the Verity of the Scriptures I am only to shew in what sence and wherein it is true and the nature of this Truth We take it for a principle granted by Christians that the Word of God is true and although Learned men have by unanswerable Arguments demonstrated the Truth of the Scriptures yet that was to Heathens and Pagans or that were not Beleevers of it It is true the work is necessary also to those that are Christians to make their faith more solid certain and clear and the rather because there are some wretched men rose up of late that cry down the Scriptures and that pretend to be above them yea that bid us prove the Scriptures to be Gods Word but I am not to deal with such at this time Certainly every good Christian having received this principle into him doth finde such authority and Divine Majesty coming from the Word that he doth no more desire Arguments to prove the Scripture to be the Word of God then he would have another Sunne to see this Sunne-shine Austin long agoe speaks of such a disposition with great Indignation O Lord Thou hast taught me to abhorre all such who say Vnde scis hos Libros esse Canonicos This then being laid down as a sure Foundation Let us proceed to shew in how many particulars Gods Word is true And First It 's Truth in regard of the Efficient Cause God and Christ who are the Authour of it so that the Scripture can no more lye then God or Christ could The Scriptures then are the Truth of him who is the Supream Truth So that as Truth it self cannot be false so neither can Gods Word Humane Truth is Truth but yet because every man may erre Therefore we cannot have such a Faith in it Cui non potest subesse falsum but when we come unto Gods Word and his Truth it is impossible that there should he any Errour Secondly It is the Rule of all Truth That as God is the primum principium essendi of giving being to all Truth so the Scripture is the primum principium cognoscendi the first principle to teach and inform us The Scripture then is true because all Divine Truth floweth from that and every thing is true so farre as it is commensurated according to that Rule Whatsoever men say whatsoever Reason saith whatsoever Traditions and Customes say yet if against Scripture away with all This is the Standard of all Truth all Truth I say necessary to Salvation It is the Christians Metaphysicks Ethicks and Politiques the Rule of all Speculative and Practicall Truth To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this it is because there is no light in them Isaiah 8.20 Therefore it is so often called a Light unto our Feet If this principle were kept too Neither Superstitious Traditions on the one hand nor subtle Delusions of pretended Revelations on the other hand could ever have molested or troubled the Church Thirdly It 's true materially that is all the matter contained therein is true The Historical part The Dogmatical part The morall part The predicting part all contain un-erring Truth in them Whatsoever Doctrine is there revealed it is to be received without any further disputing or asking How can it be so The first Truth hath said it therefore the Understanding must submit If it be made clear Thus saith the Lord then all must yeeld and so for the Threatnings of it whatsoever God saith against the wicked man all the evil that is there said to come upon him doubt not of the Truth of it though for the while a wicked man may live in all ease and jollity It is not so much a Threatning as the Truth of it that makes it so dreadfull what were the Names of Hell and Damnation of a Day of Judgement if there were not Truth in them and thus the promissory part is full of Truth Though a Godly man be cast down with many Temptations weaknesses and Discouragements yet the Truth of Gods Promises should be a Pillar of Marble to him and a brazen wall He may sooner fear the falling of the Heavens and the removing of the Earth out of its place then doubt in the least of the Truth thereof Hence Gods Word is said to be like Silver seven times refined So that there is no errour no drosse or falshood mixed with it It it true in the matter of the Scripture in the Historicall part especially there are some appearing Contradictions and to some Learned men they have been insoluble but this ariseth from the weaknesse of our Understanding not from the Scripture it self As there is no defect in the Sunne because the Owles Eye cannot stedfastly look upon it yea as God himself So the Scriptures because they have most Truth in them so are most intelligible if there were capacious Subjects as the Sunne is Maximè visibilis if there were a fit Eye to behold it Fourthly It is true in respect of the Adjunct or quality of it Truth is an affection cleaving to a Proposition and thus the Word of God is true qualitatively yea the Truth of the Scripture is affirmed by all to be more firm and strong though not so evident then any thing in the world Those things we receive by Reason or by Sence are nothing so true and firm as those that we receive by Faith It is said indeed that all Truth consists in indivisibili and so nothing can be truer then another This is graeted in respect of Truth it self But then if you do regard the Foundation or the Cause of Truth so is one more certain then another Thus all the Truths of Faith are transcendant to those of Reason and Sence We are more securely to rest in what God saith then in what we know or feel and the reason is because the Truth of these latter things is founded only upon a Creature but of the former upon a Creator upon God himself Oh that we did thus beleeve Gods word what manner of persons should we be who could terrifie the Godly who could trouble their Spirits if this were received And for the wicked with what Fear and Trembling would he go up and down Oh the Scripture is true that speaks against such sins that discovers my wickedness it is so true I cannot deny it Fifthly It is true Instrumentally Because the Spirit of God directs us into all Truth and this is chiefly the intendment here The Scripture is in Gods hand and by the Spirits working leadeth us into all Truth we are all in darknesse till the Scripture like the Sunne doth arise Man liveth in Errours he is nothing but a Lye till the Scripture inform but though the Scripture doth shine yet as the Sunne cannot make a blinde man to see so neither doth the Scripture of it self till God give a Seeing Eye The Scripture works onely Objectively but the
Spirit of God Subjectively preparing and fitting a man by it So that as to an Archer there are two things that are necessary The Mark to aim at and an Eye to see What could an Archer do without Eyes Thus it is with us in all our Actions The Scripture that is the Mark and therefore Sinne is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it misseth of the Mark and then the Spirit of God that must give the Eye Light and Wisedome unto the Understanding The Scripture then is Truth because by it Gods Spirit doth direct and leade us into all Truth Now there is a three-fold Truth that we cannot attain unto without the Scripture 1. True Doctrine 2. True Piety and godlinesse 3. True Consolation and Comfort The want of the first Truth causeth Errour and Heresie The want of the second Hypocrisie and prophanesse The want of the third Distrust and Despair and happy is that man who hath this three-fold Truth and indeed one begets the other True doctrine begets true Godlinesse and true Godlinesse true Consolation For the first Only by this Truth are we guided into true Doctrine whatsoever is brought in contrary or beside this though he were an Angel he is to be accursed Galat. 1. This is the Rule and so what is not according to this must be oblique and crooked Therefore never expect Truth from that man who is not diligent in the Scriptures the Rule of Truth This hath been the Cause why most Heretiques have either accused or despised the Authority of the Scriptures because they know that this Sunne and their darknesse could not consist together They saw their Doctrines and the Scripture could no more stand by each other then the Ark and Dagon Therefore they would rather fall out with Scripture then with their own Opinions as if their own hearts and Consciences were more infallible then the Bible and as if they were not to be made conformable unto the Scripture but the Scripture to them 2. Only by the Scripture do we come to true Piety and Godlinesse You see in this Text Sanctification is by the Truth and James 1.18 God doth beget us by the Word of Truth and many times David doth commend the Word of God for this Effect that it forwarneth man of Sinne That it giveth the Simple Vnderstanding and that even young men may be cleansed from their lusts by taking heed to Gods Word Psalm 119. We see by these Texts that there is no Regeneration or true Reformation but what is wrought by and through the Scripture Therefore Conversion is called the writing of Gods Law in a mans heart So that this makes it clear that though many Heretiques may live civil and externally Religious Lives yet they have no true Godlinesse for false Doctrine begets false Piety when there is falsum in Intellectu that must necessarily produce malum in voluntate And the Reason is plain because Godlinesse is nothing but Truth incorporated Truth digested Truth put into practise It is Gods Law in the heart as you heard Hence as Poison can never nourish a man or afford good Health So neither can any false Doctrine help to any true Piety or Holinesse Men may have seeming Devotions but as the Serpent though it shines and glisters yet is full of inward Poison so whatsoever external Acts of Piety Zeal and Charity Hereticall men may put forth yet by them they cannot be Sanctified if their Errours be Fundamental It was Jeromes Speech Rarò Hereticus fuit pudicus and Vbi malè creditur ibi nec benè vivitur but that is not to be alwaies understood of their External Conversation for many Heretiques have been admirable in their Externals They have had a Sheeps-cloathing upon them and like the Panther have allured others because of their colour till they had devoured them Know thy Errour will make thee more proud loose and it may be at last outwardly prophane and contemning of Integrity for God will not blesse any thing that is not of his own Institution to spiritual Ends. 3. Only by the Scriptures come true Consolations So the Apostle Through the Consolation of the Scriptures 2 Corin. 1. No man hath true solid Joy but the true Orthodox Godly man It is true that as the devil may transform himself into an Angel of Light of Truth So also of Consolation and many Erroneous persons in their way have a great deal of comfort and joy yea they have said they never had so much peace and case as since they have taken up such waies but as their Piety was a counterfeit one so is their joy The holy Ghost that leads into Truth and is the Authour of Sanctification makes such only to rejoyce in him and gives them this Fruit of the Spirit 6. The Scripture is said to be true oppositely to all the Opinions Doctrines and Religions which men set up by their own fancy For every man is said to be a Liar and the Antichristian Doctrines which many are delivered up to beleeve are called a lye by the Apostle 2 Thes 2.11 Turcisme Paganisme is a lye Popery Heresie are Lyes Though they may be never so much pleasing to flesh and bloud Though men carried by humane Arguments may dote on them as they did about Diana's Temple yet all is a lye yea in practicall things whatsoever seduceth thee to do otherwise then Gods Word commandeth this is false Sinne lieth the world lieth the devil lyeth for all that they do is contrary to Gods Word That saith What will it profit a man to win the whole world and lose his soul Mar. 8 36. That saith the pleasures of sinne are but for a season Luk 13.3 Now thou wilt not beleeve this Truth but thou hearkenest to the world to thy own heart and all these betray thee and lye to thee Therefore let the Vse be to perswade and assure thy self of Scripture-Truths walk and live according to the directions thereof SERMON XCIII The transcendent Properties of the Scripture JOHN 17.17 Thy Word is Truth IN what sense the word of God is said to be truth we have declared Let us now come to the Properties of it And 1. It 's the truth of God a divine truth In the Text it 's called thy truth So that Divine Truth must needs transcend Humane or Natural Truths as much as God is above man In humane Authorities we say Thus saith Aristotle Thus saith Plato or thus say such Fathers and Councels but in divine things we must say Thus saith the Lord for because it 's divine or of God it hath an immediate dominion and awe upon the conscience So that whereas in humane Authorities and Philosophical Disputes we may boldly argue against them we may bring our videtur quod sic and quod non yet where truth comes to us as from God there must be an immediate submission though our reason and sense and all the world should contradict yet we must
say here is a greater then a Pythagoras here Deus dixit Therefore observe the Prophets they do often repeat this Thus saith the Lord because nothing could amaze and humble their hearers so much as that God said it and indeed when once it 's received as Gods truth then the heart doth readily obey as 1 Thess 2.13 you may there see wherein the truth preached doth work in it's due and proper manner even when it 's received not as the word of man but of God Divine truth will have divine operations but when received as mans truth it hath but humane effects such as Tullies Orations or Demosthenes had upon their auditors which is like the influence of the Moon that doth not give true heat and life but the word of God works like the Sun not only in respect of penetrating light reaching into all the inwards of the soul but also vivifical heat It makes men live a spiritual and heavenly life whereas moral truths help only to an external honesty It 's true that which Ambrose said Omnis veritas est à Spiritu sancto Every truth is of the holy Ghost even natural and humane truths are But as God is the author of nature and yet of grace in a more special way so the Spirit of God is the author of all truth but in a more peculiar manner of Scripture truths Therefore all Scripture is said to be given by inspiration 2 Tim. 3.16 Consider then the truths we deliver you out of Gods word are his truth Thus saith the Lord against the heretical person Thus saith the Lord against the prophane person Oh if it were only men that say thus it might be easily rejected but it 's God that speaks it and therefore none may oppose 2. Because it's Gods truth therefore it 's infallible it 's so certain that we can never be deceived whosoever believed according to Scripture and lived according to Scripture that a man was never confounded or ashamed he will never have cause to wish Oh that he had taken another way Oh that I had done otherwise Thus David Psal 119. Then I shall not be confounded when I have respect to all thy Commandments Have a conscientious respect to Gods Word in thy Religion and in thy conversation this will prove infallible this is the Israelites cloud and pillar upon their Tabernacle we are to go when that goeth we are to stand still when that stands still This is the Star that will certainly guide us to Christ All divine faith is infallible in Philosophy in humane Authorities we may be deceived but in the Scripture we cannot Venture all upon the truth of Scripture it will never deceive thee when thou wilt finde Satan and the world liars 3. It 's an eternal Truth Even as God doth abide for ever so will his truth Mat. 5. Heaven and earth shall sooner pass away then one iota or tittle of it Truth will abide when these heavens and earth shall not abide at least not in the same manner as they are now and excellently to this purpose speaks 1 Pet. 1.23 24 25. being born of the incorruptible word of God for all flesh is grass but the word of God abideth for ever and this is the Word which by the Gospel is preached to you Scripture-truth abideth for ever whereas all errours and false ways though they have overflowed for a while yet presently they withered again What is become of the Manichees Arrians Pelagians Nestorians and those thousands of Heretiques They had a time of glory a shew in the world but then died neither lamented nor desired Scripture-truth will prevail even as Christ the essential Truth As the Sun will at last get the better of all clouds and foggy mists and cannot alwayes be in an eclypse so it 's with the truth of God All errors are like men mortal they pass away if any error be so strong as to hold to threescore years it begins like man to be full of pain and sorrow They are compared to hay and stubble these will not long continue They are like Davids rich and great men in the world like the grass upon the house top not only homo but haereticus est bulla Truth will continue in the field when all errours will lie prostrate and conquered and have no other burial but that of an Ass as that despised King had 4. It 's an universal Truth within the bounds of Religion I do not say that all philosophical and mathematical truths are in the Scripture but all soul-saving truths are as 2 Tim. 3. The Scriptures are able to make thee wise to salvation There is nothing for doctrine or for practice but that can guide thee This sufficiency and perfection of Scripture-truth we do justly maintain against the Papists who as they foolishly set up their lighted tapers at noon-day so they add their traditions to the Scripture but it 's often said we may neither adde to it nor detract from it therefore it 's abundantly sufficient Now it 's good with Tertullian to adore this fulness of the Scripture for thy faith and doctrine to believe as thou readest to worship God as thou readest As the childe in the womb is nourished only by the mother through her nourishing Thus the Church of God is instructed nourished and enlivened only from God by the Scriptures We read the Manna fell from heaven but there fell a dew before it to constringe and bind the earth Thus truth fals from God but the Scripture is like the dew to keep it together that it may be for our use Let not then tradition custom antiquity multitudes nor such Gorgons heads lifted up by men terrifie thee but follow the word in thy faith and worship where that stands still do not thou go further where that goeth do not thou stand still And as for faith so for thy life know that hath all practical truth in it necessary to salvation that teacheth and that only how to repent how to be converted how to believe in Christ how to pray how to hear how to be in the world yet to have a conversation in heaven That teacheth thee how to be godly in thy relations a godly father a godly childe a godly master a godly servant Now this most people are greatly faulty in they will be of no Religion but what the Scripture commands yet they will live otherwise and do otherwise When thou seest an heretick thou will bring Scripture against him And is not Scripture against thy prophaneness and impiety as well as there are damnable heresies so are there damnable wickednesses in mens lives 5. It 's a supernatural Truth Many of the truths revealed in Scripture are such as no Plato's no Aristotles no wisdom of man though raised beyond Solomons could ever have attained unto such as the doctrine of the Trinity of the Nature Person and Office of Christ of the Resurrection of a day of Judgment and the
state of men afterwards The former of these especially could never be discovered by natural light even Adam though created after Gods image yet needed a revelation of these We have no innate or acquired knowledge about them and though many worthy Divines have indeavoured to prove the Trinity by reason and humane similitudes yet the surest and most evident way is the Scripture so that we may say of them all which Austin speaks of one of them viz. Of Christs being God and man If you can give a reason it would not be mirabile and if an example it would not be singulare It 's true there are many things in Scripture which we know by natural reason as that there is a God but the knowledge by reason is nothing so evident and firm as that by Revelation so that the truth of God being in the chiefest parts of it supernatural It 's no wonder that the wisest Heathens became vain in their imaginations and that their greatest Religion was their highest impiety and within the Church The more men have forsaken Scripture and pleased corrupt reason in the doctrinal part and corrupt fancies in the worshipping part They have been very erroneous and absurd hence the truth of God is called a mystery and said to be revealed because mans reason could no more attain unto it then a dwarf can reach to the heavens Zacheus must get upon this Tree to see Christ Hence no others have been able to endure the glorious lustre of the Scripture because errours are natural the Scripture supernatural All heresies have runne up and down from one age to another like Cain fearing least every Text of Scripture should kill them Do not then judge of Scripture-truths by thy carnal reason The work is above thy natural understanding 6. It 's a godly holy Truth The holy Scriptures they are called and well may they be so called for nothing is a stronger argument to demonstrate the Divine Authority of Scriptures than the holiness thereof Take all the moral books in the world they do as much come short of the holiness of the Scripture as coals do of the glory of the Sunne Plutarch Seneca Epictetus these will teach you to have the clean skin of morality but not the inward life and sound vitals of holiness What transcendent holiness doth the Scripture teach us such as the men of the world know not Holiness in our natures first of all Regeneration neither the name nor the nature of it was known amongst the Heathens they knew not mans natural pollution neither did they see a necessity of such an internal renovation Again Such holy duties the Scriptures teach that not only the doctrinal but the practical part of it is a mystery to flesh and bloud such are faith in Christ love to our enemies self-denial and a readinesse to take up the Crosse Many of these duties are accounted folly and madness by wise men after the flesh It teacheth an heavenly life fellowship and communion with God to do all things from holy principles and to holy ends so that the holinesse that is in the truth of Scriptures should much affect us But oh how few reade and delight in the Scriptures because of the holinesse in them You reade them for dispute or to know the History and to be able to hold up Arguments but who is there that thinketh this the truths of Scripture are holy They are to make heavenly and pure they will forewarn of sin they quicken to grace they inflame to faith and love Oh minde this all scripture-Scripture-truth is for holiness As meat is not to be looked upon but eaten and digested 7. They are precious excellent Truths and therefore compared by David to fine gold and by Solomon preferred above all jewels Prov. 3.15 The Apostle also compareth true Doctrine to gold silver and precious stones 1 Cor. 3.12 and they are called precious promises as a precious faith 2 Pet. 1.1 4. These shew in what high degree and dignity the truths of Scripture should be with us Austin said Veritas Christianorum was incomparabiliter pulchrior Helenâ Graecorum If they did strive about her How much more ought we for the truth of God The Prophet complained of old None pleaded for the truth Isa 59 4. neither were valiant for the truth Jer. 9.3 The truths then of the Scripture should be more unto us then any earthly comforts whatsoever You see Christ makes this one main end of his coming into the world to bear witness unto the truth John 18 37. Ann thus the Martyrs they thought Gods truth more worth then their lives and how many millions have willingly endured the worst of deaths to bear witness to the truths of the Scripture So that it 's very strange how such a spirit of delusion should be upon men to make no matter of true Doctrine to think Heresies and Errours are nothing Certainly the godly Martyrs that burnt at the stake had other thoughts of it and the Scripture doth commend it as the great mercy of God unto a people Therefore God promiseth Jer. 33.6 He will reveal abundance of peace and truth and in many places truth is still joyned unto peace as if all the peace and earthly advantages in the world were nothing if we might not have the truths of God also Therefore the Apostle John told that elect Lady He had no greater joy then to see her children walking in the truth and the Spirit of God is promised as the greatest mercy we can have John 16.13 That he will guide us into all truth Natural truth is precious What pains and travel have many used to finde that out They have dispossessed themselves of their goods to finde it out yea they have been so ravished in the contemplation thereof that they have forgotten to eat their bread and have wholly neglected themselves and all pleasure Hence in their Sacrifices to Apollo whom the Heathens made God of truth they cried out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Truth is sweet Truth is sweet Truth is the natural food to the soul as meat is to the body but then divine supernatural truth which doth so immediately concern our salvation and eternal happiness how precious and dear should that be to us In other things ignorance is not damnable but here to misse of the truth is to fall into destruction It profits not a man to measure the heavens and the motions thereof To understand all the Laws of Nations with their cases thereupon or with Solomon to be able to speak of the nature of all things if a man want the knowledge of Scripture-truths Lastly This truth though precious yet because it 's opposite to a corrupt heart It 's very bitter and makes most men enemies to it It 's a truth requiring holiness hatred of sinne mortification of lusts and because it 's so therefore the vain corrupt hearts of men love errours and lies or deceits by the devil and sinne rather then the
be full of blemishes yet when we present Christ by Faith then there is no fault to be found Lastly The vertue of this Sacrifice is to make us like Christ himself he thinketh it not enough to be King and Priest himself but he maketh us also Kings and Priests for ever We offer up Praiers and Praises to him and by him we conquer all our spiritual Enemies The devil and our lusts are subdued Such glory have all they that are partakers of this Sacrifice Vse of Terrour to all wicked and ungodly men who by their Unbelief and Prophanesse reject this Sacrifice The Apostle Heb. 10. cals it trampling upon the bloud of Christ and accounting it a prophane thing Oh how many thousand live that have no esteem and make no account of this Sacrifice Oh remember that this is the last and ultimate Sacrifice He that rejects this hath no more hope There remaineth no more oblation for sinne There is not another Christ or another Sacrifice if thou refuse this Vse 2. Of Encouragement to the Godly Come to this Fountain that is set open for Judah and Jerusalem to cleanse in Doe not say because Christ crucified is a stumbling block and foolishnesse to wicked men that therefore thou wilt disesteem him also There is no sore but this blood will heal and cure Oh let the blood of thy soul be stanched with this blood of Christ This blood speaks good and comfortable things better then that of Abel SERMON CI. Of Sanctification as the Effect of Christs Death Shewing That no man truly believeth in Christ for Justification that doth not also for Sanctification JOH 17.19 And for their sakes I sanctifie my self that they also may be sanctified through the Truth WE are now come to the end of Christs Sanctification which is two-fold the finis cui and cujus We shall put them both together for so they are conjoyned in the following clause That they might be sanctified through the Truth Wherein you have 1. The final Cause 2. The Manner of accomplishing it The final Cause That they might be sanctified and from this the Socinian would argue That Sanctification in the former clause was not meant of an oblation by way of Sacrifice because the same word is applied to the Apostles in the Text and they were not to be sacrificed for us To answer this First Some Expositours do expound it of their offering up of themselves by Martyrdom to confirm the truth for Paul professeth his willingnesse herein using the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phil. 2.15 which was used of some kinde of their Sacrifices but we need not runne to that it 's no new thing in Scripture to use the same word in one verse in different significations and it 's a Rule Talia sunt praedicata qualia permittuntur à subjectis The Apostles then needing not such a Sanctification as Christ applied to himself but that for which he prayed in the former verse We must understand it in the same sense as there It 's true by Sanctification some also will have Justification comprehended and so speak of an imputed Sanctification but we need not stretch the word violently but understand it first Of making inwardly holy and then consequently A setting apart and dedicating our selves wholly unto God by living unto him and thence observe That Christ died not only for our Justification but Sanctification also He made himself a Sacrifice not onely to remove the guilt of sinne but to remove and subdue the power of it not onely to make us happy but also holy Let us consider What is implied in this That Sanctification comes by Christs death And First We are to know that Christ is the Cause of our Sanctification several wayes partly efficiently for not only the Father and the Spirit but Christ himself also is the cause of all the holinesse we have and therefore he is called the life because he gives all supernatural life unto his and is compared to the vine Joh. 15. because as the branch separated from the Vine can bring forth no fruit so neither is a man able without Christ to do the least holy action he is also called the Head and John 1. Of his fulnesse we are all said to receive Thus as God in the course of nature is the authour of every natural gift therefore it 's said In him we live and move and have our being Act. 17.28 So in the way of grace Christ is the authour and finisher as of our faith so of every holy work in us The Author Heb. 12.2 and therefore we cannot so much as begin or meet Christ he must prevent us and the finisher for although we have begun yet we have not the same manutenency and powerfull preservation what we have begun to build would immediately fall to the ground Thus Christ is the Alpha and Omega of our spiritual life 2. Christ is the meritorious cause of our Sanctification and therefore not only remission of sin but holinesse and zeal is made the consequent of Christs death And the Apostle doth not only Rom. 7.8 shew that we are justified by Christ but also that the body of sinne is mortified thereby Thus Heb. 10. what Sanctification that Apostate had is attributed to the blood of Christ Christ then hath as efficaciously merited holinesse as happinesse He died to destroy the workes of the devil now our captivity to him was not onely in respect of guilt but that bondage and slavery we were in to all lusts and therefore those two benefits are like Castor and Pollux one cannot be without the other 3. Christ is in some large and improper sense called the formal cause of the good in us an assistant form not informing that is Christ received and applied by faith doth in a most inward and intimate manner live in us and thereby strengtheneth us so the Apostle Gal. 2.20 I no longer live but Christ in me Here you see Christ liveth in a godly man for by faith we are united unto him and thus Christ becomes our Head from whom we have all spiritual influx Now an head is a conjoyned and united cause made one with the body and thus is Christ and his Church and therefore is that similitude of an Head and the Body so often used 4 Christ is the final cause of our Sanctification that is we are made holy to this end both that we might shew forth the praises and glory of Christ as our Redeemer as also that we should live to him and set all our affections and desires upon him desiring with Paul To know nothing but Christ crucified 1 Cor. 2.1 Secondly In that by Christs death we are sanctified there is implied That we of our selves are very impure and unclean that we are like so many noisome dunghils For our being unsanctified doth imply 1. Our filthiness or uncleanness this is the state of every man till sanctified by Christ he is like an unclean leper his
them with the greater care Fifthly Christs gracious promises which are for the main the substance of the Covenant of grace are equal to all his He makes no difference when he invites to pardon to rest to come unto him Indeed there are peculiar promises which are made either to some high degrees of grace or to some in their peculiar relations or sufferings for Christ which do not belong to all But the Covenant of grace which is the substance of all promises that is offered and fulfilled in one believer as well as another Thus the promise of being our Father and we his people of forgiving our sinnes and writing his Law in our hearts They are made to every believer All the Promises are in Christ Yea and Amen 2 Cor. 1.20 and that to every one who cometh to him This is also infinite comfort It 's sin and thy delusion when thou sayest such glorious promises do not belong to me I am so poor and unworthy Though others may claim them yet I may not Oh take heed of this you charge Christ foolishly and sinfully in this respect Mat. 11. Is it not his promise universal to every one that is heavy laden that he will ease him Why dost thou except when Christ doth not So what can be more clear then that John 6.37 Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out Let him be never so miserable so wretched so sinfull if he cometh he will in no wise cast out and lest it should be thought I cannot come he begins the verse thus All that the Father giveth me shall come to me all shall come not one will he forget therefore Christ is described by this That he will not break the bruised reed nor quench the smoaking flax Mat. 12.22 Yea the promise of perseverance is to every godly man as well as any That as the least Starre is as firmly set in it's orb as the glorious Sunne and there is no more danger of the falling of the one then the other Thus it is with the godly even the meanest weakest and most fearfull are as sure to be kept by God to salvation as the most strong and heroical Christians It 's not Peters courage or fortitude that kept him for you see when preserving grace had in some measure left him he began to fall most dangerously and would not have stopt till he had come to the bottom of the hill had not grace prevented him This you must know that it 's not the graces or watchfulnesse of a Christian that keeps him as none can say I have differenced my self in respect of conversion so neither I have made my self to persevere in respect of continuance of grace This then is clear That he who is truly a member of Christ shall not perish though he be not the eye or the hand though he be the meanest yet because a member he is inseparable Therefore John 10. None can pluck any out of my hand All the sheep of Christ are in his hand It 's not with Christ as with some unnatural parents that dote on some of their children but others they care not for Christ loveth all alike in respect of the substantials of grace So that as every one is elected and every one shall be converted so every one shall persevere to salvation This is a precious truth and ought to be received for we think with our selves my weaknesses my corruptions my frailties my carnal fears are so great that I shall never prove faithfull in the hour of temptation Oh remember that in this point of perseverance Christ makes no difference between true believers the weak shall hold out as well as the strong Sixthly Christs protection power and care is to one as well as another though he may suffer some to be more afflicted Some more afflicted some more exercised then others yet this ariseth not from a lesse love of Christ That Parable of the losse of one sheep and the Shepherds leaving all to finde out that signifieth that Gods care and love is to anyone that needeth him and therfore the temporal promises for the generality belong to every godly person God hath promised I wil never leave thee nor forsake thee Heb. 13.5 There is no believer living but he is to apply this promise as properly as if he only were mentioned or as if he were Joshua to whom it was first personally made And to this Paul Rom. 8. when he argueth He that giveth us Christ shall he not give us all things else And we are more then conquerours No Do not all those glorious triumphs proceed upon a ground common to every believer May not every Christian say so as well as Paul Thus when it 's said Cast thy burden upon the Lord for he careth for thee and all things shall work for your good and in nothing be carefull This is bread for every childe Indeed there are dogs and there are swine to whom this bread doth not belong to whom this pearl is not to be cast but every childe may undoubtedly take it SERMON CIV That in some particulars the poor weak Christian hath more respect from Christ then the strong one JOH 17.20 But for those also that shall beleeve in me through their Word THe Doctrine observed was That Christ in his Mediatory Office stood equally affected to the weakest beleever as well as the most eminent In many things we demonstrated an equality Before I come to shew the differentiall particulars let me adde That in some particulars the poor weak Christian hath more love and affection from Christ then a strong one So that the weaker they are the more they conclude of more grace and power to be shewed to them 1. Christ commonly sheweth more pity and compassion to such as are objects of greater want and indigency Therefore you heard the smoaking flax he would not quench As the Shepherd doth gently leade those Cattel that are great with young and as Aristotle observeth that in nature Parents are still carried with their greatest affection to the childe that is youngest because that is most exposed to want Thus also doth Christ respect those that are the meanest the lowest that have least of comfort and least of grace Alas such are the greatest objects of pity Do not therefore think that thy infirmities make God angry with thee if humbled for them no they provoke pity and compassion As the Psalmist speaks Psa 103. concerning Gods afflictions that he remembers what man is he doth not deal with him as if he were brasse and iron but as dust and grasse So doth Christ he knoweth thy weaknesses thy temptations and therefore he will mercifully consider of thee The Apostle giveth this reason 1 Pet. 2.7 why the husband should give honour to his wife because she is the weaker vessell and certainly Christ takes this way with every Soul married to him the weaker it is the more compassionate is his condescention to it 2. His protection
that therefore Christ praied in vain or that there is no Truth no Religion at all but rather that there are many hypocrites in the Church many who for their pride rebell on against the Light and other sins shall be left by God and given up to believe a lye From such differences conclude upon this pious meditation That even under the known light of the Gospel men may sadly apostatize and become heretikes yea persecutors of the Truth if the spirit of God keep them not in an holy fear Therefore in the midst of these differences say there is a seeming believer a seeming Church a seeming professor and such commonly for some corrupt end or other make a breach in Christs body 3. There is an unity in fundamentals or essentials and an unity in circumstantials or lesse principals Now as when God hath promised and Christ praied for the sanctification of his people hereby they are seen to have so much grace as shall certainly bring them to heaven for though they have not all the degrees of grace and neither are freed from all sin yet they have the essence of grace that will certainly bring to eternal glory Thus it is in unity although in many things they have not attained to the same minde to the same judgement yet they all agree in those things that are necessary to salvation and this is called all truth The Spirit of God shall leade them into all Truth Joh. 26.13 and they have the unction which teacheth them all things 1 Joh. 2.20 Hence Mat. 25. it 's not possible to deceive the Elect viz. in fundamental things such as shall exclude Salvation It 's true the disciples doubted a while about Christs Resurrection which was a fundamental Point but it 's one thing to doubt and another thing heretically to oppose it The godly then cannot live and die in a fundamental errour no more then in a grosse sin unrepented of because these do necessarily oppose salvation and this may be a great comfort to the godly under the diversity of Opinions and several subtle waies of those who would bring in damnable Heresies 4. Even in accessories and lesse principals their unity shall be consummated in Heaven and so we must understand Christs Praier as in his other Petitions with an extent to heaven where is the compleating of all grace and holinesse The comfort is that one day all the godly will lay aside their bitternesse and censures of one another They will all with one mouth and in one way praise and glorifie God without any difference at all 5. Christ hath not given his Spirit to the Church to its full measure in this life and therefore they know but in part They love but in part Now all division ariseth from ignorance in the minde and corruption in the heart as long therefore as these reliques shall be in us so long will these divisions be As long as the earth emits vapours so long will thunder and lightnings be in the ayr Lastly The devil doth yet put forth his power and his work is to fill the Church with differences and raising up Instruments thereunto that so his kingdom may the more prosper Therefore though heretical Incendiaries are taken away yet because the devil dieth not therefore he is still setting his cloven foot where God hath raised up any Church SERMON CXV Of Vnity among Believers Cautions about it Also setting forth some good uniting Principles With a Censure of some bad ones JOHN 17.21 That they may be One as thou Father art in me and I in thee THe next thing in order to be treated on concerning this Unity is the Cautions that are to be attended unto about it For the name of Unity like that of peace is very specious and fair yet as Hierom said Cursed be that peace which forsakes the truth So cursed be that unity which shall prejudice the Kingdom of Christ Conspiracy and a sinfull confederacy in ways of sinne may be painted over as if it were this glorious unity commended by Christ And First Let this be considered That the Vnity which Christ commends and prayeth for is originally from Christ and terminated in him and afterwards in those things that are his his truth his wayes his commands So that whatsoever unity doth not begin there and afterwards diffuse it self to those things is a sinfull and wicked unity The Devil hath unity in his Kingdom all the Devils though full of malice and envy to man yet agree in their wickedness Though one wicked man may fall out with another yet one devil doth not with another There is order amongst them There is the prince of the devils a legion of them could possesse one man So that if we look into hell we shall finde nothing but unity and agreement amongst them yet all is in their work against Christ and his Church Thus there is also an Antichristian Vnity the Papists glory in their unity that they all acknowledge one way yea they make it a mark of their Church And in the world we see all wicked men are as one man in opposing what is godly Now such unity as this is matter of shame and mourning For 1. It 's not terminated on Christ they are not first united to the true Head this oil is not first on Aarons head but they are of the devil who doth move and reign in their hearts And 2. It 's not an unity in the Scripture way not an union in the true Doctrine but heresie not an union in the instituted worship of God but idolatry and superstition an union to overthrow Christs Kingdom if it were possible Look we then to the cause and object of our unity else it will afford no true comfort Secondly This unity must be a directed and ordered unity This unity must not be confusion That Chaos and unformed heap God created at first it was one thing but it was confused it was without form An house demolished makes one heap but it 's a ruinous disordered one So then the Scripture unity is that which keeps the order and distinction God hath appointed and indeed this is greatly to be pressed lest under this pretence of unity that all the people of God are one we should introduce a confusion and make Christs body Monstrum horrendum c. Though the Church be that one body of Christ yet in it there are distinct members and all have their several operations So that the Apostle argueth against those that would confound this order Are all the members of the body an eye 1 Cor. 12.14 15 16. This hath many times sorely troubled the Church Men through pride and corrupt ends would not religiously keep that order and distinction God hath made in his Church Hence the Apostle so often presseth the people to hear to obey to submit themselves unto their Governours to have them in high esteem for their works sake 1 Thess 5.13 And why is all this But because while
Jesus is the Lord but by the Spirit Acts 18.27 Some have thought that we may by humane strength come to beleeve divine truths as we may by our industry attain to philosophicall knowledge but this is to be ignorant of mans weaknesse and Gods power It 's true men may in an humane way comprehend the sense and meaning of the Scripture but to give a divine assent to it that is the gift of God For every good and perfect gift whereof this faith is a principal one cometh from the Father of lights James 1. Did not many learned Heathens Porphyrius Celsus Julian and others know what was asserted in the Scripture yet they did not believe but contemn it And certainly we are bound to acknowledge it a great mercy of God to have dogmatical faith For why are so many Heretiques left to themselves Some deny the Natures one or the other of Christ some his Person some his Offices and shouldst not thou doe thus if left to thy self Nay Is not a godly man sometimes sadly tempted about his dogmatical faith that he doubteth of a God or about the truths of the Scripture Certainly it 's a speciall mercy thus to be inabled to believe and it is good to be observed one reason why faith must needs be of God which is because the nature of it lieth more in the firmness of the act then in the certainty of the subject It 's not so much the object without as something within makes a man believe Gods Spirit doth more work in corroborating the heart then revealing the object Hence though the Doctrine be revealed to some yet they do not believe when at another time though they have but the same measure of light and the same argument propounded they do believe and why is all this but because Gods work in the believer is more ex parte subjecti then objecti Therefore it 's horrible debasing of Gods grace in working faith to make it no more then the revealing of the object for then man by his own power doth believe as when a man brings a candle in the room then a man seeth by his own power who could not before for God doth not only propound the object but enlightens the understanding and boweth the heart to believe 2. God works faith in us not absolutely or by the creatures the beholding and seeing of them but by the word Thus Rom. 10. Preaching hearing and believing are chained together We are then in and by the Word to expect this work of God not to flie to the creatures making them equal to Gods word for begetting faith or to enthusiasmes and private revelations but to the word of God which gives light to the simple but as the Word is an instrument of begetting faith so faith is afterwards an instrument of improving the Word for the Word doth not profit in the increase and benefit thereof unlesse there be Faith Thus as the Spirit of God doth at first work Faith and yet by Faith we are made further partakers of Gods Spirit So the Word doth at first produce Faith in us which when wrought doth againe improve the Word for further edification and growth in grace 3. The heart of man is naturally not only unfit but contrary and opposite unto the way of believing of heavenly Truth And by this it 's plain Faith is the gift of God because man hath not only an unfitnesse but a contrary repugnancy to the things of God Therefore 1 Cor. 4.14 the natural man is said not to receive the things of God neither can be both the act and the power is denied to him Therefore when Peter made that Confession of faith Thou art the Son of God Christ tels him Flesh and bloud had not revealed that to him Mat. 16.17 Therefore the Pharisees though they heard so much of Christ and saw all his Miracles yet they derided and opposed Christ They did not hear his Word because they were not of God as Christ told them Job 8.47 Know then as in respect of grosse sinne thou wouldst be like a Cain a Judas if God did not keep thee so also in respect of doctrine thou wouldst be the vilest Atheist or the most blasphemous heretique that ever was if God did not enlighten and confirm thee 4. Though God work faith thus yet it may be without a Sanctification of the inward man For seeing Faith as it's dogmatical carrying a man only to the Contents of the Scripture as they are true is seated in the understanding no wonder if thereby a man be enlightned only but not regenerated Hence we reade of some who did beleeve Joh. 2. yet they loved the praise of men more then of God That light in their minde did not serve to produce supernatural life and heat in the heart It was not a faith that did purifie the heart which is called the Faith of the Elect Tit. 1.1 because only appropriated to them The whole Epistle of James is on purpose to shew such a Faith that is not accompanied with holy works although therefore we say a true lively Faith can never be separated from sanctification yet men may be enlightned only in their mindes and perswaded of the truth in their hearts without any effectual change upon them It 's not enough to have such a faith as may make a man a true Protestant or orthodox so as to be neither Papist nor heretique for all this is but a cure of thy minde and with illumination may consist grievous pollutions Yet 5. Where there is but a bare dogmaticall Faith enabled thereunto by the Spirit of God there must needs be some kinde of pious disposition and tractablenesse of the heart For seeing the nature of faith lyeth in assenting to a Testimony and that of God there cannot be but some flexiblenesse of the heart to submit thereunto If indeed the Christian Religion were like the Arts and Sciences then there was no submission of the understanding required seeing it assents upon reason which is a sutable and connaturall argument to the minde as food is to the appetite of hunger But because these things are received for authority sake and have a supereminency to our naturall understanding Therefore it must be captivated Thus the Apostle excellently expresseth it 2 Cor. 10.5 the word doth bring into captivity every thought to the Obedience of Christ a man before he believeth hath many proud thoughts many subtle thoughts many obstinate thoughts but Faith brings these down and submits because God saith so Now this cannot be done without some yeelding and flexiblenesse Hence the Schoolmen do determine that in faith and they acknowledge none besides miraculous but dogmaticall There is a pia affectio some pious and affectionate disposition to him for whose authority we do beleeve So that this dogmatical faith even in unregenerated persons is not like that of the devils for though the Apostle James saith They believe and tremble Jam. 2.19 yet their
all its idolatry impiety and that it is indeed wholly at the will of the devil And this suggests a 2d Demonstration that the world doth not know God because the devil is the immediate Prince of it He that is called the Prince of darknesse is likewise said to be the god of this world This is fully expressed 2 Cor. 2.4 where the god of this world is said to blinde the mindes of them which believe not lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ should shine into them Therefore you have a notable description of the devils from the Soveraignty and power they have Eph 6.12 where they are called principalities and powers and rulers of the darknesse of this world how wofull then is the condition of the world of ungodly men who are thus made captive to the devils and are ensnared at their will That as they themselves are reserved in chains of darknesse so do they keep all their vassals they are chains of darknesse such as those who are in a dark dungeon and such as they cannot break neither have the wicked any desire to do it and therefore they never say to the devils chains as the ungodly do to Christs dominion Let us break his bonds asunder and cast his yoke away Psal 2. As long then as this strong one keeps the house for the whole world is his house no wonder if he make it like hell it self yea he makes the world by his ruling in it worse then hell in some sence for in hell he is tied up in some degree of torments but in the world he is let loose to infect and damn others though not without his torments 3. The world must needs be without all saving knowledge of God from the defect or absence of those causes which do alone cause saving knowledge So that as the world at first when it was a confused Chaos without form and void could not make a glorious light to appear upon it but that was Gods work whom the Apostle doth therefore describe as him that worketh darknesse out of light 2 Cor. 4 6. alluding to the work of grace which is now upon the world So neither is the world wallowing in its filth and thick darkness able to create the least light of saving knowledge but must for ever perish if God vouchsafe not his grace Now these causes are wanting which necessarily infer ignorance in the world Even as the absence of the Sun makes night 1. There is not the external Revelation and propounding of the doctrine to be believed unless God in much mercy send it Hence you may see that once in Judea only was the true knowledge of God and the whole world besides groped in more then Egyptian darkness and now though God hath commanded this light to shine over the whole world So that it is not limited to any one Nation yet a great part of the world still is heathenish So that they are darkned and become foolish in all their imaginations The denying of the Gospel is a greater misery then if the Sun should be denied to shine to such a people Now it 's God only that makes this light to shine in one place leaving the other in its darkness Even the Pelagians of old did acknowledge this grace of God necessary viz. a revelation and proposition of the object 2. Besides this external light the world wants that internal light of illumination without which the Gospel though never so gloriously preached is but like the Sun shining at noon day to a blinde man for this is made the work of Gods Spirit only Joh. 16.8 to reprove the world of sin and of righteousnesse Till the Spirit of God doth illuminate in both these the world doth not understand the horrible guilt and aggravation of sin the damnable estate and condition it is in thereby Neither doth it know what is that righteousnesse which only can justifie and where it is to be had so that the world even the wisest and most learned thereof are but like so many blinde moles digging constantly in the earth Neither affected with their disease or with the remedy till Gods Spirit doth wonderfully convince them and this is evidently seen in the Christian world For doth not the glorious light of the Gospel compasse men about yet they are like owles the blinder because of this light Insomuch that such blindenesse of minde is not amongst heathens as amongst impenitent and hardened Christians for besides the natural blindeness which they have common with heathens there is a judicial blindenesse that God smiteth them with for unfruitfullnesse and contempt of the Gospel Thus they are twice blinde as some are said to be twice dead Is it not matter of astonishment that a people living many years under constant and powerful preaching should yet he as brute beasts and understand nothing of their misery and the remedy Surely all this is because that judgement is come upon Israel even blindeness of minde and a veil upon their hearts 3. The world knoweth not God because it hath not that ultimate and compleat cause of all saving knowledge which is the spirit of regeneration and the work of a new creature upon their souls for till God give this heart of flesh and remove an heart of stone all the illumination and strongest convictions which men have upon them is not enough to make them know as they ought to know The Apostle Tit. 1.1 speaks of an acknowledgement of truth after godlines now that is only when a mans heart is mollified as well as his minde is enlightned It 's true the Scripture speaks of some 2 Pet. 2.20 who by the knowledge of God did escape the pollutions of the world but that was only in respect of external conversation for they were in their natures Swine still and not sheep It cannot then be that the world should know God and Christ as long as there is that corrupt enmity and spirit of rebellion and contrariety in it to what is holy Christ told Peter that it was not flesh and bloud which had revealed Mat 16.17 that glorious Confession of faith unto him If then the world be thus without the spirit of God enlightening and converting how then can it in any saving way acknowledge God Vse of Instruction Concerning the terrible condition of the perishing world whether within or without the Church yea it is most terrible to those who are the world really but the Church nominally You are shut out from the face of God and Christ You are without hope in the world Oh your greatnesse your pleasures will not avail to keep you from destruction This is Eternall life to know God and Jesus Christ This then is eternal death not to know him 2. That no knowledge of God or Christ which is not practical and saving deserveth the name of Christian knowledge The world though both by nature and supernatural revelation may know much of God yet because lying and living in
wickednesse is said not to know him and thus generally in the Scripture the wicked are said not to know God Oh then let such who have strong convictions and also strong corruptions tremble at this Let such who live against knowledge fall down for fear at this Is it not the condition of all such who live in grosse and prophane waies Do ye not commit the sins you know ye ought not Do ye not omit the duties that the light of the Scripture enjoyneth thee Oh that men should in the day stumble and not know whither they go Follow then all thy knowledge into a gracious practical improvement of it lest thou perish with the world SERMON CXLI Christ is the great Teacher of his Church JOH 17.25 But I have known thee IN these words are contained the cause and fountain of all that saving knowledge which beleevers have viz. because Christ knoweth God For whereas the immediate opposition should have runne thus The world hath not known thee but these have known thee This is inserted as the cause I have known thee The word is in the Preterperfect tense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the Present as John 8 55. I know him and keep his saying Now Christs knowledge may be considered two wayes either 1. Subjectively or immanent in him Or 2. Transitively or by way of communication unto others as the fountains fulnesse may be considered either absolutely in it self or as originally redundant and diffusive to it's streams Now though the first kinde of knowledge be necessarily presupposed yet the latter is chiefly aimed at as appeareth by those words I have declared unto them thy Name and will declare unto them In these words therefore our Saviour doth manifest himself to be the Mediator and in a more peculiar manner the Prophet of his Church whereby he communicates saving knowledge unto all beleevers and that he is the Sunne which enlightneth every one that cometh into the Church That as God hath put all material light into the body of the Sunne and all other things are enlightned by it Thus it is with Christ the Sun of righteousnesse all spiritual knowledge is given unto him and that without measure from whom there are several emanations and irradiations whereby all that know spiritually are enlightned by him Thus he is the truth and the way Obs That Christ is the original and fontal cause of all the knowledge that believers have There is not the least ray or beam of any spiritual illumination that doth not descend from him There are pregnant Texts to confirm this John 1.18 No man hath seen God at any time the only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father he hath declared him Where we have an opposition of Christ to Moses who yet talked to God face to face and to all other Prophets though they had immediate inspirations and revelations yet none of these saw God at any time that is perfectly and comprehensively They were but servants and had no more manifested to them then what was convenient but Christ he is the only begotten Son of God and in the bosom of the Father he knoweth the minde the secrets all the whole counsel and purpose of God and that of himself and this he doth not keep close in himself as Paul when caught up into the third heavens heard things not to be uttered but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those things that otherwise were hidden and obscure he had made clear and known Thus you see that first Christ hath a full and perfect knowledge of the minde of God and that he hath it not in such a manner as the holy Prophets sometimes received it but of himself and that this knowledge he doth not keep to himself no more then the Sun doth its light but he hath it to reveal and declare it to his people so that we have the minde of God because Christ hath revealed it Therefore some say he is called the word of God because he doth manifest the inward purposes of God for our salvation and the means to attain thereunto This truth also is abundantly confirmed Joh. 3.31.32 where all the Prophets and John himself is debased in respect of Christ He that cometh from heaven is above all All others come of the earth but Christ because coming from heaven the bosom of the Father therefore he is above all but it followeth What he hath seen and heard he testifieth so that he communicateth this knowledge to the world Therefore the unbelief of the world is heavily taxed No man receiveth his testimony Although Christ be to be preferred above all that were ever sent by God for they were only infallible directively and by outward assistance only but Christ essentially and internally yet the world doth not receive his testimony If then it be thus That Christ only knoweth God and from him knowledge is derived to all others Even the Doctors and Teachers in the Church do strive by his light then it 's no wonder if God from heaven doth take us of all others and bid us attend to him Mat. 17.5 Hear ye him So that we are not to regard what the wisest the learned or the most ancient say but what Christ saith To open this truth Consider these things 1. That Christ a◠God hath omnisciency knowing all things 1 Cor. 2.11 What is there attributed to the Spirit of God is true also of the Sonne of God The Spirit searcheth the deep things of God Thus Christ as God must needs comprehend all the things of God and so there is nothing hid from him And this Omnisciency of his was often manifested especially Joh. 2. when it 's said He knew what was in man and needed not that any should tell him 2. The humane Nature of Christ or Christ as man knew not all things but according as the Divine Nature revealed the hidden things of God so he came to perceive him Therefore the Doctrine of the Lutherans seem to confound the Natures when they say The properties of the Divine Nature are communicated to the humane Nature Omniscience and Vbiquity c. This cannot be and yet Christ abide a true man Hence he is said to grow in knowledge yea as Son of man he is said Not to know the day of Judgement Mat. 24.36 which cannot be explained as some would he knew it not viz. to reveal it for in that sense the Father also might be said not to know it yet the humane nature of Christ though it was capable of nesciency yet not of ignorance for as he was without all sin so without all ignorant defects in minde he wanted no perfection that was due to him it was an experimental knowledge he grew in 3. Even the humane Nature of Christ is now lifted up to know many things without which as the Judge of the world he could not accomplish that work For seeing that Christ God-man is appointed to judge the world it 's necessary that
the Ephesians who though they were made light in the Lord and had the mystery of Gods will so much made known unto them that he did not cease to give thanks for them daily in that behalf yet still he prayeth Ephes 1.17 18. That God would give them the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him that the eyes of their understanding may be inlightned c. Here it 's plain That though these had knowledge yet they might still encrease in it Hence the Apostle Peter 2 Pet. 1.19 doth encourage beleevers for their diligent attending unto the Scripture untill the day dawn and the day-starre arise in their hearts that is till they obtain more firm and evident knowledge of the things of God In the Old Testament we have David Psal 119. though professing he had more knowledge then his teachers and the Word was continually his counsellour yet prayeth he That God would open his eyes that he may understand the wonderfull things of Gods Law Davids eyes are not opened clear enough the word implieth there are some scales and film upon his eyes that must be rolled away and that there are excellent precious things in Gods word that he doth not yet understand For the improving of this truth Let us consider in how many particulars a further constant teaching by Christ is requisite to the most able believers And First They need further revelation in respect of the objects of their knowledge to know more then they do know So imperfect is every godly mans knowledge that it may be called ignorance rather then knowledge We are ignorant of farre more excellent truths in Religion then we do know If the Heathen could say Our eyes were in respect of natural truth but like those of the Owl to the Sun How much more is this true about spiritual objects You see how the Apostles knowledge was successive they come to know one thing after another as Christ revealed it till they had that plentifull effusion of the holy Ghost upon them And the Apostle Paul who was taught not of men but of Christ himself yea he was caught up into the third heaven yet for all that he puts himself in the number of those who know but in part 1 Cor. 13. So that this is true not only of believers but of the eminent Doctors and Teachers in the Church they know but in part yea and that will be true of them even at their last hour though their whole life hath been to obtain knowledge of God Therefore this should quicken all up to diligent use of the means for who can sit down and say He knoweth enough or he knoweth all things Indeed there have been those that were called Guostiques because of the great knowledge they boasted of but yet they made themselves even like bruit beasts O then confess that the waters of divine truth are so deep that though thou wert an Elephant yet thou mightest swim in it we are as the Ancients said Secondly As in the object we need much revelation so in those things we do know we need much assistance and direction from Christ in respect of the adjuncts of it For 1. Though we do know the objects yet we may every day know them more evidently more distinctly more clearly Alas our knowledg about God and Christ is very confused and therefore Paul is every day desirous to know Christ better then he did As it is with digging in a Mine of Gold every daies labour brings richer and fuller supplies or as the draining from a Spring doth not exhaust but makes it more plentifull Thus it is with the heart of a man when set to know God or Christ There are new considerations new respects and new arguments arising alwayes from them Insomuch that God and Christ may seem new to the soul every day we begin to nauseate and grow weary when the same things we know are alwayes suggested unto us but the soul of a man can never he weary of the knowledge of Christ For in him are hidden all treasures of wisdom and grace And therefore even those principalities and powers in heavenly places that are so vast and comprehensive in knowledge yet Eph. 3.10 The Lord Christ is in the Ministry of the Church made more known to them continually So that if Angels do learn in Christs School and obtain more knowledge of him and do with great delight search into these things no wonder then if the most enlightned men may yet search deeper and deeper into the Lord Jesus Christ Paul though one of the highest Scholars in Christs School yet desired to know nothing but Christ crucified for if in heaven the knowledge of God when yet it is intuitive and transcendent to this we have will not weary us but daily provoke the soul to know God more no wonder then if in this life our knowldge be not satisfied when it is but in part 2. As we need Christs daily manifestation in respect of the evidence of them so also in respect of the firmnes and immoveableness of our knowledge Faith you heard is knowledge and that doth necessarily imply assent Now if our assent be not firm and setled We are like children tossed up and down with every winde of Doctrine Instability and inconstancy is much condemned in Scripture and indeed it doth directly oppose faith which makes the soul confidently and firmly-adhere to the truths of Christ as divine as those which cannot be dispensed with or ever prove false for if Paul thought it so great a disparagement that with him should be yea and nay in his words much more would this be reprochfull to Christ himself who saith He is the truth it self Joh. 14. So that as truth cannot be a lie so neither can the Doctrine of Christ be false Now the Doctrine being in it self thus true the power of Christ is seen in making a gracious heart thus strongly to adhere upon divine motives to it as that which wil abide though heaven and earth shall pass away Scepticism and faith are directly opposite when we are inabled to believe we receive it as the truth of God and not as the truth of man So although while this gift of faith was not bestowed upon us we debated truths of Religion like those in Philosophy and were prone to have as Hilary said of old Menstruam annuam fidem a monethly or yearly faith yet when God shall once strengthen us to believe then we are no longer reeds shaken with wind but as Origen of old alluded When many things are removed from us then this Arundo for of that they made pens formerly is made the Calamus the pen of a ready writer Where God strengthens us to believe there that turning this way and that way that mutability is removed and our hearts are fixed so as to be able to dig for that we so firmly adhere unto Thus the Martyrs they were confirmed by God exceedingly in
time reveal even this truth unto them also SERMON CXLIV Of the powerful sense and feeling of the love of God How it 's attained And what a great advantage it is to him that hath it both in reference to duty and comfort JOHN 17.26 That the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them IN these words we have the necessary Consequent or Effect of believing in Christ and resting on him as Mediatour and that is the love of God towards them So that we have here the description of Gods love to Beleevers and that in the highest degree which is imaginable the love wherewith thou lovest me Criticks note a Graecism in the relative 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Mar. 4.41 2 Tim. 4.7 which Austin also on the place takes notice of though Maldonate call it a light Observation The Truth it self is of infinite comfort that God loves believers with that love wherewith he loveth Christ himself But this hath been discoursed of already 2. You have the subject of this love with the manner of participation of it That this love may be in them that is in true believers and in them only Some by love understand the holy Ghost but we may take it for the gracious favour of God and as Zanchy well observeth he doth not say that this love may be towards them though that also be true but in them Gods love was to his people by way of purpose and decree from all Eternity but it was not in them Now when Gods love is said to be in them that is to be understood of the Effects of his love and more especially of the sence and assurance of his love Lastly There is the cause of all this expressed in these words And I in them where Christs mystical Union with and indwelling in us is made the cause of all the love of God to believers but of this also we have already treated So that there remaineth no new thing but the manner of participation of this love of God to them and that is said to be in them which although as was said may be true of the several gracious effects of Gods love yet I shall pitch on that which is the most obvious viz. Gods love in a beleever by way of sence and assurance for God not only loveth them but they may feel this and be perswaded thereof Obs That it is not enough for the people of God to be loved by him but they are to endeavovr after the sence and apprehension of this in their own hearts This is the Emphasis the Selah as it were in this expression that Gods love may be in them our Faith in Christ is not only to produce those direct acts whereby we are perswaded of Gods love in the generall but also those reflex acts whereby we know and feel that his love is in us As a man under the Sun-beams feeleth and enjoyeth the comfortable influence thereof So that herein lieth the compleat happinesse of a Christian to be loved of God and to perceive and feel this To open this you must Consider 1. That the love of God is taken in Scripture two waies either actively for that whereby we love him or passively for that whereby we are loved of him and so some Texts do receive different Interpretations because of the different application of that love of God Now it 's true our love to God is inherent in us and we may perceive and feel it as fire sometime working in us for his glory and honour but the love of God whereby he loveth us we cannot feel in us but by the Spirit of God manifesting and evidencing this unto our souls We have a notable Text Rom. 5.5 where the love of God is said to be shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost which is given us which although some expound of that love inherent in us whereby we love God yet it seemeth more consonant to the words preceding that it is to be understood of that love of God whereby he loveth us for this being diffused in our hearts and we thereby affected with it do rejoyce in tribulations and have such hope that will never make ashamed This then is said to be a special mercy vouchsafed to Gods Children that his love is plentifully powred upon them as Aarons Oyle upon his head and so descending to other parts So that by this Love of God they can triumph and be confident in all tribulations and exercises whatsoever This is an heaven upon the Earth to live in such discoveries and evidences of Gods love 2. Gods love may be greatly towards us yea and the effects of it in us yet for all this we discern and feel them not As it was with the Lord Christ our Head though dearly beloved of his Father yet in respect of any sense and perceivance of Gods love at that time he was destitute of it David doth often bewail his condition in respect of this spirituall desertion and indeed there cannot be an heavier temptation upon the godly heart then the clean contrary in the Text That the wrath and anger of God whereby he is drawn out against the wicked they should apprehend to be upon them They who esteem the light of his countenance above all things to finde the frowns and wrath of God to apprehend his displeasure towards them this is a burthen greater then they can bear So that although this be made the connex to their believing in Christ yet it is a separable Consequent it is that which may be divided from it sometimes At that very time when the godly do believe on Christ in a dependent way they may walk in sad apprehensions knowing nothing of the love of God towards them yea in a very dreadful manner questioning of it 3. Although the love of God towards believers may not be perceived by them yet they are to press forward they are to pray and wrestle with God that they may not continue in darknesse but be brought to this comfortable light The Apostle Peter presseth it as a necessary duty 2 Pet. 1.10 Give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure and the Apostle Paul 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether ye be in the Faith or no So that this happy priviledge is possible and many of the people of God without any immediate revelation have attained unto it Insomuch that it is for the most part our sin that we walk not in the sence of it It is true indeed God sometimes out of his Soveraignty and for wise ends of his own doth withdraw this sense and evidence of his favour but for the most part it is from our selves that such black clouds arise which keep the light of the Sun from us 4. The sence and perceiving of Gods love may be either in an immediate manner or mediate Immediately and thus Christ discovered his love to
558 A Ministry is appointed for spiritual ends 558 Arguments to prove the perpetuity of the Ministry ibid. N Name WHat is meant by Name in Phil. 2. 28 All Church-meetings Censures and duties should be done in the Name of Christ 28 All things have their successe in Christs Name ibid. What is meant by Gods Name 162 Nature All by Nature are in a state of enmity against God 14 The humane Nature was assumed by the divine 666 The Father and Sonne are two distinct Persons yet one in Nature and Essence 582 Natural Natural knowledge insufficient to guide us in the worship of the true God 92 O Obedience THat is proper Obedience that hath the word of God requiring of it 198 There are five grounds of it 200 Oblation Two things admirable in Christs Oblation of himself 503 Office The substance of the Ministerial Office is the same with that which every Minister hath 492 That there is a distinct Office of the Ministry 498 That none may enter into that Office without an authoritative mission 499 How shall we know what is an extraordinary Office and what is an ordinary Office 558 Offices Christ is fitted in respect of his Offices to be a Prophet Priest and King 503 504 Vide Priestly P People GOds People called out of the world 172 How many wayes a People may be said to be Gods 176 The godly are Gods People in a peculiar manner 177 The opening of this in five particulars 177 178 They are the Lords upon several titles 178 179 There ought to be a practical improvement of it 180 It is a sure Character of Gods People to be a willing People 204 Seven Reasons of this 205 c. Perseverance Several particulars about Perseverance that will be as so many answers to Objections made against that truth 352 353 c. Arguments to prove those that have true grace shall persevere 357 c. Power Power as it is expressed in this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 35 It is not enough to be put into a state of grace unlesse by Gods Power we are kept therein 307 How many wayes the Power of God doth keep us 309 Why there is such a necessity of Gods preserving Power 312 Pray Whether it be lawfull to Pray for any one man in particular 229 Whether it be lawfull to Pray for a reprobate as such 229 Whether we may Pray in faith for others as for our selves 230 It is our duty to Pray for ungodly men 231 Motives to move thereunto 231 232 Prayer The matter of Christs Prayer 1. Himself 2. Apostles 3. Others who in time should believe 2 To all instructions c. Prayers is necessary ibid. Reasons on Gods part on the Words part on mans part 4 It should come from a spiritual and heavenly heart 5 Four Requisites to spirituall Prayer 6 It s a hard thing to Pray 6 Customary Prayer receiveth nothing from God 7 Prayer is mental vocal 8 Ends in Prayer 12 Praying It is good and comfortable Praying for them that discover the signes of grace in them 229 Predestination The Doctrine of Predestination should be preached warily 52 Diligently ibid. So as not to discourage humble penitents ibid. Predictions Three sorts of Predictions 396 Priest Christ was not only Priest but Sacrifice it self 510 Priestly Concerning Christs Priestly Office consider these things 508 The Adjuncts of his Priestly Office ibid. Priesthood Propositions concerning Christs Priesthood 510 Principles Principles that do constitute a gracious disposition 32 Vniting Principles in Doctrine 577 Vide Uniting Priviledges Priviledges that come by Christs death 245 Promised Things Promised must be prayed for 137 This is explained in seven particulars 137 138 c. Six Reasons why it is so 139 What are the conditions of such a prayer 141 c. Propriety They only can plead a Propriety in God and Christ who are carefull to keep his Word 182 Gods peculiar Propriety in his people is the ground of all good that accrueth to them 255 Propositions concerning Gods Propriety in his people 255 256 Gods Propriety excludeth all other creatures ib. How the Propriety of God is the cause of all good 258 Properties The Characteristical Properties of the Persons in the God-head 584 Properties in the godly which maketh them lovely and precious in Gods sight 687 Protect The grounds why God will Protect such as are hated for his Names sake 423 Protection Christs Protection is to one believer as well as to another 527 Q Qualifications THe Qualifications of such to whom Christs death is made savingly advantagious 245 Question The great Question that all ought to put is How may I get eternal life 67 We must take the right way to answer this Question 68 Vide Eternal Life R Reading WHether Reading be preaching 496 Redeemed That not all but some of mankinde are Redeemed by Christ 51 Redemption Our Redemption obtained by Christ is a glorifying of God 113 How the maintainers of Universal Redemption differ among themselves 241 Vide Universal Relation It is of great consequence for the humbled Christian in his prayers to improve this Relation of a Father 658 Religion We are not to condemn the way of Religion though some amongst them prove scandalous 377 Some considerations to bring this home 378 The unreasonableness and sinfulness of condemning Religion for some hypocrites therein 379 Repetitions Repetions of the same matter in prayer may be usefull 133 Vide Tautology When the ground of Repetition is good 133 c. When Repetitions are forbidden 135 Reprobates Reprobates receive much benefit by Christs death 239 Righteous God whether considered as a Judge of the world or as a Father to believers is Righteous in all his wayes 674 Reasons why God is Righteous in all his administrations 674 Righteousnesse It is a dangerous sinne to trust to our own Righteousnesse as it appeareth in four particulars 219 Means to drive them out of self-Righteousnesse 220 221 How Righteousnesse may be attributed to God 674 The Righteousnesse of God as a Father to his people in all their afflictions 676 S Sacrifice THat Christ set himself apart to be a Sacrifice for us 502 What things are necessary to a Sacrifice 510 The Properties of Christs Sacrifice 511 Salvation Salvation is to be desired in subordination to Gods glory 32 The everlasting Salvation of men determined 51 Salvation is of grace 253 The Reasons of it 253 The Causes of Salvation 679 Sanctification Growth in Sanctification illustrated by the contraries unto it 464 The Word of God is the instrument of our Sanctification 468 The Explication of the Point 469 The Word is the ordinary means of our beginning and increase in Sanctification 471 Christ died not only for our Justification but Sanctification also 515 How many wayes Christ is the cause of our Sanctification 515 Sanctified How many wayes a godly man may be more Sanctified 459 Reasons why it is not enough to be Sanctified but we must be more and more holy 466 What is
implied in our being Sanctified by Christ 515 Wherein the truth of Sanctification consisteth 516 Sanctifying What Christ Sanctifying himself implieth 502 The benefits of Christs Sanctifying himself 505 Saved All that are to be Saved are committed to Christs care 338 Schism How to prevent Schism 580 Vide Unity Scripture The Scripture is Gods voice 387 So many contrary things to a believers expectation may fall out in matters of Religion that did not the Scriptures fore-tell them we should be greatly offended 388 Some particulars that are hardly concocted 388 That whatsoever the Scripture saith is sure to be made good 389 The Spirit and Scripture are to be reconciled 390 The Scripture we now have is a full and perfect Canon for our Salvation 390 The parts of Scripture ibid. The Ground why Scripture must be fulfilled 393 In how many senses the Scripture may be said to be fulfilled 394 The truth of Scripture-Prophesies 395 The Scripture is oppositely true to all the Opinions Doctrine and Religions that men set up by their own fancy Sence It is not enough for the people of God to be beloved by him but they are to endeavour after the Sence and apprehension of it in their own hearts 694 Considerations to open this Point 695 The advantage they have thereby 696 Propositions to inform in this Point 698 Helps to get and keep the favour of God 698 Sending There is a two fold Sending mediate and immediate 493 Sent. Christ was Sent of the Father c. 487 How Christ was commissionated and Sent for us 487 The Necessity of Christs being Sent. 490 Sermon Prayer sanctifieth every Sermon 5 Vide Prayer Sins What Sins do chiefly provoke God to give men up to strong delusions 152 What Sins do chiefly provoke God to leave his people not totally yet gradually 351 Socinians Socinians confuted 73 Socinians no Christians 591 Socinians answered 666 Sonship Sonship is purchased by Christ 14 Soul The Soul of man hath an infinite appetite 57 God is the center of the Soul ib. Spirit of God How many wayes the Spirit is a comforter to believers 404 Suffer Suffering When the people of God Suffer not for any fault of their own but because they own God and professe his truth this is a great obliging of God to take care of them 421 This Doctrine is opened in several considerations ibid. Supports Though God may afford his people many comfortable Supports yet they must not look to enjoy them alwayes 330 What are those visible Supports God may for a while vouchsafe to his people 330 Reasons why God sometimes changes his peoples condition from better to worse 332 T Talents THe meanest persons have Talents to improve as well as the greatest 104 Tautology Repetition of the same matter in prayer is not alwayes sinfull Tautology 131 Vide Repetitions This is opened in three particulars 132 Teaching That believers do not onely at their first conversion but in the whole progresse of their life need constant Teaching from God 690 This appeareth in several particulars ibid. The Reasons why Christ must constantly Teach his people 692 Testament They that lived under the Old Testament dispensation not excluded from Salvation 100 Time A Time is set for the Reformation of the Church 21 Wicked men have their set Time ib. A set Time for Judgement 22 The Time of every mans death is set ibid A set Time of grace ib. A set Time of the Churches troubles 23 Trinity This Doctrine of the Trinity is an object of Faith and cannot be demonstrated by reason 583 Trouble Several wayes whereby a godly man fals into Trouble in this world 284 c. Reasons why they are subject to Trouble 287 Trusting Trusting to our own righteousnesse is a dangerous sinne 219 220 Truth It 's a special mercy to be kept in the Truth 316 Ten Grounds proving it to be such a special mercy 316 c. There is a three-fold Truth we cannot attain unto without the Scripture 476 The excellent properties of the Truth of Scripture 478 Truth and Godlinesse are requisite in Ministers of the Gospel 482 The grounds why it is requisite 483 Vide Ministers V. Union UNion among the godly is of great necessity 561 There must be a Vnition before there can be a Union 587 There is a natural Union with Christ and a supernatural 587 The excellency of this Union 589 Unity The Unity that Church-Officers ought to have 321 Grounds why it is such a mercy 322 The Unity between the Father and the Sonne is a spiritual Vnion 325 Vide Ministers Means to be used to get and keep Unity 327 There is a two-fold Unity between the godly 561 The excellency of Unity among Christians in several particulars 561 True Unity is from Christ 574 False wayes of Unity by Papists and Socinians 575 Rules to keep up Unity in Church-order and how to prevent Schism 580 Vide Schism Rules for Unity in respect of love to prevent wrath and quarrellings 581 Unity among believers is a special means to enlarge the kingdom of Christ 591 This is opened in several considerations 591 The Reasons why Unity brings others to the Faith 593 Unity among believers is part of the glory which Christ as Mediator hath obtained for them 616 In this Doctrine three Propositions are to be observed ibid. The Father and Christ being in believers is the cause of that perfect and consummate Unity which they ought to have of themselves 632 What is implied in their being made perfect in One ibid. The Causes of this Unity 634 United That all believers are United to Christ and in him to the Father 586 Scripture-expressions to represent this Unity ib. Uniting True Uniting principles as to true Doctrine 577 Universal How the maintainers of Universal Redemption differ among themselves 241 Universally Reasons why the Scripture speaketh thus Universally about Christs death 237 Vocation Vocation is of grace 252 Two Reasons of it 252 Vocation to the Office of the Ministry consisteth in these things 497 W Witches IT 's a great sin to seek to Witches 95 Witchcraft Witchcraft is pardonable upon true Repentance 95 Word of God Word of God How it doth not convert 4 How it doth convert ibid What is implied by keeping the Word 182 184 The Parts of the Word 183 The Word preached and received by people doth greatly enrage the wicked of the world 427 Considerations to open this ibid Why preaching and receiving of the Word doe enrage wicked men 429 The Word of God is truth 474 In how many particulars Gods Word is true ibid. Work Who have not finished the Work God gave them to do 107 c. None may look for glory untill they have finished their Work 125 It is true in reference to Câ—rist ibid. In reference unto our selves 126 The Necessity of continual Working in four respects 127 128 It's lawfull for the people of God in all their Work they doe for God to encourage themselves with this That there is an
upon this will bring much Consolation Considering 1. Gods taking the more care of them 2. Their being quaiified as that come under Christs Fraier 3. And that God will ere long take them out of the world Quest Answ Observ How many wayes a godly man may be more sanctified 1. Inrensively 2. Extensively 3. In the deeper radication of grace in our hearts 4. Subjectively 5. Efficienter Growth in Sanctification illustrated by the contraries unto it which are these Reasons Vse Observ That the word of God is the instrument of our sanctification The explication of the point The necessity of learned officers in the Church The Word is Gods instrument and faith is mans The Word is not the principal or efficient but the instrumental cause The necessity of Gods efficiency Without Gods blessing men may by the Scriptures through interpretation be corrupted Instrumentall Causes are physical natural or moral One cause must not be opposed to other causes The Word is the ordinary means The word to some through their wickednes becomes an instrument of greater sinfullness Doct. The Word of God is Truth In how many particulars Gods Word is true I. In regard of the efficient Cause God II. It 's the Rule of all Truth III. It 's true materially IV. Qualitatively V. It 's true Instrumentally There is a threefold Truth we cannot attain to without the Scripture 1. True Doctrine 2. True Piety 3. True Consolation VI. The Scripture is true oppositely to all the Opinions Doctrines and Religions that men set up by their own fancy The excellent properties of the truth of Scripture 1. It 's the truth of God 2. It 's infallible 3. Eternal 4. Universal 5. Supernaturall 6. A holy truth 7. A precious truth 8. A bitter truth Doct. Truth and holinesse are requisite in Ministers of the Gospel Why it is requisite Ministers should be endowed with soundnesse of judgement Why Ministers must be holy Vse T Doct. 2. That Christ hath a peculiar love of those who are in Church-Office according to his rule and way In what particular Christs care is shewed to his Ministers Observ Christ was sent of the Father and did not of himself undertake that office he was imployed in while on the earth Of Christs Commission consider these things The necessity of Christs being sent Observ None may undertake the publike Office of the Ministry without a lawful Call thereunto Dist 1. There is a two-fold sending Mediate and Immediate Dist 2. The substance of the Ministerial Office is the same with that which every Minister hath Rules for private Christians exercising their Gifts Whether reading be preaching Heinsius Grotius Vocation to the Office of the Ministry consists in these things I. Inward qualifications II. Outward Distinct ult That there is a distinct Oâ—fice of the Ministry That none may enter into this Office without an authoritative mission Doct. That Christ set himself apart to be a Sacrifice for us In my Treatise of justification What Christs sanctifying himself implieth I. His purity and holinesse II His ready offering himself for us III. His fitnesse for the office of a Mediatour 1. The fitnesse of his Person 2. His fitnesse in regard of his Offices 1. Prophetical 2. Priestly 3. Kingly IV. He is prepared for this work Benefits of Christs sanctifying himself V. That he was wholly set apart for us VI. That if by faith we improve him not for those ends God appointed him we make him a Christ in vain VII It denotes him a sinner by imputation VIII That he was a Priest to make atonement for us Concerning Christs priestly-office Consider these things Wherein this prayer and his intercession in heaven differ The adâ—unct of his Priestly Office Observ That Christ was not only the Priest but the Sacrifice it self Propositions concerning Christs Priesthood I. That Christ was both Priest Sacrifice and Altar II. What things are necessary to a Sacrifice III. He offered himself to God IV. It was by way of Expiotion V. The necessity of it The properties of Christs Sacrifice I. It hath infinite worth in it II. Though Christ offered himself as a Sacrifiae yet the application must be as God hath appointed III. Christs bloud washeth away not only the guilt of sin but the filth of it IV. The vertue of his Sacrifice abides for ever V. It 's continually useful VI. It 's prevalent with God VII It 's that Christ presents to his Father VIII The purity of it IX The vertue of it Observ Christ died not only for our justification also Concerning this point consider I. How many wayes is the Christ is the cause of our Sanctification II. What is implied in our being sanctified by Christ III. What may be inferred from our being sanctified by Christs sanctifying himself IV. Wherein the truth of Sanctification lieth Doct. That Christ though God yet as man did pray unto the Father Upon what grounds Christ who was God as well as man did pray The difference between Christs praier and ours What advantage Beleevers have by Christ Doct. In what respects Christ did as much for one believer as another There is some difference between beleevers in respect of Christs Death Observ That such is Christs care and love to his remembred in his prayer and death even before they had a being Doct. Reasons Doct. That the faith which â—ustififieth and saveth us maketh us wholly to depend on Christ The several kinds of faith The object of faith It 's an act of the will as wel as the understanding The seat of faith These things are required to justifying faith I. Of faith under the notion of receiving Christ The receiving of Christ implyeth 1. That we have nothing of our own 2. That we are wholly passive in justification 3. That faith doth not justifie for any intrinsecal worth in it 4. Faith is excluded as it is a work 5. And why faith and no other grace doth justifie II. This receiving is not a bare receiving but an imbracing also III. In this act of faith there is a fiducial reposing of the soul upon Christ IV. An application of Christ V. This recumbent act of faith may not only thus receive Christ but we may be assured that Christ is ours Faith hath two acts a direct and a reflex Quest Observ God hath appointed a perpetual Ministry to the end of the world Quest Answ Doct. Consider That there is a two-fold Unity among the godly I. Invisible II. Visible III. 1. The excellency and necessity of unity among Christians appears by the vehement and affectionate praier for it 2. It s a means to bring the world to believe the truth 3. It s promised as a special part of the Covenant 4 Hereby a serviceable helping of one another in spirituaâ—l things is preserved 5. God suffers sad persecutions to befall them that thereby their discords may be removed 6. Unity strengthens 7. It is beautifull and comely 9. Divisions are the fruit of the flesh 10. Because all things
riches his honours his greatness his parts his morality doth not free him from this impurity so that he ought to abhor himself as a monster as a toad This is the foundation of all our misery that we doe not look upon our selves as so many vile carkasses as so many dead dogs Till this be laid as the first principle Christ is not prized Sanctification is not sought after Oh therefore stand like the leprous person afarre off and cry out I am unclean unclean Thou wouldst be ashamed as Adam was to come with this nakednesse and filthinesse upon thee into Gods presence 2. Being unsanctified doth imply That even the holy things we are imployed about do not sanctifie us but we rather pollute them Hag. 2. He that was unclean though he touched the holy things though he ranne to the Temple and the Altar yet he was not thereby sanctified but he rather polluted them and thus while a man is unsanctified those very duties prayers and ordinances he doth runne unto will condemn him as appeareth Isa 1. by that severe expostulation with them that abounded in their Sacrifices yet did not wash them or make them clean 3. There is implied an utter unfitnesse and indisposition to any good work as on the other side a vessel sanctified was meet for his masters use So that till we be sanctified by Christs blood we have no fitnesse for any holy duty iron can as well swim and logs flie as a natural man be prepared to do that which is holy and supernatural Thirdly That our Sanctification is here attributed to Christs Sanctification of himself we see 1. That the initials and beginnings of Sanctification are wholly from him Some have endeavoured to make the very Heathens partakers of some kinde of sanctification making a pietas pagana as well as Christiana but they are to fear lest that might be applied to them which Bernard did to Abailardus Dum sudat Platonem facere Christianum scriptum facit Ethnicum There is no sanctification but where Christ is and Christ and his body cannot be separated as the gold onely in the Temple was sanctified and this is good to lay us low and to make us admiring of the grace of Christ How is it thou art sanctified and others remain prophane polluted like bruit beasts who hath made this difference Who infused this holy nature into thee Wast thou not as loathsom as wallowing in the filth of thy lusts as others till Christs blood did cleanse thee 2. Not only the initials but progressives and consummatives in Sanctification are to be attributed to his Sanctification Therefore you heard him called the finisher as well as the authour of our faith and the Disciples though already sanctified yet are still more and more to be sanctified It 's true here is a difference between our first Sanctification and the increase of it at first we were wholly passive Christ found us dead in our sinnes and wallowing in our blood but afterwards he findes us alive onely needing his continual exciting and quickening grace Therefore Paul though converted yet still lives a life of faith in Christ we need Christ all the day long How unholy earthly dull and lumpish is thy heart if Christ did not constantly sanctifie it Fourthly This Sanctification purchased by Christ must be in truth and integrity so Christ addeth sanctified in the truth that is truly in opposition to those legal and ceremonial sanctifications which did only cleanse the body but not reach to the soul Although in the New Testament we have no such external bodily Sanctification yet still there is an outward Sanctification and an inward both coming by Christ and one separable from the other Thus you heard the apostate is said to be sanctified by the blood of Christ which was not indeed and truly so for then he would not have totally fallen off but in respect of the external administration Hence 1 Cor. 1.2 the whole Church of Corinth though afterwards reproved for many sinfull practices yet are called sanctified and that partly because of the external dispensation of the Ordinances which they enjoyed So that there is a Sanctification external and a Sanctification internall External is when by our Baptisme and Christian profession We acknowledge our selves separated from the world to live unto God but internal is when we are so indeed How shall we call the prophane ungodly person a sanctified one Look to the truth of Sanctification here mentioned in the Text. Now the truth of it lieth 1. In the manner of working of it The Spirit of God by the Word doth thus sanctifie therefore some understand this in the Text by the truth as formerly our Saviour prayed God himself is the onely Authour of Sanctification We cannot make our selves holy no more then we can make our selves men yet God works not in the order of grace immediately no more then in the order of nature where he makes use of second causes Thus in the working of grace he appointeth second means as the Ministry and Ordinances and therefore Paul 1 Cor. 3. saith They were Ministers by whom the Corinthians did beleeve and there is no better discovery of true Sanctification then to examine the manner and way how thou hast received it for if the Spirit of God by the Word hath wrought it in thee then fear not this is of a more noble and supernatural being then what morality or principles of civility can incline unto thee As Christ himself was in his bodily nature conceived by the holy Ghost in an extraordinary manner Thus is every one sanctified in an higher and more sublime way then all the moral and prudential dictates of nature can carry us unto Oh then prove thy self what hath the Spirit of God and his Word done unto thee That was not more wonderfull in those who had a prophetical Spirit then in such who are sanctified To enable men to speak with strange Tongues is not more admirable then to give a man a strange heart to what he had once and strange in respect of others 2. It 's true Sanctification when it hath the universality and integrity of all parts which is the whole Image of God as Paul prayeth 1 Thess 5. I pray God ye be sanctified throughout in spirit soul and body This work of Sanctification it 's an entire compleat harmonical compages of all holinesse take any part of it away and you dissolve the whole fabrick It 's true Sanctification though it have not perfect and compleat degrees but not true if it want any essential parts and therefore called the Image of God which cannot be one grace no more then a man can be a man in one part and a beast in another but the Systeme of all 3. It 's true Sanctification in the permanency and continuance of it Perseverance doth not make Sanctification to be true but the truth of Sanctification makes it persevere Perseverance is an effect not a cause of
true Sanctification as the Apostle speaks 1 John 2.19 They went from us because they were not of us As leaves fall from the Tree when they have no more of their wonted nourishment and this discovers the falshood of those who appear sanctified onely in some fits and upon some sad afflictions on them 4. Truth of Sanctification is discovered by the purity of our aims and ends They love God they obey him from such holy grounds as are suitable to the sanctified nature As the hungry man loveth his food because of his naturall desire to it Thus a sanctified man loveth and doeth that which is holy for holinesse sake 5. True Sanctification is growing and proficient every day more and more That which hath solid root doth not wither but ripens and flourisheth by the Sunne-beams The Apostles though already sanctified yet are still to be more sanctified and certainly such is the sweetnesse and peace which Sanctification brings that it 's no wonder if the heart be never satisfied but still crieth like the horsleech Give Give 6. True Sanctification will make a man diligently and fruitfully improve all the instituted means for the increase of it because the Spirit of God works holinesse Therefore he is fearfull to grieve it Because the Ministry is to make more holy therefore he prizeth it and labours to profit by it yea because afflictions are sent by God to sanctifie the heart therefore he is humble under them and prayeth more earnestly for the Sanctification of them then the removal of them 7. This Sanctification though inchoate and imperfect here yet shall be perfected hereafter in Heaven Christs prayer Christs Spirit Christs merit will at last obtain their compleat and ultimate effect which is full Sanctification in Heaven when there will be no more need to pray for further Sanctification Vse Hath Christ thus merited and pray'd for Sanctification Then know Christ hath done nothing to encourage prophane and ungodly men Christ died not neither is he a Redeemer or Saviour but to such who are made holy This may amaze and astonish all such as divide the effects of Christs death yea and divide Christ himselfe They look upon him as a Saviour but not as a Sanctifier They would have his blood to wash away the punishment of their sinnes but not the filth and pollution of them Oh let the ungodly know They set up an Idol-Christ There is no such Christ as pardoneth but sanctifieth not also Come then more earnestly to be healed of thy soul-pollution then they did of bodily diseases SERMON CII Sheweth Why Christ who could do all things yet put up Prayers What difference there is between his Prayers and ours And the great advantage Believers have by Christs Praiing for them JOH 17.20 Neither pray I for these alone c. HItherto our Saviour hath praied for his Apostles as they were Apostles But because many things in his Petition for them did aâ—so concern all Beleevers and lest it should be thought that none but the Apostles were the Object of his Praier he therefore comes to a third part in his Petition which relates to the Catholique Church even the whole number of those who in time by Gods Spirit shall be enabled to beleeve Christ doth represent in his Praier to God the weakest beleever as well as the most Eminent Apostle So that here begins the third principall part of this Chapter Now in this Context we may observe 1. The Object of Christs Praier 2. The Final Cause of it 3. The Reasons enforcing it The Object of the Praier is set down 1. By a Negative limitation Not for these alone 2. By a Posiâ—ive explication or description But for those who shall beleeve Through their word In the Negative limitation Consider Who it is that is here said to pray The Person is Christ God und man As for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we need say no more to that only we are to adde a further Consideration about Christs Praying Seeing therefore that this is the last place wherein he mentioneth his praying I shall now supply what hath been defective in the consideration of this Point and so Observe That Christ though God yet as man did pray unto the Father as other men This Point about Christs Praying is worthy of our knowledge and right understanding For the Arians and Socinians did from hence argue that Christ was not God it being absurd they say for him to pray who could do what he pleased even as it 's absurd to say that God can pray seeing he is omnipotent and hath no Superiour Yea some of the Ancient Fathers have not spoken so soundly in this Point Hilary makes it to be but a kinde of holy simulation that Christ praied and generally it 's made a reason why he praied that he might give us an example But although this be one subordinate end yet there were other more principal ends 1. Therefore let us Consider upon what ground Christ did pray 2. The difference between his Praier and ours He praied then for himself and his Church 1. Because as man he was not omnipotent and so his humane will was not able to accomplish the things he desired for although as God he could do all things in which respect he wrought Miracles and did them not by Petition as the Apostles but by his own power and in his own Name yet as man so what he desired by his humane will by that he could not simply accomplish it so that in this respect it was that Christ as man did pray 2. As man Christ was subject to the Law of God and so was bound to give that worship and Religious Service to God which the Law did require so that when Christ praied he did it as fulfilling a duty he had voluntarily submitted unto Even as when he came to be baptized he told John it behoved him to fullfill all Righteousnesse Matth. 3.15 It was part of his Righteousnesse to be baptized because as man he was made a member of the Church Therefore Matth. 4. he brings that command of worshiping and serving God alone as reaching to him intimating he was bound by that Command as well as other men So Joh 4. he tels the Woman of Samaria We worship we know not what He puts himself in the Number of Worshipers So that Praier being part of Gods worship and a chief part of it no wonder if Christ was constant in it Hence we reade of spending nights in Praier yea in his Troubles his Prayers were accompanied with strong Cries and Agonies and the more they encreased the more earnestly he praied 3. He praied because though all things were due unto him yet by the Ordination of God he could not be partaker of them but by Praier So that though the Glorification of his body was due unto him from the beginning of his Incarnation yet he is to come to it by way of Prayer Hence in this Chapter he doth by many