on No man took it from him 1 Kings 20.11 John 10.18 21. Thus Christ when he was in the height of his perfection in perfect Glory filling all in all the fulness and end of the Law for Righteousness the Law-giver above the Law yet in the fulness of time was made of a woman made under the Law became a curse for us to redeem us from the curse of the Law Gal. 3.13 chap. 4.4 By this going back-ward of Christ unto the tenth degree of death we have hope of life to come His going back-ward was his progress to his journeyes end for his ways are not our ways but rather contrary to them Thus our true Joseph having been in prison and taken out from among men is afterward rightly called Zaphnath-paaneah i.e. a man to whom secrets are revealed or in the Egyptian tongue a Saviour of the world Gen. 41.14,45 Isa 53.8 John 3.17 chap. 12.47 Let us imitate our Lord for even hereunto are we called because Christ also suffered for us leaving us an example that we should follow his steps 1 Pet. 2.21 Let us resist unto blood striving against sin suffering in the flesh that we may cease from sin Heb. 12.4 1 Pet. 4 1. Ponder these things seriously 6. Sixthly 22. We cannot understand nor submit unto the Gospel unless we know and conform unto the death of Christ The sum of the Gospel is Christ crucified 1 Cor. 2.2 There is a dolefull doom denounced against all those that obey not this Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ 2 Thes 1.7,8,9,10 It is not enough for us to make our boast of the Gospel except we obey it no advantage comes by it Not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the Will of the Father Mat. 7.21 He that doth the Will shall know the Doctrine John 7.17 Now we must know that every man is brutish in his knowledge and born a wild Asses Colt Jer. 10.14 Job 11.12 Psalm 92.6 Wherefore it is necessary that every man take up his Cross dayly and crucifie this brutish man which is so ignorant of the Mysterie of God and altogether uncapable to understand it and put on the new man which is created after God in Righteousness Holiness and Knowledge 1 Cor. 2.14 Eph. 4.22,23,24 Col. 3.9,10 The old must be put off before the new can be put on Obedience is the best Vsher unto knowledge 7. Seventhly 23. The grand Mysterie of iniquity worketh in the contrary Doctrine When the Devil suspected what ruine and desolation was like to come upon his kingdom by the death of Christ he did what possibly he could to save his life by Pilates wife And so he is still stirring some to be enemies to his Cross Phil 3.18 The old subtile Serpent argueth with us as he did with our first Parents Yea saith he doth God require such strictness and circumspect walking doth he think ye delight to afflict his creature the work of his hands will he have thee die mortifie and crucifie thy self Far be it from thee These things shall not happen unto thee Mat. 16.22,23 Hath not Christ suffered for thy sins hath not he made full satisfaction and done all for thee Is there any thing left for thee to do Canst thou add to the vertue of his blood Wilt thou fall back again to the Law and be justified by the works thereof Is not this flat Popery Away away with these legal and pensive thoughts they make thee melancholy dull and indisposed to good things Wilt thou separate not only from the prophane Gentile but from the outward and formal Jew also Canst thou by taking thought add one Cubit to his stature Were not the works finished from the foundation of the world Mat. 6.27 Heb. 4 3. Be not righteous overmuch neither make thy self over-wise Why shouldest thou destroy thy self Eccles 7.16 24. Look upon the high and mighty professors of the world Are not the preud among them happy and they that tempt God by Pride Ambition Covetousness Hypocrisie Perjury breach of Promises Covenants Vows Oaths and Protestations Rebellion Domineering are they not delivered delivered to do all abominations Doth not their Bull gender and faileth not have they not more then heart can wish so that pride compasseth them about as a chain and violence covereth them as a Garment Mal. 3.15 Jer. 7.9,10,11 c. Job 21.10 Psalm 73.4,5,6,7 Take thine ease eat drink and be merry to morrow shall be as this day Thus the crafty Serpent insinnateth his damnable Doctrine by his false Prophets into the minds of simple ignorant presumptuous Gospellers themselves Whereas the true Believer saith It is his meat and drink to do the Will of his Lord and Master John 4.34 To beat down his body and bring it into subjection 1 Cor 9.27 Nothing is more glory to him then such tribulation he takes pleasure in such necessity and distresses for Christs sake and is glad that he can die dayly that the world may be crucified unto him and he unto the world Rom. 5.3 2 Cor. 12.10 1 Cor. 15.31 Gal. 6.14 8. Eightly 25. Without this knowledge and conformity there can be no perseverance in Godliness The Hypocrite will not pray always he cannot many begin to run well but are driven back from obeying the Truth Gal. 5.7 They are clogd with the care of preserving the worldly life they are full yet with their youthfull lusts and the sins of their riper years These youths shall faint and such young men utterly fail because they do not eat and drink the flesh and blood of the Son of man that they might have life and strength to persevere they do not by eating and drinking incorporate the living bread and drink by a lively faith that they might grow thereby Isa 40.30 John 6.33.35,48,51 unto verse 59. 1 Pet. 2.2 2 Pet. 3.18 But the righteous shall hold on his way and he that hath clean hands that hath washt them in innocency in the innocent blood of the Lamb he shall wax stronger and stronger his light shall be as the shining light which increaseth to a perfect day Job 17.9 Prov. 10.29 and chap. 4.18 But they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength and mount up with wings as Eagles Psalm 103.5 Isa 40.31 The Eagle is sharp of sight swift and lofty in flight it can soar up and look upon the Sun So do all true Believers who have anointed their eyes with the spiritual eye-salve Rev. 3.18 which maketh them quick-sighted but then like Eagles they resort unto the Carkass Mat. 24.28 They have continual Recourse unto the crucified body of Christ refreshing themselves with that heavenly food turning it into the nourishment of their inward and new man and growing up therein unto a likeness and conformity unto that food These do not miscarry nor come short of their aim 9. Ninthly 26. There can be no due performance of any acceptable service
love of Christ as the Institution of the Sacrament the washing of their feet his most loving instructions and the very Passion it self 2. On the other hand to stir us up to love Christ and be thankfull to him 3. For our Confolation that we should not think Gods love to us cometh to an end For he doth not love once only or only our Fathers but he loveth to the end for ever and ever He abideth faithfull he cannot deny himself 2 Tim. 2. Dearest friends let this love of Christ satisfie us It matters not whether the world doth love or hate us so long as we are sure that Christ loveth us that we are in his heart that he regardeth us much that he careth for us c. What hurt can the hatred of the world now do us If God be for us who can be against us Rom. 8. It followeth Mat. 26.20 Mark 14,18 Luke 22.15,16,17,18 Now when the even was come he came and sat down with the twelve Apostles and saith unto them With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer For I say unto you I will not any more eat thereof untill it be fulfilled in the Kingdom of God And he took the cup and gave thanks and said Take this and divide it among your selves For I say unto you I will not drink of the fruit of the Vine Mat. 26.29 till the Kingdom of God shall come when I drink it new with you in my Fathers Kingdom Here beginneth the Supper Exod. 12. In the evening of the fourteenth day of the first moneth the paschal Lamb was to be slain and eaten Christ therefore doth well begin at the figure and proceed unto the Truth First He eateth the Legal Lamb then he instituteth his new Supper and offereth himself to be eaten by those that are his And whereas the Law required to eat the Paschal Lamb standing no doubt but Christ observed it and though it be said he sate that is meant after he had eaten the legall Lamb. First then he stood with his Disciples and did eat the paschall Lamb that he might wholly fulfill the Law and bring it to an honourable end for he came not to destroy but to fulfill it When he had so done he sate down and happily then began the true Supper He had finished the former already that old one but his own which he principally intended he had not yet begun To the other a roasted Lamb was required but to this nothing but bread and wine Therefore between both Suppers he doth interpose a few words whereby he gave them to understand that he meant to abolish the Old Testament and to make a new one He exprest the great affection of his heart to them at the beginning With desire have I desired c. as if he had said My dearest Babes ye know very well that I have observed the Passover every year but never with so great a desire as I do now For now the time is come that I will give you such meat and drink as ye never yet tasted at this Jewish Festivall And I am glad that the time is come for I desire nothing more To morrow I must suffer a most bitter death therefore I must dispatch the Supper this night This is the last time I shall sup with you I shall never more eat with you on earth as now we do Hence he presently addeth Hereafter I will no more eat of it c. And henceforth I will no more drink of the fruit of the Vine in which words he plainly sheweth that he was about to suffer And a dead man doth neither eat nor drink Now lest his Disciples should be too much grieved at this uncouth speech he saith further for their comfort untill it be fulfilled in the Kingdom of God And till I drink it new with you in the Kingdom of my Father Both speeches have the same sense for they have respect to the joyfull Resurrection of Christ When Christ rose from the dead the Passover was fulfilled All was imperfect till then Every one of the former Feasts were defective For till that time there was but only the shadow and Figure of the Passover as also all other things under Moses When Christ rose the true Passover began for then all things were fulfilled which belonged to the Passover And this saith he Matth. 3. shall be fulfilled in the Kingdom of God For then the Kingdom of God shall come in all Respects of which it was said before that it drew nigh As if he had said till I am dead and risen again the kingdom of God is not come But then my heavenly and spiritual Kingdom shall mightily be begun in all the world when I shall die for the sins of men and rise again for their justification Rom. 4. then I say the whole world shall plainly see and know by the Word and Spirit that the Son of God is King and raigneth over the soul and conscience which Kingdom of his is now covered with the Cross What then did he promise should be after all things were fulfilled and the Kingdom of God made manifest He promised that he would eat the Passover again with them and drink wine but new wine and after another manner than before which may be understood two wayes 1. First Of his corporall eating when he did eat of a broiled fish and Honey comb with his Disciples after his Resurrection Then he did eat with them again corporally but not as formerly It was not for any bodily necessity for a glorious body needeth not meat but fully to prove and evidence the truth of his Resurrection Christ then promised that he would eat bodily again with them after his Resurrection though as I said after another manner of which Peter speaketh we did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead Acts 10.41 2. But the better sense of the words is of the spiritual eating and drinking For after the solemnity of this Jewish Feast Christ did never more eat of the paschal Lamb. But he eateth the new Passover or Lamb with us and drinketh the new wine with us in the Kingdom of God in the Church when we with him and he with us are incorporated by Faith and receiving the Sacrament which is not for once but ever as long as the kingdom of Christ lasteth in the Church Hereby then he intimateth that the corporall eating of the Lamb should cease and that we should spiritually eat of the true Lamb. The first Lamb was not therefore commanded to be offered and eaten because it should alwayes be so done Indeed Moses said Exod. 12. this should be kept as an Ordinance for ever but he saith also throughout your Generations viz as long as this generation continueth so long as this state of things this Testament this old Testament lasteth and as long as ye continue the people of God so long
to him He called his servants and gave them money to trade with Luke 19. No man ought to take this Honour to himself but he that is called of God as Aaron was Heb. 5. Let the Minister of the Church take heed and see that he be a John that is that he express the Grace of God not only in Word and Name but in deed and in Truth also Beside in this Recommendation of Christs Mother unto John Christ alluded to that Spiritual acquaintance and kindred which ought to be among Believers in the Church Nay he doth here institute and ordain this Kindred whereby every one should be a Father Mother Brother and Sister to another as Paul writeth to Timothy that he should respect the Elder men as Fathers and the Elder Women as Mothers the yonger as Sisters c. 1 Tim. 5. And as John after this recommendation of Christ could say that the Virgin Mary was his Mother so may we call her Mother inasmuch as she brought forth Christ our Brother And as John might call Peter Brother so also may we This is our Christian brotherhood and Spiritual Kindred which is our great consolation For hence we see that the Saints belong to us and we to them They acknowledge and love us let us also acknowledge and love them In conclusion it is said that John like a faithfull obedient Disciple and as one mindfull of his Masters command did take Mary from that very day for his own mother unto his own home Not that he had a setled place or any thing of his own for the Apostles left all they had Matth. 19. and what they had was common to all Act. 4. But that he took her into his own care and ministred unto her for time to come as a son to his mother He took her not to his Farm or Manour-House for he had none but to his charge which he took care to discharge by his own ministring to her so saith Augustine Of the fourth Word THree Words we have heard already which Christ uttered on the Cross the first to his Father the second to the Thief the third to his Mother and they were all very sweet and comfortable Words indeed The hour of death now approaching he expresseth the fourth Word and that with great gravity he speaks again to his Father but very moaningly and pittifully of which the Evangelists thus write And when the sixth hour was come Mar. 15.33 there was darkness over the whole land untill the ninth hour And at the ninth hour Jesus cryed with a loud voyce saying Eli Eli Lamasabachtani which is being interpreted my God my God why hast thou forsaken me And some of them that stood by when they heard it said Behold he calleth Elias There were now six hours of the day past and yet those wicked men were not satisfied with what Christ had then suffered Wherefore to reprove their ungodliness the Sun is darkened that visible Sun is much afflicted and obscured by reason of the injury done to the true Son of Righteousness and that contrary to the custom and course of Heaven forasmuch as about this time there was no Ecclipse of the Sun as Theophylact out of Jerom saith Here then the Divinity of Christ did a little discover it self and as it were threaten the Jews if they would nor cease from their wickedness But of this great Miracle of the Heaven or the Sun Dionysius the Areopagite writeth in an Epistle to Apollophanes confessing that he also with him saw that Eclipse in Heliopolis both which men were then Pagans And there he affirmeth that Apollophanes should say O good Dionysius Vicissitudines sunt divinarum rerum the course of Heaven is altered And Origen in his second Book against Celsus maketh mention of one Phlegon that wrote of the darkning of the Sun in the time of Tiberius Caesar But what is that to this Eclipse which Pliny writeth that after Caesar was slain the Sun was pale and wan a whole year about Away with all such comparisons even of the greatest Monarchs This is truly a sign that doth deserve to be written and read to be said and sung as long as the world lasteth This unusual darkness 1. Did prove Christs Divinity to whom all the Elements do homage and are ready to serve him at his pleasure 2. It shewed his Innocency for the Elements are disturbed at his death to make it known that Christ suffered innocently the Creatures give testimony to their Creator 3. The heavenly Father would make it appear by these signs that he took notice of the great evils and unworthy behaviour of men which yet he was pleased to turn to the salvation of them that should believe 4. This uncouth Darkness did portend and fore-shew that the Light of Truth was now departed from Judea and that all that denyed Christ should be left and shut up in perpetual darkness The Jews had often urged to Christ to shew them a sign from Heaven Lo here they have it but to their own undoing Now when this Darkness had continued for about three hours Christ began to to speak again yea to cry out with a loud voyce to prove the Truth of his Humanity and to shew the intensness and extremity of his pain against such Heresies as should after arise either denying the Lord to be a true man or that he did not truly suffer but only made a flourishing shew of suffering But his loud crying was a sufficient witness of his true and grievous sorrow and pain for although they were intolerable things which the Standers by did see yet Christ endured much more than what the outward eyes saw And to make it known he cryed out to fulfill that of Psalm 69. I am weary of crying my throat is dryed c. And well might he be hoarse for hoarsness proceedeth from a defect of humours in the throat and Arteries But his strength was dryed up like a Pot-sheard the humours of blood gushing out in all parts of his body But let us hear how and with what voyce he cryed out He saith Eli Eli Lama azabthani This word is taken out of Psalm 22. which Psalm in the Hebrew doth begin with those very words Christ therefore makes use of the beginning of that Psalm to shew that the whole Psalm was made to him and of him Where me may observe that Christ doth not complain of suffering but of Desertion and not of every kind of Desertion neither For they to whom he had done much good yea and his own Disciples too had deserted and left him in the midst of his enemies and persecutors And yet he doth not so much as think upon this Desertion but he doth cry out especially and complain that the Father had forsaken him which we must not so understand as if the Divinity had separated it self from the humanity of Christ but that it left that Humanity for a time to the power of his Persecutors and did not