done by Christians in his time to go into the prisons to kiss and embrace the Martyrs chains to harbour and provide for indigent brethren and to bring water to wash the Saints feet No office so low which they were not content to stoop to III. Matth. 16. 24. Let him deny himself Nazianzen tells us Orat. 1. that of those excellencies and endowments which God had given him health wealth esteem and eloquencâ— he reaped this onely benefit that he had something which he could contemn and by whâ—ch he could shew that he infinitely valued Christ before them C. I. 2 THes 2. 2 3. This did mightily contribute to the weaning of the first Christians from the World and did strongly animate them to a quick and speedy diligence about the affairs of the other life namely an opinion they generally had of the day of Judgement being near at hand An opinion started early as appears by that Caution which St. Paul gives the Thessalonians about it II. 1 Pet. 3. 3. The Apostles require of women not the outward adorning of gold and fine apparel but shamfac'tness and so briety the hidden ornament of the heart That tho they were rich yet they were to consult the honour and modesty of their profession and might not go to the utmost bounds of what was lawful some things being lawful which were not expedient especially when by their wanton and lascivious dress they might be a means to kindle in the breasts of others the flames of an unchast and unlawful passion and so prove the occasion of their ruin III. Rom. 13. ult The Law of Christ commands us to fast often to keep under the body and to make no provision for the flesh If nature regularly governed be content with little Religion will teach us to be content with less The six and Thirtieth Meeting A I. JAm 2. 21. Ahraham is said to have been justified hy Faith when he offered his Son Isaac upon the Altar tho he did not actually sacrifice him because he endeavoured to do so God graciously accepting the will for the deed accepted also of the blood of a Lamb instead of Isaac's II. 1 Tim. 3. 16. The Gospel is stil'd The mystery of Godliness and S Paul else where calls what it teaches The truth which is according to godliness Tit. 1. 2. i. e. a doctrine fram'd and fitted to promote the interest of Piety and Virtue in the World This Character belongs to the more retired truths discoverd by speculation as well as to those more obvious ones that are familiarly taught in Catechisms III. Ex. 15. 25. The inward gratulations of Conscience for having done our duties is able to guild the bitterest pills and like the wood that grew by the Waters of Marah to correct and sweeten that liquor which before was the most distasteful B. I. MAth 5. 29. Though to deny some lusts be in our Saviours esteem no less uneasie than for a man to pluck out his right eye or cut off his right hand yet even Maids have with satisfaction chosen not only to deny themselves the greatest pleasures of the sense but to sacrifice the seat of them the body itself to preserve the satisfaction of being chaste II. 1 Pet. 112. The Gospel mysteries are of so noble and excellent a nature The Angels themelves desire to look into them And it was the earnest desire of a great King and no less a Prophet that his eyes might behold the wondrous things of God's Law Psal 119 18. III. Matth. 11. 15. 'T is not onely those Truths that make Articles of the Creed but divers other doctrines of the Gospel that Christ himself judged worthy to be concluded with this epiphonema He that hath ears to hear let him hear On which the excelâ—ent Grotius makes this just paraphrase Intellectus nobis à Deo potissimum datus est ut eum intendamus documentis ad pietatem tendentibus C. I. HEb 5. 9. The Creed proposes the credenda not the agenda of Religion whereas the Scriptures were designed not only to teach us what Truths we are to believe but by what rules we are to live the obedience to the Laws of Christianity being as necessary to Salvation as the belief of its mysteries II. Col. 3. 16. Whether or no those words of our Saviour to the Jews 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be to be rendred in the imperative or indicative mood S. Paul would have the word of Christ to dwell richly in us thereby teaching us that besides the things which are absolutely necessary there are several Truths that are highly useful to make us more clearly understand and more rationally and firmly believe and more steadily practise the points that are necessary III. 1 Tim. 2. 4. Through the great goodness of God who is willing to have all men saved and come to the knowledge of the truth necessary to salvation there are much fewer Articles absolutely necessary to be by all men distinctly believed then may be met with in divers long Confessions of Faith some of which have I fear less promoted Knowledge than impaired Charity The seven and Thirtieth Meeting A. I. 1 COr 13. 9. Now we know in part c. Doubtless tho Heaven abound with inexpressible Joys yet it will be none of the least that shall make up the Happiness even of that place that the knowledg of divine things that was here so zealously pursued shall there be compleatly attain'd II. Matth. 5. 8. The contentment afforded by the assiduous discovery of God and divine mysteries has so much of affinity with the pleasures that shall make up mens Blessedness in heaven it self that they seem rather to differ in degree than in kind For our Saviour to express the coelestial joys reserved for those who for their sake denyed themselves sensual pleasures makes them to consist in the Vision of God Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God III. Matth. 23. No less than eight woes are denounced against the Scribes and Pharisees by our Saviour himself who is not very forward to destroy he came upon a far other business and all those woes for their folly and blindness In the denouncing of every woe but one he stiles them hypocrites And an hypocrite is the veriest fool in the world for he thinks to cozin and put a cheat upon God whom yet himself confesses to be omniscient knowing all things In that single woe he calls them blind guides elsewhere fools and blind This was our Saviours judgment of them and you may rest upon it B. I. MAtth. 12. 36. Our blessed Saviour told us that we must aâ—count for every idle word not meaning that every word which is not design'd to edification or is less prudent shall be reckoned for a sin but that the time which we spend in our idle talking unprofitable discoursings that time which might and ought to have been employ'd to spiritual useful purposes that is to be accounted for II. Ezek. 16. 49.
omnibus moriatur qui pro omnibus mortuus est Amb. Infidelity and impenitence are the worst restrictives that contract and sink all into a few III. Heb. 1. 3. Christ is the brightness of his glory And if we do not still Love darkness and make it a pavilion round about us he will look upon us through this light and look lovingly upon us with favour and affection The Twentieth Meeting A. I. 1 COr 3. 21. All things are yours when you are Christs There is a civil dominion and right to these things and this we have jure Creationis by right of Creation For the earth is the Lords and he hath given it to the Sons of men And there is an evangelical dominion not the power of having them but the power of using of them to Gods Glory that they may be a gift and this we have jure adoptionis by right of adoption as the Sons of God begotten in Christ II. 2 Cor. 4. 4. St. Paul calls the Devil the God of this World and Worldings in effect make him so For as if he had been lifted up and nailed to the cross for them to him every knee doth bow nor will they receive the true Messias but in his shape they conceive him giving gifts not spiritual but temporal not the graces of the Spirit humility meekness and Contentedness but Silver and gold making not Saints but Kings upon the earth III. 1 Cor. 3. 21. With Christ we have all things which work to that end for which he was deliver'd We have his commands which are the pledges of his Love We have his promises of immortality and eternal life He hath given Faith to apprehend and receive the promises and hope to lift us up unto them He hath given us his Pastors to teach us He hath given us his Angels to minister unto us He hath given us his Spirit and filled us with his Grace if we will recieve it which will make his commands which are now grievious easie which may carry us on in a regular and peaceable course of piety and obedience all those things we have with Christ B. I. GAl. 6. I am crucified with Christ Let us recieve Christ in his shame in his Sorrow in his Agony take him hanging on the cross take him and take a pattern by him that as he was so we may be troubled for our sins that we may mingle our tears with his blood drag sin to the bar accuse and condemn it revile and spit in its face at the fairest presentment it can make and then nail it to the cross that it may languish and faint by degrees till it give up the Ghost and dye in us II. Heb. 7. 26. Such a High Priest became us who is not onely merciful but just not onely meek but powerful not onely fair but terrible not onely clothed with the darkness of humility but with the shining robes of majesty who can dye and can live again Revel 1. 18 and live for evermore who suffered himself to be judged and condemned and shall judge and condemn the world it self III. Luk. 24. 26. Tota Ecclesia cum Christo computatur ut una persona Christ and his Church are in computation but one person He ought to suffer and they ought to suffer they suffer in him and he in them to the end of the World Nor is any other method answerable either to his infinite Wisdome and Justice which hath set it down in indelible Characters or to our mortal and frail condition which must be bruised before it can be healed and be levelled with the ground before it can be raised up That which is convenient for Christ is profitable for us That which becometh him we must wear as an ornament of grace unto our head There is an oportet set upon both He ought and we ought first to suffer and then to enter into glory to dye first that we may rise again C. I. HEb 4. 15. and â— 17. There is life in Christ's death and comfort in his sufferings For we have not such an High Priest who will not help us but which is one and a chief end of his suffering and death Who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities and is merciful and faithful hath not onely power for that he may have and not shew it but will and propension also desire and diligent care to hold up them who are ready to fall to bring them back who were even brought to the gates of death He hath Learnt compassion by his sufferings and death For the way to be sensible of anothers misery is first to feel it ourselves II. Joh 20. 29. Blessed are they who have not seen and yet have believed Why should the Resurrection of Chist be made manifest to the eye this is not to seek to confirm and establish but to destroy our Faith For if these truths were as evident as it is that the Sun doth shine when it is day the apprehension of them were not an act of our faith but of our knowledge Therefore Christ shew'd not himself openly to all the people at his resurrection ut fides non mediocri proemio destinata non nisi difficultate constaret Tertul. That Faith by which we are destin'd to a Crown might not consist without some difficulty but commend it self by our Obedience the perfection and beauty whereof is best seen in making its way through difficulties III. Joh. 7. 48. Did any of the Pharisees believe in him And the reason of this is plain For tho Faith be an act of the understanding yet it dependeth upon the Will and men are incredulous not for want of those means which may raise a Faith but for want of Will to follow that light which leadeth to it they do not believe because they will not and so bear themselves strongly upon opinion preconceived beyond the strength of all evidence whatsoever When affections and lusts are high and stand out against it the evidence is put by and forgot and the Object which calls for our eye and Faith begins to disappear and vanish and at last is nothing The one and twentieth Meeting A. I. COl 3. 3. Our life saith the Apostle as hid with Christ in God And whilst we leave it there by a continual meditation of his meritorious suffering by a serious and practical application of his glorious Resurrection we hide it in the bosom of Majesty and no dart of Satan can reach it II. 1 Tim. 3. 5. and 5. 17. The pastors are set a part in Christs stead to minister to his Church yea to rule and govern his Chuch And they carry about with them his commission a power delegated from him to sever the Goats from the Sheep even in this life that they may become Sheep to segregate them to abstain or withhold them to exanctorate them to throw them out to strike then with the pastoral rod to anathematize hem c. This was the language of the first
expressâ— thy detestation against my suffâ—â—gs thou offerest to bring me into an horâ— and fear of Suffering and so in effect temptest me to sin But though Peter were an offence to Christ tempted him and said that which was to ensnare him yet Christ was not offended ensnared or overcome by the temptation II. Rom. 14. 3. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not Those who are in Judaical errors are appointed by S. Paul to be tenderly handled not to be Vilified or set at naught And yet Gal. 3. 1. they are by the Apostle reviled and chid out of their Judaical perswafions The reason of this difference is the different estates of the Romans from the Galatians These had been fully instructed by him in the nature of Christian liberty Those had not yet been sufficiently taught to put off the opinion of legal abstinences III. Rom. 4. 3. Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness Abraham was Justified by believing and depending on God for the performance of his promise and resigning himself up wholly to him to obey his precepts Or by that Faith which howsoever it was tryed whether by promises of incredible things or commands of very hard duties as killing his only Son did constantly approve it self to be a true Faith without unsinning Obedience or Obedience to the Mosaical law Abraham heing then uncircumcised v. 10. i. e. without Works B. I. GAl. 5. 2. If ye be circumcised Christ shall profit you nothing T is spoken of those who urge abolisht Ceremonies as still of force by divine precept upon this ground that Christ coming as the substance typified by those legal Institutions did consequently set a period to their obligingness Which if it should still be urged would be interpretative the denying of Christ and so most justly the forseiting of those Benefits which are to be expected from him II. 1 Tim. 4. 8. Bodily exercise profiteth little This place of bodily exercise doth belong to such kind of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 abstinence continence as are aforementioned Which though when they are taught as necessary to the defaming of marriage or meats as unlawful are then signes of departing from the Faith v. 1. yet considered in themselves as voluntary acts are here said to be profitable in an inferior degree being compared which piety a little profitable or for a little III. Col. 2. 23. In will worship and humiâ—y and neglecting of the body or not sparing That will worship is here taken in a good creditable sence appeareth by the joining of it with two not only lawful but laudable Christian Vertues humility which is Dei hominum reverentia Calv. and mortifying of the body which as an act of self denial cannot be unacceptable to Christ C. I. Col. 2. 23. not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh Not administring to the Body things to the filling or satiating of the flesh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 care in relieving of wants Matth. 15. 6. Or those abstinences from flesh are commendable for chastning the Body so that in the mean time it be not indulged otherwise as with wine and sweet-meats II. Luke 10. 27. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart i. e. sincerely and above all other things Yet one man may love God in a more intense degree then another doth and the same person may constantly love God above all and yet have higher expressions of that love at one time then another Whence it followes that Free-will offerings are reconcilable with that command III. Gen. 44. 5. And whereby indeed he divineth The cup with which he receiveth presages for 't was it seems but a drinking cup wherein he used to drink in those Sacrifices by which he prepared to receive presages from God The Seventh Meeting A. I. EXod 7 13. And he hardned Pharaohs heart 'T is not to be understood as we réad it God hardn'd Pharoah's heart The words do not bear it nor had any such thing yet been in timated in the story Here is an act of Stubbornness in Pharaoh an obstinate resistance or refusal against Gods calls and miracles There was indeed a prediction of it 2. 19. and that grounded onely on Gods prescience which hath no more influence on the effect nor causality of it then your seeing of any object II. Matth. 16. 19. I will give thee the keyes of the kingdom of Heaven Here as in many other places the kingdome of Heaven signifies the Chruch of Christ militant So 23. 13. the Pharises shutting up the Kingdome of Heaven is the keeping men from entring the Church from becoming Christians Peter and in him the rest of the Apostles and Successors Governors of the Church had the Keyes of the Church given them i. e. clearly a power of shutting out or receiving into to the Visible militant Church of removing the cotumacious by censure of Excommunication and re-admitting them being humble penitents by Absolution III. Matth. 12. 32. It shall not be forgiven him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 impersonally he shall not receive absolution neither in this World i. e. in the Church from the Ecclesiastick Censure nor in the World to come i. e. at the day Judgment B. I. 2. THes 3. 14. Have no company with him that he may be ashamed The end of Excommunication is that the offender may be brought to a sense and shame of his own vileness the most necessary preparative to reformation a great act of mercy and charity though under the shew of Severity It followes v. 15. Count him not as an enemy but admonish him as a brother This binding and loosing is used as a means of exemplifying that great Truth that Christ came to save and reduce that which was lost Matth. 18. 11. II. Matth. 20. 22. Ye know not what ye ask Jesus represseth the Mothers demand by â—elling her she is mistaken in the kind of dignity that should be instated upon his disciples not such a one as in any worldly respects would prove desirable but as a place of great burden so subject to great persecutions and even death it self III. Matth. 20. 26. but it shall not be so among you Heathen princes use their power in order to their own profit and pleasure and praise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 behaving themselves as Lords and Masters over so many Servants Your pre-eminence brings along with it no great secular felicity but an office of burden and pains and humility and doing of service The pre-eminence of Christ himself was such This excludes not disciples of Christ from power for he ownes the title of Lord and master Joh. 13. 13. but from Lording and governing by violence and in an imperious way seeking their own gain and honour C. I. ROm. 13. 2. They that resist shall receive to themselves damnation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Some render it Judgment as that signifies some temporary punishment which the higher powers may inflict and nothing else But v. 5.
vaunteth not it self and so 't is Modesty It is not puffed up and so 't is Humility It is not easiâ—y provokt and so 't is Lenity It thinketh no evil and so 't is Simplicity It rejoyceth in the truth and so 't is Verity It beareth all things and so 't is Fortitude It believeth all things and so 't is Faith It hopeth all things and so 't is Confidence It endureth all things and so 't is Patience It never faileth and so 't is Perseverance II. Joh. 9. 34. that they which see might be made blind Not as if Christ did imprint or inflict blindness upon any man but onely occasionally i. e. those which walk in darkness and love it when the light comes upon them and discovers their wandring they hate it and turn their eyes from it and become perversly and obstinately blind In the same sense that S. Paul saith Rom. 7. Sin taking occasion by the Law becomes more sinsul whilst sin is not oppos'd it goes on in its course quietly but when the Commandment comes and discovers and rebukes it it becomes furious and much more raging and violent III. Luk. 14. 26. He that hateth not father and mother c. This speech doth not bind me to hate persecute and destroy all the kindred I have no but rather to love and honour them yet if those persons or if it be possible for ought else to be more dear and precious than they stand in my way to hinder me from coming to Christ I must trample them under my feet And a man is no more bound to sell his goods i. e. to throw them away and renounce them than to hate his Parents Onely neither of them may by any means offend us or weary us in our journey to Christ The nine and Twentieth Meeting A. I. JAM â— 19. The Devils believe and tremble They do assent unto the truth of all the mysteries of our salvation But these things are to them occasion of horrour that there should be such glorious things which do nothing concern them and of malice to those who have an interest therein II. Heb 11. 1. Our Faith is the substance of things hoped for Of things which concern us we do not only acknowledge that the precepts of God are good but also necessary to be performed by us and that the promises of God are not only desirable in themselves but also that being such they are destined to us when we shall have performed such conditions as may by the assistance of God be executed by us even with ease and pleasure Where thâ—se perswasions are there will accompany them earnest and serious endeavours III. Psal 60. 16. What art thou that takest my word c. And if that be so great a crime for a man only to talk of God to make mention of his Name when the heart is unclean and unreformed with how much greater reason may Christ say what art thou that takest Me into thy mouth darest come to the Heavenly feast with spotted and unclean affections B. 1. ROm 8. 18. The Apostle who had been traduc'd reviâ—'d buffeted scourg'd imprison'd shipwrack'd and ston'd for his zeal to propagate the Gospel after he had once had a glimse of that great Recompence of reward that is reserv'd for us in heaven scruples not to pronounce that he finds upon casting up the account for he uses the Arithmetical term 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the Glory that is to be revealed in us II. 1 Kings 3. 5 Solomon had an opportunity of satisfying his desires whether of Fame or any other thing that he could wish Ask what I shall give thee was the proffer made him by him that could give all things worth receiving and yet his Choice approv'd by God himself consisted indeclining the most ambition'd things of this life for those things that might the better qualifie him to serve and please God II. Heb. 12. 2. He who by leaving heaven did to dwell on earth quit more than any Inhabitant of the Earth can to gain heaven and denyed more to become capable of being tempted than he did when he was tempted with an offer of all the Kingdoms of the World and the glory of them This Saviour of ours is said to have for the joy that was set before him endured the Cross and despised the shame as if Heaven had been a sufficient Recompence for even his renouncing honours and imbracing torments C. I. ROm. 2. 7. That immarcescible Crown as S. Peter calls it which the Gospel promises to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour will make a rich amends for a fading wreath here upon Earth where Reputation is often times as undeservedly acquir'd as lost whereas in Heaven the very having coelestial honours argues a Title to them II. Math. 5. 12. Since 't is our Saviour's reasoning that his Disciples ought to rejoyce when their Reputation is pursued by Calumny as well as their lives by persecution because their Reward is great in heaven we may justly infer That the grounded Expectation of so illustrious a Condition may bring us more content even when t is not attended with a present applause than this applause can give those who want that Comfortable Expectation III. 2 Chron. 25. 9. In all deliberations wherein any thing is propos'd to be quitted or declin'd to obey or please God we may fitly apply that brisk but rational Answer of the Prophet to the Jewish King The Lord is able to give thee far more than this The Thirtieth Meeting A. I. AMos 6. 5. David became no less Skilful in musick than chose that were addicted to it onely to please themselves in it tho we may reasonably suppose that so pious an Author of Psalms and Instruments aspired to an excellency in that delightful science that he might apply and prefer it to the service of the Temple and promote the celebration of God's praises with it II. Gen. 27. 3. Tho Esau did at length miss of his aim yet while he was hunting Venison for the good Patriarch that desir'd it of him besides the pleasure he was us'd to take in pursuing the Deer he chas'd he took a great one in considering that now he hunted to please his Father and in order to obtain of him an inestimable Blessing III. Gen. 2. 20. They say Adams knowledg before the fall was such that he was able at first sight of them to give each of the beasts a name expressive of its nature But I could never find that the Hebrew names of Animals mention'd in the beginning of Genesis argued a much clearer in sight into their natures than did the the names of the same or some other Animals in Greek or other languages B. I. PSal 145. 3. The Scripture saith of God that his greatness is incomprehensible and his wisdom is inscrutable c. And the heathen Philosopher who
and purest times By degrees this power fell in its esteem through some abuse of it it being drawn down from that most profitable and necessary end for which it was given and this at last brought all Religion into disgrace III. Job 18. 14. Death is a King of terrors But Christians having the divine Image restored in them are secure and fear it not For what can that Tyrant take from them Their life That is hid with Christ in God It cannot cut them off from pleasures for their delight is in the Lord. It cannot rob them of their treasure For that is laid up in Heaven It can take nothing from them but what themselves have already crucified their flesh It cannot cut off one hope one thought one purpose for all their thoughts purposes and hopes were levell'd not on this but in another life B. I. LUk 19 41. shall Christ shed his blood for his Church that it may be one with him and at unity in it self and canst thou not drop a tear when thou seest this his body thus rent in pieces as it is at this day when thou seest the world the love of the World break in and make such havock in the Church Oh it is a sad Contemplation will none but Christ weep over Jerusalem II. Rom. 10. 10. He that believeth from the heart cannot but be obedient to the Gospel Unless we can imagine there can be any man that can so hate himself as deliberately to cast himself into hell and run from happiness when it appeareth in so much Glory III. Act. 2. 1. when the day of Pentecost was Come Every day to a Christian is a day of Pentecost his whole life a continued holy day wherein the Holy Ghost descendeth both as an Instructor and as a Comforter secretly and sweetly by his word characterizing the Soul and imprinting saving knowledge not forcing or drawing by violence but sweetly leading and guiding us into all truth C. I. JOel 2. 28. I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh Christs Advent was for the fulfilling of the Law and the Spirits for the fulfilling and compleating of the Gospel Christs advent to Redeem the Church and the Spirits to teach the Church Christ to shed his blood and the Spirit to wash and purge it in his blood Christ to pay down the ransome for us Captives and the Spirit to knock off our fetters Christ to preach the acceptable year of the Lord and the Spirit to interpret it II. Joh. 16. 13. He will guide you into all truâ—h Ille He designeth a certain person and Ille He in Christs mouth a distinct person from himself Besides we are taught in the Schools Actiones sunt suppositorum Actions and operations are of persons III. Joh. 16. 13. The Spirit of Truth We may be zealous and not cruel devout and not superstitious we may hate Idolatry and not commit sacriledge stand fast in our Christian liberty and not make it a cloak of miliciousness if we did follow the Spirit in all his ways who in all his ways is a Spirit of Truth For he Commandeth zeal forbiddeth râ—ge he commendeth devotion forbiddeth superstition he condemneth Idolatry yea and condemneth sacriledge he preacheth liberty and preacheth obedience to superiors and in all is the same Spirit The two and Twentieth Meeting A. I. JOh. 20. 21. As my Father sent me saitâ— our Saviour to his Disciples so send â— you And he sendeth us too whâ— are haereditarii Christi discipuli Christs disciplâ—s by inheritance and succession that every one as he is endowed from above should serve him by serving one another And tho our serving him cannot deserve that name yet is he pleased to call it helping him that we should help him to feed the hungry to guide the blind and teach the ignorant and so be Christs Vicars as the â—pirit is Christ's II. 1 Tim. 1. 10. He brought Life and Immortality to light For whatsoever the Prophets and great Rabbies had spoken of immortality was but darkness in comparison of this great light III. 1 Cor. 2. 2. I determined to know nothing but Christ and him crucified Here his desire hath a non ultra This truth is all this joyneth Heaven and Earth together God and Man mortality and immortality misery and happiness in one drawâ—th us near unto God and maketh us one with him B. I. EPh. 2. 8. Faith is called the gift of God not onely because it is given to every belâ—ever and too many are too willing to stay till it be given but because the Spirit first found out the way to save us by so weak a means as Faith And as he first found it out so he teacheth it and leaveth out nothing not a tittle not an Iota which may serve to compleat and perfect this divine Science II. Joh 16. 13. into all Truth The Spirit in the Gospel hath framed rules anâ— precepts to order and regulate all the faculties of our soul in every act in every motion and inclination if the Eye offend pluck it out if the Hand cut it off Rules which limit the Vnderstanding to the knowledge of God bind the Will to obedience moderate and confine our affections level our hope fix our Joy stint our Sorrow frame our Speech compose our Gesture Fashion our Apparel set and methodize our outward Behaviour III. 1 Cor. 13. The acts of Charity are manifest Charity suffereth long even injuries and errors but doth not rise up against that which was set up to enlarge and improve her Charity is not rash to beat down every thing that had its first rise and beginning from Charity Charity is not puffed up swelleth not against a harmless yea and an useful constition tho it be of man Charity â—eâ—keth not her own treadeth not the publick peace underfoot to procure her own Charity thinketh no evil doth not see a serpent under every leaf nor Idolatry in every bough of devotion If we were Charitable we could not but he peaceable C. I. REpent and believe the Gospel See God hath shut up Eternity within the compass of two words Believe and Repent the sum of all he taught Lay your foundation right and then build upon it Because God loved you in Christ do you love him in Christ Love him and keep his Commandments than which no other way could have been found out to draw you near unto God Believe and Repent this is all What malice what defiance what gall and bitterness amongst Christians yet this is all Believe and Repent Every part of Christendom almost is a stage of war and this pretence is written in their banners you may see it waving in the air For God and Religion yet this is all Believe and Repent Who would once think there should be such wars and fighting amongst Christians for that which is shut up and brought unto us in these two words Believe and Repent for this is the Gospel of Christ this is the whole will of God
II. Act. 10. 34. Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons i. e. that now â—he partition wall is broken down that Jew â—nd Gentile are both alike and the Church which was formerly shut up in Judea is now become Catholick a body which every one that will may be a member of III. Eph. 2. 20. Christ sent his Apostles to make us Christians to make that which he taught them a Rule of life and to fix it on the Church as on a Pillar that all might read it that none should add to it or take away from it And for this they are called a foundation and we are said to be built upon them Jesus Christ being the head corner stone The three and Twentieth Meeting A. I. 1 JOh. 4. 1. Believe not every Spirit Ouâ— present Age hath shew'd us many who tho very ignorant yet are wiseâ— than their teachers so Spiritual that they despise the Word of God which is the dictate â—â— the Spirit If they murder the Spirit moveâ— their hand and drew their sword if the throw down Churches it is with the breatâ— of the Spirit if they would bring in paritâ— the pretence is the Spirit cannot endure thâ— any should be supreme Our humour oâ— madness our malice our violence our implacable bitterness our railing and revilling must all go for Inspirations of the Spirit II. 1 Joh. 4. 2. Every Spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God i. e. Whosoever striveth to advance the kingdome of Christ and to set up the Spirit against the flesh to magnifie the Gospel to promote men in their wayes of innocency and perfect obedience which infallibly lead to happiness is from God Every such Inspiration is from the Spirit of God III. Matth. 7. 20. By their Fruits ye shall know them Their hypocrisie as well and cunningly wrought as it is is but poor cobweb lawn and we may easily see through it We may see these Spiritual men swearing and toiling for the flesh these spirits diging in the minerals and making hast to be rich Sure I am the Spirit of Truth looketh upward moveth upward directeth upward to those things which are above and if we follow him neither our doctrine nor our actions will ever favour of this dung B. I. 2. COr 4. 3. If the truth be hid it is hid to them that perish If we have eyes to see her she is a fair object as visible as the Sun If we do but love the truth the Spirit of truth is ready to take us by the hand and lead us to it but those that withdraw themselves doth his Soul hate II. Prov. 2. 4. If thou seekest her as Silver c. Truth is best bought when it costeth us most it must be Wooed oft and seriously and with great devotion To Love seven years are but a few days Gen. 29. great burdens are but small and labour is a pleasure When we walk in the region of truth viewing it and delighting in it gathering what may be for our use we walk as in a Paradise Never did any rise up early and in good earnest travel toward it but he was brought to his journeys end III. Eph. 1. 5. God dispenseth all things according to the good pleasure of his Will And certainly he will not lead thee if thou wilt not follow he will not teach thee if thou will not learn Nor can we think that the Truth will be sown in every ground and as Devils tares grow up in us whilst we sleep C. I. MAtth. 6. 33. Seek ye first the Kingdome of God And in that Kingdome every thing in its order There is something first and something next to be observed We must keep a set Course in our studies and proceedings II. Heb. 6. 1. The Apostle tels us of principles of doctrine which must be learned before we can be led forward to perfection of milk and of strong meat of plainer lessons before we reach at higher mysteries Most Christians are perfect too soon which is the reason why they are never perfect III. Heb. 11. 6. Without Faith it is impossible to please God It is true but without justice and honesty Faith is but a name For can we imagine that Religion should turn Theif and Devotion a Cutpurse The four and Twentieth Meeting A. I. MIch 6. 6. Shall I come before him with burnt offerings 'T is in effâ—ct I must not do it The question maketh the denyal more strong That which is Religion hath so little relation to it that it can subsist without it and most times hath been swallowed up and lost in it It was in the World before any Command came forth for sacrifice and it is now most glorious when every Altar is thrown drown and hath the sweetest savour now there is no other smoke II. Jer. 7. 22. I spake not to your Fathers concerning burnt offerings They were before they were enjoyned and the Fathers offer'd them up out of a voluntary affection to the honour of God devoting that unto him which was with them of highest esteem God did not Command but did accept them for the zeal and affection wherewith they were offer'd being in themselves neither good nor evil III. Gal. 4. 10. Joh. 4. 20. The Ceremonies were confined to time and Place You observe days and months saith the Apostle Yea and they observed places too Ye say that Jerusalem is the place saith the woman of Samaria to our Saviour But that which is truely good and in it self is of that Nature that Time and place hath no power or influence on it It is never out of season never out of place Every day every hour every minute is the good mans sabbath and rest The Church is the place the market is the place and the prison may be the place nay Sodom it self And it is the greatest Commendation to be good among the worst B. I. ISai. 1. 15. Will I be pleased with thousands of rams i. e. I will not We may then learn thus much from the Prophets question That the Ceremonious part of Gods worship tho enâ—oyned by God and performed most exactly by men yet if is be not driven to that end for which it was commanded is so far from finding acceptance with God that it is odious and hateful in his sight II. Isa 64. 4. All our righteousness he meaneth formal and counterfeit righteousness is as a menstruous Cloth III. Matth. 25. Come ye blessed c. The form or reason is not for you have sacrificed ye have fasted often ye have heard much c. yet these are holy duties but they are ordinata in a liud ordained for those that follow For I was hungry and ye gave c. Then the outward worship hath its Glory and reward when it draweth the inward along with it when I sacrifiee and obey hear and do pray and endeavour contemplate and practise fast and repent C. I. JOh. 3. 5. Except