have in the Gospell be such divine truthes above nature altogether Then we must not stand to looke for reason too much nor trust the reason or wit of any man but divine authority herâ— especially For if divine authority cease in the Gospel what were it nothing the law is written in mens hearts but we must trust divine authoritie in the Gospel above al other portions of scripture and not to the wit of any man whatsoever The Church of Rome that is possest with a Spirit of pride and Ignorance and tyranny they will force knowledge on them that be under them from their sole authoritie the Church saith so and wee are the Church and it is not for you to know c. and scriptures are so and so but is the Gospell a supernaturall mysterie above the capacitie of any man and shall we build upon the authoritie of the Church for these truthes oh no! there must bee no forcing of Evangelicall truthes from the authority or parts of any man But these are not things that wee stand in so much need of therefore I hasten to that which is more usefull Eye hath not seene nor eare heard c. Here then we have an use of direction how to carrie our selves in reading and studying holy truths especially the sacred mysteries of the Gospel how shall we study them Wee thinke to breake into them with the engine of our wit and to understand them and never come to God for his spirit God will curse such proud attempts Who â—nowes the things of man but the spirit of a man and who knowes the things of God but the spirit of God Therefore in studying the Gospell let us come with a spirit of faith and a spirit of humility and meeknesse there is no breaking into these things with the strength of parts That hath been the ground of so many heresies as have beene in the Church Only Christ 〈◊〉 the key of David that shutteth and no man openeth and openeth and no man shutteth he hath the key of the Scripture and the key to open the understanding And to presse this poynt a little if eye hath not seene nor eare heard nor hath entred into the heart of man to conceive the things of the Gospell without the revelation of the spirit then we must come with this mind when wee come to heare the things of the Gospell Lord without thy holy spirit they are all as a clasped booke they are hidden mysteries to mee though they be revealed in the Gospell If my heart be shut to them they are all hidden to me Wee see men of excellent parts are enemies to that they teach themselves opposing the power of the Gospell whence is all this because they thinke only the opening of these things makes them divines wheras without the holy Ghost sanctifying and altering the heart in some measure to tast and rellish these things that as they are divine in themselves so to have some what divine in the heart to tast these things it is impossible but that the heart should rise against them and so it doth for when it comes to particulars you must deny your selfe in this honour in this pleasure coÌ„moditie now you must venture the displeasure of man for this and that truth the heart riseth in scorn and loathing of divine truth when it comes to particulars they know nothing as they should For when is truth knowne but when in particulars wee stand for it and will neither betray it nor do any thing that doth not benefit a Christian If we have not the spirit of God to relish truthes in particular they will doe us no good And except the spirit sanctifie the heart of man first by these truthes the truth will never be understood by the proud naturall heart of man Therefore the course that God takes with his children is this those that he meanes to have he first inspires into their hearts some desire to come to heare and attend upon the meanes of salvation to understand the Gospell and then under the means of salvation he shines into the understanding by a heavenly light and inspires into the will and affections some heavenly inclination to this truth of the Gospell to justification sanctification selfe-denyall and the like and workes a new life and new sences and upon them wrought under the meanes comes the soul to relish and to understand these mysteries and then the eares and the eies are open to see these things and never before A holy man that hath his heart subdued by the spirit of God in the use of the meanes oh he relisheth the point of forgivenesse of sins hee relisheth the point of sanctification he studies it daily more and more and nearer communion with God hee relisheth peace of conscience and joy in the holy Ghost they are sweete things and all the duties of Christianity because hee makes it his maine busines to adorne his proâ—ession and to live here so as hee may live for ever hereafter And this must be of necessitie for marke out of the text If the naturall eye and eare and heart can never see nor heare nor conceive the things of God must there not be a supernaturall eare and eye and heart put into the soule must not the heart and all be new molded againe If the former frame bee not sufficient for these things of necessitie it must be so From hence learne to arme your selves against all scandalls when ye see men of parts and account and such there may be men of deepe apprehensions and understanding in the Scripture for matter of notion and for the language of the Scripture exquisite and yet to be proud malicious haters of sanctity next to divells none greater consider what is the reason either they have proud spirits that despise and neglect the meanes of salvation altogether or if they doe come they come as Iudges they will not submit their proud hearts to the sweet motions of the Spirit stumble not at it if such men bee both enemies to that they teach themselves and those that practise it the reason is because their proud hearts were never subdued by the Spirit to understand the things they speake of For such a teacher understands supernaturall things by a naturall light and by humane reason that is to talk and discourse c. but hee sees not Supernaturall things by a supernaturall light divine things by a divine light Therefore a poore soule that heares the things published by him understands them better by the helpe of the Spirit than he that speakes them better indeed for his use and comfort As we see there are some that can measure land exactly but the man that oweth the land measured he knowes the use of the ground and delights in it as his owne the other can tell here is so much ground c. So some Divines they can tell there are such poynts and so they are raysed and they can bee
and glory the heavenly riches the heavenly inheritance the heavenly sonship when all these things vanish and come to nothing then comes in the true Kingdome Sonship and Inheritance Againe 2. wee know them in this world by way of taste for the things of the life to come there are few of them but Gods children have some experimentall taste of them in this world God reserves not all for the life to come but he gives a grape of Canaan in this wildernesse Thirdly by arguing from the lesse to the greater If peace of conscience bee so sweet here what is eternall peace If a litle joy here bee so pleasant and comfortable that it makes us forget our selves what will bee that eternall joy there If the delights of a kingdome bee such that they fill mens hearts so full of contentment that oft-times they know not themselves what shall we think of that excellent kingdom So by way of taste and rellish we may rise from these pettie things to those excellent things which indeed are scarce a beame scarce a drop of those excellencies If Peter and Iohn when they were in the mountain were not their owne men when they saw but a glimpse but a little glorie of Christ manifested in the mount what shal we think when there is the fulnesse of that glorious revelation at the right hand of God where there is fulnesse of pleasures for ever How shall our soules be filled at that time Thus by way of rising from the lesser to the greater by tasting feeling and by divine revelation wee may know in some measure the excellencie of those things prepared for us Now to cleare this thing more fully know that there are three degrees of revelation First there must bee a revelation of the things themselves by word and writing or speech and the like as we know not the minde of a man but either by speech or writing so there must bee a revelation of these things or else the wit of Angels could never have devised how to reconcile Justice and Mercie by infinite wisedome by sending a Mediator to procure peace God-man to worke our salvation Therefore wee could not know them without a revelation and discoverie outward this is the first degree that wee may call Revelation by scripture or by the doctrine of the Gospel Who could discover those things that are meerly supernaturall but God himselfe Then againe 2. when they are revealed by the word of God and by men that have a function to unfold the unsearchable riches of Christ by the ministerie of the Gospell yet notwithstanding they are hidden riddles still to a company of carnall men Put case the vaile be taken off from the things themselves yet if the vaile bee over the soule the understanding will and affections there is no apprehension of them therefore there must bee a second revelation that is by the Spirit of God Ofnecessitie this must bee for even as the Apostle sayth in this Chapter None knoweth the minde of Man but the spirit that is in Man so none knoweth the mind of God but the Spirit of God What is the Gospel without the Spirit of Christ to discover the minde of God to us We know not the good meaning of God to us in particular wee know in generall that such things are revealed in scripture but what is that to us if Christ bee not our Saviour and God our Father unlesse we can say as S. Paul sayth He loved me and gave himselfe for mee Therefore you see a necessitie of revelation by the Spirit But this is not all that is here meant there is 3ly a higher discovery and that is in heaven that that is revealed here is but in part and thereupon if wee believe wee believe but in part and wee love but in part If our knowledge which is the ground of all other graces and affections be imperfect all that followes must needs bee imperfect also Therefore St. Iohn sayth We know that wee are the Sonnes of God but it appeares not what we shall bee What we shall be in heaven it doth not appeare now there must bee a further revelation and that will bee hereafter when our soules shall bee united together with our bodies and then indeed our eyes shall see our ears heare and hearts shall conceive those things that while wee are here in the wombe of the Church wee neither can see nor heare nor understand more than the childe in the wombe of the mother can conceive the excellencies in this civill life Thus we see these truths a little more unfolded I will now adde somewhat to make use of what hath been spoken First of all therefore for matter of instruction if it be so that the things of the Gospell bee such as that without a revelation from God they could not bee knowen then we see that there is no principle at all of the Gospel in nature There is not a sparke of light or any inclination to the Gospell but it is meerly above nature for hee removes here all naturall wayes of knowing the Gospell eye eare understanding therfore the knowledge of it is meerly supernaturall For if God had not revealed it who could ever have devised it And when hee revealed it to discover it by his Spirit it is supernatural but in heaven much more which is the third degree I spake of Therfore by the way you may know the reason why so many heresies have sprung out of the Gospel more than out of he Law the misunderstāding of it There are few or no heresies from that because the principles of the Law are writtē in the heart men naturally know that whoredome and adulterie and filthy living c. are sins men have not so quenched nature but that they know that those things are naught therefore there have been excellent Law-makers amōg the heathens But the Gospel is a meere mystery discoured out of the breast of God without all principles of nature there are thousands of errors that are not to be reckoned about the nature the person the benefits of Christ about justification and sanctification and free will and grace and such things what a world of heresies have proud wits continually started up This would never have beene but that the Gospell is a thing above nature Therefore when a proud wit and supernaturall knowledge revealed meete together the proude heart stormes and loves to struggle and deviseth this thing and that thing to commend it selfe and hereupon comes heresies the mingling of naturall wit with divine truthes If men had had passive wits to submit to divine truthes and to worke nothing out of themselves as the spider out of her own bowells there had not beene such heresies in the Church but their hearts meeting with supernaturall truthes their proud hearts mingling with it they have devised these errours that I note in the first place Then againe if the things that wee
exquisite in this but what profite have they by it The poore soule that heares these things by the helpe of the Spirit hee can say these are mine as the man for whom the ground is measured As it is with those that come to a Feast the Physitian comes and sayes this is wholsome and good and this is good for this and that but eates nothing others that know not these things they eare the meate and are nourished in the meane time so when such men discourse of this and that a poore man that hath the Spirit he relisheth these things as his owne the other goes away onely discourseth as a Philosopher of the meate and eates nothing And therfore when you read heare these things content not your selves with the first degree of revelation no that is not enough when you have done that desire of God to joyne his Spirit to give you spirituall eyes and hearts that you may close with Divine truths and be divine as the truths are that there may bee a consent of the heart with the truth then the word of God will be sweet indeed Againe here we see this divine truth That a man when he hath the Spirit of God knowes things otherwise than hee did know them before though he did not know them by outward revelation of hearing and reading c. And hee believes them otherwise than he did before he sees them by a new light It is not the same knowledge that an unregenerate man hath with that he hath after when God workes upon his heart for then it is a divine supernatural knowledge And it is not the same faith and beliefe the Spirit of God raiseth a man up in a degree of creatures above other men as other men are above beasts hee gives new eyes new ears a new heart he moulds him anew every way Therefore you have good men somtimes wonder at themselves when God hath touched their hearts that they have had such shallow conceits of this and that truth before Now they see that they were in the darke that they were in a dampe before that they conceived things to be so and so and thought themselves some body but when God opens their eyes and takes away the skales and lets them see things in their proper light heavenly things by a heavenly light and with a heavenly eye they wonder at their former foolishnesse in divinity especially so farre as concernes the Gospell for there is more in the Scripture then pure supernaturall divinity there are many other arts in the Scripture The Gospell I say is a knowledge not of naturall men or great wits but of holy sanctified men Therefore we must not think that these things may be known by nature c. It is a sacred knowledge so much as will bring us to heaven it is a knowledge of holy men that have their hearts brought to love and tast and relish that they know Therefore it is no wonder though a company of men of great partes live naughtily they are no true divines because they have no true knowledge The divell is no divine nor a wicked man properly though hee can discourse of such things yet he is not properly a divine because he knowes not things by a divine light or heavenly things by a heavenly light The knowledge of the Gospell it is a knowledge of sanctified holy men but to come neerer to our practise If eye hath not seene nor eare heard nor hath entered into the heart of man to conceive those things that God hath prepared for his Then let us make this the rule of our esteeme of any thing that is good or any thing that is ill make it a rule of valuation The Apostle here you see hath a ranke of things above the sight of the eye or the hearing of the eare or the conceiving of the heart of man if there be such a ranke of things above this then the greatest ills are those that eye hath not seene nor eare heard nor hath entred into the heart of man and indeed they are so Wee grieve at the Ague and at the Stone and the Goute they are grievous things indeed oh but what bee these things that wee feele and see to those in another world that wee cannot apprehend for the greatnesse of them The torments of hell wee cannot conceive and understand them here for it is indeed to bee in hell it selfe to conceive what hell is and therfore when God enlargeth mens spirits to see them they make away themselves And so for the greatest good these goods here this outward glory we can see through it Christ could see through all the glory in the world that the Divell shewed him And these are things that wee can heare of and here the utmost that can be spoken of them therefore surely they are not the greatest good there are more excellent things than they because the eye sees them the eare heares of them and the understanding can conceive of them but there be things that the eye hath not seene nor eare heard not the soule conceived and those bee the joyes of heaven And thereupon to descend to practise if this bee a rule to value things that the best things are transcendent beyond sence and comprehension then shall I for those things that I can see can heare and feele and understand shall I lose those excellent good things thaâ— neither eye hath seen nor eare heard c. Is not this desperate folly to venture the losse of the best things of the most transcendent things that are above the capacitie of the greatest reaches of the world shall I lose all for pettie poore things that are within my owne reach and compasse How foolish therefore are those that are given to pleasures they feele the pleasure indeed but the sting comes after They delight in those ill things that they can heare and heare al that can be spoken of them and never thinke of the excellent things that eye hath not seen nor eare heard c. Let this make us in love with divine truthes in the Scripture with the Gospel that part of the Scripture that promiseth salvation by Christ and all the graces and priviledges of Christianity they are above our reach Wee study other things we can reach them we can reach the mysteries of the Law by long study and the mysteries of physicke and to the mysteries of trades by understanding when men have done all they may be fooles in the maine Solomons fooles they may do al these things and be wise for particular things by particular reaches of that which eie hath seen and eare heard c. and then for the best things that are above the capacitie of men they may die empty of all and goe to the place oâ— the damned To bee wise to Salvation is the best wisdome What a pittifull case is this that God should give us our understandings
I will onely name them to open our understandings a little First It is enough that God will have it so a modest Christian will be satisfied with that that God will have a difference betweene heaven and earth Gods dispensation may satisfie them 2. God wil have a difference betweene the warring Church and the triumphing Church This life is a life of Faith and not of sight We walke and live by faith Why partly to try the truth of our faith and partly for the glory of God that he hath such servants inn the world here that will depend upon him upon termes of faith upon his bare word that can say there are such things reserved in heaven for me I have enough what a glory is it to God that he hath those that will trust him upon his bare word It were no commendation for a Christian to live here in a beautifull glorious manner if hee should see all and live by sight If he should see hell open the terrours there for him then to abstraine from sinne what glory were it the sight would force abstinence If he should see heaven open and the joyes of it present it were no thanks to be a good man for sight would force it The second Reason is this that God will have a known difference between hypocrites and the true Children of God If heaven were upon earth and nothing reserved in faith and in promise every one would be a Christian but now the greatest things being laid up in promises wee must excercise our faith to waite for them now there are none that will honour God in his word but the true Christian that there are such excellent things reserved in another world in comparison of which all these are base there is none but a true Christian that will honour God upon his word that will venter the losse of these things here for them in heaven that wil not lose those things that they have in reversion and promise for the present delights of sinne for a season Wheras the common sort they heare say of a heaven and happinesse and a day of judgement c. But in the meane time they will not deny their base pleasures and their Rebellious dispositions they wil crosse themselves in nothing doe wee thinke that God hath prepared heaven for such wretches as these oh let us never thinke of it God therefore hath reserved the best excellencies for the time to come in promises and in his word if we have grace to depend upon his word and in the meane time goe on and crosse our corruptions it is an excellent condition to be so it shewes the difference that God will have between us and other men Againe thirdly our vessells could not containe it Wee are uncapable our braine is not strong enough for these things as weake braines cannot digest hote liquors so we cannot digest a large revelation of these things As wee see St. Peter was not himselfe in the transfiguration hee forgot himselfe and was spiritually drunke with joy with that hee saw in the mount hee wote not what hee said as the Scripture saith when hee said Master let us make three Tabernacles c. Nay Saint Paul himself the great Apostle when hee saw things in heaven above expression that could not nor might not be uttered could not digest them They were so great that if he had not had somewhat to weigh him downe to ballance him hee had been overturned with pride therefore there was a pricke in the flesh sent to Paul himselfe to humble him Are wee greater than Paul and Peter the great Apostles of the Jewes and Gentiles when these grand Apostles could not containe themselves when they see these heavenly things and but a glimpse of them the one did not know what he said and the other was humbled by way of prevention with a pricke in the flesh and shal we think to conceive of these things No we cannot for that is to be in heaven before our time These and the like reasons wee may have to satisfie us in this why wee cannot conceive of the things to come as they are in their proper nature God sayth to Moses when Moses would have a fairer manifestation of God No man can see me and live If we would see God as he is we must die If we would see heaven and the joyes of it as it is wee must die first No man can see the things that the Apostle here speakes of in their proper light and excellencie but he must die first They are not proportionable to our condition here for God hath resolved that this life shall bee a life of imperfection and that that shall be a perfect estate of perfect glory Alas our capacities now are not capable our affections wil not containe those excellent things therefore God traines us up by little and little to the full fruition and enjoying of it Thus we see how wee come to have some knowledge of them and why we have not a full knowledge of them here Well to leave this and goe on If this be so then let us oft thinke of these things The life of a Christian is wondrously ruled in this world by the consideratiō and meditation of the life of another world nothing more steeres the life of a Christian here then the consideration of the life hereafter not only by way of comfort that the consideration of immortal life glory is the comfort of this mortall base life but likewise by way of disposition and framing a man to all courses that are good There is no grace of the spirit in a manner but it is set on worke by the consideration of the estate that is to come no not one What is the worke of faith It is the evidence of things not seene It sets the things of another world present before the eye of the soule and in that respect it is victorious it conquers the world because it sets a better world in the eye Where were the exercise of faith if it were not for hope of such an estate which feeds faith the excellencie of faith is that it is about things not seene it makes things that are not seene to be seene it hath a kind of omnipotent power it gives a being to things that have none but in the promise of the speaker And for hope the very nature of hope is to expect those things that faith believes Were it not for the joyes of heaven where were hope It is the helmet of the soule to keepe it from blowes and temptations It is the Anchor of the soule that being cast within the vaile into heaven stayes the soule in all the waves and troubles in this world the consideration of the things to come exerciseth this grace of hope we looke within the vaile and cast anchor there upward and not downeward and there wee stay our selves in all combustions and confusions by the exercise of
respect meet together where it is a reverentiall love with respect there is a shame to bee in a base filthy displeasing coÌ„dition God hates pride and idolatry c. therefore a man that loves God will hate Idols and all false doctrine and worship that tends this way his heart will rise against them because hee knows God hates it and all that take that course he observes what is most offensive to God and hee will avoyd it and seeke what is pleasing to him God and Christ are wondrously pleased with faith Thou haâ—t wounded mee with one of thine eyes Faith and love from faith wounds the breast of Christ therefore let us labour for faith Oh woman great is thy faith It it is such a grace as bindes and overcomes God it honours him so much Let us therâ—fore labour for faith and in believing for all graces they are things that God loves therefore let us labour to be furnished with all things that he loves especially those graces that have some excellencie set upon them in the Scripture wee should most esteeme Isaac when he was to marry Rebecca he sends her jewels beforehand that having them shee might bee more lovely in his eye So Christ the husband of his Church that hee might take more delight and content in his Church hee sends her Iewels before hand that is hee enricheth his Church with the spirit of faith meeknes humilitie and love and all graces that he may delight and take content in his Spouse Those that have not somwhat that God may dâ—light in them they have not the spirit of love Those therfore that rebell in stead of giving God content that resist the Spirit and the motions of it in the ministery and in reprehension and the like those that live in sinnes directly against Gods command that are common swearers and filthy persons neglecters of holy things prophane godlesse persons doe they talke of the love of God and of heaven you may see the filthinesse of their hearts by the filthiness that issues from them God keepes not such excellencies for such persons the love of God and living in sinnes against conscience will not stand together A demonstration of love is exhibitio operis the exhibition of somewhat to pleasâ— God Shew me in thy course what thou doest to please God If thou live in courses that are condem red never talke of love It is a pittifull thing to see in the bosoâ—e of the Church under the glorious revelation of divine Truth that men should live apparantly and impudently in sins against conscience that glory in in theirshame It is a strange thing that they should glory in their prophanenesse and swaggering that they should glory in a kinde of Atheistical carriage as they have beene bred so they will bee still Many are marred in that they are either poysoned in their first breeding or neglected in it To see under the glorious Gospel of Christ that those that thinke they have soules eternall that they should live in impudeÌ„t base courses voyd of religion and humanitie onely to satisfie their owne luâ—ts in stead of satisfying and obeying GOD men that live in the bosome of the Church as beasts and yet hope to be saved as well as the best Oh! but the hope of the hypocrite the hope of such persons will deceive them Oh! let us labour therefore to have this affection of love planted in our hearts that God by his spiâ—it would teach us to love him and to love one another This affection of love must bee taught by God it is not a matter of the braine to teach that but a matter of the heart God only is the great Schoolmastâ—r and teacher of the heart he must not onely command us to love but teach our affections by his holy Spirit to enable our affections to love him Where love is in this regard likewise to give content there will bee love of all those whom the partie we approve our selves to loves Is there any of Ionathans posterity saith David that I may doe good to them for his sake The soule that loves God and Christ sayth Is there any good people any that carry the image of God and Christ it will bee sure to love them it will doe good to Ionathans posteritie Those that hate them that carry the image of God and Christ that their stomacke riseth against good men how do they love him that begets when they love not him that is begotten There cannot be the love of God in such a man undoubtedly if we love God wee shall love his children and any thing that hath Gods stamp upon it wee shall lovâ— his truth and his cause and religion and whatsoever is divine and toucheth upon God wee shall love it because it is his It is such an affection as sets the soule on worke to thinke wherein may I give content to such a person It is full of devices inventions to please therefore â—t thinkes can I give consent in loving such and such as Christ sayth he that respects these little ones it is to me it is accountable on my part I will see it answered If the love of Christ be in us wee will regard this because wee will thinke Christ will regard me for the good I doe for his sake and in his name to this and that partie Thus we see how we may try this sweet affâ—ction and not deceive our owne soules And therefore where there is a desire of giving content there will bee a zeale against all things to remove all things in our places and callings that may offend it will carry us through all difficulties to please him it will make us willing to suffer I will please him by suffering some indignitie for his cause I will doe it that I may ingage his affection to mee Therefore the Disciples gloried in this when they were thought worthy to suffer for Christs sake Where there is a desire to please God it is so farre from being ashamed or afraid to suffer that it joyes in this Oh! now there is occasion given to shew that God respects me more if I for his sake stand out in his quarrel and breake through all difficulties It will make us please him in all things that wee are capable in all things that we can doe any way in our standings as Christ describes it out of Moses to love God with all our minde with all our soule and with all our strength where love is it sets all on worke to please and give content It sets the minde on worke to studie wherein shall I please God and it will study Gods truth and not serve him by our owne inventions wee must serve and love GOD after his minde that is as hee hath commanded It will set the wits on work to understand how he will be served and to love him with all our soule with all our heart that is with all our heart that is with the marrow