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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12170	The brides longing for her bride-groomes second comming A sermon preached at the funerall of the right worshipfull, Sir Thomas Crevv, knight, sergeant at law to his maiestie. By the late learned and reverend divine, Rich. Sibs.	Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635.; Hughes, George, 1603-1667, attributed name.	1638 (1638)	STC 22478B; ESTC S113744	32,385	162

THE BRIDES Longing for her BRIDE-GROOMES second comming A Sermon preached at the funerall of the right Worshipfull Sir THOMAS CREVV Knight Sergeant at Law to his MAIESTIE By The late learned and reverend Divine ' RICH. SIBS REV. 22. 17. The Spirit and the Bride say Come and let him that heareth say come LONDON Printed by E. P. for E. Langham in Bambury 1638. To the Reader Loving Readers LOe here the verifying of that ancient adage quod differtur non aufertur for long look't for comes at last That which before a Solemne and sad assembly was publikely preached and committed to the eares of some is now printed and committed to the eyes of all that have a minde to reade it which thing hath with a long and longing desire bin wished and waited for by sundry This Funeral sermon bespake your receiving and respecting of it in a double consideration each of which in my opinion hath an important rare and singular ponderation Behold first the Man secondly the matter The Man by whom and the man for whom it was made the one that worthy Divine Dr Sibs who in his life time intended and approoved it for the presse as it now comes forth the other that Worshipful Serjeant Sir Thomas Crew men of more then ordinary worth and goodnesse whom to name is enough to those that knew them for if I should enter into a particular discourse and discovery of their deserved worth I feare I should more dishonour my undertakings and wrong your expectation then in any proportion answer the excellency of two such worthy Theames Secondly for the matter as the occasion mens expectations were extraordinary so shal you finde his preparation Read then judge It sweetly and to the life sets forth the duty desire and disposition of the Church Spouse of Christ Ecchoing a faithful and prayerful Amen to all the truths of God especially to the precious promises and chiefly to that promise of promises Christs second comming which in cold bloud undauntedly to desire is an unfallible marke of a true and through cōvert which that we may doe wee must make sure our espousall to Christ here and get to be clad with the wedding garment of faith and repentance teaching us to ponder pray much and then admirable shall be our confident standing before God our rich hope our quietnesse and hearts ease our joy as if wee had one foot in heaven already Wee shall bee able with S. Paul to cast downe our gantlet and bid defiance to Divels to men to height to depth to things present and things to come If all the hearts in the world were one Heart it could not comprehend those rich blessings wherewith true Christians are richly indowed and those spirituall ioyes and comforts which shall rain upon them in sweet showers from heaven rich they are in hand but richer in hope rich in possession but richer in reversion For what ravishing Ioy what inexplicable sweetnesse shal then everlasting possesse our soules when as wee who have bin a long time contracted to our Lord husband shall see that blessed time come when we shall have that glorious marriage between him and us really and Royally solemnized in the presence of God and his holy Angels and shall have the fruition of him and all his happinesse and enioy such heavenly fellowship familiarity acquaintance with him transcendantly above all the sweetest relations here below I say with him who is The Prince of Peace the King of glory yea the very glory of Heaven and Earth the expresse image of his Fathers person in whom those things which are invisible are seene the brightnesse of everlasting light the undefiled mirrour of the Maiesty of God and the desire of all Nations Blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb Rev. 19. 9 Wherunto that you may be admitted as a welcome guest you must both know and practice what in this Treatise is contained To conclude I am bold therefore in the cause of Gods honour and your salvation to intreat you as ever you would have interest in Christs blood and bles sednesse sufferings and satisfactions as you meane to have any Fellowship or communion in Heaven with the Blessed Saints and Angels as you intend to have any part in that Kingdome which the Lord Iesus hath purchased with his owne bloud that you would up and bee doing that which the wife of the Lambe is said to have done Rev. 19. 7. make your s●lves ready which if you doe his speedy accesse shall bring to you speeding successe which that you may doe you shall not want his constant and instant prayers who is Your christian and cordiall wel-wisher G. H. The CONTENTS THe Churches happines consummate in Heaven page 2 Of the word Amen p. 9 Doct. 1. The hearts of Gods Children are plyable to all divine truths more to the promises above all to the promises of Christs second comming p. 12 Rea. 1. There is a sutablenesse betweene a sanctified heart and sanctified Truths p. ibid. Rea. 2. There is a spirituall taste infused to relish those truths 13 Rea. 3. The Churches will is not her owne but Christs 14 Rea. 4. There is a spirituall contract betweene Christ and the soule ibid. Rea. 5. It is a seale of effectuall calling 15 What effectuall calling is 16 Use 1. If wee find an unpliablenesse on our part to begge the performance of the Covenant of grace 17 Motives to give our Amen Mot. 1. God honours us in having our consent 19 Mot. 2. Wee honour God in sealing to his truth 20 Use 2. A reproofe of 2. sorts 1. Those which have no Amen for God 21 2. Those which have a false Amen 23 The desires of the Spirit the true Characters of a Christian. 28 Desires resembled to a Streame in sundry particulars 1. They come from a good Spring 29 2. They carry all before them 30 3. They swell by opposition ibid. 4. They are restlesse till they are emptied ibid. 5. They increase in running 31 6. They rest in their proper place 32 7. They constantly send up vapours 33 5. Observations making way to the main point 1. There will be a second coming of Christ more glorious then the former 34 2. A Christian that hath true Faith in the times to come will have answerable desires and prayers ibid. 3. Agracious heart turnes promises into desires and prayers 38 4. The more assured one is of any thing the more effectuall it makes him pray 40 5. Gods promises have graduall performances 43 The sixt and maine point 6 It is the duty and disposition of a gracious heart to desire the glorious comming of Christ and all his other commings in way and order to this as they make way for his last comming 48 Rea. 1. The Church is in want till then 49 Rea. 2. Our life is hid with Christ in God ibid Rea 3. Christ is in some sort imperfect till then 50 Rea. 4.

Where the treasure is there will the heart be 51 Rea. 5. The members are carried to union with the head 52 Rea. 6. By comparing it with glory here in sundry particulars 56 Rea. 7. From the state of the Church at the best in this World in regard of troubles without 64. and corruptions within 68 Tryalls of our desires for the second comming of Christ. Tryall 1. By seeing what benefit we have by the first comming of Christ. 70 Tryall 2. By our preparing for it 73 Tryall 3. Whether our hearts be the Kingdome of Christ now 74 Tryall 4. By our holy exercises 77 Directions inabling us to utter this desire and prayer Direct 1. 1. Labour to be reconciled to God 81 2. Labour to grow in the new Creature 83 3. Be sure to do what you doe throughly and quickly 85 4. Take all advantages to helpe this desire and prayer from crosses and Satan 92 Two objections answered 1. Object I find I am not so desirous of the comming of Christ as I ought 9● 2. Object But I desire to live still 97 A pressing exhortation to long for the second comming of Christ and from thence also to quicken our selves in our Christian work 98 A conclusion Upon the particular occasion 111 THE BRIDEGROOMES PROMISE And The BRIDES Prayer REVEL 22. 20. Hee which testifieth these things saith Surely I come quickly Amen Even so come Lord Iesus AS the Church of God being the weakest and the most shiftlesse part of mankind is never without trouble in this world so God would never have it to be without comfort And therefore God reveales unto Christ in this Booke and Christ unto the Angel and the Angel unto Iohn things to come from the Ascension of Christ unto his second comming that so in all conditions of the Church the Church might have recourse unto this Booke to see what the issue of all would be This is their comfort that howsoever things may be carryed in this world in a seeming confusion in a cloud and in a Mysterie yet in conclusion all shall end well on the Churches side their trouble shall end in Peace their abasement in Glory and their conflict in a Crowne This we may see here verified This Revelation doth end in the description of the glorious condition of the Church In the two last Chapters as I take it the Evangelist Saint Iohn sets downe the glorious estate of the Church of God even in this world yet so as it shall end and be consummate in perfect glory in the world to come For the soule of a Christian like Noahs Dove cannot rest in any glory here till it returne to the Arke till it come to the enjoyment of perfect glory and have blissefull communion with Christ for ever and ever in Heaven And therefore Christ doth terminate and end the sweetnesse of his Promises in Heaven and at his last comming and the Church likewise stretcheth and rayseth up her desires to that Howsoever there shall be glorious times and things here yet these are but as the first fruits to the whole Harvest and as a drop unto the Ocean Therefore when you reade of a glorious estate of the Church to be here upon Earth your mindes must have recourse to the upshot and consummation of all in Heaven Ierusalem which is from above must lead us to Ierusalem which is above Now because that mans unbeleeving heart is too prone to thinke that these things are too good to be true and too great to be performed seeing such an immeasurable disproportion betweene his owne unworthinesse and the excellencie of the things promised hereupon the mercie of our blessed Saviour is such that he confirmes this his second glorious comming by all kind of Witnesses that may be Here is the Angel Verse 6. Christ himselfe Verse 7. The Spouse and the Spirit in the Spouse Verse 17. And Christ himselfe againe in the words before the Text Behold I come quickly then you have the Spouses answer Amen even so come Lord Iesus Beloved Faith is a supernaturall thing it hath no friend within us it hath no helpe no cause in the world except God himselfe therefore it hath need of all confirmation God knowes us and our needs better then we doe our selves and you see he useth confirmation to helpe our unbeleefe And besides the Witnesses the thing it selfe is repeated againe and againe three or foure times in this Chapter Vers. 7 12 20. Behold I come quickly And behold I come quickly and Surely I come quickly By every repetition Christ seekes to gaine upon our mis-giving soules Behold I come Now because our spirit is exceeding short and we are readie to crie out as it is in the fixt of this Booke How long Lord holy and true How long Why he answers Behold I come quickly You shall also finde in the Prophesies of the Old Testament the same Promises delivered and repeated againe and againe because of our unbeleefe which ariseth from an inward guilt that cleaves to our Consciences because we are subject to failings and are not so strict as we should be But such are the yerning bowels of our blessed Saviour that it grieves him to see his tender Church afflicted and troubled in mind therefore he helpes all that he can Observe then I beseech you in the words the sweet entercourse that is betweene Christ and his Spouse Christ promiseth againe and againe Behold I come quickly and the Church saith Come Amen Even so come Lord Iesus There is no entercourse in the world so sweet as is that betweene Christ and his Church But wee will come unto the wordes themselves Amen Even so come Lord Iesus In these wordes you have first the assent of the Church secondly the consent her assent to the Truth her consent to the goodnesse of the Truth Amen It is so Nay Amen It shall be so Nay Amen Be it so or Let it be so There is a wishing included in it All these are wrought by the Spirit The Spirit convinceth us both of the Truth and of the goodnesse of the Truth And besides that in the next wordes the same Spirit stirres up a desire and prayer Even so come Lord Iesus Holy desires are turned into fervent prayers Amen is a short word but marvelously pregnant full of sense full of spirit It is a word that seales all the Truths of God that seales every particular Promise of God And it is never likely to arise in the soule unlesse there be first an Almightie power from Heaven to seize on the powers of the soule to subdue them and make it say Amen There is such an inward rising of the heart and an innate rebellion against the blessed Truth of God that unlesse God by his strong Arme bring the heart downe it never will nor can say Amen But now the heart will not be pent in or restrayned the Spirit is an enlarging thing and therefore besides Amen though Amen includes that

dreadfull Sentence Goe ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devill and his Angels Gods words are not as Winde Indeed they are such a Winde as will blow downe all impenitent sinners to Hell Wee must have a Legall Amen to the Threatnings of God as well as an Evangelicall Amen to the sweet Promises S. Iohn here by the Spirit of God saith Amen to the Promises of the time to come to wit for the confusion of Antichrist for the conversion of the Iewes and for the glorious times to come though he sees no evidence thereof for the present and so must we to all Divine Truths But wee have another kind and companie of men that must be taxed that have indeed an Amen and a Seale but it is to a blank They are presumptuous persons and such which is worse as will have God to say Amen to their courses They will be naught and sinfull and then studie and strive to bring Gods Word to stand bent to their bow and so in their lying conceit make God say Amen to their Lusts. They account it not sufficient to have their will but they will have God to be of their mind too and they will alwayes get some daubers that shall say Goe on and prosper An Ahab will alwayes have his false Prophets What a wicked thing is this that wee should make an Idoll of God and transforme him into the likenesse of Satan his Enemie To make him like that which he hates most We will continue in our sinfull courses and make as though we had the Word of God for us and oh we have the judgement of such and such and thus boulster up our selves by building upon such sandie foundations When wee should bring up our soules and resigne them to God and his Spirit wee will bring God downe to our bent and make him to say this and that agreeable to our carnall reason and corrupt affections But I must not enlarge my selfe in this In a word therefore to conclude this point As there is a sweet harmonie in Gods Truth so let there be a harmonie in our hearts thereunto Gods Truth alwayes agrees with it selfe oh let our hearts agree with it When we heare a Threatning a Precept or a Promise oh let us say Amen It is the sweetest harmonie in the world when we can bring our hearts to close with God and his Word with his Spirit and Truth when we can be delivered into that forme of Doctrine which is delivered unto us But now I goe on Even so come Lord Iesus Wee come from the assent unto the consent yeelding unto that which Christ said as true and good We come unto the desire and prayer of the Church Even so come Lord Iesus Amen is an Hebrew word and it is still retained to shew the consent of the Christian Church with the Iewish both with that which was before and with that which shall be afterward And it is expressed and opened here by a word following Yea or Even so come Lord Iesus You see the Church desires and out of her desire prayes Come Lord Iesus Now this desire of the Church shewes the gracious disposition of the Church These desires are the breathings and motions of the Spirit in the soule tending to further union Even as motion tends to rest so desires tend to the uniting unto the thing desired The Churches desires here are the immediate issue of the soule and therefore undissembled and they shew the true character of a Christian soule We may dissemble words and actions but we cannot dissemble our desires and affections we may paint fire but we cannot paint heat Therefore God judgeth us more by our desires and affections then by our words and actions Now you may know that our desires are holy and good if so be that they be heavenly for then it is a signe that they come downe from Heaven even as a Spring will arise and ascend as high as the Spring Head whence it comes If our desires rise to Heaven as the Churches here doe then it is a signe they come downe from Heaven Our desires are as a streame which I will shew you by prosecuting that metaphor and allusion in sundry particulars A good Streame hath a good Spring so must our desires The Spring of the Churches desires here is Love shee loves Christ and therefore desires him to come quickly A Streame you know carryes all before it so our desires are an holy Streame issuing from a good Spring and carrying all before them They are efficacious not a meere velleitie as they say a bare wishing and woulding A Streame if it be stopped will swell till it breake downe all opposition and carry all before it so let a good desire be stopt and it will swell more and more and grow bigger and bigger till it makes way for it selfe A Streame is restlesse and incessant till it meet with the Ocean and emptie it selfe into the Sea so true and holy desires be restlesse and alwayes in motion They are not like a standing Poole that rests but they are in motion still till they have emptied themselves into the boundlesse and bottomelesse Ocean of endlesse pleasure As true Streames that arise from a Fountaine doe waxe bigger and bigger the neerer they come to the Ocean because other Rivers joyne with them and so they take advantage and augmentation by other streames that run into them so if our desires be true they are growing desires they encrease bigger and bigger still till they come to Heaven At length we see the Streames emptie themselves into the Sea they are swallowed up there where they have a more constant being then in themselves namely of the Ocean the true element and proper place of all waters and so our desires if they be holy as they are restlesse and growing so at last they emptie themselves into Christ and joynes with God and happinesse for the time to come for there is a greater happinesse for the soules of men in God in Christ and in Heaven then there is in themselves and there they are swallowed up Lastly we may trie our desires by this Vapours in a low place doe shew that there is a Spring there you know that the Springs are there where there are most Vapours constantly so where there be breathings of the soule upward as there is here of the Church surely there is a Spring of Love that yeelds these Vapours and whence these desires flow But I come more particularly unto this particular desire of the Church Come Lord Iesus I shall make way by some propositions which I shall praemise before I come to the maine thing which I shall stand upon at this time First we must take it for granted That there will be a second glorious comming of Christ that will be farre more glorious then the former The best times and things are to come for Christians every way every day

they rise they are neerer to their happinesse Againe we must know this That a Christian if he hath true Faith in the times to come he will have answerable desires and correspondent prayers For beloved there is alwayes an harmonie betweene the heart and the braine betweene the understanding and the will and affections What we assent to as true and consent to as good that we shall both desire and pray for Therefore if you know there will be a glorious comming of Christ and if you assent to it that the best times are yet to come surely there will be this prayer too There is alway a sweet agreement and harmonie betweene a sound convinced knowledge and gracious affections Hence it is that in Scripture what we doe not wish and affect we are said not to know We see not things in their proper light when wee know and affect them not but we have received them onely by tradition from others But when we see proper things with a proper light spirituall things with a spirituall light then there will be alwayes prayers desires accordingly As the Church here after Amen Even so there is the desire Come Lord Iesus there is her prayer And therefore we may know whether our knowledge be spirituall or not by this if the heart be subdued to yeeld unto it Otherwise the heart will swell when it comes to petition and to particular Truths what shall I yeeld to this No I have heard of this by the hearing of the eare but I know not whether it be true or not I have heard much talke of the Scriptures but when the Scripture comes to crosse a man in this or that particular lust then if his knowledge be not spirituall his heart will rise and swell against it and begin to call into question and doubt yea and to thinke it folly and a base thing for a man to yeeld to it I am sure of my pleasures I am sure of my profits but I am not sure whether this be true or no And thus the heart of an Atheist comes to stand out because his knowledge is not spirituall But if it be then it carryes an assent to it with it and a desire drawne into a prayer Againe you must know this before we come unto the maine point That a gracious heart turneth promises into desires and prayers The Promise was I come quickly Here Faith claspes about the Promise as a Vine about the Elme and saith Come Lord Iesw Faith puts the Promise into suit presently Christ had no sooner said I come quickly but the Spirit of Faith saith Nay come Lord Iesus But then we must be sure that we have a Promise out of the Word of God Faith hath no Amen for the word of a man or for any thing else but the Word of God and when it fastens upon that as it doth here you see it turnes it into a holy desire and prayer Come Lord Iesus Beloved wee beleeve not the Promises as wee should doe else wee would doe so Wee have rich exceeding great and precious Promises but where is our rich exceeding great and precious Faith to lay hold upon them and to turne them presently into suites desires and prayers Thus if wee would doe wee should binde God with his owne Word hee cannot denie himselfe or falsifie his Truth You see againe That the more assured one is of any thing the more effectually it will make him to pray An Atheisticall heart would say thus Such a thing will be Christ will come whether I pray or no what need I pray then Nay therefore pray because he will come I come quickly Therefore Even so come Lord Iesus Christ himselfe was fully assured that his Father would grant him all that he prayed for I know that thou hearest me alwayes saith he yet you see what an heavenly prayer he makes Iohn 17. Nay God bids him doe it Aske of me and I will give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance c. Christ himselfe must aske before God will give him the uttermost parts of the Earth for his possession So Ezek. 36. where you have the Covenant of Grace it selfe with many Promises attending it to all which it is added Vers. 37. Yet for all these things will I be enquired of by the House of Israel saith the Lord. Though hee had made great Promises to his Church yet he must be prayed to for the performance of them He will have things received as fruits of our prayer as well as of his Promise and providence We cannot be so thankefull for things that come onely as fruits of his providence as when wee looke upon them as fruits of our prayers David was a King of prayers but Saul came by providence onely and by the peoples importunitie whether was the more blessed Oh then my brethren though wee be never so much assured of things to come yet let us joyne prayer thereto for the assurance of the end will stirre us up to the carefull use of the meanes None are so carefull of the latter as they who are most assured of the former witnesse the Church here The next thing I shall premise as making way for that that I meane more fully to speake of is this That Gods Promises have graduall performances They are made good by degrees God goes by many steps to the performance of his great Promises As here the Promise of Christs second glorious comming hath many degrees to the accomplishment thereof So God promises a new Heaven and a new Earth That was one degree of the performance hereof when the Iewes came out of Captivitie It had a second degree of performance when Christ came in the flesh Then all things were new there was a new Priest a new Sabbath a new Nation So when the Gentiles were called and came in it had a third gra'duall performance When the Iewes shall be called when there shall be a resurrection from the dead as it were then all things shall be new that was a fourth And the last and full performance shall be when all things shall be new indeed that is when there shall be a new Heaven and a new Earth So this Promise here Come Lord Iesus it hath a latitude and bredth of performance Come Lord into our hearts first and set up thy Kingdome and Scepter there subdue all therein unto thy selfe throw downe all lusts thrust out Satan take thine owne interest in us And then come into thy Church as you have it Mark 9. 1. There is a powerfull comming of Christ in the Gospel therein the Kingdome of God comes with Power Come thus in the Ministerie of thy Word When Christ was bodily ascended up into Heaven hee came spiritually in his Ordinances And thus come thou by thy Spirit And then come to blast Antichrist and to consume that Man of Sinne and so make way for the other degree of thy comming Come in the fulnesse