there is no seeing of the face of God unlesse we bring Christ along with us in the arms of our faith There is a story Act. 12. of the men of Tyre when Herod was displeased with them how they made use of Blastus the King's Chamberlain vers 20. And Herod was in displeasure with them of Tyre and Sâ—don but they came with one accord to him and having made Blastus the King's Chamberlain their friend desired peace because their country was nourished by the King's country This is our case God is highly displeased with us for our sins as Herod was with the men of Tyre and Sidon we have our dependency upon God as they had upon Herod's country Their country was nourished by the King's country We are undone if God relieve us not Now they are undone the best way is to make Blastus their friend that so Herod being appeased they may have peace We are to go to God by Christ Jesus that we may have acceptation with God He is full of grace and they shall partake of his grace and favour even as Joseph when he was got in with Pharaoh he made way for all his brethren the Text saith Gen. 47. 2. He took some of his brethren and presented them to Pharaoh Just so doth Christ take us and presents us to God The Apostle Peter hath a phrase somewhat like it where he saith 2 Pet. 3. 18. Christ also hath once suffered for sin the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that he might take us by the hand and lead us to God Now these men being presented by Joseph to Pharaoh see how Pharaoh entertaineth them See the land is before thee in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell If Christ hath once brought us to God not onely all the good things of the world but all the promises of the Word are before a Saint when he is brought to God by grace and so ingratiated with him Fifthly Seeing Christ is full of truth as it standeth in 5. Learn to be like Christ opposition to hypocrisie learn we to be like him it is good being of Christ's fashion The girdle of his loins is Truth as ye heard before out of verse 11. Let it be the girdle of ours Having your loins girt about with truth Be sincere in all we speak and do otherwise all our performances be they never so glorious they are but like a fair pair of gilded Organs that want wind or bellowes to blow them so are all our performances if there be no sincerity to enliven them All outward services they are but the carcases of Devotion if there want sincerity Ephes 4. 24. It is called The new man created in righteousnesse and in the holiness of the truth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so it is in the Originall it is a holinesse of truth Otherwise no holinesse at all if truth be not there Again If Christ be thus full of truth as it standeth in 2. To go to him for direction in matters of Opinion opposition to errour then we may see from hence whom to go to for guidance in all matters of opinion to Him that is full of truth that cannot erre Doceat me Deus qui me fecit non qui seipsum ignorat Let him teach me that made me let not him teach me that knoweth not himself Every man is a lover of his own opinion and apt to miscary but it is Christ that is ful of truth who hath promised to guide us by his spirit and to lead us into all truth Joh. 16. 13. Again If Christ be full of truth as it standeth in opposition 3. Matter of comfort to the people of God to lying Let us learn from hence to gather matter of comfort to all the people of God He that is full of truth and cannot lie hath said to every poor soul Come to me ye that are heavy laden and I will give you rest If any man come to me I will in no wise cast him off So is it matter of and of terrour to the ungodly terrour to all ungodly impenitent sinners He that believeth not is damned already He that believeth shall be saved he that believeth not is damned the wrath of God abideth upon him And so matter of Imitation for all If our Saviour whom we professe our selves to depend upon and to Matter of Imitation for all be Disciples of be full of truth let us be like him Therein standeth the true Religion in imitating him whom we worship saith Lactantius If people be given to lying they are more like the devill than Christ For it is said of such Ye are of your father the devill He is a liar and the father of it Mark he speaks of his own when he speaks a lie Now there will be a time when every soul shall be ransackt Take heed lest the devill find something of his own reigning in you It is said he came to Christ The Prince of this world commeth Joh. 14. 13. and hath nothing in me that is nothing of his own in me He came and searched Christ but found nothing of his there Take heed lest when he comes to you he find a lying spirit there that is his own As when Laban came to search Jacob's tent to try if he could find any of his own goods there if he had it would have gone ill with Jacob As when searchers come to a ship and find any prohibited goods there the owner forfeits all the lading If the devill come and find any thing of his own he takes that soul to hell Without are dogs and every one that loves and makes a lie Rev. 22. 15. Lastly Seeing Christ is full of truth as it stands in opposition to shadowes Let us learn to embrace him that so we may find the substance That is the phrase of the holy Ghost Prov. 8. 21. where Wisdom speaks thus That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance and I will fill them with treasures Christ is not onely the substance of all Leviticall shadowes they are vanished we have now nothing to do with them but there is another sort of shadowes that men doat upon more than the Jewes upon their ceremoniall carnall things delights of the world riches pleasures and profits there are some men that busie themselves in these What saith the holy Ghost of them Psal 83. 17. Let them be confounded and troubled for ever yea let them be put to shame and perish All are but shadowes in comparison no reality Oh then he is a substantiall man that inherits he that leaveth to follow after shadowes to inherit Christ otherwise all men that busie themselves in things below and neglect Christ they are but like a man that goes into an Orchard and instead of pulling the fruit he catcheth at the shadow of the fruit that are scattered in the hedge he hurts himself
of that term The Word which ye have twice in this Verse Let us now Apply it before we come to any of the Predicates First In that Christ is here called the Word in reference Vse 1 to the word conceived as being the expresse Image of his Father's Person as our thoughts are the image of the mind Let us learn from hence First to be helped here to understand something of that Eternall Generation What the Son of God is who of himself is inexpressible Who can declare his generation Isa 3. This may help us to conceive better of it than any expression in the world When we compare Christ with the conception of our own hearts there is nothing commeth so near the nature of that eternall generation of the Son of God The understanding that conceiveth a notion without difficulty without passion without agitation and stirring There is no conception no procession of any thing so purely inconcrete and simple and unmixt as the proceeding of the thoughts of our Understanding Such is the generation of the Son from the Father at least this of all things we can take into our imagination is the fittest to expresse Him And indeed if it were possible for a man to contract all his notions into one mark it if it were possible for him to conceive at once whatsoever he apprehendeth then that Conceit that he conceiveth in his understanding it would be that man's wisdom and that man's truth because it containeth whatsoever he hath in his heart Such a word is Christ in reference to his Father Whatsoever there is in the Father of wisdom it is expressed there whatsoever excellency is in God it is in the Son Thence it is that Christ is Christ both Wisdom and Truth so frequently called Wisdom and set forth by that name Prov. 8. And he is called Truth I am the way and the truth and the life And there would be the whole of a man's wisdom in that notion which will contain all his apprehension at once So it is in Christ which is the wisdom of his Father That is one thing It may help us something in conceiving the unconceivable and unexpressible Generation of the Son from the Father Secondly It may help us to conceive of the Father according to what we read of the Son and to conceive of the Son according to what we read of the Father because the Son is the expresse Image of the Father's Person Therefore it is of great use for poor penitent sinners that with the Publican stand afar off and dare not lift up their eyes to Heaven For howsoever they conceive some hope in regard of Christ yet they are affraid God the Father will never pardon them They look at Christ as a Saviour all of Bowells Many poor souls have strange apprehensions of God the Father as if he were altogether a consuming fire therefore no pardon to be expected from him But here is for thy comfort Christ Comfort to penitent sinners whatsoever he is is the expresse Image of the Father's Person therefore what thou findest in Christ thou maist find in the Father Was Christ so full and free-hearted as to be ready to help every poor soul in the daies of his flesh He is but the Father's Image and thou maist find the same disposition in the Father Thou maist go to God as to Christ if he were here in the flesh On the other side If any man Terrour to stubborn sinners be a stubborn and presumptuous sinner that dareth go on to walk in the lust of his eyes and pride of his heart and flatter himself with these thoughts Lord have mercy upon me will save him on his death-bed Howsoever there may be some rigour expected from the Father why Christ will have mercy upon him Christ dyed for him and will save him And he needeth make no question of the love of Christ of his affection and readinesse to help him though he walketh in the stubbornnesse of his wicked heart Let such a one know That God as he will by no means clear the guilty so nor will Christ too Mark that place for this Exod. 23. 20. Behold saith God there I send an Angel before thee to keep thee in the way and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared That Angel was Christ for it is said that they provoked Christ in the Wildernesse Therefore it was Christ Now mark Beware of him and obey his voyce provoke him not for he will not pardon your transgressions Why for my name is in him Christ is just as I am saith God the Father here and as severe to sinners as I am Therefore provoke him not he will not pardon Kisse the Son lest he be angry The Son can be angry as well as the Father Though he be the Lamb of God yet that Lamb will turn Lion against them that disobey him and refuse to obey the Gospell of Christ The Lamb will be so angry as to make the great ones of the earth to cry Who shall deliver them from the wrath of the Lamb Rev. 6. Secondly In that Christ is called the Word in reference Vse 2 to the word uttering because he is the Interpreter of his Father's will and declareth the Father's mind to the sons of men Let us learn from hence to blesse Christ for all the knowledge we have of God and the things of God it is from him we have it he is the Word that hath declared it The onely begotten Son in the bosome of the Father he hath declared him Joh. 1. 18. If men think themselves so much beholding to their Tutors and School-masters that discover to them the hidden things of Arts and Sciences If Alexander was so much bound to his Master his School-master Aristotle his Instructor that he made a question Whether he were more bound to him for his teaching of him than to Philip his father for begetting of him Then what do we owe to Jesus Christ the great Tutor to whom we owe all our Learning Tutors and Fathers too for all Relations meet in him and all Duty is due to him And if He be the word uttering let none be ashamed of that work of the Ministry Some Gentlemen think it scorn to make their sons Ministers God the Father made his Son a Minister ye see and setteth the Lord Jesus Christ his onely Son to be a revealer of his will to the sons of men And if so something else may be learned from it Let us all take heed to what we hear It is Christ that is the word uttering What we find in Scripture and hear delivered according to the Scripture it is the word of Christ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom The power of the Word Preached Col. 3. 16. Ye must give me leave to tell you when men speak Scripture to you rightly interpreted and ye refuse to hear ye do not refuse men that speak from the
to be put to every Proposition That may be one aime Secondly There may be another In the former Proposition The Evangelist had told you of Christ's Co-existency with the Father when he said The Word was with God and he addeth The same was in the beginning with God Here he telleth you of his Co-working with God as well as of his Coexistency with God In the beginning As he was then a Person distinct from the Father and coexistent with him So so soon as the Father began to work He began to work All things were made by him He was so with him as to work together with him in the work of Creation in all things Or perhaps neither of these are intended But the Repetition aimeth at a third thing which is To shew the great necessity of the aforesaid Truth This ye may take with you Repetition of much use in Scripture as a rule to help you in the interpretation of Scripture Repetitions have divers uses in Scripture we find them frequent both in Prayer and Prophecy in Threatnings and Precepts and in the laying down of Truths Repetitions have their severall uses in all these 1. In Prayer Repetition serveth to note frequency in 1. In Prayer it argueth affection the same things said over again with new affections as O Lord hear O Lord forgive O Lord hearken and do Take the instance of Christ we read of his fervency and earnestnesse in prayer especially in his Agony Luk. 22. 44. Being in an agony he prayed more earnestly How doth he expresse this earnestnesse Matth. 26. 44. He went away the third time praying the fame words Father if it be thy will let this cup passe from me So the second and the third time it is said This Repetition serveth to note Christ's earnestnesse in Prayer Secondly in Prophecies Repetition serveth to note the 2. In Prophecies it noteth celerity and speed and the certainty of them certainty of them together with their celerity and speed That reason is given by God himself Gen. 41. 32. For that the dream was doubled to Pharaoh twice it is because the thing is established by God and he will surely bring it to passe The doubling doth note the certainty of the thing Thirdly in Threatnings Repetition noteth unavoidablenesse 3. In Threatnings it noteth unavoidablenesse and suddainnesse and perhaps suddainnesse Ye have Ezek. 21. 27. I will overturn overturn and it shall be no more Twice I will overturn to shew that their overthrow should be unavoidable Fourthly in Precepts Repetition serveth to note 4. In Precepts it noteth a necessity of performing them a necessity of performing them So Psal 47. 6. Sing praises to God sing praises to our King sing praises sing praises Four times to shew the necessity of that duty And lastly to our present purpose in Truths Repetition serveth to shew the necessity of believing them and of knowing 5. In Truths it serveth to know the necessity of believing them them So in that great Truth of Regeneration ye see Christ repeateth it thrice with one breath in his Sermon to Nicodemus Joh. 3. 3. Except ye be born again ye cannot see the Kingdom of God Vers 5. Except a man be born of Water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God And Marvel not I said unto thee Ye must be born again vers 17. So here the Evangelist repeateth this great Truth to shew the absolute necessity of our knowing it and believing it In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God And the same that was in the beginning was God That which we are to note from hence is this First in generall The usefulnesse and lawfulnesse of repeating the same things To me saith Paul it is not burdensom for you it is safe Phil. 3. 1. We are all by nature as Christ said of his Disciples fools and slow of heart to believe this great Mystery of God Luk. 24. 25. Then said he unto them Oh fools and slow of heart to believe all that was spoken Slow of heart they had therefore need to be switcht and spurr'd again and again had need to have the goad thrust in a first second and third time That is the expression Eccles 2. The words of the wise are as goads and as nails fastned by the masters of the assemblies So necessary are Repetitions of Truths It is in this case as with Peter in his vision of the Sheet when all sorts of Beasts came down clean and unclean Upon the first letting them down when it was said Arise Peter kill and eat Not so Lord saith Peter he could not think it lawfull when it was prescribed at the first but the Sheet was let down a second time and a third time then he was convinced which at first he was not So a man may hear a truth at first and may say Not so Lord he cannot relish this for a truth but it may be at the second or third time he may relish it It is not with Truth as with Flowers which we use to smell at for an hour or Truth not like Flowers quickly fading but like pretious Stones alwaies shining two and so thtow them away But for necessary Truths they will not die in your hands they are not like Flowers they are like Jems pretious Stones that keep a lustre from year to year they are alwaies shining and bright Ye may wear them while ye live and not be weary of them This in generall But then in Speciall From this Repetition which the Evangelist maketh observe That the Eternity the Personality the Divinity of Christ are of necessity to be believed Because we cannot rightly worship God without the belief of these Truths namely That the Word was in the beginning and that the Word was then God and was with God from everlasting to everlasting For we must worship the Son even as we worship the Father so saith Christ himself Joh. 5. 23. And that unlesse we acknowledge the Eternity of Christ and the Divinity of Christ the Second Person as well as of God the Father the First Person we honour neither Father nor Son And this is it that excludeth both Turks and Jews who though they both acknowledge one God yet they deny the Distinction of Persons deny the Son of God and so the Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ as also of the holy Ghost We see now what miserable case such men are in as deny Christ thus It is remarkable that in Ephes 2. 12. if you compare the beginning with the end At that time ye were without Christ being Aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel having no hope and without God in the world Without Christ and without God He is an Atheist that knoweth not Christ whatsoever he may hold of God There can be no true knowledge of God where there is not a true knowledge of Christ Ye were without Christ and without God in the world
Saviour telleth us there was none greater than John excepting Christ who had not a naturall generation Matth. 11. 11. Verily I say unto you Amongst them that are born of a woman there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist This great John the first What is his Employment Certainly so honourable a Person must be called to some honourable service It is The employment of the Ministers of the Gospel is an honourable employment Luk 2. 11. Mar. 16. 6. To bear witnesse to the light than which no service is more honourable It is that which Angels have not disdained They ye know bare witnesse to Christ's Incarnation they tell the shepheards That to them is born in the City of Bethlehem a Saviour which is Christ the Lord. And then they bore witness of his Resurrection to women at the Sepulcher God the Father and the holy Ghost thought it no disparagement to them to bear witnesse to Christ God the Father at his Birth This is my beloved Son in whom I am well Matth. 3. 17. Matth. 17. 5. pleased and at his Transfiguration in the Mount And it is the great work of the holy Ghost in all his negotiations to the sons of men to testifie of Christ Joh. 15. 26. When the Comforter shall come whom I will send to you from the Father even the Spirit of truth he shall testifie of me There is his work I will not insist long upon this Let us learn onely from hence every one in his and her place to bear witnesse to Christ Ministers by preaching Christ as Paul did who desired to know nothing amongst his people but Christ and him crucified therefore he is called a Chosen vessell Paul is But to what end Act. 9. 15. The Lord said to him Go thy way for he is a chosen vessell to me to bear my name before the Gentiles and Kings and children of Israel Here is the Minister's work to bear Christ's name before the people like those Pitchers of Gideon Judg. 7. earthen pitchers indeed and so earthen vessells as Paul calleth them but they have a Lamp in them and are chosen vessells to bear the name of Christ to witness to this truth And so Believers in their conference should bear witness to Christ by telling one another what great things he hath done for their souls discoursing of him as the Disciples in the way to Emmans their talk was of Christ As people when they come from Market they tell of their penny-worths When people How to bear witnesse to Christ come from Sermons they speak what they have heard and what a good bargain Christ is All of all sorts are called to witness for Christ by their living and if they be called to it by their dying living to him dying for him there is witness born to Christ both these waies All are not indeed called to Martyrdom and so to testifie of Christ by their death but all are called to Testifie of Christ by their Life As ye read of some that professed God in their works so some confesse Christ in their lives those that shew forth the grace of Christ as Peter speaketh who are called out of darknesse into his marvellous Light Those that can carry themselves meekly towards the malitious and humbly towards the proud they may hereby by their Carriage bear witnesse to that meeknesse and humility which they receive from Christ as the head and fountain of it Whosoever hath received Christ Jesus the Lord truly he will walk in him not onely talk of him but confesse him not only with his mouth but his life Here is a way of witnessing to him That ye may be incouraged to witnesse for Christ take two Considerations First If we do not witnesse for Christ now Christ will one day witnesse against us Mal. 3. 5. I will come neer to you in judgment and I will be a swift witnesse against such and such sinners as he there mentioneth Christ himself will be a witnesse against us if we be not witnesses for him and a swift witnesse too And now beloved Consider with your selves what astonishment seized upon the souls of Joseph's brethren as soon as he stept up to witnesse against them and said I am Joseph whom ye sold into Egypt And yet he did this meerly to inform them and not to affright Gen. 45. 3. them Who can tell the horrour and amazement which will fall upon the souls of men when Christ will at the last day say I am Jesus whom ye Crucified and whom ye refused to believe and whose Word and Gospell ye have trampled under your feet Secondly Consider That if we do witnesse for Christ we shall have Three witnessing for us in whose Testimony we shall receive aboundance of Comfort First We shall have a witnesse without us and a witnesse within us and a witnesse above us Without us That is the Testimony of men that fear God If we witnesse for Christ They will witnesse for us even the Consciences of wicked men will be inforced many times to witnesse for us when their words witnesse against us But though they should not yet by faith the Elders obtained a good report Hebr. 11. 2. The Saints will have a good report amongst them that are Saints like themselves Jonathan will witnesse for David though he incurre Saul's displeasure for so doing Secondly We shall have a witnesse within us That is the Testimony of our Consciences Though there should be storms without yet there will be a calme within And it is the wind within that maketh the Earth-quake And the wind within that maketh the soul to quake Conscience is a witnesse within us Thirdly God is greater then our hearts He is a witnesse for us so saith Job Job 16. My witnesse is in Heaven and my Record is on high Though men upon earth should witnesse against him and though he should not at all times have the peace of his Conscience speaking good things for him yet he hath a witnesse above all His witnesse is in Heaven and his Record on high As Augustine saith Deus major Conscientia pro nostra Conscientia testatur That is one end why God will have men witnesse for him because he might have occasion to witnesse for them if time serve what a comfort is here to have him witnesse for us who is our Judge whose sentence will never Certainly go against his Testimony I have done with that and proceed now to another argument which the Evangelist useth to prove That Christ is the Fountain of Light namely from the effect of Illumination generall Illumination Vers 9. That was the true Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the World Here is both the Agent the Act and the Subject The Agent Christ under the name of true Light The Act Lightning The Subject Every man that cometh into the World That was the true Light Light ye know was the first distinct Creature that God made And as
it is lame but yet it is of the Blood-Royall There is much in the light of Reason much more in the light of the Word and of Conscience and of Grace Do we want light as who doth not Seek to him that is the Father of light he is the Father of Supernaturall light as well as of Naturall Seek him but in a way of humility and sincerity otherwise little hope of finding him It is an excellent speech of Bernard saith he Superbo oculo non videtur veritas sincero patet Truth is not seen by a proud eye it openeth it self to a sincere one Humility sitteth lowest in the School Take out thy Lesson in the School of Christ seek it sincerely Painted Glasses hinder the light from comming into the room He that will too much paint that is play the hypocrite hinders the light from entring his soul It is the sincere heart that receiveth the light of the truth Thirdly Let us hence learn to serve him for all light tendeth to some work The Sun ariseth saith the Psalmist Use 3 Learn to Serve him Psal 104. 22 23. and man goeth forth to his work and labour till the evening God sheweth man light to work by and that is the end of the light that Christ scattereth abroad in the world not to loyter by but to do service with The spirit of a man is the candle of the Lord searching the inward parts of the bowells Christ hath set up a candle in every one of our hearts not to play by as children use to do to play by the candle that they should go to bed by and go to bed in the dark when they have done Many men mispend their time which God hath given them and so lie down in darknesse Some men God giveth wit to and they employ it to the dishonour of Christ and the reproach of the Gospell for the true end of the light is that we may do service If ye give light to your servants to work by ye expect they should do more and better work than they that go to work in the dark Fourthly Blesse him for he it is from whom we have all our light those four lights I told you of The light of Use 4 Reason is that that distinguisheth us from beasts it is that Learn to Bless him which though it cannot find out the deep things of God yet when they are revealed it may help to confirm them As when men go to plant a Vine first they take out the earth and make way for the root but when they have planted the Vine they put in the earth again and that better confirmeth the grouth of the Vine There are some kind of mysteries of faith that a man must take away his reason before he goeth to believe them he must not first dispute and then believe but when faith is once planted lay to it reason and it helpeth to confirm the excellency of faith it self If so much in the light of Reason how much more in the light of Conscience which God hath set as a Schoolmaster in every man's bosom to teach him what is good and what is evill It is said to be a bridle to keep from evill to restrain a man that is to commit evill from the evill And for the light of the Word it is the crown of a Nation The Church is represented to us Rev. 12. as a Woman with a Crown of twelve Stars upon her head the Doctrine of the twelve Apostles is the Crown of the Church And the light of Grace Peter telleth you what that is 1 Pet. 2. 9. It is a marvellous light Therefore may every true Convert say Blesse the Lord O my soul and all that is within me blesse his holy name I now proceed to the tenth Verse of this Chapter Vers 10. He was in the world and the world was made by him and the world knew him not Let me give you first the Connection of these words and then the Explication of them and so come to some Observations Look back a little into the fourth and fifth Verses there ye shall find these three Assertions laid down by the Evangelist First That Light commeth from Christ Light was the life of men Secondly That this Light from Christ shineth in darknesse Thirdly That the darknesse comprehendeth it not Now the Verse that followeth serveth to make good all these three Assertions First That light commeth from Christ That is proved two waies First By the testimony of John the Baptist who was a man sent from God to bear witnesse of this light Secondly By the effects of generall Illumination That was the true light which lighteth every man that commeth into the world Our Evangelist goeth on to prove the two other Assertions namely these Light shineth in darkresse and it comprehended it not First in reference to the Gentiles Secondly in reference to the Jewes In reference to the Gentiles in this tenth verse He was in the World and the World was made by Him There is the light shining in the World And the world knew Him not There is the light not comprehended of darknesse In reference to the Jewes Light shined there in darknesse but the darknesse comprehended it not for his owne received him not For the meaning of the words let us take them as they lye He was in the World He was present in the World There is a threefold presence of Christ 1. A generall presence of Christ 2. A speciall presence 3. And a singular presence First a generall presence of Christ by which he is with 1. A generall presence of Christ in the world all the Creatures preserving them and upholding them according to what is said Hebr. 1. 3. Who being the brightnesse of his glory and expresse Image of his person hath upheld all things by the word of his power Which is likewise spoken to Col. 1. 17. He was before all things and by Him all things consist He was in the World which He himself made as a Carpenter is in a house which he himself hath built A Carpenter buildeth an house to dwell in and then keepeth it in repaire Christ so made the World not as to leave it but so as to keep in it and preserve it as well as to make it As suppose a man that were both a Ship-wright and a Ship-master He first maketh the ship then goeth to Sea in it himselfe Christ hath so made the World as to preserve the World which he made as to look after it and every thing in it He was in the World and the World was made by Him These words are added to shew that he was not in the World as part of the World but as the Maker of it He was not in the World as a Creature but as the Creator of all things According to what the Evangelist hath taught us before By Him were all things made and without Him was nothing made that was made He was in
Adopted cannot enjoy the Adopter and the Inheritance both at once enjoy his father and the inheritance both at once till the adopting father be dead what is left him by the Adoptor doth not come into his hands But now herein lyeth another excellency of this Spirituall Adoption Every believer may at once enjoy both the Inheritance and the Father because he that adopteth him liveth for ever yea because his Father is his Inheritance So the truth standeth He that adopteth us to an Inheritance Himself is that Inheritance which he adopteth us to for we are adopted to the fruition of our God Psal 16. 5. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance So that here is Father and Inheritance joyned both together because the Father is the Inheritance Lastly In Civill Adoption it is but some petty Inheritances 5. They are poor petty things that we are here adopted to which men are adopted to by their adopting fathers some poor things it may be a Farm or Lordship or Mannor What if it be a Kingdom It is in comparison but a poor thing to that Inheritance which Christ hath adopted us to which we shall find described to the life 1 Pet. 1. 4. To an inheritance incorruptible undefiled that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you Here are the super-excellent properties of that Inheritance the consideration of which will exceedingly inhaunce this priviledge of Adoption First It is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an incorruptible inheritance 1. An incorruptible Inheritance Whatsoever Inheritances we have here below they are liable to corruption If a man's estate lie in Mony that may rust or the thieves may break through and steal it If in Cattle they may die if in Houses they may be burnt if in Lands an enemy may invade them But here is an Inheritance that cannot be corrupted because it lyeth in God For the Father is our Inheritance and the immortall God is not lyable to any corruption Secondly It is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Inheritance undefiled 2. An Inheritance undefiled There are few inheritances here below but some defilement sticketh to them they are either ill got or ill kept An Inheritance may be got by oppression or if not so yet there may be defilement in the keeping of it He that commeth to inherit it may behave himself oppressively If when riches encrease the heart commeth to be set upon them there will be defilement with the inheritance But here is an Inheritance undefiled No unclean thing shall enter into heaven not so much as a Serpent to tempt in that Paradise that is above Mahomet telleth his followers of a defiled inheritance wherein there shall be a great deal of filthiness But Christ hath provided another kind of Inheritance for his which is without sin undefiled Thirdly It is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Inheritance that 3. An Inheritance that fadeth not away fadeth not away a Metaphor taken from flowers The beauty of a flower and the sweetnesse of it is quickly gone withereth in a moment and fit for nothing then but to be cast away So it is with all other temporall Inheritances they lose their glory after a while they cease to minister that content which a man hoped to have found in them which may be had at the first possessing of them yea all the glory of the world is like the flower of the field that fadeth away But herein lyeth the excellency of this Inheritance it fadeth not away It is a flower that never withereth their joyes are alwaies flourishing a continuall spring of flourishing consolations ariseth from the enjoyment of God and every day sweeter and sweeter Fourthly It is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an inheritance 4. An Inheritance reserved reserved We cannot say so of temporall inheritances they may be gone A trick at Law may put a man out of his estate he may be wrangled out of it by some device or other an enemy may come and spoile him of it he can have no assurance Though men purchase houses and lands for themselves and their heirs for ever alas how soon are some men dead and gone and it may be the next generation knoweth no such houses or lands nor no such men But here is an inheritance reserved All the Devills in hell shall never wrangle a man out of This Possession reserved Lastly It is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an inheritancc reserved 5. An Inheritance reserved in Heaven in heaven which is still a farther addition Whatsoever is in Heaven is excellent Many fading things are on earth The least thing in heaven is above the best things in the world And it is a consideration that addeth much to the sweetnesse of the Inheritance to consider where it lyeth As Who would not rather desire to have a small competency of land in England amongst his own friends where he was born than to have much in the Indies amongst strangers It is an Inheritance reserved in heaven which is our Country the Believer's home Every man is born from above 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his kindred live in Heaven his Father is there and his Mother there We are strangers upon earth therefore our inheritance is in heaven which is much more worth than our inheritance below So excellent is this Inheritance Therefore how great is this love of Christ in giving us this priviledge to become the sons of God Secondly Let us learn from hence to judge of our How to know whether we be the sons of God estates how things stand between God and us whether we be sons and daughters yea or no nothing concerneth us more Therefore time spent in this scrutiny will be profitable Our Sonship is evidenced two waies By way of Testimony and By way of Inference First By way of Testimony So we come to know our 1. By the witnesse of the Spirit selves to be sons and daughters by the witnesse of the Spirit which ye read of Rom. 8. 16. The Spirit it self beareth witnesse to our spirits that we are the children of God This Spirit it is that keepeth the Records of Heaven The holy Ghost is conscious to all the secrets of God knoweth what names are written in the book of life therefore he is able to make them known to us None but the Son of God can Redeem and none but the Spirit of God can Assure so as to make your Evidences clear and infallible and above all doubt and fear But this doth not now lie so clear in my way Secondly It is therefore evidenced by way of Inference Vers 8 9. Our Sonship dependeth upon our receiving 2. By way of Inference Christ It may be inferred from hence As many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God Therefore every son of God hath received him and every one that hath received him may know himself to be the Son of God This I shall insist upon hoping you will excuse me
though I be a little large in it To help you in your search I shall endeavour to shew what it is to receive Jesus Christ aright because your sonship hangeth upon the having or not having Jesus Christ Give me leave therefore to tell you First What it Supposeth Secondly What it Includeth Thirdly What it Produceth That by laying all together ye may come to some estimate of your own condition First It Supposeth certain Acts of the Understanding Secondly It Includeth certain Acts of the Will Thirdly It produceth certain Effects to bear witnesse to the truth of the former Acts. First Receiving Christ supposeth certain Acts of men's 1. To receive Christ supposeth certain Acts of the Understanding understanding their Graces Father sanctifie them through thy truth thy Word is truth I say certain acts of the understanding namely certain due apprehensions concerning diverse particulars I shall name to you which in an ordinary course we come to have the knowledge of before we come to receive Christ I speak not what the work of God hath in the souls of Infants when he conveyeth Christ to them but in an ordinary course when men and women come to years there are certain precedent apprehensions of the understanding First Concerning the Person and Office of Jesus Christ 1. The Person and Office of Christ is to be understood No man receiveth he knoweth not what We receive not Christ till we desire him Ignoti nulla cupido and we desire him not till we know him The soul first cometh by the Spirit of Christ to have some apprehensions wrought concerning the Person of Christ to know him as God-Man the Word made flesh The Man-God onely Suffering as Man Satisfying as God There lyeth much in this in the right apprehension of Christ's Person which is the object of our faith as it justifyeth As they say of marriage-contracts If there be a mistake of the person the Contract is not valid as if by some way of deceit when the Contract cometh to be made up another woman be brought in the habit and room of that party to whom the man intendeth to contract himselfe here is an errour of person As it was with Laban that gave to Jacob Leah under colour of Rachell and that made void the marriage How can a soul be married to Christ and mistake the person and not know what Christ is nor acknowledge his Godhead Here is an errour of the person Christ is another kind of person than they take him for As there must be knowledge of the person of Christ so of his office too We must know him as the great Priest our sacrifice No other sacrifice would have served our turn and none could have offered that sacrifice but himselfe The Eternall spirit offered himselfe without spot to God The Priest sacrificing and The Priest interceding These are the two great parts of his Priestly office And so know him as our Prophet guiding us by the Word This is my beloved Son hear him guiding us by his spirit We shall be all taught of God And as King ruling us and subduing our Enemies under his feet Secondly It supposeth due apprehensions about the nature 2. It supposeth due apprehensions about the nature and danger of sin and danger of sin For till men have some consideration about this they do not use to look out for a Saviour Therefore the first thing the spirit of God doth when he cometh to convert is to convince He shall convince the World of sin because they believed not on me To let men see sin as for its nature extreamly odious That there are two great evils in it Aversion fron God and Conversion to Sin defined the Creature Jer. 2. 13. Ye have committed two great evils by forsaking Me the fountain of living waters and hewing to your selves Cisterns yea broken Cisterns that will hold no water And for the danger of it It is such as exposeth men to eternall death And till this be seen there will be no 3. It supposeth due apprehensions about rhe necessity of a Saviour looking out for Remedy where Justice is wages must be paid Now God is just therefore sin is dangerous Thirdly It supposeth due apprehensions about the necessity of a Saviour which followeth upon the sight of sin Acts 16. 30. The convinced Gaoler cryed out Sirs what shall I do to be saved Till men come to be sensible of their spirituall drought they never look out for the waters of life It is not every cut-finger that causeth a man to send to the Chirurgion nor every head-ache that maketh him to go to the Physitian but when he is wounded when he is sick to death then send for the Chirurgion for the Physitian when sin lieth heavy upon the soul then they make out for Christ Those that scoffed at Noah all the while he was building the Ark when the Deluge was come indeed when they saw no other shift then they cried out A World for an Ark. When we are ready to be turned over the Ladder pardon then is pardon indeed Fourthly It supposeth some due apprehensions about 4. It supposeth no salvation by any thing or person but by Christ the utter impossibility of obtaining salvation by any thing or by any person but by Christ alone That which Peter taught Acts 4. 12. Neither is there salvation in any other for there is no other Name under Heaven given amongst men by which we must be saved If there were another way open for salvation then there were no such necessity of receiving Christ but seeing this is not onely a way but the onely way of Gods appointment seeing as Naomi once said to her daughters in Law when they would needs follow her Why saith she Ruth 1. 11. Have I any more sons in my Womb that they may be your Husbands So Hath God any more sons in the Womb of his Eternall decree but Christ alone that they may be Mediators for us Seeing there is no Saviour but He therefore there is an utter impossibility of obtaining salvation by any other person or thing besides When the soul cometh to see this it maketh way for the receiving of Christ As for all the Creatures David saith No man can by any means redeem the soul of his brother from death he must let that alone for ever There is no man or means or ordinances but all say of salvation as Job bringeth them in speaking of wisdome Job 28. 13 14 15. Where shall wisdome be found where is the place of understanding Men know not the price thereof nor is it found in the Land of the living The deep saith It is not in me and the sea saith It is not with me It cannot be got for Gold neither shall Silver be weighed for the price thereof So may I say of Salvation Who knoweth the price thereof where shall salvation be found where is the place of happinesse The Law saith It is not
is there is a farther thing then restraining grace there is holinesse of life Ephes 4. 24. That ye put on that new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse Now holinesse goeth farther than to the abstaining from some evill and doing of some good Holinesse reacheth to the mortification of lust where there is a new man created after holinesse lust will be pursued not onely to imprisonment but to death The Woolf is not onely tied up but turned into a Lamb the Sow is not onely put into a pasture but changed into a Sheep A woolf tyed up doth not so much mischief as before a Sow in a pasture is not so swinish and filthy as when it walloweth in the mire but their natures still remain So it is in restraining grace their natures are the same if not some change in their conversation Where the new-birth is there is a change of the heart and a new nature wrought therefore men do duties with delight and constantly Men look at lusts now not as David did at Absolom but as Joab did at Absolom that I may use that comparison Asolom he rebelled ye know David and Joab they both set themselves against him but so as David though he could not but be displeased with Absolom's rebellion yet he carrieth affection towards him and desireth that the young man may be dealt gently withall On the other side Joab when he getteth an opportunity throweth dart upon dart and never 2 Sam. 18. 14. leaveth till he hath slain him So ye have many a man that hath some work of grace upon his heart that yet hath a months mind and longing after sin he would have his sin supprest as David would have Absolom but yet Absolom must live though a rebellious son Many would have sin supprest that it may not expose them to hell and damnation but all this while their sins must live But the new creature is carried out with hatred against sin therefore it is not content without its destruction Mortifie your earthly members saith the Apostle Such a sin saith the regenerate soul will have my death therefore I will have its death I will not be content till it be crucified with the lusts and affections thereof I shall now proceed to the 14 Verse Vers 14. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us and we beheld the glory thereof as the glory of the onely begotten Son of the Father full of Grace and Truth Heretofore the Evangelist having proved the Divinity of Christ's manifestation in the flesh and the glory of his Person in both Natures Jesus Christ he commeth now to tell us of his manifestation in the flesh and of the glory of his Person consisting of both Natures So as this Verse calleth to us for attention because it holdeth forth the Object of our faith the Person of Christ in both his Natures And certainly every soul that is married to Christ will be affected with his Person and therefore desirous to hear of that The difference between a wife and a harlot is The wife desires and loveth the husband's person therefore careth not for his tokens unlesse his person be enjoyed The harlot loveth the token and careth not for the person It is the property of the Spouse not to be content with the Love-tokens of Christ but with the Person of Christ And concerning him ye have four things laid down here First The Incarnation of Jesus Christ The Word was made flesh Secondly His Conversation on earth And dwelt amongst us Thirdly Here is a speciall manifestation of his glory And we behold his glory as the glory of the onely begotten of the Father Fourthly The singular Qualifications of his Person Full of grace and truth First I shall begin with the Incarnation of Christ in these words And the Word was made flesh A Clause out of which Bees may suck hony and Spiders may gather poison These words have been a stumbling-block to many Hereticks and on the other side a sure and strong hold to many Saints Some think that when the children of Israel were in the land of Goshen and had some Egyptians mixed with them at the same time the Scriptures are light to Saints darknesse to unbelievers Hebrewes drew wholesome waters out of the fountains and the Egyptians bloody water at the same springs and that it was dark to the Egyptians in the same house and light to the Hebrewes If so me-thinks It affordeth that which may lead us into the Consideration of this and the like places of Scripture Hereticks have darknesse and Believers light The one draweth bloody waters and the other wholesome waters out of the same Text of Scripture as ye shall hear in the application what use may be made of this Clause Apollinarius saith That because the Word was made flesh Therefore Christ took upon his flesh the body but not the soul of a man Three things are here to be declared to you First Who is meant by the Word Secondly What is meant by the Flesh Thirdly In what sense the word was made Flesh First The divine nature of Christ is in the Word Secondly The human nature of Christ The Flesh Thirdly The personall union The Word made Flesh These are mysteries by some more spoken of and lesse understood Things that we cannot be ignorant of without danger nor discourse of without all Reverence Things that no Eloquence of man can reach no soul of man apprehend in the full latitude of them Yet some thing we shall speak hereof by God's assistance First Who is here meant by the Word I answer the 1. By the Word is meant the second Person in the Trinity second person in the Trinity so called in that known place There are three that bear witnesse in Heaven the Father and the Word and the Spirit and these three are one 1 Joh. 5. 8. The same person that is called the word in the beginning of this Chapter is said to be with God I shall not speak of that because heretofore I have been large in it but come to the second Secondly What is here meant by Flesh Flesh signifieth 2. By Flesh is meant the whole man the whole man in diverse places of Scripture Man ye know consisteth of two parts which are sometimes called flesh and spirit and sometimes called soul and body Now by a Synecdoche either of these parts may be put for the whole sometimes the soul is put for the whole man As when it is said there were so many souls in the Act. 27. 37. Gen. 46. 27. ship with Paul And seventy souls went down into Egypt with Jacob sometimes flesh or body is put for the whole man Rom. 12. 1. I beseech you brethren by the Mercies of God offer up your bodies a living sacrifice That is offer up your selves And sometimes flesh which is the word in the Text Rom. 3. 20. Therefore by the deeds of the Law shall
said to purchase the Church with his blood because that Person which was God had blood to shed according to his human Nature though it was sanguis humanus yet it was sanguis Dei It was human blood yet the blood of that Person which was God as well as Man Now the ground of all this is that personall union The Word being made flesh Divines have laboured much to make this clear therefore have invented divers Comparisons I shall tell you of one or two of them They suppose a flaming fiery Sword here is a union of the metal and of the fire that are met together in this sword and therefore there may be a communication of the properties This fiery thing may be said to cut and this sharp thing may be said to burn because they are so united in one sword Or thus They suppose a man under two capacities one and the same man that hath skill in two Sciences suppose he is both a good Physitian and a good Lawyer Now one may in propriety of speech say This Physitian is a Lawyer and this Lawyer is a Physitian because both meet in one man A man may say This Physitian is a diligent follower of his Clyent 's businesse and this Lawyer is very good at curing his Patients Or thus A branch of a Vine is graffed into the stock of an Olive-tree and that so as it takes of each tree both the Vine-branch and the Olive bear according to their severall natures yet are in the union both of one tree but both Grapes and Olives grow upon it One may say This Vine beareth good Olives and this Olive-tree beareth good Grapes because united in one tree So it is in respect of the Manhood united to the Godhead This Son of Mary made the world and this Son of God shed his blood upon the Crosse But no more of this The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the onely begotten of the Father full of Grace and Truth I now go on to what remaineth And dwelt amongst us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word signifieth properly Dwelling as in a Tabernacle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth a Tent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth to dwell in a Tent or Tabernacle Then this Clause Dwelt amongst us is capable of a three-fold sense though as I suppose but one is here intended There is a Mysticall sense of these words a Spirituall sense a Civill sense First A Mysticall sense and according to that this 1. The Divinity of Christ dwelt in the human Nature phrase Dwelt amongst us is an amplification of the former The Word was made flesh and implyeth this That the Divinity of Christ dwelleth in the human Nature as in a Tabernacle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in us the plurall number noteth the human Nature and implieth as diverse go this way especially the Greek Fathers and the Arabick and Syriack all give this sense of this place to intimate That the habitation or dwelling that Christ assumed to himself was not the Person of man but the Nature of man and therefore dwelt in us There is a place of Scripture that seemeth to favour this sense Col. 2. 9. where ye find it thus said In him dwelleth all the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily As if so be he should have said The Godhead dwelt in the body of Christ as in a tabernacle or tent which it had erected for its own habitation Dwelt and dwelt bodily Secondly There is a Spirituall sense of this Clause and 2. Christ dwelleth in us by his Spirit according to that the meaning is this Dwelt in us namely by his Spirit by influence from heaven and this way Cajetan goeth Lest men should suspect saith he because of what was said before The Word was made flesh that now we are to have none but fleshly communion with the Son of God Though It was made flesh yet he dwelt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in us by his Spirit and conversed with us in that respect and this is implyed in the Praeposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We say not inter nos but in nobis If he had meant it of Christ's dwelling in the world he would have said Inter nos but he saith In nobis that implyeth a communication of himself to our inward man according to that sense which other Scriptures hold forth That Christ-Man dwelleth in our hearts by faith Ephes 3. 17. 2 Cor. 6. 16. God hath said I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people Thirdly There is a third sense of these words that is a 3. By his conversing amongst us Civill sense Dwelt amongst us that is Conversed amongst us as one man converseth with another He took upon him the form of a servant and was in the likenesse of man and carried himself for about 33 years upon earth as a man This is his dwelling amongst us and that is the most proper sense in this place though there be a truth in all the former yet neither of them is here intended not the First which I call the Mysticall sense because the human Nature of Christ was not assumed like as a Tabernacle or Tent which is pitched for a while and then removed but as a Mansion The Divinity took up his habitation forever in the human Nature Christ now continueth and shall for ever as true Man as he was when he was born of the Virgin Mary In that place Col. 2. 9. the Apostle useth another word where he saith that all the fulnesse of the Godhead dwelleth in him bodily the word is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as in a Tabernacle but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as in a Mansion and abiding place He so took the human Nature as never to lay it down again Therefore not as in a Tabernacle As for the Spirituall sense that cannot well be the meaning here Though it be true that Christ dwelleth in the hearts of his Saints and converseth with their spirits yet the Evangelist speaketh of some kind of habitation amongst men but this kind of habitation dwelling in our hearts was that which was usually in the Word from the beginning of the world so he dwelt amongst the Jewes for they were his beloved people long before he was Incarnate Besides this was ceased when the Evangelist wrote The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 habitavit in the Praeterperfect Tense If ye take it of Christ's conversing amongst men upon the face of the earth he did dwell amongst them so but he did not dwell amongst them at this time that was past but his dwelling in his Spirit amongst us that is not past Joh. 6. 56. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him It remaineth therefore that the sense of this place is plainly thus not to seek into abstruse senses The
We beheld his glory which is the shining forth of excellency such appeared in Christ The specification of that Object What kind of glory Why the glory as of the onely-begotten of the Father Ye read in Scripture of severall sorts of glory There is the glory of the Celestiall bodies the Sun 1. Glory of Celestiall bodies Moon and Stars of which it is said 1 Cor. 15. 41. There is one glory of the Sun another glory of the Moon and another glory of the Stars for one Star differeth from another in glory We read of the glory of Man 1 Pet. 1. 24. All flesh is 2. Glory of Man grasse and all the glory of man as the flower of the grasse The glory of Man because as the Stars and Sun and Moon excell inferiour bodies so they excell the Beasts there is a shining forth in him beyond what is in the creatures that have no reason We read likewise of the glory of the Angels who are 3. Glory of Angeis therefore called the Cherubims of glory Heb. 9. 5. And over it the Cherubims of glory shadowing the Mercy-seat of which we cannot now speak particularly But there is beyond all these for all these are but created 4. The Glory of God Glories there is the glory of God of which he himself saith He will not give it to any other This is the Glory of which we read in the Text He will not give it to another Isa 42. 4. I am the Lord that is my name and my glory will I not give to another I but Christ was himself of the same Nature with himself therefore the glory they saw in Christ was the glory as of the onely-begotten of the Father Some difference is in these words First In that Christ is said to be the onely begotten Do Object 1st we not read in the thirteenth Verse of this Chapter of other children of God which were born not of blood nor of flesh nor of the will of man but of God How then is Christ the onely begotten seeing God hath other children and other begotten children too That will not serve the turn to say We are adopted Christs as his begotten Saith James Jam. 1. 18. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth that we should be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures If God hath begotten us how then is Christ the onely begotten of the Father I answer Out of this place of St. James Of his own will Answ 1st begat he us There lyeth the differences Christ is the begotten of the Nature of the Father we are begotten of the Will of the Father Of his own will begar he us Christ is a Son of eternall generation we are sons by adoption He begotten of his Nature and we begotten of his Will And so in that sense Christ is the onely begotten because the onely Naturall Son of God Still here is a farther difference We beheld his glory as Object 2d the glory of the onely begotten of the Father In this Particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which is but as another thing is not the same thing simile non est idem Why now we hold out and that according to truth that the glory of Christ was the very self-same glory which God the Father had the self-same glory which is due to God is due to the Son of God Therefore it is here said It was the glory as of the onely begotten For that you must know that the Hebrew Caph and the Answ 2d Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is two-fold there is a two-fold As in Scripture one of Similitude the other of Identity There is as Similitudinis Veritatis an as of comparison As for example If one shall see a Noble-man richly attired and bravely attended to go through the streeets and say Such a Noble-man goeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a King here is an as of similitude If the King himself should be going to Parliament in great state we may truly say of him he goeth in state 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a King Here is an as of Verity and Identity The former was but an as of similitude Aand there are many places of Scripture where as doth not note a likenesse but the self-samenesse as I may so speak an Identity It is said of John the Baptist that all the people looked at him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a Prophet Matth. 14. 5. When * Herod he would have put him to death he feared the multitude because they counted him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a prophet Do you think the multitude looked at John as if he had been something like a prophet No they took him for a Prophet indeed yea it is expressed they counted him for a prophet Phil. 2. 8. the Apostle speaking of Christ being found in fashion of a man he humbled himself What was not Christ really Man Yes But he being found 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in fashion as a man Here as is an as of Identity not an as of similitude As a man that is really so As a man that is the onely begotten Son of God that is really the onely begotten Son of God Ye have the words expounded Now for the proof of this The Disciples beheld the glory of Christ as the glory of the onely begotten Son of God you shall have their owne Testimony 1 Joh. 1. 1 2. That which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes which we have look't upon and our hands have handled of the Word of Life for the life was manifested and we have seen and bear witnesse and shewed unto you that Eternall Life which was with the Father and was manifested to us Other men To see Christ and to see into Christ is not the same thing they saw Christ as well as the Disciples did but not so much into Christ as the Disciples did As the Temple of Solomon was all beautifull without of costly work fair and comely stones but within it was all over-laid with Gold The Passengers that went by they could see the out side of the Temple and could not but acknowledge a beautifull frame but the Priests that served within they saw it all over-laid with Gold and so saw a farther beauty All the Jewes amongst whom Christ conversed might behold his out side but the Disciples had a farther in sight into Christ We beheld him that is we beheld him as the word of Life and saw his glory that is as of the onely begotten Son of God Whereas others saw his glory that is as of a Man that did many glorious things but these saw the glory of God through the Manhood For the farther manifestation of this I shall shew you in what things and at what time the Disciples beheld the glory of Christ and then proceed to Application First In what things 1. The things wherein Christ's glory appeareth 1. The glory of
to shine out of darknesse hath shined in our hears that we should give the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ Therefore in your attendance upon the Ministry of the Gospell let it be your aim still to see something of Christ's glory in it And do as the Disciples did We beheld his glory as in a Theater Let it be our care to view Christ and the things of Christ as they are represented to us in a Theater Ye know how greedy men are of such objects they cannot satisfie their eyes with seeing Pageants and such kind of showes besides things upon a Stage are seen with a great deal of delight Insomuch as Augustine when he would exphesse the joyes of Christians in the midst of their greatest sorrow hath this excellent expression of it Orantium dâ—lciores sunt lachrimae quà m omnium gaudia Theatrorum saith he The tears of praying Christians have morè sweetnesse in them than all the joyes of the Theaters or of the Stages Certainly there never came such a spectacle never such a thing to be viewed as the glory of Christ is never any thing so well worth the viewing Let it therefore be our care to do as the Apostle exhorts us to be looking up to Jesus That is very emphaticall Heb. 12. 2. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the crosse and despised the shame and is set down at the right hand of God The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which hath a double force in it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 looking off first and then looking upon We must look off from the world which our hearts are too much glued to and then look up to Jesus otherwise if we busie our minds too much with carnall things our hearts will be so full of the relish of them as we cannot savour of the things of God Certainly brethren we have presidents for this take Paul a man that busied himself in this great work of beholding the glory of Christ throughout his whole course after his conversion therefore he desired no other learnlng but Christ crucified 1 Cor. 2. 2. I determined not to know any thing amongst you save Jesus Christ and him crucified He valued no other wealth The knowledge of Christ to be preferred before all things but the knowledge of Christ Phil. 3. 8. I count all things but losse and drosse for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord for whom I have suffered the losse of all things and do count them but dung that I may win Christ Where was his learning and wealth and joy and great delight It was in the beholding of Christ he gloried in nothing else Gal. 6. 14. God forbid that I should glory save in the crosse of our Lord Jesus Christ Beloved the Crosse of Christ shall be our Crown if we love to make the glory of Christ our study Thirdly take this third use into your meditations of 3. Meditation on Christ's excellency raiseth our apprehensions above all created glories the excellency of Christ raising your apprehensions above all created glories for his glory is the glory as of the onely begotten of the Father Ye wrong Christ if your apprehensions of him be not higher than those you have of any creature His hath a glory far above theirs above the glory of the Celestiall bodies and the glory of Men above the Angels and Cherubims Therefore the Apostle taketh a great deal of pains to prefer Christ above the Angels that our thoughts may go beyond in the excellency of Christ above any other creatures Whence it is that Joh. 5. 23. all men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him So I have done with that Clause 4. The fourth thing in my Text remaineth that is The singular Qualifications of Christ's Person Full of Grace and Truth Christ was full of grace and truth That is our Observation All sorts of grace in Christ It pleased the Father saith the Apostle Col. 1. 19. that in him should all fulnesse dwell all fulnesse of all sorts of grace whether ye look to the kinds or degrees of grace the fulnesse of both sorts There were all kinds of grace in Christ Those graces which were scattered amongst the Saints one excelling in this grace another in that Moses in meeknesse Job in patience David in thankfulnesse and Joseph in chastity and so in the rest they are all united in Christ So for the measure and degrees of grace as he hath of all kinds so the utmost degree of every kind To Ministers graces are given in a scant proportion and measured out according as God hath allotted to every one his proportion as the Apostle speaks Ephes 4. 7. Unto every one of us is grace given according to the measure of the gift of Christ But to Christ himself it is above measure Joh. 3. 34. God gave not the Spirit by measure to him he doth not stand meting it out but poureth it out upon him So that look whatsoever grace a human nature void of sin is capable of that was all poured out upon Christ Full of grace It pleased the Father that in him should all fulnesse dwell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that it should be the mansion-house of all fulnesse so as there shall be no defect Adam was full of grace in his condition but fell from it and the Angels full but many of them turned Apostates but Christ hath no defect in his Nature it is a fulnesse and a dwelling fulnesse But this is too generall Full Of what Full of grace and full of truth First Of grace Grace is a word of various acceptation 1. Christ is ful of grace and admitteth of many distinctions I shall onely meddle with such as are applicable to this place Grace is twofold it is taken either Active or Passive There is Active-grace Gratia gratis dans Givinggrace Passive-grace Gratia gratis data Grace given Active grace is that good-will out of which God bestoweth his benefits upon the gratious Passive grace grace given is that which is bestowed either upon the body or upon the soul or upon the whole person First A grace bestowed upon the bodies of men and r. Grace bestowed upon the bodies of men that is Beauty which properly cometh under the notion of grace in that sense Favour is deceitfull and beauty is vain Prov. 31. 30. Gratia fallax est saith the Latine translation grace is deceitfull taking grace for beauty So the Heathens they called those goddesses of theirs Charites the Graces That is grace upon the body but that is the lowest Secondly There is grace bestowed upon the Soul and 2. Upon rhe Soul those are rather Gifts tending to Edification as gifts of Prophecy and the like or to Salvation as
come to good inclinations in the Will they are received Phil. 2. 13. It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure Come from good inclinations of the Will to good words in the Mouth why God puts them in too or we cannot have them Isa 50. 4. The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned that I should know how to speak Come from good words to good works by which our words are made good we fulfill in our actions what we professe they are also received Without me ye can do nothing saith Joh. 15. 5. Christ He doth not say It is but little but Nothing just nothing without me These good works they have different successes every degree of success is received Paul plants and Apollos watereth but it is God that giveth the success 1 Cor. 3. 6. Nay to make it appear that the successe is given that increase is freely dispenced ye shaall often find God giving more success to meaner labours than to greater more success to men of weak abilities than to men of strong abilities because he will have success free as well as any thing else As it was between Rachel and Leah Rachel was the fairer but Leah the fruitfuller Rachel had more beauty but Leah more children Now to come to the Use which the Apostle hath made Use to my hands Whatsoever we have is received Away then Against boasting and proud Opinions with boasting 1 Cor. 4. 7. Who made thee to differ from another What hast thou that thou hast not received Now if thou didst receive it why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it Away with all proud opinions of men that ascribe something to the creature and something to themselves that they have not received of free grace There is a great deal of difference between habit acquired and habit infused Men speak of grace as if it were an acquired habit and so ascribe much to themselves and do not take all as received Indeed in acquired habits the actions well performed have a kind of casualty in them as if a man learneth to write his frequent habit bringeth him to write But it is otherwise in infused habits there we have first the habit then perform the act You have first the habit that we receive then the acts are produced and all is of God As they say of the soul Grace frames all of it self the free grace of God doth all in the soul plants the habit then draweth it forth into act and then blesseth those acts and then crowneth all And what is the Crown Why his own work in us God crowneth nothing in us but what he giveth us It is so from first to last All is grace Therefore there is no boasting Away then with proud opinions and glorying of our selves in our conversation The truth is this corruption of nature though it vent it self much in opinion yet more in practise It is too common a fault for men to play the Swan when they look into the whiteness of their own bosoms without considering the blackness of their feet Whence is that whiteness received if there be any whiteness It is from God therefore glory not as if thou hadst not received Yet glory in God but not in thy self There is that which will make us to play the Judas with Christ Christ giveth a bag to Judas and Judas will filch from Christ Christ giveth us grace and we are apt to pocket up all for our selves We derive all from Christ and yet many times we take upon us as if we had it out of our own Cisterns This I did and said and this was done by my endeavours Oh! What hast thou that thou hast not received The Moon receiveth all its light from the Sun and yet the Moon eclipseth the Sun as much as in her lyeth Seeing we receive all from Christ let him have thé praise of all we have and hope for Let this break the pride of our hearts Beggars must be no boasters Of his fulness have we all received even grace for grace Vers 17. For the Law was given by Moses but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ 18. No man hath seen God at any time The onely begotten Son which is in the bosome of the Father he hath declared him In this 17th Verse are contained two Assertions First That the Law was given by Moses Secondly That Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ Of these I shall not here speak any thing nor of the opposition which is here made by some between these two Whereas Christ and Moses the Gospel and the Law are here opposed by way of Comparison the one as more excellent than the other Diverse mistake them as opposed by way of Controversie as the one excluding the other and so gather from hence That under the Gospel we have nothing to do with the Law That The grace and truth that came by Jesus Christ doth quite destroy and abolish the Law that came by Moses We might here distinguish of a four-fold estate of Man A state of Innocency A state of Corruption A state of Preparation A state of Grace And also of the severall uses of the Morall Law First To justifie Secondly To discover sin and guilt Thirdly To prouoke to sin Fourthly To condemn for sin Eifthly To lead to Christ 1. The Law of use to have justified Adam 2. To provoke and condemn in the state of Corruption 3. To lead Sixthly To direct in the waies of holiness First The Law was of use to have justified Adam in the state of Innocency but could never justifie any man since Secondly The Law is still of use to provoke and to condemn in the state of Corruption Thirdly In the state of Preparation the Law is still of use as a School-master to lead us to Christ us to Christ in the state of preparation 4. Of little use to condemn and of no force to provoke in the state of grace 5. Of use to correct in that state as a rule of life Fourthly It is of small use to Condemne and of no force to provoke in the state of grace But yet Fifthly even in the state of grace it is of use to correct and so it is a rule of Life All these I might discover to you by diverse arguments But my intension is to consider such places as are objected to the contrary and then to come to the Application Gal. 3. 19. seems to imply that the Law was to continue no longer then till the coming of Christ Wherefore then serveth the Law It was added because of transgression till the seed should come to whom the promise was made If by seed we understand Object Christ as is likely Then it doth rise higher the Law was added because of Transgression till the seed should come but then it was to continue no longer But the answer is not difficult First If ye understand Answ
excellent speech which he writeth concerning this subject of seeing God in his hundred and twelfth Epistle where he had disputed largely about this thing he taketh himself off and saith Let us be wise â—o sobriety and not be too full of heat In the carrying on of this Argument let us dispute fairly lest while we seek in a way of contention and bitternesse how God may be seen we lose that peace without which God cannot be seen Follow peace and holiness without which it is impossible to see the Lord. I come now to the second thing the Intimacy of Christ The Intimacy of Christ with his Father with the Father which lyeth in these words The onely-begotten Son which lyeth in the bosome of the Father Christ is the onely begotten Son that is in the bosom of the Father that lyeth clearly in my Text. Of his being the onely begotten Son I shall need to say nothing now because I spake before to it upon the fourteenth Verse And the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us and we beheld his glory as of the onely begotten of the Father full of grace and truth This expression is to be opened here Which is in the bosome of the Father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is not which was to be before the Incarnation or which was to be in the bosome of the Father after the Ascension but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is in the bosome of the Father When these words were uttered and in every moment of time yea from eternity Christ is in the bosom of the Father The phrase I take it implyeth these three things The unity of Natures The dearnesse of Affections The communication of Secrets First It implyeth unity of Natures and so there is something 1. To be in the bosome of the Father implyeth unity of Natures more in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more in unity of Natures then distinction of Persons In the bosome of the Father The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But for the unity of Natures they use 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus the bosome is the child's place Look to the Scripture-expressions Ye find Moses speaking of himself as a father carrying Israel as a child in his bosome Numb 11. 12. Have I conceived all this people have I begotten them that thou shouldest say unto me Carry them in thy bosom And so in Nathan's Parable 2 Sam. 12. 3. A poor man had nothing save onely a little ewe-lamb which he had brought and nourished up and it grew up together with him and with his children it did eat of his own meat and drank of his own cup and lay in his bosome and was unto him as a daughter A daughter in the bosome And so accordingly here The onely begotten Son that is in the bosome of the Father to shew the unity of Natures that is between the Father and the Son Christ being God co-equall with the Father Secondly As it implyeth unity of Natures so it implyeth 2. It implyeth dearnesse of Affection dearnesse of Affection Bosom as it is for children so for nearness of Relation The wife of thy bosome and The husband of thy bosome Deut. 28. 54. His eye shall be evill towards the wife of his bosome and verse 56. Her eye speaking of a wife shall be evill against the husband of her bosome Because of those dear affections which that nearnesse of Relation as that of Marriage calleth for between man and wife John the beloved of the Lord ye find him lying nearest Christ even in his bosome Joh. 13. 23. And there was leaning on Jesus his bosom one of his disciples whom Jesus loved The posture of leaning upon Christ's bosome was an argument that Christ loved him In this sense Jesus is the Son of the Father's bosome because the Son of the Father's love He shall translate us into the kingdom of the Son of his love This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased saith the Voice from heaven Matth. 3. 17. Thirdly Being in the bosome implyeth communication 3. It implyeth communication of Secrets of Secrets the bosome is a place for them It is a speech of Tully to a friend that had betrusted him with a secret Crede mihi c. Believe me saith he what thou hast committed to me it is in my bosome still I am not ungirt to let it slip out But Scripture addeth this hint too where it speaketh of the bosome as the place of Secrets Prov. 17. 23. A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosome to pervert the waies of judgment speaking of a bribe Prov. 21. 14. A gift in secret pacifieth anger and a reward in the bosome expiateth wrath Here is secret and bosome all one as gift and reward are one So Christ lyeth in the Father's bosome this intimateth his being conscious to all the Father's secrets So have ye an opening of this phrase Much is to be learned from it 1. Give the same Worship to Christ as to the Father First Seeing Christ's being in the bosome of the Father implyeth unity of natures this should teach us to give the same worship to Christ as we give to the Father because there is the same nature in both It is that that Christ expecteth and calleth for Joh. 5. 23. The Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgment to the Son that all men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him Jesus Christ requireth the same honour which we give to God the Father it is fit he should have it and it is fit this honour should be pleaded for now in this age wherein many plead against the Divinity of Christ We should give him the same honour that we give to the Father Heb. 1. 6. When he bringeth him in as the first-born of the world he saith Let all the Angels in heaven worship him If they then how ought all the world to worship him We should give him the honour of Invocation praying to him as Stephen did when they stoned him he called upon God and said Lord Jesus receive my spirit As with Worship and Invocation so with Faith It is said that Abraham gave glory to God by believing in him We should give honour to Christ by exercising the act of believing in him this he called for Let not your hearts be troubled ye Joh. 14. 1. Christ the proper object of Faith believe in God believe also in me He is the proper object of faith as he justifieth Circumferentia fidei est Verbum Dei sed Centrum est Deus The whole Word of God is the circumference of faith every thing learned in it is to be believed But the center of faith as the Word justifieth that is the Word God that is Jesus Christ blessed for evermore Secondly His being in the bosome