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
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
this Tomb for nothing And so indeed the creature hath no satisfaction in it A man comes and thinks to find much and he hath there nothing but a sad lesson for himself to carry away with him Wherefore let us no longer play the Prodigall seeing there is bread in our Father's house let us not go to feed upon husks the creatures are no better All is vanity and worse they are not onely vanity but vexation of spirit which ariseth from the disappointment of a man's hopes when a man is vexed when he is frustrated looks for much and finds a little That is his case here a man looks for contentment and findeth trouble As our Saviour in the daies of his flesh it is said He went to the fig-tree expecting Mar. 11. 13. fruit and found none therefore he was provoked and cursed the tree Many a one leaves the creature with a curse which he sought after with expectation of satisfaction from it Oh! it is a cursed preferment and pleasure saith he even of that very thing which he thought would have fully satisfied his soul when he first enjoyed it But now this fulness of Christ is such as there is no vanity in it no vexation from it nay so far is it from vexation that it giveth satisfaction which nothing else can give Psal 36. 8. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatnesse of thy house and thou shalt make them to drink of the rivers of thy pleasure For vexation in the one here is satisfaction in the other and for those drops of pleasure which men find in the creature here is rivers of pleasure such are those everlasting joyes that are in Christ For the pleasures of the creature here are Rivers every man may have his fill If it were a Cistern an Army might come and empty that But here is enough therefore I need not to envy another's satisfaction there is enough for all that come to Christ I have now done with the first Observation of the first part of my Text. The Second hath diverse Branches The first that offers it self is the Partakers hereof and those are a great many We all saith the Apostle here We all have received even grace for grace A short Observation is to be taken from thence namely Observ That all the members of Christ are partakers of some spirituall endowments We all have received of his fulnesse Not one but Christ imparts something to in his measure Therefore it is clearly said by the Apostle Ephes 4. 7. Unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ Here is grace and grace to every one and grace from Christ to every one yet to every one in his measure not alike measure to all but some measure to each One star saith the Apostle differs from another in glory Not a Star but receiveth light from the Sun the 1 Cor. 15. 41. one receiveth more light than the other Therefore there is a different glory in the Stars The Lord Jesus shineth upon every believing soul but not upon every one in a like lustre You know there was a time when Esau question'd his father's store strongly Hast thou but one blessing my father Gen. 27 38 but no man needeth to question the store of this everlasting Father he hath more blessings than one he hath some blessings Christ hath blessings for every Member for every Member of his We have all received Therefore it is said Mal. 2. 15. And did not he make one yet had he the residue of the spirit Some read Abundance and some read Residue of spirit both well God hath given endowments of spirit to an hundred and he hath a residue of spirit for a thousand more and when he hath endowed a thousand thousands he hath a residue of spirit for ten thousand millions more Ephes 2. 5. Which is the head Even when we were dead in sins hath he quickned us together with Christ by grace ye are saved Here is one head but many members The Head is Christ the Believers are the members All the members of the body they are compact together saith this place The whole body is joyned together by the bones that meet in the joynts and let into one another Compact by that which every joynt supplieth So the souls of believers as they are all knit to Christ their Head so they are let into one another by a spirit of love And something every joynt supplieth therefore every joynt hath its particular work As there is a vegetative power in the soul that putteth forth it selfe to every member One member to the proportion of an arm another of an hand another of a finger So there is a working of the spirit of grace in the whole body of Christ that brings every member to its proportion one to this degree another to that which God hath predestin'd him to Therefore it is that the growth of every member upon the increase of the body helps to the edifying of it selfe in love Look then that as in the body every member shares with the soul that bringeth it to the perfection due to that member So doth every believer share with the spirit of Christ in some spirituall indowment fit for his station It may be of great use to us First It may serve as an Antidote against scornfulnesse and contempt Secondly As a spurre to improve First The consideration of this truth That all the members of Christ partake of some spirituall indowment We 1. Spirituall indowments are as Antidotes to keep us from scorning and contemning one another all have received serveth as an Antidote against scornfulnesse and contempt of one another If every man hath received his part Who art thou that despisest thy brother Prov. 17. 5. Who so mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker And he that is glad at Calamity shall not be unpunished It pleaseth God to make him so therefore to mock him is to reproach God so to contemn the poor Saint for want of those parts to expresse himselfe by that thou hast thy reproach is to the Spirit of God God hath purposely dispenced his gifts and graces so that there is no believer but hath some and none that hath all indowments in an eminent way None hath all that he may not think to stand alone And none but hath some that every one may have use of another that the highest should not contemn the meanest The head should not say to the foot I have no need of thee As it is in Countries Non omnes fert omnia Tell us one Country produceth Wines another Sugars another Spices God hath purposely so done this that one Kingdome might have interest one with another In the like manner God hath ordered things in his mysticall body and given to all his members severall indowments that they might not contemn one another As it is in a materiall building where there is a sort of stones laid
in consideration of this it may be of Use to us diverse waies as First Take it to pieces again In him was life as in the 1. In Christ is Life as in the Subject therefore fear and tremble before him Subject This should serve as a Canon to fear which we find called for in Daniel in this respect Dan. 6 26. I make a decree saith Darius that in every dominion of my kingdome men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel for he is the living God Let all fear and tremble before Christ for in him is life he is the living God What saith Paul Heb. 10. 31. It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God O therefore tremble before him There are hands of God into which it is a comfortable thing to fall There are mercifull hands of Christ which he stretcheth forth to poor sinners to invite them and call them in to himself but if we refuse the Call which he now maketh to us if all the benefits which those bountifull hands of his spread out amongst us scattered in our Congregations and in our Houses if all these allure us not then remember what followeth It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God one will follow upon the other If this mercifull hand cannot win us this destroying hand will be sure to reach us This maketh it fearfull because His is the living God Every death is the more fearfull by how much the more terrible the immediate Executioner of it is For a man to be drowned is more gentle than to be burnt Why Because Water is not so operative and active and quick as Fire Fire is a more raging element The wrath of God is the immediate Executioner of damned souls And what so terrible as that is If God live such souls must die And because God liveth for ever such souls must die for ever as fall into his revengefull hands Fear and tremble to offend Christ because such as fall into the hands of the living God must be miserable as long as he is happy and die as long as he liveth Secondly The consideration of this truth That in Christ is life as in a Fountain from whence all sorts of life are He is Life as in the Fountain therefore trust him seek him and depend upon him derived to the creatures according to their severall kinds may serve as a ground of faith First to put us upon trusting in Christ and seeking to him and depending upon him for all kinds of life Psal 36. 7th and 9th verses compared together The children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings vers 7. and the reason is rendred vers 9. For with thee is the fountain of life Therefore our trust should be in him because life is in him as in the Fountain Whither should he that wanteth water go but to the Fountain Carry Faith as the Bucket and then according to the bignesse of thy bucket shall be the proportion of thy water thou drawest from thence Life commeth in as Faith draweth from Christ Trust him for temporall life when we are sick and in dangers though means may be used and ought to be used there is no relying upon Physick Our utmost confidence must be in him from whom all life commeth Deut. 32. 39. I even I am he and there is no god with me I kill and I make alive I wound and I heal there is none that can deliver out of my hand And so for spirituall life when the pulse of Grace beateth slowly and unevenly Who shall we then depend upon for life but upon him that is the fountain of it the second Adam whom God hath made a quickning Spirit Secondly as it may be a ground of Faith at all times so 2. Therefore a ground of Martyrdom a ground of Martyrdom at any time when a man is called to seal the truth of his profession with his blood Now this being considered that life is in Christ as in the Fountain and derived from him to us this is a speciall ground to prevail with the soul to suffer it self even to be laid down for Christ Now he calleth for that life which he himself first gave we had it from him and now we are called to restore it to him the best husbandry that can be But to be provident of our lives in this case and to be over-thrifty is the way never to thrive as Christ saith Mar. 8. 35. Whosoever will save his life shall lose it Whosoever will lose his life for my sake and the Gospel's the same shall save it It is no such great matter Life is as common to brute beasts as to men and therefore when Christ calleth for it there is reason to part from it because he gave it It must be given up as a tribute to Nature What is it to part with it a little sooner as a sacrifice to Christ as a seal of our profession and as a pledge of our thankfulnesse It is not so much parting with it as restoring it to the Owner Thirdly it may serve as a ground of Encouragement Life 3. Therefore a ground of Encouragement is in Christ as in the Fountain therefore let all that wait upon Christ be encourag'd to expect life in abundance A great deal of complaining there is of dead hearts and dull spirits no life in the soul in duty or service Exercise Faith go to the Fountain for all and you shall have life and have it in abundance Christ doth not use to give niggardly when he is sued to It is said of Araunah All thâ—se things Araâ—nah gave as a King Christ giveth as a Saviour in this very particular Joh. 10. 10. I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly He giveth so as to give it in abundance It will not be amisse to spend some time in clearing of that that Christians may go away with encouragement Whether we speak of the severall sorts of life of Spirituall life for I will not speak of Naturall or to the severall blessings that accompany every sort of spirituall life which is all derived from one fountain I take them together that I may speak the more briefly of them There are five sorts of Spirituall life which are proper to Saints besides a Naturall life which is common to all Five sorts of Spiritual life men First There is a life of Reconciliation which standeth in 1. A life of Reconciliation opposition to the wrath of God The wrath of God that killeth but in the favour of God there is life saith the Psalmist Psal 30. 5. Thy anger endureth but for a moment but in thy favour is life This life is from Christ because it is he in whom he is well-pleased and through whom he is well pleased with us God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself If any Reconciliation it is in
we lost in the first Adam we shall have restored in the Second there is no other way to come by it but this The Mint in which Knowledge Holinesse and Joy are coyned it goeth in Heaven and no where else Christ is the Master of that Mint That you may be encouraged to seek to Christ for this set me tell you Beloved That if the Lord Jesus Christ be 1. Sweeter Knowledge by Christ then that we lost in Adam pleased to renew this Image in you and restore you to this state of light you shall have a sweeter Knowledge ye shall have a surer Holinesse and a more lasting Joy than Adam himself had in Paradise The light that the second Adam giveth is better in some respect than the light which the first Adam lost Ye shall know that which Adam never knew the heighth and depth and breadth and length of the love of God in Christ That which did not come within the compasse of Adam's knowledge to know what belonged to a Redeemer but that is made known to the Saints in whom the Image of God is renewed Ephes 3. 17 18 19. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith that ye being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and heighth and to know the love of God which passeth knowledge that ye might be filled with all the fulnesse of God Adam knew much of the love of God as a Creator but now we know the love of God as a Redeemer This must needs be a sweeter knowledge because this second is a greater love The misery of the person to whom love is shewed heightneth the love That which God in Christ Pitty in misery heightneth love sheweth to man fallen is love in mercy love joyned with mercy is greater love therefore the knowledge of this is sweeter knowledge And as ye shall have sweeter Knowledge so surer Holinesse 2. Surer Holinesse I do not say a purer Holinesse Adam was more pure in the state of Innocency than any man on this side Heaven he had no corruptions stirring in him But surer Holinesse That Holinesse which Adam had he was capable of losing it and did lose it That which Christ restoreth to them in whom this Image is renewed it is not left to their own keeping He himself keepeth it for them and no man shall take them out of his hand Joh. 10. 28. They shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand As it fareth sometimes with a man that hath broke his leg or arm if he light upon a good Chirurgion that setteth it well again the arm or leg is stronger than before the breaking of it and we say He fell into the hands of a good Chirurgion So we were broken in Adam but we have by Christ a stronger Holinesse than we had at first And so you shall have a more lasting Joy than you could 3. More lasting Joy have in the first Adam It was a joyfull state as ye have heard but how long endured it The Psalmist saith Sorrow endureth for a night but joy commeth in the morning Here joy endured for the morning and sorrow came at evening Some think Adam did not stand in his integrity a whole night sure he did not stand long but lost his joy presently That joy which is given to whom this Image is renewed is such as no man or devill can take from them Joh. 16. 22. You all shall rejoyce and your joy shall no man tâ—â—e from you Bernard saith Gaudium â—â—it in fine sed Gaudium sine fine It shall be joy in the end but it shall be a joy without end which Adam's was not This is the Generall Use There is another more Particular that is to such as are Particular Use restored to this Image of God and a new state of life from which Adam sell that they might walk as children of the light How is that The Exhortation ye have Ephes 5. 8. Ye were sometimes darknesse but now are ye light in the Lord Walk as children of the light That is Walk knowingly walk piously walk cheerfully for light includeth all these three Hath Christ restored you to what ye fell from First then Walk knowingly have a care to see your way 1. Walk Knowingly before you whatsoever ye do it upon warrantable and good grounds take up no Opinion upon trust follow no Principles without a warrant from the Scripture He that walketh in darknesse faith Christ Joh 12. 35. knoweth not whither he goeth And so Prov. 4. 19. The way of the wicked is as darknesse they know not at what they stumble So long as a man is in the dark he knoweth not whither he goeth nor at what he stumbleth he reeleth sometimes this way and sometimes that way runneth his head against a post or falleth into a ditch into this error or that He stumbleth now upon a mad Principle and then upon a bad Principle because he knoweth not whither he goeth In the dark there is no discerning of colours all things are alike fair So it is with men in the state of unregeneracy there is no difference between civility and grace between formality and truth between faith and fancy He that will walk as a child of light must discern of things that differ for It is light that maketh manifest Secondly As he must walk knowingly so Piously Put on saith the Apostle the armour of light and let us walk 2. Walk Piously honestly as in the day Rom. 13. 13. Would you know how Cast your eyes upon Ephes 5. 8 9 10. Walk as children of light For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodnesse and righteousnesse and truth proving what is acceptable to the Lord. This place sheweth you that the light of holinesse which is in the souls of the Saints it is a Prolificall Light which bringeth sorth fruit Walk as children of the light For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodnesse and righteousnesse and truth It is the light of the Sun that begeteth creatures which the light of a Candle doth not Many Creatures have no other father but the Light as Philosophers say Putredo mater Sol pater Putridity is the mother and the heat of the Sun that is the father of them So it is with all inferiour Lights they are like the light of a Candle the naturall light of Reason and the utmost improvement of naturall abilities this light make the best of it till it come to be supernaturall and to have infusion from Christ it hath no quickning power in it it will not reform a man's life it begets no work truly good Whereas the light of Holinesse like the light of the Sun it ingenders and bringeth forth good works The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodnesse Then there will be a proving of what is acceptable to the will of God Men will not
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