may well be promised in the whole sheafe which filleth the bosome And thus the holy Apostles had it from the time that Christ breathed on them saying Receive yee the holy Ghost Iohn 20.22 in some measure and so they might well love him in some sort and in some sort might keepe his Commandments and yet be capable of the promise of the Comforter in some more ample measure for all that so that now the doubt is answered and Christ may proceed to his Prayer and we to the consideration of the further particulars therein comprized Ego rogabo Patrem ille dabit c. In which words is a most materiall observation touching our faith in the blessed Trinity Here is the Article offered and set down in the three Persons 1. Ego 2. Ille 3. Altum Ego rogabo there is Christ the Sonne Jlle dabit He shal give there is God the Father personally named Ego rogabo Patrem ille dabit And alium Paracletum another Comforter a third person the Holy Ghost Here is then one Person praying the other prayed unto the third prayed for Filius orans Pater donans Spiritus consolans A most plaine ground for the point of the holy Trinity and a most evident distinction of the Persons And heere this prayer of Christ sets us to seeke his other Nature Here he intreats as inferiour to his Father which sheweth him perfectly man But in the 26. vers of the next Chapter as equall to his Father in the nature of God hee joyneth in this giving with like Authority Rogabo as Man Dabo as God when that Comforter shall come whom I will send unto you from the Father And thus finding the Father giving here and the Sonne sending there we have an infallible proofe of the proceeding of the Holy Ghost from the Father and from the Sonne And lastly the Deity of the Holy Ghost and his equality to the Father and to the Sonne are herein plainely demonstrated For our Saviour Christ in sending and procuring a Comforter in his absence must needs send and procure them one equall to himselfe one every way as good or else they had changed for the worse and so might well have prayed him to let his prayer alone they were better as they were and if he did not send them an equall Comforter they were like to be at a losse But our Saviour meant not so therefore he saith Another Comforter which shall abide with you for ever an everlasting Comforter from the everlasting Father the Prince of peace Isaiah 9.6 These things thus cleared I proceed to some doctrinall observations 1. That the Holy Ghost is not given but from the Father whose absolute gift he is for Ille dabit saith my Text according to that Luke 11.13 It is our heavenly Father that giveth the holy Ghost to them that aske it of him And therefore is he called The promise of the Father Luke 24.49 And that Spirit of Truth which proceedeth from the Father John 15.26 And in this Chapter ver 26 our Saviour stiles him The Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father saith he will send in my Name 2. With a grave Expositor I here observe Non dari Spiritum sanctum nisi interventu Christi Mediatoris That the Father giveth not the holy Spirit unto any but through the intercession of our blessed Lord the Sonne of the Father For Ego rogabo Patrem saith my Text ille dabit Therefore doth he stile himselfe the Doore beside whom there is no right entrance to the participation of this divine donation Ioh. 10.9 and Mat. 11.29 the easer of those that are weary and heavy laden who never finde true rest but in this comforter promised in the words of this Text therefore doth he stile himselfe the way the truth and the life in this chapter verse the sixth to shew us that there is no way to true life eternall but by this spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father and the Sonne no way to attaine this spirit but by the Sonnes intercession to the Father 3. It is worth your noting to whom this comforter is promised it is onely those who love Iesus Christ and keep his Commandements for so much the connexion of the two generals in my Text doth evidently demonstrate If ye love me c. J will pray Therefore saith our Saviour in the verses after my Text If any man love me he will keepe my word and my Father will love him and we will come in unto him and dwell with him How my Father will love him and we will come c. O quanta dignitas quantus honor Deum diligentibus mandata ejus observantibus saith an ancient Father of the Church What a dignity what an honour doth accuree to those who love God truely and keepe his Commandements What sweetnesse of comfort can be comparable to this by retaining the true love of God as a resident guest in the heart to have the blessed Comforter in my Text to have the blessed Trinity it selfe dwelling within us saith Arden acutely This is to have God the Father by the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ and the sacred influence of his sanctifiing Spirit ruling and reigning and residing in our hearts This is truely to make our soules and bodies Temples of the holy Ghost as St. Paul speake 1. Cor. 6.19 This is to acquire an infallible testimony to our owne soules that we are in Christ and Christ in us that the benefit of our Saviours prayer is extended to us as touching the comforter promised in my Text For he that keepeth his Commandements saith St. Iohu dwelleth in him and he in him and and hereby shall we know that he abideth in us even by that spirit of love and obedience even by that spirit which he hath given us 1. Ioh. 3.24 4. We may not omit to take notice that this blessed Spirit is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a comforter to intimate Christs intention in sēding him In the world yee shall have affliction but be of good cheare I have overcome the World Ioh. 16.33 and in the meane while I will pray unto the Father and he shall give you another comforter Indeede the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the originall as the learned in the Greeke Language well understand doth in the genuine etymology thereof signifie an advocate qui accusatis in necessitate constitutis adsit opem ferat proijs loquendo saith the Etymologist one that may assist and plead for such as are accused before a Iudge and stand in danger of a censure Therefore doth our Saviour exhort his Disciples when after his death they should be called before Kings and Princes for his name sake to flye to the advice and assistance of this holy Advocate for it is not ye that speake but the Spirit of God which speaketh in you saith our Saviour Mat. 10.18 19 20. That we might learn thence when in our
supplications to almighty God we shall finde our hearts to be straighted and our tongs defective in expressiō of our desires to fly for assistance to this heavenly advocate and to invocate him for he it is alone that helpeth our infirmities he maketh requests for the Saints according to the will of God saith St. Paul Rom. 8.26 27. And in this case doubtlesse shall the faithfull soule finde the benefit of this promise of our blessed Lord in my Text Ego rogabo patrem when the blustring stormes of adversity or affront of temptation shall winnow us as wheate as our blessed Lord told St. Peter Luke 22.31 Let us adhere in faith and obedience to this heavenly advocate as remembring that he which prayed for St. Peter hath prayed also for us and this his holy advocate shall speak in us and with us and for us fides non deficiet our faith shal not faile when that accuser of the brethren which is cast down into the earth shal serve thee with a subpoena in the court of thy owne conscience and shall set all thy sins in order before thee thereby raising within thee those tempestates mentis as Nazianzen stiles them those tempests in thy soule which shall shake the very foundation of thy faith religion cast out this shoot anchor thou maist ride out this storm have recourse to this heavenly advocate the comforter in my Text and thou shalt overcome all oppositions by the blood of the Lamb Rev. 12.10 11. He that said rogabo patrem I will pray unto the Father even he shall send thee helpe by this holy comforter whose presence shall appease all stormes as it was sayd of our blessed Saviour Mark 4.39 He shall rebuke the winde and say unto the waves peace and be still and the storme shal cease and a great calme shall follow Et ille dabit alium paracletum and he shall give thee another comforter that he might abide with thee for ever But may some man say quare aliuu◠paracletum why another comforter for is not this the same Spirit of God whereby the Patriarchs were taught to beleeve the Prophets were inspired and the Apostles guided in their Ministry while our Saviour lived amongst them I answer hee is doubtlesse the very same for He is the Lord that changeth not Mal. 3.6 But this distinction is added as the Fathers have well observed as to distinguish the Persons in Trinity so to proove the Deity of the Holy Ghost He is Alius Paracletus another Comforter because he is not the Father nor the Sonne but the Holy Ghost the third person in Trinity And yet it is also added to proove the Vnity of the Deity God equall with the Father and with the Son therefore it is said in the last words of my Text Manebit in aeternum He shall abide for ever But it is also said Vobiscum manebit He shall abide with you for ever ut intelligant Discipuli saith Musculus upon this place esse eum Consolatorem non temporarium sed aeternum That his Disciples might conceive of him as a Comforter not to abide with them for a while but with the Church of Christ for ever Ecce ego sum vobiscum omnibus diebus usque ad consummationem saeculi as Saint Jerome renders it Behold I am with you unto the end of the world Matth. 28. last vers What alwayes art thou with us even unto the end of the world blessed Saviour Oh suffer us to speake unto thee who are but dust and ashes Thy Apostle St. Peter hath taught us that the Heavens must containe thee untill that all things be restored Acts 3.21 It is true Oh blessed Iesus as thy holy Apostle hath taught us and Lord teach us ever to beleeve and retaine this truth that the Heavens shall containe thy body till the restauration of all things that so we may be preserved from that Antichristian errour of adoring thy bodily presence in a Wafer-cake But thou art still with us we acknowledge it and makest good thy promise untill this day For except thou oh Lord hadst beene present with me to inspire my weake meditations in the preparation of my selfe for the weighty imployment of this day and houre through the gracious influence of that blessed Comforter in our Text neither had my heart beene able to conceive nor my tongue to utter any thing for the glory of thy great Name the edification of thy people or the discharge of my duty And hadst not thou by thine especiall providence and mercy assembled these thy people in thy Name by the powerfull perswasion of the same most blessed Comforter Neither had they beene hearers of thy Word at this time We humbly praise thy holy Name for all thy mercies and particularly for that of this day and houre beseeching thee to adde the operation of thy blessed Spirit to these outward meanes in such free favour affoorded us and to perswade all our hearts that as we professe to love thee as thy Disciples so we may ever be carefull to expresse our love unto thee in a conscionable observance of thy holy Commandments that so we may be partakers of the comforts of thy gracious promise thy blessed Spirit of grace which may abide with us for ever Amen Even so come Lord Jesus And so I have done with the Text one word onely for the occasion of our meeting and so an end The memoriall of the just shall be blessed saith the wise man Prov. 10.7 as whose good deeds deserve to be had in everlasting remēbrance I can not therfore in this grave and honored assembly without a sinfull over-sight and neglect of my duty omit the memoriall of that Honourable and worthy Citizen Sir Thomas Rowe whose piety and religious care occasioned this Sermon and this meeting this day For in the Chronicles of this City I read lately that in the yeare 1569. Sir Thomas Rowe Cittizen and Merchant-taylor and at that time Lord Major of this honourable City in a pious care to accommodate a great number of Parishes then in his government touching the decent and orderly buriall of their dead did of his owne free charge and bounteous liberality inclose a parcell of ground neare the Hospitall of Bethlem and caused the same to be consecrated for a place of Burial for such Parishes as in that case were straitned A motion doubtlesse proceeding from the sacred direction of this heavenly Comforter For seeing the men of Iabesh Gilead have that pious act of theirs registred by the Pen of the Holy Ghost in that they took with much danger the body of Saul and the bodies of his Sons from the wall or streete of Bethshan and were careful to bury them in the land of Israel 1. Sam. last Chap. 3. last verses I see no reason but why this pious Act of this honourable Citizen should be yeerely remembred as upon this day and occasion by such as shall bee called to the duty of this Day to the glory of God whose holy Spirit moved him to this worke of mercy for the honour of this City and of this grave Senate that among innumerable others hath beene honoured with this religious example and for the incouragement of others to follow his steps in good workes of this nature which that it may be so it is and shall be my dayly prayer as your unworthy Chaplaine that God will continue his mercies to this honorable City in a happy succession of good discreete and religious Governours under whose pious and godly care wee may enjoy in succeeding times the comfort of a quiet and happy peace and live thereby before him in all godlinesse and honesty and that it may please our heavenly Father to blesse the present Magistrates and all that shall succeed them giving them grace to execute Justice and to maintaine truth and heerein Wee beseech thee to heare us good Lord. And to this end let us pray as the Church hath piously instructed us in the Collect for this day Almighty God which as upon this day hast taught the hearts of thy faithfull people by sending unto them the light of thy holy Spirit grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgement in al things and evermore to reioyce in his holy comfort through the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour who liveth and reigneth with thee in the Vnity of the same ever one God Laus Deo FINIS
Love and Obedience OR Christs Precept and Promise Being a Sermon Preached on Whitsunday last 28. of May 1637. in Guild-hall chappell before the right Honorable the Lord Major of this City of London By William Freake Minister of the Word of God 1 Samuel 15.22 Behold to Obey is better then sacrifice and to hearken is better then the fat of Rams LONDON Printed by Iohn Okes dwelling in little-Saint Bartholmewes 1637. To the Right Honourable Sir Edward Bromfield Knight Lord Major of this honorable City and to the rest of the right Worshipful Court of Aldermen with the right Worshipful William Abell and Iames Garrard Esquires Shriefes of this Honourable Citty for this yeare William Freake Minister of Gods Word wisheth in the Dedication of this his service all reall happinesse conducing to this life and a better Right honorable and right Worshipfull TO shew reasons for my Dedication of this Sermon and my service therein to your Honour and to this City may bee expected by some that have not knowne me and my course but they are well known almost to all that know me to be such and of that Nature that if I should neglect this duty the World might well crie shame upon me I have beene above thirty foure yeares imploied here wholy and within the Verge of this City I haue received the greatest good that I enjoy in my present course from the reverend Ministry of this City I have had my first incouragement in this way from a worshipfull Society of this City What I hope to enjoy during life hath beene the free gift of this honourable Court of Aldermen and of this Citty All which are iust incentives to a respective thankefulnesse from me But I must adde one reason more in respect of you my much honoured Lord your Honours free goodnesse to mee at my first comming to Saint Georges in Southwarke now five yeares since compleate The free continuation of your love in some distresses falne upon me in the interim And lately your Honors undeserved favour in appointing me to this Service All these have enioyned me to this Dedication which I humbly beseech your Honor to accept of as proceeding from him whose daily praiers and constant indeauours in the way of all thankefulnesse and dutifull obseruance are and shall be during life ever yours as obliged Your Honours and the Cities Chaplaine to be commanded William Freake Love and Obedience JOHN 14. vers 15.16 If yee love me keepe my Commandements and I will pray unto the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever OVr Text is Verbum Dei and Verbum diei as a Father sometimes said in the like case as the Word of God so a Word in season even a word for the very day being the first words of that portion of sacred Scripture which the pious care of our Church hath selected to be read unto you as the Gospel for this day In which without any dilatory Preambles wee have onely these 2. generals propounded to our consideration 1. A Precept 2. A Promise The precept seeming to be propounded conditionally as a man would collect from the words at the first sight thereof Si me diligatis If yee love me But being indeed as Ferus hath observed a charge inforced by way of Argument drawne Ex concessis from the generall and frequent confession of all the Apostles in their professed love to Christ as their Lord and Master If ye love me keepe my Commandements As if our blessed Lord had sayd Ye all professe to love me and that ye are desirous to indeare your service by some reall testimonies thereof unto me If then ye love me as yee professe yee can no way better shew it than by keeping my Commandements If ye love me keep my Commandements As touching the second generall it is a promise of the sending downe of the Holy Ghost whose descending gave occasion to this Festivall which now we celebrate this being the day by the Churches accompt whereon the Holy Ghost came downe in the forme of cloven tongues of fire and sate upon the Apostles at Hierusalem as yee have it delivered in the second of the Acts. A Day to bee celebrated with a religious observance in a double respect First as it is the day if we understand things aright whereon the Law was delivered to the Israelites from Mount Sinai the fiftieth day after their departure out of Egypt which gave name to the Feast of Pentecost Levit. 23.15 16. Deut. 16.9 Exod. 13.4 Secondly as it is the day upon which the Gospell proceeded from Mount Sion by the comming downe of the Holy Ghost the third person in Trinity according to the promise of the second person in Trinity our blessed Lord heere in my Text If ye love me c. Et ego rogabo Patrem ille dabit vobis alium paracletum You have the second generall propounded the precept of our blessed Lord and his gracious promise which together with the particulars therein considerable are like to be the subject of my discourse and your attention at this time Wherein that our joynt indeavours may tend to the glory of our good God and our mutuall comforts both here and hereafter may it please our heavenly Father to assist me in speaking and you in hearing and to second our weake and worthlesse undertakings by the sacred influence and holy operation of his gracious Spirit the Comforter in our Text even for his sake who in this Text hath promised to pray for us saying Ego rogabo Patrem c If yee love me keepe my Commandements and I will pray c. and of these two Generals in their order beginning with the first the Precept Si me me diligatis c. Many Observations may be made from this first Generall profitable for instruction for direction comfortable which I will runne over with what brevity I can As first from the scope and maine intention of the words I observe with Ferus Probatio dilectionis est exhibitio operis The best testimony of mans love to Almighty God is collected from the sincerity of mans obedience to Gods revealed Will. God is faithfull saith Moses keeping covenant and mercy with them that love him and keepe his Commandements Deut. 7.9 as intimating that no profession of love to Almighty God is acceptable in his sight where there wanteth a pious respect to his holy Commandements For what is it saith he ô Israel that God requireth of thee but to love the Lord thy God and to serve him with all thine heart and with all thy soule and that thou keepe the Commandements of the Lord and his Ordinances which I command thee this day Deut. 10.12 13. As if he should say God requireth nothing of thee but Love and Obedience Therefore in the 11. Chap. of the same Booke ver 22. hee comprehendeth the whole summe of Religion in these two branches Love and Obedience where having said Keepe
complaint may be taken up which the same Prophet maketh in the same chapter touching their teachers Stay your selves and wonder they are blinde and make you blinde they are drunke but not with wine they stagger but not with strong drinke for the Lord hath covered them with the spirit of slumber vers 10. And as concerning both Priests and people together that word may be pronounced which followes chapter 13. They come neare unto God with their mouthes but their hearts are farre from him meere formallity eating out all reallity in the course of religion where humane inventions are taught for doctrines and mens feare towards God is taught by the precepts of men Therefore our blessed Lord saith not seruate praecepta hominum but if yee love me keepe my Commandements 6. And as Musculus observes further Servate praecepta mea non disputate tantum Make not religion the subject of your discourse and dispute onely but of your life and practise not the fewell onely of faction by way of argument and controversie but the rule and square of your religious and Christian performances It was sometimes the complaint of a reverend Divine of Germany concerning the Prelates of his time Hodie praelati multa disputant de authoritate potestate Ecclesiae parum de obedientia Deo praestanda solliciti His meaning was that many of their greatest Church-men spent their time almost wholly in acute and subtile disputations touching the power and authority of the Church but seldome or never tooke care to instruct their people in their obedience to Almighty God Brethren I could wish our owne times had not a touch of this fault wherein wee have too many who too much trusting to their owne acutenesse make a practice to broach nice and disputable questions that therein they may imbroile mens faith and religion and in troubled waters fish out their owne ends with their Lapwing cries calling men away from keeping Christs Commandements in their lives and actions to a fruitlesse jangling that serves to no other end but to stirre up passion without edification For the stopping of which unnecessary and unprofitable disputes our blessed Lord saith not if yee love me obey my will for then saith Musculus the Disciples might have replyed quae tua voluntas Domine Lord what is thy will but Servate praeceptamea keepe my Commandements shew your selves my Disciples by your obedience to the revealed will of my Father therein taking away all pretences of doubting all occasions of of dispute concerning his will and pleasure so that whosoever shall raise any controversie touching that obedience which our Saviour requireth in this divine charge hath his mouth fully stopt by that answer which our blessed Lord sometimes gave to the young man Matth. 10.18 Nôsti praecepta Thou knowest the Commandements And if ye love me keepe my Commandements I will end therefore all that I have to say of this first Generall with that of the acute French man Ardentius Effectus verae dilectionis Dei est observatio mandatorum The most infallible effect of the love of God in the heart of man is a conscionable observance of Gods Commandements proceeding from love not forced by any politick compulsion arising meerely from a sense and acknowledgment of the unspeakable love which God hath shewed to us first and exprest in a religious observation not of humane traditions but of Gods revealed Will not disputing thereof onely but expressing the power of it in our lives and conversations And this is that love which our blessed Lord requireth when he saith in our Text If ye love me c. And so from the first generall the Precept I proceed to the second the Promise Et ego rogabo Patrem The substance whereof is the promise of our blessed Lord to his Disciples touching the mission or sending of the Holy Ghost which as upon this day being performed occasioneth this Festivall Wherin are sundry particulars considerable which I will touch briefly lest the time out-strip me And first of all these two words Rogabo and Dabit that Christ will pray and his Father will give doe apparantly evince to each understanding soule that the Apostles were short in their condition as no way able to have pleaded the promise Iure meriti upon the reality of their owne performance for so they might have fallen short of their expectations It is the free gift of God the Father to give another Comforter no due debt upon performance of the propounded condition and therefore saith our blessed Lord Dabit He shall give it and Dabit roganti He shall give it to Christs prayer rather for his rogation and intercession in this case than for any worke or merit in them Our best love and services are not able to weigh it downe pondere meriti in the weight of desert it must come Rogatu Christi at Christs intreaty or it cannot come at all Leane not then upon merits Christ it is and his intercession that wee must stand unto in this our condition and covenant And not understand this Text thus be not mistaken as if the sence were You shall love me and keepe my Commandements and then my Father shall be bound to give you his holy Spirit But you shall love me and keepe my Commandements and then I will pray and the Father shall give when I pray None otherwise let the Synagogue of Rome glosse upon it as they can the words can beare no other sence But here is a doubt cast by some How can a man love Christ and keepe his Commandements before he hath received the Holy Ghost without whom first had certainely we can doe neither It is God that worketh in us both the will and the deed Phil. 2.13 and that of his owne good pleasure I answer this scruple is easily removed if you take heed to what you read Matth. 13.12 Whosoever hath to him shall bee given and he shall have aboundance A promise may be made tam habenti quam non habenti Aswell to him that hath a thing already as to him that hath it not at all To him that hath it in a lower or lesser measure it may be promised that he shall have it in a more ample and fuller degree than yet he hath or to him that hath it in one kinde a promise may be made that he shall have it in some other or better kind For the Spirit is given to all excepting onely Christ according to measure It was he onely that was annointed with the oyle of gladnesse above all his fellows Psal 45. It is hee onely of whose fulnesse we all receive John 1.16 And where there is measure there are degrees where there bee degrees of more or lesse the more may be well promised to him that hath the lesse To him who as yet hath it but in a still warme breath it may well be promised in cloven tongues of fire To him who hath it as the first fruits which is an handfull it