the World and the World was made by Him and the World knew him not Ye have here the World in another sense The world in the beginning of the verse is taken for the whole Fabrick of Heaven and Earth as Aristotle saith The World is a Masse made up of Heaven and Earth In this sense it is said He was in the World the World was made by Him Now in the latter Clause of the verse The world knew Him not The World there is put for the Inhabitants of the earth for the men of the World Rom. 5. 12. The World and Men are all one By one man's disobedience sin entred into the World and death by sin and so death passed over all-Men Here is the World and all men The world was made by Him and the world that is the men of the world knew him not It is a Rule in Divinity Verba Cognitionis affectiones important c. Words of knowledge import affections and operate suitably So to know carrieth more then meer speculation When Christ is said to know us The Holy Ghost telleth us It is more then barely to take notice of us It is to take care for us Joh. 10. 14. Christ knoweth his sheep that is he taketh care of his Elect. And he is known of his that is He is served and obeyed and worshipped and believed on by them So the world knew him not that is the World worshipped him not as God The world did not owne Him and serve Him as became their Creator So as now the words thus opened The observation lieth clear before us namely That notwithstanding Christ's Observ being in the world and the world being made by Him the men of the world knew him not Take a place or two to clear up this especially in reference to the Gentiles for to them properly it belongeth I should have told you that the word World is sometimes confined to them If the fall of them be the diminishing of the world and the fall of them the riches of the Gentiles He came to his owne and his owne received him not That is did not know him 1 Joh. 2. 1. Therefore the world knoweth us not because it knew not him There is yet a clearer place 1 Cor. 1. 21. After that in the wisdome of God the world by wisdome knew not God All the wisdome the Heathens had could not raise them to a due knowledge of God The world by wisdome knew not God Christ was in the world but the world knew him not A threefold ignorance of Christ was found in all the Gentiles First They knew him not as the second person in the Trinity Secondly They knew him not as Mediator Thirdly They knew him not as Creator which is properly here spoken to He made the world and the world knew him not Let me run over these briefly first They knew him not 1. The Gentiles knew not Chtist as the second Person in the Trinity as the second person in the Trinity so they are said to have been without Christ and without God in the world Ephes 2. 12. speaking there of the Gentiles saith he At that time ye were without Christ being aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel and strangers from the Covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the World They had the great book of the Creatures to read but that did shew them nothing of Christ as the second person in the Trinity Naturall reason could never find out that Mystery in it selfe Therefore men when they go to find out this great mystery of the Trinity they are at their wit's end They might find out a God and that he was Good and Great and that he was One but to find out a Trinity of Persons a Father Son and Holy Ghost This they could not Take a curious piece a well drawn Picture he that seeth it may be able to say that he that drew it was a skilfull and exact Painter But whether an English man or a Spaniard or a Dutch man or an Italian that he cannot tell by the Picture why because he made this piece as an Artist but not as a German or English man Therefore he discovereth his Art by the piece but not his Country So God made the World not as Father Son and Holy Ghost Three in one and one in three All the works towards the Creatures works ad Extra are common to all the persons in the Trinity God as God made the world Therefore by the sight of the world men may be able to know that it is a God that made it and that this God is good because he made so many things useful in the world this God is wise because of the variety of the creatures and this God is One because of the order of things But to say This God is Three in One the Creation of the world doth not bear this If the works be ad Intra as Generation these are the works of some one Person but the works ad extra they represent the Godhead but not the Persons Secondly They did not know Christ as Mediator therefore 2. They knew not Christ as Mediator they raised up many Mediators 1 Cor. 8. 5 6. Though there be that are called gods whether in heaven or in earth as there be gods many and lords many But to us there is but one God the Father of whom are all things and we in him and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him The Apostle doth here clearly allude to the custom of the Heathens who had two sorts of gods they had their dii Coelestes their supream heavenly gods which they worshipt as the Sun Moon and Stars and then besides these they had their dii Terrestres inferiour gods gods on earth who were men that lived upon the earth which were afterwards canonized and made gods That is the true meaning of this There be many that are called gods whether in heaven or in earth So there be gods many and lords many gods many those are their supream gods lords many those are their inferiour gods Baalim as they called him who was the first King of Babel and the first that was made a god and all those kinds of gods therefore after him were called Baalim as Caesar being the first Emperour all Emperours after him were called Caesars Now saith the Apostle To us is but one God not many but one Lord not many but one Mediator Christ Jesus Thirdly They knew him not as Creator therefore Paul 3. They knew not Christ as Creator when he came to Athens found them ignorant of this Greece was the Eye of the world and Athens was the Eye of Greece yet even at Athens Paul found an Altar To an unknown God and that same God was the God that made the world God the Creator Act. 17. 23 24. saith Paul For as I passed by and beheld your devotions I found an Altar with this inscription
John knew neither Jewes nor Gentiles would indure the tearm of the Son of God They could not indure to hear of a sonship in the Deity and Godhead but with this tearm Word applied to the Godhead they were well acquainted both Jewes and Gentiles But John had often met with it in the Old Testament in this sense for the second person in the Trinity I shall shew you a place or two Psal 33. 6. By the Word of the Lord were the Heavens made and all the hosts of them by the breath of his Mouth Here is JEHOVAH the Lord and the Word of the Lord for the Second Person and the Spirit of his Mouth for the Third The Creation is ascribed to the whole Trinity So here is Word In the same sense ye shall find Jesus Christ is called the Word 2 Sam. 7. 21. in that speech of David For thy VVord's sake and according to thine own Heart hast thou done all these great things What is that For thy VVord's sake 1 Chron. 17. 19. Compare these two places O Lord for thy Servant's sake and according to thine own Heart hast Thou done all these things Thou hast done them for thy VVord's sake saith Samuel Thou hast done them for thy Servants sake in the Chronicles And who is that Servant but Christ My servant whom I have Chosen and in whom I delight c. There is a place in Haggai that calleth Christ the VVord Haggai 2. 4 5. Yea now be strong Oh Zerobbabel saith the Lord and be strong Oh Joshua son of Josedeck the High Priest and be strong all ye people of the Land-saith the Lord and work for I am with you saith the Lord of Hosts according to the VVord that I Covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt so my Spirit remaineth amongst you fear ye not Here is JEHOVAH and VVord and Spirit according to ye may see by the Character is not in the Originall it is in another Letter in our Translation of it Therefore thus according to the Originall or more neerly I am with you saith the Lord of Hosts with that VVord in whom I covenanted with you In quo vobiscum pepegi I am with you together with that VVord in whom I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt So that God promiseth the Church deliverance in the Name of God the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost Well then the Jewes you see were well acquainted with this tearm of VVord applied to the second Person in the Trinity They had it in the beginning and in the Chaldee Paraphrase which is applied to JEHOVAH it is rendred the VVord of God What JEHOVAH is said to do they translate it The Word of God did it applying the Word of God to Christ Yea the very Heathens whom John would likewise take and therefore baiteth his hook accordingly the Heathens had a strong notion of the Word They said There was an eternall Mind from which proceeded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Word which was the Creator of all things Ye have it in Plato Trismegistus and divers of the Philosophers yea the very Oracle Pheuros the King of Egypt sendeth to the Oracle to know Who should be the greatest in the World hoping the Oracle would have named him But he received this answer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 expressing the whole Trinity clearly and expresly First God saith the Oracle then the Word and together with them the Spirit So then this tearm Word being known and applied to God both by Jewes and Heathens and St. John knowing that Ebion and Cerinthus were better versed in this Philosophy than in the Scriptures of God he to win them baits his hook with this expression of the Word whereas the expression of the Son of God would have angred them In this sense John practiseth what St. Paul confesseth to become all things to all men He setteth forth Christ under the term of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Word which they would better receive Whence the third Quaerie doth arise which is the main How doth it appear that Christ is fitly called by this Quaerie 3 term The Word We must distinguish There is a two-fold Word There Respons is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A word conceived in the mind I pray you set you selves to understand it As when ye read The fool hath said in his heart There is no God Here is what the fool thought He said that is within himself When the mind speaketh to a man's self that is a word conceived Secondly there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word delivered that is two-fold either verbum quod or verbum quo The word delivered is either that word which is one's mind expressed that is the thing which he hath spoken Then it is said he keepeth his word when he hath done the thing uttered And then there is the verbum quo that is that thing by which a man's mind is expressed Yet more plainly take it thus There is a three-fold word Verbum mentale A word conceived Verbum reale A word uttered Verbum orale A word uttering The word conceived verbum mentale is the Apprehension that a man hath in himself which we call a Notion or a Conception The word uttered verbum reale is the thing that is spoken In the Originall see Luk. 1. 37. With God nothing can be impossible 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with God no word shall be impossible So in the Originall There is nothing that God hath spoken but it shall come to passe Ye have a very clear place for that Matth. 4. 4. Man doth not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God As I take it the most proper meaning of that place is By every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God we understand every creature which God hath ordained for food And ye will be of that mind too if you see Deuter. 8. 3. He humbled thee and suffered thee to hunger and fed thee with Manna which thou knewest not nor thy fathers before thee that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread onely but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God Whatsoever the word of God maketh food whatsoever God appointeth to be instrumentall as he did Manna here There is verbum reale Then verbum orale the word uttering is the expression by which that thing is delivered That is the end why God hath given us speech If we were to deal onely with God we should need no tongue or speech because God knoweth the thoughts of our hearts If we were to deal onely with our selves we should need no speech for every man knoweth Why the use of Speech is given to man what himself thinketh But because we are to deal one with another therefore God giveth us the use of speech that there might be a word uttering and declaring to one another what one another thinks Psal 139. 4. There
Pulpit but him that speaketh from Heaven which is Christ himself according to what we read Heb. 12. 25. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven Christ speaketh from Heaven in every Sermon wherein truth is delivered unto you He saith to the drunkard from Heaven Become sober and to the wanton he saith from Heaven Become chaste to the unbeliever Lay hold on Christ It is said from Heaven when it is said from the Pulpit If men will go on in sin in spight of Heaven God will confound them in spight of the world they must to Hell in spight of the world Though hand joyn in hand they shall not go unpunished If men will not hear him speak on earth they must not expect to have him to hear when they would have Heaven That is the third thing Christ is called the word in reference to the word uttering because he is the substance of all his Father's Revelations and Promises Let us therefore learn from hence to grow in the knowledge of what we read and whatsoever we hear from the word of God because he is the substance of all Thus take any Scripture gage it and you will find Christ in the bottom of it If it be a Precept it leadeth you to Christ for strength to perform it If it be a Threat it leadeth you to Christ for grace to escape it If it be a Promise it clearly conveyeth Christ In him all the promises are Yea and Amen and therefore called Pretious promises not that they have any more price in them of themselves than any other Truths have but pretious promises That is a pretious Box that hath a rich Jewell in it Every Promise is pretious that hath Christ in more latitude than other places of Scripture have Therefore let us labour to find Christ in every one The old World had but one Promise for a great many years together from Adam to Abraham we read but of one Promise which God made to Adam in Paradise and yet Adam a holy man and Enoch a holy man and yet but one Promise Now we that have so many Promises cannot we find Christ in some of them to rely upon Having therefore these promises dearly Beloved let us cleanse our selves Let us seek for Christ and Cleansing in the Promises I have done now with the Subject of these three Propositions The Word The first thing that is predicated of the Word is that Propositi ∣ on 1 which we meet with in the first Proposition namely His eternall Existency In the beginning was the word The other Evangelists especially Matthew and Luke they have spoken fully of the temporall Generation of Christ So Matthew beginneth The book of the generation of Jesus Christ the son of David the son of Abraham Now John whose aim was to insist upon those things that concern the Divinity of Christ he beginneth with his Eternall Generation In the Beginning was the Word Beginning and was saith Basil these two terms are like two Anchors which the ship of a man's soul may safely ride at come what storms will come None of those Heresies that deny the Divinity of Christ shall be able to shame that man that layeth hold upon these In the beginning and Was. There was a Beginning when other things received their Beeing I but Christ was in that Beginning and so before the things had received their Beeing Much ado there is amongst Interpreters to little purpose to find out severall senses of this word Beginning I will not trouble you with them That of Mark will clearly give you the meaning of it In the beginning of the Creation of God Mar. 13. 19. Such as was not from the beginning of the Creation which God created Here is the thing clear The beginning of the Creation that God created is the same that Moses meaneth Gen. 1. 1. In the beginning God created heaven and earth It is something remarkable that Moses with whom God spake face to face and John the Evangelist who lay in Christ's bosome should both of them have one Exordium In the beginning saith Moses and In the beginning saith John It is thought that John doth allude to Moses onely with this clear difference Moses speaking of the Creation of the World saith In the beginning God made heaven and earth He speaks of a World that was made John speaking of a Word that was not made saith In the beginning was the word He doth not say He was made as if Christ were a creature but when all other creatures were made Christ was Christ had a Beeing when they did but begin to be therefore he was before them That which was in the beginning must needs be eternall Why Why because before the creatures began to be there was nothing but God What was before the Beginning Let that be the question Quest It will lead you into the Abysse of Eternity what may Answ be before the Creation Here Faith may enter into the darknesse of Eternity where it may lose it self and can see nothing but God before all and God after all and God in all Before the Creation nothing but God Christ was before the Creation when they began to be he was Therefore Christ was Eternall there was no beginning before that Indeed there was God before the Creation but God hath no beginning Though there be principium ordinis there is not principium temporis as the Father first and The Father Son and holy Ghost Eternall Son secondly and the holy Ghost the third Here is principium ordinis Order but no Time wherein the Father Son or holy Ghost began to be So Christ was in the beginning had a beeing then There was no beginning till the Creation Therefore Christ was from all Eternity This may be confirmed with more strength because the holy Ghost throughout the Scripture when he would expresse Eternity useth to do it thus Such a thing was before the world that is it was Eternall Psal 90. 1 2. Lord thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations Before the mountains were brought forth or ever thou hadst formed the earth or the world from everlasting to everlasting thou art God How proveth he that Because he was before the Mountains or Earth was made Christ was before the world therefore God from everlasting to everlasting Joh. 17. 5. Now O Father glorifie thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was That is from Eternity Take a clear place for those that clearly apprehend Christ to be meant by Wisdom as undoubtedly He is Prov. 8. 22. and so forward to the 30 verse a place to which our Evangelist is thought to have alluded here and it is fully parallel where Wisdom saith The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his waies Just as in the
Text In the beginning was the word The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his waies before his works of old I was set up from everlasting from the beginning or ever the world was When there were no depths I was brought forth when there were no fountains abounding with water Before the mountains were setled before the hills were brought forth c. Another testimony ye have of Christ's Eternity it is in the Type of Melchisedeck Heb. 7. 2 3. King of Righteousnesse and King of Salem which is King of Peace Without father or mother or without descent having neither beginning of daies nor end of life but made like the Son of God which abideth a Priest continually What cause have we to adore as Tertullian speaketh not onely to admire but to adore the fulnesse of the Scriptures The very silence of the Scriptures speaks deep Mysteries The Apostle arguing from the Scriptures the Eternity of Christ speaketh nothing of Melchisedeck's father or mother Moses speaking of the Worthies in Scripture he is wont to speak of their parentage when they began and when they dyed But the Apostle when he speaks of this Priest saith He was without father or mother Another place of the Eternity of Christ ye have Mich. 5. 2. where he speaketh both of the temporall and eternall Generation of the Son of God Thou Bethlehem Ephrata though thou be little amongst the thousands of Judah yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that shall be Ruler in Israel Out of thee shall he come forth That is of his temporall Government Here he speaketh of his eternall Generation Whose goings forth have been from everlasting In the beginning was the word That is Christ was from everlasting He had a beeing before the greatest began to be And this may serve briefly for the Explication of that Proposition I now come to the Application because I intend to be as brief as may be What ye have heard of Christ's Eternity of having a being before the creatures were made will afford you First matter of Comfort Secondly matter of Duty First Matter of Comfort from hence because this lets Vse 1 Of Comfort us see that our happinesse standeth upon an everlasting foundation upon one who was in the beginning before any creature began to be And what shall overthrow that Building whose foundations are laid in Eternity Shall the Creatures which are but of yesterday What can they do to undo what the eternall God hath ordained before the world was That is the foundation of all Ephes 1. 4. According as he hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love Our salvation beareth date before the world was therefore there is nothing in the world shall prejudice it much lesse overthrow it It resteth upon him who was in the beginning and who will be after the end upon him who is Alpha and Omega more antient than the beginning and more lasting than the end of the creatures Alas poor creatures time was when they were not but then was He In the beginning was the word and there will come a time when they shall not be but no time wherein it can be said Christ is not The Devill is a creature Shall he be able to undo what the Eternall hath appointed He was not when Christ was and though he shall now live for ever to be in torment yet the time shall come when he shall not be a Tempter Then Christ shall be a Saviour be sure Hab. 1. 12. See what a spring of consolation doth arise from this consideration of Strong Consolation from the consideration of Christ's Eternity Christ's Eternity Art thou not from everlasting O Lord my God my holy One art thou not from everlasting we shall not die Certainly we that have an everlasting Saviour shall be freed from everlasting death we shall not die This is the lot of as many as lay hold on him by faith Our eternall Saviour loveth to do all things like himself Lest you should fear either want of love or might both his love and power are eternall even as Himself is He hath everlasting kindnesse in him and intendeth to shew it unto us Isa 54. 8. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment And from his Love and Power but with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer And his Power is as everlasting as his Love Isa 20. 4. Trust ye in the Lord for ever for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength The consideration of these two should fill us with everlasting consolation as Paul speaks 1 Thess 2. 16. Everlasting consolation and good hope through grace He that was in the beginning will be with us to the end I and in the end of our daies too It is a great comfort when a man commeth to die to think Whom my Salvation dependeth upon why upon an everlasting Redeemer that dyeth not There is a time when we must go out from all the creatures and have no more to do with those things that are so pleasing to us in the world There is a time when we must go into Eternity and there is Christ The creatures we delighted in they remain not I but the God we go to He remaineth From everlasting to everlasting thou art God Here is a living Comfort for a dying Creature Secondly Here is matter of Duty as well as matter of Vse 2 Of Duty Comfort If Christ were in the beginning before all the creatures then let him not come after any of them in our esteems That is one Lesson we learn from hence It is expresly said of Christ Col. 1. 17. He is hefore all things and by him all things consist He is before all things in regard of his own beeing Let him be before all things and above all things in our esteem He was before all the creatures O let him not come after them in our hearts In the beginning was the word when no wealth no profit no pleasure no preferment such as men now dote upon Christ is before all these things Why should he go after them in the esteem of men As it was amongst the Heathens they placed their happinesse in the exercise of vertue and yet some of them cryed Virtus post nummos quaerenda pecunia primùm Let Lib. 1. Epist Horat. ad Moecenatem vertue come after wealth They first laboured to get a good estate and then look'd after good qualities and dispositions So it is with many Christians who in their Doctrins and Professions place their happinesse and fellowship with Christ after riches let Christ come after Which of us doth not wonder and cry shame of the Gadarenes that preferred their swine before Christ rather let him go out of their coasts than part with their heards Certainly we in effect do the same when we prefer our swinish
teacheth us to distinguish when he speaks of his being rapt up into the third Heaven Therefore there is a second and first as well as a third And these three Heavens were sweetly resembled by those three Courts in Solomons Temple There was the first Court the outward Court and the Court of the Gentiles which was common for all sorts of people to come into So is the first Heaven here below Men breathe in the aire birds and beasts they live and breathe in the aire which is the first Heaven The second Court was something more hidden In that the golden Candlesticks were which were the Lights that lighted the Temple So are the Sun Moon and Stars in the second Heaven The third Court was the Holy of Holies into which entred none but the high Priest And the third Heaven is the Heaven of Heavens into which Jesus Christ the high Priest is entred to prepare a place for all his Members All these Heavens were of Christ's making Hebr. 110. Thou Lord in the beginning hast laid the foundations of the World and the Heavens are the work of thy Hands The second head is the Earth the Circle of the World the pavement of this glorious Fabrick the foot-stool of the 2. Earth most high God Of his making it you have an excellent expression in Job Job 38. 4 5 6. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the Earth saith God there declare if thou hast understanding who hath laid the measure thereof if thou knowest or who hath stretched out the line thereof wherein are the foundations thereof fastned or who laid the Corner-stone thereof God hath so made it as to make it The admirablenesse of the fabrick of the Earth admirable to our understandings that such a vast body as the Earth is of a round figure and so fit for motion should be still immoveable a body so heavy should yet be able to hang as it doth in the midst of the air Why God hath fastned it by a Word of his own power Job 26. 7. He stretcheth out the North over the empty place and hangeth the Earth upon nothing Which of us can hang a ball in the aire without some support God He hangeth the Earth how upon nothing but upon the aire without side of it Then Thirdly the Sea Psal 95. 5. The sea is his and He made it so as to make all men rejoyce in the thoughts of it 3. Sea Psal 97. 1. The Lord reigneth let the Earth rejoyce let the multitude of the Isles be glad thereof It is with an Emphasis All sorts of men that dwell in Islands have much cause to rejoyce because God reigneth For if He did not Reign and Rule and bound the Seas with which they are compassed they would quickly be destroyed If God did God boundeth the Seas being above the Earth else the Islands would be destroyed not reign the naturall place of the Sea is above the Earth and how should we in this Island be overflowed in a moment if He bounded not the seas Ye shall see an elegant comparison in Job 38. 8 9 10. Who shutteth up the Sea with doors when it breaketh forth as if it had issued out of the Womb when I made the Clouds the garments thereof and thick darknesse a swadling band for it and brake up for it my decree'd place and set barres and doors Here he compareth the sea to a Child breaking out of the Womb of his Decree to a Child swadled as it were with a Cloud That is the expression Thick darknesse hath swadling bands for it And it is rock't as it were in a Cradle of Providence The fourth head is These All things as that place in Exodus telleth you are the things that are within this Heaven 4. All things and Earth and Sea And all things therein Which Paul reduceth to two heads Things Visible and Things Invisible Col. 1. 16. By Him were all things Created that are in Heaven and Earth visible and invisible Zanchius addeth a third branch to this distinction and maketh it more plain by saying That all things that were made are either visible or invisible or mixt Visible things as the Stars and Fouls and Clouds of Heaven the fish in the sea and beasts upon the earth Invisible things as the Angells they also were made They were not the Makers of the World as some Hereticks have thought Then there is a third sort of Creatures which are of a mixt nature partly visible in regard of their bodies and partly invisible in regard of their souls and those are Men. And so you have The all things Not to stand upon that I will passe to another head Secondly let us Consider In what order these things were made That so we may learn the more to magnifie the 2. In what Order Creatour This ye shall have under sundry Considerations No way more profitable First all things were made so in such an order as that 1. Heaven made before the Earth Heaven a place of blessednesse was made before the Earth the Stage of vanity In the beginning God created Heaven and Earth To teach us that we should begin our search and desires and love where God began his Work first at Heaven and then at Earth It is a Praeposterous course that is taken to begin with earth God did not so He first made the Heavens First seek the Kingdome of God Math. 6. 33. And yet through the Corruption of mens souls Curvae in terras animae Coelestium inanes The most are bowed down to the Earth and few look up towards Heaven There are in the Militant Church some dead and some living Children some true and some false Professors Suppose a Woman should have a dead and a living Child together in her Womb. The dead Child would make no way for his birth the living would so it is here such as are dead Professors in the Womb of the Church they do not make forward towards Heaven But every living soul that is born for Heaven and ordained for Heaven will to Heaven Every soul that is baptized with the Holy Ghost and with Fire hath a fire in it that will carry it up Heaven-ward Secondly as in order to the Creation Things of lesse perfection 2. Things lesse-perfect before more-perfect in the visible world were made before things that are more perfect as if ye come to the visible World especially not that otherwise the invisible Heavens are more perfect then any thing we see But I say the visible World God in the work of Creation went from things lesse perfect to those that had more perfection in them First he made the Elements then the mixt bodies compounded of them and amongst them such as had life before those that had sense and such as had sense before those that had reason A thing profitable to observe that so ye may look at Gods method both in Nature and Grace His method is
go blind-fold to work but will prove what is acceptable The word in the Originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is a Metaphor taken from Goldsmiths that prove their Mettle by the Touchstone not by the colour onely or tinnitu by the jingling of the Mettle onely but bring it to the Test if it will not bear that they disallow it Many things have a fair colour to the eye that seem good and beautifull fit to be practised by a Christian and some things that sound well to the ear as of good report in the world but here is not enough bring them to the Test believe neither colour nor sound if they will not bear the touchstone of the Word A man that walketh holily will endure the proof it Thirdly He that walketh as a child of light must walk Cheerfully for there is a light of Joy too Such a phrase ye 3. Walk Cheerfully have in the Psalms Blessed is the man that heareth the joyfull sound they shall walk in the light of thy countenance Here is now one walking as a child of light that walketh in the light of God's countenance cheerfully and joyfully Serve the Lord with gladness and come into his presence with singing Psal 100. 2. This is acceptable to God and creditable to Religion God liketh it well that his servants should walk in the light of his countenance joyfully The Apostle telleth you this is acceptable to God Rom. 14. 17 18. The kingdom of God standeth not in meat and drink but in righteousnesse and peace and joy in the holy Ghost He that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men This is one of the things wherein we must serve Christ joyfully in the holy Ghost Christ doth not like to be served uncheerfully They that make conscience of serving Christ in righteousnesse and of serving Christ in peace dare not be the Authors of division Why do not people make conscience of serving Christ in joy too He that in these things namely in righteousnesse and peace and joy serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men The Saints of God like it well when they see men go chearfully on in the way to heaven otherwise they bring a bad report upon the good Land and make men to suspect that the service of Christ is not so acceptable when men walk so droopingly that stand in relation to him You know what Jezabel said to Ahab who had a mind to Naboth's Vineyard and because he could not compasse it he walked droopingly She came to him and said Why is thy spirit so sad Dost thou now govern the 1 King 21. 6. Kingdom of Israel and be so sad Implying how ill it became a King that hath the world at will to walk droopingly and uncheerfully Every one in whom this Image is renewed is made a King Christ hath made him a King to God and his Father What! a King and droop One that hath such a nearnesse and so near a relation to God and yet so full of discontent Let me yet say to every child of God as the Apostle Phil. 5. 4. Rejoyce in the Lord alwaies and again I say Rejoyce So I have now done with that Verse In him was life and the life was the light of men Vers 5. And the light shined in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not Ye have heard in what estate man was created it was in a state of Light and the next news ye hear is of Darknesse The light shined in darknesse and the darknesse comprehended it not First here we find man fallen and Christ's demeanour towards him in that estate Secondly his inability to receive that light which Christ shed abroad Thirdly Here is a supposition of the Fall intimated by that word Darkness Fourthly Here is a declaration what Christ did to man thus fallen He still sendeth forth light The light shined in darknesse And fifthly Here is a manifestation of man's carriage towards Christ in reference to this communication of his And the darknesse comprehended it not The first thing to be observed from hence is That Man Observ 1 by his fall from the state of light became dark yea darkness it self The second Observation is That light from Christ hath Observ 2 continued to shine ever since the Fall The light shineth in darkness It is something emphatically uttered for it is not in the Praeter perfect Tense as before it is not The light shined in darknesse or hath shined but it is The light shineth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to shew that the light continueth to shine There is no time since the Fall wherein it could be said The light shined not This was alwaies an approved Proposition ever since man became darke The light shineth in darknesse Thirdly We must imagine That it is naturall to man Observ 3 since the Fall not to comprehend the light of Christ The light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not Here ye have a supposall of Man's Fall and a declaration both of man's carriage towards him and of his carriage towards Christ since the Fall I shall but touch upon the first which is this First That Man fell from a state of light and became dark yea darknesse it self Light was the life of men by Creation and since the light shineth in darknesse By darkness understand the persons of unregenerate men all the world before the Lord Jesus Christ enlightneth them savingly with the light of life come under this notion of darknesse Therefore Satan who is elswhere called The prince of the world is said to be the ruler of the darkness of this world that is of unregenerate men Ephes 6. 12. Ephes 5. 6. Ye were sometimes dark but now are ye light in the Lord therefore ye were sometimes unregenerate but now ye are sanctified Ye were sometimes dark That which predominateth useth to give the denomination that is the reason why the naturall man is called darkness in the abstract because darknesse hath a predominancy in their minds As when a man is extreamly vitious we call such a man Vice Non est invidiosus sed invidia He is not envious but envy and malice it self Non est vitiosus sed vitium He is not vitious but vice it self The Papists call the Pope of Holy His Holiness in the abstract because they would have the world to believe him to be exceeding holy Dark in the abstract is exceeding darkness in regard of the dominion of a threefold darknesse the darknesse of Ignorance opposed to the light of Knowledge the darknesse of Sinfulness opposed to the light of Holiness the darknesse of Misery opposed to the light of Joy This three-fold darknesse accompanieth the state of nature even in all men as long as they continue in it First therefore that of Ignorance Ephes 4. 18. Having the understanding darkened being alienated from the life of 1. A darkness of Ignorance God through the ignorance
Therefore God doth to every one give sufficient light remotely sufficient because say they He giveth them such light as if they would follow it He would give them faith This is commonly said But I could never yet see it proved Wheresoever there is an improvement of natural life men say there shall certainly be an addition of super naturall discoveries of Christ and so power to believe If there be no such thing the connexion between the improvement of what a man hath and the donation of what he standeth in need of for to bring him to salvation must depend either upon the merit of man that doth so improve his nature or upon the promise of Christ that whosoever doth improve his naturall abilities shall have grace vouchsafed to him But it dependeth upon neither of these Therefore no such thing First it doth not depend upon the merits of man nor upon his utmost improvement of naturall abilities so long Salvation depends not upon men's Merits nor their improvement of naturall abilities as we are out of Christ all our abilities are but naturall they cannot deserve the grace of Christ No creature can raise it self to an higher kind by improving of what belongeth to it in a lower sphear As for example Take creatures that onely have sense in them it is possible by art and industry to bring them to a great exactnesse in the exercise of their science as an Horse to dance an Elephant to write and a Parrat to speak but none can bring them to Reason because that is a thing of an higher sphear So take a Man that is naturall by the improvement of nature he may go on a great way but he cannot by all the improvements of nature deserve grace at the hands of God The Papists call this the Merit of Congruity if a man improve what he hath he deserveth ex Congruo that God should give him more But if so then the heavenly Call upon which Salvation dependeth to such a man it will be of works and not of meer mercy contrary to that of the Apostle 2 Tim. 1. 9. Who hath saved us and called us with an holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world was Thence followeth Calling from Election not from improvement of our abilities in our own works Might such a man say I am called and why why according to my works and improvements How then shall that of the Apostle Rom. 9. 15 16. be overthrown I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and compassion on whom I will have compassion According to this way in the merits of Congruity it will be of him that willeth and runneth and not of meer mercy Then it cannot follow from the merits of man But perhaps it followeth from the promise of God Nor upon the Promise of Christ That is the Armintan way Let such a promise be produced and how gladly will men submit to it That which the Arminians pitch upon is this To him that hath shall be given a speech of Christ which is annexed to two severall Parables to the Parable of the Sower and to the Parable of the Tares To him which hath shall be given Therefore say they if a man improve his Naturalls he shall have Grace if his Reason he shall have Christ But there is a great mistake in this for the utmost that this Promise will bear is a reward for them in the same kind for an improvement of what one hath and useth aright He that useth his naturall wit aright shall have more naturall wit he that useth his parts shall have more parts and he that useth his graces shall increase his graces And in this sense To him that hath shall more be given A man may as well say He that useth his wealth well to him health shall be given and he that useth health well to him wealth shall be given as to say He that useth his reason well to him grace shall be given for here is a transition or passing into another kind of thing whereas the promise runneth for the increase of a thing of the same kind This may suffice to clear that second Quary namely Whether sufficient light be given to every one In these two Propositions Christ doth dispense to every one light sufficient to leave him without excuse Christ doth not dispense to every one Converting-light sufficient to bring him to Salvation I have done with the Explication of the Point For the Use of it briefly If Christ doth thus lighten every man that commeth into the world let us learn from hence these four Lessons 1. To see Him 2. To seek Him 3. To serve Him 4. To blesse Him First Learn to see Christ and to acknowledge him in Use 1 all the light which we our selves and others have even as Learn to See Christ ye see the cause in the effect in Christ as the Author of all that light When ye see men knowing men men of great understanding there is much of the light of Reason strict men there is much of the light of Conscience holy men there is much of the light of Grace Admire Christ in all these for all commeth from him Think how holy and how understanding Christ is in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are We are many times apt to admire men and to over-look Christ this should not be Suppose a man that were kept in a deep dungeon all his daies and were brought out at midnight when the Moon shineth this man would be apt when he looketh upon the Moon to think it to be the most glorious creature that he seeth to be the spring of all light for it is the most glorious creature that ever he saw But let him but stay till morning when the Sun ariseth and he will be ashamed of his mistake If we see men that shine as the Moon think how much more glory there is in Christ This is the way to see him in all the light dispenced by him to the creatures Secondly We should learn hence to seek Him for the Use 2 encrease of light for He is the Father of lights so saith Learn to Seek him James Jam. 1. 17. Every good and perfect gift is from above and commeth down from the Father of lights Some men are of a foolish conceit that men derive their understandings from such Constellations at their birth and that maketh them wise No it is not the light of heaven but it is the Father of lights It is Christ that conveyeth all understanding to men He is not onely the Author of all the light we have but the Father of it He is the Author of many things that bear his Image He is called the Father of lights because all the light we have hath a clear impression of the night of and upon it even that of Reason which is like Mephibosheth
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
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship him declare I unto you God that made the world and all things therein seeing that he is Lord both of heaven and earth dwelleth not in Temples made with hands No wonder if the Heathen did not know Christ as the Creator for the Jews after Christ was come in the flesh and began to put forth a creating power in their sight yet would not own him as Creator of the world To make him see that was born blind and to raise him that was dead requireth no lesse strength than the same power that made the world This Christ putt forth to the Jews Lazarus cometh out of the grave even as the world came out of the Chaos at first at the commandment of Christ He then said Let there be light and there was light He now saith Let there be life and there is life And Gen. 1. 3. yet he was not owned as the Creator The world knew not him as the Second Person in the Trinity neither as Mediator nor as Creator I now proceed to the Application of this First By way of Admonition It teacheth us all to take Vse 1 heed of being ignorant of Christ You see it is laid to the To teach us to take heed of being ignorant of Christ charge of the Gentiles here that they knew him not and how much more heavy will the charge be against us that enjoy other kind of means than the Gentiles had They indeed had he works of Creation and Providence We have them too and a greater light than so we have the Word to be a light to our feet and a lamp to our paths They had the Oracles of the Sybbils we have the Writings of Moses and the Prophets of the Evangelists and Apostles Therefore such as refuse to use the means of knowing Christ as a Saviour they must certainly expect to know him as an Avenger For He will come ere long saith the Apostle with his mighty Angels in flaming fire to render vengeance to whom to them that know not God and obey not the Gospell of Jesus Christ 2 Thess 1. 8. Indeed God will not reckon with men for their Negative Ignorance that is for their bare not knowing what they are not bound to know but for their Privative knowledge for not knowing what they ought to know and what God giveth means to them to know for that he wil be sure to reckon with them And those that continue wilfully ignorant in such things must be miserable against their wills Wherefore to the end ye may all thirst after the knowledge of Christ more and more I shall propound to you two things The Excellency and of this Knowledge The Necessity First Consider the Excellency of the knowledge of The Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Christ of which ye read Phil. 3. 8. I eount all things but losse for the excellency of the knowledge of the Lord Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the losse of all things and account them dung that I may win Christ All is but dross and dung to Paul in comparison of the knowledge of Christ How is it that amongst us men run after dross and dung and neglect the knowledge of Christ as preferring that before him For the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord. Nothing in the world so excellent as knowledge no knowledge so excellent as that of Christ Other knowledge may perhaps make a man famous this onely can make him holy and happy other knowledge can give him the esteem of a learned man this onely can make him to be a Saint Therefore an excellent knowledge Secondly There is a necessity of this knowledge whether The Necessity of the knowledg of Christ you look to Justification There is a necessity of the knowledg of Christ Sanctification or Salvation First If ye look to Justification By his knowledge shall 1. As to Justification my righteous servant justifie many Isa 53. 11. His knowledge that is not cognitione suâ but cognitione suî not by that knowledge which is inherent in Christ but by that knowledge which we have of him By his knowledge that is by the knowledge of Him shall my righteous servant justifie many Here knowledge is put for faith which justifieth because there is such a necessary connection between faith and knowledge Amongst men some are better known than trusted it is not so with God for according to our knowledge of him so there will be a proportionable trusting in him Psal 9. 10. They that know thy name will put their trust in thee No knowledge no faith and according to the measure of our knowledg so will the measure of our faith be Thus you see a necessity of knowledg in point of Justification Secondly In point of Sanctification which may be gathered from that of the Apostle 1 Joh. 2. 3 4. Hereby we 2. As to Sanctification know him if we keep his commandments He that saith I know him and keepeth not his commandments is a lyar and the truth is not in him Where there is a fatherly knowledge there will be obedience for this knowledge of an Object so amiable will ingender love and that love will be the fulfilling of the Law Thirdly It is necessary in point of Salvation Not to insist long upon these things Hence it is that all these three 3. As to Salvation things namely the state of salvation the ministry of the Gospell and the knowledge of Christ come under one and the same notion in Scripture under the notion and name of Eternall life The everlasting stare of Happiness that is called Eternal life Matth. 25. ult They shall go away into everlasting punishment but the righteous into life eternall The Ministry of the Gospell that is called Eternall life Act. 13. 46. It was necessary saith Paul to Barnabas there that the word should first be spoken to you but seeing you put it from you and judg your selves unworthy of everlasting life we turn to the Gentiles They that reject the Ministry of the Gospell are said to account themselves unworthy of everlasting life Thirdly the knowledge of Christ is called so Joh. 17. 3. This is life eternall to know thee the onely true God and Christ Jesus whom thou hast sent What is the reason of this Because these make way for the other the Ministry of the Gospell that maketh way for the knowledge of Christ the knowledge of Christ maketh way for the state of Blisse and Glory Therefore all cometh under the notion of Eternal life We come to a second thing Notwithstanding Christs being Christ in the world not known by the world in the world and the world being made by him the inhabitants of the world knew him not Secondly This lets us see by way of Information the unthankfulnesse of the world the patience of Christ the Vse 2 happinesse of Christians First See the unthankfulnesse of
the world If one 1. Of the world's unthankfulnesse should build an house for a man then furnish it and afterwards put the poor man that was harbourlesse before into it and put a stock into his hands to trade withall and keep his house in repair for him and require no other Rent but some small acknowledgment Would not all the world cry shame of this man if he should not be thankfull It is our case God hath made a world for man and furnished it before he brought man into it Jesus Christ he hath been in the world ever since the Creation upholding all things by the word of his power And yet such is the unthankfulnesse of men that they know not Christ He was in the world the world was made by him and the world knew him not therefore did not acknowledge him as their Creator and Preserver Such is the madnesse of men that they are over-apt to bestow divine honour upon those it belongeth not to and to deny it to Christ to whom it appertaineth When Paul and Barnabas had cured the Creeple Act. 14. 11. they had much ado to stave off the people from making gods of them Now when the people saw what Paul had done they lifted up their voices saying in the speech of Lycaonia The gods are come down to us in the likenesse of men And they called Barnabas Jupiter and Paul Mercurius The Priests of Jupiter offered sacrifice to them Christ doth a great deal more than this commeth to and yet men own him not Do ye thus requite the Lord as Moses said O foolish people and unwise Secondly It helpeth to clear God and to magnifie the 2. Of the patience of Christ patience of Christ He made the world the world knowes him not and yet he letteth the world stand for all this He hath let the world continue almost six thousand years notwithstanding all this ingratitude of the world We may well upon this occasion call to mind that which the Prophet Hosea recordeth Hos 11. 8 9. How shall I give thee up Ephraim how shall I deliver thee Israel how shall I make thee as Admah how shall I set thee as Zeboim My heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together I will not execute the fiercenesse of mine anger I will not return to destroy Ephraim For I am God and not man the holy One in the midst of thee and I will not enter into the City For I am God and not man Here is a great evidence that Christ is God and not man otherwise the world had been made as Admah and Zeboim long ere this Suppose Moses himself the meekest man upon earth to be indowed with that power that Christ had in his hands from the beginning of the world and suppose him to have hated sin as Christ doth It would have been impossible even for Moses to have held his hands He that cryed out at the Rock Ye rebells shall I bring water out of this Rock to you would certainly have cryed out Ye rebells I will send down fire Exod. 17. 2. upon you from heaven to consume you What an high provocation is this when Christ hath done so much to have all sleighted Men take it ill when there is any competency of worth in them to be neglected Not to speak of the worth of Christ as Redeemer look to his works of Creation see what glorious Attributes shine in them do but compare them with the works of men If a workman doth many things surely they are not great for one great thing will take up a great deal of time If he produceth a great piece he doth not make many such if many and great commonly they are but great Torrasses things of no worth or both botchingly and bunglingly done Now here in the work of Creation is both Mercy and Greatnesse here is Comelinesse and Usefulnesse kissing each other And yet all this sleighted by the sons of men and that for so many years together and yet the earth standeth Oh! the Patience of God notwithstanding all this provocation Thirdly Ye may see the happiness of Christians Though the 3. See the happinesse of Christians world knoweth not God there is a certain sort of Men in the world that do 1 Tim. 3. 16. God manifested in the Flesh justified of the Spirit seen of Angels preached to the Gentiles believed on in the world Believed on in the world This is the great priviledge of us Christians The poor Gentiles knew there was a God and might come to the knowledge of some of his Attributes but when their consciences flew in their faces they were then at a great stand They had learned that God was and was mercifull and that he would pardon sin but they had not the knowledge of a Mediator nor how to make a friend to God This God hath made known to them that live under the means of grace and hold the Ministry of the Gospell He hath let them see what wayes they have to make to God The Lord Jesus Christ hath held forth the wayes of Truth and Life Truth and life by Jesus Christ No man goeth to the Father but by Him Therefore if that Philosopher of whom we read thought he had so much cause to blesse God that had made him not a Barbarian but a Grecian and amongst Grecians an Athenian amongst Athenians a Philosopher Certainly we have cause to magnifie the grace of God that we are born not Pagans but Christians in regard of an outward Covenant and not Papists but Protestants and amongst Protestants English men Because this Island of ours hath by the grace of God been the Goshen wherein this light of the Gospell hath shined more than in any Kingdome of Christendome I have done with that verse and proceed to the Eleventh which concerneth the Jewes especially Vers 11. He came to his owne and his owne received The Jewes refuse to receive Christ him not He came two wayes There are many sorts of Christ's coming which will be needlesse to repeat to you He came First In his Ordinances Secondly In the Flesh First Christ is said to come amongst a people whom 1. Christ cometh to a people in his Ordinances He blesseth with his Ordinances according to that Exodus 20. 24. In all places where I record my Name I will come to thee and blesse thee The Gospell never cometh to a place but Christ cometh with it Secondly He came in the flesh This is a faithfull saying 2. Christ came in the flesh and worthy of all men to be received saith Paul 1 Tim. 1. 15. That Jesus Christ came into the World to save sinners Thus he came He came to his owne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word is and may be rendred thus He came to his owne home So the word is rendred Acts 21. 6. When we had taken leave of one another we took ship and they returned home again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
ye compare these two places in the Galathians Gal. 5. 6. with Gal. 6. 15. In Jesus Christ neither Circumcision nor uncircumcision availeth any thing but Faith which worketh by love What is that see the fifteenth Verse of the sixth Chapter Neither Circumcision nor uncircumcision but a new Creature New Creature and Faith is all one where faith is there is a new Creature So then All believers are new born and new born of God because as ye have heard already which will save me a labour to exemplifie this It requireth a Divine power to beget a man to Christ Jam. 1. 18. Of his owne will begot he us with the Word of Truth Of his owne will begot he us To make a man partaker of godlinesse there must go Divine power as Peter saith 2 Pet. 1. 3. According to his Divine power He hath given us all things pertaining to Life and Godlinesse Such a power as went to the Regeneration requireth a greater power then Creation Creation yea a greater power then went to the Creation if a greater can be God putteth forth a further act of power in Regeneration then in Creating men and the whole World at first because there was then nothing to resist God spake the Word and there was no opposition made Let there be light and there was light Let the waters be gathered together and they were gathered together into one Channell But when God cometh here to Convert all is up in arms Corrupt nature struggleth for it selfe and the Devill likely to be thrown out of his hold maketh the best of it that he can and musters all his forces to maintain his possession here is required a greater power because of resistance which was not in the former work Would not a man say if he should go into a Potters shop or Glasse-house that a man might sooner make a thousand pots or glasses then when a pot or glasse is broken all to pieces to make it whole again That is a much greater work This is the case here In the Creation God brought all things out of nothing Here is but one single work But when he comes now to regenerate he findeth men's hearts broken to pieces and he must make them sound again That is a further work a double work He must pull down the old building and set up a new frame none of the old not a stick will serve Old things are done away all things are Cor. 2. 5. 17. become new Therefore it is that all the works of the Creation though an Almighty work is but the finger as it were of God When I consider the Heavens the work of thy fingers The works of man's Redemption and Conversion require the whole arme So speaking of God after the manner of men for to him all things are alike easie Luk. 1. 51. He hath shewed strength with his arme speaking of the work of our Redemption by Christ Who hath believed our Report To whom is the arm of the Lord revealed That which is manifest in the Gospell that telleth us of our Redemption saying It is the arm of God At the first it was but a word Let there be light and it was so The work of our Redemption cost not onely words but tears and sweat and blood and the Life of our Saviour God breathed the breath of Life into man that he might revive him and become a new Creature So that this work considered one cannot be born again of any but of God I proceed now to the Application If believers are born Vse 1 of God then it calleth upon them to be thankfull to God This presseth thankfulnesse for our new birth for their new birth They have received that from the hands of God that the rest of the World are strangers to They are better born then others that is the word the Apostle useth Acts 17. 11. We stand ingaged to the whole Trinity for this blessing Behold what manner of love the Father hath shewed unto us We owe our new birth to God the Father And to the Son too Isai 9. 6. The name of Christ is the Everlasting Father And to God the Holy Ghost Joh. 3. 5. Except we be born again of Water and of the Spirit born of the Spirit To th end we may be the more 3. Graces and priviledges that accompany new birth sensible of this inestimable blessing consider the graces and priviledges that accompany this new birth I will name but three First Is likenesse to God We are so born of God as to 1. Is likenesse to God bear his Image to be righteous as he is righteous 1 Joh. 2. ult If ye know that he is righteous ye know that every one which doth righteousnesse is born of him It is true of all the Creatures They are made of God But it is true onely of Saints They are born of God Therefore though every Creature hath something of God in him yet a Saint hath more All have the foot-steps of God but Believers have his Image They represent him as a man's son represents his father There may be the Image of a man taken in a Picture that may shew something of him and his Image in a glasse that sheweth more that representeth his motion which the other doth not But his Image in his son that is the most lively of all that representeth his disposition Such an Image of God is in every Saint it represents the quality of God and the disposition of him He is made partaker of the Divine nature Secondly There is in him a love to God and to the Saints 2. Love to God and to the Saints which is another adjunct of the new birth of which 1 Joh. 4. 7. compared with 1 Joh. 5. 1. vers Beloved Let us love one another for love is of God and every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God Chap. 5. 1. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God and every one that loveth him that begetteth loveth him that is begotten of him First here is love to God the Common father of all the Saints It is true in this Case Amor descendit sed non semper ascendit Love amongst men descendeth It goeth down from the Parent to the Child but it doth not alwayes ascend from the Child to the Parent But here as there is a love descending to us so from us ascending to God As the Iron that is touched with the Load-stone hath an inclination of following the Load-stone So when God hath touched the soul with Love it leaveth an instinct behind it of following after God As every one that is new born hath a love to God so hath he also to the Saints He that loveth him that begetteth loveth him also that is begotten of him Look as it is in nature Light ye know is the prime object of sight It is the principall visible object and the more of light in any thing the more visible
and getteth not the fruit Would ye have Christ ye must go to God for him the reality of all is founded in him What are the things men doat upon but either honours or riches or pleasures the worlds Trinity as some call those three We shall find them all in Christ Prov. 3. 16 17. where Wisdom speaks thus that Wisdom is Christ In her right hand are riches and honour Her waies are waies of pleasantnesse Here is all three riches honour and pleasure and all found in Wisdom which is the Lord Jesus Christ Vers 15. John bare witness of him He cryed saying This was he of whom I spake He that cometh after me is preferred before me for he was before me 16. And of his fulness have all we received and grace for grace For this fifteenth verse which I am now to close with there are in it these particulars First The Witnesse-bearer that is John the Baptist John bare witnesse of him Secondly The manner of his Witnessing He cryed saying Thirdly The time when he witnessed which lyeth couched in these words This was he of whom I spake I shall open that by and by Fourthly The matter of his testimony here He that commeth after me is preferred before me for he was before me I shall begin with the first The Witnesse-bearer was John the Baptist of whom we read vers 7. that he came The office of John the Baptist for a witnesse to bear witnesse of the Light and here we find him doing what he came for He came for a witnesse and here he bears witnesse This is the Observation That a good man will not be wanting to the duty of his Observ place This was his Office and ye find him taken up in the discharge of it and so should every one be For we must walk Circumspectly not as fools but as wise not to forget the errand we are sent about Every blessed man is like that Tree Psal 1. that bringeth forth his fruit in his season which is proper to his Calling and in such a time as is most proper for that fruit Rom. 12. 7 8. Ye have an Apostolicall Injunction Let him that hath a Ministry wait upon his ministry or he that exhorts upon his exhortation He that giveth let him do it with simplicity he that ruleth with diligence he that sheweth mercy with Cheerfulnesse Men lose nothing by being imployed in that service that Nothing lost by diligence in God's service God cals them to and men get nothing by being busie in other men's matters One may be over-busie and yet in God's account but an idle person if he doth not his proper work 1 Tim. 5. 13. And withall they learn to be Idle wandring about from house to house and not onely idle but Tatlers also and busie-bodies speaking things which they ought not Busie bodies and yet idle Why why because busie in matters that concern them not The next is the manner of John's witnesse bearing He 2. The manner of his witnesse-bearing bare witnesse and cried The Baptist cried in his witnessing of Christ There is something remarkable in that whereas the Scripture contents it selfe in other Cases to say He opened his mouth and spake here John Crieth What is the mystery of this He is said to cry for some one or all perhaps of these three Reasons First In reference to a fore-going Prophecy Isaiah 1. In reference to fore-going prophecies had fore-told as much which is applied in Matth. 3. 3. speaking of John the Baptist This is he that was spoken of by the Prophet Isaiah Behold the voice of one crying in the wildernesse Prepare ye the way of the Lord make his paths straight He fore-told he should have the voice of a Crier therefore this voice is applied to him Or Secondly In reference to the time when he first began 2. To the time of his witnessing to witnesse of Christ and that was as Philogus telleth us in the year of Jubilee under the Law every fiftieth year the Jewes were to keep a Jubilee wherein they were to ordain liberty to their servants and restore men to their possessions that had been mortgaged Levit. 25. 9 10. Then shalt thou cause the Trumpet of the Jubilee to sound in the tenth day of the seventh month in the day of attonement shall ye make the Trumpet sound through all your Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof It shall be a Jubilee unto you and ye shall return every man to his possession and ye shall return every man unto his family John that came to be the Minister of the Gospell he began in a year of Jubilee because he was to proclaime a liberty that came by Christ who was now to be exhibited and to shew himselfe because he came by the Ministry of the Gospell to restore men to those possessions they had lost in Adam even to an Eternall Inheritance reserved in Heaven for them The year of Jubilee was to be proclaimed by a Trumpet Therefore John comes crying The Interpretation receiveth a strong confirmation of that Isaiah 58. 1. Cry aloud spare not lift up thy voice like a Trumpet and shew my people their transgressions and the house of Israel their sins Here John's voice cometh as a Jubilee-Trumpet to proclaim liberty to them that were Captive therefore he is said to Cry Thirdly Crying may referre to the temper of his spirit 3. To the fervency and alacrity in his witnesse-bearing Exod. 14. 15. in his witnesse-bearing to Christ you may note his fervency or alacrity or both Crying noteth fervency Why Criest thou to me saith God to Moses at the Red Sea when Moses was most fervent in spirit yet we read of nothing he said saith Augustine The people cried and God heard them not Moses held his peace and yet was heard because there was a louder cry within Of Christ himselfe it is said In the daies of his flesh He offered up Prayers with strong cries and tears The spirit crieth Abba Father It is a term of earnestnesse and so of alacrity too Hos 12. ult Cry out and shout thou inhabitant of Sion for great is the Holy one of Israel in the midst of thee John went about this work with a great deal of earnestnesse and delight He that leapt in his Mother's Womb when the newes came Luk. 1. 41. of the Conception of Christ now he leapeth with much more joy when he himselfe came to be the proclaimer of Christ He himselfe hath the honour to be the Day-Star that shall usher-in the Sun of Righteousnesse to be more then a Prophet He pointed at him with the finger and said This is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the World Let us all learn from hence to cry up Christ in our severall places and according to our severall capacities John did so when he witnessed of him to cry up Christ with all the alacrity and fervency that may be You know how
Joab was David's servant therefore David must have the praise All the ability and grace that thou hast laid out in this service they are Christ's therefore not to be ascribed to thee Thou canst not go one step before Christ comes in to thy assistance Joab bringeth the work to perfection and yet David absent a great way off The Lord Jesus Christ is alwayes present with any that do a good work therefore all the praise is to be given to him When Peter drew up the multitude of fish doth he sacrifice to his owne Net no but he giveth the glory of it to the Lord Christ though it was Peters net and Peters hand that drew up the net yet it was not Peters strength Therefore give to the Lord all the praise that so we may preferre Christ before all as John the Baptist did Vers 16. Of his fulnesse have all we received and grace for grace I shall say something of the Coherence and then come The Coherence to the particulars I hinted that to you before wherein I understood this to seem to relate to the end of the fourteenth verse where it is said That Christ was full of grace and truth And here he proves it He that is the fountain of grace must needs be full of it himselfe Christ is so Christ the fountain of grace For of his fulnesse have we all received and grace for grace Onely there is a great doubt and Controversie amongst Interpreters whether these be the words of John the Baptist or of John the Evangelist Some think them to be a continuation of John the Baptist's Testimony which I discoursed to you of out of the former verse This was he of whom I spake He that comes after me is preferred before me for he was before me Others think they are the words of John the Evangelist and cohere with those words in the end of the fourteenth verse Full of Grace and Truth And I rather joyne with them Partly for that reason and partly because that the graces of Christ which he speaks of here and in the following verse The Law came by Moses but grace and truth by Jesus Christ were not so fully manifested when John the Baptist spake as when John the Evangelist wrote this Gospell For the law of Moses as to the shadowes of it were then expired The truth of Christ was then exhibited the Holy Ghost come down and aboundance of grace shed abroad all the World over So that the Evangelist may well say Of his fulnesse we have all received The Law came by Moses and now grace and truth is come by Jesus It was so when the Evangelist wrote in the full exhibition of it The matter in difference is not very great But let us take them as to the Coherence and then for the parts You have in this short verse aboundance of particulars The generall parts they are but two But the latter is subdivided First Here is a store-house an Heavenly store-house of Treasure that is the fulnesse of Jesus Christ Of his fulnesse Secondly The improvement hereof for the chiefest good of it We have all received even grace for grace And in this four particulars First The persons All we Secondly The participation Have received Thirdly The proportion not his fulnesse But of his fulnesse de plenitudine and not plenitudinem some share of his fulnesse Fourthly The treasure it selfe which was imparted that is Grace for grace Of his fulnesse have we all received and grace for grace I shall now close with the first of these which is the Magazine the Store-house the Treasury in the text namely The fulnesse of Christ whence I commend to you this Observation That There is aboundant fulnesse in Jesus Christ Observ There is an aboundant fulnesse in Jesus Christ of whom it is said Col. 2. 19. It pleased the Father in him should all fulnesse dwell All fulnesse All for kind and All for degree And it therefore pleased the Father That all fulnesse should dwell in him because he was to be the head of the All fulnesse in Christ as the head of the body body He is the head of the body the Church for it pleased the Father That in him should all fulnesse dwell It concerned Christ to be full of all grace because he was to be the head of his Church As in the naturall body because the head is to convey sense to all the body therefore all the Organs of sense are placed in the head The eye whereby we see and the ear whereby we hear and the nose by which we smell the palate by which we tast Jesus Christ is to be the head of the Church Therefore all fulnesse was to be in him He was to be an universall Cause which was to have an universall Influence therefore there must needs be in him an universall fulnesse As in the first Adam there was a fulnesse of human nature and of righteousnesse too as long as he stood because he was to convey the human nature together with the Image of God to his posterity if he had continued So in the second Adam There was to be a fulnesse of grace because he was to convey all grace to all believers to the end of the World Joseph fill'd the Granaries of Egypt with Corn Why Because not onely Egypt but all the Countries there about were to be suppli'd with Corn in time of Famine So it pleased God that in Christ should all fulnesse dwell That all Jewes and Gentiles might come to him for grace All must go through the hands of Joseph to the people Even as the Liver is full of blood because it conveyeth blood to the members of the body The Sea is full of water because it conveyeth water to all the Rivers And the Sun full of light because it conveyeth light to all the Stars So Christ is full of grace because He was to be the Conveyer of grace To speak a little more distinctly There is a threefold fulnesse in Christ A threefold fulnesse in Christ A fulnesse of Divinity A fulnesse of Sufficiency A fulnesse of Efficacy See the distinction and difference between them First There is in Christ A fulnesse of Divinity and so 1. A fulnesse of Divinity commonly it is said Col. 2. 9. In him dwelleth all the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily There are to be found in others gifts and graces that flow from the Godhead These were in Angels and Adam and all Saints But the Godhead it selfe is in Christ And that not according to some portion of it as the Heathens had a conceit that the Divinity was dispersed and scattered That one had one part of it and another another part And therefore they made many sorts of Gods because they thought no one sufficient to contain the whole Deity therefore they made Bacchus and Apollo and the rest to have their severall imployments But here is in Christ not the parts of the Godhead but
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
Wherefore my Brethren pray that ye may understand these things for indeed they are things that depend upon Revelation therefore they call for prayer Saith Bernard of the Mystery of the Trinity The best way of seeking it and the easiest way of finding it is not to enter upon Disputings but Prayer To Prayer add the use of the best Means reading the Word of God in which these Mysteries are revealed that concern the Eternity and Personality and Divinity of Jesus Christ Scripture will help you more then Reason here There are two sorts of things Some things there are which we do first understand and then believe Others which we first believe and then come to understand If ye Naturall things are first understood then believed Supernaturals not so go to naturall things first ye understand them apprehend the inside and outside of them and then believe them because ye understand them But now in these great supernaturall Mysteries that ye may understand them you must first believe them For this there are two rules If ye will first set Reason on work believe no more then ye can find out in these Mysteries That will hinder Faith But if after ye have believed them ye will set reason a work that may help faith The Arians of old that denied the Divinity of Christ they got a great deal of advantage especially over Women by putting questions for grounds of reason to them They were wont to come to Women and The Arians delusion and sophistry aske them Hast thou born a Child say they Yes And art thou not older then the Child thou hast born why yes say they And yet say they our Adversaries They tell us that God hath a Son and that the Son is Co-eternall with the Father Athanasius goeth to work to confute them thus I aske you a question Canst thou build a house without Timber and Stone and other Materialls no yet God made the World without any of these things If Gods building be not as an Artificer's God made the World without Materialls He hath his Son from Eternity but not as a naturall parent for who can declare his generation If ye will aske a question Ask the Sun if ever it were without its beams Aske the Sun if it did not shine as soon as it was Created And aske the Fountain if ever it was without its streams As the Sun was never without its beams nor the Fountain without its streams so God was never without his Son In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God both Co-existent and Eternall Vers 3. All things were made by Him and without Him was not any thing made that was made Who is here meant by Him the fore-going verses tell you namely the Word And who is meant by the Word ye have heard at large namely Christ Whose Divinity the Evangelist had affirmed vers 1. The Word was God confirmed in the second verse The same was in the beginning with God And here he proveth it by a new argument from the Creation of the World All things were made by Him and without Him was nothing made that was made Now the Apostle telleth you Hebr. 3. 4. He that built Syllogism all things is God Christ built all things saith my Text Therefore Christ is God The argument lieth fair and undeniable But whereas the Apostle Paul speaks of a new Creation we are hinted to think of a double Creation There is the old Creation and the new Creation Now some Hereticks make a question which of the two is here meant There is the old Creation spoken of by Moses in Genesis In the beginning God Created Heaven and Earth And there is the new Creation spoken of by Paul 2 Cor. 5. 17. If any man be in Christ he is a new Creature old things are past away behold all things are become New The question is which of these the Text is meant of All things were made by Him Socinus who denieth the Socinus his damnable heresie and opinion Divinity of Christ together with his Satisfaction maketh it to lay hold upon the latter of these and saith that in the Text ye must understand the new Creation As In the beginning was the Word He understandeth the beginning of the Gospell not of the World All things were made by Him that is all things were made new when Christ was born of the Virgin Mary These are the all things meant in the Text saith Socinus As this is not true so it will not serve his turn It is not true nor consonant to the Text which doth not say that all things were made new by Him but that all things were made by Him and undeniably spoken of the Creation of the World Neither will it serve his turn He hopeth by this evasion to avoid the dint of this argument taken from the Creation of the World to prove the Divinity of Christ but it faileth him for take that which he granteth By all things here we must mean the new things the new Creature If this be the thing we will prove Christ to be God in spight of Socinus For who can turn a heart of stone into an heart of flesh who can work faith and love faith in an unbelieving heart love in an hating heart and meeknesse in a passionate heart who but God! Do not these things declare an Almighty power This by his owne Confession proves him to be God But we are to understand it of the old Creation of the World which Moses telleth us of All things were made by Him that is the proposition An illustration of it in the following words without Him was nothing made that was made In the proposition observe two things First the Effect All things were made Secondly The Efficient By Him This is an excellent help and of great Concernment The making of all things is the first lesson that God Almighty teacheth us in the Bible In the beginning the Lord made Heaven and Earth Therefore worthy the dwelling a while upon and making inquiry into these five things for the clearing of these words First What are the things here meant Secondly In what Order Thirdly In what space of time Fourthly In what manner Fifthly To what end were they all made When these are done we shall come clearly to shew that the Lord Jesus Christ had an influence as the Efficient cause of all these All things were made by Him First What things are here meant All things These 1. All things are here meant are words of a vast Comprehension but you shall find them all reduced to four heads by God himselfe In the fourth Commandement Exod. 20. 11. In six dayes the Lord made Heaven and Earth the Sea and all things that are therein These are the heads of the All things First the Heaven Heaven is a fair building a glorious Fabrick of three Stories the first second and third Heaven 1. Heaven So Paul
Jewes refused him The Sun is ashamed to behold the Souldiers and the earth quaked as loath to bear the Souldiers Thus far of the Witnesse-bearer the Manner of his witnessing and the Time when 4. The fourth particular remaineth namely The Matter of the Testimony which John here giveth of Christ which 4. The matter of John's testimony of Christ lyeth in these words This was he of whom I spake He that cometh after me is preferred before me for he was before me Let us expound the words first This was He. There lyeth some matter of commendations even in that So that your great Oratour of Greece Demosthenes he accounted it matter of commendations when he went in the streets to have it said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This is Demosthenes Res est magnoperè laudanda It is a matter much to be valued to have one pointed at with the finger and to have it said This is such a man of note The holy Ghost speaks it by way of commendations of Moses and Aaron Exod. 6. 26 27. ye have it twice there These are that Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said Bring out the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies These are they which spake to Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt These are that Moses and Aaron Here it is thrice So This was he saith John But the commendations he giveth lyeth more apparent in the following words He of whom I spake He that comes after me is preferred before me for he was before me He that comes after me Quest What is that How doth Christ come after John How is Christ said to come after John Answ In three respects which I frame as a ground from this First In regard of his Nativity Secondly In regard of his own Ministry Thirdly In regard of his attendance upon the Ministry of John First In regard of his Nativity Christ was born of the 1. In regard of his Nativity Virgin Mary some six months after John the Baptist came into the world so he came after him in that respect Luk. 1. 36. You may find that the mother of John the Baptist was gone with child some six months when the Virgin Mary had newly conceived Behold thy cousen Elizabeth hath conceived and shall bear a son and his name shall be called John So saith the Angel that came to Mary and brought the first tydings of Christ our Saviour Secondly Christ came after him In regard of his own 2. In regard of his own Ministry Ministry and the discharge of that Christ did not begin to exercise his Ministry till John had ended his Mar. 1. 14. After that John was put in prison where he lost his head Jesus came into Galilee preaching the Gospell of the Kingdom of God We use to say that seldom comes a better but let not that proverb occasion dispair in any for here Christ comes after John It may be the people may think themselves undone now they have lost such a Minister as John the Baptist After him comes Christ even as Elisha comes after Eliah with a double portion of the spirituall truths of God for all that have to do in the world Thirdly Christ is said to come after John In regard of 3. In regard of his attendance upon the Ministry of John his attendance upon the Ministry of John the Baptist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That word is seldom or never to be found in Scripture as relating to time but alwaies to place and should not be used for post me but pone me as Beza renders it So it respects time After me in regard of his Nativity and exercise of his Ministry that ye may take in the other But now After me that is In regard of his attendancy upon my Ministry So it was with Christ who was a hearer of John the Baptist Joh. 1. 26. John answered them saying I baptize with water but there standeth one amongst you whom ye know not There standeth one amongst you Therefore Christ was one of John's followers he stood amongst John's Disciples here And in the Scripture-phrase the followers of any Teacher it is usually said of them that they go after such a one because the Teacher was wont to go before and the Disciples after which is the proper notion of the phrase in that place Matth. 16. 24. Then said Jesus to his disciples If any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his crosse and follow me The Disciple is said to come after and to follow the Teacher Christ here to come after John because he was one of his Hearers Go we on to the next words He that comes after me is preferred before me Namely In regard of his worth and dignity The Prince Christ preferred before John in regard of his worth and dignity comes after the Harbinger and yet is preferred before him The Word comes after the Voice and yet is preferred before it for it was a voice during the time of articulation and not a word till it be articulated Christ was the Prince and John the Harbinger Christ the Sun of righteousnesse and John the Morning-star Christ the Word and John the Voice Though he comes after me he was before me And it is reason he should be preferred before him in dignity because he was before him in regard of his Essence as being God from everlasting to everlasting whose going forth is from all eternity He was not onely before John but before Abraham Joh. 8. 58. Before Abraham was I am Before Abraham was yea before the World was Prov. 8. 25 26. Before the mountains were setled or before the hills were brought forth while as yet he had not made the earth nor the fields nor the highest part of the dust of the world Ye have John the Baptist telling us in this Chapter vers 34. that he bears witnesse to the Divinity of Christ And I saw and bear record that this is the Son of God Now this he doth in this place He proveth and bears record that Christ is the Son of God because he was before all That is a testimony of his Divinity The sum of all then is this John's endeavour is to preferre Christ before him that is the thing I would have you to observe And it should be the care of every Believer to prefer and exalt and set up Christ above himself He that came after me is preferred before me for he was before me John was put upon this because the people had a conceit of him that he was the Messias and therefore he made it his businesse throughly to depresse himself to exalt his Saviour I must decrease but he must encrease I am the friend of the Bridegroom but he is the Bridegroom that hath the Bride I baptize with water but he with the holy Ghost I am the poorest sinner but he is the Lamb of God
that taketh away the sins of the world It was the scope of his Ministry to prefer Christ before himself whom the people were apt to magnifie And so Peter Act. 3. 12 13 14. said Ye men of Israel why marvail ye at this or why look ye so earnestly upon us as though by our own power or holinesse we had made this man to walk The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob the God of our fathers hath glorified his Son Jesus whom ye delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilat when he was determined to let him go But ye denied the holy One and the Just and desired a murderer to be granted unto you The four and twenty Elders in the Revelations ye find them casting down their Crowns at the feet of Christ and giving all praise to him Rev. 4. 10 11. The four and twenty Elders fell down before him that sate upon the throne and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever and cast their crowns before the throne saying Thou art worthy O Lord to receive honour and glory and power for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created The more to blame are they to make some Use of this before I end that either in point of Salvation or Edification ascribe more to themselves than to Christ instead of preferring Christ before them as John did This Reproof may concern a great many of us and haply more than are well aware of it For this is truth that Spanhemius lately said in one of his Treatises Naturaliter aliquid Pelagii aliquid Pharisaei in nobis habemus We have all by nature something of the Pelagian and something of the Pharisee in us Pelagian-like we are all apt to ascribe too much to our own free-will and Pharisee-like we are all apt to ascribe to our selves the merits of our good works What men are those that maintain that God hath given them a power to will but the act of willing they have in themselves Is not this to ascribe more to themselves than to God Is it not more actually to will what is good than to have a power to will it Augustine professeth himself once of opinion That men were able of themselves to receive the Gospell when it was preached but he was converted from that errour by that place of the Apostle What hast thou that thou hast not received And O man who hath made thee to differ And yet a Dutch-man of late hath dared to say I have made my self to differ from others Though God gives me power to will yet to will is of my self Here is something of the Pelagian See now something of the Pharisee in those that pride themselves for their good works with the neglect of Christ Ye know what the Papists do they ascribe something to their merits They will give something to Christ in the beginning but the carrying on of their works they will have to themselves Which Bishop against Perkins saith A father bestoweth a Farm upon his son the son by his improvement of this Farm groweth so rich as he is able to make the purchase of a greater Farm which he hath not from his father but hath purchased it by his own industry and improvement of the stock which his father gave him So God doth at first bestow a stock of grace upon us saith he but we by the improvement of this grace are able to purchase something at God's hands Who is the Purchaser whether he that layeth out the mony for what is bought or he that gave the first Farm So Who is the Procurer of Salvation whether Christ that giveth the first grace or the man that hath so improved that grace as to purchase Heaven at the hands of God All these things are ascribed to the next cause not to the remore cause Christ is the remote cause of salvation but the man himself is the next cause of his own salvation and happiness Here the man is preferred before Christ And have we not many amongst our selves Ask them How they hope to be saved Whereas there is no true answer in the world but this Christ in you the hope of glory Christ in me is my hope to be saved Yet their common answer is They hope to be saved by their prayers and duties and good meaning and good endeavours What is this but to set a man's self above Christ and to look for salvation by his own Performances and not by the merits of his Saviour Men may sometimes have Christ in their mouthes but look what their hearts run to when they think of salvation that many times is their own works It is a good saying of Mr. Fox the Author of the Book of Martyrs in a Latine Treatise of his Nemo magnus est operando quin Christus qui magnus est magnus est per fidem in illo There is none great in works but Christ and if we will be great it must be by faith in him Others perhaps will give you a better answer to seem to yet in the issue it commeth much to one They tell you They come to salvation by believing in Christ But ask them how they come to believe Why because they find so much humiliation in their hearts and dependency upon Christ Here a man setteth up belief whereas in the true course of things good works should be made out by the issue of faith Here is a kind of bastard-faith made out as Faith to be manifested by works the issue of good works Certainly good works may help faith Faith groweth fat and well-liking the more it putteth forth it self in works of holinesse But it is faith laying hold upon Christ that bringeth in all our comfort Therefore he that will go the other way to work must settle himself on Christ by faith He that was mighty in Peter to the circumcision was mighty in me to the uncircumcision Christ was mighty in Paul and mighty in Peter they had great successe in their ministry but Whom do they thank for it Christ and not themselves As Joab did when they had taken Rabbah 2. Sam. 12. 27. He sent messengers to David saying I have fought against Rabbah and have taken the city of waters Now therefore gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the City and take it lest I take the City and it be called by my name Joab had taken a great deal of pains in the service but he would have his Master David to have all the honour So whatsoever pains a Minister or any other hath taken in the work of God he must take heed of setting up himself now cast in for Christ let him have all the praise There is a Rabbah taken when a man is converted a fort taken out of the Devills hands who shall have the praise the Minister no but the Lord Jesus Christ that giveth the successe Joab he fought and took the City but