Christ Dying and Drawing Sinners to Himself
The question proposed by F. Cornewell I shall not father upon that learned and godly Divine, Master Cotton: Whether a man may evidence his justification by his Sanctification: he should have added, whether he may evidence to himself, or his own conscience, his justification; for that so, he may evidence i • , in a conjectural way to others, no man doubts. 2. The question is mistated; as if Sanctification did formally evidence Justification, as Justification, in abstracto, and Faith in its actual working; its enough against Antinomians, if it evidence to the sense of the person, that he is in the state of justification, and that he hath faith to lay hold on Christ's righteousness, when he esteems the Saints precious, and placeth his delight in them. Sanctification doth not as Libertines would imagine, evidence justification, as faith doth evidence it, with such a sort of clearness, as light evidenceth colors, making them actually visible; now light is no sign or evident mark of colors. Love and works of sanctification do not so evidence justification; as if justification were the object of good works; that way faith doth evidence justification, but sanctification doth evidence justification to be in the soul, where sanctification is, though it doth not render justification actually visible to the soul, as light maketh colors to be actually visible; or as faith by the light of the Spirit, rendereth justification visible: for even as smoke evidenceth there is fire, there where smoke is, though smoke render no fire visible to the eye; and the moving o • the pulse evidenceth that there is yet life, though the man be i • a swoon, and no other acts of life do appear to the eye, an • the morning star in the East when its dark, evidenceth tha • the Sun shall shortly rise, yet it maketh not the Sun visibl • to the eye; and the streams prove there is an head-spring, whence these streams issue; yet they show not in what part of the earth the head-spring is; so as to make it visible to the eye: so doth Sanctification give evidence of Justification, only as marks, signs, and gracious effects giveth evidence of the cause; as when I find love in my soul, and a care to please God in all things; and this I may know to be in me, from the reflect light of the Spirit, and from these I know there is faith in me, and justification, though I feel not the operation of faith in the mean time, yet the effect and sign makes a report of the cause; as acts of life, eating and drinking, and walking in me doth assure me, that I have the life of nature. So the vital acts of the life of Faith do, as signs and effects give evidences of the cause and fountain; yet there is no necessity that with the same light, by which I know the effect, I know the cause; because this is but a light of arguing, and of heavenly Logic, by which we know (by the light of the Spirits arguing) that we know God, by the light of Faith; because we keep his Commandments: and know arguitive, by God's Logic, that we are translated from death to life, because we love the Brethren ; in effect we know, rather the person must be justified, in whom these gracious evidences are, by hear-say, report, or consequence; then we know, or see justification it self, in abstracto, or faith it self; but the light of faith, the testimony of the Spirit, by the operation of free Grace, will cause us, as it were, with our eyes see justification and faith, not by report, but as we see the Sun light. A 3. Error there is in the state of the question, that never a Protestant Divine ( Arminians and Socinians I disclame, as no Protestants) made either Sanctification a cause of Justification, but an effect; nor common Sanctification that goeth before Justification, and union with Christ, void of all feeling of our need of Christ, an evident sign of Justification. If Master Cornewell dream, that we thus heighten preparations before conversion, as he seems in his Arguments, against gracious conditions in the soul, before faith ; he knows not our mind; and as other Antinomians do, refutes he knows not what. And 4. We had never a question with Antinomians, touching the first assurance of justification, such as is proper to the light of faith. He might have spared all his Arguments, to prove that we are first assured of our justification by faith, not by good works ; For we grant the arguments of one sort of assurance, which is proper to Faith; and they prove nothing against another sort of assurance; by signs and effects, which is also Divine. To Antinomians 1. to be justified by Faith ; 2. and to come to the sense and knowledge of justification, which either was from eternity, as some say; or when Christ died on the Cross, as others; or when we first take life in the womb, as a third sort dream: And 3. to be assured of our justification, are all one. And so to be justified by faith, should be, to be justified by works, which they in their conscience know, we are as far against, as any men. But they should remember, that the peace and comfort that the Saints extract out of their holy walking, is a far other peace, then that peace which is the natural issue of justification, of which Paul saith, Rom. 5.1. Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 with God through Jesus Christ our Lord ; and the peace that issueth from our holy walking; or at least, if they be the same peace, it comes not one and the same way. For 1. Peace which is the fruit of justification, is a peace in the court of God, as the peace that a broken man hath in the court of justice, when he knoweth his Surety hath paid the debts; he dare look Justice in the face without any war, having assurance that war is removed, and enmity with God cried down, and all sins are freely pardoned; the peace that issues from our holy walking is in the court of conscience, and sense of sincerity, and straightness of walking; and is grounded on holy walking, as on a secondary help; and if there were not some confidence, that the sinfulness of these works, are freely pardoned, there should be little peace at all. 2. The former peace is immediately from pardon, that is the true cause of peace; the latter from signs, which dwell as neighbors with pardon; and is only peace, as it hath a necessary relation to pardon; and is resolved in some promise of God, and not as it is a work of our own: as hungering for Christ, as its not the ground of pardon, so its not the ground of peace that issueth from pardon; yet it is the ground of a comfortable word of promise, Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for Righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. And the like, I say, of assurance, comfort, joy, that result from holy walking, and from justifying faith; we never placed good works in so eminent a place, as to ascribe these same effects to them, and to faith in Christ.
Then Master Cornewell loseth his labor to prove, that God doth not first declare and pronounce us righteous, upon sight and evidence of our sanctification, which is a righteousness of our own. For to pronounce us righteous, is to justify us; and doth Master Cornewell know any Protestant Divines, who teach that God, either first or last doth justify us for our inherent Sanctification?
Then M r . Cornwell does confound evidence and assurance of justification, as if they were both one. For many Saints have assurance of justification, so far as they are assuredly justified, & doubt much of their estate, through want of evidence: as many believe, and many times doubt, whether they believe or no. Therefore the Argument to prove Abraham's assurance of justification, Rom. 4. cannot conclude, that Abraham had not divine evidence and assurance, that he was justified, by his holy walking, as by signs and fruits of faith. The assurance of Christ 's righteousness is a direct act of faith, apprehending imputed righteousness: the evidence of our justification we now speak of, is the reflect light, not by which we are justified, but by which we know that we are justified: and the Argument that proves the one, cannot prove the other.
Object. 3. If the promise be made sure of God unto faith, of grace, then it is not first made sure of faith unto works;
But the promise is made sure of God, to faith, out of grace, Rom. 4.5. to him that worketh not, but believeth: The opposition between grace and works, Rom. 11.6. Rom. 4.4. is not only between grace and the merits of works, but between grace and the debt due to works: Now to him that worketh, is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt, Rom. 4.4. Right of promise maketh a work to be of debt, not of grace.
Answ. The promise is made of righteousness and free justification by the grace of Christ; by the promise, that is, by the promised seed, Rom. 4. but these places speak not one word of the reflect evidence that a man hath in his own soul, by which he knows in himself he is justified. This Disputer knows not what he says: he proves we have no promise to be justified by works, nor any assurance thereof from working; that is not the question now; but he should prove, that we cannot know and make evident to our own souls that we are assuredly justified, and that we believe, when we bring forth the fruits of faith: There is one cause why there is life in this tree, and another cause, why all that pass by, and the tree it self, (if we suppose it to be capable of reason, as man is) doth know it hath life and sweet sap: this latter is known to the tree and to others, by bringing forth good fruit. As if there may not be sundry causes, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , of the being of a thing, and to know the being of a thing: Bringing forth fruit is not the cause of the life of the tree, good works are not the cause of our justification; but we know well the tree hath life, when we see it brings forth fruit; as we know we are justified, and in Christ, when we walk after the Spirit, and not after the flesh. The whole Argument is of a direct assurance, called certitudo entis, or of the object: The Question is, touching reflect certainty, how persons may be sure in their own conscience, called certitudo mentis ; and so it concludeth not the Question.
2. Its Antinomian doctrine to make opposition between the Gospel promise, and the debt of the promise: the debt of works, Rom. 4. and Rom. 11. is Law-debt due to the worker, as an hireling is worthy of his wages, because he hath done the work perfectly, according to a covenant made with his Master: In which case, no man says the wages of the laborer is a free-gift. But if whatever the Lord promise to us in the Gospel, make God a debtor, and the thing promised to be debt, then let Antinomians speak out, for they say, The whole letter of Scripture (and so of the whole Gospel-promises) hold forth a covenant of works, contrary to Gal. 4. where there be two covenants, one of works, another of grace; and contrary to the promises of grace in the Gospel, Joh. 2.16. Heb. 8.10, 11, 12. Mat. 11.28. 1 Tim.1.15. (2) All the promises of the Gospel must make salvation debt: was not Christ promised in the Prophets to the lost world? Rom. 1.2. The inheritance is not by Law, but by promise, Gal. 3.17, 18. Rom. 9.8, 9. Luk. 1.45, 54, 55, 68, 69, 70. Is Christ come to save sinners by debt, or by grace? is salvation debt? its promised. Is not righteousness promised to him that believes, Rom. 4.5? then righteousness must be debt, and so not of grace ; for Cornwell telleth us, Pag. 13. The right which a man hath by promise to a work, maketh the assurance of the promise but of debt unto him; and then the promise is not sure to him out of grace. Then all the promises of an established Kingdom to David, and his seed, if they should keep God's commandments, all the blessings and salvation promised to believers in the Old and New Testament, so they bring forth the fruits of a lively faith, are mercies of debt, not of free grace. I well remember that the Famulists say, It is dangerous to close with Christ in a promise. And There can be no true closing with Christ in a promise that hath a qualification or condition expressed. I rather believe the Holy Ghost, Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come to the water, come buy wine and milk without money and without price, Isai. 55.1. And if any man thirst, let him come to me and drink, Joh. 7.37. And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely, Revel. 22.17. Mar. 1.15. If Cornwell can free willing, thirsting, desiring, from working, he hath much divinity: Yet the water of life and salvation promised to such cannot be debt, but free grace; for they are promised to these freely, and to be bestowed without money. Of the same strain is the fourth Argument of Cornwell.
Object. 5. When sanctification is not evident, it cannot be an evidence of justification:
But when justification is hidden and doubtful, sanctification is not evident;
Therefore sanctification cannot be our first evidence of justification.
The Minor is proved, Because when faith is hidden and doubtful, sanctification is not evident: But when justification is hidden and doubtful, faith is hidden and doubtful; therefore when justification is hidden and doubtful, sanctification is not evident.
The proof of the Major is, 1. Faith is the evidence of things not seen; and so makes all things evident: then when faith is hidden, what can be clear?
2. Because no sanctification can be pure and sincere, but when it is wrought in faith; and so it cannot be evident, but when it clearly appeareth to be wrought in faith.
Answ. 1. There is in the Conclusion (first) the first evidence of justification, that is not in the premises, against all art. The Proposition, When sanctification is not evident, it cannot be an evidence of justification, is weak, and weakly proved: For there is a twofold evidence, one of sense and feeling spiritual, another of faith. When sanctification wants the evidence of faith, that I cannot believe salvation from mine own Christian walking, yet may the soul have evidence of feeling and sense, that we trust we have a good conscience in all things, willing to live honestly, Heb. 13.18. and we dare say, Lord, we delight to do thy will, and long for thee, O Lord, as the night-watch watcheth for the morning ; and, whom have we in heaven but thee, &c. and can out of sense give a testimony of ourselves, yea, and can place all our delight in the excellent ones, Psal. 16.3. & 119.62. 1 Joh. 3.14. so as the heart warms, when we see the Saints; and in this case sanctification is evident, when remission of sins may be under cloud; else this Argument does conclude, if it have any feet, that sanctification ever and at all times is dark, when justification is dark; and so sanctification is never an evidence of justification, but when justification is evident: So the wisdom of God is taxed, as if he would never have us to know that we are translated from death to life, because we love the brethren, but when we evidently know, we are thus translated, though we had no love to the brethren: Then the Lord hath provided a candle for his weak ones, by this Argument, when it is day-light; but hath denied any candle-light, moon-light, or star-light, when it is dark night. 2. The Major is not proved: Faith is not so the evidence of all things, as that it maketh all things evident to our spiritual sense; for Cornwell granteth, faith may be hidden; then it can evidence nothing when it is is hidden. Love to the brethren, keeping of his commandments, yield sensible evidences that we are justified, even when faith is not evident; and how many are convinced they have undoubted marks of faith and justification, who doubt of their faith and justification? And so the Minor and Probation of it is false; for it is most false, that when faith is hidden and doubtful, sanctification is not evident: this is asserted gratis, not proved: As if ye would say, Ever when the Well-head is hidden, the streams are not seen; when the sap and life of the tree is not seen, but hidden, the apples, leaves and blossoms are not evident. This is a begging of the conclusion: for then should a man never, neither first nor last, know that he is translated from death to life, because he loves the brethren: Why? Because when translation from death to life, or when faith and justification is hidden, the love to the brethren, and all the works of sanctification are hidden; saith this Author.
3. The second proof of the Major is lame; Sanctification is never pure and sincere, without faith, (saith he;) Ergo, It cannot be evident, but when it appeareth to be wrought in faith. The consequence is null; just like this, Sweet streams cannot flow but from a sweet spring; ergo, It cannot be evident and clear to my taste that the streams are sweet, except I taste the water at the fountain-head, and see it with mine eyes; and my taste cannot discern the sweetness of the fruit, except my senses were within the trunk or body of the true, to feel, see, and taste the sap of life, from whence the fruit cometh. Yea, the contrary consequence is true, because I smell sincerity, love, single intentions to please God in my works of sanctification; therefore I know they came from Faith; so the Holy Ghost should delude us, when he saith, We know, we know, or believe in Christ, because we keep his commandments. Ergo, We cannot know this, except it be evident, that our keeping of his Commandment come from faith, and the knowledge of God.
Object. 6. Such a Faith as a Practical Syllogism can make, is not a faith wrought by the Lord's almighty power; for the conclusion followeth, but from the strength of reasonings, not from the power of God, by which alone divine things are wrought, Ephes. 1.19, 20. Col. 2.20.
But faith wrought by a word and a work, and the light of a renewed conscience, without the testimony of the Spirit, is such a faith as a practical Syllogism can make: Ergo, such a faith so wrought, is not wrought by the Lord's almighty power.
The Minor is proved, because all the three, the Word, the Work, and the light of Conscience, are all created blessings and gifts, and therefore cannot produce of themselves a word of almighty power; and the word of it self is a dead letter, the work is less: for faith cometh by hearing a word, not by a work.
Answ. When Master Cornwell saith, By the power of God alone, Divine things (such as faith that layeth hold on Christ's righteousness) are wrought, Ephes. 1.19. Col. 2.20. he excludeth the ministry of the Gospel, and all the promises thereof, for they are created things, and so they have no hand nor influence in begetting faith. Antinomians will have us believe, that Paul, Ephes. 1.19.20. Col. 1.20. thinks no ministry of the Word, nor any hearing of the preached Word, begetteth faith; contrary to Rom. 1.16. Rom. 10.17. but by the only immediate power of the Spirit we are converted without the Word. Nor is here that which is in question concluded; never Protestant Divine taught, that without the actual influence of omnipotent Grace, can faith or spiritual sense that we are justified, be produced by the Word, work, or created light alone; nor can the corn grow alone by power in the earth, clouds, or rain; nor any Creature move without the actual influence of the omnipotent Lord, in whom we move: therefore by this reason we could not know that the Sun shall rise, by the rising of the morning star; nor can we have any supernatural sense, by our holy walking, contrary to Scripture, 1 John 2.3. 1 John 3.14. But we know by this, all faith is ascribed by Antinomians, to the immediate testimony and Enthusiasticall inspiration of the Spirit, as for the searching of Scripture (say they) its not a sure way of searching and finding Christ, its but a dead letter, and holds forth a covenant of works in this letter ; and therefore, with the old Anabaptist, they'll have no teaching by Scripture, but only teaching by the Spirit. We hold that conditional promises are made to duties of Sanctification, therefore we may have comfort and assurance from them, in our drooping condition. Cornewell answereth, Pap. 23.24, 25. The promises are not made to us, as qualified with such duties of sanctification; for then they should belong to us of debt, not out of Grace, Rom. 4.4. But in respect of our Union with Christ, in whom they are tendered to us, and fulfilled to us. Satisfaction is made to the thirsty, not for any right his thirst might give him in the promise, but because • it directeth to Christ, who fulfilleth the condition, and satisfieth the soul, and the soul must first have come to Christ, and gotten his first assurance from faith in Christ, not from these conditions and duties.
Answ. 1. This is a yielding of the cause. We say there be promises of the water made to thirsty souls, not as if the right, jus, law, merit, debt, that we have to them, belonged to us, for the deed done, but for Jesus Christ only. 2. Not as if we upon our strength, and the sweating of free-will did conquer both the condition and reward. 3. But yet we have comfort and assurance, when we by grace perform the duty, that our faithful Lord, who cannot lie, will fulfill his own promise. 4. He knoweth nothing of the Gospel, who thinketh not God by his promise cometh under a sweet debt of free grace to fulfill his own promise; and that this debt and grace are consistent. But Antinomians breath smell of fl • shly liberty, for they tell us, Conditional promises are Legal, contrary to the Gospel, Rom. 10.9. John 3.16. Joh. 5.25. That that its not safe to close with Christ in a conditional promise, if anything be concluded from water and blood, its rather damnation then salvation. That its a sandy foundation to prove that Christ is mine, from a gracious work done in me by Jesus Christ, were it even Faith; For we are completely united to Christ, without faith wrought by the Spirit. Its incompatible with the Covenant of Grace, to join faith with it. To be justified by faith, is to be justified by works. That to say there must be faith on man's part to receive the Covenant, is to undermine Christ. Neither Cornwell, nor Saltmarsh, oppose these blasphemies, but extol the Patrones of them in New-England.
Father is a word of Faith. But had Christ need of Faith?
Answ. Not of faith of confiding in him that justifieth the sinner, except he had faith of the justifying of his cause, in God's acquitting him of suretieship, when he had paid all; but he had faith of dependency on God in his trouble, that God would deliver him, and he was heard in that which he feared. And Q. 2. how could there be a faith of dependency in Christ, for he was the same independent, God with the Father?
Answ. There were two relations in Christ ; one as Viator, going toward glory, and leading many children with him to glory ; another, as comprehensor, seeing and enjoying God. 2. There were two sights in Christ, one of Vision, another of Union ; the sight of Union of two natures, is the cause of the sight of vision. Christ being on his journey travelling toward glory, did with a faith of dependency rest on God, as his Father, seeing and knowing that the Union could not be dissolved; but as a Comprehensor, and one at the end of the race, enjoying God in habit, there was no necessity, that Christ should always, Et in omni differentiâ temporis, actually see and enjoy God, in an immediate vision of glory.
For, 1. this implieth no contradiction to the personal union, even as the seeing of God habitually, which is the most joyful sight intelligible, and by necessity of nature, does produce joy and gladness, may, and did consist in Christ, with groanings and sadness of Spirit, even before his last sufferings: so the interruption for a time, of the actual vision of God, might stand with Christ's personal happiness, as God-man. 2. If we suppose there were just reasons, why God should command that Angels, and glorified Spirits, should not actually see God for a time, there were no repugnancy in this, to their true blessedness, so it fell not out through their sins, no more then the Sun should lose any of its nature, if we suppose God should command it to stand still, and to be covered with darkness many days, as in Joshuas time, it stood still in the firmament some hours, and for a time was covered with darkness at the suffering of Christ. What an enterposed cloud of covering it was, or what a skreene did interrupt the flux of the beams and rays of the Godhead from actual irradiation on the soul and faculties, and powers of the soul of the man Christ is more then I can determine. Certain it is, God was with the Manhood, and so near as to make one person, but there was no actual shining on the powers of the soul, no heat and warmness of joy, but as if his own infinite Sea of comfort were dried up, he needed a drop of the borrowed comfort of an Angel from heaven. Now whether this Angel, Luk. 22.43. did wipe the sweat of blood off his holy body, and really serve him that way; or if the Angel was sent with good words from the Father, to comfort him, and say to this sense, O glorious Lord, courage, peace, and joy, and salvation, shall come; thy Father has not forsaken thee utterly: it cannot be known, but Luke saith, an Angel appeared from heaven 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , strengthening him. But it was admirable, that the Lord of all consolation, should stand in need of consolation, and a good word from his own creature; or that the great Lord, the Law-giver, should need the comfort of Prayer, or any Ordinance. O what a providence! what a world is this! that God-man, sweet Jesus, is put to his knees, and his prayers with it. Come see the Lord of life at a weak pass, he is at, God help me, at Tears and sighing, God save me. This is more then if the whole light of the Sun were extinguished, and it behooved to borrow light from a candle on earth; and the whole Sea and Rivers dried up, and they behooved to beg some drops of dew from the clouds to supply their want.
2. Christ himself refused comfort to himself: There was a sea of joy in Christ, within him; but not one drop can issue out on the powers of his soul: joy is sad, fairness black, faith feareth and trembleth; the infinite All, lieth under the drop of the comfort of a creature-nothing. Riches beggeth at poverty's door; the light is dark, greenness withereth and casteth the bloome, life maketh prayers against the death of deaths, the glory and flower of heaven standeth sad and heavy at the jaws and mouth of hell. 3. Mat. 26. He prayed to this sense, fallen on his face to the earth once, O my Father, remove this cup ; but he is not answered: He knocketh the second time, O my Father, if it be possible, remove this cup. O but here's a hard world, the substantial Son of God knocking and lying on his face on the earth, and his Father 's door of glory fast bolted, the Son cannot get in. The like of this providence, you never read, nor hear of. The natural Son of God crieth with tears and strong cries, with a sad, heavy and low Spirit to his Father ; he cannot get one word from heaven, nor half a glimpse of the wonted glory that was natural and due to him as God. O rare and sad dispensation! He must cry the third time, O my Father, remove this cup. We storm, • f the Lord do not open his door at the first knock: O what hard thoughts have some of God, if a flood of love issue not from his face at the first word! but the Lord's Saints are not to look for a providence of the honey drops of the fattest consolations of heaven, in every ordinance of prayer and praises. O what a sad administration, Psal. 22.2. O my God, I cry in the day time, and thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. The Church speaketh sadly to God. What can be worse then this? Lam. 3.7. He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out; he hath made my chain heavy. Yet to open a sad heart in the bosom of a friend, far more to God, is much ease; but here is worse, Vers. 8. Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer. Psal. 69.3. I am weary of crying, my throat is dried: mine eyes fail, while I wait for my God. It is grace to put a construction of love and faith on the Lord 's not answering our desires. These experiences may silence us; 1. It may be good that the Lord answer, and not good that he answer now: The Saints are often ripe for praying, when they are unripe for the mercy of a real answer and help from God. [unspec 1] Two things necessitate prayer, 1. Our duty to worship. 2. Our necessity and straits. But on our part we are not ripe for an answer for any of these, being yet not humbled, and praying with slow desires, little fervor of faith. 2. Its possible it be [unspec 2] our duty to pray, as supposing a real necessity of what we need, and yet it is not our good that God hear us now. No doubt Abraham and Sarah both prayed for a son, many years before the one was an hundred, the other ninety and nine years old; but it was not good that God should hear them till it be a miracle, and a new way, and more then ordinary providence they were answered. 3. God refuseth never to hear us, for [unspec 3] favors that are non-fundamentals toward everlasting life, but when its better be not heard, then heard: Moses might possibly not know a reason, but it was better for him that he saw afar-off the good land, (more for faith and mortification and heavenly mindedness, which he saw not) then that he should enter with the people into that land, which he prayed for. 4. Not any of the Saints, considering that all things work together [unspec 4] for good to them that love God, but as they praise God that he hath heard their prayers, so they praise God in some things that their prayers lie at a fast bolted door, and take it well in other things that he was displeased with them, and so that they have cause to be humbled, that God did grant their desire. Let it be that David prayed for a son, and God gave him Absalom ; its a question, if David had not cause to wish he had never been born. 5. God hath equally regulated and [unspec 5] limited our desires to be heard, and our willingness, faith, submission, and patience, and our praises according as we are heard, or not heard; yet we are less in praises, when we are heard, and our desires fulfilled, and in submission, when we are not heard, then we are forward to praise; because necessity and straits can more easily obtain of us to pray, and set on moving the wheels of our affections, then grace can keep our spiritual affections in heat of motion, or limit and border our natural affections in praising, when they take them to their wings. David, Psal. 22. Psal. 69. O my God, I cry night and day, till my throat be dry in asking: but where doth he say, O my God, I praise night and day, till my throat be pained in praising, and my heart and eyes are wasted and spent in submissive waiting for thee, and praising, for not hearing me in some things. 6. God is equally gracious to his own, in not hearing and granting, as in fulfilling their desires. 7. No man should take it [unspec 6] hard not to be answered at the first, when the prime heir Christ [unspec 7] was kept knocking at his Fathers door. 8. Heard or not heard, the prayers of faith have a gracious issue, though the dross [unspec 8] of them be cast away. 9 As praises have no issue, but to give to God, not to ourselves; so prayers in faith are to be offered [unspec 9] to God as God, though nothing return in our bosom, that God may be extolled. Christ knew deliverance from this hour cannot be granted, yet he prays. 10 Faith is required no less to believe the good that the Lord mindeth us in not hearing [unspec 10] us, then the good he intendeth in hearing and fulfilling our desires: No condition of providence can fall wrong to faith; which can fly with any wings, and sails with every wind, so long as Christ liveth.
Christ bottometh his prayer on the sweetest relation of a Father and a Son; Father, save me. So Joh. 17. Father, glorify thy Son. Vers. 5. And now Father▪ glorify me. Six times in that prayer h •• useth this style. Mat. 11.25. I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth. Mat. 26. O my Father, remove this cup. His Father was great in his esteem: none like his Father. Its a strong argument to Christ, to persuade an hearing and a deliverance; and he was heard in that which he feared. He had no end in his coming into the world, but to do the will of his Father ▪ Joh. 5.30. (2.) Love is a sweet ingredient in prayer: the beloved Disciple John, who only of all the Ev • ngelists setteth down Christ 's love-prayer, chap. 17▪ useth it more frequently then any of the other three Ev • ngelists. 3. Propriety, interest, and covenant-relation is a sweet bottom and a strong ground for prayer: So in praying hath Christ taught us to say, Our Father which art in heaven. And Psal. 5.2. Hearken unto my voice, my King, and my God. 2 King. 19.19. Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee save us out of his hand. Ezra bottometh his prayer on this, Chap. 9.6. O my God, I am ashamed and blush. And Jehoshaphat, 2 Chron. 20.12. O our God, wilt thou no • judge them?
In prayer consider what claim and interest you have to God, if you be a son, and he a Father: Bastards cannot pray; strangers without the Covenant, and Heathen, having no right to God as their God and Father, may petition God as a subdued people do their Conqueror, or as ravens cry to God, for food, and as some howl upon their beds for corn and wine, Hos. 7.14. but they cannot pray; for praying aright to God there is required not only gracious ingredients in the action, but also a new state of adoption and filliation: many speak words to God, who do not pray; many tell over their sins, who confess not their sins to God ; many speak good of God, who do not praise God ; many sigh and groan in praying, and have no deep sense of God or their own sinful condition. Trees growing together make not always a wood. Ah, our prayers, God knows, are often out of their right wits. Many cry, Father, to God, but lie; for they are not sons, and their words are equivocation. Thousands claim Father-ship in God, where there is no Son-ship, nor fundamentum in re, no ground in the thing it self. A new nature is that only best bottom of praying, that taketh it off from being a taking of the Name of God in vain. All creatures speak of God, and, in their kind, to God ; but only a son can speak to God in prayer, as to his Father: calling upon God, with a pouring out of the soul to him in Christ, is essential to sons.
Christ had no means of refuge safer and surer in his trouble, when he knew not what to do, then prayer. Christ had never a greater business in hand, then now he was to transact with God, and divine Justice, the Law of God, in the weighty bargain of paying a ransom of dearest and preciousest blood, to open the new way to heaven; he had to do with devils, principalities and powers, and hell, to subdue devils, and death and hell, and to redeem his Catholic Church from the second death; and he was to offer himself a Sacrifice to God, through the eternal Spirit, for the sins of the whole elect, and he must use prayer in all this great work. The greatest works have been thus effectuated. For the dividing of the red sea, Moses cried to the Lord, and it was done. Hezekiah obtaineth 15. years lease of his house of clay from Jehovah his Land-lord; and how? 2 King. 20.2. He turned his face to the wall, and prayed. Jonah broke the prison of hell by prayer. Jeremiah had many against him, Chap. 20.12. Unto thee (saith he to the Lord) I have opened my cause. Daniel, in his captivity; Ezra, when the people were under wrath; Ester and her maids, when the Churches destruction is warped, and in weaving, by prayer loose the captive bands, and break death's jaws. So low a man as Job, Chap. 7.20. was, What shall I say to thee, O preserver of man? David looketh back to his prayers, Psal. 34.6. and when he is over-whelmed, Psal. 61.2. From the ends of the earth will I cry to thee, when my heart is overwhelmed. To Elias this is the key that openeth heaven. The last great work, the perfecting of Mystical Christ, the judging of the world, the putting crowns on the heads of so many thousand Kings, must have prayer to bring it to pass: Even so come Lord Jesus. The putting and keeping on the crown on Christ's head, is by prayer: his Sword, Crown and Scepter, stand and prosper by this prayer, Thy Kingdom come. 2. Though Christ kn • w of his own deliverance, and was sure of it, yet he will not have it but by prayer. Christ had Son right to heaven, yet he will take a new gift of heaven, by prayer-right: Christ maketh prayer his new Charter. Joh. 17.5. Father, glorify me, with the glory which I had with thee b • fore the world was. Christ will have his Spouse, though his by conquest, and the law of buying, and ransom, made over to him by a De novo damus, Psal. 2.8. Ask of me, (pray to me) and I will give thee the Heathen. His Kingdoms pillar is prayer. Psal. 72.15. Prayer also shall be made for him continually, that his Throne may stand, and he may bear the Crown. What, must we pray for Christ, he prays for us? Yea, we pray for Mystical Christ, and his Crown. Its better to hold lands of Christ by prayer, then by conquest or industry, by right of redemption or heritage; even the rich who have broad lands, when the bread is at their lip, and on the table before them, are to pray, Give us this day our daily bread. Have you wisdom, honor, learning, parts, eloquence, godliness, grace, a good name, children, peace, ease, pleasure, wife, houses, lands, see how ye got them; if not by prayer, in so far they are unjustly purchased: the next best is to get a new charter of them by prayer. I grant, conversion is not obtained by my praying, because an unconverted man cannot pray, no more then the birth can pray it self out of the mothers womb; yet its gotten by Christ's prayer. Some after sickness have health, as robbers have the Travelers purse, they have them by spoil, not through Christ, or any prayer-right: Victories, and subdued Cities, are better taken and enjoyed by prayer, then by bribes or money.
Use. They know not the use of prayer, who teach, that we are not to pray against that which cannot be avoided: So Libertines say, we are not to pray against all sin, because it cannot be avoided: but the old man must be in us, so long as we live, The Lord hath so decreed the end, as that he hath ordained Prayer to be a necessary way to accomplish his end. Yea, Paul 1 Thess. 5.23. prayeth, that the very God of peace may sanctify the Thessalonians throughout, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 . And we know that we cannot be free of temptations in this life; yet pray we not to be led into temptation, which is not so much, that the body of sin may be fully rooted out of us, and inherent Sanctification may be perfected in this life, as that we may be delivered from guilt and damnation, and from the power and dominion of sin, and that prayer may be stairs up to the laying of the last stone of the new building; yea though it was revealed to Peter, and the Disciples, that they should deny Christ, and as sheep be scattered away. When the sword should awake against the Shepherd, and this was unavoidable, in regard of the decree of God, and fulfilling of the Scripture, Zach. 13. Yet were the Disciples to pray they might be so guarded against that temptation, as they might not leave, and forsake Christ in his sufferings.
That which Christ deprecateth hath two things considerable. 1. That his sufferings were so tymed, and de • ined, as they should endure, but for an hour. 2. But it was a sad hour; there is an Emphasis put on it, this hour.
1. Christ's sufferings are but hour-sufferings, we behooved to suffer eternally.
Object. Ergo, Christ suffered not that same punishment that we were to suffer for sin, if Christ had never died for us.
Answ. 1. He suffered not all, according to every accident and circumstance, that we were to suffer; it is true, we should have suffered sinful despair, and there could be no mixture of sin in his cup. 2. We should have suffered forever, he exhausted all the pain, and the curse in some few hours. But he suffered all that we were to suffer according to the due equivalencie, worth, and substance of the suffering. Christ paid (as we say) as good ; A d • bter oweth ten thousand Millions to a Prince, to be paid in silver, at so many several terms; the Surety of this broken debtor payeth the whole sum at one term, and in gold, the excellentest metal: it is the very same debt, and the same bond acquitted, as if the sum had been paid by the chief debtor. Christ, by paction, paid all in cumulo, at one term, and in excellent metal and coin, being the dear blood of God. A Traitor is to die, and suffer hanging, or headding for such a high point of treason; the Princes Son will die the same death for him; only, by paction, he hath, because of the eminency of his person, a privilege, which the principal man had not: what if he be hanged in a chain of Gold, and a crown on his head, or be beheaded with a silver-Axe, it is the same satisfactory death for Law and justice, as if the other had died like himself, there were some sparkles of the Majesty and Crown of heaven, or some glistering Rubies and Diamonds did shine in Christ's death, which could not have been in ours, and it was convenient it should be so,
2. Christ's time-sufferings is more then our eternal sufferings, because of the dignity of his person. Its true, a poor man's life is as sweet and dear to him Physically, as the life of a Prince, in the court of nature, in curia naturae ; its a like taking to every man; but in curia forensi, if we speak legally, and in relation to many. David a king is more, for his royal place, to save and judge many thousands, then ten thousand of the people. 2. A prince shamed and disgraced, sh • ll lose more honor, then a man of a low, poor, and base condition; the honor of a free, and just prince, is by a thousand degrees more then the loss of honor in a wicked and base slave. Sinners had little to lose in comparison of the Prince of life, like us in all things, except sin.
3. The more noble privilege that life hath, as the more immediate communion with God, the loss of life is a greater loss. It is more for glorious Angels to lose their happy and blessed life in the fruition of God, then for damned Devils to lose their being, who are in chains of darkness. It is more for the Spirits of just and perfect men, who are now up before the throne, to be made miserable, to lose life, and such a life; glory, and such a glory, then for slaves of hell, living in wickedness, to be thrust down to hell with everlasting shame; It is more that the whole Sea, and all the Rivers be dried up, then that one winter-fountain be dried up. Christ had more to lose then all Angels and Men, even to be suspended of the vision of God, for a time was more then all that Angels and Men could lose forever.
4. Its true, the influence meritorious from Christ's person on his suffering is not real, but infinite in a moral estimation. But give me leave to think it disputable, whether or no, it dependeth not on the free decree and pleasure of God, that the punishment of sin be infinite in duration, or if it depend on the nature of sin, and of divine justice; so as essentially God be necessitated, not from any free decree (that is not properly necessity) but essentially from that spotless and holy justice, which is essentially in him, to punish those who equally sinned on earth, with equal torments in hell, and all with eternal punishment. Yet notwithstanding all this, Christ, by his death, not only exhausted, the infinite punishment due to us; as infinite mountains of Sands can drink up all the finite Seas, Rivers, Brookes, and fountains of the earth; but he purchased to us an infinite and eternal weight of glory, by the worth of his merit, Now, by this there must be more in Christ's death, then we can easily conceive: as it is more to bring Israel out of Egypt only, and devide the red Sea, and to present them living men on the shore, then to do that, and also to give them in peaceable possession, that good land which floweth with milk and honey ; And its much to deliver a slave from perpetual poverty, misery, and bondage; and not only that, but positively to make him a rich, honorable, and glorious King; all which Christ by his blood purchased to us: I leave it then to be disputed, whether Christ's sufferings had not only a moral, meritorious and legal worthiness, from the free act of God's acceptation, or also an intrinsical worth and weight, real, and intrinsically congruous, and proportionable to the pain and shame he delivered us from, and the glory that positively he conquesed for us. It is more to pay a poor man's debts, then to make him rich.
Quest. 1. If Christ's sufferings were limited, in regard of time and hours, why then could he suffer infinite punishment? It involleth a contradiction to limit that which is infinite; and if an Angel was sent to comfort him, it is like, God did extend mercy, and not unmixed and satisfactory justice to him.
Answ. Moderation in suffering, as an Angel to comfort him, that not a bone of him should be broken; that he should not lie three full days in the grave, that his body should not see corruption ; all these may well stand with sufferings, that are infinite, morally, and from the worth of his noble and glorious person, who is God blessed forever. And it proveth that all the exactest justice that the Lord followed in the pursuing Christ to the second death for our sins, was not in inflicting punishment on Christ intensively, and intrinsically infinite, and which should be infinitely satisfactory, if we lay aside all supposition of the punishment of the person suffering, who was infinite, and of the free and voluntary acceptation of God.
Quest. 2. But then was not all the infiniteness of justice in punishing Christ, not in inflicting pain infinitely and intensively extreme on him, but in that the person was infinite▪ but the pain finite, both in time and otherwise.
Answ. We hold that the suffering for the time, was so extreme, that he and he only could • ndure the infinite • wrath of God ; but whether all the infiniteness of pain flow from this, that the person was infinite, or that the pain was intrinsically infinite, we desire not too curiously to determine: Sure the infiniteness of his person conferred infiniteness of worth to his merit; so as he purchased a Church by the blood of God, Act. 20.28. The Lord Jesus gave himself for his Church, Ephes. 5.25, 26. and a ransom for many, Mat. 20.28. 1 Tim. 2.6. But I see no reason, why Christ's suffering should be thought finite, because he suffered in some few days; then the Lord's acts of creating the world, of raising the dead, working of miracles, should be finite acts, because absolved in a short time.
Hence we cannot say, what an obligation is on us to Jesus Christ, • ove for love is too little; because our drop of dew can 〈◊〉 no proportion to his infinite and vast sea of tender love to us. As Christ gave himself an infinite ransom, by Law, for us; so he brought us under an infinite debt of love and service to him. Christ paid all our debts of Law to infinite Justice, but we shall never pay all our debt of love to him. O how many thousand talents are we owing to Christ? And because glory is a love-engagement to Christ, the longer we enjoy the glory of heaven, through millions of Ages, the debt to the Lamb, to him that sitteth on the throne, will be the greater, and shall grow infinitely: Praises for eternity shall take nothing down of the debt. Know, you are the sworn and over-engaged and drowned debtors of Jesus.
Use 2. The sufferings of Mystical Christ are but for an hour; for a night, and joy in the morning ; Psal. 30.5. A little season, Revel. 6.11. Three days, Hos. 6.1. A short time, and the vision will speak, and will not tarry, Hab. 2.3. Heb. 10.37. Its but tribulation ten days, Revel. 2.10. And which is shorter then all, a moment, 2 Cor. 4.17. and the shortest of all, Isai. 54.7. a little moment. All the generations of the first-born, that were in great tribulations, and in the womb and belly of the red sea, are now come off safe, and landed on the shore, and are now up before the throne in white, triumphing with the Lamb ; the hour is ended, some of them two thousand years ago are eased of burning quick, of the sword, of the t •• th of lions. Jobs face now is not foul with weeping; David's soul droopeth away and melteth no more with heaviness, as Psal. 119. The traces of tears on Christ's fair face, are fifteen hundred years ago washed off, and dried with his Fathers hand. Paul is now beyond fears without, terrors within, and the sentence of death. All the Martyrs now are above the fire, the faggo • s, the rack, the gibbet, the axe. What thoughts hath John the Baptist now of beheading? or Steven of stoning to death? the gashes and wounds of the stripes of the Apostles, scourged for the name of Jesus, are over now: There is not one sigh, nor one t • are, nor one cry, nor one death, now in heaven, all the former things are gone. Afflictions are but a short transe, for an hour; our short-living sufferings will be over quickly: We are near the shore. Our inch of winter shall wear out, there is but a little bit of sour death before us; the Ceremonies of death's approaching, of the noise of its feet, of its awsome and dreadful gloome, the train of little images of death, the aking of bones, the stiches of heart, the pain of the side, and such soft passing accidents, and the name are more then death it self; and all these shall pass over quickly. We have not Centuries nor Millions of years to suffer; he who limited a time to the Head Christ 's suffering, hath set so many sand-glasses, and determined so many hours for all our sufferings. Yea, 2. the gall in our cup must be weighed by God's own hand: Not a man killed more in the two Kingdoms, nor a house burnt, nor a scratch in the body, nor one wound in the poor soldier of Christ, but all are numbered; all go by ounces, grains, and scruples in heaven: there is a pair of just and discreet balances before the throne. Crucify Christ, and pierce his side, but not one of his bones can be broken: there be broken bones of two, one at either side of him, within the breadth of five fingers to him. Cast Joseph in the dungeon, but he must not die there. Cast Moses in the river, when he is an infant, to die there, but Pharaoh 's daughter must bring him up as a Prince. Let Job 's body be afflicted, but save his life. Imprison and scourge the Apostles, but there is more to do, by them, ere they be killed. Make the Kingdom of Judah weeping captives in Babylon, but the dry bones must live again. Let David be sore afflicted, but he cannot be delivered unto death, Psal. 118. Let Daniel be a captive, and meat for the lions, but he must be saved and honored. Appoint a day for the destruction of the Jews under Ahasuerus, let death be shaped and warped, but they shall not die. Love, even the love of Christ, whose seven spirits full of wisdom are before the throne, is a straight line, a just measure, and weigheth all to the tempted souls, that nothing shall go above their strength: no burden more then their back, no poison, no death in their cup, no gall, more then the stomach can endure. You may, O redeemed ones, refer your hell to Christ's love, and make over all your sorrows to his will; see if he will destroy you. Let Christ be Moderator to brew your cup, and Free-Grace be Judge of your portion of Christ's cross, and the cross may bruise your shoulder, it shall not grind you to powder. Had I ten eternities of weal or woe, I durst refer them to the bowels of Christ's boundless mercy and free love▪ shall I be the first that Christ's warm love over-killed and over-destroyed? Christ's love is infallible, and above error. Fatherly providence determines all so equally, measureth all so straightly, tempereth all so sweetly, that black death is suggered with white heaven, the sad grave a palace royal for a living and victorious King: Apples of life grow on the saddest cross that the Saints bear. The love of Christ hath soft and silken fingers; love measureth out strokes, Revel. 3.19. And can love kill and destroy a son of God's love?
The sufferings of Christ and the Saints be measured by hours: God is the Creator of Time, and tempereth the horologe. My times are in thy hands, Psal. 31. How long Ephraim a raw cake [unspec 1] shall be in the oven, is decreed from eternity. 2. Put away [unspec 2] your scum, your froth, and the ill blood, and you have a diet-drink from Christ, the shorter while. 3. You think long to [unspec 3] have Britain's hour, or the ten days of Pestilence and Sword on Scotland, or the vastations of Ireland, the wars, divisions, and new blasphemies of England, gone, and over; but though we lose much time, and have bidden farewell to yesterday, and shall never see it again, yet the Lord of time loseth not one moment; if through acquaintance and familiarity you may become good friends with the cross, and bear it patiently: do for Christ, what you will do, for time the former is an act of grace, the Lord will thank you for it; the latter is the work of a carnal man, and will yield you no thanks. 4. Life is a burden to you, when it hath such a sour and sad convoy as heavy afflictions; and the soul looks out at the windows of the clay- • rison, O when will the Jailor come with the keys, and enlarge a prisoner? But why would you fall out with a friend, for a foes cause. Christ hath sewed them together for a time; the vision will not tarie. Christ is on his journey, wait on, let patience have its perfect work, its a floor that lieth long under ground, it is a long quarter between sowing and earing, yet Faith hath ay a good crop.
Among all the hours that Christ had, this was the saddest. 1. Christ saw that his life in this hour would be taken from him; it was convenient that Christ, who was a man, like us in all things except sin, should not be a stock in dying; but have actual pain and sense in the losing of his life, for Christ had as much nature, though no corruption, as any man; and life is a sweet inheritance, its natures excellent free-hold, and no man is willingly, and without one sigh or tear cast out of this free-hold, and Christ's nature was not brass or iron. Sorrow [unspec 1] and sadness found a kindly lodging in him. 2. He had a clay tent of flesh and blood, as the children have, that Hebr. 2.15. [unspec 2] he might deliver them, who through the fear of death, were all their life time subject to bondage. He must in our nature put on actual fear to deliver the Saints, from habitual fear. Nature cannot, without horror, and a wrinkle on the brow, look straight out on the breadth of deaths black face. The Martyr • kissed death, because the joy of heaven took lodgeing in their soul, by anticipation before the term day, to confirm the truth of God ; but death has a sour bite, and sharp teeth, with all its kind kisses. Yea, but Christ must read in the face of Death more millions of curses, (a curse for every elect, single man, Deut. 27.26. Gal. 3.10.) then would have affrighted millions of Angels. O! but there was black and doleful paintrie, hell; and thousand thousands of deaths in one, all written on the visage of death, which was presented to Christ now; and when there was a sad, dark, and thick courten drawn over Christ's heaven, it must be a sour kiss, to lay his holy mouth to such a black face as death now had. Christ was in sad earnest, when he said, Matth. • 6.38. My soul is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , extremely, out of measure, heavy, even to the death. 3. Christ having well tempered affections, his soul never being [unspec 3] out of joint with sin, was not in dying fool-hardy, or bold-life-wasting, or casting away the soul for a straw, is forbidden in the sixth Commandment. He saw sad and bloody bills given in against him. O how many thousands of sins, were all made his sins, by imputation? And Justice was to sell all the elect over to Christ, and to deliver them all, by tale, to free grace, at no cheaper rate, then the rendering of the soul of Christ, to harder then ten thousand millions of ordinary deaths. Christ behooved to earn heaven at the hardest cost, for all his own, with no less then the noble and eminent life and blood of God ; such a sum was never told down in heaven, before or after. 4. There is much weight on this hour, in regard of Christ's opposites; three hosts came against Christ, Heaven, Hell, Earth ; any Adversary but God, the enmity of men cannot make me, or any man formally miserable. There be great edges and Emphasis, in these words, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me. Not a point, not a letter of them can be wanting, they are so full and Emphatick. 1. My God, my God, the forsaking of Angels is nothing, that Men, all men, friends, all my inward friends, forsake me, is not much; they do more then forsake, they abhor Job their friend, Job. 19.19. that father and mother, and all my mothers sons forsake me, is hard, yet tolerable, Psal. 27.10. Psal. 31.11. Psal. 88.18. Yea, that mine own heart, and flesh forsake me, is an ordinary [unspec 1] ( may be ) amongst men, Psal. 73.26. But God's forsaking of a man is sad. 2. If he be a God in covenant with me; [unspec 2] both God, and then my God, that is a warm word, with child of love; if he forsake me, it is hard: When our own leave us, we forgive all the world to leave us. 3. In forsaking there is a great Emphasis ; anything but unkindness, and change of heart [unspec 3] and Love is well taken; this speaketh against Faith ; though Christ could not apprehend this; the Lord cannot change, Christ's could not believe such a blasphemy, yet the extremity of so sad a condition, offered so much to the human and sinless and innocent sense of Christ, a change of dispensation. 4. Me, Why hast thou forsaken me, the son of thy love, thy [unspec 4] only begotten Son, the Lord of glory, who never offended thee; but the relation of Christ to God, was admirable; he was as the sinner, made sin for us ; in this contest, the enmity of a Lyon and a Leopard is nothing, Hos. 13.7.8. the renting of the caul, of the web that goeth about the heart is but a shadow of pain, to the Lord's running on a man as a Giant, in fury and indignation. 2. Hell, and all the powers of darkness, came against Christ in this hour, Col. 2.14, 15. (3.) All the earth, and his dearest friends, stood aloof from his calamity; there was no shore on earth to receive this ship-broken man.
In regard of that which was taken from Christ, it was a sad hour; which I desire to be considered thus. 1. The most spiritual life that ever was, the life of him who saw and enjoyed God, in a personal union was veiled and covered. (1. Possession in many degrees was lessened: but in jure, in right, and in the foundation not removed. 2. The sense and actual fruition [unspec 1] of God, in vision, was over-clouded, but life in the fountain [unspec 2] stood safe in the blessed union. 3. The most direful effects, in breaking, bruising, and grinding the Son of God, between [unspec 3] the millstones of Divine wrath, were here. Yet the infinite love and heart of God, remained the same to Christ, without any shadow of variation or change. God's hand was against Christ, his heart was for him. 4. Hence his saddest sufferings were by [unspec 4] divine dispensation and economy. God could not hate the Son of his love, in a free dispensation, he pursued in wrath the surety, and loved the Son of God. 5. It cannot be determined [unspec 5] what that wall of separation, that covering and veil was, that went between the two united natures, the union personal still remaining entire, how the God-head suspended its divine and soul-rejoicing influence, and the man Christ suffered to the bottom of the highest and deepest pain, to the full satisfaction of divine justice. As it is easy to conceive how the body in death, falleth to dust, and ill smelling clay, and yet the soul dieth not, but how the soul suffereth not, and is not saddened, is another thing. How a Bird is not killed, and doth flee out, and escape, and sing, when a window is broken, with a great noise in the cage, is conceivable: but how the bird should not suffer, or be affected with no affrightment, is harder to our apprehension; and how ship-broken men may swime to the shore, and live, when the ship is dashed in an hundredth pieces, is nothing hard; but that they should be nothing affrighted, not touch the water, and yet come living to shore, is not so obvious to our consideration. Yea, that the soul should remain united with the body, in death, and the Ship sink, the passengers remaining in the ship, and not be drowned, is a strange thing. The Lord suffered, and died; the Ship was broken and did sink, the soul and body separated, and yet the God-head remained in a personal uinion, one with the Man-hood, as our soul and body remain together, while we live and subsist entire persons.
Use 1. Christ hath suffered much in these sad hours for us: he hath drunken Hell dry to the bottom, and hath left no Hell behind for us, Heb. 12.2. Jesus the Author and finisher of our faith, he hath not only suffered so much of the Cross, but he hath suffered all the cross; he hath endured the cross, despised shame. In the original, the words are without any Article, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 . It is as much as he hath left no cross, no shame at all to be suffered by us; and Phil. 2.8. He was obedient to the Father: he saith not to the death, but to death, even death of the Cross, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 . It holdeth forth to us, that Christ suffered so much for us, as he hath taken up to heaven with him the great Cross, and hath carried up with him, as it were, the great death; and hath left us nothing, or very little to suffer; and indeed Christ never denied, but affirmed, he himself behooved to die: but for the believer, he expressly denieth, he shall die, and that with two negations, Joh. 11.26. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , He shall never in any sort, die ; and for our sufferings, Paul calleth them, Col. 1.24. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , the remnants, the leavings, the dregs, and after-drops of the sufferings of Christ, the sips and dew-drops remaining in the bottom of the cup, when Christ hath drunken out the whole cup; so are our affections, and being compared with what Christ suffered, they are but bitts, fragments, and small pieces of death, that we suffer, for the first death that the Saints suffer, is but the half, and the far least half of death; its but the lips, the outer porch of death; the second death, which Christ suffered for us, is only death, and the dominion, Lordship, and power of death is removed. Why do you then murmur, fret, repine under aflictions, when you bear little wedges, pins, and chips of the Cross? Your Lord Jesus did bear for you the great and only Cross, that which is death, shame, and the Cross, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , by way of excellency so called. It is true, the Spouse of Christ, since the beginning of the world, and since Christ's time these 1600. Yeares, hath been crying as a woman travelling in birth of a Man-child, and the Dragon near pursuing her, and is not yet brought to bed. Lord Jesus, when will the Man-child be borne, and thy Spouse be eased of the birth? Yet is not this disease deadly; Zion, as soon as she travelled, brought forth her child, Isai. 66.8. All her shadows of sufferings shall be quickly gone. The Spouse cannot die of childbirth pain; Christ will save both the Mothers life, and the Babe.
2. Sin is a dear and costly thing: In heaven, in the Count-book of Justice, it goeth for no less then the blood of God, the shaming of the Lord of glory ; Justice, for the request of all the world, and the prayers of Christ, could not abate one farthing. A man's soul is a dear thing: Exchange of commodities, of silks, purple, fine linen, is much; exchange of Sapphires, Diamonds, Rubies, and other precious stones, for baser commodities, is much more; and that ships-full of the gold of Ophir should be given for bread, and things obvious, is a rich trafficking: but the market and value of souls, as it hath not, since God made man on earth, fallen or risen; so it is ever above a world. Mat. 16.26. What hath a man profitted, if he lose this? God will not take Silks, nor Purples, nor Sapphires, nor Rubies, nor Navies loaden with fine gold, nor any corruptible thing, 1 Pet. 1.18. for souls. The price is one and the same; souls were never bought, nor sold, nor exchanged, nor ransomed, but once; and the price is one, and as high as the soul and blood of the Lord of life. Job 27.8. What is the hope of an hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh his soul from him? let him cast up his accounts, and lay his charges, he stands a poor man, a man without a soul. What mad men are we, who sell souls daily for prices so far below the Lord's price? A man that would wood-feet a Lord-ship of many thousands yearly, for a base sum, some pence, or for a nights sleep in a straw-bed, and bind himself not to redeem it, what a waster were he? how worthy to beg? Satan is going through the world, and he gives some pence in hand; O how sad a reckoning, when the Devil the cozening Creditor comes at night, with his back counts, Pay me for your sweet lusts I gave you: answer my Bill for your idle oaths, your lies, oppressions, cozening, Covenant-breaking, your unjust judging, your starving, and murthering of the widow, and the fatherless, by detaining of the wages of the Soldier, your slighting of Christ, and reformation, and the price is referred to God, and the market known. Satan can abate nothing, thy soul he must have, and within few days the body too; is this wisdom to earn hell? and to make away a noble soul for a straw?
3. What are we to give for Christ? what bonds of love hath he laid on us, who earned our Heaven for us at so dear • price? I desire only these considerations to have place in our thoughts.
[unspec 1] 1. As God had but one Son, and one only begotten Son, and he gave him for sinners; so Christ had two loves, one as God, and another as man, he gave them both out for us; and two glories, one as God, one as Man, and Mediator, the one was darkened for us, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ; he emptied a Sea of glory for us, he poured it out for us, and for his other glory, he laid it down, as it were in hell, endured infinite wrath for us.
2. He went to death and the grave, made his testament, and left his love, grace, and peace in legacy to us.
3. Greater love then this hath no man ; but he saith not, [unspec 2] greater love then this hath no God. That God did let out so much [unspec 3] love to men is the wonder of the world, and of heaven. We may find words to paint out creatures, and the garment may be wider then the thing; but should Angels come and help us to find out expressions for Christ's love; words should be below and in this side of Christ.
[unspec 4] 4. Behold the man, saith an enemy of Christ, but behold him more then a man, behold the Lord in the Garden, sweatting out of his holy body, great blobs and floods of Love, trickling down upon sinners of clay. Men and Angels come see, and wonder, and adore.
5. Love was Christ's cannon-Royal, he battered down [unspec 5] with it all the forts of hell, and triumphed over Principalities, and powers; Christ was judgment-proof; he endured the wrath of God, and was not destroyed: he was hell-proof, and grave-proof, he suffered, and rose again; but he was not love-proof, (to borrow that expression) he was not only love-sick for his Church ; but sick to death, and died for his friends. Cant. 2.4. His banner over his Church, was love ; Saints be sworn to his colors, die and live with Christ: and take Christ in the one arm, his cause, and Gospel in the other, and your life between both, and say to all enemies; take one, take all. The midst of Christ's Chariot is paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem, Cant. 3.10. Christ's royal seat, both in the Gospel, in which he is carried through the world as a Conqueror, Revel. 6.2. and in the souls of his children, is love. From the sense of this, it were our happiest life, to live and love with Christ, for he hath carried up to heaven with him, the love and the heart, and the treasures of the sons of God ; so as all ours are with him above time.
6. We are not to fear death extremely, nor hell at all. [unspec 6] Christ feared both for our comfort: he hath taken away the worst of death; In that 1. He hath subdued hell and sin, and there remaineth to us, but the outer side of death. 2. The believer but half dies, and swoneth, or rather sleepeth in the grave. 3. He dieth by will, because he chooseth to be with Christ, Phil. 1.23. rather then by nature, or necessity. 4. As dying, and sufferings are the cup that Christ drank; so are we to love the cup the better, that Christ's lip touched it, and left the perfume of the breathings of the Holy Ghost in it. In common Inns, by the way side, Princes, and common travellers, and thousands lie in one bed; the clothes may be changed, but the bed is the same. Christ tasted of death, Heb. 2. for us; but there was gall in his cup, that is not in ours: Christ's worm-wood was bitter with wrath, ours sweetened with consolation.
7. All the Saints are in Christ's debt, of infinite love. When we grieve the Spirit purchased by Christ, we draw blood of [unspec 7] his wounds a fresh, and so testify, that we repent that Christ suffered so much for us. The Father hath sworn, and will not repent, that he is an eternal Priest, and stands to it, that his blood is of eternal worth; and when the Father sweareth this, Christ is the same one God with him, and swears, that he thinketh all his blood well bestowed, and will never give over the bargain, his Bride is his Bride, though dear bought, and his intercession in heaven speaketh his hearty Amen, and fullest consent of love to our Redemption.
8. All this was done by Christ for nothing; Grace fell [unspec 8] from God, on the creature, by mere grace. Grace is the only hire of grace.
[unspec 9] 9. When Ancient Love looked first on sinners, how • glie and black did the Lord see and fore-see us to be? but Christ loved us, not according to what we were, but to what Grace and Love was to make us; and that was fair and spotless. And this love was so free in the secret of eternal election, that it was not increased by Christ's merits and death; but the merits, death, and fruit of this love, had being and worth from Christ's eternal love, and Christ's love hath no fountain and cause, but love.
[unspec 10] 10. The Law of Gratitude tieth us to love Christ ; for he hath loved us. If the love of Christ be in us, it worketh nothing in order to merit or hire; ( Libertines need not weaken Christ's love from doing, upon this fear;) but love doth all in order to the debt of love and obliged expressions to love, which excludeth not Law, but the Law's rigid cursing and imperious commanding. Christ's love is most imperious, but is no hireling, and looks not to the penny wages, but the free Crown.
Here is the fifth Article in this Prayer; a sort of correction, in which Christ doth resign his will, as man, to the will of God ; as Mat. 26.39. Luk. 22.42. Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.
In this there is offered to us a question, Whether or no there be in this Prayer any repugnancy in the human will of Christ to the will of God? For 1. a correction of the human will seemeth to import a jarring and a discord; 2. Christ desired that, the contrary whereof, he knew was from eternity decreed of God. 3. The Law of God is so spiritual, straight and holy, that it requireth not only a conformity to it, and our will, actions, words and purposes; but also in all our affections, desires, first motions, and inclinations of our heart, that no imperfect and half-formed lustings arise in us, even before the complete consent of the will, that may thwart or cross the known Law and command of God ; and by this, Thou shalt not lust, Rom. 7. and the duty of the highest love we owe to God, to love him with all the heart, soul, mind, and whole strength, Mat. 22.37. Mark. 12.33. Luk. 10.27. Some Arians and Arminians, Joh. Geysteranus at the Synod of Dort, have said blasphemously, that there was concupiscence and a will repugnant to God's will in the second Adam, as in the first. But this they spoke against the consubstantiality and deity of the Son of God. To which we say,
Asser. 1. Jesus Christ that holy thing, Luk. 1.35. was a fit high Priest, holy, harmless, undefiled, separated from sinners, Heb. 7.26. Which of you (saith Christ to the Jews) convinceth me of sin, Joh. 8.46. There could not be a spot in this Lamb sacrificed for the sins of the world, no prick in this Rose, no cloud in this fair Sun, no blemish in this beautiful Well-beloved.
Asser. 2. An absolute, resolved will or desire of heart, to lust after that which God forbiddeth in his Law, must be a sinful jarring between the creature's and the Creator's will. Now, Christ 's will was conditional, and clearly submissive; it lay ever level with his Father's holy will.
Asser. 3. I shall not with some affirm, that, which in the general is true, a will contrary to God's revealed command and will, called voluntas signi, which is our moral rule to oblige us, is a sin; but a will contrary to God's decree, called voluntas been-placiti, which is not our rule obliging, except the Lord be pleased to impose it on us, as a moral Law, is not a sin. Peter and the Apostles, after they heard that prophecy of their denying of Christ, and their being sinfully scandalized, and their forsaking of Christ, when the Shepherd was smitten, were obliged to have a will contrary to that decree, and to pray that they might not be led into temptation, but might have grace to confess their Savior before men, and not flee, nor be scattered: Here is a resolute will of men lawfully contrary to the revealed decree of God ; yet not sinful. But the Lord's will that Christ should die for man, as it was a decree of the wise and most gracious Lord, pitying lost man, so was it also a revealed commandment to Christ, that he should be willing to die, and be obedient to the death, even the death of the cross; Phil. 2.8. Yea, a rule of such humble obedience, as we are obliged to follow; as is said, Vers. 5. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, &c. If the Lord's will that Christ should die be nothing, but his mere decree, it could not oblige us in the like case to be willing, as John saith, to lay down our life for the brethren. Yea, Joh. 10.18. Christ hath a commandment of God, and the revealed will of God, to die for us; No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself: I have power to lay it down, I have power to take it again: this commandment have I received of my Father. Here is an express commandment given to Christ, to die for sinners; and the Father loveth Christ for obedience to this commandment.
Asser. 4. A conditional and a submissive desire, though not agreeable to a positive Law and Commandment of God, is no sin, nor doth the Law require a conformity in all our inclinations, and the first motions of our desires, to every command of God, though most contrary to nature, and our natural and sinless inclinations.
1. If God command Abraham to kill his only begotten son, and offer him in a sacrifice to God, which was a mere positive commandment; for its not a command of the law of nature (nor any other then positive) for the father to kill the son; if yet Abraham retain a natural inclination and love, commanded also in the law of nature to save his sons life, and to desire that he may live, this desire and inclination, though contradictory to a positive command of God, is no sin; because the fifth command, grounded on the law of nature, doth command it. Nor did God's precept (Abraham, kill now thy son, even Isaac thine only begotten son) ever include this, Abraham, root out of thine heart all desire and inclination natural in a father to preserve the life of the child. So the positive command of the Father, that the Son of God should lay down his life for his sheep, did never root out of the sinless nature of the man Christ a natural desire to preserve his own being and life, especially he desiring it with special reservation of the will of God commanding that he should die.
2. A Martyr dying for the truth of Christ ; may have a natural and conditional desire and inclination to live, though his living be contrary to the Lord's revealed will, commanding him to seal the Gospel with his blood, and to confess Christ before men.
3. If the brother, son, daughter, wife or friend, that is as a man's own soul, Deut. 13.6. blaspheme God ; yea, if father or mother do it, Deut. 33.8, 9. yet is a father obliged to stone the son or daughter; the son, being a Magistrate or a Levite and Priest, to judge according to law, ( the Priests lips should preserve knowledge, Mal. 2.8.) that his father or mother ought to be stoned to death; yet ought not father or son • e to lay aside that natural desire of being and life to son, father, brother, which the law of nature in the fifth Command doth require; especially the desire being conditional, with submission to God's will, as the desire of Christ is here; and the Command to stone the blasphemer, that the father stone the son, the son the father, being positive, and though founded on the law of nature, that a man prefer his Lord Creator and God before son, or father and mother, yet are they not precepts of the law of nature, such as is the precept of nature that a man desire his own life and being, the father the life and being of the son.
Asser. 5. The apparent opposition (for it is not real) is rather between Christ 's sensitive and his sinless mere natural desire and affection, and his reasonable will, then his will, and the will of God: Nor can any say there is a fight or jarring between the conditional desire of Christ subjected, in the same act of praying, to the Lord's decree • , and the resolute and immutable will of God. The Law of God, because holy and spiritual, doth require a conformity between all the inclinations and motions of our soul, and the law of nature; but an absolute conformity between all our inclinations and every positive command of God, such as was the Lord's command that Christ should die for sinners, is not required in the Law of God. If Adam submit his natural hunger or desire to eat of the forbidden tree, to God's Law, and eat not, there is no sinful jarring between his will and God's positive Law, Thou shalt not eat of the tree of Knowledge of good and evil.
It becomes us, as Christ's example goeth before us, to submit in the hardest and most bloody providences, to the straight and holy will of God. 1. Christ pr •• esseth he hath no will divided from God's will; he layeth down his glory, his heaven, his life, his fruition of the sweet influence of an highest vision, love, presence, feeling of God in a personal union at the feet of God, that the Lord may carve and cut and dispose of him, and his blood, as he thought good. 2. All the difficulty in us, in whom dwelleth a body of sin is to answer the objections, that flesh and blood hath against a sad providence; which I will labor to do, and then give some rules for direction.
Obj. 1. This is a bloody and rough way that the Lord leadeth his people, that they drink wormwood, and gall of blood, and not tears only.
Ans. Providence is full of mysteries, let the way be shame, the crown is glory, and the present condition be hell, the end is heaven; Providence is a hand-writing of mercy, though we cannot ever read it, more then Belshazzar could read his bill of justice; we see a woman with child, but cannot tell whether it be a living or a dead birth, she shall bring forth; or whether the child shall be base and poor, or honorable and renowned, ere he die. The births in the womb of providence are invisible to us; out of the ashes of a burnt and destroyed Church, the Lord raiseth up a Phenix, a Kings daughter, a Princesse that shall rule the Nations with a rod of iron, a Zion that hath the strength of an Unicorn ; yea, Jacob's seed shall be in many waters, his King shall be higher then Agag, and his Kingdom shall be exalted: God brought him out of Egypt, Num. 24.7, 8. Christ breweth the water of life, out of drink of gall, wormwood, and blood; if the head be gold, as Christ is, the body cannot without great incongruity be base clay.
Obj. 2. But all go wrong, confusion and vastation lie on the people of God.
Ans. To him who sitteth on the Throne, and gives Law and Judgment to the most inconstant things imaginable, the waves of the Sea, and orders them, and rules a Sea of glass, a brittle and frail thing, and a Sea of most unnatural confusions, a Sea mingled with fire, nothing can be out of order, hell, the Beast and Dragon that make war with the Lamb, the laying wast the holy City, the killing of the Witnesses ; are all orderly means ranked by the Lord whose Armies cannot reel, nor spill their march, when he draws them up to the execution of his wife decrees, the confusion is to our eye; but judgment law, and order there are, though not visible to us. Who can pull him out of his invisible and high Throne of wisdom, counsel and power? it may be he sits not always on his Throne of justice.
[unspec 1] Obj. 3. But what a providence is it, that those that open their mouth against heaven are fat, and shine, and prosper, and those that fear God are plagued every day; and killed all the day long and counted as sheep for the slaughter?
Answ· 1. Offend not against the generation of the children of God, as if it were lost labor, and as good to sow wheat in the Sea, as serve the Lord, and walk mournefully before him, you see their work, but not their wages. 2. It is painful to trace [unspec 2] providence in all its ways, circuits, bout-gates, lines, turnings. But 3. surely in the end God turneth the tables, • he maketh all odds equal, the empty bucket goeth down, the full cometh [unspec 3] up. 4. The Lord hath set the wicked in a chair of Gold, but on [unspec 4] the top of a house, and rolling stone above the mouth of a pit ten hundred fathom deep: This is a jogging and slippery condition. 5. They slip away to eternity and to Hell in a moment. [unspec 5] 6. Their happiness is a golden dream, Psal. 73.12, 13, &c. [unspec 6]
Obj. Means fail, men chan • e, creatures are weak.
Answ. So long as Christ changeth not, and your Head liveth, and stirreth the helm of heaven and earth, all must be well, if all life, all health, and so much as eternal life be in the Head, how can the heart ache or quake, except it first create, and then fancy fears, and do not really suffer?
Obj. 5. Our Kingdoms strength is gone, we cannot subsist.
Ans. Col. 1.17, 18. In Christ all things subsist, he is the head of the body the Church. Faith is the substance, Bude • s the boldness and fortitude; Beza the firm and constant expectation ; the Syrian, and Arabian, the confident gloriation of, or in things hoped for, and a convincing light and evidence of things not seen. There is good reason to believe that God will lift up a fallen people, who desire to fear him, and wait for his help.
Obj. 6. They plow upon Christ's back, and make long and deep furrows on Israel from her youth, Psal. 129.1.
Ans. True, plowing is a work of hope, but have you not seen Enemies digging a grave for Christ, and preparing a coffin for him ere he be dead? and they have been fain to fill up the living man's grave, and they plow, but Christ cometh in and soweth joy in the hot furrow, and reaps the crop, and the quiet fruits of righteousness. The enemies plant, and the Vintage is Christ's, one sows, but another reaps.
Object. 7. But the souls under the altar do cry to God, and their blood is not avenged: their blood, and their graves in their kind, make supplications before the throne for justice, yet the enemies prosper.
Answ. Hath not the Lord appointed a time for fighting, and suffering, and a time for triumphing, when these that have gotten the victory over the Beast, and over his Mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the Sea of glass, having the harps of God, singing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb: there was a time when the Lamb did weep, and in the days of his flesh, offered up prayers and supplications, with strong crying and tears, unto him that was able to save him from death. Revel. 15.23. Heb. 5.7. It is a sin to carve a date of our own for justice.
Object. 8. But he delays his coming.
Answ. But he is not slack, as some count slackness. If general justice to a world must be measured by thousands of years, as but one day to God ; particular judgments may have hundredth of years; and when the Saints are killed, Christ surviveth them, to redeem them from blood, and disgrace, when they are dead, when their cause is judged, and they rotten into powder in the grave, they are redeemed, even when the souls under the altar, are avenged on their Murderers.
Object. 9. It stumbleth many, that wicked men are fat, and their faces shine, as if God were with them.
Answ. If they be fat on common mercies, the more shame to the Saints, if they be not fat, and their bones green as an herb upon the same fare, and the same mercies, perfumed with Christ, and there is more fatness and marrow in the higher, then in the lower house: Saints are lean through their own unbelief.
Now for rules of submission to providence in order to the Text, let these be considered;
Rule 1. Christ's patience, and so our submission must be bottomed on a looking above-hand to the will of God ; every wheel in a great work, moves according to the motion of the highest and first wheel that moves all the rest. Every inferior Court acts, as ordered by the highest and supreme Senate, the greatest in the Kingdom. Every inferior or be in the heaven is moved in subordination to the Primum mobile, the highest that moveth all the rest; the motion of rivers regulate the flowings of lesser brooks. And things that move on earth, as the heavens move, so are they carried; the principle of motions and ways in all morals, beginneth at the Highest mover, the just and wise will of God ; all are to say, not my will, but thy will be done.
Rule 2. There is no ground of submission in a cross-providence, but to look to the end that Christ looked to, the Lord's wise and holy will; He curseth, because the Lord bideth him, saith David of Shimei ; and there he fixeth his stake. The Lord hath taken away, saith Job, and upon the Lord's taking away, he saith, Blessed be the name of the Lord ; Any man can say, Blessed be the name of the Lord, who giveth ; the greatest part of men break their teeth, in biting at the nearest link of the chain of second causes, but they arise never up to God, the first Mover.
Rule 3. Christ not only submitteth to God's will, but he approveth that it may be done. So Hezekiah, Isaiah. 39.8. He said moreover, good is the word of the Lord, the thing was hard, that all in his house should be carried away to Babylon, and his sons should be captives. Yet the will of the Lord was good and just, when the thing willed and decreed of God was evil to him.
Rule 4. Christ will not hinder God to do what he thinks good; Thy will be done. Murmuring is a stone in God's way; Murmuring is an Anti-providence, a little God, setting it self against the true God, that stirs all in wisdom; and the Murmurer doth what he can to stop up God's way. Old Eli, when he heard sad news, says, 1 Sam. 3.18. It is the Lord, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Let him, I hinder him not to do, what is good in his eyes. David saith, 2 Sam. 15.26. If the Lord say, I have no delight in thee, behold here am I, let him do to me, what seems good in his eyes, here am I ; is as much, as I will not flee him, nor hinder him, I lay myself under him to receive his strokes. So Christ, Heb. 10.5. Psal. 40. Thou hast prepared my ears, or my body, here am I ; Verse 7. Here am I to do thy will.
Rule 5. Christ gave not away his natural will; but in the act of willing, he submitted it; it was a broken will that Christ reserved to himself, or a submitted will, hic & nunc. Christ seeketh not the resigning of natural faculties in heard providences, but that we quite contest with God ; and that our will be not abolished, but broken: especially, that we do not quarrel with Justice. Lament. 3.28. He sitteth alone, and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him. Vers. 29. He putteth his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope. Vers, 30. He giveth his cheeks to him that smiteth them; he is filled with reproach: there be here many sweet signs of a broken will. 1. Solitary sadness. 2. Silence, the soul not daring to quarrel with God. 3. The stooping to the dust, and putting clay in the mouth, for fear that it speak against God's dispensation, as Job 40.4.5. (4) A willing accepting of buffets on the cheeks, and reproaches ; So Micah 7.9. I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned. When the soul is made like a broken and daunted heifer, or a silly heartless Dove, so as the man like a w • ll-nurtured child, kisseth the rod of God. He is a bad Soldier, who follows his Captain sighing, and weeping; Faith sings at tears, and rejoiceth under hope in the ill day.
Rule. 5. Its the child's happiness, that the wise fathers will be his rule, not his own; and for the Orphan, the Tutors wit, is better then his own will. Our own will is our hell, Ezech. 18.31. Why will ye die, ô house of Israel? Christ's will is heaven. Christ thinks it is best, that his Fathers will stand, [unspec 1] and his human will be repealed. Rom. 15.3. for even Christ pleased not himself ; to have no will of your own, is the Pearl in the ring, a Jewel in submission. (2.) that the Lord's [unspec 2] end is good, he minds to have me home to heaven; then as in his six days works of creation, he made nothing ill, so he hath been working these five thousand years; and all his works of providence are as good, as his works of creation; he cannot choose an ill mean for a good end: if God draw my way to heaven through fire, tortures, blood, poverty, though he should traile me through hell, he cannot err in leading, I may err in following.
Object. But there is a better way beside, and he leads others through a rosie and green valley, and my way within few inches to it, is a wilderness of thorns.
Answ. Gold absolutely is better then a draught of water: but comparatively, water is better to Sampson, dying for thirst, then all the gold in the earth: So cutting a vein, is in it self ill; but comparatively, letting blood through a cut vein, is good for a man in danger of an extreme Feaver; there is no better way out of heaven for thee, then the very way that the Lord leads thee. God not only chooses persons, but also things; and every cross that befalls thee, is a chosen, and selected cross, and it was shapen in length, and breadth, and measure, and weight, up before the Throne, by God's own wise hand: Heaven is the workehouse of all befalls thee, every evil is the birth that lay in the womb of an infinitely wise decree; so God is said to frame evil, as a Potter doth an earthen vessel, (so 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 jatsar signifieth;) Jer. 18.11. to frame a vessel of clay is a work of art and wisdom; so its a work of deliberation and choice: God is said to devise judgment against Babylon, Jer. 51.12. And the Lord hath done to his people the things which he devised 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is to think, meditate, study, devise, Deut. 19.18. and Isai. 45.7. he creates darkness and evil, it is such a work of omnipotency and wisdom, as the making of a world of nothing, then if God follow infinite art in shaping vengeance against Babylon, far more must he wisely study to mould and shape afflictions for his own; for no afflictions befalleth the Saints, but they be well framed, chosen, wisely studied, forged, and created crosses. A Potter cannot frame by deeper Art and judgment, a water-pot for such an end and use; a fashioner cannot frame clothes in proportion for a man's body so fitly as the wise Lord in judgment and cunning, shapes & frames this affliction as a measure for thy foot only, poverty for this man, and its shapen to his measure; wicked children and the sword on David's house, fittest for him; such a loathsome disease for this Saint; want of friends and banishment for such a man, another more and heavier should be shapen to wide for thy soul, and another lighter should have been too strait, short, and narrow for thee. Its comfortable, when I believe the draught, portraiture, and lineaments of my affliction, were framed and carved in all the limbs, bones, parts, qualities of it, in the wise decree and in the heart and breast of Christ: It were not good to bear a Cross of the Devils shaping; were there as much wormwood and gall in the Saints cup as the Devil would have in it, then hell should be in every cup, and how many hells should I drink; and how often should the Church drink death? Its good I know Christ brewed the cup, then it will work the end, for be it never so contrary and sour to my taste, and so unsavory; Christ will not taste poison in it, he hath purposed I should sail with no other wind to heaven, and I know its better, then any wind to me, for that Port.
Rule. 6. Christ prescribes no way to his Father, but in the general, The Lord's will be done on me, (saith he) be what it will: Let hell, and death, and Devils malice, and heavens indignation, and enmity, and war, ill-will, and persecution from earth, hard measure from friends and lovers, if the will of my Father so be, welcome with my soul; welcome black cross, welcome pale death, welcome curses, and all the curses of God, that the just Law could lay on all my children, (and they are a fair number) welcome wrath of God, welcome shame, and the cold grave. The submission of faith subscribeth a blank paper, let the Lord write in what he pleaseth, patience dares not contest and stand upon pennies or pounds, on hundreds or thousands with God; Moses and Paul dare refer their heaven, and their share in Christ, and the book of life to Christ, so the Lord may be glorified: Submissive faith putteth much upon Christ, Let him slay me, yet I will trust in him, said Job 13.15. Heman alledgeth it was not one single cross, Psal. 88.7. Thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. And David Psal. 42.7. All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me: One of God's waves could have drowned David, afflictions coming in Armies, and in a battle-array, say that one single Soldier cannot subdue us. Lawfull war is the most violent, and the last remedy against a State, and it argueth a great necessity of the Sword. Job had an Army sent against him, and from heaven too, cap. 6.4. The terrors of God do set themselves in array against me. See what a catalogue of sufferings, Paul did refer to God, 2 Cor. 11.23, 24, 25, &c. one good violent death would have made away a stronger man then Paul, yet he was willing for Christ to be in deaths ofen, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , many deaths, many stripes, many prisons, five times nine and thirty stripes, this was near two hundred stripes, everyone of them was a little death: Thrice beaten with rods, once stoned, thrice in shipwreck, night and day sailing in the deep, in journeying often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of his own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the City, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the Sea, in perils among false brethren, in weariness, and painfulness, in watching often, in hunger, in thirst, in fasting often, in cold, in nakedness, &c. Many of us would either have a cross of our own carving, as we love will-worship, and will-duties, so we love will-suffering, and desire nothing more then if that we must suffer, Christ with his tongue would lick all the gall off our cross, and leave nothing but honey, and a cross of sugar and milk, we love to suffer with a reserve, and to die upon a condition; an indefinite and catholic resignation of ourselves without exception to Christ, and to undergo many furnaces, many hells, many deaths as Christ will, is a rare grace of God, and not of ordinary capacity.
Rule 7. Christ, in submitting his will, maketh the Prophecies, the revealed Gospel his rule: and in the matter of duty, is willing to be ruled by God's revealed will; in the matter of suffering, he is willing that the Lord's will stand for a Law, to which he doth willingly submit, and will in no sort quarrel with everlasting decrees. To be ruled by the one, is holiness; to submit to the other, is patience: For patience is higher then any ordinary grace, in regard its willing to adore and reverence something more and higher then a commanding, promising, and threatening will of God. It was a grace in Christ most eminent, in the Lamb of God, dumb, meek and silent before his shearers, the meekest in earth and in heaven, that he did not only never resist the revealed will of God, but never thought, motion, nor any hint of a desire was in him, against the secret and o • ernall decree and counsel of God. Christ will not have us to make Images of him, who is the invisible God ; but, when in his works of justice, power, love, free grace, he setteth before us the image of his glorious nature and attributes, he will have us to adore him in these. According to his decree of reprobation, he raised up Pharaoh to be clay to all men; on whom, as on a voluntary and rational vessel of wrath, they might read power, justice, truth, sovereignty; in these works we are to tremble before him, and adore the Lord. So in works of Grace, that are the Image of the invisible God, the Lord is to be loved. 1 Tim. 1.16. In Paul, the chief of sinners, the Lord holds forth an image of the freest grace, no less then in the revealed will of God ; for, 1. Christ made an example of mercy and free grace in him. 2. He made a speaking and crying spectacle to all Ages, an 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , a printed copy of crying grace to all the world: and in this we are to adore and submit to him. Such a limb of hell hath received mercy, not I, who before men was holier. O submit to this work of grace, as to the copy of his eternal decree, and be silent.
Rule 8. Christ putteth nature and natural reason, that his natural will might seem to plead withal, under the Lord's feet: So it would seem strange. God hath many sons, but none like Christ: he was a Son, his alone; he had never a brother by an eternal generation; he was the only heir of the house; but never a son so afflicted as he: This seems against all reason. But Christ brings in his Fathers will with an 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , But, Mat. 26.39. Joh. 12.27. Luk. 22.42. Mark. 14.36. But thy will be done. Its against submission to put absolute interrogatories upon the Lord: We love to have God make an account of his providence to us, and that the last and final appeal of the ways of the Lord should be to our reason, as to the great Senate and supremest Court in heaven and earth. Its true, Christ putteth a Why upon God, My God, my God, why [unspec 1] hast thou forsaken me? but, 1. with the greatest faith that ever was, a doubled act of believing, My God, my God. 2. With the extremest love, that ever was in a man; its also a twofold cord of warmness of heart to his Father, My God, my God. 3. Its a word relative to the covenant between the Father and the Son; for My God is a covenant-expression, that the Father will keep what he hath promised to his Son; and relateth [unspec 2] to the infinite faithfulness of the Covenant-Maker. 4. God, [unspec 3] relateth to the Dominion, Lord-ship and Sovereignty that the [unspec 4] Lord hath, and therefore that Christ will submit to him. [unspec 5] 5. Christ's complaint of the Lord's forsaking, showeth the tenderness of his soul, in prizing the favor of his Father, more then anything in heaven and earth. And therefore Christ's why is a note of 1. Admiration: 2. Of sinless Sorrow; conjoined with love, tenderness and submission to God. Christ cannot speak to his Father, beside the truth: But every man is a liar ; and we seldom put questions and queries upon Sovereignty, but we prefer our reason to infinite wisdom. Job is out, and takes his marks by the Clouds, and the Moon, when he saith, Job 13.24. Why holdest thou me for thine enemy? Chap. 3.11. Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost, when I came out of the belly? And Jeremiah 15.18. Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? Chap. 20.18. Wherefore came I out of the womb, to see labor and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame? All the Lord's works are full, yea with child of reason, wisdom, and grave, and weighty causes: and though we see not his acts to have a why, yet there is a cause, why he doth all he doth; reason is necessity to him, and an essential ingredient in all his actions.
Rule 9. In this Administration of Providence, with Christ, the Lord goeth many ways at once: In this very act he redeemeth the world, judgeth Satan, satisfieth the Law and Justice, glorifieth Christ, destroyeth sin, fulfilleth his own eternal will and counsel. In one war he can ripen Babylon for wrath, humble his Church, deliver Jeremiah, punish Idolatry. In the same war he can humble and correct Scotland, harden Malignants, that they will not hearken to offers of peace; and blow up their haters, that they may be lofty through victories, and be ripened for wrath through unthankfulness to God. Providence hath many eyes, so also many feet and hands under the wings, to act and walk a thousand ways at once. There is a manifold wisdom in Providence, as in the work of Redemption. In every work that God doth, he leaveth a wonder behind him: No man can come after the Almighty, and say, I could have done better then he. Its natural to blame God in his working, but unpossible to mend his work.
Rule 10. Nor is Christ made a loser, by losing his will for the Lord, but his will is fulfilled in that which he feared, Heb. 5.7. Providence submitted unto, rendereth an hundred fold in this life, Matth. 19.29. God makes the income above hope, Gen. 48.11. And Israel said to Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face, and lo God hath shown me also thy seed. One berry is not a cluster, that two men cannot bear, but its a field, an earth of Vine-trees in the seed, Ephes. 3.20. He is able to do above all things 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 more then abundantly above that we can ask or think, above the shaping or frame of my words and thoughts. But I can ask heaven, he can give more then heaven, and above heaven, yea I can think of Christ, but he can give above the Christ that I can think on, because I cannot comprehend infinite Jesus Christ.
Rule 11. Christ is not so intent and heart-bended on freedom from death and this black and sad hour, but he reverences a higher providence, that God's will be done ; so are we to look to providence, and we are not to stumble at an external stroke in sad occurences, when Job 9.22. God destroyeth the perfect and the wicked. And he furbishes his Sword Ezek. 21.3. and saith, I will draw out my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from thee, the righteous and the wicked.
[unspec 1] Then 1. Arise, go down to the potters house, Jer. 18. The earth is God's work-h • use; for clay, good and bad are equally on the wheels; Christ as punishable for our sins, though a vessel of burning Gold, is under art; Sovereignty rolles about three in one wheel, the Blaspheming, the Repenting Thief, and Christ, who is Uertue, Grace, yea Glory in the midst. An elect and a reprobate man may be both sewed in the same winding-sheet, they may touch others skins in the same grave, but they are not rolled in, in the same hell. Yea Cham is saved in the Ark, but as the unclean beasts are, he is preserved from drowning, but reserved to cursing.
[unspec 2] 2. There is a providence of grace, as there is in God a special love of free grace; the good and the bad figs are not in the same invisible basket; there is a Pavilion, a Cabinet of silk in God's privy Chamber, seen to no eye: Psal. 27.5. And upon all the glory shall be a covering, Isaiah. 4.9. Christ's free and invisible love, is a fair white web of gold, that a Saint is wrapped in in the ill day. Where is he? he is hid, yet he goes through the sieve, and sifted he must be, but not a grain of him falls to the earth, Amos 9.9.
3. There have been questions about the Prerogative of Kings [unspec 3] and the Privilege of Parliaments too, but undeniably in the Market-road of Providence, the Lord hath kept a Prerogative Royal of justice to himself, to cut off the innocent and righteous with the wicked, in temporal judgments. 2. And of special grace of Providence, when the godly man is blacked [unspec 1] with a death-mark, and condemned to die; God's Prerogative [unspec 2] sends him a reprievall of grace, above the law, and current of providence. Isaiah. 38.5. Hezekiah (saith the high Land-lord) is summoned to slit and remove, yet he shall dwell in his Farm [unspec 3] of clay, fifteen years. 3. This Prerogative dispenseth with fire, not to burn; with the Sea, not to ebb and flow, so long as the soles of the feet of Christ's bride are upon the new-found sands in the heart of the Sea. Yea with hungry Lions not to eat their meat, when they have no food but the flesh of Daniel, beloved of the Lord. Christ here commits himself unto an unseen Sovereignty. For Abraham to kill his own only begotten son of promise; to reason, its a work of God, but its a providence of non-sense. Neither Law nor Gospel, for ought that reason can see, shall warrant it; yet Sovereignty commands it, and that's enough. Afflictions of trials, such as the prosperity of the wicked, and the trying sufferings of the godly, seem more to contradict God's promises, and revealed will in the Word, then any other visitations of God, therefore beside that they require patience, they must have faith in an eminent manner. To believe infinite wisdom can tie the murthering of Isaac by his own Father, against the Law of Nature (as it seems) with the Gospel, which cannot command unnatural bloods, must require much faith.
Rule 12. Christ declares when matters are at the worst, there is good will for him, in the done will of God; its an objection to sense, and to sinless Nature in Christ-man : O doest thou not see sad and four-faced death, is not thy soul thy darling in the power of dogs? hath not hell long and bloody teeth? is not the furnace, the oven of the Lord's highest indignation, for the sins of all the chosen of God very hot? when the flames of it makes thee a troubled soul, and causes thee to sweat out blood; what blood shall be l • ft for scourging, for the Iron nails of that sad cross? True (saith Christ) I have (God knows) a heavy soul, my strength is dried up like a potsherd : This cup casteth a savor of hell and fiery indignation, a sight of it would kill a man, yet I will drink it, the good and just will of my Father be done, there I stand, further I go not. To be at a stand, and to lay silence on our tumultuous thoughts, who are compassed with a body of sin, and to be satisfied with the will of the Lord is our safest, we should not be persuaded by the cross, or all that sense can say, far less what sin can say from this, The will of the Lord be done. The friends of Paul hearing what he must suffer, say, Acts 20.14. When he would not he persuaded, we ceased saying, The will of the Lord be done. It is grace to cease and say no more, when we see the Lord declare his mind to us; An holy heart will not go one hairs breadth beyond the Lord's revealed will.
1. Because love which thinketh not • ll, does not black the spotless and fair will of God, when it is revealed to be from God, though Hell were in that will.
2. Faith seeth even in permitting of persecution from Pharaoh and Egypt, the Lord's good will in the burning bush, the very good will by which he saveth his people redeemed in Christ, Mat. 11.26. Phil. 1.13. who dwelleth in the bush, Deut. 33.16. And it's considerable that the same good will which is the root of reprobation, and of permitting hell and Devils, and Devils persecuting instruments to turn his Church into ashes, and to a burnt bush; and Devils and men to crucify Christ is free grace, and the root of Election to glory, and is extended to the Saints, Rom. 9.15, 16, 17. Ephes. 1.11. Faith seeth and readeth free grace in a providence, which of itself, is extended to Devils and reprobate men, though not as extended to them; and it is an Argument of true grace, if any can say Amen to Hell and the saddest indignation coming from this will, though against a particular will of of our own.
[unspec 3] 3. As we are obliged to adore God, so also his Sovereignty and holy will, when its revealed to us; and to murmur against it, because it crosseth our short-sighted, and narrow-witted will, is the highest contempt of God, and that which is the Soul and Formal of sin, and the determination of a wicked and ill-stated question. Whether should my short and pur-blind will, stand for eternity; or the holy and infinitely-wise will of God, which had eternity of duration, infiniteness of wisdom, and not seven, but millions of eyes, to advise what was decreed as fittest to be done.
4. Since there is not a Fatum, nor an Adamantine destiny [unspec 4] and irrevocable decree but this; is it holy wisdom to knock hard heads with God? Its true, Pride grows green, and casteth out its golden branches in the fattest soil: But Job 9.4. He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength; who hath hardened himself against him, and prospered? There is infinite wisdom in God, and infinite power to bring to pas • e his Decrees; will clay counterworke God's infinite counsel? The Former of all things makes fire-works under the earth against sinners; can sinners make counter-mines to out-work the Almighty? Sure if he be wise in heart, who hath a most eminent, holy, and just providence in all that falleth out, when we hear that the Gospel, and the Church of Christ are oppressed in judgment, we are to look on that oppression, as on the sin of other men, and as our cross, and to mourn for it: In the former consideration, and in the latter, as it troubles us, to judge it good, necessary, and better, then if it had been otherwise. The formal reason of goodness is the will of God, and your judgment is to esteem that good, which is ill to you, though it be sour and heavy; for it hath goodness from this, and goodness to you that the Lord hath decreed it; to be sour and sweet make up a middle taste most pleasant; Christ twisteth black and white in one web; the Jews sins, which he willeth not; and their sin is the redemption of man, which he loveth; and these two are pleasant to behold, and when they are mixed in one, and come from the most wise God, they have beauty to God, far be it from me, to judge them black, or unjust, which are fair to him.
Rule 13. Christ submits his will to the will of God, in soul-desertions, so should we do. Christ's love to his Father, is no Critick, no knotty Questionist to spin, and forge jealousies against [unspec 1] the Lord's dispensation in the influence of heaven on his soul. He is willing to lay his soul-comforts in the bosom and free-will of his Father; and in this he judgeth the Lord's will, better then his own will. We have too many querelous love-motions against the reality of Christ's love, when he hides himself. O but we are covetous and soul-thirsty after our own will, in the matter of soul-manifestations; either I see little here, or we Idol comforts, and would gladly have a Christ of created grace, rather then Christ, or his grace; and when we are thirsting for Christ, it is his comforts, the Rings, Jewels, Bracelets of the Bridegroom, we sick after, rather then himself; its not an unmixed, nor a poor marriage-love, to ma • y the riches and possessions, and not the person, Math. 22.2. The Kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain King, which made a Marriage 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , for his Son, not for his daughter in law. The glory of Gospel-dainties resembled to a Marriage, are for the Kings Son, and the glory of Christ ; not for our glory, but for our grace. Christ is the final end, for whom all the Honey-combes, the Myrrh, the Spices, the Wine, and the Milk of the banquet are prepared. Cant. 5.1. We have need of Christ to cure, even our perfections: there be some wild oats, some grains of madness and will-wit in our best graces. 2. You cannot Idolize Christ himself; love in pounds, in talent weights is too little for him; his sweet accidents, his delights, consolations love-embracements are sweet; but swell-ling, and too fattening, and if Christ send these to a believer, in a box of gold, or in a case made of a piece of the heaven, or of a chip of the noon-day-Sun, and not come himself, they should not satisfy the soul. Cant. 3.1. I sought him whom my soul loved; Watchmen saw ye him? O it is the beloved himself, that is a great man in the Spouses books, his Wine, his Spikenard, his Myrrh, his Oyntments, his Perfume, the Savour of his Garments, his Apples of love, are all in that heavenly song set out for himself. Love-tokens are nothing, duties nothing, inherent righteousness nothing, heaven nothing, if separated from Christ ; but Christ himself is all in all.
[unspec 2] Our 2. disease is, we forget that he that created the love of Christ in the heart, can only cure our love, when its sick for Christ: As he that created the first World can rule it, so he that created the second new world, can guide it, and all the creatures in it, though our faith stagger, touching his special providence, in particulars of either, as we are deserted, and left to ourselves.
3. We often thirst after comforts, and sense, as the people [unspec 3] did, and ( Isaiah 58.5.) were reproved for their fast: Is it such a Fast as I have chosen? And Zach. 7.5. Did ye at all Fast to me, even to me? So may Christ blame us for the like sin, and say, Have ye thirsted to me, and for me, and not rather for yourselves? Let us examine delusions, and not father them upon Christ, except we know he will own them.
[unspec 4] 4. We desire a never interrupted presence and sense of God, whereas Christ submitted, to want it for a time; when he saw it was God's will so to do; and though we have not, nor can we have positively, always an edge of actual hunger; yet we negatively can be submissive to want, when we see it is his will, we want; whereas he is the same Christ, with the same immanent, and eternal love of election, without variation of the Degrees of the altitude and height thereof, the same infinite wisdom, when he frowns, and hides his face, and when he shines and smiles in his kingly manifestations. Clouds alters not the Sun-light, coverings changeth not Christ, that he cannot love behind the curtain. Except we take a cloud to be the Sun, or created sweetness to be Christ ; were the beam separated from the Sun; what should it be but as good as nothing? We dream that the curtains and robes of Christ's manifestations of love, adds somewhat to his excellency; then he must be of more eminency, when he expresseth himself in love-embracements to us, then when he was from eternity the flour of his Fathers delight. Christ's outside in revealed sweetness, and in transient manifestations of his beauty, must then be more excellent then himself; this is too selftie a conception of Christ. The Lord Jesus is more within, then we can enjoy of him, in his love-expressions; he loses none of that immanent sweetness, under his wise withdrawings; though you, or I, or Men, or Angels, should never feed upon any time-enjoyments of sweetest love, and manifested glory from his revealed kindness.
5. Its a great Quere, if it be expedient, that our motion to heaven, should be as the motion of the Sun that never rests, but moves as swiftly in the night as in the day, and if we should ever be on wings, I know its our duty; but even the falling on our own weight, and the conscience of our clay-mould, our short breath, Natures weak legs in walking up the Mount, are good for the adding wind and tide, and high sails to the praising of Christ, and free Grace: Vtile est peccavisse, noc • t p • ccare. It is profitable that we have sinned, that Grace may be extolled, it is ill to sin. Even to the nature of man its good that he hath died, and hath been in the grave, yet its not good, but contrary to nature, to die, and to lie in the grave.
6. Its our forgetfulness, that we see not the dearest to Christ hath been kept lowest, and most empty in their own eyes; hidden grace extolleth Christ. 2. That often the Saints are kept in a condition of sailing with as much wind as blows, [unspec 2] with praying, and believing. 3. That yet prayer and the [unspec 3] sweating of Faith cannot earn, nor promerit the renewed sense of Christ, so as Christ returneth to eat his honey-comb, and his wine, and milk, and banquet with the soul, rather at the presence of these acts, then for them, as some have said, (thou • h with no strength of reason) that fire burneth not, the Sun enlighteneth not, the • arth doth not send forth flowers, and herbs; but God at the naked presence of these causes, doth produce all effects; yet in this case it hath a truth; that the sweating of all supernatural industry, cannot redeem the least half glimpse of God's presence, in the sense of eternal love, when God is pleased for trial • to hide himself.
7▪ Our great fault here is merit, that we tie the flowings and inundations of Christ's love to the beck of our desires, whereas we may know: 1. That the Sun doth not shine, nor the rain water the earth, in order to merit. 2. We should know that grace, and all the acts of grace are alms, not debt, and that a rich Savior giveth grace to us as beggars, and payeth it not to hirelings, as the due, or as wages we can crave for our work; but we love penny-worth's better then free-gifts.
Christ's work of redemption was a most rational work, and was full of causes, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ; this saith, that to redeem loosed sinners, was not a rash and reasonless work.
1. There was no cause compelling. Love cannot be forced, John 3.16. God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten [unspec 1] Son, &c. Grace worketh more from an intrinsical cause, and more spontaneously then nature. For Nature often is provoked by contraries for self-defense to work: as fire worketh on water, as on a contrary; the wolf and the dog pursue one another as enemies. But Grace, because grace hath abundance of causality and power in it self, but hath no cause without it.
[unspec 2] 2. Any necessity of working from Goodness in the Agent, as from such a principle is strong. 1 Tim. 1.15. Its a true saying, and by all means worthy to be received, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. If the thing be worthy 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , of all receipt and embracing, then it must be good; an Agent working from a Principle of goodness doth in his kind work necessarily, though he may also work from another principle freely. John 10.11. I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep. Luke 19.10. For the Son of man is come to seek, and to save that which is lost.
[unspec 3]3. God will seek reasons or occasions without himself, to be gracious to sinners. When no reason or cause moveth a Physician to cure, but only sickness and extreme misery; we know grace and compassion is the only cause; Ezech. 36.23. I will sanctify my great name, Why? Which was profaned among the heathen; and which ye have profaned in the midst of them ; then the true cause must be expressed, Vers. 22. Thus saith the Lord God, I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy Names sake.
4. The Lord taketh a cause from the end of his coming, [unspec 4] Math. 20.28. The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. Joh. 18.37. To this end was I borne, and for this cause came into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Joh. 10.10. I am come that they might have life, and have it in abundance.
5. Some thing, yea very much of God, is in the creation; [unspec 5] much of God in his common providence; but most of all, yea whole God in the redemption of man. God manifested in the flesh is the matter and subject of it, Grace the moving cause, most of all his attributes, working for the manifestation of the Glory of pardoning mercy, revenging justice, exact faithfulness and truth, freest grace, omnipotency over hell, devils, sin, the World ; patience, longanimity to man, cooperate as the formal and final causes, it is a piece so rational and full of causes, that as he is happy, (Felix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas,) who can know the causes of things: so Angels delight to be Scholars to read and study this mysterious art of free Grace, Eph. 3.10. 1 Pet. 1.12 Works without reasons and causes are foolish. The cause why we do not submit to God, is, because we lie under blind and fatherless crosses: its true, Affliction springs not out of the dust, and crosses considered without God, are twice crosses. Three material circumstances in crosses are very considerable. Quis, quare, quomodo. 1. Who, for what cause, and how doth God afflict us. Who afflicts is worthy to be known. Isaiah. 42.24. Who gave Jaakob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? The highest cause of causes did it. Did not the Lord, he against whom we have sinned? [unspec 1] 1 Sam. 3.18. It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth good to him. 2. For what end God the Lord did this, is a circumstance of comfort; Why led the Lord Israel through a great [unspec 2] and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery Scorpions, and Serpents, and drought? Deut. 8.16. That he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end. 3. And how the Lord correcteth, is worthy to be known. He correcteth Jaakob in measure, [unspec 3] Jer. 6.28. Mercy wrapped about the rod, and a cup of gall and wormwood honeyed, and oiled with free love, and a piece of Christ's heart, and his stirred bowels mixed in with the cup, is a merciful little hell. Psal. 6.1. Jer. 31.18, 19, 20. The Law saith, A Bastard hath no father, because his father is not known. The Philistines are plagued with Emerods, but whether that ill was from the Lord, or from Chance, they know not. The cross to many is a bastard. We suffer from Prelates, because we suffered Prelates to persecute the Saints. Papists shed our blood, why? Our forefathers burnt the witnesses of Christ, and we never repented. Christ and Anti-christ are at bloody blows in the camp: Anti-christ hath killed many thousands in the three kingdoms for Religion; that is the quarrel: and when England had often before, and have now opportunity, they will not lift Christ up on his throne, nor put his Crown Royal on his head, but do put it on their own head, but the judgment is not yet at an end. Scotland hath not walked worthy of the Gospel, but have fallen from their first love. We take not a deliberate list of every limb, thigh, leg, and member of this national wrath, and we neither see wherefore we are afflicted, nor how.
There is some peculiar act of Christ's will here holden forth, and that is Christ's peculiar intention, to die for his people; in which we are to consider the activeness of Christ's will in dying for man, which may be seen.
1. In his free offering of himself, and his service to the Father. [unspec 1] Psalm. 40.6. Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire, mine ears hast thou opened. Heb. 10.5. A body (that is, the office house, and instrumental subject of obedience to the death, as the ear is of hearing, and obeying the commandments of God) thou hast prepared me. Vers. 7. Then said I, loe I come (in the volumne of thy book it is written of me) to do thy will ô God. In these words Christ is brought in as a servant, with three excellent qualities. 1. Physically, he is fitted with a body and a soul to offer to God for us; as in a servant there are required strong limbs and arms to endure drudgery, in this he was borne of his mother, for this sad service: his Master furnished him for this, even the seed of man's flesh and blood for suffering.
2. There were moral habilities in him; promptitude of of will. So the Lord is brought in, as a Lord and Master in justice crying, servant; O Son and servant Jesus, I have a business for thee of great concernment. At the first word, as all good servants do, Christ takes him to his feet, and compeares before his God, his Master and Lord, Loe I come, here am I ; so servants of old answered their Master: What service wilt thou command so hard, which I will not undergo? Master, here's a body for thy work, here be cheeks for the nippers, a face for those that will pluck off the hair, a back for smiting, a body for the cross and the grave. Christ as a servant uncovered, standing on feet, would say; Lord, send me thy servant to the Garden, to work under the burden of thy wrath, till I sweat blood; bid me go to shame, to scourging, and spitting, is it thy will I go up on the cursed cross, and be made a curse for sinners, that I be crucified and die, that I go lower in to the utter half of hell, the grave, which is a sad journey; loe here am I, willing to obey all.
3. There was in Christ, not only willingness, but delight, Psal. 40.8. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 My God I delight to do thy will, [unspec 3] every servant cannot say this to his Master, thy Law is in the [unspec 1] midst of my heart.
2. His willingness to die was a part of his Testament and last Will, he died with good will, and left in Legacy his death, and [unspec 2] the fruits of it, his blessing, his heart, his love, his peace, his life to his bride in Testament, confirmed by Law, to all his poor brethren and friends, Heb. 9, 17. and John 14.27. Peace I leave (in testament) with you. But the Orphan, and the poor friend gets not all that his dying Father and friend leaves in Testament, but Christ gives possession himself ere he die, My peace I give to you ; but to the point: His latter Will, was willingness to die.
3. No external force could take his life from him, against his will. John 10.18. No man taketh my life from me, but I lay [unspec 3] it down of myself, I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. Yet lest it should seem a will-action in Christ, and • o not obedience, he addeth. This Commandment (that is the will of a Superior) have I received of my Father. Compelled obedience, is no obedience: exact willingness was a substantial and essential ingredient in Christ's obedience. Acts of Grace cannot be extorted; can ye tear a shoure of rain, from God in an extreme drouth: or bread from him in your hunger, against his will? Far less, since Christ's dying was an act of pure grace, can any compel him to die for man. Love arrested his holy will, and that made him run apace to die for us: O blessed be his good will, who burned himself in the Bush, in a fire of free love.
4. Though dying be a passion; yet Christ's dying was both [unspec 4] a passion, and an action. Will added as much perfume and strength of obedience, as nature, and pain, shard-ship, shame, and abasement could do; his life was not so much plucked from him, as out of his own hand, As an Agent he offered his blood, and soul; yea, himself to God, through the eternal Spirit, Hebr. 9.14. Love was the cord, the chain that did bind Christ to the Altar.
[unspec 5] 5. Christ 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 on this intention came to this hour; so is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 often in Scripture. Not only his will, but the flour of his will, his intention was to die, for Christ's eye and his heart, and his love was on his Bride; the intention is the most eminent act that Love can put forth. Christ's eye and his heart being upon his Spouse, he made our salvation his end and measure of his love, to compass this end: the Lord laid many Oares in the water; his rising early, his night watching, his toiling, his sweating, his soar and hard Soul-travel, as being heavy with Child of this end, (O might I have a redeemed people) was all his care; and his soul was eased, when dying, bleeding, crying, he went thorough hell and death, and slept in deaths black and cold prison, and his Redeemed ones in his arms. When he came to the end of this sad journey, and found his Ramsomed ones, he said; I have sought you with a heavy heart; fair and foul way, sad and weary; and all is well bestowed, since I have gained you. Let us up together to the hill of Spices, to our Fathers house, to the highest mountain of Frankincense. All that Christ did, was for this end, That he might deliver us from this present evil world, Galat. 1.4. That he might be a ransom for many, Matth. 20.28. That we might have life, and have it more abundantly, Joh. 10.10. That he might seek and save the lost, Luke 19.10. That he might present his wife a glorious Church to himself, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing: but that she should be holy and without blemish, Ephes. 5.26, 27. that we being dead to sin, should live to righteousness, 1 Pet. 2.24. Christ came to seek, and travelled ever till he found his desire, a redeemed and saved people, and then he rested; Even as he journeyed through all the Creation, but till he found man, a creature that he made according to his own image, he had no Sabbath, no rest. His willingness to die, respected his redeemed people, whom out of mere mercy he loved, and the worth of will and merit respected infinite justice, which he exactly satisfied.
Hence we learn; 1. To imitate and follow our pattern Christ, in voluntary obedience, delighting to do God's will, and to suffer God's will. Its said of Christ, Hebr. 5.8. Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience through suffering. He was the excellentest Scholar among all his School-fellows, and yet the rod of God was heaviest, and most frequent on him; he learned his Lesson beyond them all. He was quick in understanding, in the fear of the Lord, Isaiah. 11.3. He had in him an excellent Spirit; The Spirit of Wisdom, of Counsel, of Knowledge, and of the Fear of the Lord ; And was holy and obedient to the death, the death of the Cross. Its much to learn to be active for God, but more to learn to be passive. That is a profound science. Phil. 4.12. I know how to be abased, — I am instructed to be hungry, —and to suffer need. It's the singular art of Grace to know how to love, fear, and obey God, under death, pain, and hell. It is a high lesson to learn the Mystery of that deep Science, of hunger, want, suffering, stripes, and torment, and death for Christ. This is high, Hebr. 10.34. Ye, took patiently the spoiling of your goods, knowing that in heaven ye have a better, and more enduring substance. They are but accidents we have here, and these very separable. Heaven is all substance. Our obedience passive is not willing, its constrained. We might by Grace turn clay into gold, hell into heaven: if we could look in faith and patience, on the persecution, and reproaches of men, as on the brutish and irrational motion of a staff, or an axe that beats and cuts us; suppose we knew no hand under God that wronged us; he curseth, because the Lord hath bidden him. For the freedom of Christ's kingdom, and the right government of his house, and for opposing blasphemies, and reproaching of Christ, his Word, Scripture, Ordinances, We are killed all the day long, and counted the off-s • ourings of men ; could we overlook unthankfulness, malice, wickedness, persecution from men, whom we with our lives and blood have redeemed from persecution, and behold the highest Mover, and first Wheel that moveth all under wheels, as if God only were our party, who humbles us, that we may be humbled; then should we be silent, and our hearts should not rise at the exorbitances of men. There is too much of nature in our sufferings, too little submissive willingness. The more action of a sanctified will in our sufferings, its the more acceptable, and cometh nearest to Christ, who did both run for the Crown, and was active, and endured the Cross, and was most passive in an heavenly manner, Heb. 12.
2. Let us learn of Christ to intend obedience, to put a 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 to our obedience. Many hear the word, but they intend not to hear; many pray, and intend not to pray; many die in these wars for Christ, but intend not to spend their life for Christ : The holy and clean cause of God cometh through many dirty and foul fingers. This is the deep art of Providence.
Quest. What is a right and straight intention in serving God?
Asser. 1. When the deliberation of a bended will concurs with the intention, its right; as when there is an heart-conclusion for God. Psal. 39.1. I said I will take heed to my ways, that I offend not with my tongue. Psal. 31.14. But I trusted in the Lord: I said, Thou art my God. Psal. 102.24. I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days. This was an intended prayer. Psal. 119.57. I have said that I would keep thy words.
Asser. 2. The Saints are not so perfect in their intentions, as God is their only end. 1. Because a piece of our self is mixed with our end; there is some crook in our straightest line; an angle in our perfectest circle: when we run most swiftly, because of the in-dwelling of corruption, we halt a little. 2. Self-denial is not perfect in this life.
Asser. 3. Its good, when God is so pre-conceived in the intention, as the principal actions and motions both have being and denomination from their predominant element. Honey is is honey, though not pure from wax. A b • leever is not a simple element, nor all grace, and all sincerity. Now in bodies carried with a predominant element, the predominant is affirmed, the subordinate denied. 1 Cor. 15.10. Yet not I, but the grace of God with me. 2 Cor. 4.5. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Christ's sake. Where Christ is the predominant element, he is of weight to sway the whole soul in its motion. And its right-down sincerity (whatever Crisp, with Papists say on the contrary) though it require some grains of allowance to make it pass.
Asser. 4. Where Self is the predominant, the intention is bastard and adulterate. Jehu saith, Come see my zeal for the Lord ; but he only saith it. He could have said, Come see my zeal for myself. In the Jews zeal, Rom. 10.1. there's a pound of self-righteousness, for one half grain of Christ, and of free grace ; therefore its not the right zeal of God.
Asser. 5. There be two characters of an intended end, which are also here: 1. All that the agent doth, he referreth to his end; for his end is his God. The wretch doth all in reference to gold, that is his end: And Joab did all for Court and honor; for the chief end is the man's Master, and useth a lord-ship over him. Christ is so mighty through God, that he darkens the Scribes and Pharisees light; because their end lieth in the fat womb of the world, and it is gain and glory; all they do is to make Christ out of the way. So when the believer sails all winds, rolleth every stone, presseth all means for Christ, as his end, and his weight, then stirs he to the right port. Christ's love hath a dominion over lord-will: One Adamant will cut another; the sinner is a rock, Christ's love an Adamant. Christ's love setting on the wills intention, burns the soul to the bone. Mary Magdalene cannot sleep, (and its a ticklesome game where the heart is at the stake) and Christ she must have; Apostles, Angels, Christ himself shall hear of it ere she want him. And the rougher and harder the means be, when under-taken for Christ, Christ must be a stronger and more love-working end. When torment and burning quick are chosen for Christ, its like he is the end; for love over-comes a rough and dangerous journey: A sweet and desirable home, is above a dirty and thorny way. Christ's love is stronger then hell. Our affections often take fire from difficulties; as absence of the Beloved kindles a new fire; Stollen bread, because stolen, is sweeter, and not our nature only; but longing after Christ, nititur in vetitum, inclineth to that which is forbidden. What if Christ be longed for and loved more when absent, then present?
2. The other Character is, That when the end is obtained, all operation for, or about the means ceaseth, and the soul hath a complacency in the fruition of the end. When the wretches chests are full, he hath an heart-quietness in gold; Luk. 12. Soul, take thine ease ; but if the soul have an akeing and a disquieting motion after gold is obtained, it is not because gold was not his end, but because he hath not obtained it in such a large measure as he would; or because its but a sick and lame end, and cannot satiate, but rather sharpen soul-thirst after such corruptible things. When Christ is obtained, the soul hath sweet peace; He that drinketh of the water of life thirsts no more, appetitu desiderii, as longing with anxiety for this, as we do for earthly things, which we want; though he have appetitum complac • ntiae, a desire of complacency, and a sweet self-quietness, that his heritage pleaseth him well, and his lines are fallen in pleasant parts, and rests on his portion, and would not change it with ten thousand worlds. Men by this, who are fishing and hunting after some other thing then Christ, may know what is their end: when Christ and Reformation come to their doors, they will have neither; but cast out their lines for another prey: Men now fish and angle for gain, in lieu of godliness.
Here is the last Article of Christ's prayer, Father, glorify thy Name. 2. The Return of Christ's prayer by an audible answer from heaven.
This Prayer, Glorify thy Name, Father ; is of an higher strain: Father, I am willing to die, so thou be glorified in giving to me strength to suffer, and thou redeem lost man by me, and by so doing glorify thy Name. Christ never in his hardest suffering would be wanting to glorify God. Now how far the glory of God, in doing and suffering, should be intended and desired by us, in these considerations I propose.
1. We are to prefer the Lord's glory to our own life and salvation: no point of self-denial, and renouncing of self-pleasing can reach higher then this, when Christ is willing to be the passive object of the glory of God; Put me, Father, to shame and suffering, so thou mayest be glorified. Paul and Moses are not far out, but they are far out of themselves, when the one for the glory of the Lord, in savin • the people of God, willeth his name may be razed out of the book of life: and the other, to be separated from Christ, for the salvation of his kinsmen, God's chosen people. When Abraham is willing that Glory to the Lord should be written with the ink of his son Isaac 's blood; and the Martyrs, that their pain may praise God, they then level at the right end; for that must be the most perfect intention, that comes nearest to the most perfect. This is nearest to God's intention; for he created, and still worketh all for this end, that he may be glorified. Pro. 16.4. Revel. 4.11. Rom. 11.37. Now if Christ put all to sea, and hazard all he hath to guard the Lord's Name from dishonor, and made his soul, his life, his heaven, his glory a bridge to keep dry and safe the Glory of God, that it sink not; and if God would rather his dear Son should be crowned with the Cross, and his blood squeezed out, with his precious life, then that any shame should come to his Name, then are we to interpose ourselves, even to sufferings, and shame, for the glory of God. Suppose a Saint were divided in four, and every member with life in it, and torment of pain, fixed in the four corners of the heaven, East, and West, and South, and North, and the soul in the convexity of heaven, under the pain of the torment of the gnawing worm that can never die, these five were obliged to cry with a loud voice, in the hearing of heaven, of earth, of hell, of Men, and Angels, and all creatures, Glory, glory be to the spotless and pure justice of the Lord, for this our pain: and when the damned are noted to speak against their sentence of condemnation, When saw we thee hungry, and fed thee not? &c. Mat. 25. it is clear they are obliged to acquiesce to this, that they are made clay-vessels, passively to be filled to the brim with the glory of revenging justice, and ought in hell to praise the glory of revenging wrath, as the Saints in heaven are bottles and vessels of mercy, from bottom to brim, filled with the glory of mercy, to praise his grace in heaven, who redeemed them: the one Psalm is as due and just as the other. What the damned do not, or do in the contrary, is their sin. One prayed, his death, pain, torment, sad afflictions that may out-run him, ere he escape into the grave, yea, that his hell might with his own good will be a printed book, on which Angels and Men may read the glory of inviolable justice.
2. We love that the holinesses and grace of others were [unspec 2] ours, that we might glorify God, but we glorify him not with that which he hath given us; yea, we have a sort of wicked emulation and envy if others glorify God, not we. Moses acquiesced to God's dispensation, that the Lord might be glorified in the people's possessing of the holy Land, though he himself should not be their leader, but not at the first. There is a cumbersome piece called, I, ego, self, that hath an itching soul for glory due to another.
[unspec 3] 3. O how unwilling are we, that the Lord's glory overweigh our ease, and humor? Master, forbid Eldad and Medad to Prophecy, saith Joshua. No, Moses will have God glorified, be the instruments who will.
4. There is a twofold glory here due to God. 1. Active ; [unspec 4] the glory of duties to be performed by us. 2. Passive ; the glory of events, that results from the Lord's government of the world; we are to care for both, but we do it not orderly. We are more careful of God's passive glory, which belongs to himself, then we ought to be. Hence say we, what confusions be there in the world? Nation breaks covenant with Nation; Heresies and blasphemies prevail; Antichrist is yet on his throne; the Churches over Sea oppressed, the people of God led to the Shambles, as slaughter-sheep, and destroyed, and killed. Hundreds of Thousands killed in Ireland, many thousands in England, and very many thousands about the space of one year taken away in Scotland, with the Sword and the Pestilence. And • he Lord's justice is not yet glorified, nor his mercy in avenging the enemies, the cry of the souls under the Altar is not heard, the Church not delivered. We would here yield patience to Divine providence; God hath more care of his own glory, then we can have. 2. What men takes from God, he can repair infinitely another way. But we are less anxious for the Lord's active glory, to do what is our duty, and serve him, and glorify him in the sincere use of means. Some learn their School-fellows lesson better then their own. For God's glory of events, we are to be grieved, when he is dishonored, but not to take the helm of heaven and earth out of his hand, but leave to God these, who would plunder Christ's Crown off his head. We have nothing to do in the glory of events, but pray it flourish: but we take too much ado in it, and we do too little in the other.
5. There is a glory of God ; twofold also: one of holiness and grace; another of bliss and happiness. This I consider, [unspec 5] either as in the kingdom of grace, or of glory. In Graces kingdom, the Saints for their holiness, and Titus and the Brethren, 2 Cor. 8.23. are the glory of Christ. I will place (saith the Lord Isaiah. 46.13.) salvation in Zion, for Israel my glory. Faithful Pastors take in cities, and subdue crowns, and kingdoms, to Christ. Paul conquered many crowns to Christ, 1 Thess. 2.19. For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? Christ wears the Church on his head as a crown of glory, Isaiah. 62.3. How glorious is it to be for holiness Christ's garland, his diademe, and crown? But in this there is a rent of the crown of Heaven, a sovereign peculiar flower due to the King of Ages, that no man must seek after: in this the contexture and frame of the work of Redemption is so contrived, that 1 Cor. 1.29. No flesh should glory in his presence. No man can devide the glory of grace with Christ. In the higher Kingdom, there is a glory ordained for Saints. The Gospel is a glorious piece, which 1 Cor. 2.7. God hath ordained before the world was, unto our glory. 1 Thes. 2.12. God hath called us unto his kingdom and glory. 1 Pet. 5.4. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory, that fadeth not away. This is the reward of faithful Elders, that feed the flock of Christ. The heaven of glory is called the holy heaven, Psal. 20.6. The Lord will hear from his holy heaven, and the new Jerusalem the Church, hath a brave crown on her head. Revel. 21.10, 11. She comes down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Grace, grace is a glorious thing.
6. O, but we come short in doing and suffering; when our [unspec 6] doing, suffering, eating, drinking, dying, pain, abasement, shame, wants this end of the glorifying God ; that adds an excellent luster, beauty, and glory to all that we do. When Christ, the Father, heaven, are tied to the furthest end of all our actions, we are above ourselves. But we differ little in our aims from beasts, when the intention riseth no higher then this side of clay and time; Psal. 49.11. That our houses may continue. Isaiah. 5.8. That we may be placed, our alone on the earth.
In this Answer observe these. 1. The Answer. 2. The air it came from; From heaven. 3. The way and manner of its coming; by an audible Voice. 4. The matter of the Answer. I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
Christ is always answered of his Father: either in the thing he sueth, Joh. 11.42. Or, in that which he fears, Heb. 5.7. Or, by real comfort, Luk. 2 • .42, 43. Or in a full and perfect deliverance, Psalm. 22.20, 21. compared with Psalm. 16.10, 11. Acts 24.25. Acts 5.31. Or, in supply of strength for his suffering, Isaiah. 50.7, 8.
Its a proof of the worth of Christ's advocation and intercession. If I know myself to be in Christ's Prayer-book, in his breast, among Christ's askings of the Father; its comfortable. Psal. 2.8. Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. When Christ asketh souls of the Father, he gives him his asking: the Lord cannot withhold from this King, the desire of his heart, Psalm. 21.2. He asked a wife of his Father, and it was granted. Christ will have them all in one house to be copartners of the Crown of heaven with him: for its his Prayer, Joh. 17.24. The King and the Queen in one Palace. We cannot fall from grace, for we stand by Christ's prayers, Luke 22.31, 32. Heb. 9.24.
We have many diseases, in the matter of the return of an answer. 1. We wait not on an answer; we speak words, we pray not, we breath out natural desires for spiritual mercies; we have no spiritual feeling of our wants, and there is an end; Psalm. 18.41. The wicked cry, but there is none to save; they do not pray, but cry. 2. We storm, and offend that our humor, rather then our faith is not answered, either at our own time, or that the thing which we ask to spend on our lusts (as James 4.3.) is not granted. 3. We are more careful, and troubled, that we are not heard, then anxious to offer the rent, and pay the calves of our lips, in praying, which is God's due. Were we as serious in worshipping in Prayer, as we are desirous of seeking wants, it were good; but there is more seeking in our Prayer, for ourselves, then there is adoring for God. 4. We employ not Christ as Mediator, and High Priest in praying, and exercising Faith so much, as we put forth pith and strength of words, that we may extort rather our needs, then obtain grace; as if praying, and hearing of prayers, were work and wages, rather then begging, and giving of mere grace. 5. We consider not when we pray, and prayer is not returned in the same coin that we seek; That the Father hearing Christ's prayers, virtually, and meritoriously answered all our prayers in substance, and for our good. For, 1. Christ can cull out, and choose petitions more necessary and fundamental for my salvation, then I can do. 2. He is answered in all points; We are answered often in the general, and in as good only. 3. Christ could, with more submission and sense pray, then we can do. Nature in Christ cannot boast and compel God to hear prayers; Often our zeal is but natural boasting and quarrelling, as if we could force God to answer. Grace in Christ (and grace is the most lowly, and modest thing of the world) prays with all submission, Not my will, but thy will be done. 4. All prayers are hard for Christ, Ergo, his prayers are better heard, then the prayers of the Saints; except our prayers be folded in his prayers, they cannot be answered. The perfume, the sweet odors of Christ's prayers are so powerful and strong, as coming from God-man in one person, they must be both asking and giving, desiring and granting, praying and hearing, flowing from the same person, Christ. When our prayers go to heaven; Christ, ere they come to the Father, must cast them in a new mould, and leaveth to them his heart, his mouth, though the Advocate taketh not the sense and meaning of the Spirit from them; yet Christ presenting them with his perfume, he removeth our corrupt sense, so as they are Christ's prayers, rather then ours. Hebr. 13.15. Let us by him (as our High Priest) offer the sacrifice of praise (then of prayers also) to God continually. The offering is the Priests, as well as the people's, Revel. 8.3. and far more here, because Christ by his Office, is the only immediate person who maketh request to God for us. Romans 8.34.
Hence, Christ troubled in soul, and afflicted believers on earth, keep correspondence and compliance with heaven.
1. Christ's prayers, in his saddest days, have their return from heaven. Posts and Messengers fly with wings between [unspec 1] God and a Soul in a praying disposition: possible, ten Posts in one night. Prayer hath an Agent lying at the Court of heaven, and an open ear there. Psal. 18.6. He heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears. Christ takes care that the Messenger get presence, and be quickly dispatched with a return. Psal. 102.19. The Lord (ere the Messenger come) looked down from the height of his Sanctuary, Vers. 20. To hear the groaning of the prisoner, to loose those that are appointed to death. So Lam. 3. Tears lie in heaven as Solicitors with God, until he hear; Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, Vers. 50. Till the Lord look down, and behold from heaven. 1 King. 8.30. Hear thou in the heaven, thy dwelling place, and when thou hearest, forgive: saith Solomon. Isai. 63.15. Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness. Our Savior hath appointed the Post-way in that Prayer, Our Father which art in heaven. We have a Friend there who receives the Packet; An high Priest set at the right hand of the throne of Majesty, Heb. 8.1. Who hath passed into the heavens, Heb. 4.14. And is made higher then the heavens, Heb. 7.26. And liveth forever to make intercession for us, Vers. 25.
[unspec 2] 2. In Christ's hardest straits comfort came out of this air. Luk. 22.43. When he was in his saddest agony, there appeared to him an Angel from heaven strengthening him. In his lowest condition, when he was in the cold grave among the dead, heaven was his Magazine of help and comforts. Mat. 28.2. An Angel of the Lord came down from heaven, and rolled away the stone. Heaven came to his bed-side, when he was sleeping in the clods.
3. The Saints have daily trafficking with heaven: O my dear [unspec 3] Friend, my Brother, my Factor is in that Land. Psal. 73.25. Whom have I in heaven but thee? What, are not Angels, Prophets, Apostles, and Saints there? Yea; but we have no acquaintance by way of mediation in that Land, but Christ : he is the choice Friend there. 1 Cor. 15.47. The second Man (both first, highest, second and all) is the Lord from heaven.
4. All our good, every perfect gift comes from heaven, Jam. [unspec 4] 1.17. Manna came not from the clouds. How then? Joh. 6.32. My Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. We are ill lodged in bits of sick and groaning clay; our best house is in heaven. 2 Cor. 5.2. We groaning, desire to be clothed with our house from heaven.
5. The earth is but the believers Sentinel, or at best, his [unspec 5] Watch-tower; but our hope is in heaven. 1 Thes. 1.10. We wait for the Son of God from heaven. Our life and treasure is there. Mat. 6.20. Lay up treasure for yourselves in heaven. Our 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , our city-dwelling and our haunting is in heaven, Phil. 1.21.
What acquaintance have ye in heaven? what blood-friend have you in that Land? The wicked man, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is, the man of the earth. And Psal. 17.14. Save me from men of time; men of this life. Are you a Burgess of time, or a Citizen of the earth? or a man of the higher Jerusalem? Imagine there were a new-found Land on earth, and in it there be twelve Summers in one Yeare, all the stones of the Land are Sapphires, Rubies, Diamonds ; the clay of it, the choicest gold of Ophir ; the trees do bear Apples of life; the inhabitants can neither be sick nor die; the passage to it, by sea and land, is safe; all things there are to be had for nothing, without money, price, or change of commodities; and gold is there for the gathering: if there were such a Land as this, what an huge navy would be lying in the Harbours and Ports of that Land? how many Travelers would repair thither? Heaven is a new Land that the Mediator Christ hath found out, it is better then a Land where there is a Summer for every Moneth of the Yeare; there is neither winter, nor night there ; the Land is very good, and the fruits of it delectable and precious; grace and peace, righteousness, joy of the Holy Ghost, the fruits of that Kingdom, Rom. 14.17. are better then Rubies, Saphyrs, or Diamonds: Christ the tree of life is above all Lands on earth, even his alone: and there's no need of price or money in this Kingdom; grace is the cheapest thing of the world; wine and milk are here without money, and without price, Isaiah 55.1. Its a Land that stands most by the one only commodity of Grace and Glory. Oh, there is little trafficking with heaven ; when was you last there? It is an easy passage to heaven; David, who often prayed even seven times a day, was often a day there. Prayer in faith is but one short Post thither. Oh we have too much compliance with the earth.
The third particular in this Return, is the Manner: In an [unspec 3] audible voice, the Lord answereth him. The multitude heard this voice, though they understood it not. We read not often of an audible voice from heaven to Christ ; only at his Baptism, there was a testimony given of him from heaven, Mat. 3.16, 17. and at his Transfiguration, Mat. 17. of which Peter speaketh, 2 Pet. 1.18. And this voice we heard, when we were with him on the holy Mount. The Lord, in the hearing of men, gives a testimony of his Son Christ, and his good cause. He was accused because he made himself the Son of God ; he prays to God, and calleth him Father, openly; a voice from heaven openly answering, acknowledgeth him to be the Son of God ; though they knew not the Lord's testimony from heaven. God maketh a good cause, though darkened, to shine as day-light, if men would open their eyes and see. Psal. • 7.5. Roll over thy way upon the Lord, and trust in him, and he shall bring it to pass. But flesh and blood saith, Innocence lieth in the dark, and weepeth in sack-cloth in the dungeon, and is not seen. The Lord answereth, Vers. 6. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noon-day. It is true, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 signifies to go from one place to another; its here applied to the sun, and elsewhere to things that grow out of the earth, Judge. 13.14. The sun in the night seems dead, and lost, as if there were no such thing; yet the morning is a new life to the day, and the sun. The grape of the wine tree sown in the earth, is a dead thing; yet it springeth in some days, and cometh to be a fruitful tree. Christ was crucified, and buried; yet the Wine-tree grew again: and, Rom. 1.4. He was declared to be the Son of God, with power, according to the Spirit of sanctification, by the resurrection from the dead. The Gospel, and a good cause seems buried, and weeps in a dungeon.