Lectures Upon the Passion Resurrection and Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ
On the other part, this inequality and diversity of gifts that the Lord gives to men, is a special mean to join and knit together the members of the mystical body of CHRIST: for as in the body of man the inequality and diversity of functions & gifts that are given to several members, joins and holds together y e menbers of y e body: evē so y t inequality & diversity of spiritual graces given to every menber of y e body of Christ, everyone having need of the help of another, joins and holds together the members, to make up one compact body. Rea • e of this in the first Epistle of Saint Paul to the Corinthians, Chap. 12. verse. 24.25.
Now I shall only mark one thing, and so I shall ende: All the night preceeding, when the Lord Jesus was absent, Johns faith and Peters zeal were languishing and dwining: but in the morning when Christ returns, both Johns faith and Peters zeal begin to revive, and to get new strength and vigor. Whereof we may learn, that this grace of faith, knowledge, and zeal, is wakened and raised up by Christ, who is the only matter and object of them: for our faith and knowledge proceeds of His gracious light, which shines in our dark souls: Our zeal proceeds from the Spirit of Christ, who by His coming kindleth a burning fire in our hearts, and makes us to burn with zeal, who before were cold in the service of God. PAUL says, God that commanded light to shine out of darkness, is He, who hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2. Cor. Chap. 4. verse. 6. The words import, that all faith and knowledge of God that we have, is by looking unto the face of Jesus: For when we look unto His face, the beams of that glory which shines in it, is conveyed into our souls, and lighteneth them, and so works faith and knowledge in them. And when we shall get a full sight, and see Him as He is clearly face to face, then we shall be like to Him in glory: for His glory shall transform us into this same image from glory to glory, 2. Cor. cap. 3. verse. 18.
Then seeing that no grace can either be wrought or entertained in the soul, without the presence of the Lord Jesus, and the beholding of His countenance, we should be careful constantly to look to His face, and behold His glory in the mirror of the word, so long as we are in this pilgrimage, that so hereafter we may see Him face to face, and so be made partakers of His glory, which He hath purchased to all them that love Him by the shedding of His own blood. To Him, therefore, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be all praise and glory:
THE XLIX. LECTURE, OF THE RESVRRECTION OF CHRIST.
JOHN, CHAP. XXI.
[verse 8] But the other Disciples came by ship, (for they were not far from land, but about two hundredth cubits) and they dr • we the net with fishes.
[verse 9] As soon then as they were come to land, they saw hot coals, and fish laid thereon, and bread.
[verse 10] Jesus said unto them, Bring of the fishes, which ye have now caught.
[verse 11] Simon Peter stepped forth, and drew the net to lande, full of great fishes, an hundredth, fifty and three: and albeit there were so many, yet was not the net broken.
[verse 12] Jesus said unto them, Come, and dine. And none of the Disciples durst ask him, Who art thou, seeing they knew that he was the Lord.
[verse 13] Jesus then came, and took bread, and gave them, and fish likewise.
[verse 14] This is now the third time that Jesus shown himself to his Disciples▪ after that he was risen again from the dead.
I N this seventh appearing of Christ (Beloved Brethren in the Lord) we have spoken already of the place of His appearing, to wit, at the Sea of Tiberias : and we have spoken of the persons to whom He appeared, who we • e seven in number: the Lord by His secret providence gathered them together, and kept them together, (albeit some w • uld have su • dered from the r • st) to the ende the Lord might show Himself v • to them being assembled together in one place. W • e hau • spoken of their exercise, how they were fishi • g but got little success howbeit they had labored all the night. We told you also of the Lord's appearing to them, He shows Himself to them in the morning, and finding y t they had caught nothing, He bids them cast out the net on the right side of the ship: we show you their obedience, albeit they knew Him not, & thought that He had been a stranger, yet upon hope of a good success, they cast out the net. We have heard what success the Lord gave to this their obedience, the net was so filled with fishes, that they were not able to draw it: And last, we have heard, how John knew Him first, and told Peter, and how Peter upon a fervent zeal to meet with the Lord, casts Himself into the Sea, and hazards his life. Now this day, by God's grace, we shall follow out the rest of the History of this appearing of Christ, as namely, how the Disciples did meet with the Lord, and how when they came to the land, miraculously they saw fishes laid on hot coals, and what was the Lord's conference and dealing with them, and what was the behavior of Peter, and the rest of the Disciples. But to come to the words: when Peter had cast himself into the Sea, and came to the Lord, what do the rest of the Disciples? Are they altogether careless? Have they not also a desire to meet with the Lord? Yes, they have a desire, and they came to the Lord, albeit not so soon as Peter, For they came by ship, for they were not far from land, but about two hundredth cubits. Albeit they came not all so soon as Peter, yet at the last, they all come to y e Lord as well as Peter, for they were not destitute of grace no more than Peter : as zeal carried Peter to y e Lord, so Faith & knowledge brings and leads the rest to the Lord: Peters zeal moved him to come more speedily, suddenly & hastily to the Lord, but their Faith and knowledge, brought John & the rest also to the Lord, for such is the force of Faith, that albeit it have not ay such fervent zeal accompanying it, as was the zeal of Peter, yet at last it will lead & convey a man unto Christ. Strive above all things to have Faith, and seek it daily of the Lord: for if thou have Faith in Christ, not only shalt thou get a comfortable sight of Him, here in thy soul, but also thou shalt see Him hereafter face to face: & by the contrary, if thou want Faith▪ if thou have it not in some measure, thou shalt never get a sight of God to thy comfort: for as the Apostle says, Without holiness • no man shall see the Lord, Heb. 12.14 (If thou be not holy, thou sh • lt never see Heaven) so say I, Without Faith, thou shalt never s • e God, if thou have not Faith, thou shall • never come to Heaven, Mocke Faith and holiness • , as ye please the Lord sh • 〈◊〉 • sie this one day, without Faith & holiness the gates of Heaven shall be closed upon thee, thou shalt never get no portion of life nor glory.
Now while the Disciples are coming to the Lord, They are drawing the net with the fishes : Compare this doing of theirs with the doing of Peter, & ye will see, both do well, albeit the manner be diverse: Peter left the net, & all y e fishes behind, & swimmed out hastily & speedily to meet y e Lord, John & the rest drawing after them the net full of fishes, come to y e Lord, both do well, both their doings are commendable: for zeal so carried Peter y t not only he cared not for y e net & the fishes, but also he hazarded his life, that he might come to y e Lord: John & the rest of y e Disciples, as they knew y e Lord Himself, so they esteem highly of that benefit which the Lord powerfully & lovingly had bestowed vpō them, as a pledge of His favor: & therefore they were not careless of the benefit, they misregarded it not, but they thought it meet, to carry it with them▪ for His cause who had vouchsafed it on them, & so both y e one & the other are worthy of praise: & hereof we may learn this lesson: The actions of y e Children of God, wherein they are exercised according to y e gift that y e Lord hath distributed to everyone, albeit they be very far different one from another, yet they are all in some sort good & worthy of their own praise, because everyone of them helps another: for as it is with the gifts & faculties, so it is with the actions & operations proceeding from them. Now the gifts & faculties are diverse, & yet all are for the well of the body, & everyone of them supplies the want of another yea even y e meanest gifts help the greatest, the gift of the foot helps the gift of the hand▪ and of the eye: Even so, the actions and operations slowing from the gifts, serve for the well and commodity of the whole body, & everyone of them supplies the want and inlake that is in another, the least may help the greatest in something that it wants. Ye see a proof of this here, in the actions & doings of the Apostles. Peter left the net, the fishes, and all behind him▪ that he might cor • e hastily unto the Lord, the thing that in • a • ed in him, the rest supplied, they bring the b • nefite with them, the fishes that the Lord had sent them. Again, albeit that John & y e rest brought y • fishes with them that y e Lo • d gave th • m as a pledge of • is love, yet they were somewhat slo • e▪ they • a • e • not, as Peter did to come to the • ord: now Pet • r help • them in this wa •• , for by hi • zeal and forwardness, he stirred them v ••• & provoked them to a godly e • ulat on.
We must not incontinently despise and reject the particular actions of everyone of the children of God, because they are not perfect in all respects: for the Lord will not bestow all gifts at once to every faithful man, but we should consider all the actions of all the children of GOD gathered together, as it were in a mass, and one heap, and so, because everyone helps and supplies the want of another, to the well of the whole, we shall find a perfection.
Now, when by ship drawing the net with the fishes after them, they come to land: What falls out? What find they? They find a miraculous work: for it is said, As soon then as they were come to land, they saw hot coals, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Where ever they came, they saw miracles: when they were on the Sea, they found a miraculous multitude of fishes enclosed in the net: when they come to the lande, they found another miracle, a fire, and all furniture for their dinner, extraordinarily prepared without the hand of man. No question, these things were done by the extraordinary working and dispensation of GOD, to the end, that not only they might assuredly know, that the Lord was risen again, but likewise, that when they considered His marvelous and extraordinary power, they might be persuaded, that He who rose from the dead, was not only man, but also God: for these His wondrous works bare witness, that the Godhead dwelt in Him bodily, John says, We saw His glory, as the glory of the only begotten Son of God, John. 1.14. How saw we this glory? How discerned he it: Even by these & many other such wondrous works: & indeed, it had done them little good to have known, that Christ was risen again, except they had been assured, that He who rose was God, the Son of God, if they had not known this, the knowledge of His Resurrection had not been steadable to Salvation.
Now it would be marked, that he says, when they come to land, They saw fish laid on the coals, and bread. This was for their sustentation: So the Lord manifested not only His power in the miracle, but likewise His love in feeding of them, to the end, that they should not rest & content themselves with marueiling at His power, but that upon th • consideration of His g • eat love▪ they should be moved to love Him again intierely, & to put their trust in Him. Indeed, we ought to wonder at the gloriousness of the person the Lord, and at His extraordinary and marvelous power, for He is, as the Prophet Isaiah 9.6 calls Him Wonderful, but we should so marvel at His power, that in y e mean time we end • uoure to have a sense of His love, that we may love Him again, & put our trust in Him: for without the sense of His love, our maruelling & wondering at Him, will do us little good.
Now, let us come to the Lord's conference with the Disciples, Jesus said unto them, Bring of the fishes, which ye have now caught. The Lord breaks off first the conference: for they carried such a reverence to the Lord, that they would not presume once to speak: for as the presence of the Lord worketh Faith, and love in the soul, so it works fear and reverence of His Majesty, if thou wantest fear and reverence to His Majesty, thou never foundest His presence in thy soul. Now when He bids them, Bring of the fishes which they had caught, He demands an accompt of the benefit which He had bestowed on them, and so He shows, that it was not His will that rashly & unadvisedly they should have cast away the benefit wherewith He had blessed them, albeit it was but an earthly blessing: and hereby we may see, that the fact of John, and the other Disciples was worthy of praise, who left not the fishes behind them, but drew the net full of fishes to the land.
Again, it is worthy to be marked, that he ascribeth the taking of the fishes which He had enclosed in the net, and freely given them to their travels & labors: for He says, Bring of the f • shes which ye have now caught. This form of speaking, lets us see, how well the Lord likes, & how highly He counts of the labors which His own Children undertake at His commandment: for albeit we be altogether unprofitable servants, when we have done all that we can do, Luke 17.10. and all our labors be not steadable to Him, nor profitable in thē • elues, yet such is His love & favor towards His own, that both He commends them as profitable servants, & allows of their works as steadable, and this He does, to the end He may encourage us as His children, not to weary, but to go forward in well doing: for it is necessary that we be exercised in well doing, & go forward in good works: for God hath ordained that we should walk in them, Ephes. 2.10 that without them it is impossible to attain unto eternal • life In like manner, when freely He crowns His grace into us, He calls that crown, a reward, as if we had d • served it by our labors: for the Lord uses to deal with us, as a loving father deals with His Children, the father will make much of his son, & allure him, & promise him an hire, to move him to do that thing that he is obliged to do of duty: so the Lord dates and allures us, and calls the thing which He gives us freely, an hire and reward, to the ende, that He may encourage us to go forwards in well-doing. Likewise, in that perfect form of prayer which the Lord hath taught us, He calls that bread which He bids us crave from GOD, our bread: as though GOD were indebted to give it unto us, and as if we had a right unto it: which nevertheless we crave from God as appertaining to Him & not to us: yet He teaches us to call it our bread, albeit we have no right to it, to testify His fatherly love & favor towards us. When the Papists hear anything ascribed to our labors, & when they hear a reward named in the Scriptures; then incontinent they conclude, That we merit it at GOD'S hand. But they deceive themselves: for as the Lord ascribes here the taking of the fish, which was His benefit, and blessing unto their labors, which they undertook at His commandment. So after this same manner, and no otherwise, He uses to call that a reward which He gives us freely, to the ende He may encourage us with the greater pleasure to do His will.
Now let us come to the obedience to this commandment of the Lord. As soon as Peter hears the Lord bidding them bring of the fishes which they had caught, incontinent he stepped forth, and drew the net to land, full of great fishes, an hundredth, fifth • e and three. He is very ready to obey. Before, when first he understood that it was the LORDE, he was carried with such a fervent zeal to meet with the LORDE, that he left the net, fishes, and all behind him. Now when he hears the LORD commanding to bring the fishes, there is none of them so bent and ready to obey. Which lets us see, that when PETER left all, and cast himself into the Sea, to meet the LORDE, he despised not, neither misregarded the benefit of the fishes, which the LORDE gave the DISCIPLES. So learn in this example of PETER what is the disposition and behavior of a sanctified and holy person: for a season he will be ravished and (as it were) transported, above all the pleasures and outward comforts of the world: and he will be so set upon the meditation and thinking of those things which are spiritual, and to enjoye the presence of the LORD, that scarcelie will he once so much as have any thought of them, because he countes himself to be a Citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven. Again, when he knows that it is the Lord's will, that he should be exercised the time of his pilgrimage here in some earthly calling, he is content to return back again, and to put his hand to work, exercising him in his own calling, yet in the mean time, when his hand is working, his heart is in Heaven where his treasure is, when he is exercised in his calling, his conversation is above: and as Paul speaks of him: He uses the world, as though he used it not, 1. Cor. 7.31. That is, When he is exercised in worldly things, he hath not his heart fixed on the world: for that is the right using of the world: for that man that hath his heart fixed on the world, when he is occupied in a worldly calling, he abuses the world. If ever in all thine actions thine heart be glued to the world, and thine affections teddered to the earth, if thou have no pleasure to think of Heaven and heavenly things, thou mayest take that for a sure token, that as yet thou art not called to the participation of grace.
Now, when Peter draws the net with an hundredth, fifty and three great fishes in it, the Evangelist marks, that Albeit they were so many, yet was not the net broken. No question, as the taking of so many fishes, the hot coals, & fish laid thereon, with bread, was effectuate, as ye heard by the secret, extraordinary & miraculous providence of God, so was this also: and all was to this end, that the Disciples might see, that the Godhead dwelt in Him bodily, and that the Godhead, which before the Passion, was obscured, and kept the self close, did now utter the self gloriously. When Peter hath drawn the net with the fish, to the land, The Lord said unto them, Come and dine. In the former doings, ye have heard, He uttered His Godhead, now here by His familiar and accustomed form of doing, He makes it manifest, that He was man also. Ye have heard before, that by the actions of eating and drinking, He proved, that He was not a Spirit, but a man, Luke 24.39. And as He is careful to inform their minds, and by these actions to persuade them, that He is both God and man: so likewise He hath a care of their bodies, and of the sustentation of this temporal life. He knew that by their long & painful travel, they were both wearied and hungry, and had great need of refreshment, the Lord had a care of this, and He feeds them as it were with His own hand: so that at one time, both their souls and their bodies are fed by Him: and this should be thy care, that when thou findest that the Lord feeds thy body, and hath a care of this temporal life, that thou also strive to find, that the Lord feeds thy soul, & hath a care to bring thee unto eternal life. And, indeed, if thou receivest these temporal benefits which serve for the sustentation of thy body with thanksgiving and prayer, thou wilt find, that when the Lord feeds thy body, He feeds also thy soul.
Now, the Evangelist marks by the way, interrupting the History, That none of the Disciples durst ask Him, Who art thou, seeing they knew that H • e was the Lord. No question, the Evangelists sets down these words, partly to let us see, what great reverence they carried to the Lord, while they sat at table with Him, and partly, to let us see, how full and sure persuasion they had, that it was the Lord, for he tells the cause, why they durst not ask Him, who He was, because They knew that He was the Lord, and it had been too great boldness and impudency in them, to have asked that at the Lord which they knew well enough, and the Lord had revealed Himself to them sufficiently before, and now also. By this behavior of the Disciples, we may mark what is the nature of Faith, and the force and effect of it in the regenerate man: it is not irreverent, but thinks reverently of the Lord, whom it apprehends: it is not impudent and shameless, but humble and shamefast: it is not immoderate, it passes not measure, but it is moderate, and contains the self within bounds and measure: that is, it is not evermore curiously seeking many and new revelations, but it is content with that measure, that the Lord hath revealed: By the contrary, look to the nature of infidelity: it is ever irreverent toward GOD, impudent and immoderate: it is never content with that measure of revelations, which the Lord hath given, but it is ever curiously out of measure, seeking new revelations: and what if it were for any good end, what if it were, to learn and grow better, then it were somewhat more excusable, but it is all to this ende, that either it may tempt the Majesty of God, or else to satisfy the immoderate and insatiable curiosity: we may see the example of these fruits of infidelity in sundry persons: as in the Jews, who as David says, oft times tempted the Lord in the Wilderness by their infidelity, but chiefly in the Scribes and Pharisees, they ever tempted the LORD: for albeit both by His Word and doctrine, and also by His divine works and miracles, He had sufficiently revealed Himself unto them, and albeit also, they had been convicted in their conscience, that He was the Messias, yet notwithstanding of all this, they continue still in tempting of Him, and they say, Master, we desire to see a sign of thee, Matth. Chapter 12. verse 38. But the LORD answered them, An evil and adulierous generation seeks a sign, but no sign shall be given to it, but the sign of the Prophet Jonah. The Papists this day, are very like the Scribes and Pharisees, they cannot be content with that measure of revelation which the LORD hath given us in the Scriptures, and namely, in the Newe Testament, wherein the Mystery of CHRIST, and the doctrine of Salvation is fully and clearly set down (a clearer revelation than is there set down shall we never find, until the LORD come in the clouds, to judge the world) they cannot be content with all the Miracles, which we read wrought in the Olde and Newe Testaments, by the Prophets, by the Lord Himself and the Apostles, but they are ever seeking for new and extraordinary revelations, they are seeking unwritten verities (which may be cal • ed vanities, they are ever seeking new miracles and such other toys and dreams, they can never be content: But we may answer them, as the LORD answered the Pharisees : They shall get no moe signs nor revelations than they have gotten, already: they are too bold and impudent, after that the LORD hath sufficiently revealed Himself, to s • eke for new revelations. This their doing testifies sufficiently, that they have no Faith: for faith is reverent▪ shamefast and moderate, keeping the self within the bounds of God's revealed will: but by the contrary, it bears witness of their infidelity: for this impudency and immoderate seeking of new miracles and revelations are fruits of infidelity.
But a question may be moved upon these words: When he says: And none of the Disciples durst ask Him, Who art thou, seeing they knew that He was the LORD. Is it unlawful for us to seek increase and growth of knowledge? Yea, are we not commanded to seek it daily? Says not the LORD, Seek, and ye shall find: ask, and it shall be given you: knock, and it shall be opened unto you? Luke Chapter 11. verse 9. Yea, is it not said, The violent take the Kingdom of Heaven by force, Matth. Chap. 11. verse. 12. And doth not the Lord recommend importunity and earnestness in craving, by the Parable of the widow, who importunated the unrighteous Judge? To this I answer: It is lawful, indeed, to seek continually the increase and growth of knowledge, as well as of all other spiritual graces: yea, it is a thing that the Lord recommends unto us & commands. But of what knowledge should we seek the increase? Only the knowledge of these things that are revealed and set down in the Olde and New Testament: it is the Lord's will, that we ever grow in knowledge of these things, and that we go from knowledge to knowledge. But this increase of knowledge is far different from curiosity in seeking new revelations, besides the things that are revealed in the writes of the Prophets and the Apostles. The Lord likes well growth of knowledge, but He mislikes curiosity: yea, I say to thee, if thou seekest a clearer and more ample revelation, than that which is already set down in the Olde and New Testament, thou offendest highly the Majesty of God: for by so doing thou deniest that Christ when He came into the world, brought with Him a full and perfect revelation of all things necessary. Read what the Apostle Paul says, Rom. 10.6.
Now, to end shortly: In the last words of our Text, we have set down the Conclusion of this appearing of Christ, whereof we have spoken, wherein he tells, that it was the third in number: for he says, This now is the third time, that Jesus shown Himself unto His Disciples, after He was raised again from the dead. I think he calls it the third in number, not absolutely, but in respect of the Disciples, and so the words import: for it is said, This is the third time that He shown Himself unto His Disciples: for if we number precisely the particular appearing of Christ after His Resurrection unto this time, whereof we have any mention made in the Scripture, we will find that this is the eight in number, He shown Himself first to Marie Magdalene : Next, to other certain women: Thirdly, to the two Apostles, who were going to Emmaus : Fourthly, to Simon Peter : Fifthly, to lames, as we may read, 1. Cor. 15.6. Sixthly, to the Disciples assembled together in Jerusalem, Thomas only being absent: Seventhly, to the same Disciples assembled together, Thomas being present with them: Eighthly, He appeared unto these s • uen, at this time when they were fishing. Now it was not without cause, that the Lord revealed Himself so oft after He rose again. No question He did it not only to confirm the Disciples of the truth of His Resurrection, but also for our cause, that we might have steadfast faith, and full assurance, that He is risen again for our comfort, And it is the Lord's will, that when we read, that there were so many that saw Him with their eyes, heard Him, spake with Him, handled Him, and haunted with Him, we should be fully persuaded and assured of His Resurrection. But I will not insist in this matter, because I have spoken of it already. Now seeing the Lord has had such a great care of our faith, that by believing we might have comfort, seeing so oft times, and to so many He appeared, the LORD make these means effectual, to work and to increase faith in us, that both in our life, and especially in the hour of death, we may have matter of rejoicing in Him: To whom, with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, be all praise and honor, AMEN.
THE L. LECTURE, OF THE RESVRRECTION OF CHRIST.
IHON, CHAP. XXI.
[verse 15] So when they had dined, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon the son of Jonah, lovest thou me more than these? He said unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He said unto him, Feede my lambes.
[verse 16] He said to him again the second time, Simon the son of Jonah, lovest thou me? He said unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He said unto him, Feede my sheep.
[verse 17] He said unto him the third time, Simon the son of Jonah, lovest thou me? Peter was sorry because he said to him the third time, Louest thou me? and said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things: thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus said to him, Feede my sheep.
W EE have heard these days past (Beloved in the Lord Jesus) of the third general appearance of the Lord Jesus after His glorious Resurrection. The place we heard was by the Sea of Tiberias. The persons to whom He appeared we heard were seven in number. The manner how He appeared, was by miracle by wonderful working. He shows a miracle in the Sea, by taking of many great fishes there: Then by land, by the extraordinary preparation of meat & fire to His disciples, coming off the sea to the land. To this He joined y e third miracle, in keeping whole the net, so that there was not a thread broken, notwithstanding of the great number of fishes taken therein. Thereafter as He manifested Himself in His Godhead & divine power in working of miracles; so He comes on more familiarly, & manifestes Himself in His human nature, & lets thē see, y t He was a mā, & ate & drunk with thē, as other men: therefore He sits down, & dines with them, He eats Himself, & gives them to eat also: Then having dined, He enters in conference with Peter: which conference we have to entreat of this day, as God will give us grace. The end of His conference with Peter was not to make him an Uniuersall Bishop, His Vicar here on y e earth, as the Papists speak: that is to say, To make up a Popedom : for the Papists make these words relative to that promise, which they say He made to Peter before. Matth. 16.18. I say unto thee, Thou art Peter, & upon this Rock I will build my Church. That was not the end: but y e end of it was to restore him again to his own rowm of th'Apostleship, from the which he fell: for Peter had made a foul defection frō his Lord, he denied Him thrice, & so by this defection & threefold denial, he deprived himself of his rowm of th'Apostleship, whereunto he was called. Look how verily Judas fell by his traitorie, as verily did Peter fall: for he that denies the Lord Jesus, unto the time he be restored again, he cannot be a Christian man (let be an Apostle or Minister.) So in a word, the ende of this conference was to restore Peter again, by taking out of his own mouth a threefold confession of his love to the Lord & of the hatred of that foul sin which he committed, by denying of the Lord. Indeed it is true, at Christ's first meeting with His disciples at Hierusalē in a manner he was restored, because he got a d • rection with the rest, to go forth & preach the Gospel, where Christ says, As my Father sends me, so send J you, Joh. 20.31. Yet because this was general, therefore now to take all grudges and doubts out of the heart of Peter, & the rest of the Apostles, he has a particular dealing with him here in this place: & this he does in presence of so many disciples, for the greater confi • mation of his restoring: and herein the Lord vrges him thrice, that He might draw out of him a threefold confession, answerable to his thr • efold denial. It may be likewise, that in this conference the Lord had a great respect to recommend the ca • e of His Church, which He was to leave behind Him, to Peter, & to the rest of the Apostles: for in the person of Peter, He speaks to all the rest. Upon this conference mark this generally: First, that the Lord will not refuse repentance and pardon to him who has denied Him, if his denial come of infirmity: Next, That it is the Lord only, who provokes and allures a man to repentance, and who prevents him if he be careless of his sin. We saw before, that the Lord looked upon Peter, after he had denied Him in the Hall of Caiaphas & made him to weep. Now He accomplishes & brings to perfection y t work which He began, & He vrges a threefold confession. But to come to y e matter: The Lord begins to commune with him, & these are the words, Simon, the son of Jonah, lovest thou me better than these ? (pointing out the rest of th'apostles) that is, more than the rest loves me? This the Lord demands of Peter, not that He was ignorant of the love of Peter toward Him: for Peter testifies this in his answer, when he says to the Lord, Thou knowest that I love thee. The Lord knew th'inward affection of Peter, as well as himself did: So as for Himself He ned not this confession, nor to speak one word, for He knew his heart: yet He vrges the confession of the mouth, that that love which he ba • e in his heart, he should profess with his mouth: wherefore, in demanding, He calls first of all, Peter to remembrance of his bragging, that he used a little before His Passion, when Pe • er stood up & said, Though all should be offended by thee, yet will I never be offended. Matth. 26.33. As though he should say, Though all should leave thee, I shall not leave thee, I shall be ready to go to prison, and to death, with thee. Therefore the Lord says, Louest thou me more than these ? Thē with this he calls to remembrance that foul defection, for all his craking: as if He would say, For all thy boasting, PETER, remember thee of thy deni • ll. So in one word, He pricks his conscience, He rebuk • s him both for his arrogant vanting & also for his foul defectiō. This He does in effect: but if ye mark y e words, ye shall see y e pricking of him to be joined w t such sweetness in speaking, as is wonderful, to be so seasoned w t love as is marvelous: for He says in effect as much as this, Howbeit Peter thou hast fallen in thy bragging & vanting, and also hast made foul defection from me: yet if thou repent thee, and turn to me, and if thou love me, there is place of pardon & forgiveness. So ye see two contrary things joined together, asperitie and lenity, sourenesse and sweetness, rebuke and consolation, casting down and raising up, wounding and healing in one sentence. The Lord in one sentence, in one demand, at one time, yea, at a point of time, He could wound a man, and heal him. Some might think, seeing that this was the first conference that Christ had with Peter after his denial, and that there should have been another kind of meeting, and more sharp beginning with a run-a-gate, who had denied his Master thrice: ye may think He should have upbraided him, and said, Run-a-gate, why deniedst thou me so mischieuouslie? Why against thy conscience sinnedst thou so heinously? But He says not so: but these are all the words, Simon the son of Jonah, lovest thou me. The Lord was not a flyter, a chyder, an upbraider, a crier, &c. Therefore it was prophesied of him, My servant shall not cry, nor make his voice to be heard in the street, nor quench the smoking flax, nor break the bruised reed, Isaiah. 42.2. Matth. 12.19.20. The ground was, That exceeding love to Simon Peter, the passing love to sinners, especially, to the secret ones, whom He had chosen: that love hid all their sins, as Peter speaks, in his first Epist. and 4. chap. So that if He spake an angry word to any, His anger was so tempered with love, that scarcely did it appear. So learn this lesson: Rebukers should be lovers: if thou rebuke a man, love him, otherwise speak not to him, but close thy mouth: for if thou season not thy rebuke with love, then that which should have been a medicine, will be turned into poison. They that should be instructors and admonishers, should be lovers. Wherefore, whatsoever thou doest, do it in lenity & meekness, and not in bitterness. A bitter teacher is not worth a penny. And this is it that Paul requires, 2. Timoth. 2.24. where he says, The servant of the Lord must not strive, but must be gentle towards all men. All should be in lenity, teaching in lenity, admonitiō in lenity. Wherefore? Because if lenity be lacking, there will be no edificatiō, no comforting, no instruction If that which thou speakest be smoothed over, and mixed with a gall of bitterness, it will poison the man: Therefore, whatsoever thou be, whether Minister or other, look that thou hast love, and it will make thee to discharge all the pointes of thy duty with lenity. Now the Lord is not contented to demand this once only, Simon, the son of Jonah, lovest thou me : but once, twice, thrice. What needed this, ye will ask? was it not sufficient to ask this once? What behooved this doubling & trepling? Brethren, this was not only y t he might make a threefold confession answerable to his threefold denial, that so he might be restored: but also because his threefold denial procured that he should not be so soon and easily credited: They that have made a foul defection, as Peter did, certainly they would be tried, ere they be trusted. And Christ this day would learn us, that Apostates would be well tried, and their hearts would be sounded, and ripped up from the ground. A slender answer should not content us: we may not settle upon the swarfe of the heart, but the heart must be pricked with many interrogations, it must be lanced deeply, that if there be a spunke of sincerity & love, it may be raised up, & appear: for ye will not think what deepness of deceitfulness lies in the heart of man, as Ierem. 17.9. says, The heart is deceitful & wicked above all things, who can know it? It is hard to thee to get thine own heart soūded & tried: go thy way, & assay it, & thou shalt find it to be true, thou shalt be beguiled with it, as well as another. And as for the sincerity of the heart, it is not in the utmost swarfe, but it is down low in the ground. Therefore thine heart must be touched, pricked, and lanced: partly by thyself, and partly by others, till that pure fountain of sincerity and love break forth and appear. There is the special cause of this doubling. All this serves for the weal of PETER, howbeit he took evil with it for every demand was a confirmation of PETER, in that grace of Apostleship. Now to come to PETERS answer: Peter said unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. Behold the meeting, Christ says, Louest thou me? He answers, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. There is a sweet meeting. When the Lord requires love of thee, then meet thou Him with love. This answer imports, y t His demand has been very loving, uttered with a sweet voice and behavior, and that He said as much as this, I love thee Peter, lovest thou me? So in this demand He has touched the heart of PETER with the sense of that love which He bore to PETER. Now this sense opened the heart of PETER to love the Lord again. 1. John. 4.4. There will never man love the Lord first. It will pass thy power to love Him first: therefore of need force the love of Christ behooved to be shed abroad in the heart of PETER, and he behooved to be touched with the love of the Lord, before he could answer, Lord, I love thee. Therefore, if the Lord say unto thee Louest thou me? Saye, Lord, love me, that I may love thee. And if ever thou wouldest discharge a duty in this l • fe, strive ever to find that Jesus loves thee, for else all His commandments will be for nothing. But mark the words: P • t • r swould seem not to answer the Lord as He propones: the Lord propones by way of comparison, Louest thou me bett • r than th • se? Peter answers simply, Lord, I love thee : He says not, better than these. I see here a piece of modesty, more than he had before: for before he fell, he was over lofty and jollie, and thought little of the • est: But now I see after his fall, he will not compare with the rest, but simply he says, Lord, I love thee.
Brethren, I see, that although his fall was evil, yet it has done him good: it has tamed him: he was over arrogant before. The defection of the godly is very evil: yet this is a sure thing, that the fallings and the sins, yea, the foulest defections of the godly do ever better them, and work always to their good. A wonderful thing: The Lord, who brings light out of darkness, makes the defection of His own to turn to their weal. Has he been a proud man, an ignorant man, &c. the Lord will give him a fall, He will cast him down upon his back, and with that He will tame him, & make him to stink in his own nostrils, as He did to Peter : for now when he is fallen, & sees his own weakness, he speaks soberly, & makes no matching with the rest▪ Lord, if th'Elect be much behold̄ to God, for He makes all things to further them for their saluatiō. So in a word, No evil can come to the godly man. Yet the words would be considered: he says not simply, I love thee : but, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee : he takes the Lord to be witness to his confession: as if he would say, It stands not in my words, but Lord, thou knowest, that I love thee. And so here he both acknowledges Jesus to be God, (for He is only judge to the heart) & also approves the sincerity of his love to Him: for God is said to be witness not so much to the confession of the mouth, as to the sincerity of the heart. If thou lovest the Lord, call Him to be witness of thy love: and therefore beware of your confession of faith and love to the Lord: look y t it be with sincerity of the heart & not from the teeth forward & neb of the tongue only: but look y t it rise from the love which is rooted in the heart, for the Lord is witness and judge of the heart, He will pass from thy words, and will look in with a piercing eye into thine heart, & rip it open, to see if there be any sincerity of love there. So look ever to y e heart, whē thou takest the Lord to be witness to thee. Men commonly take no heed to this, they say, The Lord knows, when they will speak falsely. Ye shall find this commonly, that he who is the greatest swearer & falsest man, is ever readiest to take God to be his witness: but when he speaks so, what is he doing? evē craving that God would send a vengeance & judgment on him. Yet to weigh the words more narrowly: he says not simply, Thou knowest : but whē he professes his love to Him, he gives Him a reverend style again, & calls Him, Lord. No, the Apostles carried to their Lord a wonderful reverence. This learns thee, when thou makest a confession, a professiō, a protestatiō, wherein thou namest y e Lord as it should be in modesty & sincerity of heart; so should it be in fear & reverence. That God who is full of glory & majesty, should never be named, but with honor & reverence, when thou speakest to Him, speak in reverence: yea, think never of Him, but with reverence. Well, these speeches & protestations of men, wherein they name the majesty of God, y t are so vnreuerend, rash, & insolent, testifies & sais plainly, That in their hearts there is no reverence to God: yea, they utter, y t in their hearts they have said, There is not a God in heavē. But, O miserable catiue, thou shalt find y t there is a God one day to thy everlasting damnation, I give thee no less doom. Cōsider further: when Peter answers y e Lord the third time, it is said by John, y t Peter was sad in heart, & gives a sad & sorrowful cōfessiō, because he thought the Lord, by so many interrogatiōs, credited him not, but d • strusted him. Thē learn hereby what should be y e properties of a true cōfessiō: as cōfessiō should be in modesty, sincerity & reverence; so it should be in sadness: y e cōfessiō of a sinner must be in grief & sadness: there is no question, but in his confession he saw matter of sadness, & saw y e Lord by His urging of him so many times would have him to be sad. This he perceives, & therefore he is sad, whē he confesses. So the cōfessiō of a sinner must be with sadness of heart. Wilt thou come to the Lord with a wanton confession, after thine accustomed mirrinesse? No, no, for the Lord by pricking of Peter so oft, declares y t He has no pleasure in a confession, except it be in sadness. Therefore, when thou confessest, say, Alas Lord, th • t I cannot love thee so well as I should do, & would do. Well▪ if the Lord seek a confession of thee, He will prick thee, till He get a sad confession of thee. Now it may be asked, What ned this confession once, twice, thrice to be repeated? What needed Peter thrice to say, I love thee? I answer: what needed P • ter to deny Him thrice? Now certainly, that threefold denial requires this threefold confession: if he had denied Him but once, it might have been, He would have asked but once: if thou goest down to Hell by degrees, wilt thou leap up to Heaven without any degrees at an instant? No, no, look by how many degrees thou hast gone down from God, toward Hell, by as many degrees must thou approach to Him again: for when thou hast committed a great sin, thou canst not repent enough for it: albeit thou shouldest weep and mourn many days and years, all is too little. Many a time must thou confess thy sin, which if thou doest, thou shalt both thereby glorify God▪ and also obtain a fuller assurance of the remission of thy sins: for the more thou repentest, & the more thou cōfessest thy sins, thou wilt get the fuller persuasion & greater assurance that thy sins are forgiven thee.
Now I go forward: The Lord meets Peter again, when he hath professed that he loved Him, He says, F • ede my Lambes : & again, Feede my sheep & the third time, Feed my sheep. Peter, seeing thou hast confessed, that thou lovest me, here I absolute thee: the Lord says in effect, I restore thee to thine office again, be thou an Apostle, be thou a feeder of my sheep, be a Pastor to me, this is the principal purpose: so that y e love of Jesus restores a sinner: it is this love that restores thee to the room thou hast been in. But I insist not here: in this answer to Peter, ye see, how the Lord will have thy faith & thy love to be manifested: No, y e confession of faith & of love must be manifested in actiō, according to the calling the Lord hath placed everyone into: hath the Lord called thee to be a king, He will say unto thee, feed my people, as thou wouldest love me, & the Lord grant, y e Kings may take heed to this, & especially, our King, y t as he professes a love to Christ, so he would feed His people: the Lord give him this consideration: art thou a Minister, & sayest, thou lovest the Lord: well, the Lord will say to thee again, feed my lambes, I need none of thy feeding, thy love and well doing cannot extend the self to me, but do good to others who carry my Image for my cause. A profane mā or womā w t a shameless face will say▪ I love God: the greatest knave of them all will say so: but if it manifest not in an actiō, thou art but a liar, thou lovest Him not: faith & love must ever utter thenselves in good actions: hast y u got̄ a heart, hands & feet do some good, otherwise if y u dost never a good deed, thy profession of faith & love is but vain. Look 1. John. 2.4. He that says, I know God, & keeps not His commandments, he is a liar, & the truth is not in him. If a mā says, I love God, & hates his neighbor, he is a liar, so y t he shall be punished, not only because he did no good, but because he was a liar: there are many lying Protestants in this Land: they will protest they love God: but when it comes to the trial, the world sees, y t they have only a show of religiō, & not y e power thereof: there is anot • er thing here yet to be marked: until Peter had professed he loved Christ, He bids him not feed His lambs: but look how the one follows the other: therefore it must follow, y t feeding of the lambes of the Lord, must come of the love of y e Lord. If Peter had said, I love thee not, Christ could not thē have said to him, feed my lambes: thē the lessō is clear: a mā cannot be a Pastor, a feeder of the sheep of Christ, except he love Christ: No, there is none in any calling, y t can do any good deed, except y e wellspring of love be in his heart, if y t be not, he shall never do any good deed, all shall be sin: thou mayest well flatter thy s • lfe, & others may flatter thee, & say all is well: but if love be not, how fair & glansing so ever thy work be, God coūnts not of it. No King in his calling shall ever do a good deed, except he do it for love he bears to y e Lord: therefore, seeing a Pastor should learn all other folk to do their duty: yea, y e King himself, how much more is that love required to be in him, if he would do rightly, sincerely, & earnestly: as for his feeding, it is more poisoning than f • eding, if he have not love to Christ: the Pastor is not worth a penny, y t strives not to get a sense of y t love of Christ in his heart. The • e are so many difficulties & impediments cast in to a Pastor whē he is about to discharge his duty, which he can never be able to overcome, except he both love y e Lord, & be sensible of the Lord's love towards him: the life of a Pastor is a thorny l • fe, and the more faithful y e man be▪ y e moe vexations & troubles will he vnderly: what is his life, but a continual t • ouble? with whō hath he to do? with a flock: for a Pastor & a flock are relative: & what a flock? some are so dull, that teach he never so much & careful • y, they remain rude and incapable (many of this town are guilty of this) and if there be any capable, they are so vain, so wanton, & light headed▪ y t they vanish away in their own cogitatiōs: & again, some are so infirm, y t everything almost is a stumbling block, suppose y t mē give no offense, yet will they take offense: some so malicious & endured, that the more the Pastor cry, the more endure they their hearts, and rejects all wholesome admonition: some will be sitting up before the Pastor, and mocking him when he is preaching, and when the Pastor hath done all the pointes of his calling faithfully, he needs not to look for anything, but unthankful meeting in the end: No, the more faithful a man be in his calling, the moe temptations shall he be subject to, to make him the more weak and feeble. If ye would have the proof of this: look 1. Cor. 4.9. What are we, says Paul, God hath set us up to be a mocking stock, a • azing to the world, to the Angels, and to men : what are we? the ofscouring of the world, that is sweeped out, to be cast to the back-side. Then what held him up? and what held up Peter? and the rest of the Apostles and Martyrs? What? but the love of Jesus: if they had not loved Jesus, and that exceedingly, they would soon have fainted (we want the tenth part of that love to Jesus that they had, alas, all is vanished away.) Would Peter or Paul, or any of them have borne out these things, if they had wanted the love of Christ, if it had not constrained them No, 2 Cor. 5 14. he says, We are fools, but for Christ's sake: for that love of Christ constraineth me : that is, the love of Jesus occcupies so all my senses, that it bears me out: thereafter he resolves that love which he carried to Christ, into the own cause, where he subjoins: B • cause we know, that if • ne be dead for all, then were we all dead : the ground of His love was: because Christ loved him: and this love is the cause, that makes His own to do all, to suffer all for Christ's sake, to live to Him, to die to Him: look if thou findest, that Christ loves thee, & then thou wilt love Him: so that thou wilt not refuse, if it were a thousand deaths for His cause. O the love of Christ is a great gulf! No, it will drown greater persecutions, than the Sea will: Pray therefore that the love of the Lord Jesus may be in thine heart, that thou mayest love Him again. Now again, if the faithful discha • ge of the duty of a Pastor must proceed of necessity from the love of Christ, as the effect frō the cause. Then mark, how ye shall know, whether a man love Christ or not: a King▪ a Minister, every Professor whosoever. Would ye have a token? look if he be faithful in his calling: if this be a necess • ry effect, then mark their works: by their works thou shalt know them: the love cannot be seen with the eye, it is uttered by a mark by the life, whē thou seest a man well occupied in his own calling: the King ministering Justice, the Pastor feeding his people, certainly, thou mayest say, Yone man loves Christ, but if the action be inlacking▪ what warrand have I, that a man loves God, I have none. The Apostle Paul, by the confusions and perturbations which he saw to be in the Church of Corinthus, gathers, that the false teachers, these deceivers love not y e Lord Jesus: & therefore he denounces a judgment against them, saying, If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be had in execratiō yea, excommunicated to death, 1. Cor. 16.22. I say, an unfaithful Pastor, who feeds his own b • lly, & not Christ's sheep, is accu • sed, not only because he spoils y e Church of Christ, but also▪ because he loves not y e Lord Jesus Woe shall be to him one day: & by y e contrary: a faithful Pastor, ô what honor & glory shall he be exalted unto! Yet again, these words would be considered: the word of feeding would be looked to: it is a borrowed word: to speak properly, a Minister feeds not: it is an Heard, that feeds neat and sheep: the Scripture applies not this word only to Ministers, but to Kings: for look how busy as an Heard is going about feeding his flock, as busy should a King be in his calling: a King is but an Heard set over to feed y e people of God: but the Scripture commonly in the New Testament applies it to Ministers, because in a Minister there should be as great diligence, painfulnes & carefulness toward y e people, as in y e Heard toward y e flock: & if there were no more to teach this, this threefold & so earnest commendation to Peter & the rest were sufficient. It is true, that y e Lord Jesus Himself is the Prince of y e Pastors: yea, properly He is only Pastor, He is the Heard: & therefore He clam • s this style to Him, Job. 10 1. For why? the flock is His, & not y e Ministers: therefore He says, Feed my lambes, then ye are his flock, & He is your Pastor properly. Again, it is His food, that y e flock is fed with: all y e store of y e fodder of grace is out of His barn. If a Minister minister to you y e smallest portion of food which is not taken out of y e barneyard of Jesus, it is poison he gives you. Knaues have deceived y e world long: the Pope & his shavelings have propined poison to y e people, & have made many thousands go to Hell: give Christ's flock Christ's food. But notwithstanding that Christ properly is y e only true Pastor, yet lovingly he cōmuninicates this His style to them whō He employs in His service of y e Ministry. Thou y t art a Minister, He calls thee a Pastor: but thou art but as a servant laid under y e chief sheph • ard: they are not Lord's of y e flock: No, not the best of them: No, not Lord's, but dispensators: so they are not prope • lie Pastors. Seeing then, such is the mercy of the Lord, that He so honors them, that He cōmunicates His style to y e Ministers: therefore they should strive to show thenselves worthy of that style, by y e faithful discharge of their calling, in feeding of y e flock. But who are they that should be fed? Christ says first, Feed my lambes: & then He says twice, Feed my sheep: all is one, for y e Church is compared to a fold full of sheep. He says not, Go feed tygres, lions, wolves, but lambes, sheep. Who are these then? By these lambes & sheep, the Lord understands His Chosen, (Blessed is he that is chosen in Christ, for great is the number of them that perishes, a very hādfull shall be saved) they must be more tame ones, silly simple ones, like sheep. Ye see y e sheep ever receiving hurt, & never noisesome nor hurtful to any other. Any beast will overcome a sheep, but it will overcome none: so it is silly simple ones y t are Christ's sheep. Now I mean not, y t all th'Elect are at y e first hand as silly as sheep: no, but y t they who were before like wolves, lions, tygres; by y e Spirit, through the preaching of y e word, by process of time, are tamed, and made like sheep. No, no, whē Peter went out to feed thē, they were like tygres, raging in their lusts. No, the chosen by nature, before they be tamed & called, they are nothing different frō y e reprobate: they rampe and roar like liōs, albeit in y e secret counsel of God, & His decree of predestinatiō, & by His grace, there be a great difference betwixt y e one & y e other: for God only makes a difference betwixt His El • ct, & the reprobate. What was Paul himself, or any other, before they were called, but wolves & tygres ? Thē y e Pastor, albeit he find men as wolves & tygers, yet he should not stay frō feeding of thē: no, he must preach y e Gospel, y t thereby he may make of wolves & tygres, lambes and sheep : for many of them that were like tygres, after they had once heard the voice of the Apostles, became simple as sheep. Now it may be asked here, Seeing the Lord recommends unto Peter only His chosen to be fed & instructed by him, should the Apostles have care of any other, to feed and instruct, except of th'Elect only? Let it be that these Elect at the first hand be like wolves and tygers ; yet the care of them only in this place is recommended unto Peter, and the rest, by the Lord. I answer, Albeit the Lord recommende chiefly the care of th'Elect, yet He excludes not the reprobate: for it is the Lord's will, that food should be offered to them also: for the Pastor cannot know who are Elect or Reprobate: & therefore, it is his duty to compt all to be elected, & to feed all: he must not be rash in judgment. No man should be so bold, as to presume to give out sentence, who are chosen, or who are reprobate: for the LORD knoweth who are His, 2. Timoth. 2.19. Therefore, let him stay, until the Lord discern who are elect: let the Pastor count all to be Lambes, and endeauoure to feed all, yet his labors shall only be fruitful in the Elect: for there is never one that is not chosen, that shall be tamed by the word: all the preachings in the world will not tame a reprobate, but he shall ever be a Wolf: indeed, a reprobate may for a season take on a sheep skin: that is, he may play the hyprocrite, and may seem outwardly to some to be godly, but truly and in effect, he will never have true Faith nor godliness. Now last, this would not be passed by, that the Lord bids Peter feed His, not another man's sheep, but His own sheep: that is, them whom He hath redeemed and ransomed with His own blood. This word contains an argument, wherefore the sheep should be fed: to wit, because they are the Lord's, ransomed with His own blood. And more than that, this word admonishes the Pastor, that he count not the slocke to be his own, but the Lord's, and that he feed it not to himself, to use the slocke for his own gain and advantage. John the Baptist says, He that hath the bride, is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom reioyces greatly, because of the bridegroom’s voice, John. 3.29. By these words John signifies, that he wooed not the Church to himself, but to the Lord, who is the bridegroom: And Paul says to the Co • inthians, I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have prepared you for one husband, to present you, as a pure virgins to Christ, 2. Cor. 11.2. For it is the most abhominable and detestable sacrilege that can be, to spoil Christ the bridegroom of the Church His bride, & to take from Him His flock, which He hath redeemed with such a precious and glorious ransom, even the blood of God, Acts 20.28. Seeing then, that the Lord hath committed to Pastors the Church, which is His own Spouse, and His Flock, which He hath redeemed with no less price, than His own blood, the LORD give Pastors grace to be careful in feeding of them, with that food of life, furnished unto them by the LORD Ies • s: To whom with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, be all praise, and honor, forever.
THE LI. LECTURE, OF THE RESVRRECTION OF CHRIST.
JOHN, CHAP. XXI.
[verse 18] Verily, verily I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkest whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch out thine hands, and another shall gird thee, and lead thee whither thou wouldest not.
[verse 19] And this spake He, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when He had said thus, He said to him, Follow Me.
T HE last day (beloved Brethren) we heard, how the Lord in this third appearing, unto His Disciples after His Resurrection, when He dined with them, fed them, and giving them meat out of His own hand, he entered in conference with Peter : especially, the ende of the conference He had with Peter, was to restore Peter to that dignity of the Apostleship, from which h • e had fallen, and whereof he had made himself unworthy through his apostasy and threefold denial of his Lord and Master, He asks him one thing thrice: Simon, the son of Jonah, lovest thou Me? Peter answers and gives a threefold confession: Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. The LORD answers again, and gives a threefold absolution, and pronounces the sentence of his restoring again three times: F •• de, then says the Lord, My Lambes, feed My sheep. This He does, to confirm him the better in his restoring: for when a man hath made a foul defection frō God, his heart is not easily persuaded of grace again, it will not be at one or two sentences, it will not be a promise at one time, that will give him an assurance of the favor of God again: therefore, to give Peter the greater assurance of grace, He triples over the sentence, and gives him three times that commission, to feed His lambes and sheep. The last day, Brethren, as the Lord gave the grace, we opened the meaning of these words, and last, of these words, My Lambes, my sheep : now only thus far I add for your consolation: ye see all this love that Peter confesses toward the Lord Himself, He turns it over upon His Lambes, His Sheep, and flock, in a word, upon His Church. Mark it: The Pastor or Minister will no sooner profess love to his Lord that placed him in that room, but as soon the Lord will send him to the flock & people: if thou love me, the Lord will say, love my people, the Lord will place His people in His own room: look what love any will bear to Him, He will have it declared and uttered to His Saints, & more, He does it three times: so oft as Peter professes love, so oft He sends him to y e people: look how oft the Pastor professes love to Christ, as oft He will send him to y e people: if he say, I love thee, then He will answer, feed my Lambes: if He will say a thousand times, He will answer, feed my flock, manifest it upon them that carry mine Image. This shows the wonderful love that God bears to His Elect: He will have all that duty that is due to Him, to be translated upon His Church: so that whosoever do not their duty to y e Church, I • ffirme & I say, profess as they will, they have no love to Christ, thou mayest stand up, and bable, & vaunt of thy love to Christ: but I say, there is no such love in thine heart, as thou professest with thy mouth. If thou s • yest, thou lovest God & doest not thy duty to man, thou art a liar, 1. Joh. 4.18.
To go forward to this Text: When He hath restored him to the office of Apostleship, which by his denial justly he had lost, He gives him the office with a knot, as we speak, & He forewarnes him in the entry, that he shall get no rest in it and when he hath done all, what shall be his reward in the world: He tells him, Thou shalt be girded with cords, instead of a girdle, and then thou shalt be led away, whither thou wouldest not: that is, to a violent death, whereby thou shalt seal up the Gospel that thou hast preached: then the Lord gives him, and he receives the office of Apostleship with this p • emonition▪ that in the end of it he shall die the death. The Lord fore • arnes him to this end, that he should be on his preparation, to mak • him ready to d • e, & to enarme him against the death: for death coming unawares is terrible, & will te • tifie y e proudest flesh that lives: 〈◊〉 this forewarning s • rues for y e enarming of him, forewarned, half armed, as the Proverb is: Preparation for death, meditation of that death, and of the life to come, is better and more steadable armor against death, than a jacke, or all the strengths and castles in the earth. It is a terrible thing when death lights upon a creature suddenly, it dammishes the creature.
But to the purpose: In the person of Peter, I perceive, That there is no man the Lord receives to be a Pastor, a feeder of His flock, or a Minister, but He takes him with this pr • monition: Make thee for death: that is a hard beginning: Prepare thee to shed thy blood for my sheep, and to seal that Gospel, which thou hast preached with thy blood: for why? a man that enters to feed the flock of the Lord, hath not ado with lambes only, silly and simple sheep, but he must fight with Wolves: as he must feed the lambes, so he must fight with Wolves, Tygres, Bears, &c. that would devour the Lambes? Yea, sometimes, it will fall out, that these whom they think to be Lambes, will manifest themselves to be Wolves: yea, beside this, it may be, that one of His own flock, shall stand up and devour him in the end: and beside this, what is the Devil ever doing with him? Is he not ever going about the Folde, like a roaring Lyon, with the mouth of him ever wide open, seeking to swallow and devour not only the flock, but also the Pastor? so that he should make him for death. It is true, Brethren, every Pastor in the ende dies not a violent death, all are not hanged? beheaded or burnt: Some, yea, many die their own natural death, and in peace: the Lord honors not every man with the gift of suffering for the Name of Christ? (it is an honor, get it who will) as He honored Peter, and He requires not, that every man seal this doctrine with his blood in the end: but yet it is the Lord's will, that never a man enter so soon to the Ministry, but as soon he make him for suffering, and that he preach so, that he be ready to seal up every preaching with his blood. Away with the man, who when he enters, thinks with himself, that he shall have ease, and a quiet and a pleasant life. It is true, again: the Lord will not speak now to every man face to face, forewarning him, and giving to him a revelation from Heaven now, as then He did to Peter, yet there is nothing more certain than this: it is His will, that every man be re •• ie every hour to seal up the Gospel with his blood, if it ple • se the Lord to call him. Paul (Acts 21.) when he was going • p to Jerusalem, he got a fore-warning, That he should be bound hand and foot, and so it fell out: but it was not fore-told him that he should die: yet he says, when the godly are standing, weeping & lamenting, seeking to dissuade him to go up, What do ye weeping & grieving mine heart? Why trouble ye me? I am ready, says he, not only to be bound, but I am prepared to die for the Name of the Lord Jesus. So howbeit he got not the warning, yet he had this resolution settled, to suffer. Now appertains this nothing to you, who are the people? I say to thee, Thou who wilt call thyself a Christian man, & who hast given up thy name to Jesus Christ, thou art as far indebted to seal up thy professiō with thy blood, if thou be charged, as the Pastor is; other ways I will not give thee a penny for thy profession: It had b • ene better thou had never taken that name, if thou be not ready to seal it up with thy blood. It is true, everyone is not in very deed marty • ed: but I say to thee, There is a necessity laid upon thee, that in some measure thou prepare thee to suffer the cross and death it self for Christ's sake, and so that thou be a Martyr in thine own mind and resolution: And albeit thou eschew death, yet of this be assured, That thou shalt bear the burden of affliction, either inwardly or outwardly: for whosoever would live godly in Christ Jesus, must suffer affliction. 2. Timoth. chap. 3. verse. 11. and Act. chap. 14. verse. 22. it is said, Thorowe many afflictions, we must enter into the kingdom of God. This necessity is laid vpō us. It is the duty (as we use to speak) of every Christiā man & woman, to suffer. Ther • fore Brethren, seeing this necessity is laid on us, That we must suffer some affliction, we should be prepared for it, yea, if it were to dy the death for the name of Jesus. Let everyone be preparing themselves, both Pastor and people: for it may be, that all estates be sooner put to try all than ye look for, and that the Lord say to the Pastor, Thou hast been preaching these many years, now seal it up w • th thy blo • de : And to the people, Ye have been prosissing long, now suffer for it. There is my counsel, Suppose thou shed not thy blood, yet look that in the resolution of thine heart thou be a Martyr, thou be headed, hanged, and that suffer all sort of torment that ever any suffered, and strive to get contentment to die at the pleasure of the Lord. He knows not what a Christian man means, who has not this resolution. A fool thinks that this hie calling is to get pleasure ease, & delicacy: No, no, as CHRIST went out of the ports of Jerusalem, bearing His own cross to the place of execution, so He calls thee to go forth with Him, out of this world, bearing His reproach, Hebr. 13.13. Otherwise look not to have participation of His glory. Yet let us mark the words more narrowly. Now certainly will ye look in to them, ye will see that Peters calling to th'Apostleship was wondrous strait. Peter might have thought, and said with himself, Seeing I am entering to be an apostle, I am entering to a glorious calling, I will get honor enough, I was before a poor Fisher, now I will get honor, ease, peace and rest. The Lord answers, No Peter, it shall not be so. And this He declares by comparing his condition to come in his age, with his by-past condition in his youth: As if He had said, The order of nature shall be inverted in thee, for when thou wast young, ere thou sawest me, thou gottest leave to girde thy girdle about thee, to dress thyself, and to walk where thou wouldest: That is, When thou wast most able and strong to bear the Cross, thou wast spared, and thou diddest all things pleasantly, & according to thy desire; & when thou addressed thyself to the journey, thou girded thyself as thou pleasedst. Here He alludes to y e oriental people, who used to wear long side clothes: & therefore whē they went to any journey, behooved to truss thē up, & to gird thē to thē. But after this it shall not be so: but whē thou shalt be old, & thorough age more unable to suffer affliction, and to bear y e cross, then thou shalt be afflicted another shall gird thee: That is, Bind thee w t cords: & as thou went before where thou would, so now thou shalt be led whither thou wouldest not. Now Peter might have said, Suppose I sustain trouble in my age, yet thou wilt give me a peaceable death in y e end. (There is no mā almost, whē he has spent his time in y e cōmō weal, but in his age he will get leave to be at rest, & to dy peaceably) No, says y e Lord, when thou art an old man, thou shalt be hurried out, & die a violent death. And it would seem, y t Christ dissuaded Peter to be an Apostle, & to enter into such a hard calling, where in his old age, which requires to be freed frō travel, & trouble, should be most afflicted, whereas in his youth he was freed frō afflictiō. There is an hard meeting, & calling of Peter to be an Apostle. I think many now would run aback frō the ministry, if they wist of so hard a meeting. Well, the day of trial is coming. Mark y e lessō. Whē the Lord calls a Pastor, He will tell him y e worst of it: He uses no flattery in His calling: In y e first entry He will lay before thee great crosses & terrors: It may be thou get ease, rest & commodity: but I assure thee, y t this will be the cōferēce the Lord will have with thee whē thou enterest. Whē thou hast served me, look for the cross for thy stipend, when thou hast done all, make thee for death. Therefore say not, I will enter, because I will get a good fat Benefice, & fair living, I will get peace & ease. It may be y t the Lord cast these things to thee, & y t thou find thē, but propone not y t to thyself, as a cause of thine entry: but say, I am entering to labor, to trouble, • o pain, & it may be, in y e end, whē I have done all, I shall lay down my life: let y e be thy resolutiō. In this there is great difference betwixt God & y e Devil: When y e Devil calls one, in the beginning he promises thē riches, wealth, honor, & preferment: the villane will promise felicity & happiness in this life: but in y e end, miserably he deceives thē, who trusted his flattery. Th'experience of the wretched catiues proves this: for never got they such things as were promised, but misery, terror and horror in the ende. But Christ calls men other ways, and says, Aime not at me, but by the cross, so long as ye are in this world, ye shall have opposition, oppression, and sorrow: they shall bruise you, they shall tread you under foot. But in the mean time He promises, That in the midst of all their griefs, yea, in death it self, they shall find comfort : for when He has said to His Apostles, In the world ye shall have sorrow. He subjoins incontenent, But be of good comfort, for I have overcome the world, John. chap. 16. verse. 33. The world shall not be victorious over thee, thou shalt get a fair advantage and outgate at the last, thou shalt get the victory. And in y e midst of their troubles, not only promises He, but also He will give them a sweeter taste & sense of inward joy, than all y e worldlings cā have. When they are sitting in the midst of all their glory, riches, and outward pleasures, yea, in the very death, He furnishes life, as Paul says, 2. Cor 6 9. As dying but behold, we live : yea, such a sweet life, as the natural man never could think of. In thy death, the life of Jesus Christ shall be most lively. Thou needest not then to fear to suffer any extremity for Jesus, seeing ever He has promised thee such a vantage. Yet further I see here this, not only out of this place, but also thorough the whole Scripture, & experience teaches it, That the perogatives & vantages of this life, liberty & preferment, stands not well with Jesus Christ: at the least a Pastor should not lay his count to brook thē both together. Peter, when he was a free man, and a Fisher, going out and in at his pleasure, he knew not what Christ meaned. As soon as he comes to Christ, farewell with his freedom: he put his girdle about him ere he knew Christ, but knowing Christ, he must be bound with a cord, & hurled in bands: if any take this calling upon him, to enjoy the outward comforts & perogatives of this world, he deceives himself. Likewise Paul, Philip. 3.7. Ere he knew Christ, a Gentle-man (folk think, a Minister cannot be a Gentle-man) a citizen of Rome, an Hebrew, a Pharisee according to his sect, & in his zeal going beyond all men, and in his righteousness he was vnrebukable, according to the Justice of the Law: but when he comes to Christ, what became of all these? he leaves all, renounces & quites them, he counts them for Christ's sake to be damage & dung. So, I say again: I see not, how the advantages, liberties, & these outward perogatives, can stand well with the Lord Jesus. Indeed y e Lord sometimes casts these things in great abundance & affluence to His own: and then if it please God▪ why mayest thou not brook them: for the Minister hath as good right to these earthly things, as another: for the Lord sanctifies them to their use: but in the mean time take the counsel of the Apostle, 1 Cor. 7.31. Use them, as though thou used them not: Settle never thine heart on them, let them never be thy chief respect, in pain of thy life, & if they come in comparison with Christ, take Paul's counsel and experience also: count them all damage and loss, and count them hurtful to thee: yet a degree further, count them but dung, loath them, spit at them, as at dirt: if they seem to separate thee from Christ, shake them off thee, denude thine hand of them: I say, albeit it were thy life, if it hinder thee from Christ, away with thy life, give it to any Tyrant, Persecuter, if it hinder thee, that thou canst not brook Christ w t it: for if thou givest thy life for Christ indeed, He shall be advantage to thee, not only in the time of thy life, but chiefly, in the hour of death, as Paul says of himself, Philip. 1.21. Now, Brethren, take heed, all these earthly things, as liberties, riches, nobility, kindred, glory, honor of the world, and favor of men, these things can stand thee instead only, so long as thou leavest thy riches, thy nobility, albeit thou wert come of Kings, can be steadable no longer: but if thou be laid on thy back, on thy death bed, at the hour of thy death, what will they help thee then? Nothing, but thou wilt disdain them all: No, they shall not hold thy life one hour: thē all these advantages in earth cannot be advantage in y e hour of death: in heavē or earth no advantage to any in y e hour of death, but Jesus, who has overcome death: if y u have Jesus, ô y t joy y u shalt find in death: & by the contrary, How terrible a departure will they find, that have not Christ Jesus. This miserable generatiō will not know this, until they feel it by sad experience. There were two thieves hanged with Christ, but both got Him not to be advantage in death: therefore let men, whē they are living, & wholest, have Christ before their eyes, & seek to be acquainted w t Him in their life, that they may have Him to be advantage in their death. Yet one thing further, ere I leave these things, I think all young men y t have health, ability & strength of body, to run & ride, rash here & there, that have liberty to pass & repass at their pleasure, may learn a lessō at Peter. Peter, when he was young, he might have done what he pleased: he thought he was a happy man: for the word imports, when he makes mention of his former condition which he had before he knew Christ: for when he was young, and had liberty, he was free from Christ: for he knew not Christ, before Christ knew him: so Peter in his youth a free man, a young strong man, he was also free from Christ: foolish, vain young men, esteem themselves to be happy, if they have health, strength, ability & freedom to live as they please, albeit they be without God and free of Jesus Christ: alas, that is a miserable freedom, when thou art free here in earth, if thou be free from Christ also, that is miserable: for if thou be not a bond-servant to Christ, albeit thou wert a King, a Caesar, thou art but a servant to sin, & a slave to the devil. Paul Rom. 6.20. says, When ye were the servants of sin, ye were freed from righteousness: if thou be not the servant of Christ, thou art a slave to the Devil, and sin: for of need force, thou shalt either be the servant of Christ, or else, thou shalt be a greater slave than a horserubber. Let never a man glory in a liberty, that he may run, or ride, do this or that, except that, with that freedom he find himself bound as a servant to Christ, & except he can say in his heart: albeit I be free, yet, Lord Jesus, I am thy bond-servant: for Peters condition, when he was in the chains and bands, led out to die the death for Christ, was better than when he was a young man, following his own lust & pleasure: there is no happiness but in Jesus Christ, all these earthly liberties will not make thee happy, if thou be not bound to Christ in his service: they only are truly free, whō the Son makes free, John. 8.36. And the Apostle says: Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, 2. Cor. 3.17. But I go forward: He says, Thou shalt be led whither thou wouldest not. This is a marvelous thing. These words would import, that he died not willingly for the Lord; but he was drawn contrary his will to the torment. How can this be? The words may import a comparison, to wit, That one shall lead thee, not so much where thou wilt, as where he will, for thy will shall be subject to the will of the persecutor & tormēter. I answer. Indeed it is true, when Peter suffered for his Lord's sake, he suffered not so wilingly, but in the mean time for there was a battle within him, & he found something that made resistance to y t obedience: first there was nature, which naturally abhors death: there is nothing more terrible to nature, than this dissolution & parting & severing of the soul & body: & therefore Christ Himself, who set Himself in all respects to be obedient to y e Father, having our nature, abhorred death, & prayed, saying, Take this cup frō me. So I say, it was no marvel y t nature in Peter abhorred frō death & would have declined y t death in some measure. There was another cause more in Peter than was in Christ: Christ had nature, but it was holy: Peter beside this common nature, had some remaining corruption: And whosoever has it (as all men saving Christ Jesus has it) they will find, that whē they are bent to give obedience to God in anything, it will rebel▪ and make some resistance: & when thou fainest would obey Him, & lay down thy neck to die for Christ, it will draw thee aback. Again, the best y t lives, will utter the words of the Apostle, I do not the good thing which I would: but the evil, which I would not, that I do. Rom. 7.19. Therefore, Brethren, learn this lesson at Peter, All the godly from the beginning, & all the Holy Martyrs, what ever they have been, that have died for the Name of the Lord Jesus, their obedience has not been altogether perfect: No, it is a vanity to think, that the Martyrs died without all fear: I say, The best of them in their death found some horror and infirmity: And I say, The victory that they got was by an inward battle in their soul: and as they were victorious, by yielding themselves outwardly to the death; so they were victorious in their souls. This is comfortable. When thou seest that the Saints feared & abhorred death, if thou findest the like fear in thee, yet be not over much casten down: Thou wilt say, Shall I suffer death in the fire? shall I be burnt quick, and be dammed, as the Martyrs have been with sundry sortes of tortures? Alas, I am not able to abide it. And no question, there will be an horror in thine heart, when thou thinkest of this, but especially when thou comest to the act of suffering, then all such infirmity, such fear & dread shall rise, and get up in thy soul: But let this be thy comfort in the Lord, whē thou findest this, that this fear shall not hinder thine obedience, and say, There is nothing that befalls to me, but that which befalls to the best servants of God, I am not alone, such infirmity, such dread and fear as I have, Peter had, and the best Saints of God had: and howbeit they had them, yet their obedience was not hindered thereby. And so as Peter and the rest got the victory, notwithstanding of fear and dread, thou wilt give me the victory with Peter. This aduertises us thus far. Never man suffered martyrdom by his own strength. And if Peter had been given over to his own strength, he would not have suffered more than Judas : And if Stephen had not been sustained with the sight of Heaven, to have holden up his heart▪ he would not have suffered the death. Paul teaches us, Philip. chap. 1. verse. 29. As faith is the gift of God, so it is the gift of God to suffer affliction. It is given to you, says he, to suffer. And therefore he says to Timothy, (2. Epist. chap. 1. verse. 8.) Be partaker of the afflictions of the Gospel. But howe? By your own strength? No: but by the power of God. And therefore, whosoever would have this strength, let him beg it of the Lord. Whensoever it shall please God to say, Go to the stake: then ever say, Lord give me strength, & I shall suffer. Therefore, as night & day we should be upon this resolution, to suffer for Christ; so should we night & day be earnest in prayer: and if thou findest the power of God by prayer to be conveyed to thine heart, thou needest not to fear: for that power will prop it up, & uphold it in th'extremity of death & martyrdom. So ever be in prayer, saying, Lord give me strenth: and if thou get once a piece of this power, thou shalt wonder at it.
Now John in the next verse he joins y e meaning of these words of the Lord's to Peter, lest any mā reading or hearing, should doubt of the meaning, This spake he, says John, signifying by what death he should glorify God. He means, that he should die a violent death, he should not get leave to die his own natural death in peace: but that he should die violently upon the scaffolde. The Papists upon these words, gather, That Peter was crucified, & that y e Lord meant, y t he should be hanged: but the words bear no such thing. Thou shalt stretch out thine hands. What necessity is there here to import crucifying, or hanging, more than heading? or any one death more than another? What death it was, it is not certain: it is far better not to meddle with it, than to believe men's fables. Only the words of y e Lord import, y t he died violently. But what death soever it was, it is not much to edification. Yet this is not to be passed by, but well to be marked, That whē He is speaking of his death, He says not after this manner, He signified what death he should die: no, but by what death he should glorify God: a thing more worthy of marking, He stiles & defines y e death & martyrdom of Peter to be a glorifying of his God. Brethren, the death of all the godly and Saints, whatsoever kind of death it be, whether it be in peace, their own natural death, or a violent death, whatsoever kind of death it be, it may be defined after this manner, to be a glorifying of God. And blessed are they that die in the LORD, Blessed are they that die in faith in the LORD JESUS: that is, as PAUL says, sleeps in Him, 1. Thessal. chap. 4. verse. 14. So I say, The death of every godly man and woman, glorifies their God. Yet we must understand, That the death of these who suffer martyrdom, and seals up the truth of Christ with their blood, that death especially gets this praise, and this style, That it glorifies GOD after a special manner. Mark it well▪ Martyrdom properly is called, The glorifying of God, because in it especially is the matter of the glory of God. Above all other deaths of men in the world, in the death of the Son of God Jesus Christ, was greatest matter of the glorifying of His Father: and therefore, above all other deaths, the death and cross of Christ gets this style of the glorifying of GOD, Joh. Chap. 12. verse. 28. When the LORDE has striven with the fear of death, look howe He considers with Himself, Lord glorify thine own Name : that is, Be thou glorified in my death. Next, after Christ's death, the death of the Martyrs serves most for the glory of God: and therefore, next after Christ's death, the death of the Martyrs brooks this style. Therefore ye see in this place, John speaking of the martyrdom of Peter, calls it, The glorifying of GOD. And Paul to the Philippians, speaking of his death, says, that the Lord should be magnified in his death, Philip. chap. 1. verse. 20. And all to this end, To encourage us chearefullie to go to death for Christ's sake What knows any of us, but we may be charged with martyrdom, whether it be Minister, or any of the flock? And I affirm to you, that if the Lord call any of you to die for the Gospel, if ye deny Him, He will deny you. These are His own words, Matth. 10.33. Therefore, seeing everyone of us, if we be Christians, are bound to suffer: No, not a Minister only, but the soberest of you all, lad and lasse. We have this encouragement to suffer Martyrdom, that our death shall glorify God after a singular manner. It is no matter what become of thee, if thou gettest that honor to glorify God: for be assured, if thou do so, thou shalt be partaker of His glory. When the conference is done, the Lord appearantly rises up, for the time of this conference they were sitting together, And the Lord says to Peter, Followe thou me. The meaning is this, as though He would say, Well Peter, I have forewarned and enarmed thee against this death: in tokē of this, follow thou me : for he gives him this as an undoubted sign of his cross & death y t was to come. No, Brethrē, they that will follow the Lord, must take up his cross, and follow Him. And therefore bids He Peter follow Him. Well, these words are hard to flesh and blood. But here is the great comfort, We have Christ to follow, He goes before us, When we go to the cross to martyrdom, He goes before us. To go to death, without Christ going before us, of all things it is most terrible and fearful: But to go to death, following Christ, there is great matter of consolation: for when He is before us, and if we follow with His cross upon our backs, we shall find, that the death of Christ has taken away the bitterness of death. Whosoever shall follow Christ, shall never taste the bitterness of death. But if thou bearest thine own cross, thou diest for thine own sin, as a Malefactor, a Thief, a Murderer, &c. Woe is thee, for the ende of that death is th'extremity of Hell. It stands not only in a shameful, ignominious, and comfortless departure, and in the sundring of the soul from the body, it ends not there, but thereafter y e soul must be thrust into Hel, to be tormented forever. But whē we have Christ going before us, bearing our cross, suffering for our sins, & thē we following Him, bearing His cross, He dying first, takes away the bitterness of death, and makes our death an entry to life everlasting. There is a comfort that Peter gets in death: so that death is made sweet to him, and a port to life everlasting. Brethren, ye must understand, That Christ goes before us, not only in His death, but in His Resurrection and life: for at this time He was risen. So PETER follows Him in His Resurrection. There is a double comfort, We follow JESUS CHRIST not only in His death, but also in His Resurrection, to raise us to life again: for it is by virtue of that life of JESUS CHRIST, that we rise to life, after our death. Whereto intends all this? Even to encourage us to suffer Martyredome, and seal the Gospel with our blood, if it shall please the Lord to call us: and happy art thou if the Lord shall honor thee, so that He will have thee to bear His Cross, & to suffer as an innocent, who for a thousand of thine own sins art worthy of an ignominious death, & desperate departure: for if He go before thee, if He bear thy Cross, the bitterness of death is taken from thee, because the guiltiness of thy sin is forgiven. Now, the Lord furnish us strength & courage, that we shame not His cause, if it shall please Him to call us to suffer for the Name of Jesus, To whom with the Father, and Holy Spirit, be all praise and glory, forever. AMEN.
THE LII. LECTURE, OF THE RESVRRECTION OF CHRIST.
IHON, CHAP. XXI.
[verse 20] Then Peter turned about, and saw the Disciple whom Jesus loved, following, which had also leaned on His breast at supper, and had said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?
[verse 21] When Peter therefore saw him, he said to Jesus, Lord, what shall this man do?
[verse 22] Jesus said unto Him, If I will that he tarie till J come, what is it to thee? follow thou Me.
[verse 23] Then went this word abroad among the brethren, that this disciple should not die: Yet Jesus said to him, he shall not die: but if I will that he tarie till J come, what is it to thee?
[verse 24] This is that disciple, which testifieth of these things, and wrote those things, and we know that his testimony is true.
[verse 25] Now there are also many other things, which Jesus did, the which if they should be written everyone, I suppose the world could not contain the books that should be written, Amen.
W EE have heard, Brethren, that after the Lord had restored Peter to the dignity of the Apostle ship, from the which he had fallen by his threefold denial of his Master, in the Hall of the High Priest, he adds to his absolution & restitution, a premonition, and forewarning, forewarning him, that in the end of his Apostleship, when he should become an old man, he should close up and seal his Apostleship with his blood When thou wast young, says the Lord to Peter, thou girdedst thyself : thou knittedst, thy clothes, when thou wast wont to go any way, and wentedst, whither thou pleasedst: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt not get credence to gird thyself, to put thy girdle about thee: but thou shalt stretch out thine hands, and another shall gi • d thee with cords and chains, and shall lead thee away, not where it shall please thee, but where it shall please him, he shall lead thee to the death. We heard, John opened up the meaning of these words and told us, that Christ thereby signified, that Peter should glorify God by a violent death: and thereafter, to encourage him, the Lord goes before him, & bids Peter follow Him, signifying thereby, that His death had taken away the bitterness of death, and that by virtue of His Resurrection, he should live again.
Now in the words that we have read, in the first place we have set down a new conference between the Lord and Peter : for while they are in the way, the Lord going before, and Peter, following, there they fall again in a new conference, and Peter, as he was ay too rash, albeit very zealous: so here rashly he demands a curious question, and it is about John the writter of this Gospel: the question is, What should John do? What shall this man do? Shall he not follow the Lord? The Lord had not bidden him follow Him: it might have contented Peter well enough, that the Lord had kept silence of John, and he to have done the thing that the Lord bade him. Now, Brethren, ere I come to the question, ye must mark the occasions of this curiosity of Peter : I perceive, the first occasion that brings Peter to this question, is this: When they are going together, Peter looks over his shoulder, and turns him about, and turns his eye from the Lord, and looked to John, that apparently followed a far • e off: upon which follows this curiosity, and this learns us this lesson: If the Lord bid thee, follow Him in any calling what ever it be, as He bade Peter follow Him to the death (that was his calling, for a man follows God in his calling, all lawful callings are but a following of the LORD) learn here to be wiser than Peter : hold thine eye constantly upon Him, thine heart upon Him: in thy calling follow Him foot for foot: tread thou in the same footsteps, so far as He shall give the grace, decline not, neither to the right hand, nor to the left: & as to thine eye, look that it be never drawn frō Him, look not over thy shoulder to see what is behind thee, but look constantly on the Lord: for if thou do this, thou loses y e sight of Him, & that of need force shall make thee to settle back in thy calling: Peter but once turning, goes one foot backward, & falls back frō y t course wherein he should have walked, Paul Philip. 3.14. considered this well, & in that race he ran to be partaker of Resurrectiō, & life everlasting, he says, I never look behind me, I never look over my shoulder, to see what is behind, but mine eye is ever upon the mark, to get the price of the high calling of God. Seeing then we have taken up a course to walk in to that life, Jesus Christ being the forerunner, and breaking up the Heaven: hold thine eye continually upon the forerunner: follow Him in thine own calling▪ and see that thine eye go never off Him▪ It is the felicity of the creature to follow Him, and thou must follow the Lord in thine own calling: there is the first occasiō. Vpō this follows another: for piece & piece he comes to his curiosity, turning himself about, & looking to John, Whom the Lord loved, who was very familiar with the Lord, & apparently hath used the Lord more homely, than any of the rest▪ for he was the man which leaned on Jesus breast at supper : for whē y e Lord forewarned them, that one of them should betray Him, Peter winkes vpō John, & beckenes unto him, as he leaned on y e Lord's breast, to ask who it was: John said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee ? Now Peter remembering this love of y e Lord towards John, & this great familiarity, he marueiles why that Disciple should have been left behind, & should not have been required to follow Him, as well as he, and so he falls out in this curious question, & forgets in a manner his own calling: there is the ground: Peter looking to John, he sees him not so soon, but he finds in him the matter of his curiosity: wilt thou leave off thine own calling, & take leisure to look about thee here or there, to this man or that man, whē y e Lord hath bidden thee strictly follow Him, & forbidden y t thou shouldst look about thee: thou shalt not so soon do this, but as soon thou shalt find matter of curiosity: No, if thou take thee y t leisure to look to another, thou shalt get a stumbling block to stay thee frō thy calling: therefore, if thou be called by God to any calling, look y t thine eye be never off y e Lord, as thou wilt be answerable to Him, hold thine eye upon Him, take thee not so much leisure frō thine own calling, as to look once to another man: ô y t strict life y t is required of a Christian: men think y t they may live loosely as they please: No, but thou must walk circumspectly, & precisely in thy calling, holding thy eye vpō y e Lord: Another thing I mark: Peter, whē he sees John following after, wonders y t the Lord bids not him also follow, he thinks that y e Lord's homelines with John is failed. It will be at times, y t these men y t have found in greatest experience y e love of Christ, & familiarity w t Him (& blessed are they y t have found His love, & is homely with Him: if thy acquaintance begin not here, y u shalt never be acquainted w t Him hereafter, let no mā be guile himself) it will be y t mē will think y e Lord has forgot them, has left them, & cast them off, & they themselves will begin to doubt of y e Lord's favor, the smallest thing y t can be, will make us to dout: but there is no cause why either y u shouldst doubt, or other men should think so: for whom He loves, He loves to y e end. The answer which y e Lord gives here to Peter, testifies His love was as great now as ever it was before: if thou gettest once His love, it shall not fail thee, it will appear, indeed, to thy sense, y t it fails, but measure thou not y e favor of God by these things that are outward y u must not judge rashly, either of thyself, or of others by these outward things. Now come to y e question: upon these occasions follows this question, What shall this man do ? Shall not John thy beloved disciple follow thee? Wilt thou leave him behind thee? If thou givest me this honor to die for thee, wilt thou not give him the like. Ye see here, an example of curiosity, not only superfluous, but hurtful: he hurt himself, and did no good to John ? What was the ground of it? he took him leisure from his vocation, which was to look to Jesus, and to follow Him, to scanse upon John. Vpō this, he falls in this inconuen • ent, Paul 2. Thess. 3.11. speaking of them who lived inordinately, he joins these together, They work nothing themselves : again, They are curious about other men's affairs: Meaning, y t all this curiosity about other men's affairs comes frō idleness in their own calling. Vpō this it comes to pass, y t thou sets thy mind on other folk: if thou wert busy in thy own calling y u wouldst not be curious in other folks affairs, & this ye shall find, y t these mē that busy their heads about other men's adoes, finding fault with this man, and that man, they are most idle, and careless of their own adoes: fie upon this curiosity, fleeting and flowing hither and thither. Then set thy mind on thine own calling, & so thou shalt not get time to trouble and vex thy mind with other men's adoes. This is the curious question: folk would think that this is but a light word which Peter speaks, but it is not so: for beside this curiosity, there is another fault in him, he hath a sinistrous judgment of the Lord's doing, he thinks all men should be called to one calling: he is called to die for Him, and so he thinks should John also: but the LORD lets him see, that he is beguiled. There are many in this warfare, but all this hath not one station & calling, he hath one, & he hath another, he hath this, he hath that, The Lord will say to one, Do thou this: to another, Do thou that: to Peter, Follow me: to John, tarie thou still there: for example: There will be ten men in this warfare, & he will take one of the ten, and say, Come thou out, and go, & be burnt for my Names sake, and he will let the rest stand still, and will exercise them with croces: some more gently, some more sharply, as pleases Him: so diversely He will cross them: no Christian without some cross: be patient in it, & thou shalt get a fair outgate: He will exercise one in the mind, and another in the body, the third in his goods and gear: He hath many ways to exercise His own: if there were a thousand of them, He will get as many crosses, so that none shall escape his cross. It is a vain thing, to think, that all men should be called to that, whereunto thou are called: No, leave others to the Lord, to do with them as He pleases: go thou to the scaffold, if the Lord command thee, and leave thy neighbor.
Thus far, for the curious question: Now come to the rebuke: He meets Peter in anger, and with sharp words, If I will that he tarie till I come, what is it to thee? Do that which thou art commanded to do: Follow thou me: As He would say, Let John be: thou art too curious, look to thyself: turn thine eye from John, and follow me in thy calling, which I have placed thee into. Ye shall perceive in this reproof three things that He finds fault with: First, that he should have left off his calling: the second that he was curious about Johns calling: the third the greatest of all, he enters into the calling of the Lord: a great usurpation: it pertained to the Lord, to call John, and every man, as pleases Him. O! but he would be the caller of John : this is no small thing: No, no, thou must not scoff with the Lord, as though He had no discretion to call others: so in this doing, he does injury to the Lord. Brethren, behold in Peter, how many evils falls on curiosity: First, he forgets his own calling: Secondly, he is too curious in his brothers calling: Lastly, he does an injury to Christ, makes an eruption upon Christ's office, to spoil Him of His authority and power, to call all: and think ye not, albeit the Lord nowadays, as He did Peter then, but He looks with an angry eye upon curious men. This rebuke is registrated, to rebuke thee, if thou be given to curiosity: But it would be marked, that albeit the Lord be angry with Peter, yet nevertheless He forgets not His mercy. When He found him to linger in his course, the Lord leaves him not, but He puts out His hand, and takes hold of him: therefore He says, Follow thou me. This is the mercy of the Lord towards His own, that when He rebukes them, He leaves them not there, but He will put out His hand, and pull them in again to Him: No, never one of us would go forward, except by a new grace pulled us forward except the Lord led us by the hand, there could not be such a thing, as a man could be saved. There is such a stumbling and wavering in our nature: therefore Paul said, I strive by all means to attain to the Resurrection of the dead: Yea rather, says he, I am comprehended of Christ Jesus, Phil. 3.11, 12. Therefore, ay cry for grace after grace, otherwise, thou canst not go one foot right forward, much less persevere to the end. Ye will ask a question: Should never one of us be careful of our brother in his calling? Humanity required, that Peter should be careful of John : is this the thing the Lord reproves and forbids? I answer: there is a great difference between carefulness and curiosity: it is not carefulness He finds fault with: Woe to him that cares for himself only: for why should not everyone of us be helping one another, & be careful to bring forward the straggling body? But it is curiosity that the Lord reproves. Then the lesson is this shortly: Take heed, that by thy doing (men should be very wise) thou hinderest not thyself more by thy curiosity, when thou enterest into the affairs of thy brother, than thou profitest him by thy care: when thou beginnest to care for him: beware thou fall not in curiosity: pass never the bounds of thy calling: for there is none that hath a calling, but it is joined with care of his brother, & the higher calling the greater care. The Kings calling requires a great care of others in the Policy: Such like, the Ministers calling is joined with a care for the people, not to feed himself, but to feed the people. It is joined with a special and wonderful care, so that night and day his eye should not be off his flock: Yet men should beware, that their care turn not to curiosity. Curiositie is very dangerous. A curious man has no love to thee, for he takes pleasure in the hurt & evil that falls to thee, and it is his meat & drink, he feeds upon the evil report of others. John subjoins, that when the Disciples heard of these words of Christ, they give them a strange gloss. They say, John should not die. A fair gloss, a fair commentary. John says, This was not the meaning of the Lord, He spake not such a thing, He said not to him, he should not die, and that was not His mind, He told not whether he should live or die. But He said, If I will, he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Ye see howe ready men are to misconstrue and pervert the one-fold meaning of the LORD. If the Disciples, who heard His own lively voice, were so ready to give a false and a lying gloss to His word, which they heard Him speak; I pray you, what marvel is it, albeit men daily misconstrue the written word of GOD, and never leave off to father lies upon the Scriptures? Ye wonder at the Papists: I wonder not. Look the whole Scriptures: these Traitors conclude ever a lie upon the truth. Look the Rhemish new Testament, and the rest of their writtes, I wonder not at them, but I wonder at this, Considering this grossness of ignorance, and the propension of men naturally to misconstrue GOD'S Word, and Will, that there is so much as one to open the truth, and to understand the right meaning of the word. The cause of this misconstruing is not of the Scripture, as if it were doubtsome, hard, obscure, or as a nose of wax, as they blaspheme: but the fault is partly in the blindness of the mind of man, and partly in the peruersitie and frowardness of the will, and malice of the heart: for it falls out, that either (such is the blindness of man by nature,) they know not the mind of the LORDE, or else, if they know His mind, yet willingly they desire not to know it, but to remain ignorant: for it is true that the Apostle PETER says, They that are unlearned and unstable wreast the SCRIPTURES to their own destruction, 2 Pet. Chap. 3. verse. 16. And PAUL says, If our GOSPELL be hidden, it is hidden to them who perishes, whose eyes the god of this world hath blinded, 2. Cor. 4.34. Again we may perceive, that a lie ran speedily abroad, and was easily received, & got soon place in the hearts of the Apostles, whereof we may learn, that the multitude commonly drinks in lies, vanities, fables, and Heresies very suddenly, because naturally they are very bent thereunto. Yet this error remained not long with the Apostles: for after that, according to the Lord's promise, extraordinarily in the day of the PENTECOSTE, they were illuminated, and after the Holy Spirit was given them, who called all things to remembrance which the Lord had spoken unto them, when He was present with them, and gave them the true meaning and understanding of all these things (as CHRIST says, Joh. chap. 14. verse. 26. ) This lie concerning JOHN euanished, then all the Disciples knew the LORDES meaning, when He spake these words to Peter, of John, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? But the Papishe Church, and that Antichristian Kingdom this day, makes it plain enough unto us, howe bent men are by nature to receive, maintain, and entertain lies, and vanities: for in that Kingdom not only is this fable of JOHN retained, but also an huge multitude of lies, and of the vanities and fantasies of the brain of man, which were devised by the GENTILES, are allowed and received: for almost all the Religion of the Papists, like a Beggers cloak, is clouted and patched together, partly of the fables and superstitions of the GENTILES, and partly of the Rites and Ceremonies of the Jews, which were abolished by the coming of CHRIST. If any would know what fables they maintain, and give out, concerning John, let them read their golden Legende.
Now in the last two verses of this Evangel, the Apostle concludes his GOSPELL, and in the conclusion he tells us who this was of whom Christ and PETER were speaking of in the words preceeding, Even that same Disciple which testifies of these things and wrote these things. And so telling that it w • s he, that witnessed, and wrote these things, he closes up his Evangel, and puts his seal to it. But the words are to be marked: JOHN says, he testifies these things, meaning by word: and then again, he wrote the same things: So he bore witness of the Gospel of Christ, both by word and writing. Whereof we have to l • arne. That we should strive all manner of ways to bear witness unto the truth of the GOSPELL of CHRIST, by word, by writ, by confession of our mouths, & if need require, by the shedding of our blood also: for the moe testimonies be given to the truth, the greater glory redounds to God: Again, we see, John, when he hath ended the History of the Gospel, he affixes and puts to his seal to it. We should follow this example: for after we have preached Christ, we should be ready to seal it, if it were with our blood Look to Paul, after he had preached Christ to the Philippians, and had labored to make them to believe, he says to them, he would rejoice and be glad with them, although he were offered up upon the sacrifice and service of their Faith: that is, he would be content to seal up the Gospel which he had preached to them, by his death, that their Faith might be the more confirmed.
Now, in the words following he sets down the cause which moved him to put to his seal to his Gospel: for says he, We know that his testimony is true : So the cause of his sealing of his Gospel, is the full persuasion and assurance which he had of the truth: And, indeed, he only who hath full assurance in his heart of the truth of these things, that he teaches, can confidently put his seal to his preaching: and therefore a Minister should endeuoure to have full persuasion in his heart, that he may speak with liberty and great assurance, as Paul speaks of himself, 1. Thess. 1.5. and that if need require, he may seal the Gospel with his own blood.
Now to come to the last verse, and to end shortly: The Apostle meets a question, that some curious men might have demanded: they might have asked: Are all the things which Christ did, and the wonders which He wrought, set down in write by thee? To this he answers: That all things which Jesus did, are not written: for says he: There are many other things which Jesus did, the which if they were written everyone, I suppose the world could not contain the books that should be written: And so he wrote not all things, which Christ did, neither was he of purpose to write them, neither was he able to write them all: for if he had written them all, the whole world could not have contained the books that should have been written. Upon this question we may perceive, how curious the brain of man is, and how immoderate his ingine and appetite is: there is nothing can content it: it cannot be contented with all things which are written in the Olde and Newe Testament, with all things which are written by the Prophets, the Evangelists and Apostles, but it is ever seeking for more, seeking for new revelations, new miracles, and such other things. The Devil knows well enough this to be our nature: and therefore he propines to the world an huge multitude of lies, vanities & fables, & especially, to the Kingdom of the Antichrist, to the Pope and his shavelings, who cannot content themselves with the written word of God, the Olde & New Testament, but gripes greedily to unwritten verities, as they call them, to traditions, which falsely they call, divine Apostolic, Ecclesiastic: so that, all men may perceive, that the Popish religion serves not so much to work Faith, and bring Salvation to men, as to satisfy their curiosity and immoderate appetite. Let men take pleasure in that religion, as they will, they may well get their foolish appetit pleased & satisfied, but they will never get true Faith nor Salvation by it. Then mark of Johns answer to this question: That men should keep a measure in speaking and writing these things which appertain to religion and the worship of God: this did they, whom the Lord of old employed to be pen-men of the Olde and New Testament: this did the Prophets, this did the Apostles, this did the Evangelists,: for in their writing they respected two things: First, the infinite and incomprehensible Majesty of God, and the immeasurable and unspeakable greatness and multitude of those things that might have been written of that infinite and most glorious Majesty of God, and of Jesus Christ his Son: Next, they respected the mean measure of man's understanding, and likewise of his Faith, which is not capable of all these things which may be written: therefore, by the Lord's directiō in their writing, they applied themselves to our capacity, & endeavored to set down these things which y e Spirit of God thought might sufficiently serve for our Faith & Saluatiō: for if all things had been written concerning that infinite & incomprehensible Majesty, our memories had been overwhelmed, our understandings confounded, & our Faith overthrown. Lamentable experience lets us see this day, that the Papist by their unwritten verities, & infinite traditions overwhelm the world, & subvert the Faith of men. Now last, the form of speech which the Evangelist uses, would be considered, when he says, If all things were written, the world could not contain the books that should be written. Men would think, that this speech were hyperbolicke, & that the speech far exceeds the matter it self, but indeed, it is not so, but rather in this form of speech the Holy Spirit submits Himself to our infirmity, & applies Himself to our weak capacity, & sets down an infinite & incomprehensible matter, in a form of speaking, which we may easily understand: for when John spake this, he considered & beheld that incomprehensible & infinite deepness of that glorious Majesty which dwelt in Christ bodily, and which manifested it self in His works & miracles, which was able not only to swallow up all the senses and cogitations of all men, but also the Heaven & the earth and when He endevoreth in some measure to express that incomprehensible Highnes, after such a speech, & in such terms as we might understand, he says, The world could not contain the books that should be written of Christ & His works, if they were all written: which speech imports, that no living creature is able sufficiently to set out & by words to express that glorious Majesty, and His glorious wotks, and miracles that He wrought, according as their dignity and excellency required: for the whole world is not able to comprehend that infinite Majesty: for this we should not be ignorant of, that this whole Scripture of the Olde and New Testament written by the Prophets & Apostles, which sets out unto us the glorious Majesty of God, and His properties, His power, His mercy, His Justice, His wisdom, &c. is by infinite degrees inferior to the Majesty which it describes unto us, & that the Spirit of God paintes Him not thoroughly & fully in His essence & nature, and in His own perfection, as He is: No, but in painting Him out, He attempers His style to our infirmity & weakness, that we may understand & believe: for there can be no words so high, so sublime, so glorious invented or devised by any, that can be sufficient to express that Majesty which is incomprehensible & infinite. Always, seeing the Holy Spirit hath set down so much in the Scripture concerning that glorious & incomprehensible Majesty of God, & His worship, as is sufficient for our Salvation: let us therewith be content, and not curiously seek for anymore, and while we read, or hear the Scriptures, let us earnestly crave at God, that He would work faith in our souls, that we may believe, that Jesus is that Christ the Son of God, & that in believing we may have life & Salvation through Him. To whom with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, be all praise, honor and glory for evermore. AMEN.
THE LIII. LECTURE, OF THE RESVRRECTION OF CHRIST.
MATTH. CHAP. XXVIII.
[verse 16] Then the eleven disciples went into Galilee, into a mountain, where Jesus had appointed them.
[verse 17] And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him, but some doubted.
[verse 18] And Jesus came, and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto Me, in heaven and in earth.
[verse 19] Go therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the holy Ghost,
MARKE, CHAP. XVI.
[verse 15] And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.
W ELBELOVED Brethren, these days bypast, we followed out the History of the Resurrection of the Lord, and of His manifold appearings unto sundry, but especially, unto His Disciples, as they are set down by the Evangelist John, who insists more largely in describing His appearings to His Disciples, than any of y e rest, & as God gave the grace the last day we ended his Gospel, & spake last of the conclusion thereof: now it rests, that we follow out so much as remains of the History of the resurrectiō, as it is set down by y e rest of y e Evangelists: for John wrote his Evēgel after all y e rest, & omitted purposely such things as were written by y e rest, willing us to address our selves to y e rest of y e Evangelists, that there we might read & follow out y e rest of y e History of CHRIST, which he left off: And so we are this day to enter into the description of another appearing of CHRIST, after His Resurrection, as it is set down by Matthew & Mark. This appearing of the Lord seems to be the ninth in number: for the first was to Marie Magdalene, The second to other women, The third to two disciples, as they went to Emmaus, The fourth was to Simō Peter, The fifth to James : Then three several times He appeared to His disciples, being gathered together, as ye heard out of John. So this is y e ninth appearing, wherein it is likely, that He shows Himself not only to the eleven disciples, being met together, but also to a great number of brethren, being together with them: For this seems to be y t appearing whereof the Apostle Paul makes mention, 1. Cor. 15 6. where he says, He was seen of more than five hundredth brethren at once. In this appearing there are sundry things to be considered, As the circumstances of time and place, the disciples worshipping of Him, when they saw Him, the doubting of some of them, His communicatiō with the disciples, & sending them out, with a commission, to preach to all Nations. Appearantly this is that meeting which the Lord in His appearing to the women, enjoined to the Apostles: for by the women He gave the Apostles a direction, to meet Him in Galilie, Matth. chap. 28. verse. 10. According to this direction, it is said, The eleven disciples went into Galilie, unto a Mountain, where Jesus had appointed them. So the place was in that Mountain of Galilie, wherein the Lord had appointed them to meet. The time is not particularly mentioned: yet it is likely, that as the Lord gave a direction concerning the place; so did He also concerning the time of their meeting. Then this whole meeting, the time, the place, and all, is according to the direction and appointment of the Lord. Now as they keep this meeting vpō hope to see the Lord, according to His promise; so they are not disappointed of their hope: The Lord is as good as His promise, He shows Himself present unto thē. Mark the lesson: The Lord who has appointed & ordained y e meetings & assemblies of His own, & has promised to be amongst them when they are gathered together : He disappoints thē not of His promise, but shows Himself to be present with thē. This y e disciples found by experience, whē they met together by His appointment, y e Lord shows Himself present unto thē. This same have all y e godly found in all ages & y e faithful find it this day in their meetings: for albeit He show not Himself present after a bodily manner, as here He did to His disciples; yet He is present, yea, no less present with His own now, than He was then; but He is now present after a spiritual manner: and the faithful find His presence to be no less powerful, & effectual now, than it was then: for frō whence comes this unspeakable joy, comfort, and peace of conscience, which the faithful find in their meetings, but from the presence of Jesus? for except the Lord Jesus were present in our souls by His Spirit, it were not possible that we could find such a powerful working, and such sweet motions, and alterations in them. Vain and foolish men, who are touched with no sense of sin, disdains & scorns the meetings of the Saints, they think them all to be but fectlesse & for y e feshiō, they think they feed vpō fantasies: But y e faithful find by experience, that the presence of Christ in their meetings is so powerful, & comfortable, as no tongue can utter, nor the heart of man is able to conceive. And thou y t contemnest and scornest these meetings, thou shalt find one day, by sorrowful experience, of how great comforts thou hast deprived thyself: And if thy conscience were once wakened with the sense of sin, thou wouldest find, that there were no joy, nor comfort to thy soul, but by these meetings: Then thou wouldest have greater pleasure to frequent these meetings, thā ever thou hadst to eat or drink when thou werest hungry and dry. Now when y e Lord appears to them, what do they? what is their behavior? It is said, When they saw Him, they worshipped Him. What made them to fall down, and worship Him? What saw they into Him? No question they saw in Him a glorious Majesty. By all appearance at this time He has shown himself in greater glory than He did of before. So beholding His glory on the one part, and their own unworthiness on the other, as He approaches unto them, they humbly fall downne, and worship Him. This their behavior teaches us, that wheresoever the Lord of Glory is present, there He should be worshipped and adored: His presence requires adoration. Seest thou the Lord present with thee? Then in humility fall down, and worship Him. But thou wilt say, I cannot see Him, how then can I adore Him? Th'Apostles saw His glorious presence with their eyes, therefore they ought to have worshipped Him: but as for us, who live in these days, after His ascension to Heaven, we see Him not, and therefore how can we worship Him? But I answer thee, It is true, thou seest Him not now with the eyes of thy body, but thou seest Him with the eyes of thy soul, thou seest Him with the eyes of faith, thou seest Him in the word and Sacraments; first crucified, and then glorified. And if thou wilt not worship Him when thou seest Him here present in the word and Sacraments, thou wouldest not have worshipped Him if thou haddest seen Him with the eyes of thy body face to face. These profane bodies, who will not worship Him now when they see Him present in the mirror of the Gospel, they will never get leave to worship Him in the Kingdom of Heaven. Thinkest thou not that the Lord is seen present in His word? What means Paul then, when he says, that an unlearned man coming into the meetings of the faithful, where many are prophesying, finding himself rebuked and judged of all, and the secrets of his heart made man • fest, that he will fall down on his face, and worship GOD, and say plainly, That GOD is among them indeed. 1. Corinth. Chap. 14. verse. 24. and 25. What sees the unlearned man among them, that makes him to fall down and give such a confession? No question, but the glorious light of the GOSPELL shines into his soul, and Christ offers Himself present to be seen by the eye of faith. The faithful this day by experience find in their meetings, this same presence of the Lord: And therefore it becomes us, in all our meetings, ever to worship the Lord, and to sit with fear and reverence, to hear the word, and to prepare our hearts to receive the Holy Spirit, whom the Lord promises, and offers, with the preaching of the word to all His Chosen. Again, this their behavior teaches us, what force and power there is in the glorious presence of Christ Jesus. His presence is powerful to humble and bow both the body and soul of the creature. This made Paul to say, that at the Name of JESUS every knee should bow, both of things in Heaven and things in earth, and things under the earth, Philipp. chap. 2. verse. 20. For that sublimity and highness whereunto the Father hath exalted Him, is so effectual and powerful in all creatures, and of all sortes, that either sweetlie & willingly it moves them to worship Him in all humility; or else it breaks & bruises them with fearcenesse and violence, and compels out perforce obedience of them. The sight and sense of this sublimity and highness▪ makes the blessed Angels in Heaven, in all reverence to worship Him. The sense of this sublimity, makes the Saints on earth, when either they speak or hear of Him, reuerentlie and in humility to bow both their bodies and their souls unto Him. And by the contrary, The sight and sense of this same sublimity, raises up in the Devil and his angelles, such horroures and dread, as cannot be expressed. The sense of this sublimity, makes the wicked, howe proud and jollie soever they be in their own conceit, oft times, when they hear of Him, to quake and tremble.
The Evangelist Matthew notes, That notwithstanding of their worshipping of Him, yet some of them doubted. But who were these that doubted? Even some of these who before worshipped Him. And what moved them to doubt? Apparantly that same that before moved them to worship Him, moves them also now to doubt: to wit, that extraordinary & unaccustomed majesty and glory wherein Jesus appeared to them, which scarcely they could have deemed to be so great & wonderful. And certainly, the glory of the Lord, sitting this day in the Heauēs, at the right hand of the Father, is so exceeding great & wonderful, that if it were permitted to us to behold it, as it is with our bodily eyes (such is y e corruption of our nature) we could not but doubt whether He were y e Christ, who was so far humbled & abased in y e earth, & of whom we heard before in y e Gospel. Beside this cause, y e difficulty to believe this article of the Resurrectiō of y e dead seems likewise to have furthered their doubting: for indeed among all y e articles of our belief, there is none more contrary to nature, nor harder to believe, thā this article of y e Resurrectiō of our bodies frō y e dead. Nature can never be persuaded, y t a dead body, y t has been a prey to worms, & is resolved in dust & ashes, can rise up again to life. But, as of all articles there is none harder to be believed, so there is none more necessary to saluatiō, nor none that brings greater consolation. And therefore the Lord (that we might have the more full assurance and persuasion thereof) took great pains upon Himself, and for the space of forty days He remained upon the earth, after His Resurrection▪ and sundry times shown Himself to His Disciples, and many other of the Faithful, that all occasion of doubting might be removed, and so their joy and comfort might be the greater.
Now this doubting of the Disciples lets us see what is the disposition of the hearts of the Godly, even in their best exercises. For even their best exercises are ever accompanied with a piece of doubting, of want, of infirmity, &c. their worshipping of GOD is with doubting, their prayer is with infirmity, and wavering of the mind, their meditation falls from GOD, and spiritual things to carnal and earthly things, their hearing of the word, is ever with some piece of loathing, their Faith is mixed with infidelity: so that, before they can come to any great measure of grace, they must strive and wrestle through many infirmities, and overcome many difficulties and temptations: so that the best man, even in his best works, hath no matter of rejoicing, if the Lord would enter in judgment with him. Ye have heard the disciples behavior, now look how the Lord meets them: First, He draws nearer to them, and then He enters in communing with them: for it is said, Jesus came and spake unto them : He approached to them, partly, that He might take away all occasion of doubting from them, partly, that with the greater profit and commodity He might instruct them, and that His teaching might be the more powerful and fruitful: for no question, while He draws nearer to them with His body, & offers Himself to be seen more clearly with y e bodily eyes, in y e mean time He draws nearer to them inwardly, & joins Himself by His Spirit more powerfully and familiarly to their souls: for this is the accustomed dealing of the Lord, when by the word He is purposed to be effectual and powerful in the soul of any man, He draws near them by His Spirit: whereas by the contrary, when He is not of purpose to be effectual by his word, in the heart, He approaches not inwardly to the soul, but He holds Himself a far off, and gives them only a show of His power and glory outwardly a far off.
Now follows the Lord's cōmuning with His Disciples: wherein He gives them a commission, to go out and preach to the world, baptizing them that believe. But before He gives them this commission, by way of preface, He sets down the ground of this commission: to wit, that power and authority which He had: for says He, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth: for it was necessary that the Apostles should be informed of this His power and authority, which He had given Him, to the end, that knowing that infinite power, whereupon their commission and Apostleship was grounded, they might the more cheerfully and willingly with free hearts, and open mouths discharge their commission & message, being assured, that they had Him, who was Lord of Heaven and Earth, to be their protector & maintainer. Mark this, Brethren, This Ministry of the Gospel, albeit it be but a sort of service in the Church of God (it is no Lordship) and albeit men count very basely of it, and esteem it of all callings in the world, to be the most vile and contemptible: yet it is grounded upon such a power as far surpasses all the power of all the Kings and Monarchs of the earth: and it is the Lord's will, that both the Ministers themselves, and likewise the people that hears them, have their eyes fixed, and be exercised continually in the contemplation and consideration of that incomprehensible and infinite power, whereupon this Ministry is grounded: to the end, that both the Ministers may the more cheerfully and courageously discharge their calling, and also the people that hear them be not offended, nor stumble at the baseness of this outward form of the ministry, not measuring the Majesty and glory of the Gospel, preached unto them by the outward show and form which they see, but by the infinite and incomprehensible power of the Lord, whereupon it is grounded. Next, it is to be marked that He says, All power is given me, not in heaven only, but also in earth : He joins them both together, and that for the comfort of His Apostles, whom He was to send out, and of the Ministers who were to follow them to the end of the world: for when He says, that all power was given to Him in the earth, it serves to encourage the Apostles, and all Ministers in the Church faithfully and cheerfully to discharge their calling, so long as they remain here in the earth, and grounding and anchoring themselves upon that infinite power which the Lord Jesus hath upon the earth, to strive and fight courageously and boldly against the assaults of Satan, against the allurements of sin, against the fear and terror of trouble and persecution, & against the manners and behavior of this unthankful world, as assured, that His almighty power in the earth, shall guard & defend them in their calling, so long as the Lord hath a work ado with them. Again, when He says, that all power was given to Him in Heaven, it serves to comfort the Apostles & Ministers upon the hope of a reward, that after they have discharged their duty in their calling, & after they have striven against all difficulties, & hath overcome all temptations, at last they should wait for the Kingdom of Heaven, where they shall rest from their labors, & enjoy the presence of their Lord & King forever, 1 Cor. 15.19. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, of all men we are the most miserable : By the which words, He means, if the power of Jesus Christ, whereupon we repose & anchore our selves, extended no further, than within the bounds of this present life, then our estate & condition of all men were most miserable: yet ere we leave these words, it is to be considered, what manner of power this is, whereof he speaks, & whereupon their Apostleship is grounded: that ye may understand this the better, ye must consider, that there is a twofold power in the Lord Jesus the Son of God: the first is heritably, the other purchased: The first He hath as the Son of God, equal with the Father, before the foundations of the world were laid, & of this He speaks in His Prayer to His Father before His Passion: Father, glorify me with thine own self, with that glory which I had with thee, before the world was, John. 17.5. The other, the Son of God, Jesus Christ purchased to Himself for our cause, when He made Himself of no reputation, and took on Him the form of a servant, humbled Himself, and became obedient to the death, even to the death of the Cross: for the Lord then exalted Him highly, and gave Him a Name above every Name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, both of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, Philip. 2.6. Here the Apostle speaks of that power, which He as a Mediator, acquired by His perfect obedience in all things, and of this acquired power it is which the Lord speaks in this place: for frō this power which He purchased to Himself, by His obedience in our flesh, proceeds the Gospel: from this power proceeds the Ministry in the Church: from this power proceeds Salvation to the world: for that heritāble power which the Son of God, had with the Father from all eternity, without the manhead of Christ, and His acquired power by His obedience, would never serve to bring life & Salvation to sinners.
Now to come to the sending out of the Apostles: He says, Go therefore and teach all Nations, baptizing them : In these words He gives them their commission, and committes unto them the Ministry, and office of the Apostleship, commanding them to go forth to all Nations, to teach and baptize them: for the Lord sets down here distinctly three points of their calling: First, y t they should go forth to all Nations of the world not holding themselves within y e narrow bounds of y e land of Judea, as they did before: Next y t they should preach y e Gospel: thirdly, y t they should baptize, that is, y t by baptism they should seal up y t Gospel which they had teached before, But to whō should they go out? to whō should they preach? Whome should they baptize? Not the Jews only, but all Nations: & Mark says, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature: As if He had said, My power is extended to all Nations, to every creature: and therefore this my Gospel, & your Ministry, whereby my power is manifested and declared to all, must likewise be extended to all creatures in the world. These words of the Lord furnishes us sundry lessons for our instruction: First, we may learn here, that this office of the Apostleship, which the Lord committes to His Disciples, is not a bare style of honor, No, but it is a laborious and painful charge and calling: they are commanded to go out into the world, to preach diligently the Gospel to every creature. The Pope, his Cardinals and Bishops, vaunt & brag, that they are the successors of the Apostles: they clame this as a style of honor to themselves: but in the mean time they refuse to undertake any pains and travel for man's salvation, as the Apostles did: these idle bellies live in carnal security and sensuality, taking their pleasure and pastime, and deceitfully gather in to themselves the substance of the world, and commit the charge of Preaching to Vicares and Curates, as if the Gospel were too base an exercise for them, and a thing whereof they had just occasion to be ashamed: and therefore let them clame what stiles they list to themselves, they are nothing less than successors to the Apostles: Next, these words lets us see, that there are two points of y e Ministry: for y e Lord gives His Apostles commission to preach the Gospel, & to baptize: so the Ministers have these two things enjoined unto them: to preach the word, & to minister the Sacraments: we hear nothing spoken here of offering of a Sacrifice, either bloody, or unbloody, or of a Priesthood: and no question, if there had been such a thing, or at least, if it had been a matter of such importance, & so necessary, as the Pope & his shavelings say, the Lord would altogether have misknowne it, & passed it over with silence, but He would have spoken something of it to His Apostles: so it is but a folly & vanity, to think, that since Christ hath once offered Himself a propitiatory Sacrifice for y e Redemption of the world, that now there remains any propitiatory Sacrifice in the Church. The Lord hath put an end to them all by His death & Sacrifice: there is no Priesthood committed either to the Apostles before, or to the Ministers now, but that, whereby y e preaching of y e word they offer the souls of men & womē in a Sacrifice to y e Lord: Away with that devilish sacrifice of y e Mass, whereby the Pope and his Clergy deceives the world, making men believe, that daily they offer up Christ again, as a propitiatory sacrifice to the Father, for the sins of the quick and the dead. No, there is no propitiatory sacrifice now left to the Church. That sacrifice which the Lord once offered upon y e cross, is sufficient & perfect enough, to take away the sins of y e world. Thirdly, these words teach us, y e these two points of the calling of the Ministry, Teaching & Baptizing, were not committed to diverse & sundry persons; but both were committed to one & y e self same person. So that he who is ordained to preach, is ordained to baptize: and he who cannot preach, has no power nor liberty granted him of the Lord, to baptize: and if he baptize, he does it without the Lord's commandment, he has no warrant of Him: and therefore his doing is but a profanation of that Holy Sacrament of Baptism. This baptizing of infants, which is ministered by private men, has no warrant nor allowāce of God, much less that which is done by women. Fourthly, out of these words we may learn, what order ought to be kept in the ministering of Baptism to wit, the word must be first preached, the covenant of grace and the glad tidings of salvation must be first opened up unto us: and then Baptism should be ministered, to seal up that same word and covenant, which before was preached. Wherefore serves Baptism, except first the word be preached? Baptism is a seal. And what serves y e seal for, if there be nothing to be sealed? Wherefore can it serve, if the charter of the word precede not. Therefore, except the preaching of the covenant of grace preceede, Baptism is nothing, but an unprofitable ceremony, and a dead element. Now in whose name should this Sacrament of Baptism be ministered? The Lord says, IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SONNE, AND OF THE HOLY GHOST: That is, Ye shall baptize, by the authority & power of the Father, the Son, & of the Holy Ghost. Whereof we have to learn, That the power & efficacy of Baptism depends neither upon the power of the Minister, who baptizes, nor upon the force nor power of the words pronounced by the Minister in Baptism, as if there were any such power or operation in the words, as the Papists falsely attribute unto them: but all the force & efficacy of Baptism depends upon the power of God only. And therefore, it is the duty of him who is baptized, to lift up his eyes & his heart to Heaven, and to crave the blessing & efficacy thereof from God only. Next, it would be noeed, y t He says not in a general term, Baptise in the name of God : but He says distinctly, Baptise in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Therefore it is the duty of him who is baptized, not to content himself with a confused knowledge and consideration of God, but he ought to behold that glorious Majesty, & y t incomprehensible essence distinctly in the Trinity of the persons: that is, three distinct persons in one Godhead: for faith is a distinct & a clear knowledge & apprehension of the Majesty of God: for whosoever truly and sincerely believes, & puts his confidence in God, he finds sensibly by experience, that all good things flowe first from the Father, as the fountain of all grace and goodness, through the Son, as Mediator, by whom all grace is conveyed and communicated unto men: and by the Holy Ghost, who powerfully & effectually works all grace in y e heart. Last, we see here a clear and a plain naming of the three distinct persons of the Godhead, the Lord names distinctly, The Father, the Son, & the holy Ghost. In all the Old Testament, we will not read so plain & clear a distinction of y e three persons of y e Godhead. Then learn here, that Jesus Christ the Son of God brought first of all into the world a distinct knowledge of God: and that He first of all distinctly named, The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Indeed it is true, that God was known in the Trinity of persons in some sort by the Fathers, who lived under the Old Testament, before Christ's manifestation in the flesh: but the knowledge which they had was obscure and confused, in respect of that knowledge which JESUS brought into the world at His coming: but chiefly this distinct knowledge of the three persons of the Godhead, was manifested after Christ's Resurrection from the dead, and His Glorification: for Christ glorified, is chiefly the image of the invisible God, and the brightness of His glory, and the engraven form of His person. And from Christ glorified, especially proceeds th'effectual operation of the Holy Spirit, in the souls of His Elect. All tendes to this, To let you see, that the clear and distinct knowledge of the Godhead, in the Trinity of the persons, proceeded chiefly from the Kingdom of Christ, and from His glory. Now to this God, one in essence, in three persons, The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be all praise, honor and glory for evermore, Amen.
THE LIV. LECTURE, OF THE RESVRRECTION OF CHRIST.
MATTH. CHAP. XXVIII.
[verse 20] Teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I have commanded you: and loe, I am with you always, until the ende of the world, Amen.
MARKE, CHAP. XVI.
[verse 16] He that shall believe, and be baptized, shall be saved: but he that will not believe, shall be damned.
[verse 17] And these tokens shall follow them that believe: In my Name they shall cast out devils, and shall speak with new tongues,
[verse 18] And shall take away serpentes: and if they shall drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them: they shall lay their hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
T HE last day (Welbeloued Brethren in Christ) we began to speak of the nine appearings of the Lord to the Disciples, as it is set down by Matthew and Mark. He appeared to them in a Mountain of Galilie, where He had appointed them to meet Him. We heard what was the Disciples behavior: The sight of that glorious Majesty made them to fall down and worship Him: yet in the mean time some of them doubted: and therefore the LORDE, to confirm them, draws near unto them, and enters into communication with them: and in His communing, first He tells what power and authority was given Him, both in Heaven and earth: to the ende He might move them the more willingly and chearefullie to undertake the office of the Apostleship. Then when He has laid down this power, as a ground of their office and Ministry, He sends them out in the world, charging them first to go to all Nations: Next, to preach to every creature: And thirdly, To baptize, in the Name and authority of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Now in these words, first He tells them what doctrine they should teach to the world, then he makes them a threefold promise: The first is of life and salvation to then that believe and are baptized: The seconde is a promise of th'extraordinary and miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit: The third is a promise of His own glorious and powerful presence with them in discharging of their calling, & that not for a season, but to continue to th'ende of the world. Then in the first words which we have read, He tells them what they should teach: not all things, not everything that they pleased themselves: but He says, Teach them to observe all things whatsoever J have commanded you. So He restrains the doctrine that they should teach unto the world, unto that doctrine which He Himself first had taught them. In the 14. Chapter of John, verse. 26. after He has first promised the Holy Spirit, to teach His Apostles all things, then He tells what He means by All these things, which His Spirit should teach: and He bounds them, and restrains them, to that doctrine, which He Himself had taught them before: For, says He, he shall bring all things to your remembrance, which I have told you. Even so here He restrains the preaching of the Apostles, to these things which He Himself had taught them. So mark this lesson: The doctrine of Jesus Christ, which He delivered the time that He lived in the world, and had His conversation among men, is the ground, the rule, and the measure of all true doctrine. The Spirit of the Lord Jesus, whom He left behind Him, to be His vicegerent in th'earth, kept precisely this rule: He taught not so much as one sentence in substance, but that which CHRIST had taught before. Th'Apostles, whom He sent out into the world, declined not one jot from this rule: for they taught the world nothing but that which the Holy Spirit had furnished and suggested unto them before: and that Spirit taught them nothing, but that which JESUS had taught them before. So that the doctrine of the H. Spirit, & the Apostles, come all wholly from Jesus, as th'only doctor & teacher of His Church, of whom the Father said in His baptism & trāsfiguratiō, Hear him. So it should be w t ministers and Teachers of the Church to the end of the world, they should make Christ's doctrine to be the rule of all their doctrine, they should teach nothing but that which Christ teached before them: the faithful Ministers of Christ in all ages have striven to do so: they confirmed all their doctrine, so far as they could, to the doctrine of Christ. Indeed it is true, through process of time, corrupt men entered in the Church, who respected not God, nor His glory, nor the well and salvation of men, but their own honor, their own lusts, and their belly, who taught the world, not the doctrine of Christ, the way of life, but their own fantasies, dreams, and traditions. We may see this lamentable experience this day in the kingdom of the Antichrist: What teaches the Pope and his Clergy to the world? Not the word of God: Not the doctrine of Christ: Not that doctrine which the Holy Spirit furnished to the Apostles: not that which the Apostles have left in register this day: they make not that to be the rule of their preaching, but they teach their own vanities, devised by themselves: they teach men's traditions: they teach unwritten verities, as they call them, which are for the moste parte altogether repugnant to the doctrine of Christ. The Lord save us from their doctrine, wherewith they poison the world, and bring men to perdition. Now, as the Pastors are obliged to teach nothing but the doctrine of Christ, so are the people bound to hear, and receive none other doctrine, but the doctrine of Christ: and for this cause, they should pray earnestly, for the Holy Spirit, who is promised to His own, to illuminate their minds, and to give them the gift of discretion, to discern spirits, as also, they should be diligently exercised in reading, and considering the Olde and New Testament, the writings of the Prophets and Apostles, which contain exactly the doctrine of Christ necessary to salvation.
Now, let us consider in order, the promises which the Lord joins with this commission that He gives to His Apostles: the first two are set down in Mark, the third in Matthew : the first promise is of everlasting life and salvation, to all that believe by their Ministry, and are baptized by them: He that shall believe, and be baptized, shall be saved. This promise of life and salvation that He subjoins to the preaching and baptizing of the Apostles, was, no doubt, to move and allure men upon the consideration of so fair and great benefi • es, that they should receive them the more willingly, to believe in the Lord Jesus: With this promise to them that believe, He joins a denunciation of judgment against all those who would not believe by their Ministry, He denounces eternal death, and damnation against them: He that will not believe, says He, shall be condemned. So that, as on the one part, He promises a fair reward, to move men to believe: so on the other part, He threatens a fearful judgment against them that believe not, but despises the Apostles doctrine, to make men to abhor and detest that abhominable sin of infidelity. Upon this promise of reward, and threatening of judgment: first, we learn this lesson: The Ministry of the Gospel is ever effectual and powerful in men, either one way or other: for seeing, this Ministry of the Gospel, which from the Apostles days continues, and shall continue to the ende of the world, is grounded upon that incomprehensible power that fills both heaven and earth, howe is it possible, but it must be mighty and powerful? It must be powerful, either to life and salvation: or else, to death and damnation: to life to them that believe: to death to them that believe not. Therefore Paul says, that always they triumphed, and were victorious in Christ, and that they were a favor to God, both in them that are saved, and in them who perish: In them who are saved, they were the savor of life unto life: but in them who perish, they were the savor of death unto death, 2. Cor. 2.14. The Apostle in these words, lets us see, that the preaching of the Gospel is ever powerful and effectual in all sorts of men. Alas, men count too lightly: yea, despise, contemn and scorn this preaching, as if it were a matter of none effect, and the word of man and not of God: but take heed, how thou hearest the Gospel: for thou shalt find it to be the most powerful thing that ever was, and if it be not powerful to work life and salvation, it shall work death and damnation in thee: Next, we learn out of these words, that Faith, Righteousness, Salvation, and all spiritual graces, are so tied and bound to this Ministry of the Gospel, that whosoever submits himself to this Ministry, and conforms himself to the Gospel, he shall attain to Faith, Righteousness, Life and Salvation: and by the contrary: whosoever contemns this Ministry, he shall never get any spiritual grace: no Faith, no Righteousness, no Life, no Salvation but by this Gospel. But ye will say, We should not tie nor bind the grace of God to those external things? We should not restrain God's working to the outward Ministry. Indeed, I grant, the grace of GOD, is not so tied to these ordinary means, and outward helps, which are daily used in the Church, but that ye may work without them, and that ye may work immediately by His own Spirit, in whom, and when He pleases: but it is as true, that whosoever contemns those outward ordinary means, which the LORD hath ordained to be used: he shall be deprived of all spiritual grace, of Faith, of Righteousness, of Salvation: For Faith, says Paul, is by hearing, and hearing by the word of God preached, Rom. Chapter 10. verse 17. Many foolish men with-draw themselves from the outward Ministry, from the means of grace, and are exercised in pastime, in drinking, in harlotry, and yet they will say: they will come to Heaven as soon as the best of them, but they deceive themselves: for if thou contemnest these outward means, which the LORD hath ordained, thou shalt never get no grace, the gates of Heaven shall be closed on thee, thy portion shall be with the Devil and His Angels: Thirdly, we may mark out of this promise, an excellent and worthy effect of Faith: to wit, Salvation and eternal life: for He says, He that believeth, shall be saved. But we may not think, that this effect proceeds from the force, power, worthiness and merits of Faith: No, but this effect of life and Salvation proceeds only from the virtue, power and merit of Christ, which the soul apprehends: for this Life and Salvation stays and abides so plenteously, and in such abundance in Christ, that as soon as we put out the hand of Faith, and takes hold of Him, so soon will we find that life of CHRIST conveyed into our souls. His life is made ours by Faith: In Christ there dwells such a marvelous and glorious light, that when we approach to Him by Faith, by the beams of His brightness, He shines in our hearts, that we may get the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus, 2. Cor. Chapter 4. verse 6. By Faith His light is made ours: in Christ there is such a wonderful and incomprehensible glory, that as soon as with open face with the eye of Faith we behold Him in the mirror of the Gospel, as soon are we transformed in the same Image from glory to glory, 2 Cor. 3.18. by Faith His glory is made ours, & when we shall see Him face to face, & whē Faith shall be turned into sight, He shall perfect our glory, He shall change our vile bodies, that they may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working, whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself. Philip. chap. 3. verse. 21. Seeing then so excellent and worthy are th'effects of faith, we ought both carefully to use th'ordinary means whereby faith is wrought: and also pray earnestly, that the Lord would give a blessing to them, and by them work faith in our hearts: that so we may enjoye all these graces and benefits. Fourthly, we see in this promise of life and salvation, that the Lord joins Baptism with faith in Christ: For, says He, he that shall believe, and be baptized, shall be saved. We may not understand this so, as if Baptism were either simply a cause, or an half cause of salvation: No, it has no respect of a cause in the salvation of man: but it is joined to Faith, as a sign, and an outward mark, to testify and bear witness of the cause, to wit, Faith in Jesus Christ: and in such sort it must follow upon Faith, and be conjoined with it, that he who believes would wish to be baptized, it is not possible that he can contemn Baptism: And, if a man contemn Baptism, let him boast of his faith as he pleases, that contempt is a sure token, that he had never faith, neither shall he get eternal life. So Baptism in some respect is necessary to salvation: that is, it must not be contemned, or neglected: for if a man contemn or neglect it, he cannot get salvation: but it is not simply and absolutely necessary to salvation: that is, incase a man contemn it not, nor neglect it, he may be saved without it. It is the contempt, and not the want of it that hurtes man, for a man may be engraffed in Christ by Faith, and may be saved by Christ, without the seal of Baptism: for the grace of God is not so bound and tied to th'ordinary means and outward helps, but that the Lord may work without them when and where He pleases. And the Lord Jesus as apparently imports no less in these words, than that Baptism is not absolutely necessary to salvation: for when after the promise He sets down the cause of damnation, He speaks not a word of Baptism, for He says only, He that believes not shall be damned : of set purpose He leaves out Baptism. And if it had been absolutely necessary to salvation, no question He would not have misknowne it, and passed it by. Now last, mark the meaning of these words, He that believes not. This negation and want of faith comprehendes first, all sin whatsoever against the moral Law, whether it be original sin, wherein we are conceived and borne, or actual sin, proceeding from original sin: for if we have not Faith in the Lord Jesus, all these sins whatsoever will be laid to our charge, & will bring us to damnation. Next, this negation and want of Faith, comprehends that infidelity, rebellion, & stubburnesse, whereby men disdainfully refuse & reject that grace which the Lord offers freely in Jesus Christ to sinners, & this sin of infidelity, of all sins is the greatest, & most detestable: and therefore procures most speedy, fearful & heavy judgment, and therefore Christ says, He that believes not, is condemned already, Joh. 3 18. These words importr that there is no delay of judgment to him, who disdainfully rejects grace, but the judgment is present and already past against him: and he gives a reason, taken from that rebellion and repining against the Majesty of the only begotten Son of God, he is condemned already, says he, Because he hath not believed in the Name of that only begotten Son of God. The Lord save us from this cursed sin of infidelity: for where it is, all other sins are laid to men's charge, it & draws out most speedily most fearful judgments.
Now, it follows, that we speak of the second promise to them that believe: These tokens shall follow them that believe in my Name, they shall cast out devils, and shall speak with new tongues, and shall take away serpents, and if they shall drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them, they shall lay their hands on the sick, and they shall recover. The former promise, was, of life eternal to them who believe, this promise is of the gift of working miracles, He promises that the Holy Spirit should give to them that believe, a power & gift to work miracles. We may not think, that this power is common to all, & that every particular Christian who believes, should have this gift, neither must we think, that it should be extended to all times, and ages. But this promise is to be restrained to a certain number of particular persons, on whom it shall please the Lord, to bestow this gift of working of miracles, and it is to be restrained & bounded within a certain time: it must be restrained to that first age and infancy of the Church, to the first time that the Gospel began to be preached, for then it was expedient and necessary that the Gospel which was unknown, and not heard of before to the world, should be confirmed by miracles: and therefore we ought not to look for new miracles in this age wherein we live, because the Gospel is already sufficiently confirmed by the miracles wrought in that first age of the Church, by Christ and His Apostles, and them that immediately succeeded. The Papists, indeed, brag much of miracles that are daily wrought in their Church, but their miracles are such as Christ foretold: that false Christ's, and false Apostles should work, and that the Antichrist should work at his coming, Matth. 24.24. And they are these, which Paul calls lying signs and wonders, which notwithstanding he says, are effectual in them who perish, because they received not the love of the truth. Now, ye see here, there is a promise of sundry great and excellent things to be wrought by some of the faithful in the first age of the Church: as namely, casting out of Devils, of speaking with new tongues, taking away serpents, the drinking of deadly and poisonable things, without harm, the healing of sick folks, by laying on of their hands, wherein, I purpose not particularly, to insist, but only to mark some things generally for our edification. Consider first, the order of these promises which the Lord makes to them which believe: First, He promises life & Salvation: thereafter, He promises working of miracles: the promise of life, is a promise of the greatest miracle, that ever was wrought in the world: as for other miracles, they are but works, signs and tokens of that life & Salvation that was to be wrought, which far surpasses all other miracles. The Lord Himself testifies unto us, that all the miracles which were wrought in the first age of the Church, were counted but like as many fignes and tokens of life and Salvation to be wrought by Him. When He says, Matth. 9.6. That ye may know, that the Son of man, hath authority on earth to forgive sins, I will restore to health this man that is sick of the Palsy: then He says to the sick man, Arise, take up thy bed, and go to thine house. Where He lets us see, that the miracle of bodily health, was a sign & token of a greater grace & miracle, evē, of Remissiō of sins, & life everlasting. Whereupō we mark this lesson: That Faith is never without some miracle: it hath ever one miracle or other following upon it. Indeed, it hath not always with it such miracles as were wrought in the first age of the Church: as casting out of devils, healing of diseases: yet it never wants that greatest miracle of all, the miracle of Regeneration, of life and Salvation, which Christ Himself lets us see, is more to be marveled at, than all the miracles here promised: for when the seventy disciples, who were sent out with power to work miracles, returned rejoicing that they had wrought such great things, that they had cast out devils, and healed diseases, He said unto them: Albeit I have given you power to cast out devils, to tread on serpents, and scorpions, and that nothing shall hurt you, Nevertheless, in this rejoice not, but rather rejoice that your names are written in Heaven, Luke 10.17. There He willes them, to count life and Salvation to be a greater miracle than all others. Peter testifies likewise, that whē the Gentiles in that first age of the Church, saw them that were converted to the Lord Jesus, not walking after their old manner, in wantonness, lusts, drunkenness, &c. it seemed strange to them, they marveled much, that they ran not with them unto the same excess of riot, as they were wount to do, 1. Epist. 4.4. Where he tells us, that the conversion of sinners was a wonder to the Gentiles: and indeed, it was no marvel, that they counted so of it: for a man truly renewed by the Spirit of grace, and converted unto Christ, is a wonder of the world: and thou who art renewed by the Spirit of Jesus, and have gotten an assurance of the Remission of thy sins, of life and salvation, thou wilt never seek any new outward miracles, to confirm to thee the truth of the Gospel: for thine own salvation will confirm thee more, than all the miracles in the world can do. Again, consider here, that this gift of working of miracles, follows not ever, nor absolutely that justifying Faith, but this gift of working of miracles requires further, another sort of Faith, which we call the Faith of miracles, which is nothing else, but a special and extraordinary gift of the Holy Ghost, whereby some of the faithful in that first age of the Church, were able to work miracles and wonders: and this Faith of miracles is grounded upon some particular promises and sensible persuasions in their hearts, who get that extraordinary gift, that God by them at such times, and upon such persons, and such occasions would work miracles. This would be marked against the Papists, who confound this Faith of miracles with justifying Faith: for they say: to work miracles, none other Faith is required, but this true Faith, which we call justifying Faith, whereas, indeed, they are two different Faiths, of diverse kinds & natures.
Thus shortly of the second promise: Now it rests, that we speak of the third promise, which we have set down by Matthew in the last words of his Gospel: there he says, Loe, I am with always unto the ende of the world. This promise the Lord makes unto His Apostles, to whom He had given commission to go into the world, to preach the Gospel, and to baptize, & with this sweet & comfortable promise He ends His cōmuning, that at this time He had with them: as in the beginning of His cōmuning, to the end He might encourage them the more cheerfully, and courageously to undertake and discharge that high and painful calling of the Apostleship, He shown and declared unto them His great and incomprehensible power which He had given Him, both in Heaven and in earth: so here He closes up His communing with them with a promise of the presence of that same incomprehensible power: for, says He, I am with you always unto the end of the world: A promise moste excellent, and full of heavenly consolation, as if He had said, I, even I, who have all power given me, both in Heaven & & in earth, I shall be with you, not to remain with you for a season, but forever, unto the end of the world, & not at certain diets, and with any intermission, but always, every day, & at all times.
Mark well the degrees of this promise: First, there is a promise of an infinite and incomprehensible power: Next, there is a promise of the presence of this His power with them: Thirdly, He promises that this power shall not be present with them for a certain time only, but even to the ende of the world: Fourthly, He promises it shall be present unto the end of the world, not by set diets and days, but without any intermission.
But is this promise made unto the Disciples absolutely, without any condition? No, it is not absolute, but conditional: and what is the condition? Even that same which He set down in the words immediately preceeding: if the Apostles teached men to observe all things whatsoever He commanded them: that is, That they teached these things which He had taught them before, all these things, and no other thing.
This promise which here He makes to His Apostles, is extended unto the Ministry in all ages: yea, even to the Ministry, at this present time: for the LORD says, I shall be with you unto the ende of the world : But so it is, that the Apostles are now dead, they are no more in the world: therefore this promise is made unto the Ministers of the CHURCH, to the successors of the Apostles, who should remain in the Church until CHRISTES coming to judgment. Then all Ministers who faithfully discharges their duty in their calling, and sincerely teaches all these things, and only these things which CHRIST taught, and commanded them to preach, have in this promise great matter of comfort and rejoicing. The Lord requires faithfulness and painfulness in the Pastor, in discharging of his calling: and if he labor faithfully and painfullie in his Ministry, let him commit the issue and success unto Him, who has promised, never to leave His own, but continually to bless their travels with His presence.
Now as it is required of the Pastor, that he should be painful and careful in his calling, to the ende that he may enjoye this presence: So it is the duty of the people, to have a care, that the Pastor be not abstracted and withdrawn from his charge by wordlie affairs: For, says PAUL, no man that warreth, entangleth himself with the affairs of this life, 2. Timoth. 2. 4. And if so they do, they shall be partakers of this same presence which the LORDE promises here to His Disciples: for the presence which the Lord has promised and gives to the Pastor, is not for himself only, but it redoundes to the weal and commodity of the people also: The Pastors blessing, is the people's blessing: And by the contrary, the curse that the Lord lays upon the Pastor, is for a curse to the people, upon whom the Lord will be avenged for the contempt of the Ministry.
The Papists brag much of this promise, and they gather upon it, That the Church cannot err: for, say they, seeing the LORDE hath promised to be with His own unto the ende of the world, howe can it be possible, that He can leave His Church, that it can err? But if they weigh aright the condition whereupon the promise is grounded, they may see, that they have no matter of bragging: For, as we shown you before, this promise, That the Lord will be with them, is not made absolutely, and in all cases, howsoever they behave themselves: but upon this condition. He promises His presence, That they teach men these things, which He hath taught them before, that they teach all these things, only these things, and none other things. So that if they teach not these things, but their own dreams and fantasies, they have nothing ado with this promise: for if they keep not the condition, what warrant can they have to look for the promise.
Now howe far the Papists are from keeping this condition, from teaching the doctrine of Christ only, it is more than manifest, and they are blind that sees it not: for instead of the doctrine of the Gospel, they teach their own traditions, dreams, and fantasies: They have banished the Spirit of Truth, and have bewitched the world with their lies and vanities. Therefore, seeing the felicity and happiness both of Pastor and people stands in this, To find the Lord's presence with them in this pilgrimage, the Lord grant, that both Pastor and people may strive carefully to hold fast the doctrine of the Gospel: and that they may conform their lives thereunto, that so with confidence they may claim to this promise of the presence of Christ: To whom with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, be all praise and honor, for evermore: AMEN.
THE LV. LECTURE, OF THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST.
MARKE, CHAP. XXVI.
[verse 19] So after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received into heaven, and sat at the right hand of God.
LUKE, CHAP. XXIIII.
[verse 50] Afterward he led them out into Bethania, and lift up his hands, and blessed them.
[verse 51] And it came to pass, that as he blessed them, he departed from them, and was carried up into heaven.
[verse 52] And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.
ACTS, CHAP. I.
[verse 6] When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel?
[verse 7] And he said unto them, It is for you to know the times, or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
[verse 8] Bu ye shall receive power of the holy Ghost, when he shall come on you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost partes of the earth.
[verse 9] And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up: for a cloud took him up out of their sight.
[verse 10] And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven, as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,
B ELOVED BRETHREN IN CHRIST, we have already insisted at length in the History of the LORDES Resurrection: wherein we shown you, how often He appeared to His own, and especially to His Apostles: to the ende, that not only they themselves might be more fully persuaded of His Resurrection: but also with the greater confidence and liberty they might speak thereof to others. In His last appearing to His Apostles, we saw He gave them a commission and charge, To go out to the world, to preach the Gospel, and to baptize, In the Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: but He willes them to teach nothing else, but only these things, & all these things which He had taught them before. And to the end He might the more easily move them willingly and cheerfully to undertake & discharge this calling; first He sets down His unspeakable & incomprehensible power wherupō is is grounded, showing them, that all power in heavē & in earth was given unto him : Next, He subjoins a threefold promise of blessing to them in the discharging of their Ministry. The first is a promise of life & salvation to them who believe, & are baptized. The second is a promise of th'extraordinary & miraculous gifts of the H. Spirit. The third is a promise of His own powerful presence to continue with them unto the end of the world: upon condition, That they faithfully discharge their calling, & teach these things, all these things, & only these things, which the Lord had taught, & no other. Now it rests, that we speak of the History of His Ascension to Heaven, which we have briefelie, and in few words, in th'Evangelists: for Matthew and John makes no mention of it: Mark touches it shortly in his Gospel. Luke also speaks something of it in his Gospel, but he insistes in it more largely, in setting down the Circumstances of it in the first Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles: In the words which we have presently read, we will see, how the LORD leads His Disciples out to Bethania, we will see what conference & communication is betwixt the Lord and them, we will show how He blessed them, we will see the manner of His Ascension, & what was the behavior of the Apostles, while He was ascending to Heaven, and looked steadfastly to the Heaven, as He went up.
Then to come to the words, Luke says, He led them out into Bethania. This was the place from the which the Lord ascended up to the Heaven: and therefore of set purpose He leads them out of Jerusalem to this place. They come not to this place by fortune or chance, they come not there of their own accord, or upon any foresight that they themselves had: No, but they were led out of Jerusalem, to see that glorious Ascension of Christ, and to be partakers of His grace. But who led them out? It is said, The Lord led them out : none comes to grace by aim, none comes to the place where grace is in dealing by fortune or chance: No, it is the Lord which leads them, as then the Lord led His Apostles, as it were by the hand, to Bethania, to see His glory, and to be made partakers of grace: so it is always by the LORD'S secret and powerful providence, that any man comes to the place where the LORD distributes His grace: for says CHRIST, No man can come to me, except that Father who hath sent me, draw him, John. Chapter 6. verse 44. Therefore, if thou findest at any time by this Ministry, grace to be communicated into thy soul in His Church, ascribe never the praise of it to thyself, or to thy travel, but give the praise and honor of all to the LORD JESUS, who had a care of thee, and by His gracious providence b • ought thee there. But who are these whom the Lord leads out? Not all they who heard Him, who knew Him, who had conversed with Him, but it is only His Disciples whom the Lord led out, these only whom He used most familiarly, whom He loved most tenderly, and who in a manner were His domestiques. The number of them whom the LORD chooses and leads out to grace at any time is not great, they are but few in respect of the multitude whom the Lord passes by, but especially at this time it was the LORDES pleasure to choose but a few to be eye-witnesses of His glorious Ascēsiō: for it was y e Lord's will, that His Ascensiō should rather be manifested & made known to the world by hearing, than by seeing: for y e Lord prefers, & likes better of that faith y t coms by hearing, though̄ of that faith y t proceeds of seeing: for He says to Thomas, Because thou hast seen me, thou believest: but blessed are these that have not seen, and have believed. Joh. 20.29. Mark a manifest difference betwixt y e suffering & crucifying of the Lord, & His Resurrection & Ascension: When y e Lord was crucified all sort of people beheld Him: there were gathered a great multitude not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles, out of many nations (for it was a solemn time, the time of y e Pass • over, ) but there were not so many y t beheld His Resurrection, nor Ascension: for it was His pleasure to manifest Himself after His Resurrection to a small number of His own familiars, namely, His disciples & Apostles: & likewise it was His pleasure, to make choice but of a few of that same sort to be eye-witnesses of His glorious Ascēsion: for He would have His glory to be made manifest to y e world rather by the preaching of y e Gospel, than by the sight of the eyes. Of this difference we learn this lesson for our instruction, That the shame & ignominy of Christ is offered to be seen of all sorts of mē: but His glory is manifested only to a small number, even to those who are saved by His blood. The shame & ignominy of Christ in His menbers, is laid to th'eyes of all sorts of men: there are none who sees not how vile & contemptible the faithful are under the cross: but the glory of the faithful is seen but of a few, evē only of those who are ordained to be partakers of that same glory: For albeit, says John, that now we are the sons of God, yet it is not made manifest what we shall be. 1. Epist. 3. 2. And as the Apostle Paul says of y • Jews, If they had known the Lord of glory, they would not have crucified him. 1. Cor. 2.8. So say we of the wicked of the world, If they knew that glory of the children of God, they would not so contemn them, despise, & persecute thē The place y t He leads thē to, is said to be Bethania : and Act. 1.12. it is said, They returned to Jerusalē, from the mount that is called the mount of Olives, near unto which mount was Bethania: both were near to Jerusalem, about 15. furlonges, or a Sabbath days journey, about 2. miles, John. 11.18. The Lord of set purpose chose this place to manifest His glory, wherein before He suffered ignominy. It was in this place that He wrestled with the fear of death, finding the terrors of the wrath of God ceazing on His soul, when He said his soul was heavy unto the death. It was in this place that the bande of men of war came and took him. It was in this place that they bound him, and led him away to that shameful death of the cross. Therefore in this place the Lord makes a show of His glory: in this same place He addresses Himself to triumph: from this same place ascends He to His Heavenly Throne. Mark the lesson in a word. The Lord of necessity must be glorified in that same place, where before He was dishonored: He must be honored either in mercy by y e conversion of a sinner, who has despised Him, or else by the executing of judgment, & pouring forth of vengeance upon th'obstinate & stubborn contemners. But to go forward to the conference & communication that was betwixt the Lord & His Apostles a little before He ascended to Heauē. This cōferēce is set down, Act. 1.6. For after the disciples were come together to the mount of Olives, they asked him, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom of Israel ? Th'occasion of this their question is not set down here: but it is likely, that the Lord at this time has been speaking something of that Heavenly Kingdom: & that upon His speech they have taken occasion to ask this question of th'earthly kingdom. In demanding of this question they fail many ways: First they fail in curiosity, being too curious, as the Lord's answer imports: Next, they fail in this, that as yet they think y t He should have been an earthly king & that His kingdom should be of this world. Thirdly they fail in this, that they desired to reign & triumph before they had foughten sufficiently, & ended their warfare. This might seem strange, that they profited so little in so long time, having such fair occasion. Their ignorance cannot be excused for by the space of 3. years & more they were cōuersant with the Lord, hearing Him preach, & saw Him work miracles: & after His resurrectiō sundry times He appeared to them, & spake to thē: & in this same time they saw in Him a majesty, they saw Him clad & invested with Heauēlie glory: & yet for all this they are earthly minded, and think of nothing but of an earthly kingdom. In this example of y e disciples, we may perceive how dull we are by nature & incapable of spiritual & Heauēlie things. All th'outward means of y e world will not profit us, if there be no more; albeit we heard all Heauēlie & spiritual things never so long, albeit we saw all things never so long, we will never be a hair the better, except y t we be taught of God, & except our minds be illuminate, & our hearts be opened by the H. Spirit. Therefore when we use th'outward means, we should pray continually, y t the Lord would send His H. Spirit to instruct us inwardly, and to join His blessing with them. Now to come to the Lord's answer: first He reproves them for their curiosity, he said unto them, Jt is not for you to know the times & the seasons : & He gives them a good reason, because the Father has put them in his own power. Men in all ages have been too curious to inquire the things which belong not unto them. Th'Apostles here began curiously to inquire of the time of the restoring of the kingdom to Israel, & ever since men have continued curiously to inquire the times & seasons, & namely, the particular time of the Lord's coming to judgment. But the Lord here snibs & represses this curiosity in th'apostles: for what had they ado to search out the things y t the Lord kept secret to Himself? It is not y e Lord's will, that men at any time should be curious to inquire the particular times, which He keeps close to Himself, & namely, the particular diet & period of Christ's coming to judgment, for of that day & hour knows no mā, no not th'Angels which are in heavē, Mark 13.32. Next in the answer, He calls them to remembrance of y t promise which He made to thē before of y e sending of y e H. Spirit, & induing them with power frō an high. But, says He, ye shall receive power of the holy Ghost, when he shall come on you. This putting them in remembrance of y e sending of y e H. Ghost, imports, y t although it was not long time before made unto thē yet they thought not of it, nor remembered it not as it became thē. So y t in thē we may see what is our natural disposition concerning spiritual things: we are very careless to think of thē, yea, for y e most part, we are altogether forgetful of thē. If a promise were made to us of great earthly benefits (so carnal & earthly are our hearts) we would think on it day & night: but albeit the promises of Heauēlie things be often̄ renewed to us, hardly cā we think of thē, or remember thē. Thirdly, in this answer He puts thē in mind of their office & calling to y e Apostleship, Ye shall be witnesses, says He, to me both in Ierusalē, & in all Judea, & in Samaria, & unto the uttermost parts of the earth : as if He had said unto them, Inquire not curiously of the things which belong not to you, but look to your calling, & the office which I have chosen you to. And He sets down what is their calling, Ye must be witnesses. And to whom? Both to Jew & Gentile. And in what order? First begin at Ierusalē, & Judea, & then go to Samaria, & to the rest of the world. It is the Lord's will, that mē so carefully attend first upon y e calling that y e Lord has set them into this life, to be faithful & painful in it, y t in it they may honor their Lord, & next upon y e promise of grace & salvation y t is promised in the life to come, that they take no leisure, nor spare no time upon th'inquiring of curious questions. Of this answer of the Lord's we may learn this lesson: the Lord deals very meekly & gently with his own: their curiosity & willful ignorance deserved a more sharp & rough meeting, but the Lord meets thē not as they deserved; for albeit that evē now he was to leave y e world & ascend to his Father, & to enter into glory; yet he stays a while with thē, & with the Spi • it of meekness & wonderful patience he teaches & instructs thē, who were so gross & carnal minded. That which the Lord did at this time to his Apostles, that same thing does he daily to his own, in whom he has once begun to work, he will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax, he will not put out grace, if it were never in so small a measure, but he will cherish & nourish it, that it may come to perfectiō & that y e little spark may grow to a fire & flame. Albeit we be rude & earthly minded, and take no pleasure in spiritual things, yet the Lord continues with great lenity and wonderful patience by his Ministry, to teach & instruct us. Now to go forward to His Ascension: Before He ascends, He blesses His disciples: Luke says, He lifted up his hands, & blessed thē. What means this, that the Lord lifted up His hands to Heaven? Even this, that he conveyed & drew grace powerfully out of heavē to his disciples : Before He ascended to Heauē, He drew down grace out of Heaven, to remain with His Apostles, whom He left behind Him in the earth, when He ascended, according to that which before His Passion He said to them, Peace J leave you, my peace I give you. John. Chap. 14. verse. 27. Now when He liftes up His hands, what sort of blessing gives He them? Was it a common sort of blessing? Was it such a blessing as one gives to another? No, but He gives them the blessing of God He gives thē an effectual blessing. And if we consider who this was that blessed them, we may see, that of necessity it behooved this blessing to be effectual: for He was not only a Priest, but a King also: Indeed as a Priest He blessed them, for it was the Priests office publickelie to bless the people: as a Priest likewise lifted He up His hands in • lessing of them: (for this was a Rite and Ceremony which the Priests were accustomed to use in their blessing) but as a King He gives them effectually that blessing which as a Priest He wished unto them: for He was now to sit down in the Throne of His Kingdom: and therefore that blessing which as a Priest He wished unto them, He works it effectually in them by His infinite power, as He is a king. Men may wish well one to another: men may wish peace and blessing sincerely, and from their hearts to others: but it lies not in their hands to effectuate & to bring to pass that thing which they wish, but it is proper to God only, & to Jesus His Son, to make the blessing effectual. One thing here would be marked well for our comfort: to wit, that Christ hath left a singular blessing to the Ministry of the Gospel: for as before we heard, that the Lord made a sweet and comfortable promise to this Ministry, evē, that He would be always with them unto the end of the world, Mat. 28.20. Evē so, now we see here, that y e Lord at His departure out of y e world, leaves a special blessing to y e same Ministry: yea, such a blessing as is not left to any other calling in the world, no, not to the calling of a King: for y e calling of a King, & all other callings whatsoever, receives their blessing only in this blessing, which Christ gives to His Ministry: for except men in all callings by this Ministry be brought to th'obedience of Christ, & to sanctification, they are accursed: & if we look to th'experience which y e faithful find in their souls, we will find, that y t blessing which the Lord left to His Ministry at that time is effectual this day: for they find it to be effectual to work faith, repentance, joy & tranquility of conscience, & they find it to be, as the Apostle. calls it, The ministry of the Spirit, & the ministry of righteousness, 2. Cor. 3.8, 9 : & if there were no more to testify unto us the effectualnes of this blessing, this were sufficient, that we see it hath continued so long in the world, notwithstanding of all adversary power, & opposition made thereto: for seeing this Ministry is so weak, base, & cōtemptible in it self, how had it been possible, y t it could have continued & endured so long in the world, against the fury, craft, & assaults of Satan, against the malice, hatred & persecution of men, against the oppositiō & practices of the mighty, great & wise men of the world, except that this blessing, which at His departure He left with it, had been effectual; if it had not been effectual, it had soon euanished, & had been rooted out. Now come to the Ascensiō it self it is set down partly by Mark, & partly by Luke in his Evēgel, & in the History of th' Acts of the Apostles in these circumstances: first, Luke says, As He blessed them, He departed frō them, He went alitle frō them: Next, He was taken up : Tdirdly, He was received in a cloud : Fourthly, being received in y t cloud, His Apostles beholding Him, the cloud to • ke Him out of their sight : Fifthly, being taken out of their sight by the cloud, He was carried up into heaven. If we weigh & consider well all these circumstances, we will see, that th'Ascensiō of our Lord, was not only exceeding glorious, but also very sensible & visible: for while He stood in the mids of them, He depa • ted & separated Himself a space from them, to the end, that they all might the better see Him ascending: thereafter He was taken up piece & piece, degree by degree, so that sensibly, piece & piece they might have followed Him with their eyes: then as they are thus beholding, a cloud interueenes, & takes Him out of their sight. After this, they see His person no more, but they see y t cloud wherein He was received to be carried up into heavē: all these circumstances, were very sensiible: for now He goes not frō them on a suddainty, He conueyes not Himself out of their sight in a moment, as He did w t the two Disciples w t whom He sat at table in Emmaus▪ & no question, the Lord of set purpose would have His Ascensiō to be so sensible, to the end y t the disciples who saw it, & the whole form of it so clearly, might have a settled assurance & full persuasion in their hearts, to the end. y t w t the greater euidency, liberty & freedom they might preach & proclaim it to the world (for the full persuasion of the heart made thē bold & confidēt in preaching, as Paul says Seeing we have such trust, we use great boldness of speech : y t so y e world hearing thē speak w t such euidency, freedom & boldness of the Lord's Ascēsion, & seeing thē paint out so vinely & sensibly the whole form & process y t therein was used, might without any doubt fully believe, y t the Lord was ascended to heavē▪ so the Lord had a regard & respect unto His Kirk, & in all the faithful y t should live in th'ages to come, yea, even of us, who live this day, whē so sensibly & visibly in the presence of His Apostles, He ascended into heavē. The Lord made not His Apostles eye witnesses of His Ascension so much for their own cause, as for the Kirks cause, which by their Ministry was to be gathered together, & to be brought to th'obedience of Jesus: so when y u consider • st y t sensible form & progress y t the Lord used in His Ascension for thy cause, it is thy duty to praise & glorify His Majesty for it. Now after the Lord is carried up to heaven, what follows? was there no higher degree of glory? Yes, for Mark says, After He was received into heaven, He sat at the right hand of God. After He had past through all the visible Heauēs, He was set at the right hand of His Father in the highest Heavens, far above all principality and power, and might, and domination, and every name that is named, not in this world only, but also in that which is to come: so that all things were made subject under His feet, Ephes. 1.20, 21. & this the Father had spoken of Him before, when He said, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool, Psal. 110.1. To sit at the right hand of God, is to obtain y t highest degree of glory in the heavens: as Mediator, to have equal power & glory w t the Father, to have power over all creatures, to do w t them as He pleases, to have all things under His feet, to be declared to be y e head of y e Kirk, & that person by whō the Father immediately guides & governs all things: for as He is y e Son of God, equal with y e Father, He was glorified with that glory, which He had with the Father, before the foundations of the world were laid, according as He prayed before His Passion, Joh. 17.5. & as He is man, He is exalted above every creature, in such sort, that by y e hand of Christ the man, God governs all things in heaven & in earth: so we see, that y e Lord by degrees passed frō glory to glory, & now He is in such incomprehensibl • glory, as this mortal eye of man cannot be able to pierce into. Indeed, the disciples saw His glorious Ascensiō, but they could not be able to see that highness & sublimity of glory, whereunto He was exalted, whē He sat at the right hand of y e Father. Steuē saw the heavē, opened, & the Son of man standing at the right hand of God, Acts 7.55. but how sober & mean a portiō of His glory was y t which He saw, in resp • ct of y e fullness of glory, y t He had thē in y e heavens? but albeit we be not able w t our bodily eyes to pierce & behold y e greatness of y t glory, whereinto He is exalted: yet this is our comfort, y t we find sensibly by experience in our own souls y t Jesus is sitting in his Kingdom w t exceeding glory & power, by these comfortable effects & motions y t He works within us. Th'Apostles, albeit they saw Him not sitting at y e right hand of God in glory: yet in y t same moment y t He sat down in His throne of glory, they found in their own hearts, his kingly power & that dominiō y t He hath over all creatures: for what meaned y t exceeding joy y t they had, after that He was taken out of their sight, whē they were returning to Jerusalem ? evē this, that Christ was entered in His kingdom, & that His kingdom & power was effectual into their souls: & what means these spiritual motions, which are raised up in the hearts of the godly? this sadness for sin? this unspeakable joy, this peace & trāquillity of conscience, this love to God, & desire to see Him? even this, y t the Lord Jesus is come into His Kingdom, & is now reigning in y e heavens & y t He hath established this Kingdom in our souls: For the Kingdom of God, says Paul, is righteousness, & peace, and joy in the holy Ghost, Rom. 14.17. therefore whē y u findest any spiritual motiō in thy soul, take it for a sure argument of Christ's sitting at the right hand of God in His kingdom. Now having spokē of Christ's Ascension, let us see what was the Apostles behavior: whē they saw the Lord thus ascēd, wh • t did they? It is said, that they worshipped Him: next, that they looked steadfastly toward heaven : what moved thē to worship Him? no question, the sight of a wonderful glory & Majesty in Jesus: & because at this time they saw Him in an higher glory & majesty, than ever they did before: therefore of necessity their worshipping of Him at this time behooved to be in a greater humility, w t greater reverence, & w t greater fervency thā ever it was before. Indeed they worshipped Him before, knowing Him to be the Messias, but their knowledge was but very mean & sober: but now they see & know perfectly that He is the Lord of glory, & the glorious judge of the world: & therefore the worshipping of Him at this time behooved to be in greater reverence, with greater persuasion & boldness than ever it was before. The sight of that glorious majesty makes ever the creature in reverence to worship God, & the greater sight, the greater reverence. The faithful while they live here in th'earth, because by th'eye of faith, in the mirror of the Gospel, they see the glory of the Lord, therefore in humility they worship His majesty: but because they see Him not clearly as He is, but darkly and obscurely, therefore their worshipping here is not like that worshipping y t shall be when they shall see Him face to face: for when we shall see him as he is, we shall worship Him with greater reverence, confidence, boldness & liberty, than ever we did before: for then we shall be made like unto Him: that is, we shall be made conformable to the image of His glory, and we shall shake off all this mortality & corruption, wherewith the Apostles were clad at this time whē they worshipped Him ascending to Heauē: So that that worshipping & adoring of the Lord, which the faithful shall give Him in that great day whē He descēds from the Heauēs to judge the world shall surpass exceedingly & by many degrees that worship which the Apostle • gave Him, whē they saw Him ascēd into Heauē: for thē there shall be nothing to hinder them. Now in the mean time while the Lord is ascending to Heaven, as they worship Him, so likewise they follow Him with their eyes, and looked steadfastly toward heaven, where they saw Him ascending▪ which testifies plainly, that their hearts were lifted up to the Heavens, together with Christ: & as Christ ascended, so their hearts ascended, & were lifted up to Heaven, by the power & ve • tue of that same Ascension & glory of Christ, in whom they believed: for they that believe in Christ, and are conjoined to Him by faith, of necessity must by that b • nd of faith be lifted up, together with Him to the Heavens: for that soul that is linked to Him by faith, cannot be severed from Him, but it must follow Him wheresoerver He goes Mark this lesson: whē y e heart is lifted up to Heaven, it will lift y e eye of y e body to Heaven also, & y e sight & sense of y e Ascension of Christ liftes up the heart to Heaven: for where there is in y e heart a sense & feeling of y e power of Christ's Ascensiō, of necessity both the soul & th'eyes of the body must be lifted up to Heaven. And this lifting up of th'eyes of the body, proceeding frō the lifting up of y e heart to Heaven: & this lifting up of y e heart proceeding frō y e feeling of y e power of th'Ascēsiō of Jesus, which now y e faithful find, is a sure argument & undoubted warrā • to y e faithful, y t one day th'eye, y e heart y e soul, y e body, yea, y e whole man shall be lifted up to heavē: both soul & body in y t great day, whē y e Lord appears to judgment, & shall enjoy His glorious presence: & therefore y e godly have great cause continually to be waiting & looking for y t glorious apppearing of Christ (& happy art thou, who art ever waiting for it) for at y t glorious appearing thou sh • lt be partaker of glory w t him: to whō with y e Father, & H. Spirit, be all praise, honor, & glory, Amen.
THE LVI. LECTURE, OF THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST.
MARKE, CHAP. XVI.
[verse 20] And they went forth, and preached everywhere. And the Lord wrought with them, and confirmed the word with signs that followed, Amen.
LUKE, CHAP. XXIIII.
[verse 52] And they Worshipped him, & returned to Hierusalē with great joy.
[verse 53] And were continually in the Temple, praising and lauding GOD, Amen.
ACTS, CHAP. I.
[verse 10] And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven, as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,
[verse 11] Which also said Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing into heaven? This Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come, as ye have seen him go into heaven.
[verse 12] Then returned they unto Jerusalem, from the mount that is called, the mount of Olives, which is near to Jerusalem, being from it a Sabbath days journey.
[verse 13] And when they were come in, they went up into an upper chamber, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartlemew, and Matthew, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon Zealots, and Judas James brother.
[verse 14] These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplications with the women, and Marie the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
THE last day, well-beloved Brethrē in Christ, we entered into the history of Christ's ascension to heaven. We heard of the circūstāces of it. The Lord led them out to Bethania, to the mount of Olives, from the which place He ascended unto heavē: we heard of the cōmuning y t was betwixt Christ & his disciples, who asked of him, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? The Lord reproves this their curiosity, It is not for you to know the times & the seasons, which the Father has put in his own power. And then he tells what they ought to do: First they should be mindful of the promise of y e H. Spirit: Next, they should look to their own calling, to bear witness of him to the world. We heard how before his Ascension he blessed them : we heard of the manner of his Ascension, it was very sensible and visible, He went a little space from them, and was taken up, and received in a cloud, he was taken out of their sight, and carried up to heaven: This was done, the • oth the Apostle themselves might be persuaded, and also with greater boldness & assurance persuade others of His Ascension. We heard, that whē He was taken out of their sight, He was placed at the right hand of God, and exalted to that sublimity of glory, that all the creatures in heaven and earth are subdued to him. And last we heard what was the behavior of the Apostles, In the mean time they worshipped him, and looked steadfastly to • he heavens. This day by God's grace we shall follow out & put an end to this history. In the words which we have read, we will s • e what falls out, While the disciples are looking up to the heavens, two Angels are sent to them by Christ, who partly reproves them, and partly comforts them We will see likewise what the disciples do after this, They retu • ne to Jerusalem with great joy : when they come there, they go up to an upper chamber : but they stay not there, but they go to the Temple, & remain there continually praising & lauding God: and last they went out & preached the Gospel everywhere, and the Lord gave them a good success, for He wrought with them, and confirmed the word with signs that followed. Luke, in th' Acts, tells us, that while they looked steadfastly toward heaven, as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel. As they were worshipping Him, the Lord sent incontinent from His Heauenlie Throne Legates & Ambassadors: And who were they? evē Angels: two in number, and in form & outward shape like to men, & therefore they are said to be two men, and were clothed in white and glorious apparel. Mark the lesson in a word. Christ sits no soon • down at the right hand of the Father, but He makes His disciples (whom He left in the earth behind Him) not only to know y t He had a kingly power, whereby He commands the very Angels themselves; but also to know, that singular care & affection that He carried to them, which He testifies, by sending these Angels from heaven, for their cause & for their consolation. This kingly power of Christ, & this care that He hath of His own, continues evē this day in the Kirk, & every of y e faithful find the proof & experience of it to their great joy & comfort. Now, let us see, what these Angels say to y e Apostles: in their speech to them: First, they reprove: then they comfort them: first, they said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing unto Heaven : they reprove them, because they stood idly gazing & looking to the heavē, whereas the Lord had commanded them to return to Jerusalem, that there they might wait for the Spirit, that was promised them, that having gotten the Spirit, they might go out to the world▪ & preach the Gosp • l to every creature, as the Lord had commanded them. This reproof of th'Angels imports, that they contented themselves too much w t idle looking & g •• ing, & that they were too unmindful of that great & high calling whereunto the Lord had ordained them. Of this reproof we learn this lessō: it is not the Lord's will, that any mā should be idle in the world, nor that he content himself w t a bare & idle contemplatiō of y e creatures of God: No, not of y e best of them: it is not the Lord's will, y t we stand idly gazing upon the very heavens whereunto the Lord hath ascended, & now is in glory: No, it is His will, that all men all their days be painfully exercised in some calling, wherein they may both glorify God, & do good unto men. Indeed, it is true: it is the Lord's will, that men should always have their affections set above, & their hearts lifted up to heavē, & that they have their eyes set upon God, upon Christ, upon that glory which is to be revealed: but in the mean time, while men are thus exercised, they should be exercised likewise in some honest & lawful calling. Th'Apostle Paul by his practice lets us see, what should be the behavior of a Christian: While he looked not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are not seen, 2. Cor. 4.18. While he chose to remove out of the body, & to go & dwell with Christ, 2. Cor. 5.8. While he minded not earthly things, but had his conversation in heaven, from whence he looked for his Savior, even the Lord Jesus, Philip. 3.20. contented he himself, think ye, with this speculation? Was he in the mean time idle? had he not another calling? Yes, he was very diligently exercised in the Ministry: For, says he, we covet, that both dwelling at home, & removing from home, we may be acceptable to Him: for we must all appear before the Judgment seat of Christ, that every man may receive the things which are done in his body, according to that he hath done whether it be good or evil: & therefore knowing that terror of the Lord, we persuade men, & bring them unto the faith, 2. Cor. 5.9, 10, 11. So Paul, whē he was looking to heavenly things, he was in the mean time diligently exercised in his Apostleship, in bringing men to Christ: evē so it becomes every faithful man, so to have his heart & his affections set vpō heaven, & heavenly things, y t in y e same mean time, in some honest & lawful calling, he may be doing some good in y • earth: & on the other part, whē he is busy laboring & exercised in his calling, he should have his eyes lifted up to God, & should have his heart, his affections & conuersatiō in y e heavens: for except that in all things which we do, we have y e Lord & His glory before our eyes, it is not possible, y t we can do anything well & uprightly. Then in a word, ye see here y e Lord by these Angels, cōdemnes idle speculatiō & cōtemplatiō, without any exercise in any lawful calling. This serves to condemn these idle bellies, y e Monks of y e Roman Kirk, who content thenselves w t bare & idle speculatiō, having no regard in y e mean time, y t they may be exercised in any lawful calling, wherein they may either glorify God, or do good to mē: yea, they are so far frō doing good, y t by y e contrary they hurt y e Kirk of God exceedingly by bringing in their dreams & fātasies y t they have devised in their idle brains, to corrupt & pervert men's minds: y e Lord never allowed nor blessed such a life: y e Lord abhors such idleness: & if y e Angels reprove y e Apostles for gazing to heavē, where they saw w t their eyes y e Lord Jesus to ascend, which by appearance to mans judgment, was a very good exercise, to have their hearts fixed on Christ, & their eyes vpō y e place whither He ascended; what would y e Angels say to these idle belly gods, who withdraw thenselves frō all honest callings, & live vpō y e sweat of other mens brows, under y e pretence of spiritual exercise? now after y e Angels have reproved y e Apostles: next, in y e 2. part of their speech, they raise thē up, & comforts thē, while they say, This Jesus which is taken up frō you into heaven, shall so come, as ye have seen Him go into heaven. They comfort them, by putting them in hope, that He shall return: yea, return in glory: and such a glory, as they saw Him ascend with: and so upon hope of His glorious returning in that great day: they will the Apostles to comfort themselves against all trouble & distresses, that they might be subject unto y e time of their remaining in y e earth: Whereupon we may perceive what is the ground whereupon the solid consolation of a Christian soul arises. It arises even from the hope of the glorious returning of the Lord Jesus again to Judge the world. There is nothing that furnishes such joy to the faithful soul, as this hope does. Indeed, it is true, the Lord gives us other grounds of consolation while we are here: & namely, He gives us His Spirit, to counsel & guide us through all the difficulties of our pilgrimage: & the joy that the faithful find in His presence is very great: He gives us Faith also to comfort us, whereby in some measure presently we feel the presence of Christ, & His spiritual graces in our souls: but except with y e Spirit & Faith, we had a hope, y t the Lord Jesus should return again in His own time in glory, we could not have solid joy & consolatiō: for if in this life only we hoped in Christ, & had no hope y t He would return again in glory, & raise our mortal bodies frō y e dead: thē, as y e Apostle says, of all men we were most miserable, 1. Cor. 15.19. & why should not y e hope of this returning comfort our souls, & make them to rejoice? for at His returning, we look & hope for y e glorifying of these our bodies, & for eternal life. Paul says, That frō the heavens we look for the Savior, even, the Lord Jesus, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, Philip. 3.20.21. And when it shall be made manifest, we shall be made like Him, for we shall see Him as He is, 1 Joh. 3.2 Yea, we have greater cause of joy & comfort of the hope of His returning again, thā all y e Apostles had of y e sight of His ascending to heaven in their presence: for y e ascension of y e Lord, albeit it was very glorious & comfortable to thē, yet it changed not their bodies, nor made thē like His glorious body, but His glorious returning again frō the heavens, shall change both their bodies, & our vile & corruptible bodies, and make them conformable to His glorious body. Now happy is y e man, who earnestly looks & waits for the blessed & glorious coming again of the Lord to judgment: for y t hope shall comfort & uphold him in all his troubles & distresses. Now, come to y t disciples part: we have sundry things expressed what they do: & y e first is, after y e Angels reproved them for their standing & gazing to y e heavens, it is said, They returned to Jerusalem with great joy. They take well with the reproof they stay no longer gazing there, but according to y e Lord's directiō they go to Jerusalem, to wait for y t Spirit which He promised to them: they obey y e Lord's commandment, & they obey with great joy. But what made them so to rejoice? This joy proceeded partly from y e sight of His glorious ascensiō into heavē, which they saw with their eyes: partly, frō y t which they heard by y e Angels of His glorious returning, & descending again out of y e heavens, yet all this which both they saw & heard, would not have wrought so great a joy in thē, except y e Lord Jesus who was sitting in y e heavens, at y e right hand of y e Father, had been effectual in them, & had powerfully wrought this joy in their souls: for this joy that y e holy Spirit works in y e hearts of y e Lord's Elect, is a sure argument, & infallible demōstratiō, y t y e Lord Jesus is reigning in y e heavens: for the Kingdom of God is righteousness, & joy, & peace in the holy Gh • st, Rom. 14.17. Now, if ye will compare this joy, which at this time they had, with all the joy y t ever they had before: yea, even when y e Lord Jesus was walking with them in the flesh, & they enjoyed His bodily presence, ye shall find y t this joy surpassed, by many degrees all their preceeding joy: whereby we may learn this lesson, that neither y e bodily presence of y e Lord Jesus augments or perfectes y e joy of y e soul, neither His bodily absēce stays or hinders any wise y t joy, but y t all this joy which y e faithful find, proceeds from the effectual presence & powerful operatiō of y e holy Spirit in the soul. The gross & carnal Papists think, they cannot have mater of rejoicing, except in y e Lord's Supper they have y e body of Christ bodily, & locally present: that is, except y t with y e mouth of the body they eat, devour & swallow up the very body & flesh of Jesus Christ, & except that after that same manner they drink His blood: but vain Papist, thou deceivest thyself: for neither does the bodily presence furnish joy, neither does the bodily absēce hinder joy, but all true joy that the soul finds, proceeds from the effectual presence & operatiō of the Spirit. Yet to speak something further of this purpose. It would be narrowly considered, what could be the cause & ground of this joy of the Disciples: for if we look to it by the outward appearance, they had little matter or cause of rejoicing at this time when the Lord is gone frō them. Indeed, when the Lord Jesus was with them, when He led them out into Bethania, any man might think they had matter of rejoicing, to follow such a gracious guide: but now, when He hath left the earth, & ascended to heaven, & left them behind Him, what matter could they have of so great joy in their returning to Jerusalem? I answer: notwithstanding they wanted now the bodily presence of Christ, yet they wanted not matter of great joy: for instead of His bodily presence, the Lord gave them Faith & Hope, Faith apprehending & taking hold of the Lord Jesus, sitting in the heavens, in glory at the right hand of the Father: Hope waiting constantly for His blessed & glorious returning again in the appointed time to Judgment. This Faith & Hope that the Lord gives us in this pilgrimage, recompenses sufficiently the bodily absence of the Lord Jesus from us: if we have Faith & Hope, we have evermore matter of rejoicing: where Faith & Hope is, they bring ever with them patience & joy, even in the mids of all afflictions. The Apostle Paul declares this by his own experience, For the Gospels sake, says he, I suffer these things, but I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded, that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him against that day. 2. Tim. 1.12. There he lets us see what made him to be so patient under afflictions, to wit, the sense of the power of Christ, which he found in his soul by faith, by the which power he was persuaded, that Christ was able to keep in the heavens that life which he had committed unto him, and the hope that he had of His glorious returning in that great day, wherein the Lord should render him that which before he had committed unto him to be kept. The soul y t has this faith & hope, has no cause to complain of His bodily absence, for they recompense it abundātlie: but if thou wantest this faith, apprehending thy Savior w t all His graces, & this hope waiting patiētly for His returning, thou canst have no true matter of rejoicing, albeit thou hadst all y • outward benefits of y e world heaped abundantly vpō thee. Now come to y e next thing that the disciples do when they are returned to Jerusalem: it it said, that they went up into an upper chamber (then is reckoned out particularly who they were) where abode both Peter, & James, & John, & Andrew, Philip, & Thomas, Bartlemew, & Matthew, James the son of Alpheus, & Simon Zealots, & Judas James brother : & after he subjoins in a general word, The women, & particularly, Mary the mother of Jesus, & his brethren. These were they who most familiarly conversed w t Jesus, & whom he kept together while he was in the world: & now when he is gone out of y e world, & ascended to heaven, they abide together. And what was their exercise? They all continued with one accord in prayer & supplicatiō. This was an holy exercise: they severed thenselves frō y e rest of y e world, & withdrue thenselves from worldly impedimēts, & kept thenselves alone together, to the end they might entertain & nourish y t joy which they found of the beholding of y t glorious Ascēsion of Christ, & through y e hope y t they had of his glorious returning again to judgment, whereof th'Angels had instructed thē. Then mark the lesson, they y t rejoice together in Jesus, desire to be severed from the common society of mē, & frō outward distractions & impediments, & desire to remain & live together. The childrē of God delight & take pleasure in the society one of another: and good reason they so do, for whē this life is ended, they shall remain & live together in heaven without any severing. Yea, further, all spiritual graces are acquired & entertained only in the society of the Saints▪ & without this society no faith, hope, joy, nor grace of Christ cā be gotten or entertained (all grace y t is givē a mā, is given to him as a menber of y t body, as to one of the Saints. Therefore whē Paul speaks of any grace or benefit y t the Lord is to bestow on any faithful mā, commonly he uses to say, th • t that grace is withal the Saints : as when he wishes to th' Ephesians, the sense of the breadth, the length, the depth, & the height of that love of God in Christ, he wishes they might be able to comprehend it with all the Saints, Eph. 3.18. Likewise whē he prays y t y e Thessalonians, might have their hearts established in holiness before God, he craves that this establishmēt might be with all the Saints, 1 Thess. 3.13. & speaking of y e riches of y e glory of y e inheritance, he says, y u shalt never get it but among y e Saints, Eph. 1.18. for as one member being cut off frō y e body, can receive no sap nor life frō it: even so if thou be cut off frō y e socitie of y e Saints, frō y e Kirk of God, y u shalt never get any grace of Christ: & to conclude, our joy & blessedness will be perfected in the kingdom of heavē in y e society & fellowship of the Saints. Many mē despise & disdain y e society of y e Lord's Saints here on earth, they count them vile, contemptible & the offscourings of the world: they scarcely will give them a countenance: yet in the mean time they flatter thenselves foolishly, that they shall be in heaven, as soon as they: but if thou have no pleasure in their society here in earth, thou shalt find, thou shalt never get that privilege, to enjoy any grace or blessing with them in the heaven: I give thee this doom, & the Lord shall ratify it one day. Now whē the disciples are met together in the upper chamber, they stay not there, but Luke, in the last words of his gospel says, that