Lectures Upon the Passion Resurrection and Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ

in the last words of his gospel says, that They were continually in the Temple praising, and lauding God. And this is the third thing that y ^e disciples do, after they have stayed for a space in y ^e upper chamber, occupied in holy exercises, in prayer and supplication: they begin to be more bold, and they take greater courage unto them, and they go out into a public place, to the Temple, to use these same spiritual exercises, which they used in the upper chamber: for the Apostles, with the Lord's brethren, with Marie his mother, and other holy women assembled publicly in the Temple, and there praised and glorified God. We see here, what are these means whereby spiritual graces are entertained & increased in y ^e society of y ^e Saints: to wit, the preaching of the Gospel, prayers & supplications, praising & blessing of God in Psalms, Hymns & spiritual songs, & holy communication: without these holy exercises, no faith, no hope, no joy, no grace of Christ, can either be obtained or entertained & increased: if thou contemnest & despisest these exercises, thou needest never to look for grace. Again, we see here, y ^t they assemble as frequētly, in as great number as they may or can in y ^e most public & solemn place they could find: for they came together with one accord in y ^e Tēple: & this they do, to y ^e intent, y ^t both greater glory might redound to y ^e Lord, & greater joy & comfort to thenselves: the more frequent that y ^e assemblies of y ^e Saints be, the more public & solemn the place of their meeting be, the greater & the more effectual is the Lord's presence among them, the greater is their joy, the greater glory redounds to God: for if the Lord has promised, That where two or three are gathered together in his name, there he will be in the middes of thē▪ Mat. 18.20. Much more where the Saints are frequently & in great number gathered together in a public & solemn place for spiritual exercises, will the Lord manifest His powerful presence among them. The fourth and last thing that the Apostles do is set down by Mark in the last verse of his Gospel, where we have two things expressly mentioned: First, the going out of the disciples to preach to the world: Next, the success that the Lord gave to their preaching: These two points comprehend the sum and substance of all the history of th'Acts of the Apostles. Then first he says, They went forth and preached everywhere. That grace y ^t they got thenselves, they are careful to communicate it to others. But when was this that they went out into the world? Was it immediately after the Lord's Ascension? Was it before they received the holy Spirit, & were sufficiently furnished with grace thenselves? No, but they stayed still in Jerusalem, according to the Lord's commandment, til they got that promised Spirit, with His graces: Then as soon a • they have received the H. Spirit with His graces, and were sufficienly furnish • d thenselves, they go out to communicate that gr • ce to the world, wherewith they themselves were replenished, beginning at Hierusa • ē then going throughout all Judea, then to Samaria, & last, to the utmost parts of th'earth. This doing of the disciples serves to teach these who intend to ent • r into that holy calling of the ministry, how they ought to behave thens • lues. They must not suddēlie & rashly go out to preach the Gospel, before they be well furnished themselves: but they should keep themselves close using holy means and exercises, till they find themselves to be furnished with grace in some measure: but being once furnished with grace, it is the Lord's will that they keep themselves no more close, but that they go out and communicate that same grace unto others: for the Lord gives them no spiritual graces to keep to themselves: but to the end that they may employ them to the weal & edification of others. Men should beware of these two extremities: first, that they presume not to go out to preach to others, till they be first well furnished themselves: next, when they are furnished with grace, that they let not God's graces rest within themselves, but that they use them cheerfully for the benefit of the Church. But if we consider more narrowly this going out of the disciples, we will find it to be extraordinary and miraculous: it fell out altogether vnexspected of the Jews no, the Jews never thought that things should have fallen out so, either concerning Christ Himself, or His disciples: for as concerning Christ, they thought they should never have heard anymore of Him except cursed and detestable speeches of Him: for they had now handled Him shamefully, they had railed on Him, and crucified Him, putting Him to an ignominious death: and after He was buried and risen, they persuaded the guard, y ^t watched the sepulcher, to noise abroad, that his disciple • had come by night, & stolen him away : so they thought there should have been no more of Him: But behold, upon a sudden, the Lord (vnexspected of them) by His powerful providence, makes His glory to be sounded throughout the whole world: and whereas they thought He should have been buried forever in shame, He is exalted to a wonderful glory. And as concerning the disciples, The Jews thought they durst never have presumed to have opened their mouths again to speak of the Name of Christ: for they thought they were all but silly based bodies, who sled away when their Master was taken, and were offended at His ignominious death, and terrified and astonished with that sorrowful spectacle that they saw, when He hung upon the cross, neither durst they presume to meet together again openly for fear of their lives. But while the Jews are thus thinking, and believe that there shall never be any mo • e word of Christ, behold, upon a sudden, when they think nothing less, His disciples come out publicly in their presence, and before the whole world, holding out, & bearing before them y ^t crucifi • d man, boldly charging the world to believe in Him. From whence comes this, that they who before were so d • shed and based, that sledde away before, durst now meet together so openly, and preach with such boldness and liberty Him of whom before they were ashamed? Even from that incomprehensible & wonderful power of Christ their King, who was now sitting in the Heavens in glory, & who according to His promise sent upon them His holy Spirit, and endued them with power frō an hight. Now the last thing is the success that the Lord gives unto their preaching: He says, The Lord wrought with them, and confirmed the word with signs that followed. If ye read th'Acts of the Apostles, ye will see the success has been marvelous: for within a short space, by their Ministry, they brought g • eat multitudes, not only of the Jews, but also of the Gentiles, to th'obedience of Christ, and by them suddenly the face of the world was changed. The cause of this great success th'Evangelist marks to be the Lord's working with them, & confirming the word that they preached with signs and wonders. When it is said, that the Lord wrought with them, we may not think, that they were the chief workers, and the Lord but an helper to them: No, the Lord is ever the chief worker, and His faithful servants but work together with Him, in the building of that spiritual house unto the Lord, He being the chief builder, and His servants but work with Him: So Paul calls them, workers together with God, 2. Cor. 6.1. All the success of the Gospel is His, His servants are only instruments, using the means: Paul plants, Apollo waters, but God gives th'increase, 1. Cor. 3.6.9. Now as we saw in their going out to the world, & in their preaching with boldness, that Christ's power was wonderfully manifested: even so in this great and glorious success that they have in their preaching, that same power of Christ is as wondefully manifested. If we compare this success which the Gospel had in that first age of the Church of Christ, with that success which it hath nowadays, we will find a great difference: Many more were called then, than there are now, for then at one preaching thousands were converted: but now, at many preachings scarcely will one be converted. And what means this, seeing the Gospel is taught now in that same sincerity that it was then? Even this, that by all appearance the Lord hath gathered in already the most part of them who are to be saved, and the number of these that rest to be called and saved, is few in these days, in respect of that great multitude of them who were called and saved in the days of the Apostles: The great harvest is gathered in already, only glaininges now remain. And on the other part, it imports, that there is a great number ordained to wrath and destruction, and therefore they are not converted by the preaching of the Gospel. If our Gospel, saith Paul, be hidden, it is hidden to them that perish, 2. Cor. 4.3. Now to end here: Seeing all the success of the Gospel proceeds from the powerful presence of Christ by His Spirit, the Lord grant, that so long as He gives us liberty to use these outward means, He would make us find the powerful working of the Spirit, concurring with the means; that we may turn to Christ, and so be assured, that we shall be saved from that wrath which is to come in that great day of the appearing of the LORD JESUS: To whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be all praise, Honor, and Glory forever and ever: AMEN.