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PRINCETON, N. J.
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AN
EXPLICATION
HUNDRED AND TENTH PSALM
WHKREIN THE SEVERAL
HEADS OF CHRISTIAN RELIGION THEREIN CONTAINED,
TOUCH[NG
THE EXALTATION OF CHRIST, THE SCEPTRE OF HIS
KINGDOM, THE CHARACTER OF HIS SUBJECTS ^
HIS PRIESTHOOD, VICTORIES, SUFFERINGS,
AND RESURRECTION,
VHE LARGELY EXPLAINED AND APPLIED.
By EDWARDMIEYNOLDS, D.D.
AFTERWARDS BISHOP OF NORWICH.
LONDON :
THE RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY;
Instituted 1799.
SOLD AT THE DEPOSITORY, 56, PATERNOSTER-ROW ;
AND BY THE BOOKSELLERS.
1837.
£In this edition some slight abridgments have been made ; and the
obsolete words exchanged for others of the same meaning, j
I RtC, NOV 1881
TO THE READER
Christian reader,
When I was first persuaded to communicate
some of my poor labours to the public, my purpose was to
have added unto those Treatises which were extant before, so
much of this which I now present unto thy view as con-
cerneth the eulogy of the gospel of Christ, the instrument of
begetting the life of Christ in us : for little reason had I,
considering mine own weakness, the frequent returns of that
service wherein these pieces were delivered, and the groaning
of the press of late under writings of this nature, to trouble
the world a second time with any more of my slender provi-
sions towards the work of the sanctuary, in this abundance
which is on every side brought in. But finding that work
grow up under mine hand into a large volume, and conceiving
that it might be both more acceptable and useful to handle a
whole Scripture together, especially being both of so noble a
nature, and, at first view, of so difficult a sense, as this Psahn
is, than to single out some verse and fragment by itself; I
therefore resolved once more to put in my mite into the treasury
of the temple, which, though for no other reason, may yet, I
hope, be for this cause accepted, because it beareth the image
and inscription of Christ upon it. Some passages are therein
inserted which were delivered in another order, and on other
Scriptures ; and some likewise which were delivered in other
places, and on other occasions ; which yet, being pertinent
to the series of the discourse, I the. ght might justly seem as
natural parts, and not as incoherent and unsuitable pieces.
So, submitting my poor labours to thy favourable censure,
and commending thee to the blessing of God, I rest,
Edward Reynolds.
TO THE EIGHT HONOURABLE
THOMAS, LORD COVENTRY,
BARON OF AILSBOROUGH, AND LORD KEEPER OF THE GREAT
SEAL OF ENGLAND, ETC.
Most noble lord,
It was the devout profession which St. Austin
once made of himself, when speaking of the great dehght
which he took in Cicero's Hortensius, (as containing a most
liberal exhortation to the love of wisdom, without any bias or
partiality towards sects,) he affirmeth, that " the heat of this
his delight was by this only reason abated, because there was
not in that book to be found the name of Christ ; without
which name nothing, though otherwise ever so polite and
elaborate, could wholly possess those affections which had
been trained to a nobler study." And Gregory Nazianzen,
that famous divine, setteth no other price upon all his
Athenian learning, wherein he greatly excelled, but only
this, that " he had something of worth, to esteem as no-
thing, in comparison of Christ :" herein imitating the example
of St. Paul, who, though he profited in the Jewish religion
above many others. Gal. i. 14, 16, yet, when the Son of God
was revealed in him, laid it all aside " as loss, for the excel-
lency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord," Phil. iii. 8.
The consideration of which sacred affections in those holy
men, together with the many experiences of your lordship's
abundant favour, hath put into me a boldness beyond my
Vl THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY.
natural disposition, to prefix so great a name before these
poor pieces of my labours in God's church. Other argument
in this book there is none, to procure either your lordship's
reading or patronage, than this one, which that good father
could not find in all the writings of Plato or Cicero, that it
hath that high and holy Person for the subject thereof, the
knowledge of whom is not only our greatest learning, but our
eternal life.
In this confidence I have presumed to present unto your
lordship this public testimony of my most humble duty, and
deep obligations for your many thoughts of favour and bounty
towards me, not in myself only, but in others, unto whom
your lordship's goodness hath vouchsafed under that respect to
overflow. May the Lord Jesus, our eternal Melchizedek, meet
your lordship in all those honourable affairs which he hath
called you unto, with the constant refreshment and benediction
of his Holy Spirit, and long preserve you a faithful patron of
the church which he hath " purchased with his own blood,"
Acts XX. 28; and a worthy instrument of the justice, honom,
and tranquillity of this kingdom.
Your lordship's most humbly devoted,
Edward Reynolds.
CONTENTS.
PAaE
The analysis of the Psalm 2
Verse 1.
Christ's ordination to his kingdom 5
The quality of Christ's kingdom 6
Christ compels not man's will 8
Subjection due to Christ 9
The necessity of subjection 11
Christ the Son of David 12
How Christ is a Lord 13
How Christ is a Lord to us and the patriarchs 14
Obedience due unto Christ 16
The power of Christ's kingdom 17
The exaltation of Christ 18
Necessity of Christ's humiliation 22
Administration of Christ's kingdom 25
The Holy Spirit the gift of Christ 26
Different operations of Christ's Spirit 28
The Spirit our Comforter 35
The healing and renewing virtue of the Spirit 38
The Spirit makes fruitful 40
Continual supply of the Spirit 41
False love to Christ 42
Grounds of false love to Christ 44
Evidences of true love to Christ 51
Stability of Christ's kingdom 57
Claims of papal monarchy examined 61
Intranquillity of the church 68
God's patience hath fixed bounds 69
The obstinacy of sin 71
Punishment of the wicked 73
Christ's enemies his footstool 87
Verse 2.
Christ's regalities 95
The rod of Christ's strength 98
The power of the gospel . 100
The glory of the gospel 121
Christ's care of his church 170
Vlll CONTENTS.
PAGE
The gospel is Christ's own power 186
The gospel sent by God 194
The ministerial office 197
The throne of Christ's kingdom 201
The calling of the gentiles 203
The church the seat of saving truth 204
The stability of the church 209
Christ's kingdom opposed in the world 213
Verse 3.
Analysis of third verse * . 218
The subjects of Christ's kingdom 221
Christ's people have a war to fight 229
Christ's people a willing people 232
How Christ's people are made willing 251
The beauty of holiness 260
Christ's subjects are numerous 272
The spiritual birth of a christian 278
Veese 4.
Christ's Priesthood confirmed by an oath 285
How God is said to repent, and how not 293
The immutability of the new covenant 295
The Priesthood of Christ 299
The sacrifice of Christ 315
The intercession of Christ 319
Justification by imputed righteousness 326
Our duty in respect to Christ's Priesthood 341
The order of Christ's Priesthood 343
Verses 5, 6.
The victories of Christ 360
Verse 7.
The sufferings and resurrection of Christ 382
,#
HLU, 1\UV Itiil
AN EXPOSITION
HUNDRED AND TENTH PSALM.
Christ Jesus the Lord is the sum and centre of all
divinely revealed truth ; neither is anything to be preached
unto men, as an object of their faith, or necessary element of
their salvation, which doth not, some way or other, either
meet in him, or refer unto him. All truths, especially di-
vine, are of a noble and precious nature ; and, therefore,
whatsoever mysteries of his counsel God hath been pleased
in his word to reveal, the church is bound in her ministry to
declare unto men. And St. Paul professeth his faithfulness
therein ; " I have not shunned to declare unto you all the
counsel of God," Acts xx. 27 : but yet all this counsel,
which elsewhere he calls "the testimony of God," he
gathers together into one conclusion ; " I determined not to
know anything among you ;" that is, in my preaching unto
you to make discovery of any other knowledge, as matter of
consequence or faith, " save Jesus Christ, and him crucified,"
1 Cor. ii. 1, 2. And therefore preaching of the word is
called preaching of Christ, 2 Cor. iv. 5 ; and ministers of the
word, ministers of Christ, 1 Cor. iv. 1, 2; and learning of the
word, learning of Christ, Eph. iv. 20 ; because our faith, our
works, and our worship, which are the three essential elements
of a christian, the whole duty of man, and the whole will of
God, have all their foundation, growth, end, and virtue only
in and from Christ crucified. There is no fruit, weight, nor
value in a christian's title, but only in and from the death of
Christ.
The word in general is divided into the Old and New
Testament, both which are the same in substance, though
2 THE ANALYSIS OF THE PSALM.
different in the manner of their dispensations, as Moses veiled
differed from himself unveiled. Now, that Christ is the sub-
stance of the whole New Testament, containing the history,
doctrines, and prophecies of him in the administration of the
latter ages of the church, is very manifest to all. The old
Scriptures are again divided into the law and prophets ; for
the historical parts of them contain either typical prefigurations
of the evangelical church, or inductions and exemplary demon-
strations of the general truth of God's justice and promises,
which are set forth by way of doctrine and precept in the law
and prophets. Now, Christ is the sum of both tliese, Matt,
v. 17; Luke xvi. 16: they waited upon him in his transfi-
guration, Luke ix. 28, to note that in him they had their
accomplishment. 1. For the law ; Christ is the substance
of it ; he brought grace, to fulfil the exactions, and truth, to
make good the prefigurations of the whole law, John i. 17.
The ceremonial law he fulfilled, and abolished: the moral
law he fulfilled, and established ; that his obedience thereunto
might be the ground of our righteousness, and his spirit
and grace therewith might be the ground of our obedience ;
and therefore it is called the law of Christ, Gal. vi. 2.
2. For the prophets ; he is the sum of them, too, for to
him they give all witness. Acts x. 43. He is the Author of
their prophecies ; they spake by his Spirit : and he is the
object of their prophecies ; they spake of the grace and sal-
vation which was to come by him, 1 Pet. x. 11 : so that the
whole Scriptures are nothing else but a testimony of Christ,
and faith in him. of that absolute and universal necessity
which is laid upon all the world to believe in his name, John
V. 39. It is not only a necessary precept, because we are there-
unto commanded ; but a necessary medium too, because he is the
only ladder between earth and heaven, the alone Mediator
between God and man ; in him there is a final and unabolish-
able covenant established, and there is no name but his
under heaven by which a man can be saved. Acts iv. 12.
In consideration of all which, I have chosen to speak upon
this Psalm, and out of it to discover those ways whereby the
life of Christ is dispensed and administered towards his
church. For this psalm is one of the clearest and most
compendious prophecies of the person and offices of Christ
in the whole Old Testament, and so full of fundamental
truth, that I shall not shun to call it David's creed. And,
indeed, there are very few, if any, of the articles of that creed
THE ANALYSIS OF THE PSALM. 3
which we all generally profess which are not either plainly
expressed, or by most evident implication couched in this
little model. First, The doctrine of the Trinity is in the first
words ; " The Lord said unto my Lord." There is Jehpvah
the Father, and my Lord the Son ; and the sanctification or
consecration of him, which was by the Holy Ghost ; by
whose fulness he was anointed unto the offices of King and
Priest; for so our Saviour himself expounds this word "said,"
by the sealing and sanctification of him to his office, John x.
34 — 36. Then we have the incarnation of Christ in the
words, " My Lord," together with his dignity and honour
above David, as our Saviour himself expounds it, Matt. xxii.
42, 45. Mine, that is, my Son by descent and genealoo-y,
after the flesh, and yet my Lord, too, in regard of a hio-her
Sonship. We have also the sufferings of Christ, in that he
was consecrated a Priest, ver. 4, to offer up himself once for
all, and so " to drink of the brook in the way," ver. 7. We
have his breaking forth, and conquest over all his enemies ;
his sufferings ; his resurrection : " He shall lift up his
head." His ascension and intercession ; " Sit thou on my
right hand." And in that is comprised his descent into
hell, by St. Paul's way of arguing, — " That he ascended)
what is it but that he descended first into the lower parts of
the earth ? " Eph. iv. 9. We have a holy cathohc "church,
gathered together by the sceptre of his kingdom, and holding
in the parts thereof a blessed and beautiful communion of
saints ; " The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out
of Zion : rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy
people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beau-
ties of holiness from the womb of the morning : thou hast
the dew of thy youth." We have the last judgment, for all
his enemies must be put under his feet, which is the
apostle's argument to prove the end of all things, 1 Cor. xv.
25. And there is the day of his wrath, wherein he shall
accomplish that judgment over the heathen, and that victory
over the kings of the earth, who take counsel and band
themselves against him, which he doth here in his word
begin. We have the remission of sins comprised in his
priesthood, for he was to offer sacrifice for the remission of
sins, and to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, Eph,
i. 7 ; Heb. ix. 26. We have the resurrection of the body*
because he must subdue all his enemies under his feet ; and
the last enemy to be subdued is death, as the apostle arc^ues
B 2
4 THE ANALYSIS OF THE PSALM.
out of this Psalm, 1 Cor. xv. 25, 26, And, lastly, we have
life everlasting, in the everlasting merit and virtue of his
priesthood ; " Thou art a priest for ever after the order of
Melchizedek ;" and in his sitting at the right hand of God,
whither he is gone as our Forerunner, and to prepare a place
for us, Heb. vi. 20 ; John xiv. 2 ; and therefore the apostle,
from his sitting there, and ever living, inferreth the perfection
and certainty of our salvation, Rom. vi. 8. 11; viii. 17;
Eph. ii. 6; Col. iii. 1—4; 1 Cor. xv. 49; Phil. iii. 20, 21;
1 Thess. iv, 14; Heb. vii. 25; 1 John iii. 2.
The sum, then, of the whole Psalm is this : — The ordination
of Christ unto his kingdom, together with the dignity and
virtue thereof, ver. 1. The sceptre, or instrument of that
kingly power, ver. 2. The strength and success of both in
recovering, notwithstanding all the malice of enemies, a king-
dom of willing subjects, and those in multitudes, unto himself,
ver. 2, 3. The consecration of him unto that everlasting
priesthood, by the virtue and merit whereof he purchased this
kingdom to himself, ver. 4. The conquest over all his
strongest and most numerous adversaries, ver. 5, 6. The
proof of all, and the way of effecting it, in his sufferings and
exaltation. He shall gather a church, and he shall confound
his enemies, because for that end he hath finished and broken
through all the sufferings which he was to drink of, and hath
lifted up his head again.
VERSE I.
THE LORD SAID UNTO MY LORD, SIT THOU AT MY RIGHT HAND,
UNTIL I MAKE THINE ENEMIES THY FOOTSTOOL.
Here the Holy Ghost begins with the kingdom of Christ,
which he describes and magnifies ; 1. By his unction and
designation thereunto, the word or decree of his Father, —
" The Lord said." 2. By the greatness of his person in
himself, and yet nearness in blood and nature unto us, — " my
Lord." 3. By the glory, power, and heavenliness of his
kingdom ; for in the administration thereof he sitteth at the
right hand of his Father, — " Sit thou at my right hand." 4.
By the continuance and victories thereof, — " until I make thine
enemies thy footstool."
" The Lord said." Some read it, " certainly or assuredly
said," by reason of the affinity which the original word hath
Christ's ordination to his kingdom. 5
with Amen, (from which it differs only in the transposition of
the same radical letters ;) which would afford, by the way, this
observation, that all which God says of or to his Son is very
faithful and true. For which cause the gospel is, by special
emphasis, called " the word of truth," Eph. i. 13 ; and,' " a
faithful saying, worthy of all acceptation,' 1 Tim. i. 13 ; or,
" most worthy to be believed and embraced," for so the Greek
words, being applied unto the gospel, signify, John i. 12 ;
John iii. 33; Acts xvii. 11; being opposite unto Acts
xiii. 46.
I. But the principal thing here to be noted is, the decree,
appointment, sanctification, and sealing of Christ unto his
regal office. For the " word of God " in the Scripture signifies
his blessing, power, pleasure, ordination. " Man shall not
live by bread alone, but by every word which proceedeth out
of the mouth of God," Matt. iv. 4. That is, by that com-
mand which the creatures have received from God to nourish
by, that benediction and sanctification which maketh every
creature of God good unto us, 1 Tim. iv. 5. God's saying
is ever doing something ; his words are operative, and carry
an unction and authority along with them.
Whence we may note, — That Christ's kingdom belongs
to him, not by usurpation, intrusion, or violence; but Je-
gally, by order, decree, investiture from his Father. All
kings reign by God's providence, but not always by his
approbation. " They have set up kings, but not by me ;
they have made princes, and I knew it not," Hosea viii. 4.
But Christ is a King both by the providence and by the good
will and immediate consecration of his Father. " The
Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his
hand," John iii. 35. " The Father judgeth no man, but
hath committed all judgment to his Son," John v. 22 ;
that is, hath intrusted him with the economy and actual
administration of that power in the church which originally
belonged unto himself. He hath made him to be " Lord
and Christ," Acts ii. 36. He hath " ordained him to be
Judge of quick and dead," Acts x. 42. He hath appointed
him " over his own house," Heb. iii. 2, 6. He hath
crowned him, and " put all things in subjection under his
feet," Heb. ii. 7, 8. He hath " highly exalted him, and
given him a name above every name," Phil. ii. 9. There-
fore he calleth him, " My King ;" set up by him upon his own
holy hill, and that in virtue of a solemn decree, Psa. ii. 6, 7.
6 THE QUALITY OF CHRIST's KINGDOiM.
But we must here distinguish between Christ's natural
kingdom, which belongeth unto him as God co-essential and
co-eternal with his Father ; and his dispensatory kingdom, as
he is Christ the Mediator, which was his, not by nature, but
by donation and unction from his Father, that he might be
the Head of his church, a Prince of peace, and a King of
righteousness unto his people. In which respect he had
conferred upon him all such meet qualifications as might fit
him for the dispensation of this kingdom. 1. God prepared
him a body, or a human nature, Heb. x. 3, and, by the grace
of personal and hypostatical union caused the Godhead to
dwell bodily in him, Col. ii, 9. 2. He anointed him with a
fulness of his Spirit ; not such a fulness as John the Baptist
and Stephen had, Luke i. 15; Acts vi. 5, which was still the
fulness of a measure or vessel, a fulness for themselves only,
Eph. iv. 7 ; 1 Cor. xii. 11; Rom. xii. 3, but a fulness
without measure, like the fulness of light in the sun, or
water in the sea, which hath an unsearchable sufficiency and
redundancy for the whole church, John iii. 34; Eph. iii. 8;
Mai. iv. 2. So that as he was furnished with all spiritual
endowments of wisdom, judgment, power, love, holiness, for
the dispensation of his own office, Isa. xi. 2; Ixi. 1, so from
his fulness did there run over a share and portion of all his
graces unto his church, John i. 16; Col. i. 19. 3. He did
by a solemn and public promulgation proclaim the kingdom
of Christ unto the church, and declare the decree in that
heavenly voice which came unto him from the excellent
glory, " This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased, hear ye him," Matt. iii. 17; xvii. 3; 2 Pet. i. 17.
4. He hath given him a sceptre of righteousness, and hath
put a sword in his mouth, and a rod of iron in his hand,
made him a Preacher and an Apostle, to reveal the secrets of
his bosom, and to testify the things which he hath seen and
heard. 5. He hath honoured him with many ambassadors
and servants to negociate the affairs of his kingdom, " some
apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some
pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the
work of the ministry, and for the edifying of his body,"
Eph. iv. 11, 12; 2 Cor. v. 20. 6. He hath given him
the souls and consciences of men, even to the uttermost parts
of the earth, for his possession, and for the territories of his
kingdom, Psa. ii. 8 ; John xvii. 6. 7. He hath given him
a power concerning the laws of his church. A power to
THE QUALITY OF CHRIST S KINGDOM. 7
make laws, the law of faith, (as St. Paul calls it, Rom. iii.
27,) Mark xvi. 15, 16. A power to expound laws, as the
moral law. Matt. v. A power to abrogate laws, as the law
of ordinances, Col. ii. 14. 8. He hath given him a power
of judging and condemning enemies, John v. 27 ; Luke xix.
27. Lastly, he hath given him a power of remitting sins,
and sealing pardons, which is a royal prerogative, Matt. ix.
6 ; John xx. 23. And these things belong unto him as he
is man as well as God, John v. 27. For the works of
Christ's mediation were of two sorts ; works of service and
ministry, for he took upon himself the form of a servant, and
was a minister of the circumcision, Phil. ii. 8 ; Rom. xv. 8 :
and works of authority and government in the church ; " All
power is given unto me in heaven and earth," Matt,
xxviii. 18.
The quality of this kingdom is not temporal or secular,
over the natural lives or civil negociations of men. He came
not to be ministered unto, but to minister ; his kingdom was
not of this world; he disclaimed any civil power in the dis-
tribution of lands and possessions ; he withdrew himself from
the people when by force they would have made him a king;
and himself, that in this point he might give none offence,
paid tribute unto Ceesar, Matt. xx. 28 ; xvii. 27 ; John xviii.
36; Luke xii. 13, 14; John vi. 15. But his kingdom is
spiritual and heavenly, over the souls of men, to bind and
loose the conscience, to remit and retain sins, to awe and
overrule the hearts, to captivate the affections, to bring into
obedience the thoughts, to subdue and pull down strong-
holds, to break in pieces his enemies with an iron rod, to
slay them with the words of his mouth, to implant fearfulness
and astonishment in the hearts of hypocrites, and to give
peace, security, protection, and assurance to his people.
The way whereby he enters upon his kingdom is ever by
way of conquest. For though the souls of the elect are his,
yet his enemies have the first possession; as Canaan was
Abraham's by promise, but his seed's by victory. Not but
that Christ proclaims peace first, but because men will not come
over nor submit to him without war. The strong man will not
yield to be utterly spoiled and crucified upon terms of peace.
Hence, then, we may first learn the great authority and
power of this King, who holds his crown by immediate tenure
from heaven, and was, after a more excellent manner than
any other kings, thereunto decreed and anointed by God
8 CHRIST COMPELS NOT MAn's WILL.
himself. Much, then, are they to blame who find out ways to
diminish the kingdom of Christ, and boldly affirm that
though a King he could not but be, yet he might be without a
kingdom ; a King in personal right, without subjects or terri-
tories to exercise his regal power in ; a King only to punish
enemies, but not a King to govern or to feed a people. But
shall God give his Son the uttermost parts of the earth for
his possession, and shall men withhold it? Shall God give
men unto Christ, " Thine they were, and thou gavest them
me," John xvii. 6, and shall they detain themselves from
him? What is it that He gives unto his Son but the
souls, the hearts, the very thoughts of men, to be made obe-
dient unto his sceptre? 2 Cor. x. 5 ; and shall it then be within
the compass of human power to effect, as it is in their pride
to maintain, that, if possible, there should be no church?
We know one principal part of the kingdom and power of
Christ is to cast down imaginations, and every high thing
that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God; and that,
not only unto conviction, but unto obedience, as the apostle
shows ; to send such gifts of the Spirit unto men as should
benefit the very rebellious, that God might dwell amongst
them, Psa. Ixviii. 18; for inasmuch as Christ came to destroy
the works of the devil, that is, sin, as the apostle shows,
1 John iii. 8 ; John viii. 41, 44, and in their place to bring in
the work of God, which is faith in him, for so that grace is
frequently styled, John vi. 29; Phil. i. 29; Col. ii. 12,
therefore it is requisite that none of Satan's instruments and
confederates, such as the hearts of natural men are, should be
too strong for the grace of Christ.
But what then, doth Christ compel men against their
wills to be subject unto him? No, in no wise. He hath
ordered to bring them in by way of voluntariness and obe-
dience. And herein is the wisdom of his power seen, that
his grace shall mightily produce those effects in men, which
their hearts shall most obediently and willingly consent unto ;
that he is able to use the proper and genuine motions of
second causes to the producing of his own most holy, wise,
and merciful purposes. As we see hum.an wisdom can so
order, moderate, and make use of natural motions that by
them artificial effects shall be produced; as in a clock the
natural motion of the weight or plummet causeth the artificial
distribution of hours and minutes; and m a mill the natural
motion of the wind or water causeth an artificial effect in
SUBJECTION DUE TO CHRIST. 9
grinding the corn ; how much more, then, shall the wisdom
of Almighty God, whose weakness is stronger, and whose
foolishness is wiser than men, be able so to use, incline, and
order the wills of men, without destroying them or their
liberty, as that thereby the kingdom of his Son shall be set
up amongst them? so that though there be still an habitual,
radical, fundamental indetermination and indifferency unto
several ways, unto none of which there can be a compul-
sion, yet, by the secret, ineffable, and most sweet operation
of the Spirit of grace, opening the eyes, convincing the judg-
ment, persuading the affections, inclining the heart, giving
an understanding, quickening and awakening the conscience,
a man shall be swayed unto the obedience of Christ; and
shall come unto him so certainly, as if he were drawn; and
yet so freely, as if he were left unto himself. For in the
calling of men by the word, there is a trahere, and a venire,
— a drawing, and a coming. The Father draweth, and the
man cometh, John vi. 44. That notes the efficacy of grace,
and this the sweetness of grace. Grace worketh strongly,
and therefore God is said to draw; and it worketh sweetly
too, and therefore man is said to come.
Again, from hence we learn our duty unto this King, the
honour and subjection which is due unto him. " The Father
hath committed all judgment unto the Son ;" that is, hath
anointed him with the office and abilities of a king ; for judg-
ment stands for the whole duty of a king, Psa. Ixxii. 1, and
is therefore frequently attributed unto the Messiah, Isa. xlii.
1, 4; Jer. xxiii. 5; xxxiii. 15. And from thence our
Saviour infers, " that all men should honour the Son, even as
they honour the Father," John v. 22, 23, with the same
worship, reverence, and subjection. For " God hath highly
exalted him, and given him a name above every name, that
at the name of Jesus," that is, unto that Holy Thing, unto
the power and sceptre of that Divine Person, which is unto
us so comfortably manifested in a name of salvation, " every
knee shall bow," Phil. ii. 9, 10. This duty the psalmist
expresseth by " kissing the Son," Psa. ii. 12. Which de-
noteth unto us three things: 1. Love. For a kiss is a
symbol and expression of love, and therefore used by the
primitive christians in their feasts of love, and after prayer
to God, and oftentimes enjoined by St. Paul as an expression
of christian love ; insomuch that it was a proverbial speech
amongst the heathen, *' See how these christians love one
B 3
10 SUBJECTION DUE TO CHRIST.
another!" And this is a duty which the apostle requires,
under pain of the extremest curse that can light upon a man,
to love the Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Cor. xvi. 22; Eph. vi.
24. " He that loveth father or mother more than me,"
saith our Saviour, " he is not worthy of me ; or son or
daughter more than me, he is not worthy of me," Matt. x.
37. That is, he is utterly unqualified for the benefit of my
mediation; for he that hath good by me cannot choose but
love me, Luke vii. 47. 2. To kiss, in the Scripture phrase,
noteth worship and service : " Let the men that sacrifice kiss
the calves," Hosea xiii. 2; Job xxxi. 26, 27. And thus we
find the four beasts, and the four and twenty elders, and
every creature in heaven and on earth, and under the earth,
worshipping the Lamb, and ascribing " blessing, honour,
glory, and power unto him," Rev. v. 8, 14. 3. To kiss is
an expression of loyalty and obedience ; thus Samuel kissed
Saul, when he had anointed him king over Israel, 1 Sam.
X. L And this is a duty which we owe unto Christ, to be
obedient to him, to be ruled by his mouth, and by the sceptre
of his mouth ; that is, by his word, which is therefore called
the law of Christ, because it hath a binding power in it.
We are commanded from heaven to hear him, Matt. xvii. 5 ;
and that, too, under pain of a curse : every soul which will
not hear that Prophet shall be destroyed from among the
people, Acts iii. 23. We should learn, therefore, to take
his commands as from God, for he speaketh his Father's
words, and in his name, Deut. xviii. 19 ; John iii. 34.
When Ahasuerus commanded Haman to put on the crown
upon Mordecai, he presently executed the king's pleasure,
and honoured his greatest enemy, because the king required
it. Now, God hath made Christ our King, and hath " crowned
him with honour and majesty," as the apostle speaks, Heb.
ii. 9, and requires of us to kiss his Son, and to bow unto his
name; and, therefore, be we what we may, princes or judges,
or great men of the world, who rejoice in nothing more than
in the name of wisdom, this is our wisdom and duty, Psa.
ii. 10, 12. It is too ordinary with great men to be regard-
less of God and his ways. Yet we see the wrath of God in
his creatures; fire, tempest, pestilence, sword, sickness,
make no distinction between them and others ; how much
less will God himself make, when all crowns, and sceptres,
and dignities shall be resigned to him, and all men shall
stand in an equal distance and condition before the tribunal
THE NECESSITY OF SUBJECTION. 11
of Christ, when no titles of honour, no eminency of station,
no treasures of wealth, no strength of dependences, no retinue
and train of servants, will accompany a man into the presence
of the Lamb, or stand between him and the judgment of
that great day. We know he was a king that feared the
presence of a persecuted prophet, 1 Kings xxi. 20; and he
was a governor that trembled at the preaching of an apostle
in chains. Acts xxi v. 26.
The word of God cannot be bound nor limited ; it is the
sceptre which his Father hath given him, and we cannot,
without open contest against God, resist his government
therein over us. " He that despiseth you despiseth me ; and
he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me," saith our
Saviour, Luke x. 16. It is Christ himself, whose ambassa-
dors we are, and with whom men have to do in our ministry.
And he will have it so: 1. For our peace; if God were to
speak again by the ministry of angels, in thunder and fire, as
he did on mount Sinai, we should quickly call for Moses
and ministers again, Exod. xx. 19. 2. For his own glory,
that the excellency may be of God, and not of men, 2 Cor.
iv. 7. That it may not be in him that planteth, nor in him
that watereth, " but in God which giveth the increase,"
1 Cor. iii. 7. That it may not be in him which willeth, nor
in him which runneth, " but of God which showeth mercv,"
Rom. ix. 16. That the service, co-operation, and help" of
the church's joy might be ours, but the dominion over men's
faith, and the teaching of their inner man, might be Christ's,
2 Cor. i. 24; Eph. iv. 20, 21. Very bold, therefore, and
desperate is the contumacy of those men who stand at defiance
with the power of Christ speaking in his servants. The
apostle saith, there is no escape for those who neglect so
great salvation, Heb. ii. 3. And yet this is the constant
folly and cry of natural men, " We will not have this man
to reign over us. Let us break their bands asunder, and cast
away their cords from us," Luke xix. 14; Psa. ii. 3.
But, 1. Every man must be subject to some king, either
Christ or sin, for they two divide the world, and their kingdom.s
will not consist. And the subjects of sin are all slaves and
servants, no liberty amongst them, John viii. 34; whereas
Christ makes all his subjects kings, like himself, Rev. i. 6 ;
and his is a kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy, Rom.
xiv. 17. 2. If men, by being the subjects of sin, could keep
quite out from the judgment and sceptre of Christ, it were
12 CHRIST THE SON OF DAVID.
something : but all men must, one way or other, be subdued
unto him, either as sons, or as captives ; either under his grace,
or under his wrath. " As I live, saith the Lord, every knee
shall bow to me," Rom. xiv. 10, 11. He must be either a
savour of life, or of death ; either for the rising, or the fall of
many in Israel ; either for a sanctuary, or for a stumbling block :
all must either be saved by him, or judged by him. There is
no refuge nor shelter of escape in any part of the world, for
his kingdom reacheth to the uttermost corners of the earth,
and will find out and fetch in all his enemies. 3. The matter
were not great, if a man could hold out in the opposition.
But " can thine heart endure, or thine hands be strong, saith the
Lord, in the days that I shall deal with thee ? " Ezek. xxii.
14. What will ye do in the desolation which shall come
from far ? when you are spoiled, what will ye do ? where will
you leave your glory ? what will become of the king whom
you served before ? It may be thy money is thine idol, and
thou art held in thraldom under thine own possessions. But
what will remain of a man's silver and gold to carry him
through the wrath to come, but only the rust thereof to join
in judgment against him? It maybe thou servest the times
and fashions of the world, rejoiceth in thy youth, in the ways
of thy heart, and in the sight of thine eyes : but thou must
not rise out of thy grave in thy best clothes, nor appear be-
fore Christ, like Agag, gorgeously apparalled. Thou must
not rise to play, but to be judged. It may be thou servest
thine own lust and another's beauty : but what pleasure will
there be in the fire of lust, when it shall be turned into the
fire of hell ? or what beauty wilt thou find on the left hand of
Christ, where the characters of every man's hellish conscience
shall be written in his face ? Thou servest thine own vain-
glory and affectations ; but what good will it be to be admired
by thy fellow-prisoners, and condemned by thy Judge ? In
one word, thou servest any of thine own evil desires : foolish
man, here they command thee, and there they will condemn
thee ; they are here thy gods, and they will be there thy
devils.
II. The second particular in the description of Christ's
kingdom is the greatness, and nearness of his person unto
David. " My Lord." David calleth him, " My Lord," upon a
double reason; by a spirit of prophecy, as foreseemg his incar-
nation and nativity out of the tribe of Judah and stock oi
Jesse ; and so he was David's son ; and by a spirit of faith,
HOW CHRIST IS A LORD. 13
as believing him to be his Redeemer and salvation ; and so
he was David's Lord. ''A virgin shall conceive, and bear a
son ;" there we see his incarnation and descent from David ;
**and shall call his name Immanuel," God with us, Isa. vii.
14 ; there we see his dominion over David. As man, so he
was his son ; and as Mediator, so he was his Lord. As man,
so he was subject unto Mary his mother; and as Mediator, he
was the Lord and Saviour of his mother, Luke ii. 51; i. 46,
47. As man, he was made for a little while lower than the
angels, that he might suffer death ; but as Mediator, God and
man, in one person, he was made much better than the angels,
all the angels of God were his subjects, to worship him, and
his ministers, to wait upon him, Heb. ii. 7, 9 ; i. 4, 6, 7.
So then the pronoun mine leads us to the consideration of
Christ's consanguinity with David, as he was his son ; and of
his dignity above David, as he was his Lord.
From hence we learn, that though Christ was man, yet he
was more than a bare man. For, by the law of nature, no
son is lord to his father; domination doth never ascend.
There must be something above nature in him to make him
his father's sovereign, as our Saviour himself argueth from these
words. Matt. xxii. 42, 43. Christ then is a Lord to his people ;
he had dominion, and was the salvation of his own forefathers
A Lord ; 1. By right of the creation. For he is "before
all things, and by him all things consist," Col. i. 17 : which
the apostle makes the argument of his sovereignty ; " To us
there is but one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things,
and we by him," 1 Cor. viii. 6.
2. By a right of sonship and primogeniture, as the chief,
the firstborn, the heir of all things. He is not in the house,
as Moses was, as a servant, but a son over his own house, Heb.
iii. 3, 6. That is, he was not a servant, but Lord in the
church, as the apostle elsewhere gives us the same distinction.
" We preach Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your ser-
vants," 2 Cor. iv. 5. For in the Scripture phrase the firstborn
notes principality, excellency, and dominion. " I will make
him," saith God, " my firstborn, higher than the kings of the
earth," Psa. Ixxxix. 27. So in Job, the firstborn of death is
the same with the king of terrors. Job xviii. 13, 14 ; and so
the apostle saith, that the heir is the lord of all. Gal. iv. 1.
And therefore from his primogeniture and designation to the
inheritance of all things, he inferreth his pre-eminence and
honour even above the angels, Gal. i. 18 ; Heb. i. 2, 4.
14 HOW CHRIST IS A LORD TO US
3. By the right of his unction, office, and mediatorship,
unto which he was designed by his Father. He w^as in all
things to have the pre-eminence ; " For it pleased the Father
that in him should all fulness dwell," Col. i. 18, 19. Where
by fulness we must understand either fulness of the Godhead
bodily, as the apostle speaks, Col. ii. 9 ; or fulness of the
Spirit of grace, which St. John speaks of, John i. 16 ; iii. 34.
And in both respects he is Lord over all : in one, by the dig-
nity of his hypostatical union ; in the other, by the grace of
his heavenly unction ; and in both, as Mediator and Head in
the Church. Therefore the apostle saith, " that God hath
made him Lord and Christ," Acts ii. 36 ; and by the accom-
plishment of his office, in dying, rising, and reviving, he be-
came Lord both of the dead and living, Rom. xiv. 9 ; Rev.v. 12.
And thus he is Lord in two respects : 1. A Lord in power
and strength. Power to forgive sins ; power to quicken whom
he will ; power to cleanse, justify, and sanctify ; power to suc-
cour in temptations ; power to raise from the dead ; power to
save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him ; power
to hold fast his sheep ; power to cast out the accuser of the
brethren ; power to put down all his enemies, and to subdue
all things unto himself. 2. A Lord in authority ; to judge,
to anoint, to employ, to command whom and what he will.
He only is Lord over our persons, over our faith, over our
consciences ! to him only we must say, " Lord, save us, lest we
perish !" and, " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ?"
And Christ was such a Lord to his own forefathers.
" They did all eat of the same spiritual meat, and did all drink
the same spiritual drink," even of that spiritual Rock, which
was Christ, 1 Cor. x. 3, 4. He was the substance of the cere-
monies, the doctrine of the prophets, the accomplishment of
the promises, the joy and salvation of the patriarchs and
princes, the desire and expectation of all flesh. The gospel
is to us a history and narration, and therefore delivered by the
hand of witnesses ; to them a promise and prediction, and
therefore delivered by the hand of prophets. The apostles
entered into the prophets' labours, and were servants in the
same common salvation ; these as sowers, and they as reapers ;
these as preachers of the seed hoped, and they as preachers
of the same seed exhibited. The ancient jews, then, were not
saved by bare temporal promises, neither was their faith ulti-
mately fixed upon ceremonies or earthly things ; but as their
preachers had the same spirit of Christ with ours, so the doc-
AND THE PATRIARCHS. 15
trine which they preached, the faith and obedience which they
required, the salvation which they foretold, were the same
with ours. As the same sun enlightens the stars above and
the earth beneath, so the same Christ was the righteousness
and salvation both of his forefathers and of his seed. " They
without us could not be made perfect," Heb. xi. 40 ; that
is, as I conceive, their faith had nothing actually extant
amongst themselves to perfect it, but received all its form and
accomplishment from that better thing which was provided for,
and exhibited unto us. " For the law," that is, the carnal
commandment, and outward ceremonies therein prescribed,
" made nothing," grace, nor person, " perfect ; but the bringing
in of a better hope," that is, of Christ, who as he is unto us
the hope of glory, so he was unto them the hope of deUver-
ance, for he alone it is by whom we draw nigh unto God,
" hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified," Heb. vii.
19; Heb. X. 14.
If Christ then be our Lord, we must trust in him, and de-
pend upon him for all our present subsistence and our future
expectations. For he never faileth those that wait upon him.
" He that believeth in him shall not be ashamed," Rom. ix.
23. And indeed faith is necessary to call Christ, Lord ; " No
man can say Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost,"
1 Cor. xii. 3 : because other lords are present with us, they
do with their own eyes oversee, and by their own visible power
order and direct us in their service : but Christ is absent from
our senses ; " Though I have known Christ after the flesh,
yet henceforth," saith the apostle, "know I him no more,"
2 Cor. v. 16. Therefore, to fear, and honour, and serve him
with all fidelity, to yield more absolute and universal obedience
to his commands, though absent, and though tendered unto us
by the ministry of mean and despicable persons, than to the
threats and sceptres of the greatest princes ; to labour that not
only present, but absent, we may be accepted of him; to do
his hardest works of self-denial, of overcoming and rejecting
the assaults of the world, of standing out against principal-
ities, and pov.-ers, and spiritual wickedness, of suffering and
dying in his service, there needs must be faith in the heart to
see him present by his Spirit, to set our seal to the truth,
authority, and majesty of all his commands ; to hear the Lord
speaking from heaven, and to find by the secret and powerful
revelations of his Spirit out of the word to the soul, evident
and invincible proofs of his living by the power of God, and
16 OBEDIENCE DUE UNTO CHRIST.
speaking mightily in the ministry of his word to our con-
sciences. Therefore, when the apostle had said, " We are ab-
sent from the Lord," 2 Cor. v. 6, he presently adds, " We
walk by faith ; " that is, we labour to yield all service and
obedience to this our Lord, though absent ; because by faith
(which giveth presence to things unseen, and subsistence to
things that are yet but hoped) we know that he is, and that
" he is a Rewarder of those that diligently seek him."
And indeed, though every man call him Lord, yet no man
doth in truth and sincerity of heart so esteem him, but those
who do in this manner serve him, and by faith walk after
him. " If I be a master, where is my fear, saith the Lord?"
Mai. i. 6. It is not every one that saith. Lord, Lord, but he
that doth my will, that trembleth at my word, that laboureth
hi my service, who declares himself to be mine indeed. For
the heart of man cannot have two masters, because which
way soever it goes, it goes whole and undivided. We cannot
serve Christ and any thing else which stands in competition
with him : 1. Because they are contrary masters ; one cannot
be pleased, or served, without the disallowance of the other.
"The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy;" that is,
oTudgeth, and cannot endure that any service should be done
to the Lord; for "the friendship of the world is enmity with
God," James iv. 4, 5. And therefore, saith the apostle, " If
any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him,"
1 John ii. 15 ; and the reason is, because they are contrary
principles, and have contrary spirits and lusts ; and therefore
must needs overrule unto contrary services. 2. Because both
masters have employments enough to take up a whole man.
Satan and the world have lusts to fill the whole head and
heart of their most active and industrious servants ; for the
apostle saith, that all which is in the world are lusts, 1 John
ii. 16. And the heart of man is wholly or most greedily set
in him to do that evil which it is tasked withal, Eccles. viii.
11. The "all" that is in man, all his faculties, all his affec-
tions, the whole compass of his created abilities, are all gone
aside, or turned backward ; there is no man, no part in man,
that doth any good, no not one, Psa. xiv. 3 ; hii. 3.
Christ likewise is a great Lord, hath much m.ore business
than all the time or strength of his servants can bring about.
He requireth the obedience of every thought of the heart,
2 Cor. X. 5. Grace, and edification, and profit in all the words
that proceed out of our mouth, Eph. iv. 29. A respect mito
THE POWER OF CHRIST's KINGDOM. 17
the glory of God in whatever works we go about, 1 Cor. x. 31.
The whole soul, body, and spirit, should be sanctified
throughout, and that even till the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ, 1 Thess. v. 23. Christ hath much more service than
enough to take up all the might, strength, studies, abilities,
time, and callings of all his servants ; every christian hath his
hands full of work. And therefore Christ expostulateth that
it is an absurd thing to call him, Lord, Lord, to profess and re-
peat a verbal subjection, and yet not to do the things which
he requires, Luke vi. 46.
III. The third thing observed, touching the kingdom of
Christ, is the glory and power thereof, intimated by his sitting
at the Lord's right hand. God's right hand, in the Scripture,
is a metonymical expression of the strength, power, majesty,
and glory that belong unto him. " This is mine infirmity,"
said the psalmist ; " but I will remember the years of the
right hand of the Most High," Psa. Ixxvii.IO. Where we find
God's power under the figure of a right hand, opposed to the
infirmity of his servant. So the right hand oi the Lord is
said to span, or extend the heavens, Isa. xlviii. 13. And the
psalmist expresseth the strength and salvation of the Lord by
his right hand, Psa. cxviii. 14 — 16. And his fury is the
" cup of his right hand," Hab. ii. 16, And he strengtheneth,
and helpeth, and upholdeth his people by the right hand of
his righteousness ; that is, by his power and faithful promises,
which in their weakness strengthens them, in their fear and
flagging helps them, in their sinking and falling upholds them,
Isa. xli. 10. So the psalmist saith of wicked men, that " their
right hand is a right hand of falsehood," Psa. cxliv. 11 ; that
is, either confidence in their own power will deceive themselves,
or they will deceive others to whom they promise succour and
assistance. Therefore God's right hand is called the right hand
of majesty, Heb. i. 3 ; and the right hand of power, Luke
xxii. 69. To sit then at God's right hand noteth the great
honour and judiciary office, and plenitude of power which God
the Father hath given to his Son, after his manifestation in
the flesh, in his nativity, and justification by the Spirit ; in his
resurrection, he was then, amongst other dignities, received up
into glory, 1 Tim. iii. 16. This we find amongst those ex-
pressions of honour which Solomon showed unto his mother,
that she sat at his right hand, 1 Kings ii. 19. And herein
the apostle puts a great difference between Christ and the le-
vitical priests, that they stood daily ministering, but Christy
18 THE EXALTATION OF CHRIST.
after his offering, " sat down on the right*hand of God," Heb.
X. 12. Noting two things: 1. that Christ was the Lord, and
they but servants ; for standing is the posture of a servant or
minister, Deut. xvii. 12 ; Ezek xHv. 24, and not sitting, Luke
xvii, 7. 2. That their work was daily to be repeated, whereas
Christ's was consummated in one offering once for all, after
which he rested or sat down again.
1. This sitting of Christ at the right hand of Majesty and
Glory, notes unto us, the great exaltation of the Lord Christ,
whom God hath highly honoured and advanced, and given
a name above every name.
(1.) His Divine nature, though it cannot possibly receive
any intrinsical improvement or glory, all fulness of glory
essentially belonging thereunto, yet so far as it was hum-
bled, for the economy and administration of his office, so far
it was re-advanced again. Now, he emptied and humbled him-
-self, not by putting off any of his Divine glory ; but by suffer-
ing it to be over-shadowed with the similitude of sinful flesh,
and to be humbled under the form of a servant, as the light of
a candle is hidden in a dark and close lantern. So that de-
claratorily, or by way of manifestation, he is in that respect
magnified at God's right hand ; or, as the apostle speaks, de-
clared to be the Son of God with power in rising from the dead,
and returning to his glory again, Rom. i. 4. Again ; however
in the abstract we cannot say, that the Deity, or Divine na-
ture was exalted in any other sense, than by evident manifest-
ation of itself in that Man who was before despised and
accused as a blasphemer, for that he made himself equal with
God : yet, by reason of the communication of properties from
one nature to another in the unity of one person, it is true,
that as God saved the world by his blood, and as it was the
Prince of life that was crucified, and the Lord that lay in the
grave, so God likewise was in the form of a servant humbled,
and at the right hand of Majesty exalted again.
(2.) The human nature of Christ is most highly exalted
by sitting at God's right hand ; for in the right of his hypo-
statical union, he hath an ample and immediate claim to all
that glory which might in the human nature be conferred
upon him ; so that though, during the time of his conversation
amongst men, the exigence and economy of the office which
he had for us undertaken made him a man of sorrows, and
intercepted the beams of the Godhead and Divine glory from
the other nature ; yet, having finished that dispensation, there
THE EXALTATION OF CHRIST. 19
was in the virtue of that most intimate association of the na-
tures in one person, a communicating of all glory from the
Deity which the other nature was capable of. For, as by the
Spirit of holiness he was filled with treasures of wisdom, and
knowledge, and grace, and thereby fitted for the office of a
Mediator, and made the first-fruits of the first-born, the Heir
of all things, the Head and Captain of the church ; furnished
with a residue and redundancy of the Spirit to sanctify his
brethren, and to make them joint heirs and first-born with
himself ; so, by the Spirit of glory is he filled with unmatchable
perfections, beyond the capacity or comprehension of all the
angels of heaven ; being not only full of glory, but having in
him all the fulness of glory which a created nature, joined to
an infinite and bottomless fountain, could receive.
From hence, therefore, we should learn to let the same mind
be in us which was in Christ ; to humble ourselves first, that
we may be exalted in due time ; to finish our works of self-
denial and service which we owe to God, that so we may enter
into our Master's glory. For he himself entered not but by a
way of blood. We likewise learn to have recourse and de-
pendence on him for all supplies of the Spirit, Phil. i. 19 ;
for all strength of grace, Phil. iv. 13 ; for all influences of life,
for the measure of every joint and member, Eph. iv. 16. He
is our Treasure, our Fountain, our Head. It is his free grace,
his voluntary influence, which habituateth and fitteth all our
faculties ; which animateth us unto a heavenly being, which
givethus both the strength and first act, whereby we are qualified
to work, and which concurreth with us in the second act to all
those works which we set ourselves about. As an instrument,
even when it hath an edge, cutteth nothing till it be assisted
and moved by the hand of the artificer ; so a christian, when
he hath a will and an habitual fitness to work, yet is able to
do nothing without the constant supply, assistance, and con-
comitancy of the grace of Christ, exciting, moving, and ap-
plying that habitual power unto particular actions. He it is
that giveth us not only to will, but to do ; that goeth through
with us, and worketh all our works for us by his grace. With-
out him we can do nothing ; all our sufficiency is from him.
But it maybe objected, If we can do nothing without a second
grace, to what end is a former grace given ? Or what use is
there of our exciting that grace and gift of God in us, which
can do nothing without a further concourse of Christ's Spirit ?
To this I answer, first, that as light is necessary and requisite
20 THE EXALTATION OF CHRIST.
unto seeing, and yet there is no seeing without an eye, so
without the assisting grace of Christ's Spirit concurring with
us unto every holy duty, we can do nothing ; and yet that
grace doth ever pre-suppose an implanted, seminal, and habitual
grace, fore-disposing the soul unto the said duties. Again ; as
in the course of natural effects, though God be a most volun-
tary agent, yet in the ordinary concurrence of a first cause he
worketh after the manner of nature, measuring forth his assist-
ance proportionably to the condition and preparation of the
second causes : so in supernatural and holy operations, albeit
not with a like certain and unaltered constancy, though Christ
be a most voluntary Head of his church, yet usually he pro-
portioneth his assisting and second grace unto the growth,
progress, and deepening of those spiritual habits which are in the
soul before. From whence cometh the difference of holiness
and profitableness amongst the saints, that some are more
active and unwearied in all holy conversation than others ; as
in the natural body some members are larger and more full of
life and motion than others, according to the different distribu-
tion of spirits from the heart, and influences from the head.
This, then, affords matter enough both to humble us and to
comfort us. To humble us, that we can do nothing of our-
selves ; that we have nothing in ourselves, but sin. All the
fulness of grace is in him ; and therefore whosoever hath any,
must have it from him: as in the Egyptian famine, whosoever
had any corn had it from Joseph, to whom the granaries and
treasures of Egypt were for that purpose committed. And
this lowliness of heart, and sense of our own emptiness, is
that which makes us always have recourse to our Fountain,
and keep in favour with our Head, from whom we must re-
ceive fresh supply of strength for doing any good, for bearing
any evil, for resisting any temptation, for overcoming any
enemy ; for beginning, for continuing, and for perfecting any
duty. For though it be man's heart that doth these things, yet
it is by a foreign and impressed strength ; as it is iron that
burns, but not by its own nature, which is cold ; but by the
heat which it hath received from the fire. "Yet not I,"
saith the apostle, " but the grace of God which was with me,"
1 Cor. XV. 10.
To comfort us likewise, when we consider that all fulness
and strength is in him, as in an officer, an Adam, a treasurer
and dispenser of all needful supplies to his people, according
to the place they bear in his body, and to the exigence and
THE EXALTATION OF CHRIST. "21
measure of their condition in themselves, or service in his
church. Sure we are that what measure soever he gives unto
any, he hath still a residue of Spirit ; nay he still retaineth his
own fulness ; hath still enough to carry us through any .con-
dition, and according to the difficulties of the service he puts
us upon ; hath still wisdom to understand, compassion to pity,
strength to supply all our needs. And that all this he hath
as a merciful and faithful Depository, as a Guardian, and
Husband, and elder Brother, to employ for the good of his
church. That he is unto this office appointed by the will of
Him that sent him, to lose nothing of all that which is given
him, but to keep and perfect it unto the resurrection at the last
day. That God hath planted in him a Spirit of faithfulness
and pity, for the cheerful discharge of this great office ; given
him a propriety in us, made us as near and dear unto him
as the members of his sacred body are to one another ; and
therefore whosoever cometh to him, with emptiness, and hun-
ger, and faith, he will in no wise cast them out ; it is as pos-
sible for him to hew off, and to throw away the members of
his natural body, to have any of his bones broken, as to
reject the humble and faithful desires of those that duly wait
upon him.
Again, from this exaltation of Christ in his human nature,
we should learn to keep ourselves in holiness and in honour,
as those who expect to be fashioned at the last like unto him.
For how can that man truly hope to be like Christ hereafter,
that labours to be as unlike him here as he can ? " Shall I
take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an
harlot?" saith the apostle, 1 Cor. vi. 15, So may I say,
Shall I take the nature of Christ, that nature which he in his
person hath so highly glorified, and make it in my person the
nature of a devil ?• If a prince should marry a mean woman,
would he endure to see those of her nearest kindred, her
brethren and sisters, live like scullions or the lowest menials
under his own 6ye? Now, Christ hath taken our nature into
a nearer union with himself than marriage ; for man and wife
are still two persons, but God and man is but one Christ.
Death itself was not able to dissolve this union ; for when the
soul was separated from the body, yet the Deity was separated
from neither. It was the Lord that lay in the grave, and he
that ascended was the same that descended into the lower part
of the earth. Matt, xxviii. 6 ; Eph. iv. 10. And shall we then
defile this nature by wantonness, intemperance, and vile
22 NECESSITY OF CHRIST S HUMILIATION.
affections, which is taken into so indissoluble an unity with the
Son of God ? Christ took it to advance it ; and it is still, by
his Spirit in us, so much the more advanced, by how much the
nearer it comes to that holiness which it hath in him. We
should therefore labour to walk as becometh those that have
so glorious a Head, to walk worthy of such a Lord unto all
well pleasing, in fruitfulness and knowledge ; to walk as those
that have received Christ, and expect his appearing again,
Phil. i. 27 ; Col. i. 10 ; ii. 6 ; iii. 4, 5.
2. The sitting of Christ on the right hand of God, notes
unto us the consummation of all those offices which he was to
perform here on the earth for our redemption : for till they were all
finished, he was not to return to his glory again. " He that
hath entered into his rest hath ceased from his own works,"
saith the apostle, Heb. iv. 10. First, he was to execute his
office before he was to enter into his rest. Though he were a
son, and so, by the law of nature, the inheritance were his
own before, yet he was to learn obedience by the things which
he was to suffer before he was made perfect again, Heb. v. 8, 9.
*' After he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever," that is,
after he had made such a complete expiation as should
never need be repeated, but was able for ever to perfect those
that are sanctified, he then " sat down on the right hand of
God ; from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made
his footstool," Heb. x. 12 — 14, This is the argument our
Saviour useth when he prayeth to be glorified again with his
Father ; " I have glorified thee on earth," or revealed the
glory of thy truth and mercy to thy church ; " I have finished
the work which thou gavest me to do, and now, O Father,
glorify thou me with thine own self," John xvii. 4, 5. " He
humbled himself," saith the apostle, " and became obedient
to death, even the death of the cross ; wherefore God hath
highly exalted him," Phil. ii. 8, 9. Noting unto us, the order
of the dispensation of Christ's offices : some were works of
ministry and service, in the office of obedience and suffering
for his church; others were works of power and majesty, in
the protection and exaltation of his church ; and those neces-
sarily to precede these. He " ought to suffer, and to enter
into his glory," Luke xxiv. 26, 46. Necessarily I say ; 1. by
a necessity of God's decree, who had so fore-appointed it,
Acts ii. 23, 24. 2. By the necessity of God's justice, which
must first be satisfied by obedience, before it could be appeased
with man, or in the person of their Head and Advocate exalt
NECESSITY OF CIIRISt's HUMILIATION *2S
tliem to his glory again, Rom. Hi. 25; v. 10 ; vi. 6, 11 ; Eph.
ii. 5, 6. 8. By the necessity of God's word and will, signified
in the predictions of the prophets, Luke xxiv. 46 ; 1 Peter i.
10, 11, 4. By the necessity of Christ's infinite person,
which being equal with God, could not possibly be exalted
without some preceding descent and humiliation. " That he
ascended," saith the apostle, " what is it but that he also de-
scended first into the lower parts of the earth ? " Eph. iv, 9.
Therefore it is that our Saviour saith, the Spirit should
con\'ince the world of righteousness, because he was to go to
the Father, and should be seen here no more, John xvi. 10.
The meaning of it is, that the Spirit should, in the ministry of
the word, reveal unto those who are fully convhiced of their
sinful condition, and humbled in the sense thereof, a treasure
of full and sufficient righteousness by his obedience wrought
for sinners : and the reason which is given of it stands thus ;
our righteousness consists in our being able to stand in God's
presence. Now, Christ having done all as our Surety here,
went up into glory as our Head and Advocate, as the First-fruits,
the Captain, the Prince of life, the Author of salvation, and
the Forerunner of his people ; so that his going thither, is an
argument of our justification by him. Because it is a sign
that he hath finished the work of our redemption on earth ; a
sign that he overcame death, and was justified by the Spirit
from the wrongs of men and from the curse of the law. There-
fore he said to Mary, after his resurrection, " Go unto my
brethren, and say, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father ;
and to my God, and your God," John xx. 17. That is, by my
death and victory over it, you are made my brethren and recon-
ciled unto God again. Again ; because he hath offices in
heaven to fulfil at the right hand of his Father in our behalf,
to intercede and to prepare a place for us, to apply unto us the
virtue of his death and merits. If he had ascended without
fulfilling all righteousness for the church, he would have been
sent down, and seen again : but now, saith he," You see me no
more ;" for by once dying, and by once appearing in the end of
the world, he put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, Heb.
ix. 26 ; vii. 27 ; Rom. vi. 9, 10. " He was taken," saith the
prophet, " from prison and from judgment ;" to note, that the
whole debt was paid, and now " who shall declare his gene-
ration ?" Isa. liii. 8. That is, he now liveth unto num-
berless generations, he prolongeth his days, and hath already
fulfilled righteousness enough to justify all those that know
24 NECESSITY OF CHRIST S HUMILIATION.
him, or believe in him. Thus we see that Christ's deliver-
ance out of prison, and exaltation at the right hand of God,
is an evident argument that he is fully exonerated of the guilt
of sin and the curse of the law, and hath accomplished all
those works which he had undertaken for our righteousness.
And this likewise affords abundant matter both to humble
and to comfort the church of Christ. To humble us in the
evidence of our disabiUties ; for if we could have finished the
works which were given us to do, there would, have been no
need of Christ. It was weakness which made way for Christ :
our weakness to fulfil obedience, and that weakness of the law
to justify sinners, Rom. v. 6; viii. 3; Heb. vii. 18, 19. All
the strength we have is by the power of his might and by his
grace, Eph. vi. 10 ; 2 Tim. ii. 1. And even this God dis-
penseth unto us in measure, and by degrees, driving out our
corruptions as he did the Canaanites before his people, by
little and little, Exod. xxiii. 30. Because, while we are here,
he will have us live by faith, and draw our strength, as we
use it, from Christ, and wait in hope of a better condition.
To comfort us likewise: (1.) Against all our unavoidable
and invincible infirmities. Every good christian desires to
serve the Lord with all his strength ; desires to be enriched,
to be stedfast, unmoveable, abounding in the work of the
Lord; to do his will as the angels in heaven do it. Yet in
many things he fails, and has daily experience of his own de-
fects. But here is all the comfort. Though I am not able to
do any of my duties as I should, yet Christ hath finished all
his to the full ; and therefore, though I am compassed with
infirmities, so that I cannot do the things which I would, yet
I have a compassionate Advocate with the Father, who both
giveth and craveth pardon for every one that prepareth his
heart to seek the Lord, though he be not perfectly cleansed,
1 John ii. 2 ; 2 Chron. xxx. 18, 19.
(2.) Against the pertinacy and close adherence of our cor-
ruptions, which cleave as fast unto us as the very powers and
faculties of our soul ; as heat unto fire, or light unto the sun.
Yet sure we are, that He who forbad the fire to burn, and put
blackness upon the face of the sun at midday, is able like-
wise to remove our corruptions as far from us as he hath re-
moved them from his own sight. And the ground of our ex-
pectation hereof is this ; Christ, when he was upon the earth
in the form of a servant, accomplished all the offices of suffer-
ing and obedience for usi therefore, being now exalted far
ADMINISTRATION OF CHRIST S KINGDOM. 25
ahove all heavens, at the right hand of Majesty and Glory,
he will much more fulfil those offices of power which he hath
there to do : which are, by the supplies of his Spirit, to purge
us from sin ; by the sufficiency of his grace to strengthen us ,
by his word to sanctify and cleanse us, and to present us to
himself a glorious church without spot or wrinkle. He that
brought from the dead the Lord Jesus, and suffered not death
to hold the Head, is able, by that power, and for that reason,
to make us perfect in every good work to do his will, and not
to suffer corruptioQ for ever to hold the members. It is the
frequent argument of the Scripture, Heb. xiii. 20, 21 ; Col.
ii. 12 ; Eph. i. 19, 20 ; Rom. vi. 5, 6 ; viii. 11.
(3.) Against all those fiery darts of Satan, whereby he
tempteth us to despair, and to forsake our mercy. If he
could have held Christ under when he was in the grave, then
indeed our faith would have been vain, we should be yet in
our sins, 1 Cor. xv. 17. But he who himself suffered, being
tempted, and overcame both the sufferings and the tempta-
tion, is able to succour those that are tempted, and to show
them mercy and grace to help in time of need, Heb. ii. 17,
18 ; iv. 13, 16.
(4.) Against death itself. For the accomplishment of
Christ's office of redemption, in his resurrection from the dead^
was both the merit, the seal, and the first-fruits of ours,
1 Cor. XV. 20, 22.
3. The sitting of Christ on the right hand of his Father,
noteth unto us the actual administration of his kingdom.
Therefore that which is here said, " Sit thou at my right
hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool," the apostle
thus expoundeth ; " He must reign, till he hath put all ene-
mies under his feet," 1 Cor. xv. 25. And he therefore " died,
and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of dead
and living," Rom. xiv. 9; namely, by being exalted unto
God's right hand. Now this administration of Christ's king-
dom implies several particulars : —
(1.) The publication of established laws. For that which
is in this psalm called the sending forth of the rod of Christ's
strength out of Sion, is thus by the prophets expounded,
" Out of Sion shall go forth the law, and the word of the
Lord from Jerusalem," Isa. ii. 3 ; Micah iv. 2.
(2.) The conquering and subduing of subjects to himself,
by converting the hearts of men, and bringing their thoughts
c
26 THE HOLY SPIRIT THE GIFT OF CHRIST.
into the obedience of his kingdom : ministerially, by the word
of reconciliation ; and effectually, by the power of his Spirit,
writing his laws in their hearts, and transforming them into
the image of his word, from glory to glory.
(3.) Ruling and leading those whom he hath thus con-
verted in his way, continuing unto their hearts his heavenly
voice, never utterly depriving them of the exciting, assisting,
co-operating grace of his Holy Spirit ; but by his Divine
power giving unto them all things which pertain unto life and
godliness, after he had once called them by his glorious
power, Isa. ii. 3 ; xxx. 21 ; John x. 3, 4 ; 1 Cor. i. 4, 8 ;
1 Peter ii. 9 ; 2 Peter i. 3.
(4.) Protecting, upholding, succouring them against all
temptations and discouragements. By his compassion pitying
them ; by his power and promises helping them ; by his care
and wisdom proportioning their strength to their trials ; bv
his peace recompensing their conflicts ; by patience and ex-
perience establishing their hearts in the hope of deliverance,
Heb. ii. 17 ; John xvi. 33 ; 1 Cor. x. 13 ; 2 Cor. i. 5 ; Phil,
iv, 7, 19 ; Rom. xv. 4.
(5.) Confounding all his enemies ; in their projects,
holding up his kingdom in the midst of their malice ; and
making his truth, like a tree, settle the faster, and like a torch,
shine the brighter, for the shaking. And in their persons,
whom he doth here gall and torment by the sceptre of his
word, constraining them by the evidence thereof, to subscribe
to the justice of his wrath; and whom he reserveth for the
day of his appearing, till they shall be put all under his feet :
in which respect he is said to stand at the right hand of God,
as a man of war ready armed for the defence of his church.
Acts vii. 5, 6.
4. The sitting of Christ on the right hand of God noteth
unto us his giving of gifts, and sending down the Holy Ghost
upon men. It hath been an universal custom, both in the
church and elsewhere, in days of great joy and solemnity, to
give gifts and send presents unto men. Thus, after the wall
of Jerusalem was built, and the worship of God restored, and
the law read and expounded by Ezra to the people, after the
captivity, it is said, that the people did eat, and drink, and
send portions, Neh. viii. 10, 12. The like form w^as by the
people of the jews observed in their feast of purim, Esther ix.
22. And the same custom hath been observed amongst
THE HOLY SPIRIT THE GIFT OF CHRIST. 27
heathen princes upon solemn and great occasions, to distribute
donations and congiaries* amongst the people. Thus Christ,
in the day of his majesty and inauguration, in that great and
solemn triumph, when he ascended up on high, and led cap-
tivity captive, he did withal give gifts unto men, Eph. iv. 10.
Christ was notably typified in the ark of the testament. In
it were the tables of the law, to show that the whole law was
in Christ fulfilled, and that he was the end of the law for
righteousness to those that believe in him. There was the
golden pot which had manna, to signify that heavenly and
abiding nourishment which from him the church receiveth.
There was the rod of Aaron which budded, signifying either
the miraculous incarnation of Christ in a virgin, or his suffer-
ings, which are expressed by stripes, Isa. liii. 5 ; and our re-
surrection with him noted in the budding of a dry rod. Or
lastly, noting the sanctifying and fruitful virtue of his word,
which is the rod of his strength. Upon it also was the mercy
seat, to note that in Christ is the foundation of all that mercy
and atonement which is preached unto men. But in two
things principally did it signify Christ unto our present pur-
pose. 1. It was overlaid within and without with gold, and
had a crown of gold round about it, Exod. xxv. 1 1 ; xxxvii. 2 ;
denoting the plentiful and glorious kingdom of Christ, who
w^as crowned with glory and honour, Heb. ii. 7. 2. It had
rings, by which it was carried up and down, till at last it
rested in Solomon's temple, with glorious and triumphal so-
lemnity, Psa. cxxxii. 8, 9 ; 2 Chron. v. 13. So Christ, while
he was here upon earth, being anointed with the Holy Ghost
and with power, went about doing good. Acts x. 38. And
having ceased from his works, did at last enter into his rest,
Heb. iv. 10, which is the heavenly temple. Rev. xi. 19.
Now, this carrying of the ark into its resting-place denotes
two things : 1 . A final conquest over the enemies of God. For
as the moving of the ark signified the acting and procuring of
victory. Josh, vi 11, 20; so the resting of the ark noted tlie
consummation of \i^. "*" 2. It notes the conferring of gifts,
as we see in that triumphal song at the removal of the ark ;
being also a prediction both of that which literally happened in
the reign of Solomon, and was mystically verified in Christ,Psa.
Ixviii. 18. Thus Christ our Prince of peace, being now in
the temple of God in heaven, hath bound hell, sin, and death
* A gift distributed to the Roman people or soldiers, originally ia
i corn, afterwards in money.
c2
28 DIFFERENT OPERATION OF CHRISt's SPIRIT.
captive, and hath demolished the walls of Jericho, or the king-
dom of Satan ; thrown him down from heaven like lightning,
and passed a sentence of judgment upon him ; and hath re-
ceived of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, and given
gifts unto men, Acts ii. 32, 35.
And we are to note, that as it began with his sitting there,
so it continueth as long as he shall sit there. It is true all
holy Scripture which God ordained for the gathering of his
people, and for the guidance of them in the militant church,
is already long since by the Spirit dictated unto holy and se-
lected instruments for that purpose, inspired with more abund-
ance of grace, and guided by a full and infaUible Spirit ; but
yet we must note, that in these holy writings there is such a
depth of heavenly wisdom, such a sea of mysteries, and such
an unsearchable treasure of purity and grace ; and though a
man should spend the longest life, after the severest and most
industrious manner, to acquaint himself with God in the reve-
lations of his word, yet his knowledge would be but in part,
and his holiness, after all, come short of maturity : as the
enemies are not all presently under Christ's feet, but are by
degrees subdued ; so the Spirit is not presently conferred in
fulness unto the members of Christ, but by measure and de-
grees, according to the voluntary influences of the Head, and
exigences of the members. So much of the Spirit of grace
and truth as we have here, is but the earnest and handsel of a
greater sum, Eph. i. 14 ; the seeds and first fruits of a fuller
harvest, 1 John iii. 9 ; Rom. viii. 23. Therefore the apostle
mentions a growing change " from glory to glory by the Spirit
of God," 2 Cor. iii. 18. We must not expect a fulness till
the time of the restitution of all things ; till that day of re-
demption and adoption wherein the light, which is here but
soWn for the righteous, shall grow up into a full harvest of
holiness and of glory.
But here ariseth a question out of the seeming contradiction
of holy Scripture. It is manifest that the Spirit of Christ
was in the church long before his ascension. The prophets
spake by him, 1 Peter i. 11; the ancient jews vexed him,
Isa. Ixiii. 10 ; John the Baptist was even filled with the Spirit,
to note a plentiful measure for the discharge of his office,
Luke i. 15 ; and yet St. John saith, that " the Holy Ghost
was not yet given ; because that Jesus was not yet glorified,"
John vii. 39. To this I answer, that the fathers were sancti-
fied by the same Spirit of Christ with us. Difference there is
DIFFERENT OPERATION OF CHRISt's SPIRIT. 29
none in the substance, but only in the accidents and circum-
stances of effusion and manifestation : as light in the sun,
and light in a star, is in itself the same original light, but very
much varied in the dispensation. It was the same truth which
was preached by the prophets and by Christ ; but the apostle
observes in it a difference : " sundry times, and in sundry
manners, hath God spoken by the prophets, but unto us by
his Son," Heb. i. 1 ; John xvi. 23 ; that is, more plentifully
and more plainly unto us than unto the fathers. Therefore,
though it be true that Abraham saw Christ's day, as all the
fathers did, (though he, being the father of the faithful, more
than others,) in which respect Eusebius saith of them, " that
tliey were christians really and in effect, though not in name :"
yet it is true likewise, that many prophets and righteous men
did desire to see and hear the things which the apostles saw
and heard, but did not. Matt. xiii. 17 ; namely, in such plain
and plentiful measure as the apostles did. They saw in
glimpses and morning stars, and prefigurations ; but these the
things themselves. They saw only the promises, and those
too but " afar off," Heb. xi. 13 ; these, the substance and
gospel itself, near at hand, in their mouth, and before their
eyes, and even amongst them, Rom. x. 8 ; Gal. iii. 1 ; John i.
14 ; 1 John i. 2, 3. They, by prophets, who " testified be-
forehand;" these, by eye witnesses, who declared the things
which they had seen and heard. Acts i. 8, 22 ; x. 41. There-
fore it is said, that Christ was a " Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world," Rev. xiii. 8 ; and yet " in the end
of the world that he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice
of himself," Heb. ix. 26. To note, that the fathers had the
benefit, but not the perfection of the promises, Heb. xi. 40 ;
for the apostle every where makes perfection the work of the
gospel, Eph. iv. 13; Heb. vi. 1.
So then, after Christ's sitting on the right hand of power,
the Holy Spirit was more completely sent, both in regard of
manifestation and efficacy, than ever before. The difference
is chiefly in three things :
(1.) In the manner of his mission. To the old church in
dreams and visions, in figures and latent ways ; but to the
evangelical churches in power, evidence, and demonstration,
1 Cor. ii. 4, 5. Therefore, he is called the " Spirit of wisdom
and revelation," which discovereth, and that unto principal-
ities and powers by the church, the manifold and mysterious
wisdom of God in Christ, Eph. i. 17 ; iii. 10. Therefore,
30 DIFFERENT OPERATION OF CHRISt's SPIRIT.
the Spirit was sent in the latter days, in wind, and fire, and
tongues, and earthquakes, Acts ii. 2, 3 ; iv. 31 ; all which
have in them a self-discovering property, which will not be
hidden. Whereas, in the time of the prophets, God did not
in any such things, save only in a low and still voice, reveal
himself, 1 Kings xix. 1 1, 12.
(2.) In the subjects unto whom he was sent. Before,
only upon the hiclosed garden of the jews did this wind blow ;
but now is the Spirit poured upon all fleeh, and this heavenly
dew falleth not upon the fleece, but upon the whole earth.
And therefore our Saviour opposeth Jerusalem and the Spirit,
John iv. 21, 28. Every believer is of the Israel of God,
every christian a temple of the Holy Ghost ; no people of the
earth secluded, but in every nation he that feareth God and
worketh righteousness is accepted ; no place unclean, but
every where pure hands may be lifted up.
(3.) In the measure of his grace. At first he was sent
only in drops and dew, but afterwards he was poured out in
showers and abundance,Tit. iii. 6 ; and therefore, as I have be-
fore observed, the grace of the gospel is frequently expressed
by the name of riches, Eph. i. 7, to note, not only the precious-
ness, but the plenty thereof in the church. And it is here
worthy our observation that the Spirit, under the gospel, is
compared to things of a spreading, multiplying, and operative
nature.
[1.] To water, and that not a little measure to sprinkle or
bedew, but to baptize the faithful in. Matt. iii. 11 ; Acts i. 5 ;
and that not in a font or vessel which grows less and less, but
in a springing or living river, John vii. 39. Now, water, be-
sides its purging property, is of a spreading nature : it hath no
bounds nor limits to itself, as firm and solid bodies have, but
receives its restraint by the vessel or continent which holds it :
so the Spirit of the Lord is not straitened in himself, but
only by the narrow hearts of men into which he comes. " Ye
are not straitened," saiththe apostle, " in us ;" that is, in that
ministry of grace and dispensation of the Spirit which is com-
mitted to us, "but m your own bowels," which are not in any
proportion enlarged unto that abundance and fulness of heavenly
grace which, in the gospel of salvation, is offered unto you.
Spring water is a growing and multiplying thing; which is the
reason why rivers which rise from narrow fountains, have yet,
by reason of a constant and regular supply, a great breadth in
remote channels, because the water lives : whereas in pits and
DIFFERENT OPERATION OF CHRISX's SPIRIT. 31
torrents it groweth less and less : so the graces of the Spirit
are living and springing things ; the longer they continue, the
larger they grow, like the waters of the sanctuary, Ezek. xxxvi.
25; and the reason is, because they come from a fountain
which is all life, John iv.lO; xiv. 6 ; Col. iii. 4. Again ; as
water multiplies in itself, so, by insinuation and molHfication,
it hath a fructifying virtue in other things. Fruitful trees are
planted by the water's side ; so the Spirit, searching and molli-
fying the heart, maketh it fruitful in holy obedience, Ezek. xi.
19, 20. Water is very strong in its own stream ; we see what
mighty engines it moveth, what huge vessels it rolleth like a
ball, what walls and bulwarks it overthrows : so the Spirit of
God is able to beat down all strong holds which the wit of
man or the malice of Satan can erect against the church. And
this strength of water serves to carry it as high as its own
spring and level : so the Spirit will never cease to raise the
hearts of his people till it carries them up to their fountain
and spring-head in heaven.
[^2.] The Spirit is compared to the rushing of a mighty
wind. The learned observe, that before Christ's time God
spake unto men in a soft still voice, which they called, " Bath
koll ; " but after, in the time of the gospel, by a mighty wind :
noting thereby both the abundance of his Spirit which he would
pour out in the latter days, and the strength thereof, as of a
rushing wind. Though a man have walls of brass and bars
of iron upon his conscience ; though he set up fortifications
of fleshly reason and the very gates of hell, to shut out the
Spirit of grace, yet nothing is able to withstand the power of
this mighty rushing wind. " Who art thou, O great mountain ?
Before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain," Zech. iv. 7.
£S.'] The Spirit is compared to fire ; noting likewise both
the multiplying or diffusive property thereof, turning every
thing into its own nature ; and the mighty strength thereof,
whereby it either cleanseth or consumeth any thing that
it meets with. If thou art stubble, it will devour thee ; if
stone, it will break thee ; if gold, it will purge thee. The hard
heart it can melt, and the foul heart it can purify. Lay down
thine heart under the word, and yield it to the Spirit, who is,
as it were, the artificer which doth manage the word, he can
frame it into a vessel of honour ; but if thou resist and be
stubborn against the Spirit in the word, know that it is but the
crackling of a leaf in the fire : if thou wilt not suffer it to
purge thee, thou canst not hinder it consuming thee ; nothing
32 DIFFERENT OPERATION OF CHRISt's SPIRIT.
is more comfortable, nothing more consuming than fire ; no-
thing more comfortable than the light, warmth, and witness of
the Spirit ; nothing more terrible than the conviction, con-
demnation, and bondage of the Spirit.
Now this difference in the measure of the Spirit may be
seen in two things. 1. In a greater measure of knowledge ;
" They shall all know me, from the least of them unto the
greatest of them, saith the Lord," Jer. xxxi. 34. " And the
earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters
cover the sea," Isa. xi. 9. Our Saviour told his disciples that
all things he had heard of his Father he had made known
unto them, John xv. 15 ; and yet a little after he telleth them
that many other things he had to say unto them which they
could not bear, till the Spirit of truth came, who should guide
them into all truth, John xvi. 12, 13 ; noting that the Spirit,
when he came, should enlarge their hearts to a capacity of
more heavenly wisdom than they could comprehend before.
For we may observe, before how ignorant they were of many
things, though they conversed with Christ in the flesh. Philip
ignorant of the Father, John xiv. 8 ; Thomas of the way unto
the Father, John xiv. 5 ; Peter of the necessity of Christ's
sufferings, Matt. xvi. 22 ; the two disciples of his resurrection,
Luke xxiv. 43 ; all of them of the quality of his kingdom,
Acts i. 6. Thus, before the sending of the Holy Ghost, the
Lord did not require so plentiful knowledge unto salvation, as
after ; as in the valuations of money, that which was plenty
two or three hundred years since, is but penury now. 2. In
a greater measure of strength for spiritual obedience. They
who before fled from the company of Christ in his sufferings,
did afterwards rejoice to be counted worthy of suffering shame
for his name ; or, as the elegancy of the original words import,
to be dignified with that dishonour of being christians. Acts v.
41. For suffering of persecution for Christ, and the trial of
faith by divers temptations, is in the Scriptures reckoned up
amongst the gifts and hundred fold compensations of God to
his people, Mark x- 30 ; Phil. i. 29 ; Heb. xi. 26 ; James i. 2 ;
1 Peter i. 6, 7. " No man," saith our Saviour, " putteth new
wine into old bottles ; " that is, exacteth rigid and heavy ser-
vices of weak and unqualified disciples, and therefore my disci-
ples fast not while I am amongst them in the flesh : but the
days will come when I shall be taken from them in body,
and shall send them my Holy Spirit to strengthen and pre-
pare them for hard service, and then they shall fast and per-
THE SPIRIT A COMFORTER. 33
form those parts of more difficult obedience unto me, Matt. ix.
15, 17.
Now further, touching this sending of the Holy Spirit,
which, together with Christ's intercession, was one of the prin-
cipal ends of his ascending up unto the right hand of power,
it may be here demanded, why the Holy Spirit was not, before
this exaltation of Christ, sent forth in such abundance upon
the church ? The main reason whereof, next unto the pur-
pose and decree of God, into which all the acts of his will are
to be resolved, Eph. i. 11, is given by our Saviour, John xiv.
16 ; xvi. 7; because he was to supply the corporeal absence of
Christ, and to be another Comforter to the church. Of which
office the Spirit, because it was one of the main ends of his
mission, and that one of the chief works of Christ's sitting at
God's right hand, I shall here, without any unprofitable or
impertinent digression, speak a little.
(1.) The Spirit is a Comforter, because an Advocate to his
people ; for so much the word signifies, and is elsewhere ren-
dered, 1 John ii. 1. Now, he is called " another Comforter," or-
Advocate, to denote the difference between Christ and the
Spirit in this particular. There is then an advocate by office
when one person takes upon himself the cause of another, and
in his name pleads it. Thus Christ, by the office of his medi-
ation and intercession, is an Advocate for his church, and doth,
in his own person in heaven, apply his merits, and further the
cause of our salvation with his Father. There is likewise an
advocate by energy and operation, by instruction and assist-
ance, which is not when a work is done by one person in the
behalf of another, but when one by his counsel, inspiration,
and assistance, enableth another to manage his own business
and plead his own cause. And such an advocate the Spirit is,
who doth not intercede nor appear before God in person for
us, as Christ doth, but maketh intercession for men in and by
themselves, giving them an access unto the Father, embolden-
ing them in their fears, and helping them in their infirmities,
when they know not what to pray, Eph. ii. 18 ; iii. 16 ; Heb.
X. 15, 19; Rom.viii. 26,
[1.] First then, the Spirit, as our Advocate, justifieth our
persons, and pleadeth our causes against the accusations of
our spiritual enemies. For as Christ is our Advocate at the
tribunal of God's justice, to plead our cause against the se-
verity of his law and that most righteous and undeniable
charge of sin which he layeth upon us ; so the Holy Spirit is
c5
34 THE SPIRIT A COMFORTER.
our Advocate at the tribunal of God's mercy, enabling us there
to clear ourselves against the temptations and murderous as-
saults of our spiritual enemies. The world accuseth us by
false and slanderous calumniations, laying to our charge
things which we never did ; the Spirit in this case maketh us
not only plead our innocency, but to rejoice in our fellowship
with the prophets who were before us ; to esteem the reproaches
of Christ greater riches than the treasures of the world ; to
count ourselves happy in this, that it is not such low marks as
we are which the malice of the world aimeth at, but the Spirit
of glory and of God which resteth upon us, who is on their
part evil spoken of, 1 Peter iv. 14. Satan, that grand accuser
of the brethren, doth not only load my sins upon my con-
science, but further endeavoureth to exclude me from the
benefit of Christ, by charging me with impenitency and unbe-
lief. But here the Spirit enableth me to clear myself against
the father of lies. It is true indeed I have sinful flesh, the
seeds of all mischief in my nature ; but the first means which
brought me hereunto was the believing of thy lies, and there-
fore I will no longer entertain thy hellish reasonings against
mine own peace. I have a spirit which teacheth me to bewail
the frowardness of mine own heart, to deny mine own will and
works, to long and aspire after perfection in Christ, to adhere
with dehght and purpose of heart unto his law, to lay hold
with all my strength upon that plank of salvation which, in
this shipwreck of my soul, is cast out unto me. These affec-
tions of my heart come not from the earthly Adam ; for what-
soever is earthly, is sensual and devilish too. And if they be
holy and heavenly, I will not believe that God will put any
thing of heaven into a vessel of hell. Sure I am, that He who died
for me when I did not desire him, will in no wise cast me away
when I come unto him. He who hath given me a will to love
his service, and to lean upon his promises, will, in mercy, accept
the will for the deed, and in due time accomplish the work of
holiness which he hath begun. Thus the Spirit, like an ad-
vocate, secureth his client's title against the sophistical ex-
ceptions of the adversary ; and when, by temptations, our eye
is dimmed, or by the mixture of corruptions our evidences de-
faced, he by his skill helpeth our infirmities, and bringeth those
things which are blotted out and forgotten into our remember-
ance again.
[2.] An advocate admonisheth and directeth his client how
to order and manage his own business ; what evidences to pro-
THE SPIRIT A COMFORTER. 35
duce, what witnesses to prepare, what offices to attend, what
preparations to make against the time of his hearing : so the
Spirit doth set the hearts of believers in a right way of nego-
tiating their spiritual affairs, maketh them to hear a voice be-
hind them, furnishing them with wisdom and pruderice in
every condition ; how to grapple with temptations, how to
serve God in all states ; when to reprove, direct, counsel, com-
fort ; when to speak, and when to be silent ; when to let out,
and when to chain up a passion ; when to use, and when to
forbear liberty ; how to prosecute occasions and apply occur-
rences unto spiritual ends ; every where and in all things
strengthening and instructing us to manage our hearts unto
the best advantages of peace to ourselves and of glory to our
master, Isa. xxx. 21 ; Col. i. 9, 10 ; Phil. iv. 12, 13.
[3.] An advocate maketh up the faihngs of his client, and
by his wisdom and observation of the case, picks out advan-
tages beyond the instructions, and gathereth arguments to fur-
ther the suit which his client himself observed not. So the
Spirit, when we know not what to pray, when, with Jehosha-
phat, we know not what to do ; when, it may be, in our own
apprehension, the whole business of our peace and comfort
lieth a bleeding, doth then help our infirmities, and by dumb
cries and secret intimations, and deep and unexpressible groan-
ings, presenteth arguments unto him who is the Searcher of
hearts, and whoknoweth the mind of the Spirit, which we our-
selves cannot express, Rom. viii. 27.
(2.) The Spirit is a Comforter by applying and representing
Christ absent, unto the soul again. For the Spirit carrieth a
christian's heart up to Christ in heavenly affections and conver-
sation, Col. iii. 1 — 3; Phil. iii. 20. As a piece of earth,
when it is out of its place, doth ever move to the whole earth,
so a spark of Christ's Spirit will naturally move upward unto
him who hath the fulness in him. A stone, though broken
all to pieces in the motion, will yet through all that peril and
violence move unto the centre ; so, though the nature of man
abhor, and would of itself decline the passages of death,
2 Cor. v. 4 ; yet the apostle desired to be dissolved and to be
taken asunder, that by any means he might be with Christ,
who is the centre of every christian's desire, Phil. i. 23.
Likewise the Spirit bringeth Christ down to a christian,
formeth him in his heart, evidenceth him, and the virtue of
his passion and resurrection unto the conscience, in the power-
ful dispensation of his holy ordinances. Therefore, when our
86 THE SPIRIT A COMFORTER.
Saviour speaks of sending the Holy Spirit, he addeth, "I
will not leave you comfortless ; I will come to you. Yet a
little while and the world seeth me no more ; but ye see me."
This noteth the presence of Christ by his Spirit with the
church : but there is more than a presence, there is an in-
habitation : " At that day ye shall know that I am in my
Father, and ye in me, and I in you," John xiv. 18, 20.
(3.) The Spirit is a Comforter by a work of sweet and
fruitful illumination, not only giving the knowledge but the
love and comfort of the truth unto a christian, making him
with open face behold as in a glass the glory of God, and
thereby transforming him into the same image from glory to
glory. The light of other sciences is like the light of a can-
dle, nothing but light ; but the knowledge of Christ by the
Spirit is like the light of the sun, which hath influences and
virtue in it. And this is that which the apostle calls the
" Spirit of revelation in the knowledge of God ; " for though
there be no prophetical, nor extraordinary revelations by
dreams, visions, ecstacies, or enthusiasms ; yet according to the
measure of spiritual sight and diligent observation of holy
Scriptures, there are still manifold revelations, or manifesta-
tions of Christ unto the soul. The secret and intimate ac-
quaintance of the soul with God ; the heavings, aspirings, and
harmony of the heart with Christ ; the sweet illapses and
flashes of heavenly light upon the soul ; the knowledge of the
depths of God and of Satan, of the whole armour of God
and the strong man, of conflicts of spirit, protection of angels,
experiences of mercy, issues of temptation, and the like, are
heavenly and constant revelations out of the word manifested
to the souls of the faithful by the Spirit.
(4.) Lastly, and principally, the Spirit is a comforter in
those effects of joy and peace which he worketh in the heart.
For joy is ever the fruit and companion of the Spirit, Gal. v.
22 ; Acts xiii. 52 ; and the joy of the Spirit is like the inter-
cession of the Spirit, " unspeakable and full of glory," 1 Peter
i. 8. Not like the joy of the world, which is empty, false, and
deceitful, full of vanity, vexation, insufficiency, unsuitableness
to the soul ; mingled with fears of disappointment and mis-
carriage, with tremblings and guilt of conscience, with cer-
tainty of period and expiration ; but clear, holy, constant, un-
mixed, satisfactory, and proportionable to the compass of the
soul, exciting more gladness than all the world can take in the
increase of their corn and wine, Psa. iv. 7.
THE SPIRIT A COMFORTER. 37
And this joy of the Spirit is grounded upon every passage
of a christian's condition, from tlie entrance to the end.
[1.] The Spirit worketh joy in discovering and bending the
heart to mourn for corruption. For it is the Spirit of grace and
supplication which maketh sinners mourn and loath themselves,
Zech. xii. 10, 11 ; Ezek. xxxvi. 27 : and such a sorrow as this
is the seed and the matter of true joy ; for Joseph's heart was
full of joy when his eyes poured out tears upon Benjamin's
neck. As in wicked laughter the heart may be sorrowful, so
in holy mourning the heart may rejoice, for all spiritual
afflictions have a peaceable fruit. This was the first glimpse
and beam of the prodigal's joy, that he resolved with tears and
repentance to return to his father again. For there is a sweet
complacency in an humble and spiritual heart to be vile in its
own eyes, as to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
Sacrifices we know were to be offered up with joy ; and of all
sacrifices a broken heart is that which God most delighteth in,
Psa. li. 16, 17. There is joy in heaven at the repentance of a
sinner, and therefore there must needs be joy in the heart
itself which repenteth, inasmuch as it hath heavenly affections
begun in it. Therefore, as the apostle saith, " Let a man become
a fool that he may be wise ;" so may I truly say. Let a man be-
come a mourner that he may rejoice.
If it be objected, how one contrary affection can be the
ground and inducement of another, and that he who feeleth
the weight of sin and displeasure of God, can have little rea-
son to boast of much joy; to this I answer, 1. That we do
not speak of those extraordinary combats and grapplings with
the sense of the wrath of God, breaking of bones, and burning
of bowels, which some have felt ; but of the ordinary humilia-
tions and courses of repentance which are common to all.
2. That such spiritual mourning and joy are not contrary, in
regard of the Spirit, nor does one exthiguish or expel the
other. As black and white are contrary in the wall, but meet
without any repugnancy in the eye, because, though as quali-
ties they fight, yet as objects they agree to vulgar apprehension.
So joy and mourning, though contrary in regard of their im-
mediate impressions upon the sense, do not only agree in the
same principle, the grace of Christ, and in the same end, the
salvation of man, but may also be subordinated to each other;
as a dark and muddy colour is a fit ground to lay gold upon ;
so a tender and mourning heart is the best preparation unto
spiritual joy. Therefore our Saviour compareth spiritual
38 THE HEALING AND RENEWING VIRTUE
sorrow unto the pains of a woman in travail. Ottier pains, grow-
ing out of sickness and distempers, have none but bitter ingre-
dients and anguish in them ; but that pain groweth out of the
matter of joy, and leadeth unto joy: so though godly sorrow
have some pain in it, yet that pain hath ever joy both for the
root and fruit of it, John xvi. 21 ; and though for the present
it may perhaps intercept the exercise, yet it doth strengthen
the habit and ground of joy : as those flowers in the spring
rise highest and with greatest beauty, which in winter shrink
lowest into the earth. " I trembled in myself," saith the pro-
phet, " that I might rest in the day of trouble," Hab. iii. 16.
[2.] The Spirit doth not only discover, but heal the cor-
ruptions of the soul; and there is no joy like the joy of a
saved and cured man. The lame man when he was restored
by Peter, expressed the abundant exultation of his heart by
" leaping and praising God," Acts iii. 8. For this cause,
therefore, amongst others, the Spirit is called "the oil of glad-
ness," because by that healing virtue which is in him, he
maketh glad the hearts of men. *' The Spirit of the Lord,"
saith Christ, " is upon me ; because the Lord hath anointed
me to preach good tidings unto the meek ; he hath sent me
to bind up the broken hearted," Isa. Ixi. 1 ; and again, " I will
bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which
was sick," Ezek. xxxiv. 16. Now, this healing virtue of
Christ is in the dispensation of his word and Spirit, and there-
fore the prophet saith, " the Sun of Righteousness shall arise
with healing in his wings," Mai. iv. 2; where the Spirit in the
word, by the which he cometh and preacheth unto men, Eph.
ii. 17 ; 1 Peter iii. 19, is called the wing of the sun, because
he proceedeth from him, and was sent to supply his absence,
as the beam doth the sun's ; and this Spirit the apostle calleth
the strengthener of the inner man, Eph. iii. 16.
[3.] The Spirit doth not only heal, but renew and revive
again When an eye is smitten with a sword, there is a
double mischief, a wound made, and a faculty perished ; anJ
here, though a surgeon can heal the wound, yet he can never
restore the faculty, because total privations admit no return or
recovery : but the Spirit doth not only heal and repair, but
renew and re-edify the spirits of men. As he healeth that
which was torn, and bindeth up that which was smitten, so he
reviveth and raiseth up that which was dead before, Hos. vi.
1,2; and this the apostle calls the renovation of the Spirit,
Tit. iii. 5 ; whereby old things are not mended end put together
OF THE SPIRIT. 39
again, for our fall made us all over unprofitable and little
worth, Rom. iii. 12; Prov. x. 20; but are done quite away,
and all things made new again, 2 Cor. v. 17. The heart,
mind, affections, judgment, conscience, members changed
from stone to flesh, from earthly to heavenly, from the image
of Adam to the image of Christ, Ezek. xi. 19 ; 1 Cor. xv. 49.
Now this renovation must needs be matter of great joy ; for
so the Lord comforteth his afflicted people, Isa. liv. 11 — 14.
[4.] The Spirit doth not renew and set the frame of the
heart right, and then leave it to its own care and hazards again ;
but being thus restored, he abideth with it to preserve and
support it against all tempests and batteries. And this further
multiplieth the joy and comfort of the church that it is estab-
lished in righteousness, so that no weapon which is formed
against it can prosper, Isa. liv. 14, 17. Victory is ever the
ground of joy, Isa. ix. 3. And the Spirit of God is a victo-
rious Spirit : his judgment in the heart is sent forth unto vic-
tory. Matt. xii. 20 ; and before him mountains shall be made
a plain, and every high thing shall be pulled down, till he
bring forth the head-stone with shoutings, Zech. iv. 7. To
Stephen he was a Spirit of victory against the disputers of the
world. Acts vi. 10 ; to the apostles a Spirit of liberty in the
prison, Acts xvi. 25, 26 ; to all the faithful a Spirit of joy
and glory in the midst of persecutions, 1 Peter iv. 13, 14.
[3.] The Spirit doth not only preserve the heart which he
hath renewed, but maketh it fruitful and abundant in the
works of the Lord, Gal. v. 22 ; Rom. vii. 4. And fruitful-
ness is a ground of rejoicing, Isa. liv. 1. Therefore they
which are born of God cannot commit sin, that is, they are
not workers or artificers, or finishers of iniquity, because they
have the seed of God, that is his Spirit in them, which fitteth
them, as seed doth the earth, to bring forth fruit unto God.
Partly, by teaching the heart, and casting it, as it were, in the
mould of the word ; fashioning such thoughts, apprehensions,
affections, judgments, in the soul, as are answerable to the
will and Spirit of God in the word, so that a man cannot but
set his seal, and say Amen to the written law. Partly by
moving, animating, applying, and most sweetly leading the
heart unto the obedience of that law which is thus written
therein.
[6.] Those whom he hath thus fitted, he sealeth up unto
a final and full redemption by the testimony of their adoption,
which is the earnest of their inheritance ; and thereby begetteth
40 THE SPIRIT MAKES FRUITFUL.
a lively hope, an earnest expectation, a confident attendance
upon the promises, and an unspeakable peace and security
thereupon ; by which fruits of faith and hope there is a glo-
rious joy shed abroad into the soul, so full, and so intimately
mingled with the same, that it is as possible for man to anni-
hilate the one, as to take away the other : for according to the
evidence of hope, and excellency of the thing hoped, must needs
the joy therefrom resulting receive its sweetness and stability.
By all this which hath been spoken of the mission of the
Spirit in such abundance, after Christ's sitting at the right
hand of God, we should learn with what affections to receive
the gospel of salvation, for the teaching whereof the Holy
Spirit was shed abroad abundantly on the ambassadors of
Christ ; and with what heavenly conversations to express the
power which our hearts have felt therein, to walk as children
of the light, and as becometh the gospel of Christ ; to adorn
our high profession, and not to receive the grace of God in
vain. Consider that the word thus quickened will have an
operation, either to convince unto righteousness, or to seal
unto condemnation ; as the sun, either to melt, or to harden ;
as the rain, either to ripen corn or weeds ; as the sceptre of a
king, either to rule subjects, or to subdue enemies ; as the fire
of a goldsmith, either to purge gold, or to devour dross ; as
the waters of the sanctuary, either to heal places, or to turn
them into salt-pits, Ezek. xlvii. li. Consider, according to
the proportion of the Spirit of Christ, in his word revealed,
shall be the proportion of their judgment who despise it. The
contempt of a great salvation and glorious ministry shall bring
a sorer condemnation, Heb. ii. 2 — 4. " If I had not come
and spoken unto them," saith our Saviour, " they had not
had sin," John xv. 22. Sins against the light of nature are
no sins in comparison of those against the gospel. The earth
which drinketh in the rain that falls oft upon it, and yet bear-
eth nothing but thorns and briars, is rejected, and nigh unto
cursing, Heb. vi. 7, 8. Consider that even here God will not
always suffer his Spirit to strive with flesh : there is a day
of peace, which he calleth " our day ;" a day wherein he entreat-
eth and bcseecheth us to be reconciled : but if we therein
judge ourselves unworthy of eternal life, and go obstinately on
till there be no remedy, he can easily draw in his Spirit, and
give us over to the infatuation of our own hearts, that we
may not be cleansed any more till he have caused his fury to
rest upon us, Ezek. xxiv. 13.
CONTINUAL SUPPLY OF THE SPIRIT. 41
We see likewise by this doctrine whereupon the comforts of the
church are founded ; namely, upon Christ as the first Comforter,
by working our reconciliation with God ; and upon the Spirit as
another Comforter, testifying and applying the same unto our
souls. And the continual supply and assistance of this
Spirit is the only comfort the church hath against the domi-
nion and growth of sin. For though the motions of lust
which are in our members, are so close, so working, so full of
vigour and life, that we can see no power nor probabilities of
prevailing against them ; yet we know Christ hath a greater
fulness of Spirit than we can have of sin ; and it is the great
promise of the new covenant that God will put his Spirit into
us, and thereby save us from all our uncleannesses,Ezek. xxxvi.
27 — 29 : for though we be full of sin, and have but a seed, a
sparkle of the Spirit put into us, and upheld and fed by fur-
ther, though small supplies, yet that little is stronger than
legions of lust ; as a little salt or leaven seasoneth a great
lump, or a few drops of spirits strengthen a whole glass full
of water. Therefore the Spirit is called a Spirit of judgment
and of burning, because, as one judge is able to condemn a
thousand prisoners, and a little fire to consume abundance of
dross ; so the Spirit of God, in and present with us, though
received and supplied but in measure, though but a smoking
and suppressed fire, shall yet break forth in victory and judg-
ment against all that resist it. In us indeed there is nothing
that feeds, but only that which resists and quencheth it. But
this is the wonderful virtue of the Spirit of Christ in his mem-
bers, that it nourisheth itself. Therefore, sometimes the Spirit
is called fire, Isa. iv. 4 ; Matt. iii. 11; and sometimes oil,
Heb. i. 9 ; 1 John ii. 27 : to note that the Spirit is nutriment
unto itself ; that grace which we have received already is pre-
served and excited by new supplies of the same grace ; which
supplies we are sure shall be given to all that ask them, by
the virtue of Christ's prayer, John xiv. 16 ; by the virtue of
his and his Father's promise, John xvi. 7 ; Acts i. 4 ; and by
the virtue of that office which he still bears, which is to be
the Head, or vital principle of all holiness and grace unto the
church. And all these are permanent things, and therefore
the virtue of them abideth, their effects are never totally in-
terrupted.
5. and lastly, this sitting of Christ at the right hand of
God noteth his intercession in the behalf of the whole church,
and each member thereof. " Who is he that condemneth ?"
42 CONTINUANCE OF CHRIST S KINGDOM.
saith the apostle. " It is Christ that died, yea rather, tliat is
risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also
maketh intercession for us," Roin. viii. 34. But of this doc-
trine I shall speak more fitly in the fourth verse, it being a
great part of the priesthood of Christ.
I now proceed to the last thing in this first verse, — the con-
tinuance and victory of kingdom, in these words, " Until I
make thy foes thy footstool : " wherein every word is full of
weight. Here is the term of duration, or measure of Christ's
kingdom, — " Until." The Author of subduing Christ's
enemies under him, — " I," the Lord. The manner thereof,
— " I will put them," and " I will put them as a footstool : ''
" put thy foes as a stool under thy feet."
Victory is a relative word, and presupposeth enemies, and
they are expressed in the text. Their enmity is here not de-
scribed, but only presupposed. It shows itseJf against Christ
in all the offices of his mediation. There is enmity against
him as a prophet ; enmity against his truth. In opinion, by
adulteratmg it with human mixtures and superinducements,
teaching for doctrines the traditions of men. In aifection, by
wishing many Divine truths were razed out of the Scriptures,
as being manifestly contrary to those pleasures which they love
rather than God. In conversation, by keeping down the truth
in unrighteousness, and in those things which they know,
as brute beasts corrupting themselves. Enmity against his
teaching, by quenching the motions, and resisting the evidence
of his Spirit in the word, refusing to hear his voice, and re-
jecting the counsel of God against themselves. There is en-
mity against him as a Priest, by undervaluing his person, suf-
ferings, righteousness, or merits. And as a King, enmity to his
worship, by profanely neglecting it, by idolatry perverting it,
by superstition corrupting it. Enmity to his ways and service,
by ungrounded prejudices, misjudging them as grievous, un-
profitable, or unequal ways ; and by wilful disobedience for-
saking them, to walk in the ways of our own heart.
And this is a point which men should labour to try them-
selves in ; for the enemies of Christ are not only oui of the
church, but in the midst where his kingdom is set up, ver. 2 ;
Isa. viii. 14. And indeed, by how much the more dangerous
it is, by so much the more subtle will Satan and a sinful heart
be to deceive itself therein ; for this is a certain truth, that
men may profess and falsely believe that they love the Lord
FALSE LOVE TO CHRIST. 43
Jesus, and yet be as real enemies unto his person and king-
dom, as the jews that accused and the heathen that crucified
him. He was set up for a sign to be spoken against, for a
rock of offence, and a stone of stumbling, which the very
builders themselves would reject. There were false brethren
amongst the Philippians, who professed the name of christians,
and yet by their sensual walking and worldly-mindedness, de-
clared themselves to be enemies to the cross of Christ, Phil,
iii. 18, 19. To honour the bodies of the saints departed with
beautiful sepulchres, is in itself a testimonial of sincere love
and inward estimation of their persons and graces ; and there-
fore the Holy Ghost hath recorded it for the perpetual honour
of Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus, that they embalmed
the body of Jesus, and laid it in a new sepulchre, John xix.
38 — 41 ; yet our Saviour pronounced a woe against the
scribes and pharisees, because they built the tombs of the
prophets, and garnished the sepulchres of the righteous. Matt,
xxiii. 29. The fault was not in the fact itself, but in the
hypocrisy of the heart, in the incongruity of their other prac-
tices ; and in that protection which, by this plausible pretext
of honour to the prophets, they laboured to gain their persons,
and appropriation to their attempts against Christ, in the
minds of the people, who yet ordinarily esteemed Christ,
whom they persecuted, a prophet sent from God. They pro-
fess, if we had been in the days of our fathers, we would
not have done as they did : but our Saviour reproves this
hypocritical persuasion, by showing that it was no strange
thing with them to persecute prophets, but a national and
hereditary sin, and therefore they had no reason to boast of
their descent, as their manner was, Luke iii. 8 ; John viii. 39 ;
or to think that God's mercies were entailed unto them, since,
by their own confession, they were the posterity of those that
had killed the prophets : and also that they did fulfil the measure
of their fathers ; that is, that which their fathers had been long
and leisurely doing, they now did altogether in one blow. For
it was the same Christ whom they persecuted in his person,
and their fathers in his prophets ; and therefore, though they
seemed to honour and revere the memory of those holy mar-
tyrs, yet upon them should light the guilt of all the righteous
blood which had ever been shed in the land, inasmuch as
their malice was directed against that fulness, of which all the
prophets had but a measure. If by several enemies a man be
severally mangled, one cuts off a foot, another a hand, another
44 GROUNDS OF FALSE LOVE TO CHRIST.
an arm, and after all this, there come one who cuts off the
head, and yet bestows some honourable ceremonies upon
those members which the rest had abused, he shall justly
suffer, as if he had slain a whole man, inasmuch as his malice
did eminently contain in it the degrees of all the rest ; and
that pretended honour shall be so far from compensating the
injury, that it shall add thereunto an aggravation of base hy-
pocrisy. Thus, as the jews, when they thought they honoured
and admired the prophets, did yet harbour in their breasts that
very root of fury, and had that self-same constitution of soul,
which were in their forefathers who shed their blood: so in
our days, men may say and think that they love Christ, and
court him with much outside and empty service ; may boast
that if they had lived in the days of those unthankful jews,
they would not have partaken with them in so execrable a
murder, and yet interpretatively, and at second hand, show the
very same root of bitterness, and rancorous constitution of
heart against him, in his Spirit and ordinances, which was in
those men when they cried, " Away with him ; crucify him I
crucify him ! "
Many grounds there are of this grand mispersuasion of the
heart in its love to Christ, which I will but touch upon.
1. The first is the general acceptation and countenance which
the gospel of Christ receiveth amongst the princes of this
world, who, in christian commonwealths, do both by their own
voluntary and professed subjection, and by the vigour of their
public laws, establish the same. Now, this is most certain,
that as in all other sciences, the principles of one will not
serve to beget the conclusions of another ; so here, especially,
if a spiritual assent and affection be grounded upon no other
than human inducements, it is most undoubtedly spurious and
illegitimate. That reason which the pharisees used to dis-
suade men from believing in Christ, " Have any of the rulers
or of the pharisees believed on him ? " John vii. 48, is one of
the principal arguments which many men have now why they
do believe on him ; because the rulers, whose examples and
laws they observe more upon trust than trial, do lead them
thereunto ; and therefore we find amongst the jews that those
very men who, when the goverrment of the whole twelve
tribes was one, did all consent in an unity of religion ; upon
the distraction of the kingdom under Jeroboam, were presently
likewise divided in their observance of God's worship ; and
they who before were zealous for the temple at Jerusalem,
GROUNDS OF FALSE LOVE TO CHRIST. 45
were afterwards as superstitious for Dan and Bethel : the pro-
phet giveth the reason of it, " They wilUngly walked after the
commandment," namely of Jeroboam, Hos. v. 11. No sooner
did the prince interpose his authority, but the people were will-
ing to pin their opinions and practices upon his word. If
Omri make statutes, and Ahab confirm idolatrous counsels by
his own practices, the prophet shows how forward the people
are to walk in them, Micah vi. 16. Therefore it is that our
Saviour saith of the best sort of wicked men, that those who
with gladness (and that is ever a symptom of love) received
the gospel, yet in time of persecution they were offended,
and fell away. Matt. xiii. 21 ; to note unto us, that when
Christ is forsaken because of persecution, the imaginary love
which was bestowed upon him before was certainly supported
by no other ground than that which is contrary to persecution,
namely the countenance and protection of public power.
2. A great part of men profess faith and love to Christ
merely upon the rules of their education. The main reason
into which their religion is resolved, is not any evidence of
excellency in itself, but only the customs and traditions of
their forefathers ; which is to build a divine faith upon a hu-
man authority, and to set man in the place of God. Certain
it is, that contrary religions can never be originally grounded
upon the same reason ; that which is a true and adequate prin-
ciple of faith or love to Christ can never be suitable to the
conclusions of mohammedanism or idolatry. Now then, when
a professed christian can give no other account of his love to
Christ than a Turk of his love to Mohammed ; when that
which moveth an idolater to hate Christ, is all that one of us
hath to say why he believeth in him, certainly that love and
faith is but an empty presumption, which dishonoureth the
Spirit of Christ, and deludeth our own souls. There is a
natural instinct in the mind of man to reverence and vindicate
the traditions of their progenitors, and at first view to detest
any novel opinions which seem to thwart the received doctrine
wherein they had been bred : and this affection is ever so much
the stronger, by how much the tradition received is about the
nobler and more necessary things. And therefore it discover-
eth itself with most violence and impatiency in matters of
religion, wherein the eternal welfare of the soul is made the
issue of the contention. We find with what heat of zeal the jews
contended for the temple at Jerusalem, and with how equal
and confident emulation the Samaritans ventured their lives
46 GROUNDS OF FALSE LOVE TO CHRIST
for the precedency of their temple on mount Gerazim ; and
took an oath to produce proofs for the authority thereof; and
yet all the ground of this will-worship was the tradition of
their fathers ; for our Saviour assures us that they worshipped
they knew not what, John iv. 20 — 22, and only took things
upon trust from their predecessors. This we find was ever
the reason of the Jews' obstinacy against the prophets ; they
answered all their arguments with the practice and traditions
they had received from their fathers, Jer. ix. 14 ; xi. 1 0 ; xliv.l7 ;
Acts vii. 51.
3. The heart may be mispersuaded of its love to Christ by
judging that an affection unto him, which is indeed nothing
but a self-love and a desire of advancing private ends. The
rule whereby Christ at the last day will measure the love or
hatred of men unto him, is their love or hatre-d of his brethren
and members here, Matt. xxv. 40, 45 ; for in all their afflictions
Christ himself is afflicted. " Peter, lovest thou me ? Feed
my sheep ; " make proof of thy love to me by thy service and
compassion to my people. And how many are there every-
where to be found whose love unto themselves hath devoured
all brotherly love ! who take no pity either upon the souls or
temporal necessities of those with whom they yet pretend a
fellowship in Christ's own body ! who spend more upon their
own pride and luxury, upon their backs and bellies, their plea-
sures and excesses, yea, bury more of their substance in the
maws of hawks and dogs, than they can ever persuade them-
selves to put into the bowels of the poor saints I Surely at
the day of judgment, however such men here profess to love
Christ, and would spit in the face of him who, with Justin
Martyr, should say, they were not christians, it will appear
that such men did as formally and as properly deny Christ, as
if, with Peter, they had publicly sworn, " 1 know not the man."
The apostle plainly intimates thus muchwhen he showeth that the
experiment of the Corinthians' ministration to the necessity of
the saints, was an inducement unto the churches to praise God
for their professed subjection to the gospel of Christ, 2 Cor. ix.
13. Again, as Christ is present with us in his poor members,
so likewise in the power of his ordinances, and in the light
and evidence of his Spirit, shining forth in the lives of holy
men. If then we are impatient of the edge of his word when
it divides between the bone and the marrow, when it discern-
eth and discovereth our secret thoughts, our bosom sins, our
ambitions, unclean and hypocritical intents : if the lives and
GROUNDS OF FALSE LOVE TO CHRIST. 47
communion of the saints be in like manner an eye-sore unto
us, in shaming and reproving our formal and fruitless profes-
sion ; certainly the same affections of hatred, reproach, and
disestimation which we show unto them, we would with so m\ich
the more bitterness have expressed unto Christ himself, if we had
lived in his days, by how much that Spirit of grace, against
which the spirit which is in us envieth, was above measure more
abundantly in him than in the holiest of his members. " If
ye were of the world," saith our Saviour, " the world would love
his own, but I have chosen you out of the world ; " I have given
to you a spirit which is contrary to the spirit of the world,
" therefore the world hateth you," John xv. 19. And this
is evident, when men hate one another merely for that distinc-
tion which differenceth him from them, they much more hate
him from whom the difference itself originally proceedeth.
We see, then, that they who openly profess Christ, may yet
inwardly hate him, because the ground of their profession is
not any experimental goodness which they have tasted in him,
for by nature men have no relish of Christ at all, but only
self-love and private ends, whereby Christ is subordinated to
their own interests.
And may we not still observe amongst christians at this
day, many men who, contrary to the evidence of their judg-
ment, and peace of their consciences, conform themselves unto
the vanities, courses, and companies of this evil world, and,
like cowards, are afraid to adventure on a rigorous and uni-
versal subjection to the truth of Christ ; dare not keep them-
selves close to those narrow rules of St. Paul, to abstain from
jesting, which is not seemly ; to avoid all appearances of evil ;
to reprove the unfruitful works of darkness ; to speak unto edi-
fication, that their words may minister grace unto the hearers ;
to rejoice always in the Lord ; to give place unto wrath ; to
recompense evil with good ; to be circumspect and exact
in their walking with God ; and all this merely out of suspicion
of some disrespect and disadvantages which may hereupon meet
them in the world, of some obstacles and stoppage in the order
of those projects which they have contrived for their private
ends ? Now, if such purposes as these do startle men with a
punctual and rigorous profession of the gospel of Christ
and his most holy ways, (notwithstanding our vows in baptism
do as strictly bind us thereunto as unto the external title of
Christianity,) suppose we that the same, or greater disadvan-
tages should now, as in the primitive times, attend the naked
48 GROUNDS OF FALSE LOVE TO CHRIST.
and outward profession of Christ, would not such men as
these fall into downright apostaey, and deny the Lord that
bought them ? Certainly, our Saviour hath so resolved that
case in the very best sort of unregenerate men, noted in the
stony ground ; when times of persecution happen, and they
are brought to the trial who it was whom in their profession
they loved, Christ or themselves, the excellency of the know-
ledge of him, or the secure enjoyment of secular contentments,
they will then certainly fall away, and be offended, Matt. xiii.
21. So profound and unsearchable is the deceitful heart of
man, that by that very reason for which men contend for the
outward face and profession of religion, because they love their
pleasures and profits, which, without such a profession, they
cannot peaceably enjoy ; they are deterred from a close,
spiritual, and universal obedience to the power thereof, be-
cause thereby likewise those pleasures and profits are kept
within such rules of moderation as the nature of a boundless
and unsatiable lust will not admit. This is a certain rule in
love, that the motions and desires thereof are strong, and
therefore in any thing which the soul loves, it therein strives
for excellency and perfection ; and this rule holds most true in
religion, because when the soul loves that, it loves it under
the apprehension of the greatest good, and therefore, by con-
sequence, sets the strongest and m.ost industrious desires of
the soul upon it. Therefore the apostle saith, that the love
of Christ, namely, that love of him which is by the Holy
Ghost shed abroad in our hearts, constraineth us to live unto
liim, and to aspire after him who died for us and rose again,
2 Cor. v. 14, 15. Love is as strong as death, it will take
no denial. It is the wing and weight of the soul, which
fixeth all the thoughts, and carrieth all the desires unto an
intimate unity with the thing it loves ; stirreth up a zeal to
remove all obstacles which stand between it ; worketh a lan-
guor or failing of nature in the want of it ; a softness of na-
ture to receive the impressions of it ; an egress of the spirits,
and, as it were, an haste of the soul to meet and entertain it.
Whence those expressions of the saints in holy Scripture :
" Comfort me with apples, stay me with flagons : for I am sick
of love. My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto
thy judgments at all times. The desire of our soul is to thy
name, and to the remembrance of thee. My soul thirsteth
for (rod. for the living God ; when shall I come and appear
before God ? O that my ways were directed, that I might
GROUNDS OF FALSE LOVE TO CHRIST. 49
keep thy statutes ? With my whole heart have I sought thee.
I have stuck unto thy testhnonies. I will delight myself in
thy commandments ; thy statutes have been my songs. My
soul fainteth for thy salvation," Cant. ii. 5 ; Psa. cxix.' 20 ;
Isa. xxvi. 8 ; Psa. xlii. 2 ; cxix. 5, 10, 31, 47, 54, 81. By all
which we see that a true love of Christ doth excite strong
desires, and an earnest aspiring and ambition of the soul to
walk in all well-pleasing, and to be in all things conformable
unto him. What the apostle saith of spiritual hope, we may
truly say of love, (which is the fundamental affection and root
of all the rest,) he that hath it indeed in him, "purifieth
himself even as God is pure." The love of the world, and
the things and lusts of the world, may indeed consist with the
formal profession, but no way with the truth or power of a
true love to Christ or his government. For love is ever the
principle and measure of all our actions ; such as it is, such
likewise will they be too.
4. Something like love there may be in natural men unto
Christ, grounded upon the historical assurance and persuasion
of his being now in glory, attended by mighty angels, filled with
all the treasures of wisdom, knowledge, grace, power, and other
excellent attributes, which can attract love even from an enemy ;
and that he hath, and still doth procure such good things for
mankind, in their deliverance from the guilt of sin, and from
the wrath to come, as of which, might they but have an ex-
emption from his spiritual government, and a dispensation to
live according to their own lusts still, no man should be more
greedily desirous. As Samson met the lion as an enemy when
he was alive ; but after he was slain, he went unto him as to a
table ; there was only terror while he lived, but honey when he
was dead. So, doubtless, many men, to whom the bodily pre-
sence of Christ, and the mighty power and penetration of his
heavenly preaching, whereby he smote sinners unto the ground,
and spake with such authority as never man spake, would have
been unsufferably irksome and full of terror, as it was unto the
scribes and pharisees, can yet, now that he is out of their sight,
and doth not in person, but only by those who are his wit-
nesses, torment the inhabitants of the earth, pretend much ad-
miration and thankful remembrance of that death of his,
which was so full of honey for all that come unto him. For
as particular dependences and expectations may make a man
flatter and adore the greatness of some living potentate, whose
\ery image, notwithstanding, the same man doth professedly
D
50 GROUNDS OF FALSE LOVE TO CHRIST,
abominate in other tyrants of the world who are dead, or upon
whom he hath not the same ends ; so the self-same reason may
make men in hypocritical expressions flatter and fawn upon
Christ himself, who is absent, and yet hate with a perfect
hatred the very image of his Spirit, in the power of his word,
and in the lives of his people. The very scribes and pharisees,
who blasphemed his Spirit, and contrived his death, could yet
be contented to be gainers thereby ; for so they confess ; " It
is expedient for us that one die for the people."
5. A false love to Christ may be grounded upon a false con-
ceit of love to his ordinances. For as it is certain, that he who
loves the word and worship of Christ, as his, doth love him,
too, who is the Author of them : so it is certain, likewise, that that
love which is sometimes pretended unto them, may indeed in them
fix upon nothing but accidental and by-respects. " The children
of thy people," saith the Lord to his prophet, " sit before thee
as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do
them : for with their mouth they show much love, but their
heart goeth after their covetousness." Here is love in pre-
tence, but falsehood in the heart. What then was it which in
the prophet they did thus love ? That presently follows ;
" Thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a
pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument," Ezek.
xxxiii. 31, 32 ; that is, it is not my will which in thy ministry
they at all regard, but only those circumstantial ornaments of
graceful action and elocution, which they attend with just the
same proportion of sensual delight as an ear doth the harmony
of a well-tuned instrument. For as a man may be much af-
fected with the picture of his enemy, if drawn by a skilful hand,
and yet therein love nothing of the person, but only the cunning
of the workman who drew the piece ; so a man who hates the
life and spirit of the word of God itself, as being diametrically
contrary to that spirit of lust, and of the world which rules in
him, may yet be so wonderfully taken with that dexterity of
wit, or delicacy of expression, or variety of learning, or sweet-
ness of speech and action, or whatsoever other perfection of
nature or industry, in the dispensers of that word, are most
suitable to his natural affections, as that he may from thence
easily cheat his own conscience, and ground a mispersuasion of
his love to God's word, which yet indeed admireth nothing but
the perfections of a man. Nay, suppose he meet not with such
enticements to draw his affection, yet the very pacification of
the conscience, which by a notorious neglect of God's ordi-
EVIDENCES OF TRUE LOVE TO CHRIST. 51
nances would haply be disquieted ; or the credit of bearing con-
formity to ecclesiastical orders and the established service of
God in his church, or some other the like sinister respect, may
hold a man to such an external fair correspondence, as by a de-
ceitful heart may easily be misconstrued a love of God's ordi-
nances. Nay, further ; a man may externally glory in the privi-
lege of God's oracles ; he may distinctly believe and subscribe
to the truth of them ; he may therein hear many things gladly,
and escape many pollutions of the world, and yet hence con-
clude no clearer evidence of his love to Christ in his word
than the unbelieving jews, or Herod, or Ahab, or Simon
Magus, or the foolish virgins and apostates, (all of which have
attained to some of these degrees,) could have done.
For the clearing then of this great case, — Touching the
evidence of a man's love to Christ, we must first know, that
this is not a flower of our own garden ; for every man by nature
is an enemy to Christ and his kingdom ; of the jews' mind,
" We will not have this man to reign over us ;" and the reason
is, because the image of the old Adam, which we bear, is ex-
tremely contrary to the heavenly image of the Second Adam, unto
which we are not born, butmust be renewed. And this is certain,
our love is according to our likeness ; he who hath not the na-
ture and Spirit of Christ can never love him, or move towards
him. For love is like fire, it carrieth things of a nature to one
another. Our love then unto Christ must be of a spiritual
generation ; and it is grounded upon these causes.
1. Upon the proportion which is in him unto all our desires
or capacities; upon the evidence of that unsearchable and
bottomless goodness which is in him, which makes him the
fairest of ten thousand, even altogether lovely. For that
heart which hath a spiritual view of Christ will be able, by
faith, to observe more dimensions of love and sweetness in him,
than the knowledge of any creature is able to measure. In
all worldly things, though of never so curious and delicate an
extraction, yet still, even those hearts which swim in them, and
glut upon them, can easily discover more dregs than spirits.
Nothing was ever so exactly fitted to the soul of man, wherein
there was not some defect, or excess ; something which the
heart could wish were away, or something which it could de-
sire were tempered with it : but in Christ and his kingdom
there is nothing unlovely. For as in man, the all that he is, is
full of corruption, so in Christ, the all that he is, is nothing
but perfection. His fulness is the centre and treasure of the
d2
52 EVIDENCES OF TRUE LOVE TO CHRIST.
soul of man ; and therefore that love which is thereupon
grounded, must needs be in the soul as an universal habit and
principle, to facilitate every service whereby we move unto this
centre ; for love is the weight or spring of the soul, which sets
every faculty on work ; neither are any of those commandments
grievous which are obeyed in love ; and therefore it is called
the fulfilling of the law. True love unto Christ keeps the
whole heart together, and carries it all one way ; and so makes
it universal, uniform, and constant in all its affections unto
God, for unstedfastness of life proceeds from a divided or
double heart, James i. 8. As in the motions of the heavens,
there is one common circumvolution which equally carrieth
the whole frame daily unto one point from east to west, though
each several sphere hath a several cross way of its own,
wherein some move with a swifter and others with a slower
motion ; so, though several saints may have their several
corruptions, and those likewise in some stronger than in
others, yet being all animated by one and the same Spirit,
they all agree in a steady and unifonn motion unto Christ.
If a stone were placed under the concave of the moon, though
there be fire, and air, and water between, yet through them all
it would hasten to its own place ; so be the obstacles ever so
many, or the conditions ever so various, through which a
man must pass ; through evil report and good report ; through
terrors and temptations ; through a sea and a wilderness ;
through fiery serpents and sons of Anak ; yet if the heart
love Christ indeed, and conclude that heaven is its home,
nothing shall be able totally to discourage it from hastening
thither, whither Christ the Forerunner is gone before.
2. The true love of Christ is grounded upon the evidence
of that propriety which the soul hath unto him, and of that
mutual inhabitation and possession which is between them.
So that our love unto him, in this regard, is a kind of self-
love, (and therefore very strong,) because Christ and a christian
are but one. And the more persuasion the soul hath of this
unity, the more must it needs love Christ ; for " we love him,
because he first loved us," 1 John iv. 16, 19. And therefore
our Saviour, from the woman's apprehension of God's more
abundant love in the remission of her many and great sins, con-
cludeth the measure and proportion of her love to him. But,
saith Christ, " to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth
little," Luke vii. 47.
Now, true love to Christ and his kingdom thus grounded,
EVIDENCES OF TRUE LOVE TO CHRIST. 53
will undoubtedly manifest itself, first, in an universal extent
unto any thing wherein Christ is present unto his ehurch.
(1-) The soul, in this case, will abundantly love and cherish
the Spirit of Christ ; entertain with dearest embraces, as
worthy of all acceptation, the motions, dictates, and secret
illapses of him into the soul ; will be careful to hear his voice
always behind him, prompting and directing him in the way
he should walk ; will endeavour, with all readiness and pliable-
ness of heart, to receive the impression of his seal, and the
testimony which he giveth in the inner man unto all God's
promises ; will fear and suspect nothing more than the froward-
ness of his own nature, which daily endeavoureth to quench,
grieve, resist, and rebel against the Holy Spirit, and to fling
off from his conduct again.
(2.) The soul, in this case, will abundantly love tlie ordi-
nances of God, in which, by his Spirit, he is still walking in
the midst of the churches ; for the law is written in it by the
finger of God, so that there is a suitableness and coincidence
between the law of God and the heart of such a man. He
will receive the word in the purity thereof, and not give way
to those human hiventions which adulterate it ; nor to that
spiritual treason of wit and fancy, or of heresy and contra-
diction, which would stamp the private image and superscrip-
tion of a man upon God's own coin, and torture the Scriptures
to confess that which was never in them. He will receive the
word in the power, majesty, and authority thereof, suffering it
like thunder to discover the forest, and to drive out all those
secret corruptions which sheltered themselves in the corners
or deceit of his heart. He will delight to have his imaginations
humbled, and his fleshly reasonings nonplussed, and all Jiis
thoughts subdued unto the obedience of Christ. He will re-
ceive the word as a wholesome potion to that very end, that
it may search his secret places, and purge out those incorpo-
rated lusts which hitherto he had not prevailed against. He
will take heed of hardening his heart that he may not hear,
of rejecting the counsel of God against himself, of thrusting
away the word from him, of setting up a resolved will of his
own against the call of Christ, as of most dangerous down-
falls to the soul. He will receive the word in the spirituality
thereof, subscribing to the closest precepts of the law ; suffer-
ing it to cleanse his heart unto the bottom. He will let the
consideration of God's command preponderate and over-rule
all respects of fear, love, profit, pleasure, credit, compliancy,
54 EVIDENCES OF TRUE LOVE TO CHRIST.
or any other charm to disobedience. He will be contented to be
led in the narrowest way ; to have his most secret corruptions
revealed and removed ; to expose his conscience with patience
under the saving, though severest blows of this spiritual
sword. In one word, he will deny the pride of his own wisdom ;
and if it be the evident truth of God which is taught him,
though it come naked, and without any dressings or contribu-
tions of human fancy, he will distinguish between the Author
and the instrument, between the treasure and the vessel in
which it comes ; and from any hand receive it with such awful
submission of heart as becometh God's own word.
(3.) The soul, in this case, will most dearly love every
member of Christ. For these two, the love of Christ and
of his members, do infallibly accompany one another. For
though there be a far higher proportion of love due unto
Christ than unto men, yet our love to our brethren is, as re-
spects ourselves and our posterity, not only the evidence, but
even the measure of our love to Christ. " He that loveth not
his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom
he hath not seen ? " saith the apostle, 1 John iv. 20. He that
hath not love enough in him for a man like himself, how can
he love God, whose goodness being above our knowledge, re-
quireth a transcendancy in our love ? This, then, is a sure
rule, He that loveth not a member of Christ, loveth not
Christ ; and he who groweth hi his love to his brethren, grow-
eth likewise in his love to Christ. For as there is the same
proportion of one to five, as there is of twenty to an hundred,
though the numbers be far less ; as the motion of the shadow
upon the dial answereth exactly to that proportion of motion
and distance which the sun hath in the firmament, though the
sun goeth many millions of miles, when the shadow, it maybe,
moveth not the breadth of a hand : so, though our love to
Christ ought to be a far more abundant love than to anv of his
members, yet certain it is, that the measure of our progress in
brotherly love, is punctually answerable to the growth of our
love to Christ.
3. A true grounded love unto Christ v^ill show itself in
the right manner or conditions of it ; which are principally
these three : —
(1.) It must be an incorruptible and sincere love. "Grace
be with all them that love the Lord Jesus in" incorruption, or
*' sincerity," saith the apostle, Eph. vi. 24; that is, on those
who love not in w ord, or outward profession and stipulation
EVIDENCES OF TRUE LOVE TO CHRIST. 35
only, but in deed and truth, or in the permanent constitution
of the inner man; which moveth them to love him always and
in all things ; to hate every false way ; to set the whole heart,
the study, purpose, prayer, and all the activity of our spirits
against every corruption in us which standeth at enmity with
Christ and his kingdom.
(2.) It must be a principal and superlative love, grounded
upon the experience of the soul in itself, that there is ten
thousand times more beauty and amiableness in him than in
all the honours, pleasures, profits, and satisfactions which the
world can afford ; that in comparison or competition with
him, the dearest things of this world, the parents of our
body, the children of our flesh, the wife of our bosom, the
blood in our veins, the heart in our breast, must not only be
laid down and lost as sacrifices, but hated as snares when they
draw us away from him.
(3.) It must be an unshared and incommunicable love,
without any rivals ; for Christ, as he is unto us all in all, so
he requireth to have all our affections fixed upon him. As
the rising of the sun drowneth all those innumerable stars
which did shine in the firmament before, so must the beauty
of this Sun of righteousness blot out, or else gather together
unto itself, all those scattered affections of the soul which
were before cast away upon meaner objects.
(4.) True love unto Christ will show itself in the natural
and genuine effects of strong and spiritual graces. Some of
the principal I before named, unto which we may add,
[1.] An universal, cheerful, and constant obedience to
his holy commandments. " If a man," saith Christ, " love
me, he will keep my words ; and my Father will love him, and
we will come unto him, and make our abode with him," John
xiv. 23. There is a two- fold love; a love which descends,
and a love which ascends ; a love of bounty and beneficence,
and a love of duty and service. So then, as a father doth
then only in truth love his child, when with all care he pro-
videth for his present education and future subsistence ; so a
child doth then truly love his father when, with all reverence
and submission of heart, he studieth to please and to do him
service. And this love, if it be free and ingenuous, by how
much the more, not only pure and equal in itself, but also pro-
fitable unto him the commandment is, by so much the more
carefully will it endeavour the observation thereof. And there-
fore, since the soul of a christian knows that as God himself
56 EVIDENCES OF TRUE LOVE TO CHRIST.
is good, and doth good ; so his law, which is nothing but a
ray and gUmpse of his own hoHness, is Ukewise good in itself,
and doth good unto those who walk uprightly ; it is hereby
inflamed to a more sweet and serious obedience thereunto ; in
the keeping whereof, there is for the present so much sweet-
ness, and in the future so great a reward. " Thy word," saith
the psalmist, " is very pure : therefore thy servant loveth thee,"
Psa. cxix. 140.
[2.] A free, willing, and cheerful suffering for him and his
gospel. " Unto you," saith the apostle, " it is given in the
behalf of Christ, not only to believe oa him, but also to suffer
for his sake," Phil. i. 29. We see how far a human love
either of country or of vain-glory, hath transported some
heathen men, to the devoting and casting away their own
lives. How much more should a spiritual love of Christ put
courage into us, to bear all things, and to endure all things for
Him, as the apostle speaks, 1 Cor. xiii. 7, who bare our sins,
and our stripes, and our burdens for us, which were heavier
than all the world could lay on I And this was the inducement
of that holy martyr Polycarp to die for Christ, notwithstanding
all the persuasions of the persecutors, who, by his apostacy,
would fain have cast the more dishonour upon the christian
religion, and, as it were, by sparing him, have the more cun-
ningly persecuted that. "This eighty-six years," saith he,
" I have served him, and he never, in all that time, hath done
me any hurt ; why should I be so ungrateful as not to trust
him in death, who in so long a life hath never forsaken me ? "
" I am persuaded," saith the apostle, " that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor
things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord," Rom. viii. 38,39. Nothing is able to
turn away his love from us, and therefore nothing should bp
able to quench our love to him. " Many waters," that is, by
the usual expression of the holy Scriptures, many afflictions,
persecutions, temptations, " cannot quench love, neither can
the floods drown it," Cant. viii. 7.
[3.] A zealous and jealous contention for the glory, truth,
worship, and ways of Christ. Wicked men pretend much
love to Christ, but they indeed serve only their own turns; as
ivy, which clasps an oak very close, but only to suck out sap
for its own leaves and berries ; but a true love is full of care
to advance the glor}' of Christ's kingdom, and to promote his
STABILITY OF CHRIST S KINGDOM. 57
truth and worship ; fearing lest Satan and his instruments should
by any means corrupt his truth, or violate his church, as the
apostle to the Galatians professeth the fear which his love
wrought in him towards tliem : " I am afraid of you, lest I
have bestowed upon you labour in vain," Gal. iv. 11. So "we
find what contention, and disputation, and strife of spirit, the
apostles and others in their ministry used, wnen Christ and
his holy gospel was any way either injured by false bretliren, or
kept out by the idolatry of the places to which they came. Acts
XV. 2 ; xvii. 16 ; xviii. 25 ; xix. 8; Gah ii. 4, 5; Jude,ver. 3.
[4.] A longing after his presence, a love of his appearing,
a desire to be with him, which is best of all ; a seeking after
him, a grieving for him, when for any while he departs from
the soul ; a waiting for his salvation, a delight in his commu-
nion, and in his spiritual refreshments ; a communing with
him in his secret chamber, in his houses of wine, and in his
galleries of love. By which lively expressions the wise man
hath described the fellowship which the church desireth to
have with Christ, and that abiding and supping of Christ with
his church, feasting the soul with the manifestations of him-
self and his graces unto it, Psa. xlii. 3 ; cv. 4 ; 2 Cor. v. 2 ;
2 Tim. iv. 8; Phil i. 23; Cant. iii. 1, 2; v. 6, 8 ; Gen.
xlix. 18; Psa. cxix. 131 ; Cant. i. 4 ; ii. 4 ; vii. 5; John xiv.
21, 23 ; Rev. iii. 20.
Having thus, by occasion of the enemies of Christ, spoken
something of the true and false love which is in the world
towards himj we now proceed to the particulars mentioned
before.
1. And the first is the term of duration, or measure of time
in the text, — " Until." It hath a double relation in the
words, unto Christ's kingdom, and unto his enemies. As it
looks to the kingdom of Christ, it denotes both the continuance
and the limitation of his kingdom. The continuance of it in
his own person, for it is there fixed and intransient. He is a
King without successors, as being subject to no mortality nor
defect which might be by them supphed. The kingdom of
Christ, as I observed, is either natural, as he is God; or dis-
pensatory, and by donation from the Father, as he is Medi-
ator ; and not only of the former, but even of this latter like-
wise, the Scripture affirms that it is eternal. It is a kingdom
set up by the God of heaven, and it shall never be destroyed,
but stand for ever, Dan. ii. 44. " I have set my king upon
my holy hill of Zion," Psa. ii. 6; that notes unction and
d5
58 STABILITY OF CHRIST's KINGDOM.
donation. And in mount Zion where God hath set him, he
shall reign from " henceforth, even for ever," Micah iv. 7.
Though he be a Child born, and a Son given, yet " of the in-
crease of his government and peace there shall be no end,
upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it,
and to establish it with judgment and with justice, from
henceforth, even for ever," Isa. ix. 6, 7. " Unto the Son he
saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever," Heb. i. 8-
And here we must distinguish between the substance of
Christ's kingdom, and the form or manner of administering
and dispensing it. In the formet- respect it is absolutely eter-
nal : Christ shall be a Head and Rewarder of his members,
an everlasting Father, a Prince of peace unto them for ever.
In the latter respect it shall be eternal, according to some ac-
ception ; that is, it sliall remain until the consummation of all
things ; as long as there is a church of God upon the earth,
there shall be no new way of spiritual and essential govern-
ment prescribed unto it ; no other vicar, successor, monarch,
or usurper upon his office by God allowed ; but he only, by
his Spirit in the dispensation of his ordinances, shall order and
overrule the consciences of his people, and subdue their ene-
mies : yet he shall so reign till then, as that he shall then
cease to rule in such manner as now he doth. When the
end comes, he shall deliver up the kingdom to God the Father ;
and when all things shall be subdued unto him, he also him-
self shall be subject unto him that put all things under him,
that God may be all in all, 1 Cor. xv. 24, 28. He shall so
return it unto God, as God did confer, and, as it were, appro-
priate it unto him, namely, in regard of judiciary dispensation
and execution ; in which respect our Saviour saith, that, as
touching the present administration of the church, " The
Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment,
and hath given authority " to execute it," unto the Son," John v.
22, 27. Now, Christ governeth his church by the ministry of
his word and sacraments, and by the effusion of his Spirit in
measure and degrees upon his members ; by his mighty,
though secret power, he fighteth with his enemies, and so
shall do till the resurrection of the dead, when death, the
last enemy, shall be overcome, and then, in these respects, his
kingdom shall cease ; for he shall no more exercise the offices
of a Mediator in compassionating, defending, interceding for
his church ; but yet he shall still sit and reign for ever as God,
co-equal with his Father, and shall ever be the Head of the
STABILITY OF CHRIST's KINGDOM. 60
church his body. Thus we see, though Christ's kingdom,
in regard of the manner of dispensation and present execu-
tion thereof, is Hmited by the consummation of all things 5
yet, in itself, it is a kingdom which hath neither within the
seeds of mortality, nor the danger of a concussion without,
but in the substance is immortal ; though in regard of the
commission and power which Christ had as Mediator, to ad-
minister it alone by himself, and by the fulness of his Spirit,
it be at last voluntarily resigned into the hands of the Father,
and Christ, as a part of that great church, become subject to
the Father, that God may be all in all.
Now the grounds of the constancy of Christ's government
over his church, and, by consequence, of the church itself,
which is his kingdom, are these, amongst others.
1. The decree and promise of God sealed by an oath,
which made it an adamantine and unbended purpose, which
the Lord would never repent of nor reverse. All God's
counsels are immutable ; though he may alter his works, yet
he doth never change his will ; but when he sealeth his de-
cree with an oath, that makes their immutabihty past question
or suspicion. In that case it is impossible for God to change,
because it is impossible for God to lie, or deny himself, Heb.
vi. 18. Now, upon such a decree is the kingdom of heaven
established. " Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will
not lie unto David," saith the Lord, Psa. Ixxxix. 35.
*' Once," that notes the constancy and fixedness of God's
promise. " By my holiness," that notes the inviolableness
of his promise ; as if he should have said. Let me no longer
be esteemed an holy God, if I keep not immutably that cove-
nant which I have sworn unto David in my truth.
2. The free gift of God unto his Son, Christ, whereby
he committed all power and judgment unto him. Power is
a strong argument to prove the stabiUty of a kingdom,
especially if it be on either side supported with wisdom and
righteousness, as the power of Christ is. And therefore from
his power he argues for the perpetuity of his church to the
end of the world ; " All power is given unto me in heaven
and earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations ; and, lo, I
am with you alway, even unto the end of the world," Matt,
xxviii. 18 — 20. And the argument is very strong and em-
phatic; for though kingdoms of great power have been, and
may be subdued, yet the reason is, because much power hath
still remained in the adverse side ; or if they have been too
60 STABILITY OF CHRIST's KINGDOM.
vast for any smaller people to root out, yet having not either
wisdom enough to actuate so husje a frame, or righteousness
to prevent or purge out those vicious humours of emulation,
sedition, luxury, injustice, violence, and impiety, which, like
strong diseases in a body, are in states the preparations and
seeds of mortality, they have sunk under their own weight,
and been inwardly corrupted by their own vices. But now,
first, the power of Christ in his church is universal ; there is
in him all power, and no weakness ; no power without him, or
against him ; and therefore no wonder if, from a fulness of
power in him, and an emptiness in his enemies, the argument
of continuance in his kingdom doth infallibly follow. For
what man, if he were furnished with all sufficiency, would
suffer himself to be mutilated and dismembered, as Christ
would, if any thing should prevail against the church, which
is his fulness. Again ; this power of Christ is supported with
wisdom, it can never miscarry for any inward defect ; for the
wisdom is proportionable to the power ; this " all power," and
that, " all the treasures of wisdom : " power, able by weakness
to confound the things which are mighty, and wisdom, able by
foolishness to bring to nought the understanding of the pru-
dent. And both these are upheld by righteousness, which is
indeed the very soul and sinews of a kingdom, upon which the
thrones of princes are established, and which the apostle
makes the ground of the perpetuity of Christ's kingdom ;
" Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever ; a sceptre of
righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom," Heb. i. 8.
3. The quality of Christ's kingdom is to be a growing
kingdom ; though the original thereof be but like a grain of
mustard-seed, or like Elijah's cloud ; to a human view despicable,
and almost below the probabilities of subsistence ; the object
rather of derision than of terror to the world ; yet at last it
groweth into a wideness which maketh it as universal as the
world. And therefore that which the prophet David speaks
of the sun, the apostle applies to the gospel, Rom. x. 18 ; to
note that the circle of the gospel is like that of the sun, uni-
versal to the whole world. It is such a kingdom as groweth
into other kingdoms, and eats them out. The little stone in
Nebuchadnezzar's vision, which was *he kingdom of Christ,
for so Jerusalem is called a stone, Zech. xii. 3, brake in pieces
tlie great monarchies of the earth, and grew up into a great
mountain which filled the world, Dan. ii. 34, 35 ; for the king-
doms of the earth must become the kingdoms of the Lord and
CLAIMS OF PAPAL MONARCHY EXAMINED. Gl
of his Christ, Rev. xi. 15. Therefore the prophets express
Christ and his kingdom by the name of a branch, which
groweth up for a standard and ensign of the people, Isa. xi.
1, 10 ; Zech. iii. 8. A branch which grows, but never with-
ers. It hath no principles of death in itself; and though it
be for a while subject to the assaults of adversaries, and fo-
reign violence, yet that serves only to try it, and to settle it,
but not to weaken or overturn it. The gates of hell, all the
powers, policies, and laws of darkness, shall never prevail
against the church of Christ : he hath bruised, and judged,
and trodden down Satan under our feet : he hath overcome
the world : he hath subdued iniquity : he hath turned perse-
cutions into the seed and resurrections of the church : he
hath turned afflictions into matter of glory and of rejoicing :
so that in all the violence which the church can suffer, it doth
more than conquer, because it conquers, not by repelling, but
by suffering.
And this shows the sacrilege and pertness of the church
of Rome, which in this point doth, with a double impiety,
pervert the Scriptures, that it may derogate from the honour
of Christ and his kingdom. And those things which are
spoken of the infallibility, authority, and fulness of power
Christ hath in his body ; of the stabihty, constancy, and uni-
versality of his church upon earth, she doth arrogate only to
the pope and his see at Rome. As the donatists, in saint
Augustine's time, from that place of the spouse in the Can-
ticles, " Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou
feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest in meridie,'' [at
sultry noon,] Cant. i. 7, excluded all the world from being a
church, save only a corner of Africa, which was at that time
the nest of those hornets. So, because Christ says, his church
is built upon a rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it ; therefore the romanists from hence conclude all
these privileges to belong to them, and exclude all the famous
churches of the world besides from having any communion
with Christ the Head. That scornful expoctulation which
Harding makes with that renowned and incomparable bishop,
under whose hand he was no more able to subsist than a
whelp under the paw of a lion, " Shall we now change the
song of Micah the prophet, ' Out of Zion shall come the
law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem ;' and sing a
new song. Out of Wittenberg is come the ^gospel, and the
word of the Lord from Zurich and Geneva ? " may most truly
62 CLAIMS OF PAPAL MONARCHY EXAMINED.
and pertinently be retorted upon himself and his faction, who
boldly curse and exclude all those christian churches from the
body of Christ and the hope of salvation who will not receive
laws from Rome, nor esteem the cathedral determinations of
that bishop (though perchance in himself an impure, diaboli-
cal, and intolerable beast, as, by their own confessions, many
of them have been) to be, notwithstanding the infallible edicts
of the Spirit of God, as undoubtedly the word of Christ, as
if St. Peter or St. Paul had spoken it ; an arrogancy than
which there is scarce any more express and characteristical
note to discern antichrist by. It is true, that Christ's regal
power doth always show forth itself in upholding his catholic
church, and in revealing unto it, out of his sacred word, such
necessary truths as are absolutely requisite unto its being and
salvation ; but to bind this power of Christ to one man and
to one see, as if, like the pope, he were infallible only in St.
Peter's chair, is the mere figment of pride and ambition,
without any ground at all, raised out of a heap and aggrega-
tion of monstrous presumptions, of human, and some most
disputable, others most false conceits ; of which, though there
be not the least vestige in sacred Scriptures, yet must they be
all first rested in for indubitable principles, and laid for sure
foundations, before the first stone of papal authority can be
raised.
(1.) As first, that the external and visible regiment of the
whole church is monarchical, and that there must be a predomi-
nant mistress church set over all the rest, to which in all
points they must have recourse, and to whose decisions they
must conform without any hesitancy or suspicion at all ;
whereas the apostle tells us, that the unity of the church is
gathered by many pastors and teachers, Eph. iv. 11 — 13.
For, as if several needles be touched by so many several load-
stones, all which have the self-same specifical virtue in them,
they do all as exactly bend to one and the same point of
heaven, as if they had been thereunto qualified by but one :
so, inasmuch as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teach-
ers, come all instructed with one and the same spiritual truth
and power towards the church ; therefore all the faithful, who
are any where by these multitudes of preachers taught what
the truth is in Jesus, do all, by the secret sway and conduct
of the same Spirit of grace, whose peculiar office it is to guide
his church in all necessary and saving truth, with an admi-
rable consent of heart, and unity of judgment, incline to the
CLAIMS OF PAPAL MONARCHY EXAMINED. 63
same end, and walk in the same way, acknowledging no mo-
narch over their consciences but Christ, nor any other minis-
terial application of his regal power in tlie catholic church,
but only by several bishops and pastors, who, in their several
particular compasses, are endowed witli as plenary and ample
ministerial power as the pope and his consistory within the see
of Rome.
(2.) That Peter was prince and monarch, rock and head
in this universal church, and that he alone was keeper of the
keys ; and all this in the virtue of Christ's promise and com-
mission granted unto him, " Thou art Peter, and upon this
rock will I build my church : feed my sheep ; feed my lambs :
unto thee will I give the keys of the kingdom of heaven."
In which respect Baronius calleth him lapidem primariumy
the chief stone. And again, though Christ, saith he, be the
Author and Moderator of his church, yet the princedom and
monarchy he hath conferred upon Peter ; and therefore, as no
man can lay any other foundation than that which is laid,
namely Christ, so no man can lay any other than that which
Christ hath laid, namely Peter. And it is wonderful to con-
sider what twigs and rushes they catch at to hold up this their
monarchy. Because Peter did preach first, therefore he is
monarch of the church. By which reason his monarchy is
long since expired ; for his pretended successors scarce preach
at all. And yet if that may be drawn to any argument, it
proves only that he was lapis primus, the first in order and
forwardness to preach Christ, (as it became him who had
three times denied him,) but not lapis prim arius, the chief in
dignity and jurisdiction over the rest. And why should it not
be as good an argument to say that James had the dignity of
nrecedence before Peter, because Paul first names James, and
then Cephas, and that in a place where he particularly singles
them out as pillars and principal men in the church ; as to say
that Peter hath jurisdiction over James and the rest, because
in their synods and assemblies he was the chief speaker ?
Because Peter cured the lame man that sat at the gate of the
temple, therefore he is universal monarch. By which reason,
likewise, Paul, who in the self-same manner cured a cripple
at Lystra, should fall into competition with Peter for his share
in the monarchy. But the people there were not so acute
disputants as these of Rome ; for though they saw what Paul
had done, yet they concluded the dignity and precedence for
Barnabas, they called him Jupiter, and Paul, Mercury. Again ;
64 CLAIMS OF PAPAL MONARCHY EXAMINED.
because Peter pronounced sentence upon Ananias, therefore
he is monarch of the universal church ; and why Paul should
not here likewise come in for his share, I know not ; for he
also passed judgment upon Elymas the sorcerer, and we no
where find that he derived his authority, or had any com-
mission from Peter to do so. And surely, if by the same
apostolical and infallible Spirit of Christ, which they both
immediately received from Christ himself, St. Paul did ad-
judge Elj^mas to bhndness. by the which St. Peter adjudged
Ananias to death ; I see not how any logic from a parity of
actions can conclude a disparity of persons, except ihey will
say that it is more monarchical to adjudge one to death, than
another to blindness. Again ; because Peter healed the sick
by his shadow, therefore Peter is monarch of the universal
church: and even in this point Paul likewise may hold on his
competition ; for why is not the argument as good, that Paul
is monarch of the church, because the handkerchiefs and
aprons which came from his body did cure diseases and cast
out devils, as that Peter is therefore monarch, because by the
overshadowing of his body the sick were healed ? But the
truth is, there is no more substance in this argument for
Peter's principality, than there is for their supposed miraculous
virtue of images and relics of saints, because the shadow,
which was the image of Peter, did heal the sick ; for that also
is the cardinal's great argument. Again ; because Peter was
sent to Samaria to confirm them in the faith, and to lay hands
on them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost, and to con-
found Simon Magus the sorcerer, therefore he is primate of
the catholic church, and hath monarchical jurisdiction. And
yet the pope is, by this time, something more monarchical
than Peter ; for he would scorn to be sent as an ambassador
of the churches from Rome to the Indians, amongst whom his
gospel hath been in these latter ages preached, and doubtless
they would be something more confirmed than they are by the
sovereign virtue of his prayers and presence. But alai, what
argument is it of monarchy to be sent by others in a message,
and that too not without an associate, who joined with him in
the confirmation of that church ? And if the confuting or
cursing of Simon Magus were an argument of primacy, why
should not St. Paul's cursing of Elymas, and Hymeneus, and
Alexander ; and also St. John's cursing of Cerinthus, be argu-
ments of their primacy likewise? Again ; because Paul went
up to Jerusalem to see Peter, therefore Peter was monarch ot
CLAIMS OF PAPAL MONARCHY EXAMINED. 63
the catholic church. And why should not, by this argument,
Elizabeth be concluded a greater woman than the virfrin
Mary, and indeed the lady of all women, because the blessed
virgin went up into the hill country of Judea, and entered
into the house of Zacharias, and saluted EHzabeth ? But we
find no argument but of equality in the text ; for he went to
see him as a brotlier, but not to do homage to him, or receive
authority from him as a monarch ; else, why went he not up
immediately to Jerusalem, but stayed three years, and preached
the gospel by the commission he had received from Christ
alone ? And how came St. Paul to be so free, or St. Peter
to be so much more humble than any of his pretended succes-
sors, as the one to give with boldness, the other, with silence
and meekness to receive, so sore a reproof in the face of all
the brethren, as many years after that did pass between them ?
Certainly St. Paul, in so long time, could not but learn to
know his distance, and in what manner to speak to his mo-
narch and primate.
By these particulars we see upon what a sandy foundation
this vast and formidable Babel of papal usurpation and power
over the catholic church is erected, which yet, upon the mat-
ter, is the sole principle of romish religion, upon which all
their faith, worship, and obedience dependeth. But we say,
that as Peter was a foundation, so were all the other apostles
likewise, Eph. ii. 20; Rev. xxi. 14; and that upon the same
reason ; for the apostles were not foundations of the church by
any dignity of their persons, as Christ the chief corner stone
was, but by the virtue of their apostolical office, which was
universal jurisdiction in governing the people of Christ, uni-
versal commission in instructing them, and a spirit of infalli-
bility in revealing God's will unto them throughout the whole
world. And therefore as Peter had the keys of the kingdom
of heaven to remit or retain the sins of men, so likewise had
the other apostles, John xx. 23. That Christ's charge to
Peter, " Feed my sheep, feed my lambs," is no other in sub-
stance than his commission to them all, " Go and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ; " and that the particular
directing of it unto Peter, and praying for him, was with re-
spect unto this particular only, by way of comfort and confirm-
ation, as being then a weak member ; not by way of dignity,
or deputation of Christ's own regal power to him in the visible
church. For all the offices of Chris;t are intransient and
66 CLAIMS OF PAPAL MONARCHY EXAMINED.
uncommunicable to any other ; inasmuch as tliat administration
and execution of them dependeth upon the dignity of his per-
son, and upon the fulness of his Spirit, which no mortal man,
or immortal angel, is capable of. But all this is not enough
to be granted them for the raising their authority.
(3.) But then, thirdly, we must grant them too, that Peter,
thus qualified, was bishop of Rome, for proof whereof they
have no testimony of holy Scriptures, but only human tradi-
tion, which may very possibly be false ; so that in this, which
is one of the main principles they build upon, their faith can-
not be resolved into the word of God, and therefore is no
divine faith.
(4.) That he did appoint that church to be the monarchical
and fundamental see to all other churches ; for he was bishop
as well of Antioch as of Rome, by their own confession: and
I wonder why some of his personal virtue should not cleave
to his chair at Antioch, but all pass over with him to another
place.
(5.) That he did transmit all his prerogatives to his succes-
sors in that chair. By which assertion they may as well prove
that they all, though some of them have been sorcerers, others
murderers, others blasphemous atheists, were inheritors of
St. Peter's love to Christ; for from thence our Saviour infers,
" Feed my sheep," to note that none feed his sheep but those
that love his person.
(6.) That the long succession from St. Peter, until now,
hath ever since been legal and uninterrupted ; or else the
church must sometimes have been a monster without a head.
We grant that some of the ancients argue from succession in
the church ; but it was while it was yet pure, and while they
could, by reason of the little space of time between them and
the apostles, with evidence resolve their doctrine through every
medium, into the preaching of the apostles themselves. But
even in their personal succession, who knoweth not what simo-
nies and sorceries have raised divers of them unto that degree ?
And who is able to resolve that every episcopal ordination of
every bishop there hath been valid, since thereunto is requi-
site both the intention and orders of that bishop that ordained
him ? These and a world of the like uncertainties must the
faith of these men depend upon, who dare arrogate to them-
selves the prerogatives of Clirist, and of his catholic kingdom.
But I have been too long upon this argument.
Again ; this point of the stability of Christ's kingdom is a
STABILITY OF CHRISt's KINGDOM. 67
ground of strong confidence and comfort to the whole church
of Christ, against all the violence of any outward enemies
wherewith sometimes they may seem to be swallowed up.
Though they associate themselves, and gird to the battle ;
though they take counsel, and make decrees against the Lord's
Anointed, and against his spouse, yet it shall all come to
nought, and be broken in pieces. All the smoke of hell shall
not be able to extinguish, nor all the power of hell to overturn
the church of God ; and the reason is, Immanuel, God is with
us, Isa. viii. 9, 10. That anointing which the church hath
received, shall deliver it at last from the yoke of the enemy,
Isa. X. 27. Though it seem for a time in as desperate a con-
dition as a dry stick in the fire, or a dead body in the grave,
yet this is not indeed a sepulture, but the seed-time. Thoucrh
it seem to be cast away for a season, yet in due time it will
come up and flourish again, Zech. iii. 2; Ezek. xxxvii. 11.
And this is the assurance that the church may have that the
Lord can save and deliver a second time, Isa. xi. 11 ; that he
is the same God yesterday, and to day, and for ever ; and
therefore such a God as the church hath found him heretofore,
such a God it shall find him to day, and for ever, in the re-
turns and manifestations of his mercy : which discovers the
folly, and foretells the confusion of the enemies of Christ's
kingdom. They conceive mischief, but they bring forth
nothing but vanity, Job xv. 35 ; they conceive chaff, and
bring forth stubble, Isa. xxxiii. 11. They imagine nothing but
a vain thing, their malice is but like the fighting of briars and
thorns with the fire, Isa. xxvii. 4 ; Nahum i. 10; like the
dashing of waves against a rock ; like a mad man's shooting
arrows against the sun, which at last return upon his own
head ; like the puffing of the fan against the corn, which driveth
away nothing but the chaff; like the beating of the wind
against the sail, or the foaming and raging of the water against
a mill, which, by the wisdom of the artificers, are all ordered
unto useful and excellent ends. And surely when the Lord
shall have accomplished his work on mount Sion, when he
shall, by the adversary, as by a fan, have purged away the ini-
quity of Jacob, and taken away his sin, he will then return in
peace and beauty unto his people again. Look on the pre-
paration of some large building ; in one place you shall see
heaps of lime and mortar, in another piles of timber, every-
where rude and undigested materials, and a tumultuous noise
of axes and hammers ; but, at length, the artificer sets every
68 INTRANQUILLITY OF THE CHURCH.
thing in order, and raiseth up a beautiful structure : such is
the proceeding of the Lord in the afflictions and devastations
of his church, though the enemy intend to ruin it, yet God
intends only to repair it. Thus far the word '' until " respects
Christ's kingdom in itself.
Now, as it respecteth the enemies of Christ, it notes,
1. The present inconsummateness of the victories, and by
consequence, the intranquillity of Christ's kingdom here upon
earth. All his enemies are not yet under his feet ; Satan is
not yet shut up ; the rage of hell, the persecutions and poli-
cies of wicked men, the present immunity of desperate sinners,
are evidences that Christ hath much work to do in his church.
But doth not the apostle say, that all things are put under his
feet ? Eph. i. 22. It is true, as regards his power to judge
the world, but not the exercise of his power in governing it :
he shall not receive any new power to subdue his enemies,
which he hath not already ; but yet he can execute that power
when and how he will. And he is pleased to suffer his ene-
mies, in this respite, to rage, and revile, and persecute him in
his members. Every wicked man is condemned already, and
hath the wrath of God abiding upon him, John iii. 18, 36;
only Christ doth suspend the execution of them for many
weighty reasons.
(1.) To show his patience and long-suffering towards the
vessels of wrath, for he ever comes first with an offer of peace,
before he draws the sword, Rom. ii. 4 ; ix. 22 ; Deut. xx. 10,
13; Lukex. 5, 11.
(2.) To magnify the power of his protection and provi-
dence over the church in the midst of their enemies ; for if
the Lord were not on the church's side when man riseth up
against it, if he did not rebuke the proud waves, and set them
their bounds how far they should go, there could be no more
power in the church to withstand them, than in a level of sand
to resist an inundation of the sea, Psa. cxxiv. 1, 5.
(3.) To reserve wicked men unto the great day of his ap-
pearing, and of the declaration of his power and righteous-
ness, wherein all the world shall be the spectators and wit-
nesses of his just and victorious proceedings against them,
Acts xvii. 31.
(4.) To show forth his mighty power in destroying the
wicked altogether. They who here carried themselves with
that insolence, as if every particular man meant to have
plucked Christ out of his throne, shall there all together be
GOD S PATIENCE HATH FIXED BOUNDS. 69
brought forth before him. That as the righteous are reserved
to have their full salvation together, 1 Thess. iv. 17, so the
wicked may be bound up in bundles, and destroyed together,
Psa. xxxvii. 38 ; Isa. i. 28.
(5.) To fill up the measure, and to ripen the sins of wicked
men : for the Lord puts the wickedness of men into an ephah,
and when they have filled up their measure, he then sealeth
them up unto the execution of his righteous judgments. And
hence it is, that the Scripture calleth wicked men " vessels fitted
Cor destruction ; " for they first fill themselves with sin, and
then God filleth them up with wrath and shame.
(6.) To fill up the number of his elect, for he hath many
sheep which are not yet within his fold, and they many of
them the posterity of wicked men, John x. 16.
(7.) To fill up the measure of his own sufferings m
his members, that they may follow him unto his kingdom
through the same way of afflictions as he went before them,
Col. i. 24; Rev. vi. 11.
(8.) To exercise the faith of his church, to drive the faith-
ful, with the prophet Habakkuk, into their watch-tower, and",
with David, into the sanctuary of the Lord ; there to wait upon
him in the way of his judgments, to consider that the end of
the righteous man is peace, and that the pride and prosperity
of the wicked are but as the fat of lambs, and as the beauty of
grass ; that God hath set them in slippery places, and will
cast them down at the last, Hab. ii. 1 ; Psa. xxxvii. 2, 10,
20 ; Ixxiii. 18.
(9.) To wean the faithful from earthly affections, and to
kindle in them the desires of the saints under the altar, " How
long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge
our blood on them that dwell on the earth ! " Rev. vi. 10.
2. As " until " notes the patience of Christ towards his
enemies, so it notes likewise that there are fixed bounds and
limits unto that patience, beyond which he will no longer for-
bear. There is an appointed day wherein he will judge the
world in righteousness. Acts xvii.31. There is a year of
veno-eance, and of recompenses for the controversies of Sion,
Isa.^xxiv. 8. The wild ass that snufFeth up the wind at her
pleasure, may be found in her month, Jer. ii. 24. The Lord seeth
that the day of the wicked is coming : it is an appointed
time ; though it tarry, yet if we wait for it, it will surely
come, it will not tarry, Psa. xxxvii. 13; Hab. ii. 3. Well
then, let men go on with all the fierceness and excess of
70 god's patience hath fixed bounds.
riot they will, let them walk in the way of their heart, and in
the sight of their eyes, yet all this while they are in a chain,
they have but a compass to go, and God will bring them to
judgment at the last. When the day of a drunkard and
riotous person is come, when he hath taken so many hellish
swallows, and hath filled up the measure of his lusts, his mar-
row must then lie down in the dust : though the cup were at
his mouth, yet from thence it shall be snatched away, and for
everlasting he shall never taste a drop of sweetness, nor have
the least desire of his wicked heart satisfied any more. A
wicked man's sins will not follow him to hell to please him,
but only the memory of them to be an everlasting scourge
and flame upon his conscience. O then take heed of ripening
sin by custom, by security, by insensibility, by impudence and
stoutness of heart, by making it a mock, a matter of glory
and of boasting, by stopping the ear against the voice of the
charmer, and turning the back upon the invitations unto
mercy, by resisting the evidence of the Spirit in the word, and
committing' sin in the lio[ht of the sun : for as the heat
of the sun doth wither the fruit which falls off, and ripen
that which hangs on the tree ; so the word doth weaken
those lusts which a man is desirous to shake off, and doth
ripen for judgment those which the heart holds fast, and will
not part with. When was Israel overthrown, but when they
mocked the messengers of God, and despised his word, and
misused his prophets, and rejected the remedy of their sin ?
And when was Judah destroyed, but when they hardened
themselves against the word, and would not take notice of the
day of their peace ? Alas, what haste do men make to pro-
mote their own damnation, and to go quickly to hell, when
they will break through the very law of God, and through all
his holy ordinances, that they may come thither the sooner, as
if the gate would be shut against them, or as if it were a place
of some great preferment ; as if they had to do with a blind
God which could not see, or with an impotent God which
could not revenge their impieties ! Well, for all this the wise
man's speech will prove true at the last, — " Know that God
will bring thee unto judgment."
3. " Until " notes the infallible accomplishment of Christ's
victories, and triumph over his enemies at the last, when the
day is come wherein he will be patient towards them no longer.
The prophet giveth three excellent reasons thereof in one verse,
Isa. xxxiii. 22 ; " The Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our
THE OBSTINACY OF SIN. 71
Lawgiver, the Lord is our King ; he will save us." He is our
Judge, and therefore when the day of trial is come, he will
certainly plead our cause against our adversaries, and will con-
demn them, Micah vii. 9. But a judge cannot do what
pleaseth himself, but he is bound to his rule, and proceedeth ac-
cording to established laws. Therefore, Christ is our Lawgiver
likewise, and therefore he may appoint himself laws accordincr
to his own will. But when the will of the judge and the rule
of the law do both consent in the punishing of offenders, yet
then still the king hath a liberty of mercy, and he may pardon
those whom the law and the judge have condemned. But
Christ, who shall judge the enemies of his church according
to the law which himself hath made, is himself the King ; and
therefore when he revengeth, there is none besides, nor above
him to pardon. So at that day there shall be a full mani-
festation of the kingdom of Christ; none of his enemies
shall move the wing, or open the mouth, or peep against him.
IL The second thing formerly proposed in this latter part
of the verse was, the Author of subduing Christ's enemies
under his feet, — " I the Lord." Wicked men will never sub-
mit themselves to Christ's kingdom, but stand out in opposition
against him in his word and ways. When God's hand is
lifted up in the dispensation of his word and threatenings
against sin, men will not see, Isa. xxvi. 1 1 ; and therefore he
saith, "My Spirit shall not always strive with men ;" to note,
that men would of themselves always strive with the Spirit,
and never yield nor submit to Christ. Though the patience
and goodness of God should lead them to repentance, and
forewarn them to flee from the wrath to come, yet they, after
their hardness and impenitent heart, do hereby treasure up
against themselves the more wrath, Rom. ii, 4, 5 ; and because
judgment is not speedily executed, their heart is wholly set in
them to do mischief, Eccles. viii. 11. "Let favour," saith
the prophet, "be showed unto the wicked, yet will he not learn
righteousness : in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly,
and will not behold the majesty of the Lord," Isa. xxvi. 10.
Certainly, if a wicked man could be rescued out of hell itself,
and brought back into the possibilities of mercy again, yet
would he in a second life fly out against God, and while he had
time, take his fill of lusts again. We see clay will but grow
harder by the fire ; and that metal which melted in the furnace,
being taken thence, will return to its wonted solidity. When
Pharaoh saw that the rain, and the hail, and the thunders
72 THE OBSTINACY OF SIN.
were ceased, (though in the time of them he was like melted
metal, and did acknowledge the righteousness of God, and
his own sin, and make strong promises that Israel should go,)
yet then he sinned more, and hardened his heart, he and his
servants, and would not let the children of Israel go, Exod.
ix. 27, 28, 34, 33. Do we not see men sometimes cast on
a bed of sickness, brought to the very brink of hell, and to
the smell of that sulphury lake, when, by God's wonderful
patience, they are snatched like a brand out of the fire, and
have recovered a little strength, continue to provoke the Lord
again ? When they should set themselves to make good
those hypocritical resolutions of amendment of life, wherewith
in their extremity they flattered God, and deceived them-
selves, they suddenly break forth into more filthiness than
before, as if they meant now to be revenged of God, and to
fetch back that time which sickness took from them, by an
extremity of sinning ; as if they had made a covenant with
hell to do it more service if they might then be spared. All
the favours and methods which God useth are not enough to
bring wicked men home unto him of their own wills.
" Though I have redeemed them," saith the Lord, " yet they
have spoken lies against me. They have not cried unto me
with their heart, when they howled upon their beds. The
people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do
they seek the Lord of hosts." Hoseavii. 13, 14; Isa. ix. 13.
So many judgments did the Lord send upon Israel on the
neck of one another, and yet still the burthen of the prophet
is, " Yet have you not returned unto me, saith the Lord,"
Amos iv. 6, 8 — 11. Dam up the passage of a river,
and use all the art that may be to over-rule it, yet you can
never carry it backward in its own channel ; you may cut it
out into other courses, but no art can drive it into a contrary
motion, and make it retire into its own fountain. So, though
wicked men may haply, by divers reasons which their lusts
will admit, be so far wrought upon as to change their courses,
yet it is impossible to change themselves, or to turn them
quite out of their own way into the way of Christ. There is
in the world but a way of life, and a way of death ; and the
Lord, in the ministry of the word, gives us our option ; " I
have set before you this day life and death, blessing and
cursing : and he that believeth shall be saved ; he that be-
lieveth not shall be damned." To the former he invites,
beseecheth, enticeth us with promises, with oaths, with
PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED. 73
engagements, with prevention of any just objection which
might be made ; " We pray you," saith the apostle, " in
Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." From the othei ,he
deters us by forewarning us of the wrath to come, and of the
period which death will put to our lusts with our lives. And
as TertulHan once spake of the oath of God, so may I of his
entreaties and threatenings ; " O blessed men whom the
Lord himself is pleased to solicit and entice unto happiness !
But O miserable men, that will not believe nor accept of
God's own entreaties I" And yet thus miserable are we all
by nature. There is in men so much atheism, infidelity,
and distrust of God's word, so close an adherency of lust
unto the soul, that it rather chooseth to run the hazard, and
to go to hell entire, than to go halt and maimed unto heaven ;
yea, to make God a liar, and to bless themselves in their sins,
when he curseth ; and to judge of him by themselves, as if he
took no notice of their ways. It is not, therefore, without
just cause that God so often threateneth to remember all the
sins of wicked men, and to do against them whatsoever he
hath spoken.
We see then, that men will never submit themselves unto the
sceptre of Christ, nor prevent the wrath to come by a volun-
tary subjection. It remains, therefore, that God takes the
work into his own hands, and puts them by force under
Christ's feet. They will not submit to his kingdom of grace
and mercy, they will not believe his kingdom of glory and
salvation ; but they shall be made subject to the sword of his
wrath, and that without any hope of escape or power of op-
position ; for God himself shall do it immediately by his own
mighty power. He will interpose his own hand, and magnify
the glory of his own strength in the just confusion of wricked
men. So the apostle saith, that the Lord will show his
wrath, and make his power known in the vessels fitted for
destruction, Rom. ix, 22, Two means the apostle showeth
shall be used in the destruction of the wicked, to effect it, —
the presence, or countenance, and the glorious power of the
Lord, 2 Thess. i. 9. The very terror of his face, and the
dreadful majesty of his presence, shall slay the wicked. " The
kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and
the chief captains, and the mighty men," those who all their
lifetime were themselves terrible, and had been acquainted
with terrors, shall then beer of the mountains and rocks to
74 PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED.
" fall on them, and to hide them from the face of him that
sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb," Rev.
vi. 15, 16 ; Isa. ii. 10, 19 : whence that usual expression of
God's resolution to destroy a people, " 1 will set my face
against them." Oh then, how sore will the condemnation of
wicked men be, when therein the Lord purposeth to declare
the glorious strength of his own almighty arm ! Here, when
the Lord punisheth a people, he only showeth how much
strength and edge he can put into the creatures to execute
his displeasure. But the extreme terror of the last day shall
be this, that men shall fall immediately into the hands of
God himself, who hath said, " Vengeance belongeth unto
me, and I will recompense," Heb. x. 30, 31. And, there-
fore, the apostle useth this expostulation against idolaters,
" Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy ? Are we stronger
than he?" 1 Cor. x. 22. Dare we meet the Lord in his
fury? do we provoke him to pour out " all his wrath?" Psa.
Ixxviii. 38. He will at last stir up all his wrath against the
vessels that are fitted for it. And for that cause he will
punish them himself. For there is no creature able to bring
all God's wrath unto another ; there is no vessel able to hold
all God's displeasure. The apostle telleth us that we have to
do with God in his word, Heb. iv. 13 ; but herein he useth
the ministry of weak men, so that his majesty is covered, and
wicked men have a veil upon their hearts, that they cannot
see God in his word. " When thy hand is lifted up,"
namely, in the threatenings and predictions of wrath out of
the word, " they will not see ;" for it is a work of faith to
receive the word as God's word, and therein beforehand to
see his power, and to hear his rod, Micah vi. 9. Other
men belie the Lord, and say. It is not he. But though they
will not acknowledge that they have to do with God in his
word, though they will not see when his hand is lifted up in
the preparations of his wrath, yet they shall see, and know
that they have to do with him in his judgments, when his
hand falleth down again in the execution of his wrath. So
the Lord expostulateth with them, " Can thine heart endure,
or thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with
thee ? " Ezek. xxii. 14. The prophet Isaiah resolves that
question, " The sinners in Zion are afraid, fearfulness hath
surprised the hypocrites,'' (namely, a fearful looking for of
judgment and fiery indignation, as the apostle speaks, Heb.
PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED. 75
X. 27.) " Who among us shall dwell with the devouring
fire ? who^ among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings ?"
Isa. xxxiii. 14 ; that is, in the words of another prophet,
" Who can stand before his indignation ? and who can abide
in the fierceness of his anger ? His fury is poured out like
fire, and the rocks are throvm down by him," Nahum i. 6.
Confirmations of this point we may take from these consi-
derations : —
1. The quarrel with sinners is God's own, the con-
troversy his own, the injuries and indignities have been
done to himself and his own Son, the challenges have been
sent unto himself and his own Spirit ; and, therefore, no
marvel if he take the matter into his own hands, and, the
quarrel so immediately reflecting upon him, if he be provoked
to revenge it by his own immediate power.
2. Revenge is his royal and peculiar prerogative, Deut.
xxxii. 35, 41 ; from whence the apostle infers, that it is " a
fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God," Heb.
x. 30, 31. And there are these arguments of fearfulness in
it: it shall be in judgment, without mercy, James ii. 13;
there shall be no mixture of any sweetness in the cup of
God's displeasure, but all poison and bitterness ; there shall
not be afforded a drop of water to a lake of fire, a minute of
ease to an eternity of torment. It shall be in fury, without
compassion : in human judgments, where the law of the
state will not suffer a judge to acquit or show mercy, yet the
law of nature will force him to compassionate and grieve for
the malefactor whom he must condemn. There is no judge
so senseless of another's misery, nor so destitute of human
affections, as to pronounce a sentence of condemnation with
laughter. But the Lord will condemn his enemies in ven-
geance, without any pity. " I will laugh," saith the Lord,
*' at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh,"
Prov. i. 26. It shall be in revenge and recompense, in
reward and proportion ; that is, in a full and everlasting de-
testation of wicked men ; the weight whereof shall, peradven-
ture, lie heavier upon them, than all the other torments which
they are to suffer, when they shall look on themselves as
scorned and abhorred exiles from the favour and presence of
Him that made them. For as the wicked did here hate
God, and set their hearts and their courses against him
perpetually, in all that time which God permitted them to
£2
76 PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED.
sin, so God will hate wicked men, and set his face and fury
against them perpetually too, as long as he shall be Judge of
the world.
3. This may be seen in the beginnings of hell in wicked
men upon the earth. When the door of the conscience is
opened, and that sin which lay there asleep before, riseth up,
like an enraged lion, to flee upon the soul ; when the Lord
suffers some flashes of his glittering sword to break in like
lightning upon the spirit, and to amaze the sinner with the
pledges and first fruits of hell ; when he melteth the stout
hearts of men, and grindeth them unto powder, what is all
this but the secret touch of God's own finger upon the con-
science ? For there is no creature in the world whose ministry
the heart doth discern in the commotions and invisible work-
ings of a guilty and unquiet spirit.
4. The torments of wicked angels, whence can they come ?
There is no creature strong enough to lay upon them a suffi-
cient recompense of pain for their sin against the majesty of
God. The devils acknowledge Christ their tormentor, and
that when he did nothing but rebuke them. There was ao
fire, nor any other creature by him supplied, but only the
majesty of his own word, power, and person, which wrung
from them that hideous cry, " Art thou come to torment us
before the time ?" Matt. viii. 29.
5. Consider the heaviness of Christ's own soul, his agony
and sense of the curse due unto our sin when he was in the
garden ; the trouble, astonishment, and extreme anguish of
his soul, which wrought out of his sacred body that woful and
wonderful sweat. Whence came it all ? We never read of
any devils let loose to torment him ; they were ever tormented
at his presence. We read of no other angels who had com-
mission to afilict him ; we read of an angel who was sent
to strengthen him, Luke xxii. 43. There is no reason to
think that the fear of a bodily death, which was the only thing
that men could inflict upon him, was that which squeezed out
those drops of blood, and extorted those bitter and strong
cries from him. There were not in his innocent soul, in his
most pure and sacred body, any seeds or principles of such
tormenting distempers ; his compassion towards the misery of
sinners, his knowledge of the guilt and cursedness of sin, was
as great at other times as then. What then could it else be,
but the weight of his Father's justice, the conflict with his
PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED. 77
Father's wrath against the shis of men, which wrought such
extremity of heaviness in his soul ? And he was our Surety,
he stood in our stead ; that which was done to tlie green tree
should much more have been done to the dry. If God laid
upon him the strokes which were due unto our sin, how
much more heavy shall his hand be upon those whom he
thoroughly hateth !
But shall not the angels then be executioners of the sen-
tence of God's wrath upon wicked men ? I answer, The
angels shall have their service in the coming of the Lord ;
as attendants, to show forth the majesty and glory of Christ
to the world, 2 Thess. i. 7 ; Matt. 'xxiv. 31. Also, as
executioners of his will, which is to gather together the elect
and the reprobate ; to bind up the wicked as sheaves or fagots
for the fire. Matt. xiii. 30; xxiv. 31. But, still the Lord
interposeth his own power. As a schoolmaster setteth one
scholar to bring forth another unto punishment, but then he
layeth on the stripes himself.
But why is it said, that the Father shall put Christ's ene-
mies under his feet ? Doth not Christ himself do it, as well
as the Father? Yes, doubtless, God hath given the Son
authority to execute judgment also, and put into his hands a
rod of iron, to dash his enemies to pieces like a potter's
vessel ; "for whatsoever things the Father doth, these also
doth the Son likewise," John v. 19, 27 ; Psa. ii. 9. But
we are to note, that the subjecting of Christ's enemies under
his feet is a work of Divine power. And therefore, though
it be attributed to Christ as an officer, yet it belongeth to
the Father, as the fountain of all Divine operations. So
God is said to set forth his Son as a propitiation, Rom. iii.
25; and yet the Son came down and manifested himself,
Phil. ii. 7, 8 ; Heb. ix. 26. The Father is said to have
raised him from the dead. Acts ii. 32 ; Rom. vi. 4 ; and yet
the Son raised himself by his own power, John x. 18. The
Father is said to have set Christ at his own right hand in
heavenly places, Eph. i. 20 ; and Christ is said to have sat
down himself on the right hand of the Majesty on high, Heb.
i. 3, 10, 12. The Father is said to give the Holy Ghost, John
xiv. 16 ; and yet the Son promiseth to send the Spirit him-
self, John xvi. 7. So here, though the Son has received
power sufficient to subdue all his enemies under his feet, (for
he is able to subdue all things unto himself, Phil. iii. 21,)
78 PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED.
yet the Father, to show his hatred against the enemies of
Christ, and his consent to the victories of his Son, will like-
wise subdue all things unto him, 1 Cor. xv. 27, 28.
Oh, then, that men would be, by the terror of the Lord, per-
suaded to flee from the wrath to come, to consider the weight
of God's heavy hand, and when they see such a storm com-
ing, to hide themselves in the holes of that Rock of mercy !
It is nothing but atheism and infidelity which bewitcheth
men with desperate senselessness against the vengeance of
God. And therefore, as the Lord hath seconded his word of
promise with an oath, that they might have strong consola-
tion who flee for refuge to lay hold on the hope which is set
before them, Heb. vi. 17, 18, so hath he confirmed the word
of his threatenings with an oath too : " If I lift up my hand
to heaven, and say, I live for ever — I will render vengeance
to mine enemies, I will reward them that hate me," Deut.
xxxii. 40, 41 ; and again, " The Lord hath sworn by the
excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their
works," Amos viii. 7 ; and again, " I have sworn by myself,
That unto me every knee shall bow," Isa. xlv. 23 ; and this
he doth, that secure and obdurate sinners might have the
stronger reasons to flee from the wrath which is set before
them. How wonderful is the stupidity of men, that will
neither believe the words, nor tremble at the oath of God !
He hath warned us to flee from the wrath to come, and we
make haste to meet it rather ; we fill up our measure, and
commit sin with both hands greedily ; with unclean and in-
temperate courses, we bring immature deaths upon ourselves,
that so we may hasten to hell the sooner, and make trial
whether God be a liar or not. For this, indeed, is the very
direct issue of every profane exorbitancy which men rush into.
Every man hath much atheism in his heart by nature, but
such desperate stupidity doth wonderfully increase it, and
bring men by degrees to the hellish presumption of those in
the prophets, " The Lord will not do good, neither will he do
evil ; it is not the Lord, neither shall evil come upon us ;
the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them.
The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth," Jer. v.
12, 13 ; Ezek. xii. 22 : this man prophesies of things afar
off, of doomsday, of things which shall be long after our time.
Unto these men I say, in the words of the apostle, though
they sleep, and see nothing, and mock at the promise of
PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED. 79
Christ's coming, yet '• their damnation slumbereth not," 2 Pet.
ii. 3, but shall come upon them soon enough, even Hke an
armed man. " Be ye not mockers," saith the propliet, " lest
your bands be made strong," Isa. xxviii. 22. Atheism and
scorn of God's judgments will make him bind them the faster
upon us ; he will get the better of the proudest of his enemies.
We may mock, but God will not be mocked, Gal. vi. 7, 8.
He that shooteth arrows against the sun shall never reach
high enough to violate it, but the arrows shall return upon
his own head. Contempt of God and his threatenings doth
but tie our damnation the faster upon us, and make our con-
dition the more remediless. The rage and wrestling of a
beast with the rope that binds him, doth make the knot the
faster. Nay, there is no atheist in the world but some time
or other feeleth, by the horrors of his own bosom, and by the
records of his own conscience, that there is a consumption
decreed, and a day of slaughter coming for the bulls of
Bashan.
Again ; others I have known acknowledge indeed the terror
of the Lord, but yet go desperately on In their presumptions,
and that upon two other dangerous downfalls. They thus
argue, Peradventure I belong to God's election of grace, and
then he will fetch me in, in his time, and in the mean time
his mercy is above my sins, and it is not for me to hasten his
work till he will himself. Oh, what a perverseness is this,
for the wickedness of man to disturb the order of God I
His rule is, that we should argue from a holy conversation to
our election, and by our diligence in adding one grace unto
another, to make it sure unto ourselves ; not to argue from
our election to our calling, nor to neglect all diligence till our
election appear. It is true, the mercy of Christ is infinitely
wider than the utmost rebellions of men, and it may be he
will snatch such a wicked disputer as this like a brand out of
the fire ; but then know withal, that every desperate sin thou
dost now wilfully run into, will at last cost thee such bitter
throes, such tears of blood, as thou wouldst not be willing,
with the least of them, to purchase the most sweet and con-
stant pleasure which thy heart can now delight in. And in
the mean time it Is a desperate adventure upon the patience
of God for any man, upon expectation of God's favour, to
steal time from his service, and to turn the probability of the
mercy of God into an occasion of sinning. The Ninevltes
80 PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED.
gathered another conclusion from these premises : " Let man
and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto
God ; yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and
from the violence that is in their hands ;" and the ground of
this resolution is this, " Who can tell if God will turn and
repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish
not ?" Jonah iii. 8, 9. And the prophets teach us to make
another use of the possibility of God's mercy : " Rend your
heart, and not your garments, and turn unlo the Lord your
God ; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of
great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Who knoweth
if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him ?"
Joel ii. 12, 14. And again, "' Seek ye the Lord, all ye
meek of the earth ; seek righteousness, seek meekness : it
may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger," Zeph.
ii. 3.
But there are not wanting desperate wretches who will
thus hellishly argue against the service of God : It may be
the decree is gone forth, and I am rejected by God, and why
should I labour in vain, and go about to repeal his will, and
not rather, since I have no heaven hereafter, take the fill of
mine own ways and lusts here ? Thus we find the wicked
epicures conclude. We shall die to-morrow, therefore let us
eat and drink to-day, 1 Cor. xv. 32. Nay, but who art thou,
O man, who disputest against God ; who rather choosest to
abuse the secrets of God, that thou mayest dishonour him,
than to be ruled by his revealed will, that thou mayest obey
him ? " Let the potsherds strive with the potsherds of the
earth ;" but let not the clay dash itself against him that made
it. Remember and tremble at the difference which our
Saviour makes even amongst the wicked in hell. It shall be
more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah, and for Tyre and
Sidon, in the day of judgment, than for those cities which
have heard and despised him. Wicked men are treasuring
up wrathj and hoarding up destruction against their own
souls ; every new oath or blasphemy heaps a new mountain
upon their conscience ; every renewed act of any uncleanness
plungeth a man deeper into hell, giveth the devil more hold-
fast of him, adds more fuel unto his Tophet, squeezeth in
more dregs and woful ingredients into the cup of astonish-
ment which he must swallow. Doubtless a sinner in hell
would account himself a happy creature if he did not feel
PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED. 81
there the weight and worm of some particular sins, which
with much easiness he might have forborne, nay, which
without pain and labour he could not commit. We see
Dives in hell begged for but a drop of water to cool his
tongue in that mighty flame. Now, suppose a man in a
burning furnace ; what great comfort could he receive from
but a drop of water against a furnace of fire ? Certainly,
the abatement of so much pain as the abiding of one drop
would remove, could in no proportion amount to the taking
away the punishment of the smallest sin, of the least idle
word, or unprofitable thought ; and yet in that extremity there
shall not be allowed a drop of refreshment against a lake of
fire. Oh that men would therefore in time consider what a
woful thincT it is to fall into the hands, and to rouse up the
jealousy of the living God ! that because he will do thus and
thus unto obdurate sinners, they would therefore in time
humble themselves under his mighty hand, and prepare to
meet him in the way of his judgments ! For certainly, no
sooner doth the heart of a sinner yield to God, but he meeteth
him in his return, and preventeth him with goodness ; his
heart Hkewise is turned within him, and his repentings are
kindled together. With much more delight will he put a
man into the arms of Christ than force him under his feet.
"He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men ;"
he taketh no pleasure in the death of a sinner, but " he de-
lighteth in mercy."
III. The last thing observed, was the manner of this vic-
tory, expressed in those words, " to put," and " to put as a stool
under Christ's feet." Now, this expression, that the conquest
of Christ's enemies shall be but as the removing of a stool
into its place, noteth unto us two things : —
1. The easiness of God's victory over the enemies of
Christ. They are before him as nothing, less than nothing,
the drop of a bucket, the dust of a balance, a very little
thing. What thing is heavier than a m.ountain ? what thing
easier than a touch ? what lighter than chaff, or softer than
wax ? and yet they who in the eyes of men are as strong and
immovable as mountains, if God but touch them, they shall
be turned into chaff, and flow at his presence. If a man had
a deadly pestilence, and of infallible infection, how easily
might that man be avenged on his enemy with but breathing
in his face ! Now, the breath of the Lord is like a stream
e5
82 PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED.
of brimstone to devour the wicked. As easily as fire con-
sumeth flax or stubble, as easily as poison invadeth the
spirits of the body, as easily as a rod of iron breaketh in
pieces a potter's vessel, as easily as a burthensome stone
bruiseth that which it falls upon ; so, and much more irresis-
tibly, doth the wrath of the Lord consume his enemies.
Again ; God's power is, as it were, set on by his jealousy
and fury against sinners. Anger we know is the whetstone
of strength ; in an equality of other terms it v^dll make a man
prevail. Nothing is able to stand before a fire which is once
enraged. Now, God's displeasure is kindled and breaketh
forth into a flame against the sins of men, Deut. xxix. 20,
like a devouring lion, or a bereaved bear ; like the implacable
rage of a jealous man, so doth the fire of the Lord's revenge
break forth upon the enemies of his Son.
Add hereunto, our disposition and preparedness for the
wrath of God Strength itself may be tired out in vain upon
a subject which is incapable of any injury therefrom ; but if
the paw of a bear meet with so thin a substance as the skin
of a man's heart, how easily is it torn to pieces. Every
action is then most speedily finished, when the subject on
which it works is thereunto prepared. Far easier is it to
make a print in wax, than in adamant ; to kindle a fire in dry
stubble, than in green wood. Now, wicked men have fitted
themselves for wrath, and are the procurers and artificers of
their own destruction. They are vessels, and God is never
without treasures of wTath, so that the confusion of a wicked
man is but like the drawing of water out of a fountain, or
the filling of a bag out of a heap of treasure.
Add hereunto, our destituteness of all help and succour.
Even fire amongst pitch might be quenched, if a man could
pour down water in abundance upon it. But the wicked shall
have no strength either in or about them to prevent or remove
the wrath to come. Here indeed they have some helps, such
as they are, to stand out against God in his word. Wealth
and greatness to be the provisions of their lusts ; the counte-
nance of the wicked world to encourage them in their ways ;
Satan and the wisdom of the flesh to furnish them with argu-
ments, and to cast a garnish upon uncleanness ; but when
the lion comes, the shepherd can do the sheep no good ; when
the fire comes, the rotten post shall perish with the varnish
which covered it. He that was here strong enough to pro-
PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED. 83
voice God shall at last be bound hand and foot, and so have
no faculty left either to resist him or to run from him.
There is a foolish disposition in the hearts of men to think
that they shall ever continue in that state which they are
once in. The proud and wicked man hatli said in his heart,
" I shall never be moved, I shall never be in adversity. God
hath forgotten; he hideth his face ; he will never see it," Psa.
X. 6, 11. And David was overtaken with this gross error,
'' I said in my prosperity, I shall never be moved." This
was the vain conceit of the fool in the gospel, " Thou hast
much goods laid up for many years, take thine ease, eat,
drink, and be merry," Luke xii. 19. This ever hath been
the language of secure and wicked men ; " None evil can
come upon us," Micah iii. 11. "I shall have peace, though
I walk in the imagination of mine heart," Deut. xxix. 19.
" To-morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant,"
Isa. Ivi. 12. And so also in afflictions : " Hath God for-
gotten to be gracious ? hath he shut up his tender mercies in
anger?" Psa. Ixxvii. 9. " From day even to night wilt thou
make an end of me," Isa. xxxviii. 12. " I said my hope is
lost, and I am cut off' for my part," Ezek. xxxvii. 11. I
shall never overcome such an affliction ; I shall never break
through such a pressure. And both these come from want
of faith touching the power of God to subdue all enemies
under Christ's feet. If men would but consider how easily
God can break down all their cobwebs, and sweep away their
refuge of lies ; how easily he can spoil them of all tiie provi-
sions of their lusts, they would be more fearful of him, and
less dote upon things which will not profit ; they would take
heed how they abuse their youth, strength, time, and abilities,
as if they had a spring of them all within themselves, and
consider that their good is not in their own hand ; that the
scythe can get as well through the green grass as the dry
stubble ; that consuming fire can as well melt the hardest
metal as the softest wax. What is the reason why men in
sore extremities make strong resolutions, and vow much
repentance and amendment of life, and yet as soon as they
are off from the rack, return again to their vomit, and wallow
in their wonted lusts, but because their sense made them feel
that then, which if they had faith they might still perceive,
and so still continue in the same good resolutions, namely,
that God's hand was near unto them? But what, is not
84 PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED.
God a God afar off as well as near at hand ? Jer. xxiil. 23.
Doth not he say of wicked men, that in the fulness of their
sufficiency they shall be in straits ? Cannot he blast the corn
in the blade, in the harvest, in the barn, in the very mouth
of the wicked ? Did he not cut off Belshazzar in his cups,
and Herod in his robes, and Babylon and Tyrus in their
pride, and Haman in his favour, and Jezebel in her paint ?
Have but faith enough to say, I am a man, and therefore no
human events should be strange unto me ; and even that one
consideration may keep a man from outrage of sinning. It
may be I have abundance of earthly things, yet am I still but
a gilded potsherd. It may be I have excellent endowments,
but I have them all in an earthen vessel. And shall the
potsherd strive with the potter, and provoke him that made
it ? This would teach us to fear and tremble at God's power.
Though we look upon death and judgment as afar off, yet
God can make them near when he will ; for he hath said,
that the damnation of wicked men is swift, and that they are
near unto cursing. His judgments are like lightning, and
have wings suddenly to overtake a sinner. He requires but a
month, nay, but a morning, nay but a moment to consume
his enemies, and bring desolation upon those who said they
should sit as a lady for ever, and did never remember the
latter end. " Though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and
his days be prolonged," namely, by the patience and permission
of God, in whose hands his days are, " yet it shall be well
with them that fear God," Eccl. viii. 12, 13. The wicked
are not able to prolong their own days.
Again, for afflictions and temptations, it is a great fruit of
the infidelity of men's hearts, and a foolish charging and
chiding of our Maker, to account ourselves swallowed up of
any present pressure. If we did but consider that it is as
easy with God to subdue our enemies, and to rebuke our
afflictions, as it is with us to put a stool under our feet, we
should then learn to wait on him in all our distresses ; and
when we cannot answer difficulties, nor extricate ourselvei.-
out of our own doubts or fears, to conclude, that his thoughts
are above our thoughts, and his ways above our ways, and so
to cast ourselves wholly upon his power. It is an argument
which the Lord everywhere useth to establish his church
withal : " Fear not the fear of men, nor be afraid, but sanctify
the Lord of hosts himself, and let him be your fear," Isa.viii,
PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED. 85
1 2, 13. " Who art thou, that thou shouldst be afraid of a
man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made
as grass ; and forgettest the Lord thy Maker, and hast feared
continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor ?
and where is the fury of the oppressor?" Isa. li. 12, 13. " If
it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people,
should it also be marvellous in mine eyes ? saith the Lord of
hosts," Zech. viii. 6, 7. " Behold, I am the Lord, the God
of all flesh ; is there any thing too hard for me ? Blessed is
the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord
is : he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, which shall not
be careful in the year of drought. When the poor and needy
seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for
thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will
not forsake them. Though the fig-tree shall not blossom,
neither shall fruit be in the vines ; the labour of the olive
shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat ; the flock shall
be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the
stalls : yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God
of my salvation," Jer. xxxii. 27; xvii. 7, 8; Isa. xh. 17,
18 ; Hab. iii. 17, 18. He is " able to do abundantly above
all that we can ask or think." God would never so frequently
carry men to the dependence upon his power, if they were
not apt in extremities to judge of God by themselves, and to
suspect his power.
2. As this putting of Christ's enemies like a stool under
his feet noteth easiness, so also it noteth order and beauty.
When Christ's enemies shall be under his foot, then there
shall be a right order in things ; then it shall indeed appear
that God is a God of order; and therefore the day wherein
that shall be done is called " the times of the restitution of
all things," Acts iii. 21. The putting of Christ's enemies
under his feet is an act of justice ; and of all other justice is
the most orderly virtue, that which keepeth beauty upon the
face of a people, as consisting itself in a symmetry and pro-
portion. Again, every thing out of its own place is out of
order, but when things are all in their proper places and due
proportions, then there results a beauty and comeliness from
them. In a great house there are many vessels, some of
wood and brass, others of gold and silver ; some for honour-
able, others for base and sordid uses. Now, if all these were
confusedly together in one room, a man would conclude that
things were out of order ; but when the plate is in one place,
86
the brass and wood in another, we acknowledge a decency
and cleanliness in such a house. Let a body be of never so
exact temperature and delicate complexion, yet if any member
therein be misplaced, the eye in the room of the ear, or the
cheek on the forehead, there can be no beauty in such a body.
So in the church, till God set every one in his right place,
the order thereof is but imperfect. Therefore when Judas
was put under Christ's feet, he is said to have gone to his
own place. Acts i. 25.
Why then should any man murmur at the prosperity of
wicked men, or conceive of God's proceedings as if they were
irregular and unequal, as if there were no profit for those who
walk mournfully, but the proud and wicked workers were
set up ? This is to revile the workman while he is yet in
the fitting of his work. The pieces are not yet put together
in their proper joints, and therefore no marvel if the evenness
and beauty of God's works be not so plainly discovered. For
everything is beautiful in its time ; what though the corn in
the held hang down the head, and the weeds seem to flourish
and overtop it ; stay but till the harvest, and it will then
appear which was for the garner and which for the lire. Go
into the sanctuary of the Lord, and by faith look unto the day
of the revelation of God's righteous judgments, and it will ap-
pear " that the ways of the Lord are right, though the transgres-
sors stumble in them," or be offended at them, Hos. xiv. 9.
From hence every man may learn how to bring beauty and
order into himself, namely, by subduing those enemies of
Christ, those lusts and evil affections which dwell within him.
Laws we know are the ligaments and sinews of a state ; the
strings, as it were, which being touched and animated by
skilful governors, do yield that excellent harmony which is
to be seen in well constituted commonwealths ; the more they
prevail so much the more unity is preserved, and faction
abated, and connnunity cherished in the minds of men. Even
so, where the sceptre of Christ, the law of the mind, the royal
law of liberty and grace, do more prevail over the lusts of the
heart, by so much the more excellent is the harmony and
complexion of such a soul.
III. Now, the last thing in this verse is, "A stool under thy
feet." Things are under Christ's feet two manner of ways:
either by way of subjection, as servants unto him, and so he
hath dominion over all the works of God's hands, and hath
ail things put under his feet. So the apostle saith, that
CHRIST S ENEMIES HIS FOOTSTOOL. 87
God hath "set him at his own riglit hand in heavenly places,
far above all principality, and power, and might, and domi-
nion, and every name that is named, not only in this world,
but also in that which is to come ; and hath put all thinors
under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things
to the church," Eph. i. 21, 22. Which St. Peter expresseth
in a like manner : He " is gone into heaven, and is on the
right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers being
made subject to him," 1 Pet. iii. 22. Or, secondly, by way
of victory and triumph, and so all Christ's enemies are put
under his feet, which is the most proper way. For the
members of Christ are indeed under the Head : so we find
that the sheep of Christ are in his hands : " No man shall
pluck them out of my hand," John x. 28. And the lambs of
Christ are in his arms and bosom : " He shall gather the
lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom," Isa. xl. 11.
But the enemies of Christ are under his feet to be trampled
upon. And this is an usual expression of a total victory in
holy Scripture, the laying of an adversary even with the
ground, that he may be crushed and trampled upon. This
was the curse of the serpent, that he should crawl with his
belly upon the dust of the earth, and that the seed of the
woman should bruise his head. And it is the curse of God's
enemies, that they should lick the dust, and that the feet of
the church, and the tongue of her dogs should be dipped in
the blood of her enemies.
Now, this putting of Christ's enemies as a stool under his
feet, notes unto us, in regard of Christ, two things — his rest,
and his triumph.
1. To stand, in the Scripture phrase, (as I have before
observed,) denoteth ministry, and to sit, rest ; and there is
no posture more easy than to sit vvith a stool under one's feet.
Till Christ's enemies then be all under his feet, he is not
fully in his rest. It is true, in his own person he is in rest ;
he hath finished the work which was given him to do, and
therefore is entered into his rest. He hath already ascended
up on high, and led captivity captive ; yet in his members he
still suffers, though not by way of pain or passion, yet by
way of sympathy or compassion : he is touched with a feel-
ing of our infirmities, Heb. iv. 15. As by the things which
he suffered he learned obedience towards God, so by the
same sufferings he learned compassion, and thereupon mercy
and fidelity towards his members ; for no man can be more
88 Christ's enemies his footstool.
tenderly faithful in the business of another than he who by
his own experience knoweth the consequence and necessity
of it. And therefore he is said to be afflicted in all the afflic-
tions of his people, Isa. Ixiii. 9 ; and the apostle tells us, that
the afflictions of the saints fill up the remainders, or that
which is behind of the afflictions of Christ, Col. i. 24. For
as the church is called the fulness of Christ, who yet of him-
self is so full as that he filleth all in all ; (neither doth the
church serve to supply his defects, but to magnify his mercy ;}
so the church's sufferings are esteemed the fulness of the
sufferings of Christ, although his were of themselves so full
before, as that they had their consummation, to seal up both
their measure and their merit ; and therefore our sufferings are
called his, not by way of addition or improvement unto those,
but by way of honour and dignity unto us. They show
Christ's compassion towards us, and our union and conformity
to him ; but no way either any defect of virtue in his, or any
value of merit in ours ; or any ecclesiastical treasure, or re-
dundancy out of a mixture of both : very profitable they are
for the edification of the church, but very base and unworthy
for the expiation of sin ; very profitable for the comfort of
men, but very unprofitable to the justice of God. So then,
though Christ rest from suffering in himself, yet not in his
saints ; though the serpent cannot come to the Head, yet it is
still bruising of his heel. Here then the apostle's inference
is good, " there remaineth therefore a rest for the people of
God," and that such a glorious rest as must arise out of the
ruin of their enemies. When the wicked perish, they shall
see it and rejoice, and shall wash their feet in the blood of
their adversaries. The revenge of God against his enemies is
such as shall bring an ease with it. " Ah," saith the Lord>
" I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine
enemies," Isa. i. 24. This is the comfort which the Lord
giveth his people, that they shall be full, when their enemies
shall be hungry, and that he will appear to their joy, when
their enemies shall be ashamed.
This must teach wicked men to take heed of persecuting
the members of Christ, for they therein are professed enemies
to Him, whom yet they would seem to worship. This is
certain, that all the counsels and resolutions which are made
against the subjects or laws of Christ's kingdom, are but vain
imaginations which shall never be executed. He will at last
avenge the quarrel of his people, and in spite of all the power
CHRIST S ENEMIES HIS FOOTSTOOL. 89
or malice of hell, make them to sit actually in heavenly
places with him, whom he bath virtually and representatively
carried thither already. And it should comfort the faithful
in all their sufferings for Christ's sake; because hereby they
are, first, conformable unto him ; secondly, they are associates
with him ; and, thirdly, they are assured that they are in a way
to rest : for, saith the apostle, " it is a righteous thing with God
to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you, and to you
who are troubled, rest, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed
from heaven," 2 Thess. i. 6, 7. And " inasmuch," saith St.
Peter, " as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, that
when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with
exceeding joy," 1 Pet. iv. 13. And this joy shall be so
much the greater, because it shall grow out of the everlasting
subjection of the enemies under Christ's feet ; and those whom
here they persecuted and despised, shall there, with Christ, be
their judges.
2. As it noteth the rest, so likewise the triumph of
Christ, when he shall set his feet on the neck of his enemies.
The apostle saith, that he triumphed over them in his cross,
Col. ii. 15. And there are two words which have an allusion
unto the forms of triumph, exspoliation, and publication, or
representation of the pomp unto the world of the faithful.
He spoiled principalities and powers ; that is, he took from
them all their armour wherein they trusted, and divided the
spoils, Luke xi. 22. The armour of Satan was principally
the handwriting of the law which was against us, or contrary
unto us ; so long as we were under the full force and rigour
of that, so long we were under the possession and tyranny of
Satan ; but when Christ nailed that unto the cross, and took
it out of the way, then all the other panoply of Satan was
easily taken from him ; he was then spoiled of all his weapons
and provisions of lust ; for the world, and all the things which
are in the world, were unto us crucified in the cross of Christ;
so that now by faith in him we are able to overcome the
world, to value it aright, to esteem the promises thereof thin
and empty, and the threatenings thereof vain and false ; the
treasures thereof baser than the very reproaches of Christ,
and the afflictions thereof not worthy to be compared with
the glory which shall be revealed in us, as being in their
measure but light, and but momentary in their duration. The
power and wisdom of Satan was likewise in the cross of
Christ most notably befooled and disappointed ; for when he
90 Christ's enemies his footstool.
thought that he had now swallowed up Christ, he found a
hook under that bait ; he found that which neither himself
nor any of his instruments could have suspected, that Christ
crucified was indeed the wisdom of God, and the power of
God, and that through death he chose to destroy him who
had the power of death, I Cor. i. 24 ; Heb. ii. 14.
Again, he made a show, or public representation of this
his victory, and of these his spoils, openly unto the world.
As the cross was his triumphal chariot, so was it likewise the
pageant, as it were, and exhibition of his spoils ; for though
to a carnal eye there was nothing but ignominy and dishonour
in it, yet to those that are called there is an eye of faith given
to see in the cross of Christ, hell disappointed, Satan con-
founded, his kingdom demolished, the earthly members of the
old man crucified, affections and lusts abated, and captivity
already led captive. And indeed, what triumph of any the
most glorious conqueror was ever honoured with the openings
of graves, the resurrection of the dead, the conversion of
enemies, the acclamation of mute and inanimate creatures,
the darkness of the sun, the trembling of the earth, the com-
passion of the rocks, the amazement of the world, the admi-
ration of the angels of heaven, but only this triumph of
Christ upon the cross ? And if he did so triumph there,
how muob more at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
where he is crowned with glory and honour ; and at that great
day, which is therefore called the day of the Lord Jesus,
because he will therein consummate his triumph over all his
enemies, when he shall come with the attendance of angels,
in a chariot of fire, with all the unbelievers of the world
bound before his throne, and with the applause and admira-
tion of all the saints !
And this is a plentiful ground of comfort to the faithful in
all their conflicts with Satan, sin, temptations, or corruptions;
they fight under his protection, and with his Spirit who hath
himself already triumphed, who accounteth our temptations
his, and his victories ours ; who turned the sorest perplexities
which the world shall ever see, into a doctrine of comfort
unto his disciples, Luke xxi. 25 — 28. Whenever then we
are assaulted with any heavy temptation, to discomforts, fears,
faintings, weariness, despair, sinful conformities, or the like ;
let us not depend upon any strength or principles of our own,
but look only by faith unto the victories of Christ, and to
this great promise which is here made unto him, as Head and
Christ's enemies his footstool. 91
Captain of the church, by whom we shall be able to do all
things ; and though we were surrounded with enemies, to
escape as he did through the midst of them all. Our enemies
come against us in armies, with infinite methods and strata-
gems to circumvent us ; this only is our comfort, that we
have one refuge which is above all the wisdom of the enemy,
to climb up unto the cross of Christ, and to commit the
keeping of our souls unto him, out of whose hands no man
can take them. When David went forth against Goliath, he
did not grapple with him by his own strength, but with his
sling and his stone at a distance overthrew him. It is not
good to let Satan come too close unto the soul, to let in his
temptations, or to enter into any private and intimate combat
with him, (this was for our Captain only to do, who we know
entered into the field with him, as being certain of his own
strength,) but our only way to prevail against him is to take
faith as a sling, and Christ as a stone ; he will undoubtedly
find out a place to enter in, and to sink the proudest enemy.
We are beset with enemies, yea, we are enemies unto ourselves ;
the burden of the flesh, the assaults of the world, the fiery
darts of Satan, treason within, and wars without, swarms of
Midianites, troops of Amalekites, the sea before us, the
Egyptians behind us ; sin before, Satan and the world
behind ; either I must run on, and be drowned in sin, or I
must stand still, and be hewed in pieces with the persecutions
of wicked men, or I must revolt and turn back to Egypt,
and so be devoured in her plagues. In these extremities the
apostle hath given us our one great object : look unto Jesus ;
he that is the Author will be the Finisher of our faith, Heb.
xii. 1, 2. It is yet but a little while, he will come, and will
not tarry ; he is in the view of our faith ; he is within the cry
of our prayers ; he sitteth at the right hand of power, nay,^
he there standeth, and is risen up already in the quarrel of
his saints. Acts vii. 56. The nearer the Egyptian is to
Israel, the nearer he is to ruin, and the nearer Israel is to
deUverance. Though Moses have not chariots, nor multi-
tudes of weapons, yet he hath a rod, a branch, an angel of
God's presence, which can open the sea, and give an issue to
the greatest dangers which can turn the enemy's rage into his
own ruin. There is no enemy so close, so dangerous, so
unavoidable, as our own lusts. Now, the Lord promiseth to
deal with the sins of his people as he did with the Egyptians;
we know he subdued their tyranny with plagues ; their first-
92 Christ's enemies his footstool.
bom, the strength and flower of the land, he slew before, and
those who afterwards joined themselves against his people, he
drowned in the bottom of the sea ; so saith the prophet, " He
will subdue our iniquities," Mic. vii. 19 ; he will purge them
away, the power and strength of them he will abate by his
Spirit ; and as for those remainders thereof which are yet
behind, and rebel against his grace, he will cast all of them
into the depth of the sea, Psa. Ixv. 3 ; that is, he will remove
them utterly away from us ; he will drown them in everlasting
forgetfulness ; he will not only blot them out, that they may
not be, but he will not remember them, which is in some sort
to make them even not to have been. And which yet makes
the assurance of all this the stronger, the ground of it all is
only in God himself, his covenant and mercy. Now, though
our condition alter, yet his mercy is still the same. If the
root of the covenant were in us, then as we change, that also
would vary too ; but the root is in God's own grace, whose
mercy is therefore without repentance in himself, because it is
without reason or merit in us.
3. Lastly, this footstool under Christ's feet, in regard of
his enemies, noteth unto us four things : —
(1.) The extreme shame and confusion which they shall
everlastingly suffer, the utter abasing and bringing down of all
that exalteth itself against Christ. It notes, the extremest
degree of revenge, v/hich hath no mixture of mercy or com-
passion in it. So that by this we see the enemies of Christ
and his kingdom shall be put to utter and everlasting shame.
That as the faithful in that great day of their redemption
shall lift up their heads, and have boldness in the presence of
the Lamb ; so the wicked shall fall flat upon their faces, and
cleave unto the dust, when the books shall be unsealed, and
the consciences of men opened, and the witnesses produced,
and the secrets of uncleanness revealed on the housetop, and
the mouths of the wicked, who here for a little while dispute
against the ways of Christ, and cavil at his commands, shall
be everlastingly stopped ; when men shall be like an appre-
hended thief, (as the prophets speak,) then shall their faces
be as a flame, full of trembling, confusion, and astonishment,
Jer. ii. 26 ; JSzra ix. 6 ; Dan. ix. 7, 8. The very best that
are find shame enough in sin, how much they who give them-
selves over unto vile and dishonourable affections !
(2.) Hereby is noted the burden which wicked men must
bear. The footstool beareth the weight of the body, so nmst
Christ's enemies his footstool. 93
the enemies of Christ bear the weight of his heavy and ever-
lasting wrath upon their souls. Sin, in the committing, seems
very light, no bigger than the cloud which the prophet showed
his servant, but at last it gathers into such a tempest, as, if
the soul make not haste, it will be swept away, and over-
whelmed by it. Weighty bodies do with much difference
affect the sense according to the difference of places wherein
they are. That vessel, or piece of timber, which, when it is
on the water, may be easily drawn with the hand of a man, on
the land cannot be stirred with much greater strength : so is it
with sin upon the conscience ; in the time of committing it,
nothing more easy, but in the time of judging it, nothing more
insupportable. The wicked in sin, however for the time they
mav bear it out with much mirth, and cheer up their hearts in
the days of their pleasure, yet when sin is come to the birth,
and so fully finished, that it is now ready to bring forth deatli
unto the soul, they shall then find that it is but like the roll
which the prophet swallowed, sweet to the palate, but bitter
in the belly ; like a cup of deadly poison, pleasant in the
mouth, but torment in the bowels. On whomsoever the Son
of man shall fall, with the weight of his heavy displeasure, he
will grind him to powder. That must needs be a heavy burden
which men would most joyfully exchange for the weight of
rocks and mountains to lie everlastingly upon their backs ; and
yet the wicked at that great day shall in vain beg of the moun-
tains and rocks to fall upon them, and to hide them from the
wrath of the Lamb, shall choose rather to live eternally under
the weight of the heaviest creature in the world, than under
the fury of Him that sitteth upon the throne, Rev. vi. 16.
(3.) Herein likewise is noted the relation of a just and
equal recompense unto ungodly men. The Lord uscth often
to fit punishments to the quality and measure of the sins com-
mitted. He that on the earth denied a crumb of bread, in
hell was denied a drop of water. Man who, being in honour,
would needs affect to be as God, was thereby debased to become
like the beasts that perish. Nadab and Abihu offered strange
fire, and perished by strange fire from the Lord. That apos-
tate in St. Cyprian, who opened his mouth against Christ in
blasphemy, was immediately smitten with dumbness, that he
could not open it unto Christ for mercy. Eutropius the
eunuch, when he persuaded the emperor to take from male-
factors the benefit of refuge at the altars, did therein prevent
his own mercv, and beg away the advantage of an escape from
94 Christ's enemies his footstool.
himself, the privilege whereof lie did afterwards in vain lay
hold on. And thus will Christ deal with his enemi*^s at the
last day. Here they trample upon Christ in his word, in his
ways, in his members. They make the saints bow down for
them to go over, and make them as the pavement on the
ground ; they tread under foot the blood of the covenant and
the sanctuary of the Lord, and put Christ to shame here ;
and there their own measure shall be returned into their own
bosom ; they shall be constrained to confess as Adonibezek,
"As I have done, so God hath requited me." Yea, this they
shall suffer from the meanest of Christ's members, whom they
here insulted over. They shall then as witnesses, and as it
were co-assessors with Christ, judge the very wicked angels,
and tread them under their feet. They shall take them cap-
tives, whose captives they were, and they shall rule over their
oppressors. All they that despised thee shall bow themselves
down at the soles of thy feet. They who gathered themselves
against Sion, and said, Let her be defiled, and let our eyes see
it, shall themselves be gathered as sheaves into the floor, and
the daughter of Sion shall arise and thresh them with horns
of iron and with hoofs of brass, Isa. xiv. 2 ; Mic. iv. !!» 13.
Then, saith the church, " she that is mine enemy shall see
it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is
the Lord thy God ? Mine eyes shall behold her ; now shall
she be trodden down as the mire of the streets." " So let all
thine enemies perish, O Lord ; but let them that love him be
as the sun when he goeth forth in his might," Judges v. 3L
(4.) Herein we may note, the great power and wisdom of
Christ, in turning the malice and mischief of his enemies to
his own use and advantage ; and in so ordering wicked men,
that though they intend nothing but extirpation and ruin to
his kingdom, yet they shall be useful to him, and against
their own wills serviceable to those glorious ends, in the
accomplishing whereof he shall be admired by all those that
believe. The Lord, by his wisdom, doth make use of wicked
men's persons and purposes to his own most righteous and
wonderful ends, secretly and mightily directing their wicked
designs, to the magnifying of his own power and providence,
and to the furthering of his people in faith and godliness, Isa
xxxvii. 28, 29.
Christ's regalities. 95
VERSE II.
THE T.ORD SHALL SEND THE ROD OF THY STRENGTH OUT OF SION' :
RULE THOU IN THE MIDST OF THINE ENEMIES.
This verse is a continuation of the former, touching the king-
dom of Christ, and it contains the form of its spiritual admi-
nistration ; wherein is secretly couched another of the offices
of Christ, namely, his prophetical office. For that is, as it
were, the dispensation and execution of his regal office in the
militant church. The sum of this administration consists in
two principal things : first, in matters military, for the sub-
duing of enemies, and for the defence and protection of his
people; secondly, in matters civil and judicial, for the govern-
ment, preservation, and honour of his kingdom. And both
these are in this psalm ; the former in the latter part of this
verse, " Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies ;" the other
in the third verse, " Thy people shall be willing in the day
of thy power ;" and the way of compassing and effecting, in
the former words of this verse, " The Lord shall send the rod
of thy strength out of Sion."
Every king hath his royal laws, certain royal prerogatives
and peculiar honours proper to his own person, which no
man can use. but with subordination unto him. And if we
observe them, we shall find many of them as exactly belong
unto Christ in his kingdom as to any secular prince in his.
Unto kings belong the public armouries, the magazines
for military provision, and the power and disposition of public
arms. Therefore he is said by the apostle to" bear the sword,"
because arms properly belong unto him, and unto others under
his allowance and protection, Rom. xiii. 4. So to Christ
doth belong, and in him only is to be found, the public
armoury of a christian man. The weapons of our warfare
are mighty only through him. Nay, he is himself the Armour
and Panoply of a christian, and therefore we are commanded
to " put on the Lord Jesus." Again, the highway is the
kino-'s way, wherein every man walketh freely under the pro-
tection of his sovereign. So that law of faith and obedience
under which we are to walk, which St. Paul calleth " the law
96 Christ's regalities.
of Christ," Gal. vi. 2, is by St. James called a " royal law," and
" alaw of liberty," James ii.8, in which while any man conti-
nueth he is under the protection of the promises and of the
angels of Christ. Again, lands that are concealed, and under
the evident claim of no other person or lord, do belong unto
the prince, as he that hath the supreme and universal domi-
nion in his countries. And this is most certainly true of
Christ in his kingdom ; if any man can once truly say. Lord,
I am not the servant of any other master ; no other king hath
the rightful dominion or peaceable possession of my heart, he
may most truly from thence infer ; therefore. Lord, I am thy
servant, and therefore. Lord, my heart is thine. True it is,
O Lord our God, that " other lords besides thee have had
dominion over us ;" but now " by thee only will we make
mention of thy name," Isa. xxvi. 13. Again, tributes, and
customs, and testifications of homage and fideUty, are personal
prerogatives belonging unto princes, and as the apostle saith,
due u°nto them, for that ministry and office which under God
they attend upon, Rom. xiii. (J, 7. So in Christ's kingdom,
there is a worship which the psalmist saith is " due unto his
name," Psa. xcvi. 8. They which came unto the temple,
which was a type of Christ, were not to come empty-handed,
but to bring testimonies of their reverence, and willing subjec-
tion unto that worship. When Abraham met Melchizedek,
a figure of Christ, as from him he received a blessing, so unto
hinT he gave an expression of a loyal heart, the tenth of the
spoils. When the people of Israel entered into the land of
Canaan, (which was a type of Christ's church which he should
conquer unto himself,) if any people accepted of the peace
which they were first to proclaim, they were to become tribu-
taries and servants unto Israel, Deut. xx. 11. So it is said
of Solomon, (whose peaceable kingdom was a type of Christ's
after his many victories,) that he levied a tribute of bond-ser-
vice upon all the nations about Israel, 1 Kings ix. 21 ; and
that those princes with whom he held correspondence brought
unto him presents, as testimonies of his greatness and wisdom,
1 Kincrs iv. 21. So when the wise men (the first-fruits of
the ge°ntiles after Christ appeared) came to submit unto his
kingdom, " they opened their treasures, and presented unto
hin? gifts, gold, and frankincense, and myrrh," Matt.^h. 11.
Again, the authorizing and valuation of public coins oelong
unto the prince only; it is his image and inscription alone
which maketh them current. Eve.n so unto Christ only doth
Christ's regalities. 97
belong the power of stamping and creating, as it were new
±nt S" s " ?Tt ' rh^ '' '''''' ^^^' "- ^^
Zn i N^r^''^' ^''^' ""'^^^ '"^'S^ or express authority
tuti^ ^f ? u '"" ^">^ "^^" ^^^^ify ^^ ^«rrupt any consti-
fro^tL • P u '?y^^'>^' *^^" administration whereof is
from he pri.nce as the fountain of all human equity, funder
(xod,) deposited m the hands of inferior officers,Uo are as
xlS ho'sra":' f .^'-.P--V0P"bli^hthe'laws, Z:^ To
W to ht «f justice and peace which principally be^
ong to his owii sacred breast. And so Christ saith of him-
Son- aJd ha^h " I ''""T'^ ^" >^S"^^'^^ ""^« the
John V 22-27^"'Lr '"'^""'^ ^^ ^^^^"^^ >^§--t'"
persons and di .i^^ .' "^ P°'''' '^ P^^^«» condemned
fsTtratopf^ r' '^'"^ ^'"^ '^^ '^^^°^^f *^^^^^'« sentence,
IS a transcendant mercy, a gem which can shine only from the
h Zct f • ""r ""^^ ^^^^^^ ^^k-- beLngeTh t
oUv of thi Pp"'' ''/"^"' ^^"^^ ^^ ^^ *^^^ most sacred
ever tV ev2 "'/ P''''' "°' '"^^ ^^ ^"^P^"^' b"t for
of Ll/. ' ^"^' ^' '* ^^'^' annihilate the sentence
of malediction under which every man is born. Ther a e
foreign kn'f,"^ t ^r^"' "'^^ "«"^ ^« «^"d to those
andfonl"^r ''.^r•'^'>^^^^^"^^^^^^^^ ^« testimonies
robeTn/T"' f ^heir dignity, an ivory sceptre, a roval
the Scriptures belonging unto Christ, that he was crowned
with glory and honour, Heb. ii. 9, and that he had a throne
aiid righteous sceptre belonging to his kingdom, Psa. xlv 6
Ihus we have seen, in several particulars, how Christ hath his
royalties belonging to his kingdom. Some principal of them
we hnd m this place ; a throne, a sceptre, ambassadors, and
armies, for the right dispensing of his sacred power.
We will first consider the words, and then raise such
observations as shall offer themselves.
1. What is meant by the rod of Christ's strength, or his
strong rod ? It notes a thing which a man may lean upon
or lay the whole weight of his body on in his weariness ; but
being spoken of Christ's kingdom, we take it for a sceptre or
rod ot majesty. But for the more distinct understanding of
the words, we may consider out of the holy Scriptures what
things were sent out of Sion ; and we find these two thii
iinc-s :
F
98 THE ROD OF CHRIST's STRENGTH.
1. The word of the Lord, or his holy gospel : " The law
shall go forth of Sion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusa-
lem," Mic. iv. 2. 2. The Spirit of the Lord, which was
first sent unto Sion ; for at Jerusalem the apostles were " to
wait for the promise of the Father," Acts i. 4, and from thence
were shed abroad into the world upon all flesh. Acts ii. 17 ;
and both these are the power or strength of Christ. His
word, a gospel of power unto salvation, Rom. i. 16 ; 2 Cor.
iv, 7, and his Spirit a Spirit of power, 1 Cor. ii. 4 ; 2 Tim.
i. 7, which is therefore called the finger and the arm of the
Lord, Luke xi. 20 ; Isa. liii. 1 : so by the rod is meant the
gospel and the Spirit of Christ. ^
2. What is meant by God's sending this rod of Christ s
strength ? It notes the manifestation of the gospel ; we knew
it not before it was sent. The donation of the gospel ; we
had it not before it was sent. The invitation of the gospel ;
we were without God in the world, and strangers from the
covenant of promise, before it was sent. The commission of
the dispensers of the gospel; they have their patent from
heaven ; they are not to speak until they be sent.
3. What is meant by sending it out of Sion ? It is put
in opposition to mount Sinai, from whence the law was some-
times sent with thunders and fire, and much terror unto the
people of Israel. " Ye are not come," saith the apostle,
" unto the mount that burned with fire, nor unto blackness
and darkness, and tempest— but ye are come unto mount
Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jeru-
salem, and to an innumerable company of angels, and to Jesus
the Mediator of the new covenant," Heb. xii. 18—24. And
the apostle elsewhere showeth us the meaning of this allego-
rical opposition between Sinai and Sion, between Sarah and
Hacrar ; namely the two covenants of the law and of grace,
or of bondage and liberty, Gal. iv. 24, 25. Sion was the
place whither the tribes resorted to worship the Lord ; the
place towards which that people prayed ; the place of Gods
merciful residence amongst them ; the beauty of holmess ; the
place upon which at first the gift of the Holy Ghost was
poured forth, and in which the gospel was first of all preached
after Christ's ascension. We may take it by a synecdoche,
for the whole church of the jews, unto whom the Lord first
revealed his covenant of grace in Christ, Acts ni. 26 ; xui.
46 ; Rom. ii. 10. , , . , . i
" Rule thou :" that is, thou shalt rule, which is a ilsuai
THE ROD OF CHRIST S STRENGTH. , 99
form to put the imperative for the future indicative. It is
not a command which hath relation unto any service ; but
it is a promise, a commission, a dignity, conferred upon
Christ.
" In the midst of thine enemies." Some understand it of
changing the hearts of his enemies, and converting them as
captives unto his obedience. Others understand the wonderful
effect of the power of Christ's kingdom, that he can by his word
and Spirit hold up his church in despite of all the enemies thereof
round about. The church ever was and will be pestered with
divers kinds of adversaries, heretics, and hypocrites, and false
brethren, with profaneness, temptations, persecutions, spiritual
wickednesses ; and in the midst of all these the church of
Christ groweth as a lily amongst the thorns. Now, this " in
the midst " noteth two things : 1. A perfect, and a full govern-
ment, without mutilation, without impediment ; the church
being amongst the wicked as a rock in the midst of the sea,
or as a garrison in an enemy's town. " Let them rule in the
midst of the city," is an expression of such a rule as can no
way be hindered or removed. The church of God is a bur-
densome stone ; they who go about to remove it out of that
place where Christ shall plant it, shall be cut in pieces,
though all the people of the earth should gather together
against it, Zech. xii. 3. 2. A secure and confident government.
So in the Scripture phrase, " In the midst," notes confidence
and security. When the prophet asked the Shunamite,
" Wouldst thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of
the host? she answered, I dwell amongst mine own people,''
2 Kings iv. 13 ; that is, I am safe, and have enough already.
When they of the synagogue would have cast Christ down
headlong from the brow of a hill, it is said that he " passed
through the midst of them, and went his way," Luke iv.
29, 30 ; that is, with much confidence, safety, and assurance,
he withdrew himself. So the prophet was full of security
and quietness in the midst of the Syrian siege, 2 Kings vi.
14—16.
The words being thus unfolded, we may observe in them
three of Christ's principal regalities — the sceptre, the throne,
and the power or government of his kingdom. His sceptre
is the word of his gospel, animated by the power of his Holy
Spirit, and accompanied with the blessing and authority of
God the Father, who sendeth it abroad into the world. His
throne, from whence this his sceptre is extended, Sion, the
f2
100 THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL.
church of the Jews. His victorious, plenary, and secure
government. " Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.''
First. The sceptre here is the gospel and the Spirit of
Christ. Christ is a Shepherd tovv^ards his flock, the church,
Isa. xl. 11. A great Shepherd, Heb. xiii. 20, that notes his
power and majesty over them : and a good Shepherd, John
X. 14, that notes his care and tenderness towards his sheep.
Kings in the Scripture are called shepherds ; to lead, and to
feed, and to govern the people. So David is said to have
been taken from the sheepfolds to feed Jacob and Israel, Psa.
Ixxviii. 70, 71 ; 2 Sam. v. 2 : and thus Christ is a Shepherd
and a King. " I will set up one shepherd over them, and he
shall feed them, even my servant David — I the Lord will be
their God, and my servant David a prince among them,'*
Ezek. xxxiv. 23, 24. Prophets and teachers are in the
Scripture likewise called shepherds, Jer. xxiii. 1 — 4, and so
Christ is a Shepherd and a Bishop. " Ye were as sheep
going astray ; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and
Bishop of your souls," 1 Pet. ii, 25. And therefore we find
in the Scripture that Christ hath two pastoral staves, to note
his great care and double office in his church : " The Lord
is my Shepherd ; I shall not want — 1 VN^ill fear no evil : for
thou art with me ; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me,*'
Psa. xxiii. 1, 4; "I took unto me two staves; the one I
called Beauty, and the other I called Bands ; and I fed the
flock," Zech. xi. 7. So then, the rod of Christ's strength, or
his strong staff, doth in these several relatio-ns note unto us
three things : as it is a staff of strength, so it notes the power
of Christ ; as it is the sceptre of a King, so it notes the ma-
jesty of Christ ; as it is the staff of a bishop or prophet, so it
notes the care and superintendence of Christ over his church. So
then, this first particular of the rod of Christ's kingdom affords
unto us three observations : I. That Christ in his gospel and
Spirit is full of power and strength towards the church. II
That Christ in his gospel and Spirit is full of glory and
majesty towards his church. III. That Christ in his gospel
and Spirit is full of care and of tenderness towards his church.
I. The word of the gospel, with the Spirit, is full of power
and strength. No man will deny that Christ in his own per-
son is full of power. And as the power of a prince is princi-
pally seen in his laws, edicts, pardons, and gracious patents ;
so is the power of Christ wonderfully magnified towards the
church in his gospel, which unto us is both a covenant of
THE POWER OP THE GOSTEL. 101
mercy and a law of obedience. We may observe how Christ
is frequently pleased to honour his gospel with his own titles
and attributes ; and therefore the apostle speaks of him and
his word as of one and the same thing : " The word of God
is quick, and powerful — a discerner of the thoughts and intents
of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest
in his sight ; but all things are naked and opened unto the
eyes of Him with whom we have to do," Heb. iv. 12, 13.
That which is the word in one verse, is Christ himself in
another, which hath given occasion to some learned men to
take the word there for the essential Word of God, or the
person of Christ himself. We know that Christ was crucified
at Jerusalem, and yet the apostle saith, that he was crucified
amongst the Galatians, Gal. iii. 1. Certainly, in that he
died, he died but once unto sin. St. Paul could not do that
himself, which he curseth others for doing, " Crucify afresh
the Lord of glory." So then, at Jerusalerri he was crucified
in his person, and at Galatia in the ministry of his word. One
and the same crucifying was as lively set forth in St. Paul's
preaching as it was really acted upon Christ's person ; for
Christ is as really present to his church now in the spiritual
dispensation of his ordinances, as he was corporeally present
with the jews in the days of his flesh. And therefore I say
it is that we find the same attributes given to both. " Christ
the power of God, and the wisdom of God," 1 Cor. i. 24 ; and
the gospel elsewhere is called " the power of God," Rom. i. 16,
and " the wisdom of God in a mystery" to them that are
perfect, 1 Cor. ii. 6, 7. Again, " Christ the Lord of glory,"
1 Cor. ii. 8; and the gospel, the gospel of glory, or " the
glorious gospel," 1 Tim. i. 11. Christ " the Prince of life,"
Acts iii. 13 ; yea, *' the word of hfe," 1 John i. 1 ; and the
gospel the word of life too, Phil. ii. 16. Christ a Judge,
John v. 27 ; and the word of Christ a judge too : " The
word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him at the last
day," John xii. 48. Christ a Saviour and salvation unto
men ; " Mine eves have seen thy salvation," Luke i. 69, 77 ;
ii. 30; and the gospel of Christ a salvation too; " We
know," saith Christ to the woman of Samaria, '* what we
worship : for salvation is of the jews," John iv. 22. The
force of the reason leads us to understand by salvation the
oracles of God which were committed unto that people ; for
out of them only it is that we know what and how to worship,
and this is not unusual in holy Scriptures. " If the word,"
102 THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL.
saith the apostle, " spoken by angels was stedfast, and every
transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of
reward ; how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salva-
tion; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord?"
Heb. ii. 2, 3. Where we find salvation set in opposition to
the word spoken by angels, which was the law of God, or the
ministry of condemnation, and therefore it must needs signify
the gospel of Christ. " Be it known unto you," saith the
apostle to the unbelieving Jews, " that the salvation of God,"
that is, the gospel of God, (as appeareth plainly by the like
parallel speech in another place,) " is sent unto the gentiles,
and that they will hear it," Acts xxviii. 28. So the apostle
saith, that the "engrafted word" is able to save the souls of men,
James i. 21. All which, and many other the like particulars,
note unto us, that as Christ is the power and image of his
Father, so the gospel is, in some sort, of Christ ; for which
reason the apostle, as I conceive, calleth the gospel the face
of Jesus Christ : " God, who commanded the light to shine
out of darkness, 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. iv. 6. Where is it that we behold the glory of God but in
a glass ? 2 Cor. iii. 18 ; and what is that glass but the word of
God, as St. James calls it ? James i. 23. Christ is not pleased
any other ways ordinarily to exercise his power, or to reveal his
glory, but in these ordinances of his which we dispense.
Therefore he walketh in his church with a sword in his
mouth. Rev. i. 16, and with a rod in his mouth, Isa. xi. 4,
to note, that he giveth no greater testification of his strength
than in the ministry of his gospel ; which is therefore some-
times called a sword, Eph. vi. 17, a hammer, a fire, Jer. xxiii.
29 ; sometimes only a savour of life and death, 2 Cor. ii. 16,
to note, the mighty working thereof, that can kill as well by a
scent as by a wound, as well by a breath as by a blow.
To consider this point a little more distinctly. This power
of the gospel of Christ appears in both these respects, as it is
a savour of life unto life, and as it is a savour of death unto
death : towards his church who shall be saved, and towards
his enemies who shall perish.
1. Many ways are the gospel of Christ and his Spirit a
rod of strength unto his church.
(1.) In their calling and conversion from the power of
Satan unto God. Satan is a strong man, and he is armed,
hath a whole panoply, and full provision of military instru-
THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL. "103
ments, and (which is a great advantage) hath both the first
possession and the full love of the hearts of men, before Christ
attempts any thing upon them. And, therefore, that which
pulleth a man from under the paw of such a lion, and forcetli
him away from his own palace, must needs be much stron<i-er
than he. And, therefore, the apostle commendeth the power
of the word by this argument, that it is a sword fit to over-
come principalities and powers, and rulers of the darkness of
this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places, Eph.
vi. 12 — 17. Again ; the old man in our nature is a strono-
man too, a reigning- king, which setteth himself mightily
against the word and will of Christ, and cherisheth the
disease against the remedy. And by that likewise the
apostle commendeth the power of the gospel, that it is mighty
through God to the pulling down of strongholds, and imagi-
nations or fleshly reasonings. When Christ stilled the winds
and the sea with but two words, " Peace, be still,'' they were
exceedingly amazed at his power, and said one to another,
" What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the
sea obey him?" Mark iv. 39, 41. The conversion of a man
is a far greater work than the stilling of the sea, that will
be sometimes calm of itself, when the fury of the wind ceaseth.
The wicked indeed are like the sea, though not at any time,
but " like a troubled sea, when it cannot rest," Isa. Ivii. 20.
The sea we know is subject unto several motions : an inward
boiling and unquietness from itself, its ordinary fluxes and
refluxes from the influence of the moon, many casual agita-
tions from the violence of the winds, and from its own waves,
one wave precipitating, impelling, and repelling another : so
are the hearts of wicked men, by the foaming, estuations, and
excesses of natural concupiscence, by the provisions and
materials of sinful pleasures, by the courses of the world, by
the solicitations and impulsions of Satan, by a world of hourly
casualties and provocations so tempestuous, that they always
cast out upon the words and actions of men mire and dirt.
Now, in the dispensation of the word by the ministry of a
weak man, Christ stilleth the raging of this sea, quells the
lusts, correcteth the distempers, scattereth the temptations,
worketh a smoothness and tranquillity of spirit in the soul
of a man. Surely when this is done, the soul caimot but
stand amazed at its own recovery, and admire that wonderful
and invisible power which could so suddenly rebuke such
raging affections, and reduce them unto calmness and beauty
104 THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL.
again : " What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest ?
thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back ? Ye mountains,
that ye skipped hke rams ; and ye little hills, like lambs ? "
Psa. cxiv. 5, 6, This is an expression of God's power towards
his people in their triumphal entrance into the land of Ca-
naan. We may apply it to the conquest and possession
which the word takes of the souls of men. W^hat ailed a
man that he was driven back from his own channel, and
made suddenly to forget his wonted course ? What ailed
those strong and mountainous lusts, which were as immoveably
settled upon the soul as a hill upon his base, to fly away at
the voice of a man like a frighted sheep ? What ailed those
smaller corruptions and intemperances, which perhaps had
before lost their names, and were rather customs and infirm-
ities than sins, to fly away like lambs from the word of
Christ ? A man went into the church with a full tide and
stream of lusts ; every thicket in his heart, every reasoning
and imagination of his soul, did before shelter whole flocks
of evil affections ; when he came out, the tide was driven back,
the stream turned, the centre of his heart altered, his forest
discovered, his lusts scattered and subdued. What ails this
man? He hath but heard an hour's discourse, the same
which others hear, and their tide riseth the higher by it.
Certainly these devils were not cast out, these streams were
not turned back, but by the finger of God himself. When
the minister of Christ shall whisper in the ears of a dead
man, whom no thunder could have awakened, and he shall
immediately rise up and give glory to God ; when Christ shall
call men to deny themselves, to get above themselves ; to hate
father and mother, and wife and children, and their own life ; to
sell all that they have ; to crucify and be cruel to their own mem-
bers ; to pull out their right eyes, to cut off their right hands,
to part from those sins which before they esteemed their choicest
ornaments, and from those too which before they made their
chicfest support and subsistence ; to stand at defiance with
the allurements or discouragements of the world, and to be set
up for signs and wonders, for very proverbs of scorn, and ob-
jects of hatred to those of their own house ; to receive perse-
cutions as rewards, and entertain them not with patience only,
but with thankfulness and with rejoicing ; to be all their life
long in the midst of enemies, put to tedious conflicts with the
powers of the world and of darkness, to believe the things
which they have not seen, and to hope for things which they
THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL. 105
do not know ; and yet, notwithstanding all this, to refuse to
consult with flesh and blood, to stand more in awe of God's
word than of any other thing: certainly that which with the
voice of a weak man bringeth such great things to pass, must
needs be a rod of strength ; a rod like the rod of Moses,
which can lead us through such seas as these, to one whom
we have never seen nor known before, Isa. Iv. 5.
(2.) The gospel of Christ is a rod of strength in the justi-
fication of men, as it is " a sceptre of righteousness," Heb.
i. 8 ; a word of reconciliation, 2 Cor. v. 19 ; a gospel of sal-
vation, Eph. i. 13 ; a law of the Spirit of life, Rom. viii. 2, 3 ;
a ministration of the Spirit of life and of righteousness, 2 Cor.
iii. 6, 8, 9 ; an opening of prisons, and a proclaiming of liberty
unto captives, Isa. Ixi. 1 : in these respects likewise it is full
of power. There was a mighty power in the law of God
typified in those thunderings and terrors with which it was ad-
ministered upon mount Sinai. The apostle calleth it a
'" schoolmaster," to scourge and drive us unto Christ, Gal. iii.
24 ; and the psalmist, an iron rod, able to break in pieces all
the potsherds of the earth, Psa. ii. 9. And w^e know boys in
a school do not apprehend so much terror in the king as in
their master. Yet, in comparison of the power of the gospel,
the law itself was very weak and unprofitable, Rom. viii. 3 ;
Heb. vii. 18, 19 ; able to make nothing perfect. The power
of the law was only to destruction ; the power of the gospel
for edification. The law could only hold under him that was
down before, it could never raise him up again. Now, the
power is far greater to raise, than to kill ; to forgive sins, than
to bind them. Herein is the mighty strength of God's mercy
seen, that it can pass by iniquities, transgressions, and sins,
Exod. xxxiv. 5 — 7 ; Micah vii. 18. To preach the gospel of
Christ in his name and authority, is an evident argument of
that plenary power which is given unto him both in heaven
and earth. And the very dispensing of this word of recon-
ciliation which is committed unto the ministers of the gospel,
how basely soever the ungrateful world may esteem them,
hath honoured them with a title of as great a power as a man
is capable of, to be called " saviours," Obad. ver. 21 ; to have
the custody of the keys of heaven, ministerially and instru-
mentally under Christ and his Spirit, to save the souls, and to
cover the sins of men, James v. 20. Now, then, that word
which from the mouth of a weak man is able to reconcile a
child of wrath unto God, and by the words of one hour to
F 5
106 THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL.
cover and wipe out the sins of many years, which were scat-
tered as thick in the souls of men as the stars in the firma-
ment, must needs be a rod of strength.
(3,) The gospel of Christ is a rod of strength in the sanc-
tification of men ; as it is a sceptre which hath ever an unction
accompanying it : as it is a sanctifying truth, John xvii. 17 ;
a heavenly teaching, Isa. liv. 13 ; a forming of Christ in
the soul. Gal. iv. 19 ; a making of the heart, as it were, his
epistle, by writing the law therein, and manifesting the power
and image of Christ in the conscience, 2 Cor. iii. 2. If a man
should touch a marble or adamant stone with a seal, and, taking
it off, should see the print of it left behind, he could not but con-
ceive some wonderful and secret virtue to have wrought so strange
an effect. Now, our hearts are of themselves as hard as the
nether millstone ; when then a holy word, so meekly and gently
laid upon them, shall leave there an impression of its own
purity ; when so small a thing as a grain of mustard-seed shall
transform an earthy soul into its own nature ; when the eyes, and
hands, and mouth of Christ, being in the ministry of his word
spread upon the eyes, and hands, and mouth of a child, shall re-
vive the same from death ; when, by looking into a glass, we shall
not only have a view of our own faces, but shall see them changed
into the image of another face which from thence shineth upon
us, how can we but conclude that certainly that word by which
such wonders as these are effected is indeed a rod of strength ?
(4.) The gospel of Christ is a rod of strength in the pre-
servation and perseverance of the saints : it is a rod, like
Aaron's, which blossomed, and the blossoms perished not, but
remained in the ark for a testimony of God's power. For as
those buds, and the manna in the ark, did not perish, so neither
doth the word of the gospel in the hearts of the faithful.
The apostle saith, that we are "kept by the power of God
unto salvation," 1 Peter i. 3 ; and St. Jude, that God's
power keepeth the saints from falling, and presenteth them
faultless before the presence of his glory, Jude, ver. 24. And
what is this power of God whereby he doth it, but the gospel
of Christ, which St. Peter calleth incorruptible seed? 1 Peter
i. 23 ; and the Spirit of Christ, which St. John calleth an
abiding seed ? 1 John iii. 9. If I should see a tree with per-
petual fruit, without any variation from the difference of sea-
sons ; a tree like that in St. John's paradise, which every
month did bring forth fruit of twelve several kinds, I should
conclude that it had an extraordinary vital power in it : so
THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL. 107
when I find Christ in his word promising, and by the planting and
watering of his labourers in the vineyard making good that pro-
mise unto his church, that every branch bringing forth fruit in
him, shall not only be as Aaron's rod, have his fruit preserved
upon him, but shall bring forth more fruit, and shall have life
more abundantly, how can I otherwise conclude, but that this
word which is the instrument of so imperishable condition, is
indeed a rod of strength, a rod cut out of the tree of life itself!
(5.) The gospel of Christ is a rod of strength in com-
forting and supporting of the faithful, as it is a rod of beauty
and of binding ; as it is a word which doth bind that which
was broken, and give unto them which mourn in Sion beauty
for ashes, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heavi-
ness, Isa. Ixi. 1 — 3 ; as it quencheth all the fiery darts, and
answereth all the blasphemous reasonings of Satan against
the soul ; as it is a staff which giveth comfort and support in
the very valley of the shadow of death. The shadow of
death is an usual expression in the Scripture for all fears,
terrors, affrightments, or any dreadful calamities either of soul
or body. The whole misery of our natural condition is
thereby signified, Luke i. 79. Many ways doth the prophet
David set forth the extremities he had been drawn unto :
" My bones are vexed, and dried like a potsherd, and turned
into the drought of summer ; my couch swimmeth with tears,
mine eye is consumed and waxen old with grief. I am
poured out like water, all my bones are out of joint, my heart
is like melted wax in the midst of my bowels. Thine arrows
stick fast in me, thine hand presseth me sore ; there is no
soundness in my flesh, my wounds stink and are corrupt, I am
feeble and sore broken ; I have roared by reason of the dis-
quietness of my heart. Innumerable evils compass me about,
I am not able to look up. Fearfulness and trembling are
come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me. My soul
is among lions, I lie amongst them that are set on fire. The
waters are come in unto my soul, I sink in the deep mire ; the
floods overflow me," These all, and the like, are compre-
hended in that one word, The shadow of death. And in that
it was only the word, and the Spirit of God which did sup-
port him : " This is my comfort in my affliction," saith he,
*' for thy word hath quickened me." When my afflictions
had brought me to the very brink and darkness of the grave,
thy word revived me again, and made me flourish. " Unless
thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in
108 THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL.
mine affliction," Psa. cxix. 50, 92. Now then, when I see
a man, upon whom so many heavy pressures do meet, the
weight of sin, the weight of God's heavy displeasure, the
weight of a wounded spirit, the weight of a decayed body,
the weight of scorn and temptations from Satan and the world,
in the midst of all this not to turn unto lying vanities, not to
consult with flesh and blood, not to rely on the wisdom or
help of man, but to lean only on this word, to trust in it at all
times, and to cast all his expectations upon it, to make it his
only rod and staff, to comfort him in such sore extremities, how
can I but confess that this word is indeed a rod of strength ?
(6.) The gospel of Christ is a rod of strength in sancti-
fying and blessing of our temporal things ; as it is a staff of
bread. Man liveth not by bread alone, but by the word which
proceedeth out of the mouth of God, Matt. iv. 4 ; not by the
creature, but by the blessing which prepare th the creature for
our use. Now, it is the word of God, namely his promises
in Christ of things concerning this life, as well as that which
is to come, that doth sanctify the creatures of God to those
who with thankfulness receive them.. All the creatures of
God are by sin mischievously converted into the instruments
and provisions of lust. The sun, and all the glorious lights
of nature, have become but instruments to serve the pride, co-
vetousness, adultery, and vanity of a lustful eye. All the deli-
cacies which the earth, air, or sea can afford, but materials to
feed the luxury and intemperance of a lustful body. All
the honours and promotions of the world, but fuel to satisfy
the haughtiness and ambition of a lustful heart. That word,
then, which can fetch out this leprosy from the creatures,
and put life, strength, and comfort hito them again, must needs
be a rod of strength.
2. The gospel and Spirit of Christ are a rod of strength,
in regard of his and his church's enemies. Able both to
repel and to revenge all their injuries ; to disappoint the ends
and machinations of Satan, to triumph and get above the
persecutions of men, to get a treasure which no malice nor
fury of the enemy can take away ; a nobleness of mind which
no insults of the adversary can abate ; a security of condition,
and calmness of spirit, which no worldly tempests can any
more extinguish than the darkness of a cloud, or the boiste-
rousness of a wind can blot out the lustre, or perturb the
order of celestial bodies ; a heavenly wisdom able to prevail
against the gates of hell, and to stop the mouths of every
THE rOWER OF THE GOSPEL. 109
gainsayer. The word hath ever a readhiess to revenge dis-
obedience, as the apostle speaks, 2 Cor. x. 6 ; it hardens the
faces of men, and arms them, that they may break all those
who fall upon them.
This power of the word towards wicked men showeth it-
self in many particulars.
(1.) In a mighty work of conviction. The Spirit was
therefore sent into the world to convince it by the ministry of
the gospel, which one word containeth the ground of the
whole strength here spoken of; for all that the word bringeth
to pass, it doth by the conviction of the Spirit. This con-
viction is twofold.
[1,] A conviction unto conversion, whereby the hearts of
men are wonderfully overruled by that invincible evidence of
the Spirit of truth, to feel and acknowledge their woeful con-
dition by reason of sin, so long as they continue in unbelief,
to take unto themselves the just shame and confusion of face
which belong unto them, to give unto God the glory of his
righteous and just severity if he should destroy them ; and
hereupon to be, by the terror of the Lord, persuaded to count
worthy of all acceptation any deliverance out of that state
which shall be tendered unto them. To admire, adore, and
greedily embrace any terms of peace and reconciliation which
shall be offered them ; to submit unto the righteousness, and
with all willing and meek affection to bend the heart to the
sceptre of Christ, and to whatever form of judicature and
spiritual government he shall please to erect therein. And
this magnifies the strength of this rod of Christ's kingdom,
that it maketh men yield upon any terms. When we see the
little stone grow into a mighty mountain, and eat into all the
kinadoms of the world ; when we see emperors and prmces
submit their necks and sceptres to a doctrine at first every-
where spoken against, and that upon the words of a few de-
spicable persons ; and that such a doctrhie too as is diametri-
cally contrary to the natural constitution of the hearts of
men, and teacheth nothing but self-denial ; and this for hope
of reward from one whom they never saw, and whom, if they
had seen, they would have found by a natural eye no beauty
in him, for which he should be desired ; and this reward too,
whatever it be, deferred for a long time, and in the interim no
ground of assurance to expect it, but only faith in hnnself
that promiseth it ; and in the mean time a world of afflictions
for his name's sake,— how can we think that a world of wise
110 THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL.
and of great men should give ear most willingly unto such
terms as these, if they were not a demonstrative and con-
straining evidence of truth and goodness therein, able to stop
the mouths, and to answer the objections of all gainsayers?
[2.] There is a conviction unto condemnation of those
who stand out against this saving power of the gospel and
Spirit of gi-ace, driving them from all their strongholds, and
constraining them by force to acknowledge the truth which
they do not love. Thus we find our Saviour disputing with
the jews, till no man was able to answer him a word, Matt,
xxii. 46 : and as he did so himself, so he promiseth that his
messengers should do so too ; " I will give you a mouth and
wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gain-
say, nor resist," Luke xxi. 13. And this promise we find
made good; the enemies of Stephen were not able to resist
the spirit by which he spake, Acts vi. 10 ; and Apollos might-
ily convinced the jews, showing by the Scriptures that Jesus
was Christ, Acts xviii. 28. And this the apostle numbereth
amongst the qualifications of a bishop, that he should be able
by sound doctrine to convince the gainsayers, and to stop the
mouths of those unruly deceivers, whose business it is to sub-
vert men, Titus i. 9 — ll. For this is the excellent virtue of
God's word, that it concludeth or shutteth men in, and leaveth
not any gap or evasion of corrupted reason unanswered, or un-
prevented, Gal. iii. 22. Thus we find how the prophets in
their ministry did still drive the jews from their shifts, and
press them with dilemmas, the inconveniences whereof they
could on no side escape. Either there must be a fault in you,
or else in God who rebuketh you ; but now, " What iniquity,"
saith the Lord, " have your fathers found in me, that they
are gone far from me ? Have I been a wilderness unto Israel ;
a land of darkness ? Wherefore say my people, W^e are
lords ; we will come no more unto thee ? O my people, what
have I done unto thee ? and wherein have I wearied thee ?
Testify against me. I raised up of your sons for prophets,
and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus,
O ye children of Israel?" Jer. ii. 5, 31; Micah vi. 3, 4;
Amos ii. 11. Here the Scripture useth that figure which is
called by the rhetoricians communication a debating and delibe-
rating with the adverse party ; an evidencing of a cause so
clearly, as that at last a man can challenge the adversary him-
self to make such a determination, as himself shall in reason
judge the merit of the cause to require. " How shall I pardon
THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL. Ill
thee for this ? for how shall I do for the daughter of iny
people ?" Jer. v. 7 ; ix. 7. Set me in a way, determine the
controversy yourselves, and I will stand to the issue which
your own consciences shall make. " O inhabitants of Jeru-
salem and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and
my vineyard," Isa. v. 3 ; that is, do you yourselves undertake
the deciding of your own cause. When a band of armed
men came against Christ to attack him, at the pro-
nouncing but of these words, " I am he," all fell down back-
ward to the earth, John xviii. 6 ; we must needs confess that
there was some mighty power and evidence of majesty in him
that uttered them ; what think we can he do when he reigneth
and judgeth the world, who did let out so much power when
he was to die and be judged by the world? Now, Christ
reigneth and judgeth the world by his word, and that more
mightily after his ascending up on high, and therefore he pro-
miseth his apostles that they should do greater works than
he himself had done. When I see a man armed with scorn
against Christ in his word, standing proudly upon the defence
of his own ways by his own wisdom, and wrapping up him-
self in the mud of his own carnal reasonings, yet by a few rea-
sonings and deductions from God's word, to be forced to
stop his own mouth, to be condemned by his own witness, to
betray his own succours, and to be shut up in a prison with-
out bars ; when I shall force such a man by the mighty pene-
tration and invincible evidence of God's word, to see his own
conscience subscribing to the truth which condemns him, and
belying all those delusions which he had framed to deceive
himself withal ; who can deny but that the rod of God's mouth
is indeed a rod of strength, an iron rod, able to deal with all
human reasonings, as a hammer with a potsherd, which
though to the hand of a man it may feel as hard as a rock,
yet it is too brittle to endure the blow of an iron rod ?
Strange it is to observe how boldly men venture on sins,
under the names of custom, or fashions, or some other pre-
tences of corrupted reason, contrary to the clear and literal
evidence of holy Scripture, the most immediate and grammat-
ical sense whereof, is ever soundest, where there doth not
some apparent and unavoidable error in doctrine, or mischief
in manners, follow thereupon. Men will justify the cause of
the wicked for reward, and by dexterity of wit put a better
colour upon a worse business, and yet the Lord saith ex-
pressly, " Thou shalt not speak in a cause to wrest judgment.
112 THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL.
thou shalt keep thee far from a false matter," Exod. xxiii.
2, 7 ; for God, whom thou oughtest to imitate, will not justify
the wicked. Men will follow the sinful fashions of the
world, in strange apparel, in lustful and unprofitable expense
of that precious moment of time, upon the abuse or right im-
provement whereof dependeth the several issues of their eter-
nal condition ; though the Lord say expressly, " Be not
conformed to this world;" they that walk according to the
course of the world, walk according to the prince of the power
of the air. To conclude this particular, the apostle is pe-
remptory ; " Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor effeminate,
nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor ex-
tortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God," 1 Cor. vi. 9,
10 : and the consciences of many men, who yet will never
yield to the conclusion, cannot choose but secretly to admit as
the apostle goes on, " such were some of you ;" nay, and such
we will be too. But now, if we should bespeak these men in
the word of the prophet, *' Produce your cause, saith the
Lord ; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Ja-
cob," Isa. xli. 21 ; they should find, at the last, their reasons
to be like themselves, vanity, and lighter than nothing ; that
the word of the Lord will at last prevail, and sweep away all
their refuge of lies, Isa. xxviii. 17.
(2.) The power of the word towards wicked men is seen
in affrighting of them. There is a spirit of bondage, and a
savour of death, as well as a Spirit of life and liberty, which
goeth along with the word. Guilt is an inseparable conse-
quence of sin, and fear of the manifestation of guilt. If the
heart be once convinced of this, it will presently faint and
tremble, even at the shaking of a leaf, at the working of a
man's own conscience ; how much more at the voice of the
Lord, which shaketh mountains, and maketh the strong
foundations of the earth to tremble I If I should see a pri-
soner at the bar pass sentence upon his judge ; and the judge
thereupon surprised with trembling, and forced to subscribe
and acknowledge the doom, I could not but stand amazed at
so inverted a proceeding ; yet in the Scripture we find prece-
dents for it. Micaiah, a prisoner, pronouncing death unto
Ahab, a king, 1 Kings xxii. 27, 28 ; Jeremiah, a prisoner,
pronouncing captivity unto Zedekiah, a king, Jer. xxxvii. 16,
17 ; Paul, in his chain, preaching of judgment unto Felix in
his robes, and making his own judge to tremble, Acts xxiv.
25. It is not for want of strength in the word, or because
THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL. 113
there is stoutness in the hearts of men to stand out against it,
that all the wicked of the world do not tremble at it, but
merely their ignorance of the power and evidence thereof.
The devils are stronger and more stubborn creatures than any
man can be, yet because of their full illumination, and that
invincible conviction of their consciences from the power of
the word, they believe and tremble at it. Though men were
as hard as rocks, the word is a hammer which can break
them ; though as sharp as thorns and briars, the word is a
fire which can devour and torment them ; though as strong as
kingdoms and nations, the word is able to root them up, and
to pull them down ; though as fierce as dragons and lions, the
word is able to trample upon them, and to chain them up,
Jam. ii. 19; Jer. xxiii. 29; Jer. v. 14; Ezek. ii. 6; Deut.
xxxiii. 2; Jer. i. 10; Psa. xci. 13.
(3.) The power of the word is seen towards wicked men, in
that it doth judge them. " Son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt
thou judge the bloody city, saith the Lord ? yea, thou shalt show
her all her abominations," Ezek. xxii. 2. To note, that when
wicked men are made to see their filthiness in the word, they
have thereby the wrath of God, as it were, sealed upon them.
" He that rejecteth me, the word that I have spoken, the same
shall judge him at the last day,'' saith our Saviour, John xii.
48. " But if all prophesy," saith the apostle, "and there come
in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of
all, he is judged of all, and thus are the secrets of his heart made
manifest," 1 Cor. xiv. 24. Nay, the word doth in some sort
execute death and judgment upon wicked men ; therefore it
is said that the Lord would " smite the earth with the rod of
his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the
wicked," Isa. xi. 4. And again, " I have hewed them by
the prophets ; I have slain them by the words of my mouth,"
Hosea vi. 5. And therefore the word of the Lord is called
** fury" by the prophet, Jer. vi. 11, to note, that when wrath and
fury are poured out upon a land, they are the effects of God's
word. If a pestilence devour a city, and a sword come and
glean after it, it is the word only which slays ; they are but the
instruments, which are, as it were, actuated and applied by
the word of God to their several services. Therefore it is
that the prophet saith, that wise men see the voice of God,
and hear his rod, Micah vi. 9. A rod is properly to be seen,
and a voice to be heard ; but here is a transposition, and as it
were, a communication of properties between the word of God
114 THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL.
and his punishments, to note, that towards wicked men there
is a judging, and tormenting virtue in the word: " for judg-
ment," saith our Saviour, " I am come into this world,
that they which see not might see; and that they which see
might be made bUnd," John ix. 39. If it be here objected
that Christ saith of himself, " The son of man is not come to
destroy men's lives, but to save them ;" and that " he came not
to condemn the world, but that the w^orld through hhn might be
saved," Luke vi. 56; John iii. 17, I answer, that there are two
events of Christ's coming, and by consequence of his gospel. The
one principal, and by him intended, the other accidental and
occasional, growing out of the ill disposition of the subject
unto whom he was sent. The main and essential business of
the gospel is to declare salvation, and to set open unto men a
door of escape from the wrath to come ; but when men wil-
lingly stand out, and neglect so great salvation, then, seconda-
rily, doth Christ prove unto those men a stone of offence,
and the gospel a savour of death unto death ; as that potion
which was intended for a cure by the physician, may, upon oc-
casion of the indisposedness of the body, and stubborn radi-
cation of the disease, hasten a man's end sooner then the dis-
ease itself would have done. So that to the wicked the word
of God is a two-edged sword indeed, an edge in the law-, and an
edorein the gospel : they are on every side beset with condemna-
tion ; if they go to the law^, that cannot save them, because they
have broken it ; if they go to the gospel, that will not save
them, because they have contemned it.
(4.) The power of the word towards wicked men is seen in
this, that it doth ripen their sins, and make them so much the
more sinful, and so much the sooner fill up their measure. " If
I had not come," saith Christ, " and spoken unto them, they had
not had sin ; but now they have no cloke for their sin," John
XV. 22. A tree which is fastened unto a wall, in which the
heat of the sun is more permanent and united, will bring
forth ripe fruit before the ordinary season : so a people upon
whom the light of the gospel hath constantly shined, and
which doth often drink in the rain which falleth upon it, must
nee ds bring forth summer-fruit ; sms speedily ripe, and there-
fore are so much nearer unto cursing. There is but a year be-
tween such a tree and the fire. We shall never find that the
sins of Israel, and of Judah (for w^hich they were at any time
plagued with captivity) were so long in ripening as the sins of
the Canaanites, upon whom there did no hght shine. The
THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL. 115
land had rest sometimes forty years, and sometimes fourscore
years ; but we never find that they were suffered to provoke
the Lord to his face four hundred years together. We find
when God sent a prophet to Nineveh, to reveal unto them the
guilt and demerit of their sins, he then set them a very short
time, in which they should either forsake or ripen them ; " Yet
forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown.'*
(5.) The power of the ingrafted word towards wicked men
is seen even in the rage and madness which it excites in them.
It is a sign that a man hath to do with a strong enemy when
he buckleth on all his harness, and calleth together all his
strength for opposition. When I see a river without any sensi-
ble noise or motion, I am ready to esteem it a standing pool ;
but when I look further, and there observe what huge engines
it carries about, and what weighty bodies it roUeth before it, I
then believe a strength in it which I did not see : so when I see
the word of Christ rouse up the rage and lusts of men, and
force them to set up against it strong holds, and high imagina-
tions, even the wisdom and strength of the gates of hell to
keep it out, I must needs then conclude that it is indeed a rod
of strength. The most calm and devout hypocrites in the
Avorld have by the power of this word been put out of their
demure temper, and mightily transported with outrage and bit-
terness against the majesty thereof. One time filled with
wrath ; another time filled with madness ; another time filled
with envy and hidignation ; another time filled with contradic-
tion and blasphemy; another time cut to the heart, and like
reprobates in hell, gnashing with their teeth : such a search-
ing power, and such an extreme contrariety there is in the gos-
pel to the lusts of men, that if it do not subdue, it will won-
derfully swell them up, till it distemper even the prudent
men of the world with those brutish and uncomely affections
of rage and fury, and drive disputers from their arguments
unto stones. Sin cannot endure to be disquieted, much less to
be shut in and encompassed with the curses of God's word.
Therefore, as a hunted beast, in an extremity of distress, will
turn back, and put forth its utmost strength to be revenged on
the pursuers, and to save its life ; so wicked men to save their
lusts will let out all their rage, and open all their sluices of
pride and malice to withstand that holy truth which doth so
closely pursue them. Till men can be persuaded to lay apart
all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, they will never
receive the engrafted word with meekness. For till then it is
116 THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL.
a binding word, which sealeth their guilt and condemnation
upon them.
(6.) The mighty power of the word towards wicked men
is seen in altering them : in their semipersuasions and semi-
conversions unto godliness, in restraining them from those
lusts which they dearly love, and in forcing them to those ex-
ternal conformities which have no inward principles to sup-
port them. The humiliation of Ahab, the attention of Herod,
the incomplete persuasion of Agrippa, the forced obedience and
flatteries of the dissembling jews, the essays and offers of hypo-
crites towards religion, the low desires and hankerings of un-
resolved wills after Christ, are notable evidences of the power
and majesty which is in the gospel. If I should see a millstone
in the air, not falling constantly and swiftly down, but waver,
and float about in a kind of unresolved motion, as if it were
in a deliberation which way to go, one while yielding to its
own weight, another while lingering, and by fits attempting to
ascend, how could I sufficiently wonder at that secret virtue,
and those strange impressions which did retard the natural de-
scent of so weighty a body ? so when I see men, who still re-
tain the principles of their own corrupt nature, which carry
them with as strong an impulse to sin and hell as a millstone
is moved unto its center, hanker notwithstanding after good-
ness, and when they yield unto their lusts, do it not without
much hesitancy and conflict of a natural conscience, I must
needs acknowledge a mighty strength in that word which set-
teth bounds to the raging of so proud a sea.
From hence then, the messengers of Christ, who are en-
trusted with the dispensation of this rod of strength, may be
instructed how to behave themselves in that ministry. Few
men will lose any thing of that power which is given them ; for
every thing in its kind doth affect power. Now, Christ hath
committed unto us the custody of his own power, and there-
fore we ought to manage it as a word of power, as able alone by
itself, without the contemporations of human fancies, or the
superstruction of human opinions, to work mightily to the sal-
vation of those that believe, and to the conviction of gain-
sayers. Our commission is to charge even the great men of
the world. It is true, the ministers of the gospel are servants
to the church : in compassion, to pity the diseases, the in-
firmities, the temptations of God's people ; ia ministry, to
assist them with all needful supplies of comfort, or instruction,
or exhortation in righteousness ; in humility, to wait upon
THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL. 117
men of lowest degree, and to condescend unto men of weakest
capacity. And thus the very angels in heaven are servants to
the church of Christ. But yet we are servants only for the
church's good; to serve their souls, not to serve their humours.
And therefore we are such servants as may command too.
" These things command and teach. Let no man despise thy
youth," 1 Tim. iv. 11, 12. And again, " These things
speak and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man
despise thee," Tit. ii. 15. No ministers are more despicable
than those who by ignorance, or flattery, or any base and am-
bitious affections, betray the power and majestical simplicity
of the gospel of Christ. When we deliver God's message,
" we must not then be the servants of men ; if I yet pleased
men, I should not be the servant of Christ," saith the apostle,
1 Cor. vii. 23; Gal. i. 10. To captivate the truth of God
unto the humours of men, and to make the Spirit of Christ in
his gospel to bend, comply, and complement with human lusts,
is, like Jonah, to play the runagate from our office, and to
prostrate the sceptre of Christ unto the insults of men. There
is a wonderful majesty and authority in the word when it is set
on with Christ's Spirit. Christ taught men as one who had
power and authority, or privilege to speak ; as one that cared
not for the persons of men ; and, therefore, wherever his Spirit
is, there will this power and liberty of Christ appear ; for he
hath given it to his ministers, that they may commend them-
selves in the consciences of those that hear them ; that they
may harden their faces against the pride and scorn of men ;
that they may go out in armies against the enemies of his
kingdom ; that they may speak boldly as they ought to speak ;
that they may not suffer his word to be bound, or his Spirit to
be straitened by the humours of men, 1 Cor. ii. 4; 2 Cor. iii.
17; xiii. 10; iv. 2; Jer. i. 6—8; Ezek. iii. 8, 9; Psa. ex. 3 ;
Eph. vi. 20.
Again ; we should all labour to receive the word in the
power thereof, and to expose our tender parts unto it. Cer-
tainly, the proudest of men have some tender part into which
a sting may enter. The conscience is as sensible of God's
displeasure, as obnoxious to his wrath, as subject to liis word,
in a prince, as in a beggar. If the word, like David's stone,
find that open, and get into it, it is able to sink the greatest
Goliah. Therefore we should open our consciences unto that
word, and expect his Spirit to come along with it, and receive
it, as Josiah did, with humility and trembling. We should
118 THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL.
learn to fear the Lord In his word, and when his voice cryeth
in the city, to see his name and his power therein. " Fear ye
not me," saith the Lord ; " will ye not tremble at my presence,
which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea ? " Jer. v. 22.
No creature so swelling, and of itself so strong and encroaching,
as the sea ; nothing so small, weak, smooth, and passable as the
sand ; and yet the sand (a creature so easily removed, and swept
away) is decreed to hold in so raging an element. What in ap-
pearance weaker than words spoken by a despised man ? and
what in the experience of all the world stronger than the rag-
ing of an army of lusts ? and yet that hath the Lord appointed
to tame and subdue these, that men might learn to fear his
power.
Again ; it should teach us to rest upon God in all things, as
being unto us all-sufficient; a Sun, a Shield, an exceeding
great reward in the truth and promises of his gospel. The
word of God is a sure thing, that which a man may cast his
whole weight upon, and lean confidently on in any extremity*
All the creatures in the world are full of vanity, uncertainties,
and disappointments ; and usually deceive a man most,
when he most of all relies upon them ; and therefore the apos-
tle chargeth us not to trust in them, 1 Tim. vi. 17. But the
word of the Lord is an abiding word, as being founded upon
the immutability of God's own truth : he that maketh it his
refuge, relieth on God's omnipotency, and hath all the strength
of the Almighty engaged to help him. Asa was safe while he
depended on the Lord in his promises, against the hugest host
of men that we read of in the Scriptures ; but when he turned
aside to collateral aids he purchased to himself nothing but
perpetual wars. And this was that which established the
throne of Jehoshaphat, and caused the fear of the Lord to fall
upon the kingdoms of the lands which were round about
him, 2 Chron. xvii. 9, 10 ; because he honoured the
word of God, and caused it to be taught unto his people. When-
soever Israel and Judah did forget to lean upon God's word,
and betook themselves to human confederacies, to correspon-
dence with idolatrous people, to facility in superstitious com-
pliances, and the like fleshly counsels, they found them always
to be but very lies, like waxen and wooden feasts, made spe-
cious of purpose to delude ignorant comers ; things of so thin
and unsolid a consistence, as were ever broken with the weight of
those who did lean upon them. Let us not, therefore, rest
upon our own wisdom, nor build our hopes or securities upon
THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL. 119
human foundations, but let us in all conditions take hold of
God's covenant, of this staff of his strength, which is able to
stay us up in any extremities.
Again ; since the gospel is a word of such sovereign power, as
to strengthen us against all enemies and temptations, to uphold
us in all our ways and callings, to make us strong in the grace
of Christ, (for ever a christian man's knowledge of the word is
the measure of his strength and comfort,) we should therefore
labour to acquaint ourselves with God in his word, to hide it
in our hearts, and grow rich in the knowledge of it. In hea-
ven our blessedness shall consist in the knowledge and com-
munion with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. So
that the gospel and the Spirit are, to us upon earth, the pre-
ludes and supplies of heaven, for by them only is this know-
ledge and communion begun. And that man doth but de-
lude himself and lie to the world, who professeth his desire
to go to heaven, and doth not here desire to know so much of
God as he is pleased to afford to men on the earth. The gos-
pel is the patent and charter of a christian, all that he hath to
show for his salvation ; the treasure of his wealth and privi-
leges, all that he hath to boast in either for this life or ano-
ther ; the armoury of a christian, all that he hath to hold up
against the temptations and conflicts of his sorest enemies ; the
only tool and instrument of a christian, all that he hath to do
any action of piety, charity, loyalty, or sobriety withal ; the
only glass of a christian, wherein he may see his own face, and
so learn to deny himself, and wherein he may see the face of
God in Christ, and so learn to desire and to follow him. So
that, upon the whole matter, for any man to be ignorant of the
gospel, is to unchristian himself again, and to degenerate into a
heathen. " Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know
thee not," Jer. x. 25. Ignorance makes a man a very heathen.
" This I say and testify," saith the apostle, "that you hence-
forth walk not as other gentiles walk, in the vanity of their
mind: — for ye have not so learned Christ," Eph. iv. 17, 20.
It is not the title, nor the possession which maketh a man a
real christian, and distinguisheth him from other heathen men,
but the learning of Christ in his Spirit and gospel. For as he
who was only outwardly, and in the flesh a jew, might be un-
circumcised in his heart : so he who is only in title and name
a christian, may be a heathen in his heart ; and that more
fearfully than Sodom and Gomorrah, or Tyre and Sidon ; be-
cause he hath put from himself the salvation of the Lord,
120 THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL.
and judged himself unworthy of eternal life, Rom. ii. 28, 29 ;
Col. ii. 11; Philip, iii. 3.
Lastly ; if there be indeed such power in the gospel, we
should labour to bear witness unto the testimony which God
giveth of his word, in a holy conversation. It is a reproach
cast upon the ordinances of God when men do in their lives
deny that virtue which God testifieth to be in them. Wicked
men are said to crucify Christ again, to put him to shame, to
make God a liar ; not that these things can so really be, but
because men in their evil lives carry themselves, as if indeed
they were so. And in this sense the gospel may be said to
be weak too, because the pride of men holds out against the
saving power thereof. But these men m.ust know that the
word returneth not empty unto God, but accomplisheth some
work or other ; either it ripeneth weeds or corn. There is
thunder and lightning both in the word; if the one break not
the heart, the other will blast it ; if it be not humbled by the
word, it will certainly be withered, and made fruitless. Shall
the clay boast itself against the fire, because, though it have
power to melt wax, yet it hath not power to melt clay ? Is it not
one and the same power which hardeneth the one and which
softeneth the other ? Is not the word a sweet savour unto God,
as well in those that perish, as in those that are saved ? Cer-
tainly there is as wonderful a power in adding another death
to him who was dead before, (which upon the matter is to
kill a dead man,) as in multiplying and enlarging life. And
the gospel is to those that perish a savour of death unto death ;
such a word as doth cumulate the damnation of wicked men,
and treasure up wrath upon wrath. If it do not convert, it
will certainly harden ; if it do not save, it will undoubtedly
judge and condemn. The Lord doth never cast away his
gospel ; he that gave charge to gathei*up the broken meat of
loaves and fishes, that nothing might be lost, will not suffer
any crumb of his spiritual manna to come to nothing. Yet
we find the Lord giveth a charge to his prophets to preach
even there where he foretold them that their words would
not be heard. " Thou shalt speak all these words unto them ;
but they will not hearken to thee ; thou shalt also call unto
them, but they will not answer thee. Son of man, I send
thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation : they are
impudent children and stiff-hearted. Thou shalt speak my
words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will
forbear, for they are most rebellious. They will not
THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 121
hearken unto thee, for they will not hearken unto me : for
all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted," Jer.
vii. 27; Ezek. ii. 3,4, 7; iii. 7. Certainly, when the Lord
taketh pains by his prophets to call those who will not hear,
he doth it not in vain ; they shall know at length that
a prophet hath been amongst them. Therefore, as the
apostle saith, that the gospel is a sweet savour even " in those
that perish," 2 Cor. ii. 15; so we find that those messages
which have contained nothing but curses against an obstinate
people, have yet been as honey for sweetness in the mouth of
those that preached them. " I did eat the roll," saith the pro-
phet, "and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness ;" and
yet there was nothing in it written but " lamentations, and
mourning, and woe," Ezek. iii. 2, 10. Jeremiah did not de-
sire the woeful day, but did heartily say Amen to the false pro-
phets in their predictions of safety ; yet in regard of his readv
service unto God, and of that glory which God would work
out unto himself in the punishment of that sinful people, the
word of prophecy, which was committed unto him, was the
joy and rejoicing of his heart ; so that in all respects the gos-
pel of Christ is a word of power, and therein we do and must
rejoice.
We observed before, that this rod of strength is both the
sceptre of Christ, as he is a King, and his pastoral staff, as he
is a Bishop. It denoteth the administration of Christ's king-
dom, which consisteth in the dispensing of his gospel, as it is
a word of majesty, and of care. So then here are (as I before
observed) two observations yet remaining to be noted out of
these words, " the rod of thy strength."
II. That the gospel of Christ, accompanied with his Spirit,
is a word of great glory and majesty. For we must ever
make these concomitants, " We preach the gospel," saith
St. Peter, " with the Holy Ghost, sent down from heaven,"
1 Pet. i. 12. And indeed the Spirit is peculiar to the gospel,
and not belonging to the law at all, if we consider it alone by
itself, under the relation of a distinct covenant. For though
as itproceedeth out of Sion, that is, as it is an appendix and
addition unto the gospel, it tends unto liberty, and so cometh
not without the Spirit ; yet by itself alone it gendreth no-
thing but bondage. And therefore, when the apostle showeth
the excellency of the gospel above the law, he caileth the one
a ministration of death and of the letter, the other a ministra-
tion of the Spirit and life, 2 Cor. iii. 6—8. To show, that
G
122 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL.
properly the Spirit belongeth unto the gospel of grace. Now
this spiritual gospel of Christ is the sceptre of his kingdom ;
and therefore as it is an ensign of royalty, it importeth glory
and majesty. It is a gospel full of glory. We may observe,
that the very typical prefigurations of that mercy, which is the
sole business of the gospel of Christ, are in the Scriptures
honoured with the name of glory. The garments of the
priests, being types of the evangelical righteousness of the
saints, were made for glory and beauty. The tabernacle, which
was ordained for an evidence and seal of God's evangelical
presence with that people, is called by the prophet David, a
tabernacle of honour, Psa. xxvi. 8 ; the place which God did
use to till with his own glory, Exod. xl. 34. The ark of
God, which was nothing else but the gospel under vails and
shadows, is called by excellency the glory of Israel, 1 Sam. iv.
22 ; which is the attribute of Christ, " All kings shall see thy
glory," Isa. Ixii. 2. The temple at Jerusalem was the place
of God's rest ; " This is my rest for ever ; here will I dwell.
Arise, O Lord God, into thy rest ; thou, and the ark of thy
strength," Psa. cxxxii. 8, 14. It was so called, to note the
stability of God's everlasting covenant in Christ ; it was not
to be changed, nor to be repented of ; but to be sure and fixed
in Christ for ever. His kingdom is a kingdom which was
not to be shaken ; his priesthood, a priesthood which was not
to pass away, Heb. vii. 24 ; his teaching a teaching which was
to continue to the world's end. And secondly, to note the de-
light of God in Christ, and in the mercy which through him
was unto the world revealed ; therein the Lord rested and re-
poseth himself, as in the crown and accomplishment of all his
works. And this temple is called a glorious rest, a glorious
high throne, a house of glory, of beauty, and of holiness, Isa.
xi. 10; Jer. xvii. 12; Isa. Ix. 7; Ixiv. II. It is said, at
the first dedication thereof, that the glory of the Lord filled it ;
1 Kings viii. 11. It was not the gold or silver (wherewith
before that dedication it was beautified) wherein the glory
thereof did consist, but in the evidence of God's presence ;
which at that time was but a cloud, whereas the true glory
thereof himself was a Sun, as the prophet calls him, Mai.
iv. 2. And with this did the Lord fill the second temple, which
for this cause is said to have been more glorious than the
former, though in the magnificence of the structure far inferior.
Hag. ii. 7, 9. Now then, as the apostle, in a case of just a
like proportion, useth a term of excess, when he speaketh of
THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 123
the substance in comparison of the type, (" If the blood of bulls
and of goats sanctify to the purifying of the flesh, how much
more shall the blood of Christ?" Heb. ix. 13, 14,) so may
we in this case ; if the types of evangelical things were thus
glorious, how much more glorious must the gospel itself needs
be ? And therefore, as I before observed, in other things, so
in this is it true likewise, that Christ and his gospel have the
same attribute of glory frequently given unto them. Christ
is called the glory of the Lord, and of his people Israel, Isa.
xl. 5 ; Luke ii. 32. And the gospel a gloribus mystery, a
royal law, a ministration of glory, Col. i. 27 ; James ii. 8 ;
2 Cor. iii. 8, 9 ; nay glory itself, for so I understand that place
of the apostle, " That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath
called you unto his kingdom and glory," 1 Thess. ii. 12 ; that
is, unto the knowledge of his gospel ; for of that in all the
antecedent parts, and in the verse immediately following, doth
the apostle speak. A glory which draweth the study and
amazement of the most glorious creatures of God unto it,
1 Pet. i. 12.
To consider this point more particularly, the glory and
majesty of the gospel of Christ appeareth principally in
four things : in the Author of it ; in the promulgation, and
publishing of it; in the matter which it contains; and in the
ends, purposes, or uses, for which it serves.
1. In the Author of it : many things of small worth have
yet grown famous by the authors of them, and like the unpro-
fitable children of renowned progenitors, hold their estimation
and nobility from the parents which begat them. And yet
from men who are unclean, there will ever descend some un-
cleanness upon the works which they do. But the gospel is
therefore indeed a glorious gospel, because it is the gospel of
the blessed God. There is glory in all the works of God, be-
cause they are his ; for it is impossible that so great a workman
should ever put his hand to an ignoble work. And therefore
the prophet David useth his glory and his handiwork promis-
cuously for the same thing ; " The heavens declare the glory of
God, and the firmam.ent showeth his handy work," Psa. xix. 1 ;
to note, that there is an evidence of glory in any thing which he
puts his hand unto. And yet the prophet there showetli tliat
there is more glory in the law of his mouth, than in the works of
his hands. The Lord is better known by Sion, and his name
greater in Israel, than in all the world besides : the more God
doth communicate himself unto any of his works, the more
g2
124 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL.
glorious it is. Now, there is nothing wherein God hath so
much put himself, wherein he may be so fully known, com-
municated with, depended upon, and praised, as in his gospel.
This is a glass in which the blessed angels do see and admire
that unsearchable riches of his mercy to the church, which they
had not by their own observation found out from the immedi-
ate view of his glorious presence. In the creatures we have
him a God of power and wisdom, working all things in number,
weight, and measure, by the secret vigour of his providence
upholding that being which he gave them, and ordering them
to those glorious ends for which he gave it. In the law we
have him a God of vengeance and of recompense, in the pub-
lication thereof threatening, and in the execution thereof in-
flicting wrath upon those that transgress it. But in the gos-
pel we have him a God of bounty and endless compassion,
humbling himself that he might be merciful to his enemies ;
that he might himself bear the punishments of those injuries
which had been done unto himself ; that he might not offer
only, but beseech his own prisoners to be pardoned and recon-
ciled again. In the creature he is a God above us, in the law
he is a God against us : only in the gospel he is Immanuel,
a God with us, a God like us, a God for us.
There is nothing doth declare God so much to be God as
his mercy in the gospel. He is invisible in himself, we can-
not see him but in his Son. He is unapproachable in him-
self, we cannot come unto him but by the Son. Therefore.,
when he maketh himself known in his glory to Moses he
sendeth him not to the creation, nor to mount Sinai, but putteth
him into a rock, (being a resemblance of Christ,) and then
maketh a proclamation of the gospel unto him. Moses'
prayer was, " I beseech thee, show me thy glory," Exod.
xxxiii. 18,19. How doth the Lord grant this prayer? '' I
will make all my goodness to pass before thee," and then re-
vealeth himself unto him almost all by mercy. " The Lord,
the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering, and
abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands,
forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin," Exod. xxxiv.6,
7 ; to note unto us, that the glory of God is in nothing so much
revealed as in his goodness. " Who is a God like unto thee,
that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of
the remnant of his heritage?" Mic. vii. 18.
Besides, though the law be indeed from God, as from the
author of it, so that in that respect there may seem to be no
THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 125
difFerence of excellency between that and the gospel ; vet we
must observe, that by the remainders of creation, though God
should not have revealed his law again unto Moses in the
mount, much of the law, and by consequence of God himself,
might have been discovered by human industry, as we see by
notable examples of the philosophers and grave heathens.
But the gospel is such a mystery as was for ever hidden from
the reach and very suspicion of nature, and wholly of Divine
revelation : " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have
entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath pre-
pared for them that love him."Rom. xvi. 25. The apostle speak-
eth of the mystery of the gospel, 1 Cor. ii. 9, noteth that it is
above the observation, or learning, or comprehension of nature,
so much as to suspect it ; nay the natural inquiry of the angels
themselves could never have discovered it ; even unto them it is
" made known by the church," Eph. iii. 9, 10 ; that is, if it had
not been for the church's sake that God would reveal so glo-
rious a mystery, the angels in heaven must have been for ever
ignorant of it. So extremely desperate was the fall of man,
that it required the infinite and unsearchable wisdom of
God himself to find out a remedy against it. If the Lord
had proceeded thus far in mercy towards man, and no further,
thou wouldst be a wretched creature, and I a righteous God ;
yea, so heavy is my wrath, and so woful thy condition, that I
cannot choose but take compassion upon thee ; and tlierefore I
will put the matter into thine own hands : requisite it is that
my pity towards thee should not swallow up the respects to
mine own justice and honour, that my mercy should be a
righteous and a wise mercy. Consult, therefore, together all
ye children of men, and invent away to reconcile my justice
and mercy to one another ; set me in a course to show you
mercy, without parting from mine own right, and denying the
righteous demands of mine offended justice, and I will pro-
mise you to observe it. I say, if the mercy of the Lord
had confined itself within these bounds, and referred tiie me-
thod of our redemption unto human discovery, we sliould for
ever have continued in a desperate state, everlastingly unable
to conceive, or so much as in fancy to frame unto ourselves a
way of escape. As the creatures before their being could
have no thought ©motion of their being brought out of that
nothing which they were before ; so fallen man could not
have the smallest conjecture or suspicion of any feasible way
to deliver himself out of that misery into which he fell. If all
126 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL.
the learning in the world were gathered into one man, and
that man were to employ all his time and study to frame unto
himself the notions of a sixth, or seventh sense, which yet are
as expressly fashioned amongst those infinite ideas of God's
power and omniscience, as these five which are already cre-
ated, he would be as totally ignorant of the conclusion he sought
at last as he was at first. For all human knowledge of natural
things is wrought by a reflection upon those phantasms or
ideas, which are impressions made from those senses we
already use, and are indeed nothing else but a kind of notional
existence of things in the memory of men wrought by an ex-
ternal and sensible perception of that real existence which they
have in themselves. And yet in this case a sixth or a seventh
sense would agree in the nearest kind, and so have some kind
of relation with those we already enjoy. But a new covenant,
a new life, a new faith, a new salvation are things entirely
beyond the strain and sphere of nature. That two should
become one, and yet remain two still, as God and man do
in one Christ ; that He who maketh should be one with the
thing which himself hath made ; that He v/ho is above all
should humble himself ; that He who filleth all should empty
himself ; that He w^ho blesseth all should be himself a curse ;
that He who ruleth all should be himself a servant ; that He
who was the Prince of life, and by whom all things in the
world do consist, should himself be dissolved and die ; that
mercy and justice should meet together, and kiss each other ;
that the debt should be paid, and yet pardoned ; that the
fault should be punished, and yet remitted ; that death, like
Samson's lion, should have life and sweetness in it, and be
used as an instrument to destroy itself; these and the like
evangelical truths are mysteries which surpass the reach of all
the princes of learning in the world. It is to be believed by a
spiritual light, which was not so much as possible to a human
reason. We may observe that every Person in the Trinity set-
teth himself to teach the mystery of the gospel. The Father
reveaieth it unto men ; " Flesh and blood hath not revealed it
unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven," Matt. xvi. 17.
" It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of
God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learn-
ed of the Father, cometh unto me," John vi. 43. The Son
likewise teacheth it unto men, therefore he is called the An-
gel of God's covenant and counsel ; that is, the revealer thereof,
because unto the world he made known that deep project of
THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 127
his Father's counsel touching the restoring of mankind. " No
man hath seen God at any time ; the only begotten Son
which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him,"
Johni. 18. He only it is who openeth the bosom of his Fa-
ther; that is, whorevealeth the secret and mysterious counsels,
and the tender and compassionate affections (for the bosom is
the seat of secrets of love) of his Father unto the world. And
therefore he is said to be a " Teacher come from God," John
iii. 2 ; and to be the Lord which speaketh from heaven in the
ministry of his gospel, Heb. xii. 25 ; and the doctrine which
he teacheth is called a " heavenly doctrine," John iii. 12, and a
" heavenly calling," Heb. iii. 1, and a " high calling," Phil. iii.
14 ; and oft by the apostle to Hebrews, " heavenly things," Heb.
viii. 5, 9, 23 ; to note that they are not of a natural or earthly
condition, and therefore not within the comprehension of an
earthly understanding. It is a "wisdom that is from above,"
James iii. 17. The Holy Ghost likewise is a revealer of the gos-
pel unto the faithful. He was sent that he might convince the
world not only of sin, but of righteousness and judgment too,
which are evangelical things, John xvi. 8 — 11. The Spirit
searcheth all things, the deep things of God, 1 Cor. ii. 10 —
12; that is, his unsearchable love, wisdom, and counsel in the
gospel. Therefore the gospel is called " the law of the Spirit
of life," Rom. viii. 2; and the " ministration of the Spirit,"
2 Cor. iii. 8 ; and the " revelation of the Spirit," Eph. i.
17 ; and " no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the
Holy Ghost," 1 Cor. xii. 3 ; that is, though men may out of
external conformity to the discipline and profession under
which they live, with their mouths acknowledge him to be the
Lord ; yet their hearts will never tremble, nor willingly sub-
mit themselves to his obedience ; their conscience will never
set its seal to the spiritual power of Christ over the tlioughts,
desires, and secrets of the soul, but by the over-ruling direction
of the Holy Ghost. Nature taught the pharisees to call
him Beelzebub, and Samaritan, Matt. xii. 24 ; John viii. 48 ;
but it is the Spirit only which teacheth men to acknowledge
him a Lord. Christ is not the power nor the wisdom of God
to any, but to those who are called, 1 Cor. i. 24 ; that is, to
those unto whose consciences the Spirit witnesseth the right-
eousness which is to be found in him. So then tlie publica-
tion of the gospel belongeth unto men, but the etfectual
teaching and revelation thereof unto the soul, is the joint work
of the Holy Trinity, opening the heart to attend, and persuad-
128 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL.
ing the heart to believe the gospel, as a thing worthy of all
acceptation. Thus the gospel is a glorious thing in regard of
the original and Author of it.
From whence we may infer, that whatever men think of the
ministry and dispensation of the word, yet undoubtedly the
neglect and scorn which are shown to it, is done unto Christ him-
self, and that in his glory : he that receiveth not his word,
rejecteth his person, John xii. 48, and the sin of a man
against the words which we speak in the name and authority
of Christ, and in the dispensation of that office wherewith he
hath entrusted us, is the same with the sins of those men who
despised him in his own person. You will say, Christ is in
heaven ; how can any injuries of ours reach unto him ? Surely
though he be in heaven, (which is now the court of his royal
residence,) yet he hath to do upon earth, as one of the chief
territories of his dominion, and in the ministry of his word
he speaketh from heaven still. He it was who by his am-
bassador St. Paul came and preached peace to the Ephesians,
who were afar off. His Spirit it was who in the prophets
did testify of his sufferings and glory, Eph. ii. 17 ; 1 Pet.
i. 11. He it was who gave manifest proof of his own power,
speaking in his apostles. He then who refuseth to obey
the words of a minister in the execution of his office,
when he forewarneth him of the wrath to come, and
doth not discern the Lord's voice therein, but in despite of
this ministerial citation unto the tribunal of Christ, will
still persist in the way of his own heart, and as he hath
been, soresolveth to continue, a swearing, blasphemous, luxu-
rious, proud, revengeful, and riotous person, thinking it base-
ness to mourn for sin, and unnecessary strictness to humble
himself to walk with God ; and yet because all men else do
so, will profess his faith in the Lord Jesus ; that man is a
notorious liar ; yea, (as the apostle speaketh,) he maketh God
a liar too, 1 John v. 10, in not believing the record which he
giveth of his Son, which is that he should wash away the filth,
and purge out the blood of his people with a spirit of judg-
ment, and a spirit of burning, Isa. iv. 4 : that he should " sit
as a refiner and purifier of silver, purging the sons of Levi,
that they might offer unto the Lord an ottering in righteous-
ness," Mai. ]ii. 3. He walketh contrary to that covenant of
mercy which he professeth to lay hold on : for this is one of
the great promises of the covenant, " I will sprinkle clean
water upon you, and you shall be clean ; from all your hlthiness,
THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 129
and fiom all your idols will I cleanse you. I will put my Spirit
within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes," Ezek. xxxvi.
25, 27 . He vvalketh contrary to the quality of that fear of God,
which yet he professeth to feel as well as others : for the fear
of the Lord is a clean things Psa. xix. 9. He vvalketh con-
trary to the virtue of that blood, with which notwithstanding
he professeth to be sprinkled : for the blood of Christ cleans-
eth not only the lives, but the very consciences of men from
dead works, Heb. ix. 14 ; that is, makes the>n so inwardly
labour for purity of heart, as that they may not be conscious
to themselves of any, though the most secret allowed sin. He
walketh contrary to the fruitfulness of that grace which alone
he professeth to boast in : for the Spirit of grace which is
poured from on high, maketh the very wilderness a fruitful
field, Isa. xxxii. 15. He walketh contrary to the properties
of that faith, by which alone he hopeth to be saved : for true
faith purifieth the heart ; and therefore a pure heart and a
good conscience are the inseparable companions of an un-
feigned faith. And therefore whatever verbal and ceremoni-
ous homage he may tender unto Christ, yet in good earnest
he is ashamed of him, and dares not prefer the yoke of Christ
before the lusts of the world, or the reproaches of Christ be-
fore the treasures of the world.
Why should it be treason to kill a judge in his ministry on
the bench? or esteemed an injury to the state, to do any in-
dignity to the ambassador of a great prince ? but because in
such relations they are persons public and representative.
Surely, the case is the same between Christ and his ministers in
their holy function. And, therefore, we find the expressions pro-
miscuous: sometimes, "the gospel of Christ," and sometimes,
" my gospel ;" sometimes, "the preaching of Jesus Christ ;" and
sometimes, " my preaching ;" in the virtue of which co-opera-
tion and co-partnership with Christ and with God, as he sav-
eth, so we save ; as he forgiveth sins, so we forgive them ; as
he judgeth wicked men, so we judge them; as lie bescechcth,
so we also beseech, saith the apostle, that you be reconciled,
and receive not the grace of God in vain, 2 Cor. v. 20 ;
vi. 1. We, by his grace, and he, by our ministry. He there-
fore that despiseth any conviction out of the book of God,
(and he that obeyeth not, doth despise, for the Lord calleth
disobedience rebellion, stubbornness, and a rejecting of his
word, 1 Sara. xv. 22, 23 ;) he that persisteth in any known
sin, or in the constant omission of any evident duty, figliteth
o 5
130 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL.
against Christ himself, throweth away his own mercy, stoppeth
his ears at the entreaties of the Lord, and committeth a
sin directly against heaven. And if he so persist, God will
make him know that there is flaming fire prepared for those
that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 Thess. i. 8.
Therefore, whensoever we come unto the word read or
preached, we should come with an expectation to hear Christ
himself speaking from heaven unto us, and bring such affec-
tions of submission and obedience as becometh his presence.
" Let him that hath an ear hear what the Spirit saith unto
the churches. I will hear what God the Lord will speak :
for he will speak peace unto his people," Rev. ii. 7 ; Psa.
Ixxxv. 8. Christ's sheep discern his voice in the dispensation
of the gospel, and will not know the voice of strangers, John
X. 4, 5. And this was the honour of the Thessalonians and
the men of Berea, that in the preaching of the word they set
themselves as in God's presence, expecting it in his authority,
and receiving it in his name, Acts xvii. 11 ; 1 Thess. ii. 13.
Dareth any man to rush with a naked weapon into the pre-
sence of his prince, and with scorn to throw back his own
personal commands into his face again ? And shall we dare to
come armed with high thoughts, and proud reasonings, and
stubborn resolutions against the majesty of the Lord himself
who speaketh from heaven unto us ? " Receive with meek-
ness,'' saith the apostle, " the engrafted word, which is ahle
to save your souls," Jam. i. 21. The word doth not mingle,
nor incorporate, and, by consequence, doth not change nor
save the soul, but when it is received with meekness ; that is,
when a man cometh with a resolution to lay down his weapons,
to fall down on his face, and give glory to God ; he that is
swift to wrath, that is, to set up stout and fretful affections
against the purity and power of the word, to snuff against it,
and to fall backward like pettish children which will not be
led, will be very slow to hear or to obey it ; " for the wrath
of man worketh not the righteousness of God,'' Jam. i. 19, 20,
A proud hearer will be an unprofitable liver. Ever therefore
come unto the word with this conclusion, It may be this day
will God strike me in my master vein ; I am an usual pro-
faner of his glorious name ; a name which I should fear for
the greatness, and love for the goodness, and adore for the
holiness of it ; he will peradventure lay close to my conscience
that guilt which himself hath declared to be in this great sin,
that whatsoever is more then yea and nay is sin unto me, and
THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 131
whatsoever Is sin is hell to my soul. I am a vain person, a
companion of loose and riotous men ; it may be the Lord
will urge upon my conscience the charge of his own word,
not to company with fornicators, to have no fellowship
with the unfruitful works of darkness, not to follow a multi-
tude to do evil, and that though hand join in hand, yet sin
shall not go unpunished. I am unprofitable, loose and rot-
ten in my discourse, and he will ply me with his own au-
thority, that for every idle word I must render an account. I
am full of oppression and unjust gain, and the Lord will now
urge the instructions of Nehemiah, and the restitution of
Zaccheus upon me, Neh. v. 11, 12; Luke xix. 8. In
these, or any other the like cases, if a man can come with St.
Paul's temper of heart, not to consult with flesh and blood,
but, " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ? " Acts ix. 6 ; or
with the answer of Samuel, " Speak, Lord, for thy servant
heareth," 1 Sam. iii. 10 ; or with the resolution of Cornelius,
" I am here present before God to hear all things that shall be
commanded of God,'' Acts x. 33. I am come with a purpose
of heart to cleave unto thy holy will in all things. Here I am in
my sins, strike where thou wilt, cut off which of mine earthly
members thou wilt, I will not harm it, I will not extenuate it, I
will not dispute with thee, I will not rebel against thee, I will
second thee in it, I will praise thee for it : — this is to give God
the glory of his own gospel. It is not to part from a little money
towards the maintenance of the word, or to vouchsafe a little
countenance to the dispensers of it, (and yet alas, how few
are there who repay unto the ministers of the gospel that
double honour which God, and not they, hath given unto
them !) but to part from our lusts, and to suffer our old man
to be crucified, which giveth honour to the word. If a man
had thousands of rams, and ten thousand rivers of oil, and
would be content to part from them all for God's worship :
if a man had children enough, and in a famine of the word,
would buy every sermon which he heareth with the sacrifice
of a son : yet all this would not give glory enough to the or-
dinance of God, Micah vi. 6, 10. Men naturally love their
lusts, the issue of their evil hearts, better then their lands or
the children of their body. If Herod's son stand m the way
of his ambitious security, it were better to be his hog than his
child. The loss of catde, and fruits, and water, and light,
and the first-born of all the land, was not enough to make
Pharaoh let go his sin, he will once more rush into the midst
132 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL.
of a wonderful deliverance of Israel, and venture his own and
his people's lives, for but the bondage of his enemies, and
the satisfaction of his lust. To do justly then, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly before God, to acknowledge his name in
the voice of the minister, and to put away the treasures of
wickedness out of our hands, this only is to give God the
glory which is due unto his word.
2. The gospel is glorious in the promulgation and publish-
ing of it unto the world. And this may appear whether we
consider the initial promulgation in Christ's own personal
preaching ; or the plenary revelation thereof in the sending of
the Holy Ghost to those selected vessels who w^ere to carry
abroad this treasure unto all the world. For the former we
may note, that there was a resemblance of state and glory ob-
served in the preaching of Christ. A forerunner sent to pre-
pare his way, and to bear his sword before him, as a herald to
proclaim his approach, and then at last is revealed the glory of
the Lord, Mal.iii, 1. And thus we may observe, how he sent
his harbingers before his face into every city and place whi-
ther he himself would come, Luke x. 1 ; that so men might
prepare themselves, and lift up their everlasting gates that
the Prince of glory should enter in. When one poor ordi-
nary man intendeth to visit another, there is no state nor dis-
tance, no ceremonies nor solemnities observed ; but when a
prince will communicate himself unto any place, there is
a publication, and officers sent abroad to give notice thereof,
that meet entertainments may be provided. So doth Christ
deal with men ; he knoweth how unprepared we are to give
him a welcome, how foul our hearts, how barren our con-
sciences, and therefore he sendeth his officers before his face
with his own provision, his graces of humiliation, repentance,
desire, love, hope, joy, hungering and thirsting after his ap-
pearance ; and then when he is esteemed worthy of all accep-
tation, he cometh himself.
Look upon the more consummate publication of the gos-
pel, (for Christ in his own personal preaching is said but to
have begun to teach,) and we shall see that as princes in the
time of their solemn inauguration do some special acts of
magnificence and honour, open prisons, proclaim pardons,
create nobles, stamp coin, fill conduits with wine, distribute
donatives and congiaries to the people : so Christ, to testify
the glory of his gospel, did reserve the full publication there-
of unto the day of his installation, and solemn readmission
THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 133
Into his Father's glory again. When he ascended up on high,
he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men, namelv,
the Holy Ghost, who is called the gift of God, Acts ii. 38 ;
viii. 20; John iv. 10; and in the plural number gifts : as else-
where he is called " seven spirits," Rev. i. 4 ; to note, the plenty
and variety of graces which are by him shed abroad upon the
church. Wisdom, and faith, and knowledge, and healings, and
prophecy, and discerning, and miracles, and tongues, " all
these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to
every man severally as he will," 1 Cor. xii. 8, 11. And these
gifts were all shed abroad for evangelical purposes, " for the per-
fecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, and for the
edifying of the body of Christ." And this Spirit, St. Peter
telleth us, is " a Spirit of glory, " 1 Pet. iv. 14; and there-
fore, that gospel, for the more plentiful promulgation whereof
he was shed abroad, must needs be a gospel of glory too.
And this further appears, because in this more solemn publi-
cation of the gospel, there was much more abundance of glorious
light and grace shed abroad into the world. The Sun of
righteousness, in his state of humiliation, was much eclipsed
with the similitude of sinful flesh, the communion of our
common infirmities, the poverty of a low condition, the grief
and vexation of the sins of men, the overshadowing of his
Divine nature, the form and entertainment of a servant, the
burden of the guilt of sin, the burden of the law of God, the
ignominy of a base death, the agony of a cursed death. But
when he ascended up on high, like the sun in its glory, he
then dispelled all these mists, and now sendeth forth those
glorious beams of his gospel and Spirit, which are the two
wings, by which he cometh unto the churches, and under
which the healing and salvation of the world are treasured.
John Baptist was the last and greatest of all the prophets who
foretold of Christ ; a greater had not been born of women ; and
yet he was less than the least in the kingdom of heaven ; that
IS, than the least of those upon whom the promise of the
Spirit was shed abroad, for the more glorious manifestation of
the kingdom of his gospel. All the prophets and the law
prophesied until John; but at the coming of Christ they
seemed to be taken away, not by way of abrogation and ex-
tinguishment, as the ceremonies, but by way of excess and
excellency. " As the stars disappear at the rising of the sun,"
as the orator speaks : so saith the apostle, " Even that which
was made glorious, had no glory in this respect, by reaso" ' "
134 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL.
the glory that excelleth," 2 Cor. iii. 10. Therefore, the full
revelation of the gospel is called an effusion of the Spirit, Tit.
iii. 6 ; not in dew, but in showers of rain, which multiply into
rivers of living water, (for the rain of the Spirit fioweth from
heaven as from a spring,) and into wells of salvation, and into
a sea of knowledge. Which attributes note unto us two
things : the abundance of spiritual grace and knowledge by
the gospel, it should be a river ; and the growth and increase
thereof, it should be living water, multiplying and swelling
up like the waters of the sanctuary, till it came to a bottom-
less and unmeasurable sea of eternal life. And to touch that
which was before spoken of, very glorious are the virtues of
the Spirit in the gospel, intimated in this similitude of living
water, Isa. xxxiii. 14; John iv. 10; Ezek. xlvii. 12; Zech.
xii. 10. To quench the wrath of God, that otherwise con-
suming and unextinguishable fury, which devoured the adver-
saries with everlasting burnings. To satisfy those desires of
the thirsty soul which itself begetteth ; for the Spirit is both
for medicine and for meat : for medicine, to cure the dull and
averse appetites of the soul ; and for meat, to satisfy them.
The Spirit is both a Spirit of supplication, and a Spirit of
grace, or satisfaction : a Spirit of supplication, directing us to
pray ; and a Spirit of grace, supplying those requests, and sa-
tisfying those desires which himself did dictate. To cleanse,
to purify, to mollify, to take away the barrenness of our natural
hearts. To overflow and communicate itself to others. To
withstand and subdue every obstacle that is set up against it.
To continue and to multiply to the end, Ezek. xxxvi. 25 ;
Isa. XXXV. 6, 7; Ezek.xi. 19; Mai. iii. 16; Gal. vi. 1, 2;
V. 17 ; Phil. i. 27.
By this then we learn the way how to abound in grace and
and how to be transformed into the image of Christ,
'he beam and light of the sun is the medium of the heat and
influence of the sun ; so the light of the gospel of Christ is
that which conveyeth the virtue and gracious working of the
Spirit upon the soul. And, therefore, we are to seek those va-
rieties of grace, which are for meat to satisfy the desires, and
for medicine to cure the bruises of the soul, only upon the
banks of the waters of the sanctuary ; that is, in the knowledge
ofthe word of truth, which is the gospel of salvation. The
more of this glorious light a man hath, the more proportion of
all other graces will he have too. And, therefore, the apostle
puts the growth of these two together, as contributing a
THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 135
mutual succour unto one another ; " Grow in grace, and in the
knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ," 2 Pet. iii.
18. Your grace will enlarge your desires of knowledge, and
your knowledge will multiply your degrees of grace. And
St. Paul makes the knowledge of the will of God in wisdom,
and after a spiritual manner, to be the ground of fruitf alness in
every good work, and that again an inducement to increase in
knowledge. Col. i. 9, 10 ; as in the twisting together of two
cords into one rope, they are by art so ordered, that either
shall bind and hold in the other. As in the heavens the in-
ferior orbs have the measure and proportion of their general
motion from the supreme, so in the motions of grace in the
soul, the proportion of all the rest ariseth from the measure of
our spiritual and saving light. The more distinctly and
thoroughly the spirit of a man's mind is convinced of the ne-
cessity, beauty, and gloriousness of heavenly things, the more
strong impressions thereof will be made upon all subordinate
faculties ; for we move towards nothing without preceding ap-
prehensions of its goodness, which apprehensions, as they
more seriously penetrate into the true and intimate worth of
that thing, so are the motions of the soul thereunto propor-
tionably strengthened. Thus the apostle telleth us, that the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ was that which made
him so earnest to win him ; the knowledge of the power of his re-
surrection, and fellowship of his sufferings was that which made
him reach forth, and press forward unto the mark and price of
that high calling which was before him, Phil. iii. 8, 10, 14.
3. The glory of the gospel of Christ, with his Spirit, may
be considered in regard of the matters which are therein con-
tained, namely the glory, the excellency, the treasure of God
himself. " We all," saith the apostle, " with open face be-
hold as in a glass" (that is, in the spiritual ministration of
the gospel, having the veil of carnal stupidity taken away by
the Spirit) "the glory of the Lord," 2 Cor. iii. 18. What
glory do we here behold, but that which a glass is able to re-
present ? Now, nothing can be seen in a glass but the image
of that thing which sheddeth forth its species thereupon ; and
therefore he immediately addeth, " We are changed into the
same image from glory to glory." And he elsewhere putteth
these two together, " Man is the image and the glory of God, "
1 Cor. xi. 7 ; for nothing can have any thing of God in it,
any resemblance or form of him, but so far it must needs be
glorious. But how do we in the gospel see the image of
136 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL.
God, who is invisible ? The apostle expresseth that else-
where, " God who commanded the light to shine out of dark-
ness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the know-
ledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ," 2 Cor.
iv. 4 — 6. Christ is the image and express character of his
Father's glory, as the impression in the wax is of the form
and fashion of the seal ; there is no excellency in God which
is not completely, adequately, and distinctly in Christ ; so
that in that glass wherein we may see him, we may likewise
see the glory of the Father. Now, the gospel is the face of
Jesus Christ ; that which as lively setteth forth his grace and
Spirit to the soul, as if he were present in the flesh amongst
us. Suppose that a glass could retain a permanent and un-
vanishing species of a man's face within it, though he himself
were absent, might we not truly say this glass is the face of
that man, whose image it so constantly retaineth ? So, inas-
much as Christ is most exactly represented in his gospel, it is
therefore justly by the apostle called the face of Jesus Christ ;
and, therefore, the glass wherein we see the image and glory of
God. As it is the same light which shineth from the sun upon
a glass, and from a glass upon a wall, so it is the same glory
which shineth from the Father upon the Son, and from the
Son upon the gospel ; so that, in the gospel, we see the un-
searchable treasures of God, because his treasures are in his
Son: therefore that which is usually called preaching the
gospel, Rom. xv. 19; 1 Cor. xv. 1, is in other places called
preaching the kingdom, and the riches of Christ, Acts xx. 25 ;
Eph. iii. 8, to note, the glory of those things which are in
the gospel revealed unto the church.
It containeth the glory of God's wisdom, and that wisdom is a
manifold and various wisdom, as the apostle speaketh, who there-
fore calleth Christ and his gospel by the name of wisdom : "We
preach Christ crucified ; unto them which are called the power of
God, and the wisdom of God," and, '* We speak wisdom amongst
them that are perfect," Eph. iii. 10 ; 1 Cor. i. 24 ; ii. 6, 7 :
wisdom to reconcile his own attributes of mercy and truth,
righteousness and peace, which by the fall of man seemed to
be at variance among themselves ; wisdom in reconciling the
world of obstinate and rebellious enemies unto himself ; wis-
dom in sanctifying the whole creation by the blood of the cross,
and repairing those ruins which the sin of man had caused;
wisdom in incorporating Christ and his church, things in
their own distinct natures as unapt for mixture as fire and
THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 137
water in their remotest degrees ; wisdom in uniting the jew.s
and gentiles, and reducing their former jealousies and disafFec-
tions into an intimate fellowship in the same common mys-
teries : in one word, wisdom above the admiration of the
blessed angels, in finding out a way to give greater satisfaction
to his offended justice, by showing mercy and saving sinners,
than he could ever have received by either the confusion or
annihilation of them. It containeth the glory of God's good-
ness and mercy, of that goodwill towards men, which brought
glory to God, and to the earth peace ; for the gospel is, as it
were, a love-token or commendatory epistle of the Lord unto
his church. God left not himself without witnesses of his
care, and evidences of some love, even to those whom he suf-
fered to walk in their own ways without any knowledge of his
gospel. He did them good ; he gave them rain from heaven and
fruitful seasons ; so even they had experience of some of his
goodness, as the goodness of his providence ; for he is the Saviour
of all men ; but the gospel containeth all God's goodness, as
a heap and miscellany of universal mercy. " I will make all
my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name
of the Lord before thee ; and will be gracious to whom I will
be gracious, and I will show mercy on whom I will show
mercy." God's special and gracious mercy, the mercy of his
promises in Christ, doth convey unto the soul an interest in
all his-goodness ; nay, it maketh all things good unto us, so
that we may call them ours, as gifts and legacies from Christ.
He hath given to us all things that pertain to life and godli-
ness, 2 Pet. i. 3, 4, the world, and life, and death, and things
present, and things to come : " all are yours,'' saith the apos-
tle, 1 Cor. iii. 22. Death itself and persecutions are amongst
the legacies of Christ unto the church, and a portion of all
that goodness with which in the gospel she is endowed. It
contains the glory of God's power and strength ; for it is the
" power of God unto salvation," as hath been declared. It
containeth the glory of God's grace. The grace of his favour
towards us, and the grace of his Spirit in us. " The law was
given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ,"
John i. 17 ; that is, favour, instead of God's fury ; and strength,
instead of man's infirmity ; for because man was unable to ful-
fil the law, therefore the law came with wrath and curses against
man ; but in the gospel of Christ there is abundance, even a
whole kingdom of grace ; (the apostle saith, that by Jesus
Christ grace reigned, Rom. v. 21 ;) there is grace to remove
138 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL.
the curse of the law, by God's favour towards us ; (so that
on all sides the law is weak, unable, by reason of man's sin,
to save ; and unable, by reason of God's favour, to condemn :)
and there is grace to remove the weakness of man by God's
Spirit in us ; for though our own spirit lusts unto envy, or
sets itself proudly against the law of God, yet " he giveth
more grace ;' that is, strength enough to overcome the counter-
lustings of the flesh against his will, and to enable us in sin-
cerity and evangelical perfection to fulfil the commands of
the law. Lastly ; it containeth, in some sort, the glory of
God's heavenly kingdom, in that therein are let in the glimpses
and first-fruits, the seals and assurances thereof unto the soul
by the promises, testimonies, and comforts of the Spirit.
And therefore it is frequently called the gospel of the king-
dom, and the mysteries of the kingdom of God, Mark i. 14 ;
Luke viii. 10 ; namely, that kingdom which beginneth here,
but shall never end. As if a man born in Ireland be after-
ward transplanted into England, though he change his coun-
try, he doth not change his king, or his law, but is still under
the same government : so when a christian is translated from
earth to heaven, he is still in the same kingdom : in heaven it is the
kingdomi of glory ; (mended much by the different excellency of
the place and preferment of the person ;) inearth it is the same
kingdom, though in a less pleasant and comfortable climate,
the kingdom of the gospel. These and many other the like
things are the glorious matters which the gospel containeth.
Here then we see how and wherein we are to look upon
God, so that we may receive his glory, and be comforted
by it ; we must not look upon him in his own immediate
brightness and essence, nor by our impertinent curiosities pry
into the secrets of his unrevealed glory, for he is a consuming
jfire, an invisible and unapproachable light. We may see his
back-parts in the proclaiming of his mercy ; and we may see
the horns or bright beams of his hands, in the publishing of
his law ; but yet all this was under a cloud, or under the
hiding of his power : his face no man can see and live. We
must not look upon him only in ourselves. Though we
might at first have seen him in our own nature, for we were
created after his image in righteousness and true holiness ; yet
now that image is utterly obliterated, and we have by nature
the image only of Satan and the old Adam in us. We must
not look upon him only in mount Sinai, in his law, lest the fire
devour us, and the dart strike us through ; we can find
THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 139
nothing of him there but rigour, inexorableness, wrath, and
vengeance. But we must acquaint ourselves with him in his
Son, we must know him and whom he hath sent together.
There is no fellowship with the Father, except it be with the
Son too, John xvii. 3 ; 1 John i. 3. We may have the know-
ledge of his hand, that is, of his works and of his punishments,
without Christ ; but we cannot have the knowledge of his
bosom, that is of his counsels and of his compassions ; nor
the knowledge of his image, that is of his hoHness, grace and
righteousness ; nor the knowledge of his presence, that is of
his comforts here and his glory hereafter, but only in and by
Christ. We may know God in the world, for in the creation
that which may be known of him is manifest ; namely, his
eternal power and Godhead : but this is a barren and fruit-
less knowledge, which will not keep down unrighteousness ;
for the wise men of the world when they knew God, they glori-
fied him not as God, but became vain in their imaginations,
and held that truth of him which was in the creation revealed, in
unrighteousness. We may know him in his law too, and that in
exceeding great glory when " God came from Teman, and the
Holy One from mount Paran" (whereabout the law was the se-
cond time repeated by Moses) " his glory covered the heavens,
and the earth was full of his praise. And his brightness was as
the light," Habak. iii. 3, 4. But this is a killing knowledge,
a knowledge which makes us fly from God, and hide ourselves
out of his presence, and fight against him as our sorest ene-
my, and come short of his glory ; therefore the law is called
" a fiery law," or a fire of law ; to show not only the original
thereof, for it was spoken out of the midst of the fire, Deut.
xxxiii. 2 ; v. 22, but the nature and operation of it too,
which of itself is to heap fire and curses upon the soul ; and
therefore it is called " the ministration of death," 2 Cor. lii.
7. But now, to know the glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ, is both a fruitful and a comfortable knowledge : we know
the pattern we must walk by, we know the life we must live by,
we know the treasure we must be supplied by, we know
whom we have beUeved, we know whom we may be bold with
in all straits and distresses ; we know God in Christ full of love,
full of compassion, full of cars to hear us, full of eyes to
watch over us, full of hands to fight for us, full of tongues to
commune with us, full of power to preserve us, f ul of grace to
transform us, full of fidelity to keep covenant with us, fu of
wisdom to conduct us, full of redemption to save us, lull ol
140 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL.
glory to reward us. Let us, therefore, put ourselves into this
rock, that God's goodness may pass before us, that he may
communicate the mysteries of his kingdom and of his glory
unto us, that by him our persons may be accepted, our prayers
admitted, our services regarded, our acquaintance and fellow-
ship with the Lord increased by that blessed Spirit which is
from them both shed abroad in the gospel upon us.
4. Now lastly, the gospel of Christ is glorious in those
ends, effects, or purposes for which it serveth : and in this
respect principally doth the apostle so often magnify the glory
of the gospel above the law. The law was a glorious minis-
try, as appears by the thunderings and lightnings, the shin-
ing of Moses' face, and trembling at God's presence, the
service of the angels, and sound of the trumpet, the ascending
of the smoke, and the quaking of the mountain ; but yet still
the glory of the gospel was far more excellent, a better cove-
nant, a more excellent ministry, Heb. viii. 6. The law had
weakness and unprofitableness in it, (both terms of diminution
from the glory thereof,) and therefore it " could make nothing
perfect," Heb. vii. 18, 19 ; but that which the law could not
do, inasmuch as it was weak through the flesh, " the law of
the spirit of life in Christ Jesus" (which is a periphrasis of
the gospel, as appeareth, 2 Cor. iii. 6,) did do for us, namely,
make us free from the law of sin and death, Rom. viii. 2. So
then the law was glorious, but the gospel in many respects
did excel in glory, 2 Cor. iii. 10.
To take a more particular view of the spiritual glory of the
gospel of Christ in those excellent ends and purposes for which
it serveth ;
(1.) It is full of light, to inform, to comfort, to guide
those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, into
the way of peace. Light was the first of all the creatures
which were made, and the apostle magnifieth it for a glorious
thing in those other luminaries which were after created,
1 Cor. XV. 41. How much more glorious was the light of the
gospel ! The apostle calleth it " a marvellous light," 1 Pet.
ii. 9 ; and therefore the kingdom of the gospel is expressed
by light and glory together, as terms of a promiscuous signi'
fication, Isa. Ix. 1 — 3. Of all other learning, the knowledge
of the gospel doth infinitely excel in worth, both in regard of
the object thereof, which is God manifested in the flesh, and
in regard of the end thereof, which is flesh reconciled, and
brought unto God. A knowledge which passeth knowledge.
THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 141
a knowledge which bringeth fuhiess with it, even all the fulness
of God ; a knowledge so excellent, that all other human excel-
lences are but dross in comparison of it. What angel in hea-
ven would trouble himself to busy his noble thoughts (which
have the glorious presence of God and the joys of heaven to
fill them) with metaphysical, or mathematical, or philological
contemplations, which yet are the highest delicacies that
human reason doth fasten on to delight in ? And yet we find
the angels in heaven, with much greediness of speculation,
stoop down, and, as it were, turn away their eyes from that in-
expressible glory which is before them in heaven, to gaze upon
the wonderful light and bottomless mysteries of the gos-
pel of Christ. In all other learning a devil in hell (the most
cursed of all creatures) doth wonderfully surpass the greatest
proficients amongst men ; but in the learning of the gospel,
and in the spiritual revelations and evidences of the benefits of
Christ to the soul from thence, there is a knowledge which
surpasseth the comprehension of any angel of darkness ; for
it is the Spirit of God only which knoweth the things of God.
Though, therefore, it were to the Jews an offence, as contrary
to the honour of their law, and to the Greeks foolishness, as
contrary to the pride of their reason, yet to those that were
perfect it was an hidden and mysterious wisdom, able to con-
vince the gainsayers, to convert sinners, to comfort mourners,
to give wisdom to the simple, and to guide a man in all his
ways with spiritual prudence ; for, whatever the prejudice of
the world may be, there is no man a wiser man, nor more able
to bring about those ends which his heart is justly set upon,
than he who, being acquainted with God in Christ by the gos-
pel, hath the Father of wisdom, the Treasurer of wisdom, the
Spirit of wisdom, and the law of wisdom to furnish liim there-
withal. It is not for want of sufficiency in the gospel, but for
want of more intimate acquaintance and knowledge thereof in
us, that the children of this world are more wise in their ge-
neration than the children of light.
(2.) Another glorious end and effect of the gospel is, to be
a ministration of righteousness, a publication of pardon to
the world, and that so general, that there is not one exception
therein of any other sin than only of the contempt of the par-
don itself. And in this respect likewise the gospel exceeds in
glory. " If the ministration of condemnation," saith the
apostle, " be glory, much more doth the ministration of right-
eousness exceed in glory," 2 Cor. iii. 9. It is the glory of a
142 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL.
man to pass by an offence, and the Lord proclaimeth his glory
to Moses, in that he would forgive iniquity, transgression, and
sin, Exod. xxxiv. 7 ; that is, multitudes of sins, and sins of
all degrees. And thus the Lord magnifies his mercy and
thoughts towards sinners, above all the ways and thoughts of
men, even as the heavens are higher than the earth, because
he can "abundantly pardon,'' or multiply forgivenesses, upon
those who forsake their ways, and turn to him, Isa. Iv. 7 — 9 ;
and therefore justifying faith, whereby we rely upon the power
of God to forgive and subdue our sins, is said to give glory to
God. Abraham " staggered not at the promise of God
through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God,"
Rom. iv. 20, 21 ; namely, the glory of his power and fidelity.
" Ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I
have given them," saith the Lord to Moses and Aaron, " be-
cause ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the
children of Israel," Numb. xx. 12 ; that is, to give me the
glory of my power and truth, (for to sanctify the Lord of
hosts, signifies to glorify his power by fearing him more
than men, and by relying on him against the power and con-
federacies of men, Isa. viii. 12, 13.) And, therefore, in the
same argument, touching the happiness of the saints, if they
suffer for righteousness' sake, or be reproached for the name
of Christ, St. Peter useth in one place "sanctifying of the Lord
in our hearts," and in another " glorifying of him," as terms equi-
valent, I Pet. iii. 14, 15 ; iv. 14. And, therefore, unbeHef
is said to make God a liar, 1 John v. 10 ; that is, to dishonour
him, and to rob him of the glory of his truth ; and despair to rob
God of his mercy, and to make the guilt of sin greater than
the power of God. And, therefore, murmurers and unbelievers
are said to speak against God, and to grieve him, to tempt, to
limit him, Psa. Ixxviii. 18, 19 ; xl. 41 ; that is, to call in
question the glory of his power and truth. Herein then con-
sisteth another glorious effect of the gospel of Christ, that,
being a ministration of righteousness, it is a glass which exhi-
bits that power, truth, mercy, and fidelity of God, which by
faith we rest upon for the forgiveness and subduing of sin.
(3.) Another glorious end of the gospel is to be a minis-
tration and a law of life. " If the ministration of death," saith
the apostle, " were glorious, how shall not the ministration of
the Spirit be rather glorious?" 2 Cor. iii. 7, 8. The law
alone, by itself, is towards sinners but a dead letter ; only the
rule according unto which a man ought to walk, not any
THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 143
principle enabling him to walk. If Moses alone should
speak unto men, he could only tell them what they ought to
do, he could in no wise enable them to do it : nay, further, the
law hath occasionally, from the sin of man, a malignant pro-
perty in it, to irritate and exasperate lust the more, to beget
an occasional rage and fierceness in our nature; as the sun
shining on a dunghill exhaleth noisome vapours, and maketh
it the more offensive. But now the gospel, by the Spirit,
doth not only teach, but help also ; showeth us what we should
do, and giveth us strength to do it. We do not only therein
see the glory of God, but are withal "changed into the same
image, even from glory to glory," that is, (as I conceive from
that allusion to a glass,) the glory of the Lord shining upon
the gospel, and from the gospel shining upon our hearts, doth
change them into the image of the same glory ; even as the
glory of the sun shining upon a glass, and from that glass re-
flecting on a wall, doth therein produce a more extraordinary
image of its own light ; so that the apostle's " from glory to
glory,'' is the same with the poet's " to behold as in a glass ;"
from the glory of the gospel, which is one glass of God's
image, there is shaped the same glory in the heart, which is
another glass of his image. This is that which the apostle
calleth the forming of Christ in the soul, and the planting of
it into the likeness of his death and resurrection.
(4.) It is a glorious gospel in the judicature thereof. The
Spirit in the gospel doth convince not of righteousness only,
but of judgment too, John xvi. 11 ; that is, the Spirit shall
erect a throne in the hearts of men ; shall pull down the
prince of this world, and dispossess him ; shall enable men's
own hearts to proceed like upright judges with truth and witli
victory (which are two of the principal honours of judgment)
against their own lusts, to censure, to condemn, to crucify
them, though before they were as dear as their own members ;
and to judge and revenge themselves. " Ephraim shall say,
What have I to do any more with idols .''" Hosea xiv. 8. " In
that day," saith the Lord, " every man shall cast away liis
idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your own hands
have made unto you for a sm," Isa. xxxi. 7. " I have surely
heardEphraim bemoaning himself thus : After that I was turned,
I repented ; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my
thigh," Jer. xxxi. 18, 19. Thus the government of the
gospel in the heart makes a man severe to sentence every sm,
to hang up his Haman, his favourite lusts, to give up himself
144 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL.
to the obedience of Christ, and to have his conversation, his
trading, his treasure, his privileges, his freedom, his fellow-
ship m heaven, as being now constituted under the gracious
and peaceable government of an heavenly Prince.
(3.) It is a glorious gospel, in that it was to be a continu-
ing ministration, and an immortal seed. " If that which was
done away," saith the apostle, " was glorious, much more
that which remaineth is glorious," 2 Cor. iii. 11. Now, the
gospel is able to preserve a man blameless unto the coming
of our Lord Jesus ; it will not suffer a man to be shaken nor
overturned by all the powers of darkness ; there is strength
enough in it to repel, and wisdom to answer, all the tempta-
tions and assaults of the enemies of our salvation. If the
world set upon us with any temptations on the right hand, or
on the left, with disgraces, persecutions, discomforts, re-
proachings, such as, Lo, this was the man who made God
his help, and would needs be more excellent than his neigh-
bours ; the gospel furnisheth us with sure promises and sure
mercies. This is answer sufficient against all the discourage-
ments of the world, " I know whom I have believed ;" I know
that he hath overcome the world, " and am persuaded that
He is able to keep that which I have committed unto him
against that day," 2 Tim. i. 12 ; and, in the mean time, the
world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world ; that is, we
are at an equal point of distance and defiance ; the world con-
temns me, and I am as careless of the world. If with pleasures,
honours, and gilded baits to draw us away from God, faith
in the gospel easily overcometh the world ; for it giveth both
the promises and first iruits of such treasures as are infinitely
more precious and weighty than all the world can afford ; the
very reproaches of Christ (how much more his promises ! how
infinitely more his performances at the last !) are far greater
riches then the treasures of Egypt. The daily sacrifice of a
godly life, and the daily feast of a quiet concience, put more
sweetness into the afflictions of Christ, than is in all the pro-
fits, pleasures, or preferments of the world, being made bitter
with the guilt of sin. If Satan or our own reasonings stand
up against the kingdom of Christ in us, the gospel is a store-
house which can furnish us with armoury of all sorts to repel
them. Faith can quench fiery darts ; the weapons of the
Spirit can captivate the very thoughts of the heart unto the obe-
dience of Christ. " No weapon that is formed against thee shall
prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in
THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 145
judgment, thou shall condemn," Isa. Hv. 17, is a staff which
can carry a man over any Jordan, and can support and com-
fort him in any shadow of death. This is the honour of the
word, that it doth not only sanctify men, but preserve their
holiness in them. If it were not for the treasure of the word
in the heart, every Httle thing would easily turn a man out of
his way, and make him revolt from Christ again. How easily
would afflictions make us mistrust God's affection to us, and
so change ours unto him, (for this is certain, his love to us
is the original of our love to him ;) make us murmur, repine,
struggle, fret under his hand, if in the gospel we did not look
upon them as the gentle corrections of a Father who loves us,
as the pruning and harrowing of our souls, that they may
bring forth more fruit I " Unless thy law had been my delight,
I should then have perished in mine affliction," Psa. cxix. 92.
My affliction would have destroyed me, and made me perish
from the right way, if it had not been tempered and sanctified
by thy word. It wrought so with that wicked king of Israel ;
" Behold, this evil is of the Lord, what should I wait for the
Lord any longer ?" 2 Kings vi. 33. What profit is there to
walk humbly before him, or to afflict ourselves before him,
who will not see, nor take knowledge of it, but continue to be
our enemy still ? Isa. Iviii. 3. But the gospel teacheth a man's
heart to rest in God, assureth it that there is hope in Israel,
and balm in Gilead ; that they which believe should not
make haste to limit or to misconstrue God, but wait for his
salvation, which will ever come in that due time wherein it
shall be both most acceptable and most beautiful. Again ;
how easily would temptations overturn the faith of men, if it
were not daily supported by the word ! What is the reason
that the sheep of Christ will not follow strangers, nor know tlieir
voice ; that is, will not acknowledge any force, nor subscribe
in their hearts to the conviction or evidence of any temptation,
which would draw them from God, but only because they hear
and know the voice of Christ in his gospel, and feel the Spirit
in their own hearts setting to its seal, and bearing witness to
that truth from whence those solicitations would seduce them ?
The apostle foretold the elders of Ephesus at his solemn de-
parture from them that grievous wolves would enter in among
them, and that some of themselves would arise speaking per-
verse things to draw away disciples after them. And the
main remedy which the apostle gives them against this danger
was, " I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace,
H
146 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL.
which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance
among all them which are sanctified." Noting, that it is the
word of God which keepeth men from being drawn away
with perverse disputes. And the same intimation he gives
in his epistles unto them, " He gave some, apostles ; and
some, prophets ; and some, evangelists ; and some, pastors and
teachers. That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to
and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the
sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in
weight to deceive," Eph. iv. 11, 14. The more richly the
word of God, in the love and evidence thereof, doth dwell in any
man, and enable him to prove all things, the more stedfastly will
he hold that which is good, and stand immovable against the
slights and solicitations of men, 1 Thess. v. 21. Again ;
how easily would our own evil hearts gather a rust and mapt-
ness for service over themselves, if they were not daily whet and
brightened upon the word of God ! That only it is which
scrape th away that leprosy and mossiness which our souls are
apt to contract out of themselves. A man may lose all that
he hath wrought, all the benefit of what he hath done already,
and all the strength to do any more, only by not abiding in
the doctrine of Christ. He is not a doer of the word who
looketh in it, as a man on a glass, and presently forgetteth
the image and state of his conscience again ; it is only he
that continueth therein, who is a doer of the work, and
blessed in his deed. Jam. i. 23, 25. He that treasureth up
the gospel in his heart, and laboureth to grow rich in the
knowledge thereof, can never be turned quite out of his way,
or become an apostate from the grace of Christ.
(6.) It is a glorious gospel in regard of those noble and
majestical endowments with which it qualifieth the soul of a
christian : for there is no nobility comparable to that of the gos-
pel. It giveth men the highest privilege in the world ; to be
called the sons of God, to be kings and priests before him, to
be a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, a na-
tion of priests, John i. 12 ; 1 John iii. 1 ; Rev. i. 6 ; 1 Pet.
ii. 9. Nothing doth so honour a land as to be the seat of
the gospel. It was the honour of the jews, that unto them
were committed the oracles of God, Rom. iii. 1,2: therefore,
the ark is called the glory of Israel, 1 Sam. iv. 22 ; and Christ
the glory of Israel, and the excellency of Jacob, Luke ii. 32 ;
Amos viii. 7. Neither is there anything else allowed a man
to glory in, save only this, that he understandeth and knoweth
THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 147
the Lord in his word, Jer. ix. 24. It putteth magnanimity
into the breasts of men, high thoughts, regal afFectionj,,
public desires and attempts, a kind of heavenly ambition to
do and to gain the greatest good. The main ends of a chris-
tian are all high and noble ; the favour of God, the fellow-
ship of the Father and the Son, the grace of Christ, the
peace of the church; his traffic and negotiation is for heaven,
his language the dialect of heaven, his order a heavenly order,
innumerable companies of angels, and the spirits of just men
made perfect. A holy man, who hath the spirit of his mind
raised and ennobled by the gospel, is an agent in the same
affairs, and doth in his thoughts, desires, prayers, and emula-
tions, pursue the same high and heavenly ends, for the ad-
vancement of the glory of Christ and demolishing the king-
dom of Satan, with the blessed angels of God. His desires
look no lower than a kingdom, a weight of massive and most
superlative glory. That which other men make the utmost
point even of their impudent and immodest hopes, the secu-
lar favours and dignities of the world, these put lowest under
their feet ; but their wings, the higher and more aspiring
affections of their soul, are directed only unto heaven and hea-
venly things. They no sooner are placed in the body of
Christ, but they have public services ; some to preach, some
to defend, all to pray, to practise, to adorn the profession they
have undertaken. For, indeed, every christian hath his ta-
lent given him, his service enjoined him. The gospel is a
public treasure, committed to the keeping of every christian,
each man having, as it were, a several key of the church, a
several trust for the honour of this kingdom, delivered unto
him. As in the solemn coronation of the prince, every peer
of the realm hath his station about the throne, and with the
touch of his hand upon the royal crown declareth the per-
sonal duty of that honour which he is called unto, namely, to
hold on the crown on the head of his sovereign, to make it the
main end of his greatness to study, and by all means endeavour
the establishment of his prince's throne ; so every christian, as
soon as he hath the honour to be called unto the kingdom
and presence of Christ, hath immediately no meaner a trust
committed to his care than the very throne and crown of his
Saviour, than the public honour, peace, victory, and stability
of his Master's kingdom. The gospel is committed to the
custody of the bishops and pastors of the church to preach
it ; they are, as it were, the heralds and forerunners of
H'2
148 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL.
Christ, to prepare his way in the souls of men : to the cus-
tody of the princes and judges of the earth, to defend it, to be
a guard about the person and truth of Christ, to command the
obedience, and to encourage the teaching of it. The gospel
is the law of Christ's throne, and the princes of the world are
the lions about his throne, set there to watch and guard it
against the malice of enemies. And, therefore, it is recorded
for the honour of David, that he set in order the courses of
the priests, and appointed them their forms and vicissitudes of
service ; of Solomon, that he built, adorned, and dedicated
a temple for God's solemn worship ; of Josiah, that he made
the people to serve the Lord their God ; of Hezekiah, that he
restored the service and repaired the temple of God, that he
spake comfortably to the Levites, who taught the good know-
ledge of the Lord, that he proclaimed a solemn passover, that
he ordered the courses of the priests and Levites, that he gave
commandment concerning the portion of their due mainte-
nance, that they might be encouraged in the law of the Lord,
2 Chron. xxxiv. 33 ; xxix. 3; xxx. 1, 22; xxxi. 2 — 4, a
pattern worthy the admiration and imitation of all christian
princes. Lastly, the gospel is committed to the keeping of
every christian to practise it, to adorn it, to pray for it,
to be valiant and courageous in his place and station for the
truth of it. And for a man to neglect these duties, is to be-
tray and dishonour the kingdom of Christ, and to degenerate
from that high and public condition in which God had placed
him.
Again ; it putteth a spirit of fortitude and boldness into the
hearts of men, boldness to withstand the corruptions of the
times, to walk contrary to the courses of the world, to out-face
the sins and the scorns of men, to be valiant for a despised
truth or power of religion, not to be ashamed of a persecuted
profession, to spread out " his arms in buffeting the torrent,"
to stand alone against the power and credit of a prevailing
faction, as Paul against the contradictions of the jews, and
Peter and John against a synod of pharisees. Acts xiii. 46 ;
xxviii. 28 ; 1 Thess. ii. 2 ; Acts ii. 14 ; xxiii. 36 ; iv. 8, 12,
13, 19; v. 29, 32: and those invincible champions of
Christ, Athanasius, against the power of Constantius, the fre-
quent synodical conventions of countenanced heretics, and the
general deluge of arianism in the world ; Ambrose, against
the wrath and terror of the emperor of the world, to whom,
having imbrued his hands in much innocent blood, that holy
THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 149
father durst not deliver the blood of Christ ; Chrysostom,
against the pride and persecution of the empress Eudoxa ;
Luther, against the mistress of fornications, the princess of
the earth, and as himself professed, if it had been possible,
against a whole city full of devils ; the christians of all ages,
against the fire, fury, and arts of torment executed by the
bloody persecutors of the church. Nay, further, the gospel
giveth boldness against that universal fire which shall melt
the elements, and shrivel up the heavens like a roll of parch-
ment. " Herein," saith the apostle, " is our love made per-
fect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, be-
cause as he is, so are we in this world," 1 John iv. 17 ; that is,
we have his image in us, and his love shed abroad in our
hearts, and therefore we are able to assure our hearts before
him, and to have confidence towards him. Now, he
who hath boldness to stand before God, to dwell with
consuming fire, who can get the Lord on his right
hand, and put on the Lord Jesus, though he be not out
of the reach, or beyond the blow, yet is he above the in-
jury of the malice of men ; they may kill, but they can never
overcome him. " I am he that comforteth you ; who art
thou," saith the Lord, " that thou shouldest be afraid of a man
that shall die ; and forgettest the Lord thy Maker ?" Isa. li.
12, 13. What an invincible courage was that of Elijah,
which retorted the slander of Ahab upon his own face ; '* I
have not troubled Israel : but thou, and thy father's house,"
1 Kings xviii. 18. And that of Micaiah, against the base re-
quest of a flattering courtier, who thought God to be such a
one as himself, that would magnify and cry up the ends of a
wicked king ; " As the Lord liveth, what the Lord saith unto
me, that will I speak," 1 Kings xxii. 14. And that of Amos
against the unworthy instructions of Amaziah, the priest of
Bethel ; " Thou sayest. Prophesy not against Israel, and drop
not thy word against the house of Isaac. Therefore thus
saith the Lord ; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and
thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy
land shall be divided by line ; and thou shalt die in a polluted
land : and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his
land," Amos vii. 16, 17. And that of Jeremiah, who boldly
gave the lie to Irijah, the captain of the ward: " It is false ; I
fall not away to the chaldeans,'' Jer. xxxvii. 13, 14. The
time would fail if I should speak of the unbended constancy
(or, as the gentiles styled it, obstinacy) of Ignatius, Polycarp,
J50 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL.
Justin, Cyprian, Pionius, Sabina, Maximus, and those infinite
armies of the holy martyrs, who posed the inventions, tired
out the cruelties, withstood the flatteries, and with one word,
"We are christians," overcame all the tyrannies, quenched the
fire, and stopped the mouths of their proudest persecutors.
Again ; the gospel putteth a kind of lustre and terror on
the faces of those in whom it reigneth, and maketh them, as
the law did Moses, to shine as lights in the world, and to be
more excellent than their neighbours ; worketh in others to-
wards them a dread and awfulness. Though Jeremiah were
a prisoner, cast into a dungeon, and in such extremity that he
was there likely to perish ; yet such a majesty and honour did
God even then put upon him, and that in the thoughts of the
king himself, that he could not be quiet till he consulted
with him about the will of the Lord, and by his many confer-
ences with him made it plainly appear that he stood in awe
of his person and prophecies. So it is said, that " Herod feared
John, knowing that he was a just man, and holy, and observed
him," Mark vi. 20 ; to note, that holiness maketh men's per-
sons and presence dreadful to the wicked, by reason of that
grace and majesty which God hath put into them. The
whole council of scribes and pharisees, who afterwards
gnashed on Stephen with their teeth, were forced to acknow-
ledge the majesty of holiness shining upon him ; " They
looked stedfastly on him, and saw his face as it had been the
face of an angel," Acts vi. 15. The mighty power of the
gospel of Christ maketh unbelievers fall on their faces, and
confess of a truth that God is in those who preach it. This
we find verified in the poor astonished keeper of the prison
into which Paul and Silas had been cast ; " He sprang in, and
came trembling, and fell down before them, and brought them
out, and said. Sirs, what must I do to be saved ?" Acts xvi.
29, 30. It is true that naturally men hate Christ and his
servants ; but this is not as a man hateth a toad, (which he
can easily crush ,) with a simple hatred ; but as a man hateth
a lion, or as a malefactor hateth his judge, or as a thief hateth
the \i(r\\t, with a compounded hatred, mixed with a fear and
dread of that majesty within them : which majesty hath
sometimes shone so brightly even under torments and perse-
cutions, that it hath forced from heathen emperors a desire of
the christian's prayers ; sometimes not only astonished, but
converted the adversaries.
Lastly ; the gospel bringeth liberty and joy into the hearts
THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 151
of men with it. The Hberty is a glorious Hberty, Rom. viii.
21, and the joy a glorious joy, 1 Pet. i. 8 ; therefore the gos-
pel is called a gospel of great joy, Luke ii. 10. Liberty is so
sacred a thing, that indeed it belongs in the whole compass of
it only to the prince ; for, though other men be free from
servitude, yet they are not free from subjection. Now, the
gospel giveth a plenary freedom to the consciences of men ;
they may be commanded by their own consciences, but their
consciences cannot be commanded by any but by Christ.
The Son hath made them free from all others, that he might
only be the Lord over them.
Now then, to draw some inferences from the most useful and
excellent doctrine of the glory of the gospel, we learn from thence,
1. What liberty and what sincerity the ministers of Christ
ought to use in the administration of this his kingdom in the
word.
(I.) What liberty. The officers of a prince, who go
before him to prepare his way, make bold to strike and
to scatter those unruly throngs of men who press too near
upon his sacred person. We are the messengers of Christ
sent before-hand with his royal proclamation of peace, to
make room in the hearts of men for him, and to open their
everlasting doors, that this King of glory may enter in. We
may, therefore, boldly smite with the rod of his mouth ; we
may cry aloud, and spare not, pull down mountainous lusts,
subdue strong-holds, take unto us iron pillars, and brazen
walls, and faces of flint, to root up, to pull down, to batter
and destroy ; not to teach only, but to command with all
authority, and to commend ourselves to every man's conscience
in the sight of God. This use the apostle maketh of the
glory of the gospel; " Seeing that we have such hope," that
is, seeing in this glorious gospel we have the dispensation of
a blessed hope unto men, or the revelation of Christ, who is
unto us the hope of glory, or the assured confidence of doing
excellent works by the virtue of this so glorious a word, " we
use great plainness," or liberty, " of speech," 2 Cor. iii. 12 ;
for why should he who bringeth unto men glad tidings of
glorious things, who offers unto them the blessed hope of
eternal life, be afraid or ashamed of his office ? Though Rome
were the seat, and the emperor the first instigator, of the
persecutions of the church, yet even unto that place the apos-
tle was not ashamed to preach the gospel of Christ, because it
was the power of God unto salvation, Rom. i. 16. Therein
152 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL.
no shame in being a deliverer ; and therefore it is both the
honour and duty of the dispensers of the gospel " to speak
boldly as they ought to speak ;" and of the people to pray
that the excellent Spirit may ever accompany so glorious a
message. This was the prayer of the primitive saints for the
apostles of Christ, " Grant unto thy servants that with all
boldness they may speak thy word," Acts iv. 29. And this
duty lies upon us with a heavy necessity. For,
[1.] We are dispensers of all God's counsels; there
must not be a word which God hath commanded that we
should refuse to make known unto the people ; for the things
revealed are for them and their children. Thus we find, when
the angel of the Lord brought forth the apostles out of prison,
he gave them this command, " Go, stand and speak in the
temple to the people all the words of this life," Acts v. 20 ;
and certainly some of these words will require boldness. When
we lay the axe to the root of the tree, when we hew off
men's members, when we snatch them like brands out of the
fire, when we make them to see their own faces in the law of
liberty, the face of a guilty, and therefore cursed conscience,
there will be need of much boldness. A surgeon who is
to search an inveterate wound, and to cut off a putrified mem-
ber, had not need to be faint-hearted, or bring a trembling
hand to so great a work.
[2.3 The severest message we are sent withal, and
which men are most unwilling to hear, is for them expe-
dient. No news could be so unwelcome to the apostles as to
hear of Christ's departure ; " Because I have said these
things, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you
the truth, it is expedient for you that I go away," John xvi. 6,
7. The first news which we bring unto men is of Christ's
absence, of their false conceits and presumptions of their
being in him, of the distance and unacquaintance which is be-
tween them, of our fears of them, and of their condition ; and
in all this we are not their enemies, because we tell them the
truth. Gal. iv. 16. As it is our ofiice to speak, so it is the
people's duty and profit to hear, all things which shall be told
them of God ; for all Scripture, as well that which reproveth
and correcteth, as that which teacheth and instructeth in righte-
ousness, is profitable, and tends to the perfection of the saints,
2 Tim. iii. 16, 17 ; Deut. xii. 28. " All his precepts con-
cerning all things are right," Psa. cxix. 128. The contempt
of one is, virtually and interpretatively, in the constitution and
THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 153
preparation of heart, the violation of all, Jam. ii. 10, 11 ; be-
cause they are all grounded upon the same Divine authority,
and directed unto the same saving ends : and, therefore, we
ou^ht not to pick and choose either in the preaching or prac-
tismg thereof.
[3.] We are to answer for the blood of people, if we pre-
varicate. If we let their sins alone, they will have a double
edge, both to kill them and us ; like the mutual embracement
of two in a river, which is the means to drown them both.
•' Speak unto them all that I command thee ; be not dismayed
at their faces,'' saith the Lord to his prophet, " lest I con-
found thee before them," Jer. i. 17. " If thou speaketh not
to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, the
same wicked man shall die in his iniquity ;" (thy bashfulness
shall do him no good ;) " but his blood will I require at thine
hand,'' Ezek. iii. 18. Is it at all congruous, that men should
have boldness enough to declare their sins, to speak of them,to
proclaim them, to wear them, to glory in them, and that those
officers who are sent for no other business, but in the name
and authority of Almighty God to fight against the corrup-
tions of the world, should, in the mean time, hang down the
head, and be tongue-tied ? that men should have more bold-
ness to destroy themselves, and to do Satan's works, than we
to save them, or to serve God ?
[4.] We are to speak in the person of Christ, and in the
virtue of his Spirit. We must speak as the oracles of God, and
with his words, as if he himself did by us speak unto the people.
We must give manifestation of Christ speaking by us, that men
may be convinced that God is in us of a truth, and that we are
full of power by his Spirit, that his Spirit setteth to his seal
to authorize our commission, and to countenance our ministry ;
and therefore we must use judgment and might, that is, spi-
ritual discretion and inflexible constancy against the sins of
men ; (for these two are contrary to the two grand props of
Satan's kingdom, which are his craftiness, and his weapons of
power ;) for where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty,
his Spirit will not be straitened, neither will the Lord keep
silence, '2 Cor. iii. 17 ; Micah ii. 7. He that speaketh by the
Spirit of Christ, must speak, though not in equality, (which
is impossible,) yet in some similitude and proportion as he
spake ; that is, as those that have authority and power com-
mitted to them for the edification of the church.
[5.] A partial, unsearcliing, and unreproving minister is
n5
154 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL.
one of God's curses and scourges against a place, the fore-
runner of a final and fearful visitation. " The days of visi-
tation and recompense come," saith the Lord, " the prophet
is a fool, the spiritual man is mad, for the multitude of thine
iniquity, and the great hatred," Hos. ix. 7. If a man be
walking in the spirit and falsehood, that is, professing the
work of a spiritual man, and yet betraying his office ; or in a
false and lying spirit, prophesying of wine and strong drink,
that is, cherishing and encouraging sensual Hvers in their per-
nicious courses, he shall even be the prophet of this people,
Mic. ii. 11. And therefore, when the Lord will punish with
an extreme revenge the rebellion of a people against his gos-
pel, who judge themselves unworthy of so great a salvation,
he either removeth their candlestick, and taketh it away from
them, or else sealeth up the mouth of his prophets, that they
may be dumb, and reprove them no longer, and that they may
not be purged any more from their filthiness ; or else infatu-
ates their prophets, and sufFereth Satan to seduce them, and
to be a lying spirit in their mouths, that he may destroy
them ; as we see in the ruin of Ahab, and in the captivity of
Judah, 1 Kings xxii. 20, 23; Rev. ii. 5; Matt. xxi. 41,43;
xxiii. 37, 38 ; 1 Thess. ii. 16 ; Ezek. iii. 26 ; xxiv. 13 ; Jer.
iv. 10; xiv. 13 ; xxiii. 13 ; xxxiii. 40 ; Lam. ii. 14.
Again, as the ministers of the gospel must use liberty,
so must they likewise use sincerity in the dispensation thereof,
because it is a glorious gospel. This likewise is the apostle's
inference ; for having spent a whole chapter in this one
argument of the glory of the gospel, he presently concludeth,
" Therefore seeing we have this ministry," that is, the dispen-
sation of such a gospel committed unto us, " we faint not, but
have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty ;" that is, as
I conceive, the arts of daubing, and palliating, and covering
over unclean courses with plausible reasonings, and fleshly
apologies, (which is the manner of false prophets,) "not walking
in craftiness ; that is, not using human sleights, to carry men
about with every wind of doctrine," as sinners are very willing
to be deceived, and love to have it as false prophets say it is ;
" nor handling the word of God deceitfully," that is, falsify-
ing and adulterating it with corrupt glosses, and so tempering
it to the palate of sinners, that the working and searching vir-
tue thereof, whereby of itself it is apt to purge out and wrestle
with the lusts of men, maybe deadened, and so it may well con -
sist with the power of lusts still ; " but by manifestation of the
THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 155
truth," that is, hy such spiritual and perspicuous demonstra-
tions, as under which there can no falsity or deceit lurk, "com-
mending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of
God,'' 2 Cor. iv. 1, 2; that is, working not the fancies, or
humours, or fleshly conceits of men, (which always take the
part of sin,) but calling their very consciences, (which always is
on God's side,) to bear witness unto the truth which we speak ;
to receive it not as the wit or learning of a man, but as the
word and wisdom of God ; to acknowledge the conviction, the
judicature, the penetration thereof; and so to fall down upon
their faces, and to glorify God and report that he is in us of a
truth. And all this in the sight of God; that is, so handling
the word as that we may please and approve ourselves to his
eye, whose servants we are, and whose work we do : this is
that which the apostle calleth uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,
soundness of doctrine, such as the very adversaries themselves
shall not be able to quarrel with, or to speak against, Tit.
ii. 1, 7, 8. We must not, then, make account to adorn the
gospel with our own inventions, or with superstructions of
human wit and fancy ; though these things may, to fleshly
reason, seem full of beauty, yet indeed they are but like the
mingling of glass beads with a chain of diamonds, or of lime
with pure and generous wine ; they are indeed but lurking
places for unclean lusts to hide themselves under, or to escape
away, while the corrupt fancies of men stand gazing at that
which pleaseth them ; as Agag, when he was gloriously
arrayed, thought nothing of the bitterness of death ; or Sisera
of the nail and the hammer, while he saw nothing but the milk
and the butter. Some there are who, by sleight and cunning
craftiness, impose upon weak and incautious hearers the visions
of their own fancy, the crude and unnourishing vapours of an
empty wit, (things infinitely unsuitable to the majesty and seri-
ousness of the foundation 'in the gospel,) for the indubitable
truth of God in his word ; which (with reverence may it be
spoken) is nothing else but to put the holy prophets and apos-
tles into a fool s coat : but however these men may please and
pufF up themselves in the admiration of their own wit, yet
certain it is, that the gospel of Christ doth as much scorn
human mixtures, as a wall of marble doth a roof of straw, or
the sun at noon doth the light of a candle. And therefore,
the palate of those who cannot tolerate the naked simplicity
of the gospel, without the blandishments of human wit, who
must needs have quails to their manna, is hereby discovered to
156 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL.
be manifestly distempered with an itch of lust, and their eyes
blinded by the god of this world, 2 Tim. iv. 3 ; 2 Cor. iv. 3.
(2.) This glory of the gospel may teach us what admira-
tion and acceptation it should find amongst men, even as it
doth with the blessed angels themselves. " This is a faithful
saying, and worthy of all acceptation ;" worthy to be received
with all readiness of mind; worthy to be gazed upon, like the
star of the wise men, with exceeding great joy ; worthy to be
enamelled in the crowns of princes, and to be written in the
soul of every christian with a beam of the sun, " that Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners," 1 Tim. i. 15. In-
deed, the faithful have ever found beauty in the feet of those
that bring them glad tidings of this their King ; that is, in the
coming of this word of grace and salvation unto them, which
is the usual phrase of the Scripture, setting forth more abun-
dantly the mercy of the Lord, who did not choose one fixed
place for his gospel to reside in, and unto which all nations,
who would have benefit by it, should take the pains to resort,
as he did for the jews at Jerusalem, but hath made it an itine-
rary salvation, and hath sent it abroad to the very doors of
men, who else would never have gone out of doors to seek it.
What man, in a sad and disconsolate state, would not spread
wide open his heart, to run upon the embraces of that man,
who was coming unto him with a message of more lovely and
acceptable news than the very wishes of his heart could have
framed to himself? When Joseph was sent for out of prison
unto Pharaoh's court, when Jacob saw the chariots which were
brought to carry him unto Joseph his son, how were they re-
vived and comforted after their distresses I " When the Lord
turned again the captivity of Sion, we were like them that
dream," Psa. cxxvi. 1 : the thing was so incredibly suitable
to their desires, that it seemed rather the imaginary wish of a
dream, than a deliverance really acted ; as Peter, when he was
delivered out of prison, thought he had seen a vision. Jacob
could not at first believe the news of the life and honour of
Joseph his son ; and the disciples for very joy were not able
to believe the resurrection of Christ, Acts xii. 9 ; Gen. xlv.
26 ; Luke xxiv. 41. Now, what are all these good tidings
to those of the gospel, which is a word of salvation, which
opens prisons, and lets out captives, which brings our King
unto us, and makes us kings too, which gives us such a joy,
as the whole world cannot rob us of; " Your joy shall no
man take from you." The joy which Caligula gave unto
THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 157
Agrippa, Claudius might have taken from him, as he did
afterwards from Agrippa his son, and though he did not, yet we
see the angel did. But the joy of the gospel is unvariable ;
the angels themselves (to whom one might think the joys of
men should seem but small) call it a "great joy," Luke ii.
10. It is the joy of a treasure, infinitely more precious than
all which a man hath besides. A joy of a triumphal harvest,
and of victorious spoils, wherein there is not only an escape
from dangerous hazard, but a large reward of peace and
plenty. It is a full joy, there is no sorrow mingled with it,
nay, it is all joy, and therefore there is nothing but sorrow
without it. All joy in itself, and all joy in the midst of
opposition too. A joy in the heart like gold in the mine,
which turneth every thing about it into joy. Divers tempta-
tions take not away one scruple of it, no more than fire doth
of gold, it is all joy still. " My brethren," saith the apostle,
*' count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations," James
i. 2. It turneth the reproaches of men into riches, nay in
the midst of all other tribulations it is our peace, and our
glory; therefore, being so full of joy, when once aright appre-
hended, needs must it likewise be worthy of all acceptation
too. And therefore, the prophet calleth the time of the gospel,
" the acceptable time," or year, " of the Lord;" which Baronius
falsely understands of the first year of Christ's preaching only,
since the apostle useth the same phrase for the whole time of
evangelical dispensation, 2 Cor. vi. 2.
And indeed, if we look into the church, we shall see what
worthy acceptation this gospel hath found. Zaccheus made
haste, and received Christ into his house gladly, Luke xix.
26 ; so did the brethren at Jerusalem receive the apostles. Acts
xxi. 17 ; so did the men at Berea receive the word, Acts xvii.
11, " with all readiness of mind," or forward affection ; so did
the Galatians receive St. Paul with the honour of an angel,
yea, even as Christ Jesus himself, Gal. iv. 14 ; (for indeed
Christ and his gospel go still together ;) the man in the gos-
pel sold all he had for it ; the saints did earnestly contend for
it, and take the kingdom of heaven by violence, Mark x. 29.
Though they suffered the loss of all for Christ, yet they
counted godliness great gain still. In a shipwreck I throw
my goods overboard, and get my life for a prey ; in this case
I come no loser to heaven ; a man's life is sufficient trea-
sure in such an adventure. We are all by nature in an evil
condition, every man is a sea and a tempest to himself, as
158 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL.
impossible to escape ruin, as to put off himself. Now, in the
gospel, Christ showeth a man a way to get out of himself, and
so to escape the tempest ; showeth a way how with him he
shall walk upon the sea, and not sink ; how he shall be in the
world, and not of it, nor swallowed by it. Oh how willingly
will the man, who is convinced of his danger, cast off every
thing which would press him down, and account it a plentiful
deliverance to have his soul saved from such a tempest of
wrath as was falling upon him ! We see what hazards men
run to get temporary riches ; to the bottom of rocks for dia-
monds, to the bowels of the earth for gold and silver ; such
affections have the saints had towards the gospel. If they
must dig in mines for Christ, (it was usual to condemn
christians to work in the mines,) they were most willing so to
do, they had a treasure there which the emperor knew not of,
they had infinite more precious wealth from thence than he.
If they must fetch Christ in the fire, or wrestle for him, as for
a precious prize, with the wild beasts of the earth ; if they
be not suffered to wear Christ, except they put off themselves,
how willing, how thankful are they for so rich a bargain !
*' Look to your life," said the governor to St. Cyprian, that
blessed martyr, " be not obstinate against your own safety, but
advise well with yourself;" " Sir," said the holy man, " you are
my judge, you are none of my counsellor; do the office
which is committed to you, in so righteous a cause there is no
further need of consultation." " Take pity upon yourself;
sacrifice, and save your life,"said the officers to Polycarp; "No,"
saith the martyr, " this eighty-six years I have served Christ,
and he hath done me no harm ; I will not do what you per-
suade me." That rich and blessed virgin in Basil, who was
for Christianity condemned to the fire, and was offered, if she
would worship idols, to have her life and estate safely restored
unto her, was obstinate in her resolution ; " I shall have
more life in Christ, than in myself : all the emperors, all the
physicians in the world cannot make my life, which I have in
myself, so long to-morrow^ as it is to-day ; but in Christ my
life is not only an abiding, but an abounding life ; I shall
have more of that by losing mine own ; my life in him is an
hidden life, free from all injuries and persecutions of men ; I
shall have more riches in him than in myself, even unsearch-
able riches, which can never be stolen away, because they can
never be exhausted." It is as possible for thieves to draw
out the mines of India, or to steal away the sun out of his
THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 159
oib, as for any human violence to take away Christ from a
man. Such acceptation hath the gospel found amongst re-
nowned worthies heretofore; and the like entertainment
should we all give unto it, even prefer it above our greatest
glory, and, as the Thessalonians did, receive it with joy in the
midst of afflictions, 1 Thess. i. 6 ; abide with Christ in his
temptations, esteem his gospel glorious as the stars in the
darkness of the night, or as a torch, which blazeth most when
it is most shaken.
This alone it is whicli proves our love to Christ to be sin-
cere and incorrupt, wlien we embrace his gospel for itself, and
can therein, in any condition, see Christ full of glory, grace,
and truth ; when a man can, with St. Paul, not rejoice only
in the name and profession of the cross of Christ, but in con-
formity and obedience thereunto, in that virtue of the orospel
which crucifies him unto the world, and the world unto him.
In days of peace and religion men may easily afford to magnify
the gospel, because they get by it. The persians, who, had
the dreadful decree continued, would have been the slaughterers
of the jews, yet when leave was given to that people to deliver
themselves from the malice of Haman, even many of them
turned jews themselves, because the fear of that people fell
upon them. We may observe this affection in the woman of
Samaria ; the first reason why she gave some heed to Christ,
speaking of his water of life unto her, was, because she should
thirst no more, nor come thither to draw, John iv. 14. So
long as Ephraim might have her work and her wages together,
she was contented to do God some service, like an heifer that
loveth to tread out the corn, Hos. x. 11 ; that is, while she
had no yoke on her neck, no muzzle on her mouth, while
she was not put to plough, but to easy and pleasant service, she
was willing to yield unto it ; to note, that it is but base and
hypocritical obedience which is supported by no other than
present rewards. " They seek me daily,'' saith the Lord to
the hypocrites among his people, " and delight to know my
ways, as a nation that did righteousness ;" but the end was,
that they might have their own wills, and as it were to oblige
God to reward them ; and therefore, as soon as God seemeth
to neglect them and their services, they proudly expostulate
with him, and even reproach him concerning their works ;
" Wherefore have we fasted, and thou seest not?" Isa. Iviii. 2,
3. This then is the proof of our sincere love unto Christ,
which is not raised upon mercenary respects, when we can
160 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL.
receive the gospel with persecution. Persecution is amongst
Christ's legacies, a part of the church's portion, and of God's
gifts unto her, Mark x. 30 ; no man that will live godly can
be without them. Even in Abraham's house, which was, at
that time, if not the sole, yet the most glorious church on the
earth, there was a persecutor, and " as it was then, so is it
now," saith the apostle, Gal. iv. 29. The saints of God ever
have been, and ever will be, to the world's end, esteemed for
wonders, and marks, and madmen, and proverbs of reproach.
And hereby the Lord doth provide to make his gospel more
glorious, because he giveth men hearts to suffer scorn and re-
proach for it. To receive the word in affliction, and yet with
joy, is an exemplary thing, which maketh the sound and glory
of the gospel to spread abroad. Now then, if persecution be
thus an appendant to the gospel, every man must resolve to re-
ceive it in some affliction, when he must be put to discard his
wicked companies, to shake off his flattering and sharking
lusts, to forsake his own will and ways, to run a hazard of un-
deserved scorn, disreputation, and misconstructions in the
world, and yet for all this to set an high price upon the pre-
cious truths of the gospel still ; is not this to receive the
word in much affliction ? And surely, till a man can resolve
upon this conclusion, I am ready to be bound and to die for
the name of Jesus ; I count not my life, much less my liberty,
peace, credit, secular accommodations dear, so that I may finish
my course with joy ; Lord, my will is no more mine, but it shall
be in all things subject unto thee, — he can never give such en-
tertainment to the word as becometh so glorious a gospel. All
his seeming profession and acceptation is but like the Gada-
renes' courtesy in meeting of Christ, which was only to be
rid of him, Matt. viii. 34.
(3.) We should from hence learn a further christian duty,
which is to adorn this glorious gospel in an holy conversation,
Phil. i. 27. This use the apostle everywhere makes of the
gospel of Christ ; that we should walk as becometh the gos-
pel ; that we should in all things adorn the doctrine of God
our Saviour, Tit. ii. 10 ; that we should walk worthy of him
who hath called us unto his kingdom and glory, 1 Thess. ii.
12 ; that we show forth the praises of him who hath called us
out of darkness into his marvellous light, 1 Pet. ii. 9 ; that we
should not receive so great a grace as the ministry of reconci-
liation in vain, but that we should walk fittingly to the holi-
ness and efficacy of so exce lent a rule, as becometh a royal
THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 161
nation, a people of glory, a peculiar and selected inheritance,
even zealous of good works, Tit. ii. 14. It was once the ex-
postulation of Nehemiah with his enemies. Should such a man
as I flee from such men as you? Nehem. vi. 11. Such
should be our expostulation with Satan and our own lusts,
Should such men as we are, who have the gospel of Christ for
our rule, conform ourselves unto another law ? Is not this the
end why the gospel is preached, that we should live unto God ?
Doth it become the son of a king to go in rags, or to converse
with mean and ignoble persons ? Now by the gospel we have
that great honour and privilege given us to be called the sons
of God, and shall we then walk as servants of Satan ?
Would any prince endure to see the heir of his crown live in
bondage to his own vassal and most hated enemy ? Herein is
the greatest glory of the gospel above the law, that it is a law
of life and liberty, a word which transformeth men into the
image of Christ, and maketh them such as it requireth them
to be. So that to walk still according to the course of the
world as we did before, is, as much as in us lies, to make the
gospel as weak and unprofitable as the law. " How do ye
say, We are wise," saith the prophet, " and the law of the
Lord is with us ? Lo, certainly in vain made he it ; the pen
of the scribe is in vain," Jer. viii. 8 ; that is, the privilege of
having the oracles and ordinances of God committed unto us,
will do us no more good, if we walk unworthy of so great a
grace, than if those ordinances had never been written or re-
vealed to men.
Here then it is needful to inquire in what manner we are
to adorn and set forth the glory of the gospel. To this I
answer,
[1.] That the greatest honour we can do unto the gospel
is to set it up in our hearts, as our only rule by which we are
to walk, that we prefer it above all our own counsels, and ven-
ture not to mingle it with the wisdom and reasonings of the
flesh ; that we raise up our conversation unto it, and never
bend it unto the crookedness of our own ends or rules. " As
ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him,"
saith the apostle. Col. ii. 6 ; that is, fashion your conversa-
tion to the doctrine of Christ, let that have the highest place,
and the over-ruling suffrage in your hearts. There is all wis-
dom in the gospel ; it is able to make men wise unto salvation :
that is, there is wisdom enough in it to compass the utmost
and most difficult end. And what can the reasonino;s of the
162 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL.
flesh contribute to that which was all wisdom before, and
which can thoroughly furnish a man unto every good work ?
This glory, St. Paul (though a man of great learning, of
strong intellect, of a working and stirring spirit, qualities very
unapt to yield and be silent) did at the very first revelation
thereof give unto the gospel ; " Immediately," said he, " I
conferred not with flesh and blood,'' Gal. xvi. 1 ; I did not
compare the gospel of Christ with the principles of my carnal
wisdom ; I did not resolve to dispute against God's grace, or
to conform unto this mystery, no further than the precepts of
mine own reason, or the co-existence of mine own secular ends
and preferments would allow ; but I captivated all my thoughts,
and laid down all the weapons of the flesh at Christ's feet,
resting only on this word as a treasury of wisdom, and yield-
ing up my whole heart to be in all things ordered by this rule.
It is an horrible boldness in many men to wrest, and torture,
and distinguish the gospel into all shapes for their own lusts'
sake. As we see what shifts men will use, to make the way
of life broader than it is, by looking upon it through their own
multiplying glasses ; what evasions and subterfuges sin will
find out to escape by, when the letter of the word presseth
sore upon them. Oh how many sins might men escape, how
wonderfully might they improve the image of Christ in their
hearts, if they did, with David, make the law their counsellor,
and weigh every action which they go about, those especially
which they have any motions of reluctancy in the spirit of
their mind unto, not in the deceitful balance of human cus-
tom, but in the balance of the sanctuary, the holy Scriptures I
If they would seriously remember that they must always walk
in Christ, Col. ii. 6, make him the rule, the way, the end, the
judge, the companion, the assistant in all their works ; that as
the members of the body do nothing at all but in the fellow-
ship of the body, and as they are thereunto applied by the
same common soul which animates them all ; so christian men
should do nothing but as parts of Christ, and as actuated by
the same gracious Spirit which is in him. This is the mean-
ing of our being christians, and of that consent which in our
baptism we yield unto that covenant of Christ, that we will not
follow nor be led by Satan, the world, or the flesh, — that is,
by that wisdom which is earthly, sensual, devihsh, — but that we
will be ordered by that Spirit of regeneration, the seal of whose
baptism we receive in our sacramental washing. Oh then
what is become of the Christianity of many men, who forget
THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL 163
that they have been purged ; who live as if they had never been
baptized into Christ; who Uve as if they had never learned Christ?
What a prodigy and contradiction is it, that the tongue which
lately professed itself to be christian, and said Amen to a
most holy praver, should (like those beasts, which Seneca
speaketh of, which, by turning aside their head to some other
spectacle, do immediately forget the meat which they seemed
most greedily to eat before) break forth presently into blasphe-
mies, oaths, lies, revilings, clamours, obscenities, which are
the very fumes and evidences of hell in the heart I that those
hands which lately were reached forth to receive the sacred
pledges and mysteries of salvation, which were lately employed
in distributing alms to the members of Christ, or in helping to
lift up a prayer unto heaven, which seemed, like the hands of
Ezekiel*s living creature, to have wings of devotion over them,
should suddenly have their wings melted off, and fall down to
covetous and cruel practices again ! that those feet, which in
the morning carried men into the Lord's sanctuary, and into
the presence of Christ, should the same day turn the backs of
the same men upon the temple of the Lord, and carry them to
scenes of iniquity and nurseries of uncleanness I that those eyes,
which just now seemed to have been nailed unto heaven, and
to have contended with the tongue and the hand which should
more earnestly have presented the prayers of the soul to God,
should, almost in the space of their own twinkhng, be filled
with sparks of uncleanness, gazing and glutting themselves
upon vain or adulterous objects! What is this but for men to
renounce their baptism, to tear off their seal, and dash out
their subscription from the covenant of grace, to deny the Lord
that bought them, to repent their bargain which they had
made for salvation, and really to dishonour that gospel which
they hypocritically profess ? This, then, is the first honour
which we can do unto the gospel of Christ, when we set it up
in our hearts as a most adequate rule of all wisdom, and the
alone principle of every action.
[2.] We continue to honour the gospel of Christ by
walking in obedience thereunto as our perfect rule. In the
obedience of faith, receiving it, and leaning upon it, laying hold
on the covenant which is therein revealed, as on the only hope
which is set before us ; for this is a great acknowledgment of
the glory and praise of God when we trust in him for salvation.
Therefore the apostle, having showed the glory of Christ above
Moses, maketh this principal use of it, that therefore we
164 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL.
should hear his voice, and take heed of an evil and unbelieving
heart, in departing from him, Heb. iii. 3 — 12. We, saith he,
are to the praise of God's glory, who trust in Christ, Eph.
i. 12. Again ; in obedience of life and holiness. When for
the honour of the gospel we can deny ourselves, and dishonour
our lusts, and part from all that we had before as from dross,
and express the image of Christ in our conversation. This is
indeed the true learning of Christ, when we show forth his life
in ours, when we walk as he also walked, when as he was, so
we are in this world, when the same mind, judgment, affec-
tions are in us, which were in Christ. Thus, the faithful are
said to honour God when they sanctify his sabbath, and to
glorify him when they bring forth much fruit, Eph. iv. 20, 22 ;
1 John ii. 6 ; iv. 17 ; Phil. ii. 5 ; Isa. Iviii. 13 ; John xv. 8.
[3.] We honour the gospel of Christ by constancy and con-
tinuance in our faith and obedience thereunto ; for standing fast,
or persisting immovably in our course without sorrow or repent-
ance, is an argument of the excellency of the gospel. " Walk,"
saith the apostle, " as becometh the gospel — that I may hear
of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit," Phil. i. 27.
Lusts ever bring inconstancy with them, and make the soul
like weary and distempered bodies, never well m any posture or
condition. Wicked men flee, like bees from one flower to ano-
ther, from one vanity to another, can never find enough in any
to satiate the endless intemperancy of unnatural desires ; only
the gospel, being spiritually apprehended, hath treasures
enough for the soul to rest in, and to seek no further. And
therefore falling away from the truth, power, or purity of the
gospel is said to expose Christ to shame, and to crucify him
again. For as in baptism, when we renounce sin, and betake
ourselves to Christ, we do, as it were, expose sin unto public
infamy, and nail it on the cross of Christ ; so, when we re»
volt from Christ unto sin again, and in our hearts turn back
unto Egypt, and thrust him from us, we do then put him to
shame again, as if he were either in his power deficient, or
unfaithful in those promises which before we pretended to rely
upon. If Israel, as they consulted, should likewise actually
have rebelled against Moses, and returned in body, as well
as in heart, unto Egypt again, what a scorn would it have
wrought in that proud nation, that their vassals should volun-
tarily resume their thraldom, after so many boasts and appear-
ances of deliverance I If a man should relinquish the service
of some noble person, and apply himself unto some sordid
THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 165
master for subsistence, would not the mouths of men be
quickly open ; or their minds jealous to suspect that, however
such a man carries a high name, and there be great expecta-
tions from attending on him, yet in truth he is but a dry mas-
ter, whom his own servants do so publicly dishonour ? so,
when any men turn apostates from the power and profession of
the gospel of Christ, presently wicked men are apt to blaspheme,
and to conceive desperate prejudices against our high and holy
calling. If any man make a boast of the law, and yet break it, he
dishonoureth God the more ; for, saith the apostle, " The
name of God is blasphemed among the gentiles through you,"
Rom. ii. 24 ; so constancy in Christ's service giveth him the
glory of an honourable master, and his law of a royal law, put-
teth to silence the ignorance of those foolish men, who lie in
wait to take advantages, that they may blaspheme the name of
God, and his doctrine, 1 Pet, ii. 15, 16 ; 1 Tim. vi. 1.
[4.] The gospel of Christ is honoured by the unity of
spirit, and concurrent judgments and affections of men towards
it. When all the sincere professors thereof do unani-
mously strive together, and earnestly contend for it ; when all
that ever have been, or are acquainted therewith, do glorify it
with their suffrages and subscription ; it must needs be a glo-
rious gospel, if all that ever looked on it do so conclude. No-
thing was ever able to deceive all men, neither did so many
ever combine to deceive others. When the pliilosophers se-
verally strove for the precedence of their several sects, and
every man, after his own order, gave the next place unto Plato,
it was undoubtedly concluded that his was the most
excellent, because, after their own prejudice and personal re-
spects, it was honoured by the equal suffrages of all the rest :
how much more must the gospel needs be glorious, which
hath the joint attestation of angels and all holy men since the
world began to honour it withal I Therefore, when the apostle
proveth the greatness of this heavenly mystery, he useth a
word which importeth the consent of men, without any doubt,
or by an universal confession, "Great is the mystery of godliness,"
1 Tim. iii. 16. Doth it not much set forth the glory of a
law, that there should be so much wisdom, power, equity, ma-
jesty, and beauty in the face of it, that every true subject in a
realm should concur in a constant and uniform love and
obedience to it ? Let us, therefore, express the glory of the
gospel, not only in our joint confessions, but in our united
obedience thereunto, and in our unanimous zeal and con-
166 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL.
tention for it ; in our brotherly affections and compassions to
one another; for the schisms and disafFections of christians
bring much dishonour upon their holy profession, which in all
their miscarriages doth ever, by occasion of the unreasonable-
ness of wicked men, suffer together with them. Therefore, the
apostle, from the unity of Christ in himself, concludeth that
such he should be in his members too. Is Christ divided?
Hath he divers opinions, or hath he the truth of God in re-
spect of persons ? Such as he is, such should you be like-
wise, lest by your contentions you seem to make another
Christ, or another gospel, than that which you have received.
[3.] The gospel of Christ is honoured in our studying of
it, and digging after it in our serious and painful inquiries into
the mysteries of it. St. Paul despised all other knowledge.
and shook off every weight that he might press forward with
the more unwearied affections towards so excellent a treasure.
Surely, if men had the spirit of the apostle, or of those blessed
angels which desire to pry into the gospel of Christ, they would
not mispend so much precious time in frothy and fruitless
studies, nor waste away that lamp of reason in their bosoms in
empty and unnourishing blazes ; but would set more hours
apart to look into the patent of their salvation, (which is the
book of God,) and to acquaint themselves with Christ before-
hand, that when they come into his presence they may have the
entertainment of friends, and not of strangers. Men that in-
tend to travel into foreign kingdoms with any advantage to
their parts, or improvement of their experience, do beforehand
season and prepare themselves with the language, with some
topographical observations of the country, with some general
notions of the manners, forms, civilities, and entertainments of the
natives there ; do delight to converse with those men who are
best learned in these or the like particulars. Surely, as we
all profess a journey to heaven, a pilgrimage in this present
world, we should have our conversation now where we look
to have our everlasting abode with the Lord hereafter. Now,
in the gospel of Christ we have, as it were, a map, a topogra-
phical delineation of those glorious mansions which are there
prepared for the church ; we have a taste and description of
the manners of that people ; we have some rudiments of the
heavenly language ; in one word, we have abundantly enough,
not only to prepare us for it, but to inflame all the desires of
our soul unto it, even as exiles or captives desire to return to
their native country. Now then, if we no way desire to study
THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 167
it, or acquaint ourselves with it ; if we seem to desire the sif^ht
of Christ in heaven, and, when we may every day have a
blessed view of his face in the glass of his gospel, we turn
away our eyes, and regard it not, we do as good as proclaim
to all the world, that either our hopes of heaven are very slen-
der, or our care thereof little or none at all. And this I take
for a most undoubted truth, that there is so much of the
knowledge, grace, and Spirit of Christ, and through him of the
Father, in the holy Scriptures, (and those only are the things
which make heaven to be the home and the hope of men,)
as that whosoever neglecteth the study of them, and suffereth
the Scriptures to lie by him as a sealed book, would be every
whit as unwilling, if heaven gates were wide open unto him, to
relinquish his portion in the earth, and to spend his time in
the fruition or contemplation of that glorious country.
[6.] We honour the gospel when in our greatest distresses
we make it our altar of refuge, our door of escape, the ground
of all our hope and comfort, the only anchor to stay our souls
in any spiritual tempest, the only staff to lean upon in our
greatest darkness. Whatever other carnal comforts men may
for a time rejoice in, they will all prove but as a fire of sparks,
or as a blaze of thorns, which can yield no solid or abiding
light unto the soul. When sinners in Sion begin once to be
afraid, and to be surprised with the fearfulness of a guilty soul,
when the affrighted conscience shall put that dreadful ques-
tion, in the prophet, to itself, How can I dwell with devour-
ing fire ? How can I dwell with everlasting burning ? there
will no other answer allay the scorching terror thereof, but
that in the end of the same chapter, " The people that dwell
therein shall be forgiven their iniquity," Isa. xxxiii. 14, 24.
If thou wilt indeed be comforted, sue out thy pardon, flee to
the court of mercy which is erected in the gospel. This was
our Saviour's argument to the man that was sick of the palsy,
" Son, be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee," Matt.
ix.2. There is no worldly affliction goeth closer to the life of
a man than sickness ; and yet, as in the midst of laughter the
heart of a wicked man is sorrowful, because it is still under
the guilt of sin, so in the midst of pain and sorrow the heart
of a godly man may be cheerful, because his sins are forgiven.
To conclude this point, we may, for our better encourage-
ment in so necessary a duty, lay together these considerations :
1. In point of honour we should learn to walk as becometh
the gospel, for the gospel is a christian's glory, and therefore
168 THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL.
ought to be preserved in his heart, as his chiefest privilege.
The Spirit of God will not endure to have holy things pro-
faned, as if they were common or unclean. Belshazzar con-
verted the consecrated vessels of the temple into instruments of
luxury and intemperance ; but the Lord tempered his wine
with dregs, and made them prove unto him as cups of trem-
bling and astonishment. Now then, if the Lord were thus
jealous for the types of his gospel, how think we, can he en-
dure to see the gospel itself dishonoured by an unsuitable pro-
fession, or the blood of the covenant trampled under foot, as
if it were a common or unclean thing ; in the contempt of the
gospel there is more dishonour done unto each Person of the
blessed Trinity, than can be by any other sin. An under-
valuing of the Father's wisdom, that great mystery and coun-
sel of redemption which was hidden from former ages ; and
what an indignity is it unto him, for a man to shut out the light
of the sun, that so he may enjoy the pitiful benefit of dark-
ness, to gaze upon the false glistering of rotten wood, or of
earthly slime, the deceit whereof would be by the true light
discovered ! An undervaluing of his wonderful love, as if he
had put himself unto a needless compassion, and might have
kept it still in his own bosom. A scorn unto the Son of God,
when we suffer him to stand at our doors, with his locks wet
with the dew of heaven, to put his finger into the hole of the
lock, as if he desired to steal an entrance upon the soul ; to
empty, to humble, to deny himself, to suffer the wrongs of men,
and the wrath of God, and after all this to have that precious
blood, which was squeezed out with such woful agonies,
counted no other than the blood of a common malefactor ; nor
that sacred body which was thus broken, discerned from the
bodies of the thieves which were crucified with him. An indig-
nity beyond all apprehension to the Spirit of grace, when we
suffer him to wait daily at our Bethesda, our houses of mercy,
and all in vain to spend his sacred breath in the ministry of
reconciliation, in doubling and redoubling his requests unto
our souls that we should be contented to be saved ; while
we harden our hearts, and stop our ears, and set up the
pride and stoutness of our own reasonings, till we do even
weary him, and chide him away from us. Now, this is a cer-
tain rule, God will not lose any honour by men's sins ; if
they refuse to give him the glory of his mercy, he will show
the glory of his power and justice in treading down the proud
enemies of Christ under his feet. As they that honour him
THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL. 169
shall be honoured ; so they who cast any disgrace upon his
truth and covenant, shall be sure to meet with shame and dis-
honour at the last.
2. To avoid scandal. The gospel is the light of a nation ;
and sins in the light, as they are committed with more impu-
dence, so likewise with more offence. An offence or scandal
tending unto sin in misguiding the weak, in encouraging and
confirming the obdurate, in opening the mouths of adversaries
to revile our holy profession ; and a scandal tending unto sor-
row in wounding the hearts of the godly, and vexing their
righteous spirits with a filthy conversation.
3. We should learn to walk as becometh the gospel, even
in respect to the state, for the gospel is the foundation of true
peace and tranquillity in a commonweal ; and those who show
forth the power thereof, are, as it were, lions about the throne
of their king. By righteousness the throne is established, but
sin is a reproach unto any people. One Joseph in Egypt is
a store-house to all the kingdom; one Elisha, an army of
chariots and of horsemen unto Israel ; one Moses, a fence to
keep out an inundation of wrath which was breaking in upon
the people ; one Paul, an haven, an anchor, a deliverance to
all that were in the ship with him. And now, if the stars fall,
we must needs look for tempests to ensue ; if the salt lose its
savour, we cannot look that any thing should be long pre-
served. If christians live as if they had no gospel, or as if
they had another gospel, what can we expect but that God
should either plague us, or forsake us, either send his judg-
ments, or curse his blessings ?
4. The gospel makes sin more filthy, if it do not purge
it ; the sweet savour of the gospel maketh the sins of men
more noisome and odious in the nostrils of the Almighty.
And therefore we see what a fearful doom the apostle pro-
nounceth against those, who having tasted of the good Spirit
of God, and been enlightened, and in some sort affected with
his grace, do yet afterwards fall away, — even an impossibility
of repentance or renovation, Heb. vi. 4, 7 ; x. 26. From
which place, perversely wrested, the Novatians of old did
gather a desperate and uncomfortable conclusion, that sin
committed after regeneration was absolutely unpardonable,
to avoid the danger of which damnable and damning doctrine,
some have boldly questioned both the author and authenticity
of that epistle ; yet, all these inferences being denied, we learn
1
170 Christ's care of his church.
from thence this plain observation, — that precedent illumina-
tion from the gospel of Christ, doth tend much to the aggra-
vation of those sins which are committed against it. And there-
fore, from all these considerations, we should labour to walk
worthy of so glorious a gospel, and of so great a salvation.
III. Thus have we at large spoken of the rod of Christ's
strength, as it is an ensign and rod of majesty ; we are now to
speak a little of it as it is an episcopal rod, which denoteth
much heedfulness and tender care. This is the precept which
the apostle giveth unto the pastors of the church, that they
would take special heed to all the flock over which the Holy
Ghost had made them overseers, Acts xx. 28. And the apos-
tle again reckoneth vigilance, or care over the flock amongst
the principal characters of a bishop, 1 Tim. iii. 2 ; and he
professeth of himself, that there did daily lie upon him '* the
care of the churches," 2 Cor. xi. 28. And this consideration
atFordeth us another note out of the words, namely, that Christ
in the ministry of his gospel, and dispensation of his Spirit, is
full of care and tenderness towards his church. This Christ
maketh one main point of opposition between himself and
hirelings, that these care not for the flock, but suff'er the wolf
to come, and to scatter them, while they flee away ; whereas,
he keepeth them that none may be lost, and prayeth unto
the Father to keep them, through his own name, John x. 12,
13; xvii. 11, 12. The Lord committed the church unto
Christ as their head; gave them into his hands, not as an ordi-
nary gift, wherein he did relinquish his own interest rn
them, or care of them, (for he careth for them still,) but
as a blessed trust : entrusted them with him, as the choicest
of his jewels, as the most precious casket amongst all the trea-
sures of the creation, that he should polish, preserve, present
them faultless, and without spot before the presence of his
glory at the last day. And for this purpose, he gave him a
commandment of the greatest care and tenderness that ever the
world knew, that he should lay down his life for his sheep, and
should lose nothing of all that was given him, but should
raise it up at the last day, John x. 18; vi. 39. So that now,
want of care or compassion of Christ towards his church,
would be an argument of unfaithfulness ; if he had not been
a merciful High-Priest, neither could he have been faithful to
him that appointed him, for he was appointed to be merciful,
and was by the Spirit of God filled with most tender affections,
CHRIST S CARE OF HIS CHURCH. 171
^nd qualified with a heart fuller of compassion than the sea is
of waters, that he might commiserate the distresses of his
people, and take care of their salvation.
1. Notably doth this care of Christ show itself, in the appor-
tioning and measuring forth to every one his due portion, and
in the midst of those infinite occasions and exigencies of his
several members in providing such particular passages of his
word, as may be thereunto most exactly suitable ; for this
showeth that his care reacheth unto particular men. It is the
duty of a faithful bishop, to make such a difference between
men, and so to divide or distribute the word aright, as that
every one may have the portion which is due unto him. Some
are but lambs in Christ's flock, young, tender, weak, easily
offended or affrighted ; others are sheep, grown up to more
strength and maturity : some in his garner are but cummin
seed, others fitches, and some harder corn : some can but
bear a little rod, others a greater staff or flail, and some the
pressure of a cart wheel ; that which doth but cleanse some,
would batter and break others into pieces : some are suffering
from the pangs of a burdened conscience and the agonies of
deep contrition ; others are, as it were, new born, yet very ten-
der, weak, and fearful ; and these he gathers with his arm, and
carries in his bosom, shows them that his care doth not only
reach unto the least of his kingdom, but that his compassions
are most enlarged to those that are too weak to help them-
selves ; that he hath breasts of consolation to satisfy and de-
light, with abundance, the smallest infant of his kingdom, Isa.
Ixvi. 11. Some are broken-hearted, and those he bindeth ;
some are captives, to those he proclaimeth liberty ; some are
mourners in Sion, and for them he hath beauty, and oil of joy,
and garments of praise ; some are bruised reeds, whom every
curse or commination is able to crush ; and some are smok-
ing flax, whom every temptation is able to discourage ; and
yet even these doth he so carefully tend and furnish with such
proportionable supplies of his Spirit of grace, as makes that
seed and sparkle of holiness, which he began in them, get up
above all their own fears, or their enemies' machinations, and
grow from a judgment of truth and sincerity (as it is called by
the prophet) unto a judgment of victory and perfection, as it
is termed by the evangelist. In one word, some are strong,
and others are weak ; the strong he feedeth, the weak he
cureth ; the strong he confirmeth, the weak he restoreth : he
hath trials for the strong to exercise their graces, and he hath
i2
172 Christ's care of his church.
cordials for the weak to strengthen theirs. According unto
the several states, and unto the secret demands of each mem-
ber's condition, so doth the care of Christ severally show it-
self towards the same in his word ; there is provision for any
want, medicine for any disease, comforts for any distress, pro-
mises for any faith, answers to any doubt, directions in any
difficulty, weapons against any temptation, preservatives
against any sin, restoratives against any lapse; garments to
cover my nakedness, meat to satisfy my hunger, physic to cure
rav diseases, armour to protect my person, a treasure to provide
for my posterity. If 1 am rich, I have there the wisdom oi
God to instruct me ; and if I am poor, I have there the
oblio-ations of God to enrich me. If I am honourable, I have
there the sight of my sins to make me vile, and rules of mo-
deration to make me humble ; if I am of low degree, I have
there the communion and consanguinity of Christ, the partici-
pation of the Divine nature, the adoption of God the Father,
to make me noble. If I am learned, I have there a law of
charity to order it unto edification ; and if I am. unlearned,
I have there a Spirit who searcheth the deep things of God,
who can give wisdom unto the simple, who can reveal se-
crets unto babes, who can command light to shine out of
darkness, who can give the light of the knowledge of the
glory, fulness, and love of God in the face of Jesus Christ,
who can make me, though ignorant of all other things, to
learn Christ, in whom there is more wisdom, more various and
admirable curiosity, more filling and plentiful satisfaction,
more proportion to the boundless desires of a soul once recti-
fied, more fruit and salvation (which should be the end of
every christian man's learning) than in all other knowledge,
which either past or present ages can afford. In one word,
everywhere, and in all things, I am there taught how to want,
and how to abound, and how to do all things through Christ
that strengthens me. A christian can be set in no condition,
wherein the abundant care of Christ over him is not in the
gospel wonderfully magnified. And commonly in the greatest
straits, he showeth the greatest care, as waters run strongest
in the narrowest passages ; when we walk in darkness, and
have no light, when we seek water, and there is none, and our
tongue faileth for thirst, then is his fittest time to help us, and
then is our fittest time to stay upon him. Israel were delivered
by miracles of mercy from their Egyptian bondage, and in the
wilderness conducted by a miraculous presence, and fed with
CHRIST S CARE OF HIS CHURCH. 173
angel's food. Isaac was upon the altar, and then in the mount
was the Lord seen, and his mercy stepped in hetween the knife
and the sacrifice. Jacob in great fear of his brother Esau,
and then comforted by prevailing with an angel who was
stronger than Esau. Peter in sorest distress for denying Christ,
and he the first man to whom Christ sent news of his resur-
rection. Paul in the ship visited by an angel. Peter in pri-
son delivered by an angel. The distressed woman at Christ's
sepulchre comforted by an angel. Such as the extremities of
the saints are, such is Christ's care for their deliverances.
The care of Christ is thus further commended, that it pro-
ceedeth solely from the grace and compassion of Christ ; there
is no affection naturally in us to desire it, there is no virtue in
us to deserve it : when we were in our blood, well pleased
with our own pollution, he doubled his goodness, and used a
kind of violence and importunity of mercy to make us live ;
when we did not seek after him, when we did not so much as
ask whether he were fit to be sought, when we were aliens
from his covenant, and strangers to his name, he even then
multiplied his invitation unto us, " I said, behold me, behold
me, unto a nation that was not called by my name," Isa.
Ixv. 1. When we were weak, full of impotency ; when we were
sinners, full of antipathy ; when we were enemies, full of obsti-
nacy and rebellion ; when we cared not for him, but turned
our backs, and stopped our ears, and suffered him to throw
away in vain so many sermons, so many sacraments, so many
mercies, so many afflictions upon us ; when we cared not for
ourselves, no man repented, or said, " What have I done?" even
then did he magnify his compassion towards us ; he cared for
us, when we neglected ourselves, despised him ; he bestowed
his mercy not only upon the unthankful, but upon the
injurious.
But then a little compassion is enough for those that had
deserved none, for those that had provoked scorn and dis-
pleasure against themselves ; but herein is the care and tender-^
ness of Christ abundantly magnified, that it hath in it all the
ingredients of a most sovereign mercy, that nothing more
could have been done, than he hath done for us.
1. For the foundation and original of all mercy, there is in
him an overflowing of love, without stint or measure, a turning
of heart, a rolling and sounding of bowels, a love which sur-
passeth all knowledge, which is as much beyond the thoughts
174 Christ's care of his church.
or comprehensions, as it is above the merits of men, Hos. xi. 8 ;
Jer. xxxi. 20 ; Eph. iii. 19 ; Isa. Iv. 9 ; Jer. xxix. 11.
2. There is a study and inquisitiveness how to do good, a
debating within himself, a consulting and projecting how to
show mercy ; an arguing, as it were, of his grace with man's
sin, and his own severity ; " How shall I give thee up, Ephraim ?
how shall I deliver thee, Israel ? how shall I make thee as
Admah ? how shall I set thee as Zeboim ? mine heart is
turned within me, my repentings are kindled together," Hosea
xi. 8. True it is, thou hast been unto me as the rulers of
Sodom, and as the people of Gomorrah : but shall I be unto
thee, as I have been unto them ? Am I not God, and not man ?
shall I change my covenant, because thou hast multiplied thy
backslidings ? The Lord useth such human expressions of
his proceedings with men, as if their sins had put him to a stand,
and brought him to difficulties in showing mercy. " I said,
How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a
pleasant land?" Jer. iii. 19. Thy case is very desperate, and
thou hast stopped up the courses of my mercy towards thyself;
how then shall I make good my resolutions of compassion to-
wards those that reject and nullify it to themselves ? Surely,
there is no way but one, to over-rule the hearts of obstinate
sinners, that they may not turn away any more. Thou shalt
call me my Father, that is, I will put filial affections, awful
thoughts, constant resolutions into thy heart, and thou shalt
not turn away from me. " I will melt them and try them,"
saith the Lord ; " for how shall I do for the daughter of my
people ?'' Jer. ix. 7. The Lord setteth himself to study and
contrive mercy for his people, that as they set up their sins, as
it were, in pride to oppose his covenant ; so he gathereth to-
gether his thoughts of mercy, as it were, to conquer their sins.
3. There is constancy and continuance in this his care ; " His
mercy endureth, his compassions fail not, but are renewed
every morning," Lam. iii. 22, 23. And therefore the mercies
of David, that is, of Christ, for so he is called, or the
mercies of the covenant made with David, are called " sure
mercies ;" they have a foundation, the everlasting love and
counsel of God, upon which they are built ; they have many
■seals by which they are confirmed, the faithfulness, the immu-
tabihty, and the oath of God : if there were not continuance
in his mercies, if he were not the same yesterday, and to day,
and for ever in his truth and fidelity to bis church ; if he
Christ's care of his church. 175
should change and turn from us, as oft as we forsake lilin, if
he should leave us in the hand of our own counsel, and not
afford us such daily supplies of his Spirit, as might support us
against the ruinous disposition of our own nature, we should
be children of wrath every day anew. But herein doth the
abundant care of Christ in the gospel declare itself unto us,
that though we are worms in ourselves, full of weakness, and
of earthly affections, yet God hath a right hand of righteous-
ness, which can uphold us ; that, though we are bent to back-
sliding, yet he is God, and not man ; unchangeable in his
covenant with the persons, and almighty in his power and
mercy towards the sins of men, both to cover them with his
righteousness, and to cure them by his Spirit ; both to forgive
for the time past, and to heal and prevent backslidings for the
time to come.
4. That he might be fit for so mean and humble a service,
there was a lessening and emptying of himself; he was con-
tented to be subject to his own ; to be the child of his own
creature; to take upon himself not the similitude only, but
the infirmities of sinful flesh ; to descend from his throne, and
to put on rags ; in one word, to become poor for us, that we,
through his poverty, might be made rich, 2 Cor. viii. 9.
Amongst men, many will be willing to show so much mercy as
will consist with their state and greatness, and may tend to
beget a further distance, and to magnify their height and
honour in the minds of men : but when it comes to this exi-
gency, that a man must debase himself to do good unto
another ; that his compassion will be to a miserable man no
benefit, except he suffer ignominy, and undergo a servile con-
dition for him, and do, as it were, change habits with the man
whom he pities; what region of the earth will afford a man
who will freely make his own honour to be the price of his
brother's redemption ? Yet this is the manner of Christ's care
for us, who, though he were the Lord of glory, the brightness
of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person,
did yet humble himself to endure shame and the contra-
diction of sinners, that he might be the Author and Finisher
of our faith.
3. There was not only an humbling, or metaphoncal empty-
ing of himself, in that " he made himself of no reputation,"
but there was likewise a real and proper emptying of himself:
he therein testified his wonderful care of the businesses of man,
that for them he put himself to the greatest expense, and to
176 Christ's care of his church.
tlie exhausting of a richer treasure than any t-ither heaven or
earth could afford besides. " Ye were not redeemed," saith
the apostle, " with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from
your vain conversation, but with the precious blood of Christ,
as of a lamb without blemish, and without spot," 1 Pet. i.
18, 19. That which no man will bestow upon himself, and
that which was in nature, and might justly in love have been
nearest to Christ himself, even the soul in his body, and the
blood in his veins, he was contented to make a sacrifice for
them, who poured it out as the blood of a malefactor.
6. Besides this great price which he paid to his Father for
us, he hath opened another treasure of his grace and Spirit,
out of which he affordeth us daily supphes, and putteth into
our hands, as it were, an heavenly stock, for the better negoti-
ating and improvement of our salvation. He setteth up his
Spirit in our hearts, thereby conversing and communing with
us, teaching us the trade of the citizens of heaven, and of lay-
ing up treasures there, where our final abode must be ;
of having our conversation and commerce with innumerable
companies of angels, and with the spirits of just men made
perfect, and with all that general assembly and church of the
first-born which is enrolled in heaven.
7. To all this he addeth preparations and provisions for
the future for us ; he doth not only give, but he prepareth
things for those that love him, and whatever is wanting now
he will make it up unto us in the riches of his glory, 1 Cor. ii.
9; Phil. iv. 19. It was for our expediency that he left the
church on earth, (in regard of his carnal presence,) and went
unto his Father again ; he was not beholden to change of
place for his own glory, for his heaven was within himself as a
fountain ; and indeed it is his presence which maketh heaven
to be the place of glory: therefore St. Paul desired to depart,
and to be with Christ ; noting, that it is not heaven, but
Christ's presence, which is the glory of the saints. There-
fore, I say, it was for us that he went to heaven again ; " For
their sakes," saith he, " I sanctify myself;" " it is expedient
for you that I go away," John xvii. 19 ; xvi. 7. Expedient,
to seal and secure our full and final redemption unto us ; for,
as the levitical priest entered not into the holiest of all without
blood, so neither did Christ into heaven without making sa-
tisfaction ; he first obtained eternal redemption for us, and
then he entered into the holy place. And expedient to pre-
pare a place for us ; that the glory which is given to hiin, he
CHRIST S CARE OF HIS CHURCH. 177
may give unto us ; that, being raised up together, we may
likewise sit together with him in heavenly places ; for, when
the head is crowned, the whole body is invested with roval
honour. He, by the virtue of his ascension, opened the king-
dom of heaven for all believers ; even the fathers before
Christ entered not in, without respect unto that consummate
redemption which he was in the fulness of time to accomplish
for his church ; as a man may be admitted into an actual
possession of land, only in the virtue of covenants, and under
the intuition of a payment to be afterwards performed. Thus
we see in how many things the abundant care of Christ doth
show itself towards the church.
And as there are therein all the particulars of a tender care,
so by the gospel likewise do all the fruits and benefits thereof
redound unto the faithful.
1. In the gospel he feedeth and strengtheneth them: even
in the presence of their enemies he prepareth them a table,
and feedeth them with his rod ; and according to their coming
out of Egypt, he showeth unto them marvellous things. And
therefoj;e our Saviour calleth his gospel the children's bread,
Matt. XV. 26. It is that which quickeneth, which strengthen-
eth them, which maketh them fruitful in spiritual works.
2. He upholdeth them from fainting ; if their strength at
any time fail, he leadeth them gently, and teacheth them to
go. As Jacob led on his cattle and his children softly, ac-
cording as they were able to endure ; so Christ doth lead out
his flock, and hold his children by the hand, and teach them
to go, and draweth them with the cords of a man, (that is, with
meek and gentle institution, such as men use towards their
children, and not to their beasts,) and with bands of love, Hos.
xi. 3, 4. As an eagle fluttereth over her young, and spreadetli
abroad her wings, and taketh them and beareth them on her
wings, Deut. xxxii. 11, 12 ; so doth the Lord in his gospel
sweetly lead on and institute the faithful unto strength and sal-
vation ; he dealeth with them as a compassionate nurse with
a tender infant, condescendeth to their strength and capacity :
when we stumble, he keepeth us ; when we fall, he raiseth us ;
when we faint, he beareth us in his arms ; when we grow
weary of well-doing, the gospel is full of encouragements to
hearten us, full of spirit to revive us, full of promises to esta-
blish us, full of beauty to entice us ; when we seem to be
in a wilderness, a maze, where there is no issue, nor view of
i5
178 Christ's care of his church.
deliverance, even there he openeth a door of hope, and
allureth and speaketh comfortably unto us.
3. He healeth our diseases, our corruptions, our backshd-
ings : easily are the best of us misled out of the right way,
drawn and enticed away by our own lusts, driven away by the
temptations of Satan, the frowns or follies of the world ; pos-
sessed with carnal prejudices against the ways of God, as if
they were grievous, unprofitable, and unequal ; apt to take
every pretence to flinch away, and steal from the eye of God ;
apt to turn aside into every diverticle which a carnal reason and
a crooked heart can frame unto itself; for a corrupt heart is
like a wild beast, that loveth to have intricacies and windings
in his holes ; it cannot walk in straight paths, but loveth to
twist and pervert the rule of life. In these cases it is the care
and office of Christ to gather that which was scattered, to seek
that which was lost, to bring again that which was dri-
ven away, to bind up that which was broken, to strengthen
that which was sick, and to restore by his Spirit of meekness
those which are overtaken with a fault : his gospel is like the
trees of the sanctuary, not for meat only, but for m.edicine too,
Ezek. xxxiv. 16 ; Gal. vi. 1 ; Ezek. xlvii. 12.
4. As he healeth our diseases, and giveth us strength, so,
in the midst of enemies and dangers, he removeth our fears,
and giveth us comfort and refreshment. " I will make with
them," saith he, " a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil
beasts to cease out of the land, and they shall dwell safely in
the wilderness, and sleep in the woods," Ezek. xxxiv. 25 ;
" When the Assyrian shall come into our land, and when he
shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven
shepherds, and eight principal men," Micah v. 3 ; namely,
the ministers of his gospel in abundance, to establish the hearts
of his people against all dangers. This is that Shiloh who
should bring tranquillity and peace into the church, even when
the sceptre should depart from Judah. When the heart is
full of doubts and distresses, disquieted with the fear of God's
displeasure, accused by the law, pursued by the adversary, and
condemned by itself ; then doth he still the raging of the sea,
and command the evil spirit to be dumb ; then doth he wipe
away tears from the conscience, and refresh it with living wa-
ters, even with the sweet communion of his Spirit, and with
the abundance of his graces.
5. He keepeth a continual watch over us by his spiritual
CHRIST S CARE OF HIS CHURCH. 179
presence and protection. As Jacob testified his great care for
the good of Laban, that the drought consumed him by day,
and the frost by night, and that sleep departed from his eyes,
Gen. xxxi. 40 ; so doth the Lord commend his care towards
the church, in that he is the keeper or the watchman of
Israel, who doth neither slumber nor sleep. His presence is
with his people to guide them in their pilgrimage, and unto
which they have daily recourse for comfort and establishment. In
that great tempest when Christ was asleep in the ship, his disci-
ples awoke him and expostulated with him, " Master, carest
thou not that we perish ?" Mark iv. 38, 40. But, when he
had rebuked the wind and the sea, he then rebuked them like-
wise ; he had another storm of fear and unbelief to calm In
their hearts, who could not see him In his providence watch-
ing over them, when his body slept.
The grounds of this great care, which Christ in his gospel
testifieth towards his church, are these ;
1. He is our Kinsman ; there is affinity in blood, and there-
fore a natural care and tenderness In affection. We know that
amongst the jews, when a woman had burled an husband with-
out fruit of his body, the next of the kindred was to take care
of her, and to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheri-
tance. And If any man had waxen poor, and sold any of his
possession, the nearest kinsman was to have the first option
in the recovery and redemption of it. And from hence the
apostle argueth to prove the mercifulness and fidelity of Christ,
in sanctifying or bringing many sons unto glory, (for I take
those phrases to be In that place equivalent,) because lie was
not ashamed to call us brethren, but was made in all things
like unto us, Heb. 11. 11, 17. And we may observe, that in
the Scripture he hath almost all the relations of consanguinity,
to note that his care Is universal and of all sorts. He is a
Father ; " Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath
given me," Isa. vill. 18 ; and the care of a father Is to govern,
to nourish, to instruct, to lay up for his children. He Is
a Mother; he carrleth his young ones in his bosom, Isa.
xl. 11; he gathereth them as a hen her chickens. Matt, xxlii,
37 ; and thus he hath a care of indulgence and compassion. He
Is a Brother ; " Go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend
unto my Father, and your Father ; and unto my God, and your
God," John XX. 17. And the care of a brother is to counsel,
advise, and comfort. " A brother Is born for adversity," Prov.
xvii. 17. Lastly, he is a Husband ; " Ye are married to him who
180 Christ's care of his church.
is raised from the dead," Rom. vii. 4 ; and that word compriseth
all care, to love, to cherish, to instruct, to maintain, to pro-
tect, to compassionate, to adorn, to communicate both his se-
crets and himself. Christ is set forth unto us under all rela-
tions of blood and unity ; to note, that there can be no case
or condition of the church supposed, wherein the care of
Christ shall be impotent or deficient towards it, wherein he
is not able to correct, to nourish, to instruct, to counsel, to
comfort, to provide for it.
2. He is our Companion in sufferings ; he himself suffered and
was tempted, and this the apostle maketh a main ground of his
care towards us, and of our confidence in him; " We have not
an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our
infirmities, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without
sin;" and, therefore, "he is able to succour those that are
tempted," and to take compassion on those that are out of the
way, because he was compassed with such infirmities as
were much less grievous than the weight of sin, Heb. iv. 13 ;
ii. 17; V. 2.
3. He is our Head, and so is one with us in a nearer rela-
tion than that of affinity, in a relation of unity, for he and his
members make but one Christ. And, being the Head, he is the
seat of care, and the fountain of influences unto the rest of the
body ; all the wisdom and senses which are in the head, are
there placed as in a watch tower, or council chamber, to con-
sult and provide for the good of the whole ; the eye seeth, the
ear heareth, the tongue speaketh, the fancy worketh, the me-
mory retaineth for the welfare of the other members, and they
have all the same care one for another, 1 Cor. xii. 23.
4. He is our Advocate and Mediator, 1 Johnii. 1, 2. He
is the only practiser in the court of heaven, and therefore he
must needs be full of the businesses of his church. It is his
office to despatch the affairs of those that come unto him, and
crave his favour and intercession to debate their causes, and
he is both faithful and merciful in his place ; and besides fur-
nished with such unmeasurable unction of Spirit, and vast
abilities to transact all the businesses of his church, that who-
soever Cometh unto him for his counsel and intercession, he
will in nowise cast them out, or refuse their cause, John vi.
37. And this is one great assurance we may take comfort in,
that be our matters never so foul and inexcusable in them-
selves, yet the very entertaining of him as our counsel, and
the leaning upon his wisdom, power, fidelity, and mercy.
Christ's care of his church. ISI
to expedite our businesses, to compassionate our condition, and
to rescue us from our own demerits, doth, as it were, alter the
property of the cause, and produce a complete contrary issue
to that which the evidence of the thing in trial would of itself
have created. And as we may observe, that men of extraor-
dinary abilities in the law delight to wrestle with some difficult
business, and to show their learning in clearing matters of
greatest intricacy and perplexity before ; so doth Christ es-
teem himself most honoured, and the virtue and wisdom of
his cross magnified, when in cases of sorest extremity, of most
hideous guilt, of most black and uncomfortable darkness of
soul, which perplex not only the presumptions, but the hope,
faith, conjectures, thoughts, and contrivances which the hearts
of men can even in wishes make to themselves for mercy, they
do yet trust Him " whose thoughts are infinitely above their
thoughts, and whose ways above their ways," Isa. Iv. 8. "Who
is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of
his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him
trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God," Isa. 1. 10.
When the soul can go unto Christ with such complaints
and acknowledgments as these; — Lord, when I examine my
cause by my own conscience and judgment of it, I cannot but
give it over as utterly desperate, and beyond cure ; my bones
are dried, my hope is cut off, I am utterly lost ; my sins and
my sorrows are so heavy that they have broken my spirit all to
pieces, and there is no sound part in me : but, Lord, I believe
thou knowest a way to make dead bones live ; that thy thoughts
and ways are above mine, that thou knowest thine own
thoughts of peace and mercy, though I cannot comprehend
them ; that thy riches are unsearchable, that thy love is above
human knowledge, that thy peace passeth all created under-
standing, that though I am the greatest of all sinners, and feel
enough in myself to sink me as low as Judas into hell, yet thou
hast not left me without patterns of all long-suffering, of thy
royal power in enduring, and in forgiving sins; And now.
Lord, though thou afford me no light, though thou beset me
with terrors, though thou make me to possess the sins of my
youth, yet I still desire to fear thy name, to walk in thy way,
to wait upon thy counsel : I know there is not in men or angels
so much wisdom, compassion, or fidelity as in thee, and there-
fore, if I must perish, I will perish at thy feet, I will starve
under thy table, I will be turned away and rejected by thee,
who hast promised to cast away none that come unto thee ; I
182 Christ's care of his church.
have tried all ways, and I here resolve to rest, and to look no
further : thou that hast kept such a sinner as I am out of hell
thus long, canst by the same power keep me out for ever ;
upon thy wisdom and compassion (who canst make dry bones
to flourish like an herb, and broken bones to rejoice and sing)
I cast the whole weight of my guilty spirit ; into thy bosom I
empty all the fears, cares, and requests of my distracted and sink-
ing soul : — I say, when a man can thus pour out himself unto
Christ, he esteemeth the price and power of his blood most
highly honoured ; when men believe in him against reason, and
above hope, and beyond the experience or apprehensions they
have of mercy ; for Christ loveth to show the greatness of his
skill in the salvation of a Manasseh, a Mary Magdalen, a cru-
cified thief, a persecutor and injurious blasphemer, in giving
life unto them that nailed him to his cross : the more desperate
the disease, the more honourable the cure.
3. He is our Purchaser, our Proprietor : we belong unto
him by grant from the Father ; " Thine they were, and thou
gavest them unto me," John xvii. 6 ; and by payment from
him unto the Father; " Ye are bought with a price," 1 Cor.
vi. 20. There is no good that concerns the church that he
hath not fully paid for with his own precious blood. And
Christ will not die in vain ; he will take order for the accom-
plishing of that redemption which himself hath merited. And
this is the greatest argument of his care and fidelity, that he is
not as a servant, but as a lord, and his care is over his own
house. An ordinary advocate is faithful only, because the
duty of his office requireth it ; but the businesses which he
manageth come not close unto his heart, because he hath no
personal interest in them ; but Christ is faithful, not as
Moses, or a servant only, but as Lord in his own house ; so
that the affairs of the church concern him in as near a
right as they concern the church herself ; so that in his office
of Intercessor he pleadeth his own causes with his Father ;
and in the miscarriage of them, himself should lose that which
was infinitely more precious than anything in the world be-
sides, even the price and merit of his own blood. These are
the grounds of the great care of Christ towards his people.
And from hence we should learn faith and dependence on
Christ in all our necessities, because we are under the pro-
tection and provision of him who careth for us, and is able to
help us. A right judgment of God in Christ, and in his gos-
pel of salvation, will wonderfully strengthen the faith of men-
CHRIST S CARE OF HIS CHURCH. 183
Paul was not ashamed of persecutions, because lie knew whom
he had believed; he doubted neither of his care nor power, and
therefore he committed tlie keeping of his soul unto him
against the last day ; and, when all forsook him, l:e stood
to the truth, because the Lord forsook him not, 2 Tim.
iv. 16^18. The reason why men trust in themselves, or
their friends, is because they are assured of their care and
good will to help them ; but if men did compare the affectiona
of Christ to other succours, they would rather choose to build
their hopes and assurances on him. This consideration of
the care and the power of God made the three children
stand against the edict of an idolatrous king ; " Our God is able
to deliver us, and he will deliver us," Dan. iii. 16, 17. And
this made Abraham resolve to offer his son without stag-
gering, because he rested upon the promise and the power of
God, who was able to raise him from the dead, from whence
in a sort he had received him before, namely, from a dead body,
and from a barren womb. And this is the ground of all
mistrust, that men consider not the power and the care of
God towards them, but conceive of him as if he had for-
gotten to be gracious, as if he had cast them out of his sight,
as if he had given over his thoughts of them ; and that
maketh them fear second causes, and seek unto things
which cannot profit. And therefore the Lord suffereth
second causes to go cross, to fail and disappoint a man,
because he loveth to be glorified by our dependence on his
all-sufficiency and protection. He suffereth friends to fail,
to be off and on, promises to be uncertain, assurances to
vanish, projections and frames of businesses to be shattered,
that men may know how to trust him ; for man, being impo-
tent in himself, must needs have something without himself to
subsist upon. Now, when a man findeth the creatures to be
deceitful, and second causes vain, and considereth that God
is " I am,'' and a most certain rewarder of those that diligently
seek him, then the soul findeth it good to draw near to God,
to live under his fidelity, and to cast all its care on him, be-
cause he careth for it, Heb. xi. 6 ; Psa. Ixxiii. 28 ; 1 Pet. v. 7.
And, indeed, a right judgment of God will help us to employ
our faith in any condition. In wealth men are apt to trust in
their abundance, to stand upon their mountain, and to say, I
shall never be moved. But now, in this estate, if a man con-
ceive aright of God, that it is he who giveth strength to be
rich, and who giveth riches strength to do us good, that he
184 Christ's care of his church.
can blast the greatest estate with an imperceptible consump-
tion, and in the midst of a man's sufficiency make him be in
straits ; that he can embitter all with his sore displeasure, and
not suffer the floor nor the winepress to feed him : in great
wisdom and deep counsels, if a man consider that the counsel
of the Lord shall stand, and that he can turn the wisdom of
this world into foolishness, and catch the wise in their own
craftiness : in great provisions of worldly strength and hu-
man combinations, if he consider that God can take off the
wheels, and amaze the imagination, and dissipate the affections,
and melt the spirits, and waylay the enterprises of the hugest
hosts of men ; that he can arm flies, and lice, and dust, and
wind, and stars, and every small unexpected contingency against
the strongest opposition ; — it must needs make him set his mind
at rest, and hang his confidences and assurances upon a higher
principle.
Again ; in poverty and the extremest straits which a man
can be in, if he consider that God is a God as well of the val-
leys as of the hills; that he will be seen in the mount, when
his people are under the sword, and upon the altar ; that the
Lord knoweth the ways of the upright, and will satisfy them
in the time of famine ; that when the young lions famish for
hunger, yet even then he can provide abundantly for his ;
that when things are marvellous unto us, then they are easy
unto him ; that when they are impossible unto us, then they
are possible with him ; that he can lead in a wilderness, and
feed with an unknown and unsuspected bread ; that, when the
light of the sun and the moon shall fail, he can be an everlasting
light and glory to his people ; that as a Father, so he pitieth ;
and as an heavenly Father, so he knoweth, and can supply all
our needs ; that when we are without any wisdom to dis-
appoint, or strength to withstand the confederacies of men,
when they come with chariots of iron, and walls of brass, even
then the eyes of the Lord run to and fro to show himself va-
liant in the behalf of those that walk uprightly ; that he can
then order some accident, produce some engine, discover some
way to extricate and to clear all ; — then will a man learn to be
careful or distracted in nothing, but in everything, by prayer
and supplication, with thanksgiving, make his request known
unto him who is at hand, and who careth for him, Phil. iv. 6.
The like may be said of men's spiritual condition. When
men despair, as Cain, that their sin is greater than can be for-
given, the only ground is because they judge not aright of
CHRIST S CARE OF HIS CHUKCII. 185
God in Christ, they look not on him in his gospel as a God
that careth for them, they do not lean upon the staff of his
strength. Despair is an affection growing out of the sense of
sin and wrath, as it is an evil too heavy to be borne, and yet
impossible to be removed. All victory ariseth either out of
an inward power of our own, or by the assistance of foreign
power which is more than our own. Now then, when we
despair because of sin, this cometh first from the considera-
tion of our own everlasting disability to break through sin by
our own strength ; and this is a good despair, which helpeth
to drive men unto Christ.
Another ground of mistrust cometh from a misconceiving
either of the power or care of those who might assist us ; some-
times from the misjudging of God's power ; for the forgiveness
of sins is an act of omnipotency ; and therefore, when the Lord
proclaimeth himself a forgiver of iniquity, transgression, and sin,
he introduceth it with his titles of power, " The Lord, the Lord
God, merciful and gracious," Exod. xxxiv. 6. To pardon
malefactors is a power and royalty which belongeth only unto
princes. There is much strength required in bearing burdens ;
and therefore patience, especially towards sinners, is an act of
power, and impatiency ever a sign of impotency. To con-
ceive sin greater than can be forgiven, is to misjudge the om-
nipotency of God : but, ordinarily, despair proceedeth from the
misjudging of God's affection and goodwill towards men; the
soul conceives of him as of one that hath cast off' all care or
respect towards it. This is an error touching God's benevo-
lence, and the latitude of his mercy, and height of his thoughts
towards sinners. He hath declared himself willing that all
men should be saved, he hath set forth examples of the com-
pass of his long-suffering ; his invitations run in general terms,
that no man may dare to anticipate damnation, but look
unto God as one that careth for his soul. Let a man's sins be
ever so crimson, and his continuance therein ever so obdurate,
(I speak this for the prevention of despair, not for the en-
couragement of security or hardness,) yet, as soon as he is wil-
ling to turn, God is willing to save ; as soon as he hath a
heart to attend, God hath a tongue to speak salvation unto
him. We see then the way to trust in Christ is to look upon
him as the Bishop of our souls ; as the Officer of our peace ;
as one that careth and provideth for us ; as one that hath pro-
mised to save to the uttermost ; to give supplies of his Spirit
and grace in time of need ; to give us daily bread and life in
186 THE GOSPEL IS CHRlSx's OWN POWER.
abundance ; to be with us always to the end of the world ;
never to fail us nor forsake us.
And we may hereby learn our duty one to another, to put
on the affections of members, and the mind of Christ, in com-
passionating, considering, and seeking the good of one another,
in bearing one another's burthens, in pleasing not ourselves,
but our neighbour for his edification; for even Christ pleased
not himself. That man cannot live in honour, nor die in comfort,
who liveth only to himself, and doth not by his prayers, com-
passions, and supplies imitate Christ, and interest himself in
the good of his brethren.
Now, the ground of all this power, majesty, and mercy of
the gospel is here set forth unto us in two words : I. It is
the strength of Christ. IL It is sent by God himself. " The
Lord shall send the rod of thy strengtKout of Sion."
I. Here then we may note, that the gospel is Christ's own
power and strength, and the power of God his Father, by
whom it is sent abroad ; so the apostle calls it, " The power
of God unto salvation," and the " demonstration of the Spirit,
and of power ; that your faith should not stand in the wisdom
of men, but in the power of God," Rom. i. 16 ; 1 Cor. ii. 4,
5. Therefore in one place we are said to be taught of God,
John vi. 45 ; and in another to be taught of Christ, Eph. iv.
20,21: in one place it is called "the gospel of the blessed God,"
1 Tim. i. 1 1 ; and in another " the gospel of Christ," Rom. xv.
19 ; to note that, whatsoever things the Father doth in his
church, the same the Son doth also ; and that the Father doth
nok make known his will of mercy, but by his Son ; that as
in the Son he did reconcile the world unto himself, so in the
Son he did reveal himself unto the world. No man hath seen
the Father at any time, but the Son, and he to whom the Son
shall reveal him, John i. 18. Christ is both the matter and
the Author of the gospel. As in the work of our redemption
he was both the sacrifice, and the Priest to offer, and the altar
to sanctify it ; so, in the dispensation of the gospel, Christ is
both the sermon, and the Preacher, and the power which giveth
blessing unto all. He is the sermon, " We preach Christ
crucified,'' saith the apostle ; " v.e preach not ourselves, but
Christ Jesus the Lord," 1 Cor. i. 23; 2 Cor. iv. 5. And
he is the Preacher ; " See that ye refuse not him that speaketh.
— He came and preached peace to you that were afar off, and
to them that were nigh," Heb. xii. 23 ; Eph. ii. 17. And,
THE GOSPEL IS CHRIST's OWN POWER. 187
lastly, he is the power which enhveneth his own word ; " The
dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that
hear shall live. For, as the Father hath hfe in himself, so
hath he given to the Son to have hfe in himself. My sheep
hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me : and I
give unto them eternal hfe," John v. 25, 26 ; x. 27, 28. He
is the Lord of your faith ; we are but the helpers of your joy,
2 Cor. i.24. He is the Master in the church, John xiii. 13,
14 ; we are but your servants for Jesus' sake, 2 Cor. iv. 5.
He is the chief Shepherd, the Lord of the sheep, 1 Pet. v. 3,
4 ; the sheep are his own, John xxi. 13 ; we are but his depo-
sitaries, entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation, 2 Cor.
V. 19 ; unto us is committed the dispensation of the grace of
God. So then the word is his, but the service ours.
From whence both the ministers of the word, and they
which hear it, may learn their several duties. We should
learn to speak as the oracles of God, as the servants and
stewards of a higher master, whose word it is which we preacii,
and whose church it is which we serve. We should there-
fore do his work, as men that arc set in his stead ; preach him,
and not ourselves. There can be no greater sacrilege in the
world than to put our own image upon the ordinances of
Christ, than to make another gospel than that we have received.
St. Paul durst not please men, because he was the servant of
Christ, Gal. i. 10 ; neither durst he preach himself, because
he was the servant of the church. For hereby men do even
jostle Christ out of his own throne, and, as it were, snatch
the sceptre of his kingdom out of his own hand, boldly in-
truding upon that sacred and uncommunicable dignity which
the Father hath given to his Son only, which is to be the
Author of his gospel, and the total and adequate object of all
evangelical preaching. This sacrilege of self-preaching is
committed in three manner of ways.
I. When men make themselves the authors of their own
preaching ; when they preach their own inventions, and make
their own brains the seminaries and forges of a new faith ;
when they so gloss the pure word of God, as that withal they
poison and pervert it. This is that which the prophet calleth
lying visions, and dreams of men's own hearts, Jer. xiv. 14;
xxiii. 16; which St. Peter calls perverting, or making crooked
the rule of faith, 2 Pet. iii. 16 ; and St. Paul the adulterating
and using the word of God deceitfully, 2 Cor. iv. 2. Which
putteth me in mind of a speech in the prophet, " The prophet
188 THE GOSPEL IS CHRIST's OWN POWER.
is a snare of a fowler in all his ways," Hosea ix. 8. Birds
we know are caught with the same corn wherewith they are
usually fed; but then it is either adulterated with some ve-
nomous mixture which may intoxicate the bird, or else put
into a gin which shall imprison it ; and such were the carnal
preachers in the prophet's and in St. Paul's time, who turned
the truth of God into a snare, that by that means they might
bring the church into bondage. The occasions and originals
of this perverse humour are, —
(] .) From without, such as the seducements of Satan, unto
which, by the just severity of God, they are sometimes given
over for the punishment of their own and others' sins.
(2.) Within them, (upon which the other is grounded,) as
pride of wit, joined with ambition and impatiency of repulse in
vast desires, which hath anciently been the ground of many
heresies and schisms. Nothing hath ever been more danger-
ous to the church of God than greatness of parts unsanctified
and unalloyed with the love of truth, and the grace of Christ.
(3.) Envy against the pains and estimation of those that are
faithful. This was one of the originals of Arius's cursed heresy,
his envy against Alexander, the good bishop of Alexandria, as
Theodoret reports.
(4.) Impatiency of the spirituality and simplicity of the holy
Scriptures, which is ever joined with the predominancy of
some carnal lust, whereby the conscience is notoriously wasted
or defiled. He that hath once put away a good conscience,
and doth not desire truth in order and respect thereto, that
thereby his conscience may be enlightened, purified, and kept
even towards God, will, without much ado, make shipwreck of
his faith, and change the truth for any thriving error. And
this impatiency of the spirit of truth in the Scriptures is that
which caused heretics of old to reject some parts, and to add
more to the canon of sacred Scriptures, and in these days to su-
peradd traditions and apocryphal accessions thereunto ; and in
those which are pure, and on all sides confessed, to use such
licentious and carnal glosses, as may force the Scripture to
the countenancing of their lusts and prejudices, rather than
to the rectifying of their own hearts by the rule of Christ.
2. Men preach themselves when they make themselves the
object of their preaching, when they preach self-dependence
and self-concurrence, making themselves, as it were, joint-
saviours with Christ : such was the preaching of Simon
Magus, who gave out that himtelf was some great one, even
THE GOSPEL IS CHRIST's OWN POWER. 189
the great power of God. Of Montanus and his scholars, wlio
preached him for the comforter that was promised. Of Pela-
gius and his associates, who, though they acknowledged the
name of grace, to decline envy, and avoid the curse of the
great council of Carthage, yet still they did but shelter their
proud heresies under equivocations and ambiguities. Of the
Massilienses, in the time of Prosper and Hilary, and of some
ancient schoolmen, touching pre-existent congruities for the
preparations of grace, and co-existent concurrences with the
Spirit for the production of grace. Of the papists, in their
doctrines of indulgences, authoritative absolution, merits of
good works, justification, and other like, which do all, in effect,
out-face and give the lie unto the apostle, when he calleth
Christ an able and sufficient Saviour, Heb. vii. 25.
3. Men preach themselves when they make themselves the
end of their preaching, when they preach their own parts, pas-
sions, and designs, and seek not the Lord ; when, out of envy,
or covetousness, or ambition, or any other servile or indirect
affection, men shall prevaricate in the Lord's message, and
make the truth of God serve their own turns ; when men
shall stand upon God's holy mount as on a theatre, to act
their own parts, and as a step to their own advancement ;
when the truth of God, and the death of Christ, and the king-
dom of heaven, and the fire of hell, and the souls of men, and
the salvation of the world, shall be made basely serviceable
and contributary to the boundless pride of an atheistical Diotre-
phes. We must therefore always remember, that the gospel
is Christ's own, and that will encourage us to speak it as we
ought to speak :
(L) With authority and boldness, without silence or con-
nivance at the sins of men. Though in our private and per-
sonal relations we are to show all modesty, humility, and
lowliness of carriage towards all men ; yet, in our Master's
business, we must not respect the persons, nor be daunted at
the faces of men. Paul a prisoner was not afraid to preach of
righteousness, and temperance, and judgment to come, before
a corrupt and lascivious prince, though it made him tremble.
(2.) With wisdom, as a scribe instructed in the kingdom
of heaven. This was St. Paul's care, to work as a wise mas-
ter builder, 1 Cor. iii. 10. When Christ's enemies watched
him, to pick something out of his mouth, whereby they might
accuse him, so much depth of wisdom was found in the answers
and behaviour of Christ, as utterly disappointed them of
190 THE GOSPEL IS CHRIST's OWN POWER.
their expectations, and struck them with such amazement,
that they never durst ask him any more questions, Matt.xxii.22,
46. So should we endeavour to behave ourselves in such
manner, as that our ministry may not be blamed, nor the truth
of God exposed to censure or disadvantage ; for sacred truths
may be sometimes either so unseasonably, or so indigestedly
and incoherently delivered, as may rather open than stop the
mouths of gainsayers, and sooner discredit the truth than
convert the adversary. The apostle saith, that we are to
make a difference, to save some with compassion, others
with fear, Jude 22, 23. This is to speak a word in due
season, and as our Saviour did, to speak as men are able to
hear ; to press the word upon the conscience with such season-
able and suitable enforcements, as may be most likely to con-
vince those judgments, and to allure those affections, which
we have to do with. It is not knowledge in the general,
but the right use thereof, and wise application unto particulars,
which winneth souls. " The tongue of the wiseuseth know-
ledge aright," Prov. xv. 2. This is that heavenly craft where-
with the apostle caught the Corinthians, as it were with guile,
2 Cor. xii. 16. Such art he used towards the philosophers
of Athens ; not exasperating men who were heady and confi-
dent of their own rules, but seeming rather to m.ake up the de-
fects which themselves in the inscription of their altar confessed,
and to reveal that very God unto them, whom they worshipped,
but did not know. Acts xvii. 23 — 28. Therefore, we find
him there honouring their own learning, and out of that dis-
puting for a resurrection, and against idolatry, to show that the
christian religion was no way against that learning, or rectified
reason, which they seemed to profess. The like art he used
towards king Agrippa, first presuming of his knowledge and
credit which he gave to the prophets, and then meeting and
setting on his inclinable disposition to embrace the gospel,
Acts xxvi. 2, 3, 27, 29 : like the wisdom of the servants of
Benhadad unto Ahab, " They did dihgently observe whe-
ther anything would come from him, and did hastily catch it ;
and they said, Thy brother Benhadad," 1 Kings xx. 33. And
the like wisdom he used everywhere ; he denied himself his own
liberty, and made himself a servant unto all ; to the jew, as a
jew; to the greek, as a greek ; to the weak, as weak; and all
things to all, that by all means he might save som.e, and so
further the gospel, 1 Cor. ix. 19, 23. One while he used cir-
cumcision that he might thereby gain the weak jews ; another
THE GOSPEL IS CHRISt's OWN POWER. 191
while he forbade circumcision, that he might not misguide the
converted gentiles, nor give place by subjection unto false
brethren. " Who is weak," saith he, " and I am not weak?
who is offended, and I burn not ?" 2 Cor. xi. 29. His care of
men's souls made him take upon him every man's affection,
and accommodate himself unto every man's temper; that he
might not offend the weak, nor exasperate the mighty, nor
dishearten the beginner, nor affrighten those that were without
from coming in, but be all unto all for their salvation. The
same love is due unto all, but the same method of cure is not
requisite for all. With some love travaileth in pain, with
others it rejoiceth in hope ; some it laboureth to edify, and
others it feareth to offend ; unto the weak it stoopeth, unto
the strong it raiseth itself ; to some it is compassionate, to
others severe ; to none an enemy, to all a mother. But all this
it doth not by belying the truth, but by pitying the sinner. It
is not the wisdom of the flesh, nor to be learned of men. The
Scripture alone is able to make the man of God wise unto the
work of salvation.
(3.) With meekness, for that is the child of wisdom ; " Who
is a wise man ?" saith St. James, " let him show out of a
good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom ;" and
again, "The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peace-
able, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy," Jam. iii.
13, 17. The gospel is Christ's gospel, and it must be
preached with Christ's spirit, which was very meek and lowly.
When the disciples would have called for fire from heaven upon
the Samaritans for their indignity done unto Christ, he re-
buketh them in a mild and compassionate manner ; " Ye
know not what manner of spirit ye are of," Luke ix. 55. A
right evangelical spirit is ever a meek and a merciful spirit.
" If a man,'' saith the apostle, " be overtaken in a fault, ye
which are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meek-
ness," Gal. vi. 1. And again, " In meekness," saith the apostle,
" instructing those that oppose themselves, if God peradven-
ture will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the
truth," 2 Tim. ii. 25.
(4.) With faithfulness, inasmuch as the gospel is none of
ours, but Christ's, whose servants and stewards we are. Christ
was faithful, though he were a Son over his own house, and
therefore might in reason have assumed the more liberty to do
his own will : much more doth it become us, who are but his
officers, to be faithful too ; not to dissemble anything which
192 THE GOSPEL IS CHRIST's OWN POWER.
the state and exigence of those souls committed to our charge
shall require us to speak : not to add, diminish, or de-
viate from our commission, preaching one gospel in one place,
and another in anotlier; but to deliver only the counsel of God,
and to watch over the souls of men, as they that must give an
account.
Since the gospel is Christ's own power, we must all learn
from thence two duties :
1, To receive it as from him with the affection of subjects
which have been bought by him ; that is, first in hearing of
the v/ord to expect principally his voice, and to seek him
speaking from heaven. This is the nature of Christ's sheep, to
turn away their ears from the voice of strangers, and to hear him.
Two things principally there are which discover the voice of
Christ in the ministry of the word. It is a spiritual and heavenly
doctrine, full of purity, righteousness, and peace, touching the
soul with a kind of secret and magnetical virtue, whereby the
thoughts, affections, conscience, and conversation are turned
from their earthly centre, and drawn up unto him, as eagles to
a carcass. Also it is a powerful, an edged, a piercing doctrine,
Heb. iv, 12. If the word thou hearest speak unto thy con-
science, if it search thy heart, if it discover thy lusts, if it make
thy spirit burn within thee, if it cast thee upon thy face, and
convince and judge thee for thy trangressions, if it bind up
thy sores, and cleanse away thy corruptions, then it is cer-
tainly Christ's word, and then it must be received with such
affections as becometh the word of Christ.
(1.) With faith. If we confer with flesh and blood, we shall
be ever apt to cavil against the truth ; for he that rejecteth
Christ, doth never receive his word. A fleshly heart cannot
submit unto a heavenly doctrine. Christ and his apostles
did everywhere endure the contradiction of sinners. But yet
he claimeth this honour over the consciences of men, to over-
rule their assents against all the mists and sophistical reason-
ings of the flesh. The apostles themselves preached nothing,
but either by immediate commission from him, or out of the
law and the prophets. But his usual form was, " Verily, I say
unto you ;" noting, that he only was unto the church the Author
and Fountain of all heavenly doctrine ; that unto him only be-
longeth that authoritative and infallible spirit which can com-
mand the subscription and assent of the conscience ; that he
only can say with boldness to the soul, as he did to the Sama-
ritan woman, " Believe me," John iv. 21. And that there-
THE GOSPEL IS CHRIST's OWN POWER. 193
fore no authority, either of men or churches, either episco])nl,
papal, or synodical, can, without open sacrilege, usurp power
to over-rule the faith of men, or impose any immediate and
doctrinal necessity upon the conscience in any points which
are not ultimately and distinctly resolved into the evident au-
thority of Christ in his word. St. Paul himself durst not assume
dominion over the faith of men ; nor St. Peter either suffer any
elders (amongst whom he reckoneth himself as an elder) to over-
rule, or prescribe unto the heritage of God. It is only Christ's
word which the hearts of men must stoop and attend unto,
and which they must mingle with faith, that it may be profit-
able unto them ; that is, they must let it into their hearts with
this assurance, that it is not the breath of a man, but the mes-
sage of Christ, who is true in all his threatenings, and faithful
in all his promises, and pure in ail his precepts; that he sendeth
this ministry abroad for the perfection of the saints, and the
edification of his church ; and therefore if they be not hereby
cleansed, and built up in his body, they do, as much as in them
lieth, make void the holy ordinance of God, which yet must
never return in vain. The word of God doth effectually work
only in those that believe. It worketh in hypocrites, and
wicked hearers, (according to the measure of tiiat imperfect
faith which they have,) though it worketh not effectually; that
is it doth not consummate nor accomplish any perfect work, but
only in those that believe ; in the rest it proves but an abor-
tion, and withers in the blade.
(2.) With love and readiness of mind, without despising
or rejecting it. No man can be saved who doth not receive
the truth in love, who doth not receive it (as the prhnitive
saint did) with gladness and readiness of mind : as Eli,
though from the hand of Samuel, a child, 1 Sam. iii. 18 ; as
David, though from the hand of Abigail, a woman, 1 Sam. xxv.
32 ; as the Galatians, though from the hand of Paul, an infirm and
persecuted apostle. Gal. iv. 14. For hereni is our homage to
Christ the more apparent, when we suffer a little child to lead us.
(3.) With meekness and submission of heart, reverencing
and yielding unto it in all things. Wresting, shifting, evad-
ing, or perverting the word, is as great an indignity unto Christ,
as altering, interlining, or erasing a patent which the king hath
drawn with his own royal hand, is an offence against him.
Patience and effectual obedience, even in affliction, is an argu-
ment that a man esteems the word to be indeed God's own
word, and so receives it. He only who putteth off the old
K
194 THE GOSPEL SENT BY GOD.
man, the corrupt deceitful lusts of his former conversation, and
is renewed in the spirit of his mind, is the man who hath learned
and been taught of Christ ; who hath received the truth in him.
2. Inasmuch as the gospel is the rod of Christ's own
strength, or the instrument of his arm, (" Who hath believed
our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed, Isa,
Ixiii. 1,) and the instrument is no further operative or effectual
than according to the measure of that impressed virtue which
it receiveth from the superior cause ; therefore we should learn
always to repair unto Christ for the success of his word. For
he only is the Teacher of men's hearts, and the Author of their
faith ; to him only it belongeth to call men out of their
graves, and to quicken whom he will. We have nothing but
the ministry ; he keepeth the power in his own hands, that men
might learn to wait upon him, and to have to do with him, who
only can send a blessing with his word, and teach his people
to profit thereby.
II. Another ground of the power of the word is, that it is
sent from God : " The Lord shall send forth the rod of thy
strength ;" from which particular likewise we may note some
useful observations : as,
1. That God's appointment and ordination is that which
gives being, life, majesty, and success to his own word ; au-
thority, boldness, and protection to his servants. When he
sendeth his word, he will make it prosper, Isa. Iv. 11. When
Moses disputed against his going down into Egypt to deliver
his brethren, sometimes alleging his own unfitness and in-
iirmity, sometmies the unbelief of the people ; this was still
the warrant with which God encouraged him, " Who hath
made man's mouth ? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the
seeing, or the blind ? have not I the Lord ? Now therefore go,
and I will be thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt
say," Exod. iv. 11, 12. " I was no prophet, neither was I
a prophet's son," saith Amos, " but 1 was an herdsman, and
a gatherer of sycamore fruit. And the Lord took me as I
followed the flock, and said unto me. Go, prophesy unto my
people Israel," Amos. vii. 14, 15. And this made him peremp-
tory in his office to prophesy against the idolatry of the king's
court, and against the flattery of the priest of Bethel. And
this made the apostles bold, though otherwise unlearned and
ignorant men, to stand against the learned council of priests
and doctors of the law ; " We ought to obey God rather than
men." Upon which, grave was the advice of Gamaliel ; "If
THE GOSPEL SENT BY GOD. 195
this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nouglit ;
Imt if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it ; lest haply ye be
found even to fight against God," Acts v. 29, 38, 39. For
to withstand the power or progress of the gospel, is to set a
man's face against God himself.
2. Inasmuch as the gospel is sent forth by God ; that is,
revealed and published out of Sion, we may observe, that
evangelical learning came not into the world by humah dis-
covery or observation, but it is utterly above the compass of all
reason or natural disposition, neither men nor angels ever
knew it but by Divine revelation. And therefore the apostle
everywhere calleth it a "mystery; a great and hidden mystery,
which was kept secret since the world began," Rom. xvi. 25 ;
1 Cor. ii. 7, 9; Rom. i. 20. There is a natural theology,
without the word, gathered out of the works of God, out of
the resolution of causes and effects into their first originals,
and out of the law of nature written in the heart. But there
is no natural Christianity. Nature is so far from finding it out
by her own inquiries, that she cannot yield unto it, when it is
revealed, without a spirit of faith to assist it. The jews
stumbled at it, as dishonourable to their law, and the gentiles
derided it, as absurd in their philosophy. It was a hidden and
secret wisdom, the execution and publication whereof was com-
mitted only to Christ, 1 Cor. ii. 7, 10. In God it was an eter-
nal gospel ; for Christ was a lamb slain from before the foun-
dations of the world ; namely, in the predeterminate counsel and
decree of his Father ; but revealed it was not till the dispen-
sation of the fulness of time, wherein he gathered together in
one all things in Christ. The purpose and ordination of it
was eternal, but the preaching and manifestation of it reserved
until the time of Christ's solemn inauguration into his kingdom,
and of the obstinacy of the jews, upon whose defection the
gentiles were called in. Which might teach us to adore the
unsearchableness of God's judgments unto former ages of the
world, whom he suffered to walk in their own ways, and to
live in times of utter ignorance, destitute of any knowledge
of the gospel, or of any natural parts, or abilities to find it
out. For these things are true :
(1.) That without the knowledge of Christ there is no sal-
vation, " This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only
true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. By his
knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many," John
xvii. 3; Isa. liii. 11.
K 2
196 THE GOSPEL SENT BY GOD.
(2.) That Christ cannot be known by natural, but evangeli-
cal and revealed light. The natural man cannot know the
things of the Spirit of God, because they are spiritually dis-
cerned, 1 Cor. ii. 14. The light shined in darkness, and the
darkness was so thick and fixed that it did not let in the light,
nor comprehend it, John i. 5.
(3.) That this light was, at the first, sent only unto the jews,
as to the first-born people, (excepting only some particular
extraordinary dispensations and privileges to some few first-
fruits and preludes of the gentiles.) " He showeth his word
unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel. He
hath not dealt so with any nation," Psa. cxlvii. 19. He hath
not afforded the means of salvation ordinarily unto any other
people ; the world by wisdom knew him not.
(4.) That this several dispensation towards one and the other,
the giving of saving-knowledge to one people, and withhold-
ing it from others, was not grounded upon any preceding dif-
ferences and dispositions thereunto in the people, but only in
tlie love of God. " The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to
be a special people unto himself, above all people that are
upon the face of the earth. The Lord did not set his love
upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number
than any people, for ye were the fewest of all people; but be-
cause the Lord loved you. The Lord thy God giveth thee
not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness ; for thou
art a stiff-necked people. Your fathers dwelt on the other
side of the flood in old time, and they served other gods,"
Deut. vii. 6 — 8 ; ix. 6 ; Josh. xxiv. 2. There was no
difference between them and the gentiles from whom he ga-
thered them.
(5.) That the gospel was hidden for others in God, his own
will and counsel was the cause of it. He forbade men to go
into the cities of the gentiles, neither were they to go unto
them without a special gift and commission. The same
good pleasure was the reason of revealing it to some, and of
hiding it from others ; " Even so, O Father, for so it seemed
good in thy sight."
If all these particulars be true, needs must we both
admire the inscrutableness of God's judgments towards
the gentiles of old, for no human presumptions are a fit
measure of the ways and severities of God towards sinners ;
and also everlastingly adore his compassions towards us, whom
he hath reserved for these times of light, and out of the alone
THE MINISTERIAL OFFICE. 197
unsearchable riches of his grace, hath, together with princi-
palities and powers in heavenly places, made us to see what
is the fellowship of that great mystery which from the begin-
ning of the world was hidden in himself.
3. In that the Lord doth send forth the gospel of Christ
out of Sion into the world, we may further observe, that the
gospel is a message and an invitation from heaven unto men.
For to that end was it sent, that thereby men might be invited
and persuaded to salvation. The Lord sendeth his Son up
and down, carrieth him from place to place; he is set forth
before men's eyes, he comes, and stands, and calls, and knocks
at their doors, and beseecheth them to be reconciled. He set-
teth his word before us, at our doors, and in our mouths and
ears. He hath not erected any standing sanctuary or city of
refuge for men to fly for their salvations unto, but hath ap-
pointed ambassadors to carry this treasure unto men's houses
where he inviteth them, and entreateth them, and requireth
them, and commandeth them, and compelleth them to come
unto his feast of mercy. And this must needs bean unsearch-
able riches of grace, for mercy, pardon, preferment, life, and
salvation to go a begging, and sue for acceptance ; and very
unsearchable likewise must needs be the love of sin, and mad-
ness of folly in wicked men, to trample upon such pearls, and
to neglect so great salvation when it is tendered unto them.
Oh what a heavy charge will it be for men. at the last day, to
have the mercy of God, the humility of Christ, the entreaties
of his Spirit, the proclamations of pardon, the approaches of
salvation, the days, the years, the ages of peace, the minis-
ters of the word, the book of God, and the great mystery of
godliness, to rise up in judgment, and to testify against their
souls !
4. In that the gospel is sent from God, the dispensers
thereof must look upon their mission, and not intrude upon so
sacred a business before they are thereunto called by God.
Now, this call is twofold : extraordinary, by immediate instinct
and revelation from God, which is ever accompanied with im-
mediate and infused gifts, but of this we do not now speak ;
and ordinary, by imposition of hands, and ecclesiastical de-
signation. Whereunto there are to concur three things.
(1.) An act of God's providence casting a man upon such
a course of studies, and fashioning his mind unto such affec-
tions towards learning, and disposing of him in such schools
and colleges of the prophets, as are congruous preparations,
198 THE MINISTERIAL OFFICE.
and were appointed for nurseries and seminaries of God's
church. It is true, many things fall under God's providence,
which are not within his allowance, and therefore it is no suffi-
cient argument to conclude God's consent or commission in
this office, because his wisdom hath cast me upon a collegiate
education. But when therewithal. He, in whose hands the
hearts of all men are as clay or wax, to be moulded into such shapes
as the counsel of his will shall order, hath bended the desires
of mv heart to serve him in his church, and hath set the
strongest delight of my mind upon those kinds of learning
which are unto that service most proper and conducive ; when,
measuring either the good will of my heart, or the appliable-
nessof my parts, by this, and other professions of learning, I
can clearly conclude that such measure and proportion which
the Lord hath given me is more suitable unto this, than other
learned callings, (I suppose, other qualifications herewith con-
curring,) a man may safely from hence conclude, that God,
who will have every man live in some profitable calling, doth
not only by his providence permit, but by his secret direction
lead him unto that service, whereunto the measure of gifts
which he hath conferred upon him are most suitable and
proper.
(2.) There is to be respected in this ordinary mission, the
meet qualification of the person who shall be ordained unto
this ministry. For, if no prince will send a mechanic from
his loom, or his shears, on an honourable embassage to some
other foreign prince ; shall we think that the Lord will send
forth stupid and unprepared instruments about so great a work
as the perfecting of the saints, and edification of the church !
It is registered for the perpetual dishonour of that wicked
king Jeroboam, (who made no other use of any religion, but
as a secondary bye thing, to be the supplement of policy,)
that he made of the lowest of the people, those who were really
such as the apostles were falsely esteemed to be, the scum and
off-scouring of men, to be priests unto the Lord, 1 Kings xii.
31. Now, the qualities more directly and essentially belong-
ing unto this office are these two ; fidelity and ability. " The
things," saith the apostle, " that thou hast heard of me
among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men,
who shall be able to teach others also," 2 Tim. ii. 2.
We are stewards of no meaner a gift than the grace of God,
and the wisdom of God : that grace which by St. Peter is
called "manifold grace," 1 Pet. iv. 10 ; and that wisdom which
THE MINISTERIAL OFFICE. 199
by St. Paul is called " the manifold wisdom of God," Eph.
iii. 10. We are the depositaries and dispensers of the most pre-
cious treasures which were ever opened unto the sons of men :
the incorruptible and precious blood of Christ, the exceediufr
great and precious promises of tlie gospel, the word of the
grace of God, and of the unsearcliablc riches of Christ. Now,
it is reqiured of stewards, that a man be found faitiiful, 1 Cor.
iv. 2 ; that he defraud not Christ of his purchase, which is tlie
souls of men, nor men of their price and privilege, which is
the blood of Christ ; that he never favour the sins of men, nor
dissemble the truth of God ; tliat he watch, because he is a
seer ; that he speak, because he is an oracle; that he feed, be-
cause he is a shepherd ; that he labour, because he is a hus-
bandman ; that he be tender, because he is a mother ; that he
be careful, because he is a father ; that he be faithftd, because
he is a servant to God and his church : in one word, that he
be instant in season and out of season, to exhort, rebuke, in-
struct, to do the work of an evangelist, to accomplish and
make full proof of his ministry ; because he hath an account to
make, because he hath the presence of Christ to assist him,
the promises of Christ to reward him, the example of Christ,
his apostles, prophets, evangelists, bishops, and martyrs of the
purest time, who have now their palms in their hands, to en-
courage him. It was Christ's custom to enter into their syna-
gogues on the sabbath days, and to read and expound the
Scriptures to the people, Luke iv. 16, 31. It was St. Paul's
manner to reason in the synagogues, and to open the Scrip-
tures on the sabbath days, Acts xvii. 2 ; xviii. 4. Upon Sun-
day, saith Justin Martyr, all the christians that are in the cities
or countries about meet together, and after some commenta-
ries of the apostles, and writings of the prophets have been
read, the senator or president doth by a sermon exhort the
people, and admonish them to the imitation and practice oi
those Divine truths which they had heard read unto them.
And St. Austin telleth us of Ambrose, that he heard him
rightly handUng the word of God unto the people every Lord's
day. Yea, it should seem by the homilies of St. Chrysostom,
that he did often preach daily unto the people, and therefore
we frequently meet with his " yesterday," this and this I
taucrht you. And Origen intimateth this frequency of ex-
pounding the Scriptures in his time ; " If," saith he, " you come
frequently unto the church of God, and there attend unto the
sacred Scriptures, and to the explication of those heavenly
200 THE MINISTERIAL OFFICE.
commandments, thy soul will be strengthened, as thy body
with food." And our church, in her ecclesiastical constitutions,
hath provided for the continuance of so faithful and pious a
custom, enjoining every allowed preacher to have a sermon
every Sunday in the year, and in the afternoon besides, to
spend half an hour in catechizing the younger and ruder sort
in the principles of christian religion. The neglect of which
most necessary duty no man can more bewail, nor more urge
the necessity thereof, than those who, looking abroad into the
world, have experience of more thick and palpable darkness
in the minds of men, concerning those absolute necessary doc-
trines of the passion, merits, and redemption of Christ, and of
faith in them, than men who have not with their own eyes ob-
served it can alm.ost believe. And that too in such places
where sermons have been very frequently preached. I will
close this point with the assertion and profession of holy
Austin. Nothing, saith he, is in this life more pleasant and
easy than the life of a bishop or minister, if it be carelessly
and flatteringly executed ; but then in God's sight, nothing
more base, more vile, more damnable. And it is said of
him, that he was never absent from his episcopal service and
attendance, upon any licentious and assumed liberty, but only
upon some other necessary service of the church.
Touching the ability required in the discharge of this great
office, there are, as I conceive, two special branches thereunto
belonging.
[1.] Learning, for the right information of the consciences
of men, that men may not pervert the Scripture.
[2.] Wisdom, or spiritual pTrudence, for seasonable appli-
cation of the truth to particular circumstances, which is that
which maketh a wise builder. For this latter, it being so va-
rious, according to those infinite varieties of particular cases
and conditions, which are hardly reduceable unto general
rules, I cannot here speak, but refer the reader to the grave
and pious counsels of those holy men who have given some
directions herein. For the other, two great works there are
which belong to this high calling — instruction of the scholar,
and conviction of the adversary. Unto the perfection of
which two services, when we duly consider how many differ-
ent parts of learning are requisite, — as knowledge of the
tongues, for the better understanding of the holy Scriptures by
their original idiom and emphasis ; of the arts, to observe
connexion, and augmentation, and method of them ; of
THE THRONE OF CHRIST S KINGDOM. 201
ancient customs, histories, and antiquities of the Bahylonians,
Persians, Greeks, and Romans, without insight whereinto the full
meaning of many passages of holy Scripture cannot be clearly
apprehended; of school learning, for discovering and repellin<T
the subtilty of the adversaries, a thing required in a rhetorician
by Aristotle and Quinctilian, insomuch that Julian the apos-
tate complained of the christians, that they used the weapons
of the gentiles against them, and therefore interdicted them
the use of schools of learning ; and lastly, of histories and anti-
quities of the church, that we may observe the succession of
the professors, and doctrines hereof, the originals and sprout-
ings of heresy therein, the better to answer the reproaches of
our insolent adversaries, who lay innovation to our char<Te : — I
say, when we duly consider these particulars, we cannot suffi-
ciently admire, nor detest the impertinence of those bold in-
truders, who when they have themselves need to be taught
what are the first principles of the oracles of God, become
teachers of the ignorant before themselves have been disciples
of the learned, and before either maturity of vears, or any se-
vere progress of studies, have prepared them, boldly leap, some
from their manual trades, many from their grammar and logic
rudiments, into this sacred and dreadful office, unto which
heretofore the most learned and pious men have trembled to
approach.
(3.) And lastly, unto this call is requisite the imposition
of hands, and the authoritative act of the church, ordaining
and setting apart, and deriving actual power upon such men,
of whose fidelity and ability they have sufficient evidence, (for
hands are not to be laid suddenly on any man,) to preach the
word, and to administer the sacraments, and to do all those
ministerial acts, upon which the edification of the people of
Christ doth depend. I have now done with the first of
Christ's regalities in the text, — the sceptre of his kingdom.
Having thus enlarged upon the first thing proposed, " The
sceptre of Christ's kingdom," I now proceed to speak of the
second, which is the throne of his kingdom : " The Lord
shall send the rod of thy strength out of Sion." Which notes
unto us,
1. That the church of the jews was the chief, original, and
metropolitan church of all others. Therefore our Saviour
chargeth his disciples to tarry in the city of Jerusalem, till
they should be endued with power from on high, Luke xxiv. 49.
K 5
!202 THE THRONE OF CHRIST S KINGDOM.
The apostle saith, that they had the advantage or pre-
cedence and excellency above other people, *' because that
unto them were committed the oracles of God. To them did
pertain the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and
the giving of the law, and the service of God and the pro-
mises," Rom. iii. 1, 2 ; ix. 4. Of them was Christ after the
flesh. All the fathers, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and
writers of the holy Scriptures were of them. There is no
church that can show such privileges, nor produce such au-
thentic records for her precedency as the church of the jews.
Therefore they are called by an excellency, " God's first-born,"
and the " first fruits of his creatures," Jer. xxxi. 9 ; Jam. i.
18 ; they are called " the children of the kingdom," Matt. viii.
12, whereas others were at first dogs, and strangers. Matt. xv.
26. Their titles, Sion, Jerusalem, Israel, are used as proper
names to express the whole church of God by, though amongst
the gentiles, Gal. iv. 26 ; vi. 16 ; Heb. xii. 22. Christ
Jesus, though he came as a Saviour unto all, yet he was sent
to be a Prophet and a Preacher only unto them. Therefore the
apostle calleth him " the Minister of the circumcision," that
is, of the jews, Rom. xv. 8 ; and he saith, " I am not sent
but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel," Matt. xv. 24.
And when he gave his apostles their first commission, he sent
them only into the cities of the jews, Rom. xi. 1 1 ; the gen-
tiles were incorporated into them, were brought in upon their
rejection, and refusal of the gospel, took the christians of
Judea for their pattern in their profession, 1 Thess. ii. 14 ;
fi-om that church were rules and constitutions sent abroad into
other churche^s, as binding and necessary things. Acts xv. 2,
22. To that church the churches of the gentiles were debt-
ors, as having been made partakers of their spiritual things,
Rom. XV. 27 ; and though they be now a rejected people, yet
when the fulness of the gentiles is come in, Israel shall be ga-
thered again, and made a glorious church, Rom. xi. 23, 26.
And in the mean time their dispersion tendeth unto the con-
version of the gentiles. For though they were enemies to the
faith of christians, yet they did bear witness unto those Scriptures
out of which the christians did prove their faith ; and there
is no greater evidence in a cause, than the affirmative testi-
mony of that man who is an enemy to the cause. If the
church of Rome had such evidences as these out of the book
of God, to prove their usurped supremacy by, how proud and
intolerable would they be in boasting thereof, and obtruding it
THE CALLING OF THE GENTILES. 203
unto others, who are now so confident upon far sk'ndcrfi
grounds I
And from hence we may learn to take heed of the sins of
that people, which were principally the rejectincr of tlie Corner-
stone, and the putting off the gospel of Christ away from
them, as every obstinate and unbelieving sinner doth from
himself. This is that which hath made them of all nations
the most hated, and the most forsaken, and hath brought wrath
to the utmost upon them, because when Christ came' unto
his own, they received him not. " Because of unbelief tliey
were broken off," saith the apostle, "and thou standest by
faith. Be not high-minded, but fear, for if God spared not
the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee,"
Rom. xi. 20, 21. And we should likewise learn to pray for
the fulness of the gentiles, and for the restoring of this people
unto their honour and original privileges again ; for we are
their debtors ; we entered upon the promises which were made
to them ; and therefore good reason we have to do for them
now, as they did for us before. " We have a little sister," or
rather an elder sister, " and she hath no breasts :" the ora-
cles and ordinances of God are taken from her ; " what
shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken
for?" Cant. viii. 8.
2. This notes unto us the calling of the gentiles into the
fellowship of the same mystery which was first preached unto
the jews, that they mig])t be the daughters of this mother
church, that they may take hold of the skirt of the jew, and
say, " We will go with you : for we have heard that God is
with you," Zech. viii. 23. The church of Jerusalem was set
up as a beacon, or an ensign, or a public sanctuary, to which
the nations should flee, as doves to their windows. Of this
merciful purpose some evidences and declarations the Lord
gave before in Rahab, Job, Nineveh, the wise men, and otiiers,
who were the preludes and first-fruits of the gentiles unto
God : and did after fully manifest the same in his unlimited
commission to his apostles, " Go ye into all the world, and
preach the gospel to every creature," Mark xvi. 15.
And now alas, what were we that God should bring us
hitherto? St. Paul saith, that we were filled with all unright-
eousness ; that we did neither understand God, nor seek after
him. All our faculties were full of sin, and the fulness of all
sin was in us ; we were ruled by no laws but the course of
the world, the prince of the air, and the lusts of tho flesh, with-
204 THE CHURCH THE SEAT OF SAVING TRUTH.
out God in this world, and without any hope for the world to
come. Here, vessels of lust and poison, and fitted to be here-
after vessels of destruction and misery. We were no nation,
a foolish people, a people that sought not, nor inquired after
God ; and yet his own people hath he passed by, and called
us to the knowledge of his love and mercy in Christ. And
that, not as many other gentiles are called, who hear of him
indeed, and worship him, but have his doctrine corrupted and
overturned with heresy, and his worship defiled with supersti-
tion and idolatry : but he hath for us purged his floor, and
given unto us the wheat without the chaff; he hath let the
light of his glory to shine purely upon us only in the face of
Jesus Christ, without any human supplements, or contribu-
tions. How should we praise him for it ; and as we have re-
ceived Christ purely, so labour to work worthily in him I How
should we run to him that called us when we knew him not !
How should we set forward, and call upon one another, that
we may flee like doves in companies unto the windows of the
church ! How earnestly should we contend for this truth, the
custody whereof he hath honoured us withal ! How should
we renew our repentance, and remember our first works, lest so
excellent a privilege be removed from us ! There is no wrath
that is wrath to the utmost, but that which depriveth a people
of the gospel, and taketh away their candlestick from them.
3. It notes unto us the difference of the two covenants, the
one out of Sinai, the other out of Sion, Heb. xii. 18, 22 ;
Gal. iv. 23. At first the law proceeded out of Sinai, wherein,
though the end were merciful, yet the manner was terrible,
and therefore the effect nothing but bondage ; but after it was sent
out of Sion with the Spirit of grace and adoption, it was observed
with cheerfulness and liberty, as by those that know God will
spare them, as a man spareth his child that serveth him : for
in my bond-slave I look to the perfection of the work ; but in
my son, to the affection and disposition of the heart.
4. It notes unto us, that the seat of saving truth, the cus-
tody of the promises, and the gospel of salvation, doth still belong
unto Sion, to the church of God. Out of the church there
is no gospel, and therefore out of the church there is no salva-
tion. The apostle saith of children which are born out of
the church, that they are unclean, 1 Cor. vii. 14; unto the
church (above all congregations of men) belongeth this ex-
cellent privilege, to be the treasurer of the riches of Christ,
and to hold forth the word of life unto men, Phil. ii. 16. In
THE CHURCH THE SEAT OF SAVING TRUTH. 205
which sense the apostle salth, that it is " the pillar and ground
of the truth," 1 Tim. iii. 15; not that which givoth hoing to
the truth, for the law must not fail nor perish ; nor that which
giveth authority, imposeth a sense, canonlzeth and niaketh
authentic, is a judge or ahsolute determiner of the truth ; for
in that sense the church is held up hy the word, and not the
word by the church, for the church is built upon the founda-
tion of the prophets and apostles, Eph. ii. 20; namely,, upon
that fundamental doctrine which tliey have laid : but the
church is the depository of the truth, that orb out of wliich
this glorious light shines forth ; unto it appertains the cove-
nants and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and
the promises. Her office and her honour it is to be the can-
dlestick which holdeth up the word of truth, to set to her seal
unto the evidence and excellency thereof; by her ministry,
authority, consent, and countenance to conciliate respect there-
unto in the minds of ahens, and to confirm it in the minds of
unbelievers ; to fasten the nails and points thereof, like mas-
ters of the assemblies under one principal shepherd, who is
Christ, in the hearts of men. Not to dishonour it by their
usurped authority above it, (for by that means all controversies
of religion are turned not into means to discover doctrine, that
may be rested in, which doth appear to have in it most
intrinsical majesty, spirituality, and evidence ; but into fac-
tions and emulations of men, which that sect may rest in,
who can with most impudence and ostentation arrogate an
usurped authority to themselves,) but by their willing submis-
sion thereunto, to credit it in the affections of men, and to es-
tablish others in the love and o])edience thereunto : for the
authority of the church is not an authority of jurisdiction
above the Scriptures ; but only an authority of dispensation
and of trust, to proclaim, exhibit, and present the truth of G(k1
unto the people ; to point to the star, which is directed unto
by the finger, but is seen by the evidence of its own light.
To hold forth, as a pillar, that law, and proclamation of
Christ, the contents whereof we discover out of itself. In one
word, that place showeth the duty of the church to preserve
knowledge, and to show forth the truth of sacred Scriptures
out of themselves; but not any infallibility in itself, or autho-
rity over others, to bind their consciences to assent unto such
expositions of Scripture, as derive not their evidence from the
harmony and analogy of the Scriptures themselves, but only
because the church hath spoken it.
206 THE CHURCH THE SEAT OF SAVING TRUTH.
To conclude this point, we are to note for the clear understand-
ing of the office of the church concerning the holy Scriptures :
(1.) That some things therein are "Hard to be understood,"
as St. Peter speaks, 2 Peter iii. 16, either by reason of their
allegorical and figurative expressions, as the visions of Eze-
kiel, Daniel, Zechariah, &c.; or by reason of the obscure and
strange connexion of one part with another, or of the de-
pendence thereof upon foreign learning, or the like. But then
we must note, that the knowledge of such things as these, is
not of absolute necessity unto salvation ; for though the per-
verting of hard places be damnable, (as St. Peter telleth us.)
yet that ignorance of them which groweth out of their own
obscurity, and not out of our neglect, is not damnable.
(2.) Some things have evidence enough in the terms that
express them, but yet are hard to be believed, by reason of the
supernatural quality of them. As when we say that Christ
was the son of a virgin, or that he died and rose again, there
is no difficulty in the sense of these things, it is easily under-
stood what he that affiimeth them doth mean by them. All
the difficulty is to bring the mind to give assent unto them.
(3.) Some things, though easy in their sense to be understood,
and it may be easy likewise in their nature to be believed, are yet
hard to be obeyed and practised, as repentance, and forsaking
of sin. Now, according unto these differences we may con-
ceive of the office and power which the church hath in
matters of holy Scripture.
[ 1 .] For hard places in regard of the sense and meaning of
the place, it is the duty of the church to open them to God's
people with modesty and moderation ; and therein God al-
loweth the learned a christian liberty, (with submission of
their opinions always to the spirits of the prophets, so long as
they do therein nothing contrary to the analogy of faith, to the
general peace and unity of the church, to the rules of charity,
piety, loyalty, and sobriety,) to abound in their own sense, and
to declare, for the further edifying of the church, what they
conceive to be in such difficult places principally intended.
And further than this no church nor person can go ; for if
unto any man or chair there were annexed an infallible spirit,
enabling him to give such a clear and indubitable exposition of
all holy Scriptures, as should leave no obscurity in the text,
nor hesitancy in the minds of men, how comes it to pass that
hitherto so many difficulties remain, wherein even our adver-
saries amongst themselves do give several conjectures and ex-
THE CHURCH THE SEAT OF SAVING TRUTH. 207
plications ? and how can that man, to whom so excellent a
gift of infallibility is bestowed, clear himself of envy, and
abuse of the grace of God, who maketh not use thereof
to expound the Scriptures, and to compose those differences
thereabouts, which do so much perplex the world ?
[2.] For those places which in their meaning are easy to be
understood, but in their excellent and high nature hard to be
believed, (as all articles of faith, and things of absolute ne-
cessity are in their terms perspicuous, but in their heavenly
nature obscure unto human reason,) the office of the church is
not to bind men's consciences to believe those truths u})on her
authority ; for we have not dominion over the faith of men,
neither are we lords in Christ's flock ; and how shall any
scrupulous mind, which is desirous to swallow things to the
bran^ be secure of the power which the church in this case
arrogates, or have any certainty that this society of men must
be believed in their religion, who will allow the same honour
to no society of men but themselves ? But in this case the
office of the church is, both to labour by all good means to
evidence the credibility of the things which are to be believed ;
to discover unto men those essential and intimate beauties of
the gospel, which to spiritual minds and hearts, raised to
such a proportionable pitch of capacity as are suitable to the
excellency of their natures, are apt to evidence and notify
themselves ; and also to labour to take men off from depend-
ence on their own reason or corrupted judgment ; to work in
their heart an experience of the Spirit of grace, and an obe-
dience to those holy truths which they already assent unto ;
with which preparations and persuasions, the heart being pos-
sessed, will in due time come to observe more clearly, by that
spiritual eye, the evidence of those things which were at first
so difficult. So then the act of the church is, in matters of
faith, an act of introduction and guidance ; but that which
begetteth the infallible and unquestionable assent of faith, is
that spiritual taste, relish, and experience of the heavenly
sweetness of divine doctrine, which by the ministry of the
church, accompanied with the special concurrence of Al-
mighty God therewith, is wrought in the heart ; for It is only
the Soirit of God which writeth the law in men's hearts, which
searcheth the things of God, and which maketh us to know
them, •
[3.] For those places which are difficult,rather to be obeyed
than to be understood, the work of the church is to enforce
208 THE CHURCH THE SEAT OF SAVING TRUTH.
upon the conscience the necessity of them, to persuade, re-
buke, exhort, and encourage with all authority.
Which should teach us all to love the church of Christ,
and to pray for the peace and prosperity of the walls of Sion ;
for the purity, spirituality, power, and countenance of the
word therein, which is able to hold up its own honour in the
minds of men, if it be but faithfully published. We should
therefore study to maintain, to credit, to promote the gospel ;
to encourage truth, to discountenance error ; to stand in the
gap against all the stratagems and advantages of the enemies
thereof, and to hold the candlestick fast amongst us ; to buy
the truth, and sell it not, betray it not, forsake it not, temper
it not, misguise it not. This is to be a pillar, and to sus-
tain the gospel of Christ. And surely, though the pa-
pists boast of the word and name of the church, (as none
more apt to justify and boast of their sobriety, than those
whom the wine hath overtaken,) yet the plain truth is, they
have far less of the nature thereof, than any other churches,
because far less of the pure service and ministration thereof.
For instead of holding forth the word of life, they pull it down,
denying unto the people of Christ the use of his gospel,
halving the use of his sacrament, breeding them up in an ig-
norant worship, to beg they know not what, in all points dis-
gracing the word of truth, and robbing it of its certainty, suf-
ficiency, perspicuity, authority, purity, and energy in the
minds of men. And this is certain, the more they set them-
selves against the light and general knowledge of the word of
truth, the less of the nature of the church they have in them,
whatever ostentation they may make of the name thereof.
The last thing observed in this second verse amongst the
regalities of Christ, was his rule and government in his church
by his holy word, notwithstanding all the attempts and ma-
chinations of the enemies thereof against it : " Rule thou in
the midst of thine enemies ;" that is, thou shalt rule safely,
securely, undisturbedly, without danger, fear, or hazard from
the enemies round about ; their counsels shall be infatuated,
their purposes shall vanish, their decrees shall not stand ;
their persecutors shall but sow the blood of Christ, and the
ashes of christians the thicker ; they shall see it, and gnash
with their teeth, and gnaw their tongues, and be horribly
amazed at the emulation and triumph of a christian's suffer-
ings over the malice and wrath of men.
THE STABILITY OF THE CHUHCII. 209
The kingdom of Christ is two-fold ; h.is kingdom of glory,
of which there shall he no end, when he shall rule over his
enemies, and tread them under his feet: and his kin<r(iom of
grace, whereb}' he ruleth among his enemies, by thcT sceptre
of his word. And this is the kingdom here spoken of; noting
unto us, that Christ will have a church and piopie gathered
unto him by the preaching of his gospel on the earth, not-
withstanding all the malice, power, or policy of all his ene-
mies. Never was Satan so loose ; never heresy and darkness
so thick, never persecution so prevalent, never the tail of the
dragon so long, as to sweep away all the stars of heaven, or to
devour the remnant of the woman's seed. The o-ates of hell,
all the policy, power, and machinations of the kino-dom of
darkness shall never root out the vine which the Father hath
planted, nor prevail against the body of Christ. His gospel
must be preached to the world's end, and till then he will be
with it to give it success. Though the kings of the earth
stand up, and the rulers gather together against the Lord and
his Christ ; yet they imagine but a vain thing, and He that
sitteth in heaven shall laugh them to seorn.
The grounds of the certainty and perpetuity of Christ's
evangelical kingdom, is not the nature of the church in itself
considered, either in the whole or parts ; for Adam and Eve
were a church at first, a people that were under the law of
obedience and worship to God, and yet they fell away from
that excellent condition. And the prophet tells us, that ex-
cept the Lord had left a very small remnant, the church had
been all as Sodom and like to Gomorrah, Isa. i. 9. But the
grounds hereof are, L The decree, ordination, and appoint-
ment of God, Psa. ii. 7 ; Acts x. 42 ; Heb. iii. 2 ; and we
know, whatever men project, the counsel of the Lord must
stand. 2. God's gift unto Christ : '' Ask of me, and I shall
give thee the heathen for thine inheritance," Psa. ii. 8.
" Thine they were, and thou gavest them me," John xvii, 6.
*' My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all ; and
no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand,"
John x. 29. 3. God s oath, which is the seal of his irre-
versible decree and covenant with Christ . " Once have I
sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His
seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before
me," .Psa, Ixxxix. 35, 36. 4. Christ's own purchase and
price which he paid for it. The apostle saith, Christ died not in
vain, Gal. ii. 21 ; and the virtue of his blood lasteth to the end ol
210 THE STABILITY OF THE CHURCH.
the world ; for as his blood was shed from the beginning of
the world, in regard of God's decree, so doth it continue to
the end, in regard of its own merit and efHcacy : so long as he
sitteth at the right hand of God, which must be till the time
of the restitution of all things, the merit of his blood shall
work amongst men. 5. Christ's own power, to keep in-
violable the propriety he hath gotten : " My sheep hear my
voice ; and I give unto them eternal life ; and they shall
never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my
hand," John x. 27, 28. 6. The Father's command unto his
Son : " This is the Father's will, that of all which he hath
given me, I should lose nothing," John vi. 39. 7. Christ's
love and care. The church is his spouse, under his cover-
ture and protection ; and therefore as he hath power and office,
so he hath delight to preserve it still. His love is better able
to help, than the malice of the enemy is to hurt. 8. Christ's
intercession, which is not for the world, but for those whom
God hath given him out of the world, and those he demandeth
of his Father, (who heareth him always,) in virtue of that cove-
nant which between them was ratified, on God's part by a
promise and oath, and on Christ's part by a merit and pur-
chase. Now, Christ's intercession shall last till his return-
ing to judge the world, and therefore still he must have a
church, for whom to intercede. 9. Christ's own promise to
be with the preaching of his gospel ; that is, to give it assist-
ance and success, for the gathering together and perfecting of
the saints, unto the end of the world. Matt, xxviii. 20.
Here then may be answered two great questions :
1. Whether the church may fail upon the earth or not ? To
which I answer, that the church may be taken either mysti-
cally, spiritually, and universally ; and in that sense it can
never fail, but there must be upon the earth a true church of
Christ, not only by the certainty of the event, which is on all
sides agreed ; but by a certainty growing out of those
irresistible causes upon which the being of the mystical body
of Christ on the earth dependeth. Or it may be considered
particularly in the several parts and places of the world where
the gospel is planted ; and hierarchically and politically, de-
noting a company of men, professing the faith of Christ, and
reduced into a quiet, peaceable, composed and conspicuous
government ; and so we affirm that there is no church in the
world so safe, but that it may fail, and be extinguished out of
its place. The church of the jews did, and after them any
THE STABILITY OF THE CHURCH. 211
may. Else the apostle's argument even to the Roman
church itself (which was then a famous church throughout
the world; and of that passage in the apostle, Baronius makes
a long boast) were very weak, when from tlie greater to the
less, he thus argueth, " Be not high-minded, but fear ; for if
God spared not the natural brandies, take heed lest he also
spare not thee," Rom. xi. 20, 21, Thus we find the ten
tribes in their apostacy, till they became Lo-ammi, to be no
more a people ; and their brethren afterwards full into their con-
dition. " Wrath,' saith the apostle, " iscome Uj)oii them to the
uttermost," 1 Thess. ii. 16. And he telleth us, that the
man of sin, the son of perdition, should be revealed by apos-
tacy ; to note unto us that antichrist was to be generated out
of the corruption or falling away of some eminent church, and
that by a mysterious and insensible declination.
2, A second question which may be made, is this, — That
since the church doth not totally fail from off the earth,
whether that which remaineth thereof be always visible ? To
which we answer, that if we take the church for the spiritual
and mystical body of Christ, which is indeed the house of God,
so it is, in a sort, still invisible, because the qualities and
principles which constitute a man in the bodv of Christ, as
faith, and the Spirit of grace, are invisible things. Seen in-
deed they may be by an eye of charity, in their fruits, but not
by an eye of certainty in their own infallible being. But if
we take the church for a company of men professing the true
doctrine of Christ, we answer, that take the men in them-
selves so truly professing, and it is impossible but their faith
should show itself in the fruits thereof; for the kingdom of
Christ is in the heart like leaven, which will manifest itself
in the whole lump ; and so we can in all, even in the worst ages
of the church, show some who have witnessed the truth
against that deluge of ignorance, error, and idolatry which
have invaded the world, like gray hairs here and there mingled
on a black head. As if you single out fire from the ashes it
will be seen by its own evidence, though it may be so raked
up that it is not observed. But then, if we speak of these
men in the aggregate, as concurring to make up a distinct ex-
ternal body, or church, so we say, that the professors of the
truth may be so few, and they persecuted, traduced, suppressed,
cried down, driven into the wilderness, without any apparent,
separated conspicuousness, and government of its own, (as in
the time of Constantius the emperor the public professors of
212 THE STABILITY OF THE CHURCH.
the Divinity of Christ's person, against the damnable heresy of
the Arians were used,) as that in this sense we may justly
deny the church to have been always visible ; that is, the few
true professors of Christ in power and purity to have had a
free, open, uncontrolled, distinct ecclesiastical body of their
own, notoriously and in the sight of men different from that
tyrannical and pompous hierarchy under which they suffered :
for though Christ rule, yet it is in the midst of his enemies ;
and the enemies may be so many, and Christ's subjects in
whom he rules so few, that the corn may be invisible for the
abundance of weeds amongst which it grows, though in
itself very apt to be seen.
And this giveth a full answer to that question, where our
church was before the late reformation began by l^uther ; for
that reformation did not new-make the church, but purge it.
And that it stood in need of purging, the papists themselves
were fain to confess, and declare to the world, in their council
of Trent. Only herein is the difference ; the council pre-
tended a reformation in points of discipline and manners, and we
made a reformation in points of doctrine too. When Christ purged
the temple of buyers and sellers, it was the same temple after,
which it was before. When a man separateth the wheat from the
chaff, it is the same corn which it was before. In these cor-
rupter ages, then, the pure professors of Christ, who denied
not his faith, did dwell where Satan had his seat. The
members of Christ were amongst the rulers of antichrist. We
are not another church newly started up, but the same which
before from the apostles' times held the common and neces-
sary grounds of faith and salvation, which grounds being in
latter ages perverted and overturned by anlichristianism, have
been by valiant champions for the faith of Christ therefrom
vindicated ; who have only pruned the Lord's vine, and picked
out the stones, and driven the boars out of his vineyard,
but have not made either one or other new.
Now this point, that Christ ruleth in the midst of his
enemies, is ground of great confidence in his church, inasmuch
as she subsisteth not upon any corruptible strength of her
own, but upon the promise, decree, oath, power, and love of
God, things invincible by all the powers of darkness. Let
the enemies rage ever so much, they cannot dethrone Christ,
nor extinguish his gospel, for it is an " everlasting gospel,"
Rev. xiv. 6. It is but as the coming forth of shepherds
against a lion, as the prophet compareth it, Isa. xxxi. 4.
CHRIST S KINGDOM OPPOSED IN THE WORLD. 213
For either Christ is unable to protect his peo))le, and tliat is
contrary to St. Jude ; he is " able to keep you from h\\\w^, and
to present you faukless," Jude, ver. 24 : or else he is un-
willing, and that is contrary to St. Paul ; '' This is the will of
God, even your sanctification," 1 The.ss. iv. 3 : or else both
his power and his will are suspended upon expectation of hu-
man concurrence, or nullified and disappointed by us, and
that is against the influence of his grace, which giveth us both
the will and the deed, Phil. ii. 13 ; against the mercy of his
gracious promise ; " I will be merciful to their unrighteous-
ness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no
more. I will heal their backslidings, 1 will love them freelv,"
Heb. viii. 12 ; Hos. xiv. 4 ; against the immutal)ility of hk
covenant and holy nature ; " I am the Lord ; I cliange not ;
therefore the sons of Jacob are not destroyed," Mai.' iii. 6.
Now, besides this general observation, the words afford some
particular notes which I will but briefly touch.
1. Christ's kingdom in this world is a kingdom of the cross ;
a kingdom beset with enemies ; of all other the most hated and
opposed. They that submit unto it, must resolve to be herein
conformable to their Head ; a cross was his throne, and thorns
were his crown ; and every one who will live godly must suf-
fer persecution, and through many afflictions enter into his
Master's kingdom. As Christ was, so must christians be.
No marvel if the world hate the church of Christ, for it hated
him first. In his word he is resisted, disobeyed, belied, and,
if it were possible, silenced and corrupted ; in his oflicers,
mocked and misused ; in his subjects, persecuted and re-
viled ; in his Spirit, thrust awav and grieved ; in his worship,
neglected and polluted ; in all his ways slandered and blas-
phemed.
The reasons of which strange entertainment of the kingdom
of Christ, are, 1. Because it is a new kingdom, which enters
into the world by way of challenge and dispossession of for-
mer lords, and therefore no wonder if it find opposition. 2.
It is an invisible, inconspicuous, unattended, desolate, and in
appearance ignoble kingdom. It began in the form of a servant,
in the ignominy of the cross ; with none of the princes of this
world, none of the learned of this world to countenance or
help to set it up, but amongst them all, esteemed as an oflen-
sive and foolish thing. 3. It is an universal kingdom ; Christ
will admit of no consorts or rivals in his government. Body,
soul, and spirit, he will have wholly and throughout unto
214 Christ's kingdom opposed in the world.
himself. And this amongst others is given for the reason,
why when Tiberius proposed Christ unto the Roman senate,
with the privilege of his own suffrage, to be worshipped, they
rejected him, because he would be a God alone. If he would
exempt some of the earthly members from his subjection, let
Just have the eye, or folly the ear, or violence the hand, or
covetousness the heart, or any other evil affection share with
him ; he would be the easier tolerated ; but when he will be
absolute, and nothing must remain in our hearts but as his
vassal, to be spoiled, subdued, condemned, and crucified by
him, if the whole state of sin must be ruined, and the body
destroyed, no wonder if the world cannot but away with him.
4. Which is the sum of all, it is a heavenly kingdom, a spi-
ritual kingdom : " My kingdom is not of this world ;" and
therefore no marvel if the devils of hell, and the lusts of the
flesh, do set themselves against him.
2. Even there where Christ's throne and kingdom are set
up he hath enemies. Satan hath his seat even where Christ
dwelleth, Rev. ii. 13. Men may say they are jews, and are
not, but are of the synagogue of Satan ; and men may say they are
christians, and are not, but are of the kingdom of Satan too.
A wen in the body seemeth to belong unto the integrity of the
whole, when indeed it is an enemy and thief therein. Ivy
about a tree seemeth to embrace it with much affection, when
indeed it doth but kill and choke it. Men may take upon
thern the profession of christians, and like a wen be skinned
over with the same outside which the true members have,
may pretend much submission, worship, and ceremony unto
him, and yet, (such is the hellish hypocrisy of the heart,) the
same men may perhaps inwardly swell and rankle against the
power of his truth and spirit. " This people," saith the Lord,
" draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips honour
me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear
toward me is taught by the precept of men," Isa. xxix. 13.
In the apostles' times there were false brethren and false
teachers, who crept in to spy out and betray the liberty of
the church, and privily to bring in damnable heresies, and to
speak hes in hypocrisy ; that is, under the pretext of devotion
and carnal humility, to corrupt the doctrine of Christ, and
under a form of godliness to deny the power thereof^ There-
fore antichrist is called a harlot, because she should seduce the
christian world with much expression of love, and creep peace-
ably and by flatteries into the kingdom of Christ : of these
CHRIST S KINGDOM OPPOSED IN THE WORLD. 215
several enemies of Christ, under the profession of his name
and worship, some are christians, but not in purity, as heretics ;
some not in unity, as schismatics ; some not in sincerity, as
hypocrites ; some not so much as in external conformity, as
evil workers : the heretic corrupteth Christ, the schismatic
divideth him, the hypocrite mocketli him, the profane per-
son dishonoureth him, and all deny him.
Let us then learn to look unto our hearts, for we may flatter
Christ, when we do not love him ; we may inquire and seek
early after him, and yet have no desire to find him ; we may
come unto his school as untoward children ; not for love of
his doctrine, but for fear of his rod ; we may call him Hus-
band, and yet be wedded to our own lusts ; we may be bap-
tized in his name, so was Simon Magus ; we may preach him,
so did the false brethren ; we may flock after him, so did the
multitude who followed him not for his words or miracles, but
for the loaves ; we may bow unto him, so did his crucifiers ;
we may call upon his name, so did the hypocrites that said,
Lord, Lord, and yet did not enter into the kingdom of hea-
ven ; we may confess and believe him, so do the very devils
in hell ; we may give him our lips, our eyes, our tongues, our
knees, our hands, and yet still our kingdom, our throne, our
hearts may be Satan's. And all this is to make him but a
mock-king as the jews did, when indeed we crucify him.
3. Christ's word and Spirit are stronger than all adverse op-
position. This is his glory that his kingdom cometh in unto
him by way of conquest, as Canaan unto Israel. Therefore,
at the very first erecting of his kingdom, when in all presump-
tion it might most easily have been crushed, he suffered his
enemies to vent their utmost malice, and to glut themselves
with the blood of his people, that so it might appear, that
though they did fight against him, they could not prevail
against him, but that his counsel should still stand and flourish,
and should consume, and break in pieces all the kingdoms
which set themselves against it ; that they all should be afraid
of the ensign of the gospel, and should fly from it.
This jealousy of God for his church may be seen, in frus-
trating the attempts, and pulling off the wheels on which the
projects which are cast against his church do move, as he dealt
with Pharaoh. He can dissolve the confederacies, shatter the
counsels, cast a spirit of treachery, unfaithfulness, and muti-
nous affections into the hearts of his enemies, as he did into
the Midianites, and into the children of Ammon, Moab, and
216 Christ's kingdom opposed in the world.
Edom, when they gathered together against his people. He
can infatuate their counsels, and make them the contrivers
and artificers of their own ruin, as we see in the consultation
of Rehoboam with his young men, and of Jeroboam in his
idolatrous policy, and of Haman in his gallows. He can de-
feat their expectations, and disannul their decrees, and make
his own counsel alone to stand, Judg. vii. 22 ; 2 Chron. xx.
22,23; Isa. xix. 9; xxix. 14; Mic. iv. 11, 12; Isa. xxxvii.
83, 34; Psa. xxxiii. 10, 11.
Let us take heed then of being Christ's enemies, in oppo-
sing the power and progress of his word, the evidence and pu-
rity of his Spirit in the lives of men. It is but to make a com-
bination to pull the sun out of the heaven ; or for a wave to
contend with a rock : for as the ruins of a house are broken
on the things upon which they fall, so are the enemies of
Christ, that gather together against his church, and fall
upon the rock, at length ruined by their own malice. Sam-
son's foxes were themselves burnt amongst the corn which
they fired. The land brought forth corn the next year again,
(and it may be more plentifully by reason of that fire,) but
the foxes never came up any more. Even so can the Lord
deal wuth those enemies that waste and depopulate his
church, make them the authors of their own utter confusion,
and bring forth his church with shouting, and with doubled
graces.
Who then is the man that desireth tranquillity of life, and se-
curity against all evil ? Let him become a subject in this
conquering kingdom, and cast himself under the banner and
protection of Christ, and he cannot miscarry. "He that
walketh uprightly, walketh surely. The name of the Lord is
a strong tower ; the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
The Lord is a sun and a shield." A fountain of all good :
"The Lord will give grace and glory, and no good thing will
he withhold from them that walk uprightly." A protection
against all evil : " I will not be afraid of ten thousand of
people," saith the prophet David, " that have set themselves
against me round about," Psa. iii. 6. When there is no light,
nor issue, nor in nature possibility of escape, he can open
a door of deliverance, to relieve his church. As a man in the
king's highway is under the king's protection, so in Christ's
way we are under his protection. Let us then never repine
at the miscarriages of the world, nor murmur against the wise
proceedings of God in the several dispensations towards his
CHRIST S KINGDOM OPPOSED IX THE WORLD. 217
church on earth : when he punisheth, he doth it in measure ;
less than our sins deserved ; and when we search and try our
ways, and return unto liim, he knoweth how to work liis own
olory in our deliverance. Tliose stones which arc appointed
for a glorious buikhng are first under the saw and the liani-
mer to be hewed and squared ; and those christians in whom
the Lord will take most delight, he usually thereunto fitteth
by trials and extremities. He that is brought to tremble in
himself, may with most confidence expect to rejoice in God.
4. This is the honour of Christ's kingdom, that it is a peace-
able, quiet, and secure kingdom, not only after the victory,
but in the midst of enemies. *' This man," saith the prophet
of Christ, " shall be the peace, when the Assyrian," the
enemy, '' shall come into our land," Mic. v. 5. We have peace in
him, when we have tribulation in the world. Christ saith of
himself, " I came not to send peace, but a sword," Matt. x.
34 ; and yet the apostle saith, that he " came and preached
peace to those which were afar off, and to them that were
nigh," Eph. ii. 17. How shall these things be reconciled ?
Surely as a man may say of a rock, nothing more quiet, be-
cause it is never stirred, and yet nothing more unquiet, because
it is ever assaulted : so we may say of the church, nothing
more peaceable, because it is estabhshed upon a rock, and yet
nothing more unpeaceable, because that rock is in the midst
of seas, winds, enemies, persecutions. But yet still the pro-
phet's conclusion is certain, " The work of righteousness shall
be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assur-
ance for ever," Isa= xxxii. 17.
218 ANALYSIS OF THE THIRD VERSE.
VERSE III.
THY PEOPLE SHALL BE WILLING IN THE DAY OF THY POWER, IN THE
BEAUTIES OF HOLINESS FROM THE WOMB OF THE MORNING : THOU
HAST THE DEW OF THY YOUTH.
The prophet before showed the reign of Christ over his ene-
mies ; he now speaketh of his reign over his people, and de-
scribeth what manner of subjects or soldiers Christ should
have. I will not trouble you with a variety of expositions, (oc-
casioned by the many metaphors and different translations,)
but give> in a few words, those which I conceive to be most
literal and pertinent to the place.
" Thy people ;" that is, those whom thou dost receive from
thy Father, and, by setting up the standard and ensign of thy
gospel, gather to thyself.
" Shall be willing :" the word is " willingnesses ;" that is,
a people of great willingness and devotion, or (as the original
word is elsewhere used, Psa. cxix. 108) shall be " freewill of-
ferings" unto thee. The abstract being put for the concrete,
and the plural for the singular, note how exceeding forward
and free they should be ; as the Lord, to signify that his peo-
ple were most rebellious, saith that they were rebellion itself,
Ezek. ii. 8. So then, the meaning is, — Thy people shall, with
most ready and forward cheerfulness, devote, consecrate, and
render up themselves to thy government as a reasonable sa-
crifice ; shall be of a most liberal, free, noble, and uncon-
strained spirit in thy service ; they shall be voluntaries in the
wars of thy kingdom.
" In the day of thy power," or " of thine armies." By
these words we may understand two things, both of them
aiming at the same general sense : 1. So as that "armies"
shall be the same with " thy people" before ; in the day when
thou shalt assemble thy soldiers together, when thou shalt set
up thine ensigns for them to seek unto, (that is, when thou shalt
cause the preaching of thy gospel to sound like a trumpet, that
men may prepare themselves in armies to fight fhy battles,)
then shall all thy people with great devotion and willingness
gather themselves together under thy colours, and freely
ANALYSIS OF THIRD VERSE. 219
devote themselves to thy military service. 2. So as tliat by
" power," or armies, may be meant the means whereby this free
and wilUng devotion in Christ's pco})lc is wrought : that is, —
When thou shalt send forth the rod of tliy strength ; wlicn thou
shah command thy apostles and ministers to go forth and
fight against the kingdoms of sin and Satan ; when thou shalt,
in the dispensation of thine ordinances, reveal thy power and
spiritual strength unto their consciences, then shall they most
willingly relinquish their former service, and wholly devote
themselves unto thee, to fight under thy banners, and to take
thy part against all thine enemies.
" In the beauties of holiness." This likewise we may se-
verally understand. Either in thy holy church : which may
well so be called, with allusion to the temple at Jerusalem,
which is called " the hcauty of holiness," Psa. xxix. 2, and
a "holy and beautiful house," Isa. Ixiv. 11, and a "glorious
high throne," Jer. xvii. 12. And hither did the tribes resort
in troops, as it were in armies, to present their free-will offer-
ings, and celebrate the other services of the Lord, Psa. Ixxxiv.
7. Or else we may understand it causally, thus : "In the day
of thy power," that is, when thou shalt reveal thy strength and
Spirit; "in the beauties of holiness," when thou shalt reveal
how exceeding beautiful and full of loveliness thy holy ways
and services are, then shall thy people be persuaded with all free
and willing devotion of heart to undertake them. Or, lastly, thus :
as the priests who offered sacrifices to the Lord were clothed with
holy and beautiful garments, Exod. xxviii. 2, 40 ; or as those
who, in admiration of some noble prince, voluntarily follow
the service of his wars, do set themselves forth in the most
complete furniture, and richest attire, that are fit to give notice of
the nobleness of their minds, (for beautiful armour was wont
to be esteemed the honour of an army,) so they who willingly
devote themselves unto Christ to be soldiers and sacrifices
unto him, are not only armed with strength, but adorned with
such inward graces, as make them " beautiful as Tirzah,
comely as Jerusalem, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and
terrible as an army with banners," Cant. vi. 9, 10. All which
three explications meet in one general, which is principally
intended, — that holiness hath all beauties in it, and is that only
which maketh a man lovely in the eyes of Christ.
" From the womb of the morning : thou hast the dew of
thy youth." There is a middle point, or colon, after those
words, " the womb of the morning," which may seem to disjoin
l2
220 ANALYSIS OF THIRD VERSE.
the clauses, and make these words refer wholly to the pre-
cedincr In which relation, there might be a double sense
concetved in them. Either thus :— In the beauties of hohness,
or in holiness very beautiful, more than the Aurora, or womb
of the morning, when she is ready to bring forth the sun.
And then it is a notable metaphor to express the glorious
beauty of God's ways. Or thus :— Thy people shall be a wdling
people from the very womb of the morning ; that is, from the
very first forming of Christ in them, and shining forth upon
them ; they shall rise out of their former nakedness and secu-
rity, and shall adorn themselves with the beautiful graces of
Christ's Spirit, as with clothing of wrought gold, and raiment
of needle-work, and shall with gladness and rejoicing, with
much devotion and willingness of heart, be brought unto the
king, and present themselves before him as voluntaries in his
service, Psa. xlv. 13—15. But because the learned con-
ceive that the middle point, or colon, is only a distinction for
convenient reading, not a disjunction of the sense, I shall
therefore rest in a more received exposition : — Thy children
shall be born in great abundance unto thee, by the power of
thy word, in the womb of the church, as soon as the morning,
or Sun of righteousness shall shine forth upon it : as the
dew is born out of the cool morning air, distilling down in
innumerable drops upon the earth ; so thine elect shall be
born unto thee, by the preaching of thy word, and first ap-
proach of thy heavenly light, in innumerable armies. And
this explication is very suitable to the harmony of holy Scrip-
ture, which useth the same metaphors to the same purpose in
other places. " The remnant of Jacob," saith the prophet,
" shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the
Lord," Mic. v. 7. And Christ is called the " bright Morn-
ing-star," and the " Day- spring,'' and the " Sun of righteous-
ness," Rev. xxii. 16; Luke i. 78 ; Mai. iv. 2 : and the time of
the gospel is called the time of day, or the approach of day.
Rom. xiii. 12 ; 1 John ii. 8. So that, " from the womb of
the morning,'* is from the heavenly light of the gospel, which
is the wing or beam whereby the Sun of righteousness reveal-
eth himself, and breaketh out upon the world ; as the rising
sun, which rejoiceth Hke a giant to run his race, shall the
succession increase, and armies of the church of God be con-
tinually supplied.
The words, thus unfolded, contain in them a lively character
pf the subjects in Christ's spiritual kingdom. I. Described
THE SUBJECTS OF CIIRIST's KINGDOM. 221
by their relation to him, and his propriety to them,—
*' Thy people." II. By their present condition, intimated
in the word, "willing," or voluntaries, and (if we take
"thy people" and "armies" for synonymous terms, the one
notifying the order and quality of the otlier) that is, mihtary
men. III. By their thorough and universal resignation,
subjection, and devotedness unto him. For when he
conquereth by his word, his conquest is wrought upon the
wills and affections of men: — "Thy people shall be wilhng."
The ground of which willingness is further added, (for so
chiefly I understand those words,) " the day of thy power."
So that the willingness of Christ's subjects is effected by the
power of his grace and Spirit in the revelation of the gospel.
IV. By their honourable attire, and military robes, in which
they appear before him, and attend upon him ; " in beauties
of holiness," or in the various and manifold graces of Christ,
as in a garment of divers colours. V. By their a^e, multi-
tudes, and manner of their birth ; they are " the dew of the
morning ;" as many as the small drops of dew : and they are
born to him out of " the womb of the morning ;" as dew is gene-
rated, not on the earth, but in the air, by a heavenly calhng,
and by the shining of the Morning-star, and Day-spring upon
their consciences, " Ye are all the children of light," saith
the apostle, " and the children of the day ; we are not of the
night, nor of darkness," 1 Thess. v. 3.
In these parts of the holy Scripture, which are written for
models and summaries of christian doctrine, there is weight
in every word, as in a rich jewel there is worth in every sparkle.
I. Here then we may take notice of Christ's propriety to
his people: — "thy people." All the elect and believers do
belong unto Christ : they are his people ; they are his own
sheep ; there is a mutual and reciprocal propriety between
him and them. " My beloved is mine, and I am his," Cant,
ii. 16. His desire is towards me. " His," I say, not as he is
God only, by a right of inseparable dominion as we are his
creatures. For "all things were created by him and for him,"
Col. i. 16. And he is " over all, God blessed for ever," Rom. ix.
5. Nor his only, as he is the Firstborn and Heir of all things :
in which respect he is Lord of the angels ; and God hath set him
over all the works of his hands, Heb. i. 2, 3 ; ii. 7, 8. But
as he is the Mediator and Head in his church : in which re-
spect the faithful are his by a more peculiar propriety ; " We
are thine ; thou never barest rule over them ; they were not
222 THE SUBJECTS OF CHRIST S KINGDOM.
called by thy name," Isa. Ixiii. 19. The devils are his vas-
sals ; the wicked of the world his prisoners : the faithful
only are his subjects and followers ; his jewels, his friends,
his brethren, his sons, his members, his spouse : his, by all
the relations of intimateness that can be named.
Now, this propriety Christ hath unto us upon several
grounds.
1. By constitution and donation from his Father. ** God
hath made him both Lord and Christ," Acts ii. 36. He "hath
put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all
things to the church," Eph. i. 22. " Ask of me, and I shall give
thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts
of the earth for thy possession," Psa. ii. 8. " Behold, I and the
children whom the Lord hath given me," Isa. viii.18. " Thine
they were, and tliou gavest ihem to me," John xvii. 6. For as
in regard of God's justice we were bought by Christ in our
redemption, so in regard of his love we were given unto Christ
in our election, that he might redeem us.
2. By a right of purchase, treaty, and covenant between
Christ and his Father. For we having sold away ourselves,
and being now in the enemies' possession, could not be re-
stored unto our primitive state without some intervening price
to redeem us. Therefore, saith the apostle, he was made un-
der the law, that he might buy out those that were under the
law, Gal. iv. 4, 5. And again, " Ye are bought with a price,"
1 Cor. vi. 20. He w^as our Surety, and stood in our stead,
and was set forth to declare the righteousness of God, Rom.
iii. 25. God dealt in grace with us, but injustice with him.
3. By a right of conquest and deliverance. He hath
plucked us out of our enemies' hand ; he hath dispossessed and
spoiled those that ruled over us before ; he hath delivered us
from the power of Satan, and translated us into his own king-
dom. We are his freemen ; he only hath made us free from the
law of sin and death, and hath rescued us as spoils out of the
hands of our enemies ; and therefore we are become his ser-
vants, and owe obedience unto him as our Patron and Deliverer.
As the Gibeonites, when they were delivered from the sword
of the children of Israel, were thereupon made hewers of wood
and drawers of water for the congregation ; so we, being res-
cued out of the hands of those tyrannous lords who ruled over
us, do now owe service and subjection unto him that hath so
mercifully delivered us. " Being made free from sin." saith
the apostle, " ye became the servant? of righteousness." And
THE SUBJECTS OF CHRIST S KINGDOM. 223
" we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we
were held ; that we should serve in newness of spirit," Worn.
vi. 18 ; vii. 6. And again, " He died for all, that they wliirh
live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him
which died for them, and rose again," 2 Cor. v. 15.
4. By covenant and stipulation. " I entered into a covenant
with thee, and thou becamest mine," Ezek. xvi. 8. Therefore in
our baptism we are said to be " baptized into C lirist," and to " put
on Christ," and to be baptized into his name ; that is, wholly to
consecrate and devote ourselves to him as the servants of his
family, Rom. vi. 3 ; Gal. iii. 27 ; Acts xix. 5. Therefore,
they that were baptized in the ancient church, were wont to
put on white raiment, as it were the livery and badge of Christ,
a testimony of that purity and service which therein they
vowed unto him And therefore it is, that we still retain the
ancient form of vow, promise, or profession in baptism, which
was to renounce the devil and all his works, the world, with
the pomp, luxury, and pleasures thereof. And this is done
in a most solemn and deliberate manner, by way of answer to
the question and demand of Christ. For which purpose St.
Peter calleth baptism " the answer," or the interrogatory trial,
"of a good conscience toward God," 1 Pet. iii. 21. He
who conformeth himself to the fashions, and setteth his
heart upon the favours, preferments, empty applause, and admi-
ration of the world ; he who liveth according to the rules and
courses, and sinful maxims of worldly men, in such indiffer-
ency, compliancy, and connivance, as may flatter others and
delude himself; he who is freely and customarily over-ruled
by the temptations of Satan, that yieldeth to looseness of
heart, to vanity of thoughts, lusts of the eye, pride of life,
luxury, intemperance, impurity of mind or body, or any other
earthly and inordinate aff'ection, is little better, in the sight of
God, than a perjured and a runagate person ; flinging ofl'from
that service unto which he had bound himself by a solemn vow,
and robbing Christ of that interest in him, which by a mutual
stipulation was agreed upon.
b. By the virtue of our communion with him, and partici-
pation of his grace and fulness. All that we are in regard of
spirit and life is from him ; we are nothing of ourselves ; and
we can do nothing of ourselves. All that we are is from the
grace of Christ ; " By the grace of God I am what I am,"
1 Cor. XV. 10. And all that we do is from the grace of Christ ;
" I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth
224 THE SUBJECTS OF CHRISt's KINGDOM.
me," Phil. iv. 13. As when we do evil, it is not we our-
selves, but sin that dwelleth in us ; so when we do good, it is
not we, but Christ who liveth in us, Rom. vii. 20 ; Gal. ii. 20. So
that, in all respects, we are not our own, but his who died for us.
Now, this being a point of so great consequence, it is need-
ful that we labour therein to try and secure ourselves that we
belong unto Christ. For which purpose we must note, that
a man may belong unto Christ two manner of ways : 1. By a
mere external profession. So all in the visible church that
call themselves christians are his, and his word and oracles
are theirs. In which respect they have many privileges, (as
the apostles show of the jews.) Yet notwithstanding, such
men, continuing unreformed in their inward man, are nearer
unto cursing than others, and subject unto a sorer condemna-
tion for despising Christ in his word and Spirit, with whom in
their baptism they made so solemn a covenant. For God
will not suffer his gospel to be cast away, but will cause it to
prosper unto some end or other ; either to save those that
believe, or to increase the damnation of those that disobey
it. He will be more careful to cleanse his garner, and to
purge his floor, than of other empty and barren places. A weed
in the garden is in more danger of being rooted out than in the
field. Such belong unto Christ no otherwise than ivy unto the
tree, unto which it externally adheres. 2. A man may belong
unto Christ by implantation into his body ; which is done by
faith. But here we are to note, that as some branches in a
tree have a more faint and unprofitable fellowship with the
root than others, having no further strength than to furnish
themselves with leaves, but not with fruit ; so, according unto
the several virtues or kinds of faith, may the degrees of men's
ingrafture into Christ be judged of. There is a dead, inope-
rative faith, which, like Adam after his fall, hath the nakedness
thereof covered only with leaves, with mere formal and hypo-
critical conformities. And there is an unfeigned, lively, and
effectual faith ; which is available to those purposes for which
faith was appointed ; namely, to justify the person, to purify
the heart, to quench temptations, to carry a man with wisdom
and an unblameable conversation through this present world,
to work by love, to grov/ and make a man abound in the ser-
vice of the Lord. And this distinction our Saviour giveth
us, that there are some branches in him which bear not fruit,
and those he taketh away ; and others which bear fruit, and
those he purgeth that they may bring forth more, John
THE SUBJECTS OF CIIRISt's KINGDOM. 225
XV. '2. Those only are the branches which he desires to
own.
And thus to belong unto Christ, is that only which maketli
us a purchased and a peculiar people unto him. And tlicre
are several ways of evidencing it. I will only name two or
three, and those mostly in the text. We must know that Clirist is
a Morning-star, a Sun of righteousness, and so ever comes to the
soul with self-evidencing properties. Unto him belonoeth
that royal prerogative, to write an hnvard witness in the hearts
of men ; to be himself the witness to his own acts, purchases,
and covenants. Therefore his Spirit came in tongues of fire,
and in a mighty wind, all which have several ways of mani-
festing themselves, and stand not in need of any borrowintr or
foreign confirmations. If Christ then be in the lieart, he will
discover himself. His Spirit is the original of grace and
strength, as concupiscence is of sin. It is a seed in'the heart
which will spring up and show itself. And therefore, as lust
doth take the first advantage of the faint and imperfect stir-
rings of the reasonable soul in little infants, to evidence itself
in pride, folly, stubbornness, and other childish sins : so the
Spirit of grace in the heart cannot lie dead, but will work and
move ; and as a Spirit of burning, by the light, heat, purging,
comforting, inflaming, combating virtue which is in it, make
the soul, which was barren, and settled on the lees, and unac-
quainted with any such motions before, stand amazed at its
own alteration, and say with Rebecca, * If it be so, why am
I thus ?" Externals maybe imitated bv art ; but no man can
paint the soul or the life, or the sense and motion of the creature.
Now, Christ and his Spirit are the internal forms, and activt-
principles in a christian man ; Christ liveth in us : " When
Christ, who is our life, shall appear,"Col. iii. 4. Therefore, it is
impossible that any hypocrite should counterfeit, and by con-
sequence obscure those intimate and vital workings of his
grace in the soul, whereby he evidenceth himself thereunto.
It is true, a man that feareth the Lord may walk in darkness,
and be in such discomforts, that he shall see no light ; and yet,
even in that condition, Christ doth not want properties to evi-
dence himself, in tenderness of conscience, fear of sin, striving
of spirit with God, closeness of heart, and constant recourse
to him in his word, and the like ; only the soul is shut up
and overclouded that it cannot discern him. The Spirit of
Christ is a seal, a witness, an earnest, a first-fruit of that ful-
ness which is promised hereafter, Eph. i. 13, 14 ; Heb. x. 1.5.
L 5
226 THE SUBJECTS OF CHRIST's KINGDOM.
It is Christ's own Spirit, and therefore fashioneth the hearts
of those in whom he dwells unto his heavenly image, to long
for more comprehension of him, for more conformity unto him,
for more intimacy and communion with him, for more grace,
wisdom, and strength from him ; he turneth the bent and course
of the soul from that earthly and sensual end unto which it
wrought before, as a good branch having been ingrafted into
a wild stock converteth the sap of a crabtree into pleasant
fruit.
Again ; if a man be one of Christ's people, then there hath
a day of power passed over him, the sword of the Spirit hath
entered into him ; he hath been conquered by the rod of
Christ's strength ; he hath felt John's axe laid to the root of
his conscience, and hath been persuaded by the terror of the
Lord : for the coming of Christ is with shaking. The con-
science hath felt a mighty operation in the word, though to
other men it hath passed over like empty breath ; for the word
worketh effectually in those that believe, and bringeth about
the purposes for which it was sent. To those that are called,
it is the power of God, 1 Cor. i. 24.
Again ; where Christ comes, he comes with beauty and
holiness : those who lay in their blood and pollutions before,
bare and naked, are made exceedingly beautiful, and renowned
for their beauty ; are perfect through the comeliness which he
puts upon them. He comes unto the soul with beauty and
precious oil, and garments of praise, Isa. Ixi. 3 ; that is, with
comfort, joy, peace, and healing, to present the church a holy
church without spot or wrinkle to his Father.
Lastly ; where Christ cometh, he cometh with the " womb
of the morning :" with much light to acquaint the soul with
his truth and promises ; and with much fruitfulness, making
the heart, which was barren before, to flow with rivers of liv-
ing water, to bring forth fruit more and more, and to abound
in the works of the Lord. These are the particular evidences
of our belonging to Christ in the text, and by these we must
examine ourselves. Do I find in my soul the new name of
the Lord Jesus written, that I am not only in title, but in
truth, a christian ? Do 1 find the secret nature and figure of
Christ fashioned in me, swaying my heart to the love and
obedience of his holy ways? Do I hear the voice, and feel
the hand and judicature of his blessed Spirit within me, leading
me in a new course, ordering mine inner man, sentencing and
crucifying mine earthly members? Am I a serious and
THE SUBJECTS OF CHRIST S KINGDOM. 227
earnest enemy to my original lusts and closest corruptions ? Do
I feel the workings and kindlings of tlicni in n)ine heart with
much pain and mourning, with mncii humiliation for them,
and deprecation against ihem ? Is Christ my centre? Do I
find in mine heart a willingness to he with him, as well here
in his word, ways, promises, directions, and comforts ; yea, in
his reproaches and persecutions, as hereafter in his glory ? Is
it the greatest business of my life to make myself more like
him, to walk as he also walketh, to he as he was in this world,
to purify myself even as he is pure ? Hath the terror of his
wrath persuaded me, and shaken my conscience out of its car-
nal security, and made me look about for a refuge from the
wrath to come, and esteem more beautiful than the morning
brightness, the feet of those who bring glad tidings of deli-
verance and peace ? Hath this gospel an effectual creative
virtue within me, to new form my nature and life daily unto
his heavenly image ? Is it an ingrafted w^ord which mingleth
with my conscience, and hideth itself in my heart, actu-
ating, determining, moderating, and over-ruling It to its own
way ? Am I cleansed from my filthiness, careful to keep
myself chaste, comely, beautiful, a fit spouse for the fairest of
ten thousand? Do I rejoice in his liglit, walking as a child
of light, living as an heir of light, going on like the sun unto
the perfect day, labouring to abound alwavs in the work of
the Lord ? Then I may have good assurance that I belong
unto Christ. And if so, that will be a source of much
comfort to my soul.
1. If we are Christ's, then he careth for us, for propriety is
the ground of care. " He that is an hireling," saith our Sa
viour, '' and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not,
seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep. Because he is
an hireling he careth not for the sheep. I am the good Shep-
herd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine," John x.
12 — 14. He watcheth over us, he searcheth and seeketh us
out in our stragglings, and feedeth us. This is the princi])al
argument we have to believe that God will look upon us for
good, notwithstanding our manifold provocations, because he
is pleased to own us, and to take us as his own peculiar peo-
ple. Though the church be full of ruins, yet because it is iiis
own house, he will repair it ; thougli it be black as well as
comely, yet because it is his own spouse, he will \nty and che-
rish it; though it bring forth wild grapes, and be indeed meet
for no work, yet because it is his own vine, planted by his
228 THE SUBJECTS OF CHRIST's KINGDOM.
own right hand, and made strong for himself, he will be there-
fore careful to fence and prune it. This is the only argum^ent
we have to prevail with God in prayer, that in Christ we call
him Father, we present ourselves before him as his own, we
make mention of no other Lord or name over us, and there-
fore he cannot deny us the things which are good for us.
2. If we are Christ's, then he will certainly purge us, and
make the members suitable to the Head. " I sware unto thee,
and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord, and
thou becamest mine ;" and immediately it follows, " then
washed I thee with water ; yea, I thoroughly washed away thy
blood from thee," Ezek. xvi. 8, 9. " Every branch in me
that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more
fruit," John xv. 2. He purifieth to himself a pecuHar peo-
ple. If we be his peculiar people, and set apart for himself,
(as the pro))het David speaks, Psa. iv. 3,) he will undoubtedly
purify us ; that we may be honourable vessels, sanctified and
meet for the Master's use, and prepared unto every good work,
2 Tim. ii. 21. He will furnish us with all such supplies of the
Spirit of grace, as the condition of that place in his body
requires, in the which he hath set us. Grace and glory will
he give, and no good thing will he withhold from those who
walk uprightly ; our propriety to Christ giveth us right unto
all good things : " all are yours, and ye are Christ's."
3. If we are Christ's, then he will spare us. This was the
argument which the priest was to use between the porch and
the altar ; " Spare thy people. O Lord, and give not thine
heritage to reproach," Joel ii. 17, 18. Then will the Lord
be jealous for his land, and pity his people. " They shall be
mine, saith the Lord, in that day when I m.ake up my jewels ;
and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that
serveth him," Mai. iii. 17. Of my servant, to whom I give
wages for the merit of his work, not out of love or grace, I
expect a service proportionable to the pay he receives ; but in
my child I reward not the dignity of the work, but only the
willingness, the loving and obedient disposition of the heart ;
and therefore I pass over those failings and weaknesses which
discover themselves for want of skill or strength, and not of
love, praising the endeavours, and pardoning the miscarriages.
Thus doth the Lord deal with his children.
4 If we be Christ's he will pray for us : "I pray not for
the world, but for them which thou hast given me ; for they
ai'e thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine,"
Christ's subjects have a war to fight. 229
John xvii. 9, 10 ; so that we shall be sure to have help in all
times of need, because we know that the Father heareth his
Son always, John xi. 42 ; and those things wliich in mucli
fear, weakness, and ignorance we ask for ourselves, if it be
according to God's will, and by the dictate and mouth of the
Spirit in our heart, Christ himself in his intercession demandcth
for us the same things. " And this is the confidence that we
have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will,
he heareth us : and we know that we have the petitions that
we desired of him," 1 John v. 14. For as the world hateth
us, because it hateth him first ; so the Father loveth and
heareth us, because he loveth and heareth him first.
5. If we be Christ's, then he will teach us, and commune
with us, and reveal himself unto us, and lead us with his
voice. " He calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth
them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he
goeth before them," John x. 3, 4. Because Israel was his
own people, therefore he showed them his words, Psa.
cxlvii. 19. The law was theirs, and the oracles theirs. When
he entereth into covenant with a people, that they become his,
then he writeth his law in their hearts, and teacheth them.
This is the prophet David's argument, " I am thy servant :
give me understanding," Psa. cxix, 125. Because I am
thine in a special relation, therefore acquaint me with thee in
an especial manner. " The earth, O Lord, is full of thy
mercy ;" there is much of thy goodness revealed to all the na-
tions of the world, even to those that are not called by thy
name : but as for me, whom thou hast made thine own by a
nearer relation, let me have experience of a greater mercv ;
" teach me thy statutes," ver. 64.
6. If we be his, he will chastise us in mercy, and not in
fury ; though he leave us not altogether unpunished, yet he
will punish us less than our iniquities deserve ; he will not deal
with us as with others : '* Though I make a full end of all
nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a
full end of thee : but I will correct thee in measure," Jer.
xxx. 10, 11. I will correct thee to cure, but not to ruin thee.
II. The second thing to be considered in the words, is the
present condition of the people of Christ, which is to be
mihtary men, to johi with the armies of Christ against all his
enemies. As he was, so must we he in this world : no sooner
was Christ consecrated by his solemn baptism unto the work
of a mediator, but presently he was assaulted by the tempter ;
230 Christ's subjects have a war to fight.
and no sooner doth any man give up his name to Christ, and
break loose from that hellish power under which he was held,
but presently Pharaoh and his hosts, Satan and his confede-
rates, pursue him with deadly fury and pour out floods of malice
and rage against him. Hell and death are at truce with
wicked men ; there is a covenant and agreement between them.
Satan holdeth his possession in peace ; but when a stronger
than he cometh upon, and overcometh him, there is from that
time implacable venom and hostility against such a soul ; the
malice, power, policy, stratagems, and machinations of Satan ;
the lusts and vanities, the pleasures, honours, profits, persecu-
tions, frowns, flatteries, snares of the wicked world : the affec-
tions, desires, inclinations, deceits of our own fleshly hearts, will
ever ply the soul of a christian, and force it to perpetual combats.
There is in Satan an everlasting enmity against the glory,
mercy, and truth of God ; against the power and mystery of
the gospel of Christ. This malice of his exerciseth itself
against all those that have given themselves to Christ, whose
kingdom he mightily laboureth to demolish : by his power
persecuting it, by his craftiness and wily insinuations under-
mining it ; by his vast knowledge and experience in palliating,
altering, mixing, proportioning, and measuring his temptations
and spiritual wickedness in such a manner, as that he may
subvert the church of Christ, either in the purity thereof, by
corrupting the doctrine of Christ with heresy, and his worship
with idolatry and superstition ; or in the unity thereof, by
pestering it with schism and distraction ; or in the liberty
thereof, by bondage of conscience ; or in the progress and
enlargement thereof, endeavouring to blast and make fruitless
the ministry of the gospel. And this malice of Satan is won-
derfully set on and encouraged both by the corruption of our
nature, those armies of lusts and affections which swarm within
us, entertaining, joining force, and co-operating with all his
suggestions ; disheartening, reclaiming, and pulling back the
soul when it offers to make any opposition ; and also by the
men and materials of this evil world. By the examples, the
threats, the interests, the power, the intimacy, the wit, the
tongues, the hands, the reproaches, the persecutions, the in-
sinuations and seductions of wicked men. By the profits, the
pleasures, the preferments, the acceptation, credit, and applause
of the world.
By all which means Satan most miportunately pursueth one
of these two ends, either to subvert the godly, by drawing them
CHRIST S SUBJECTS HAVE A WAR TO FIGHT. 231
away from Christ to apostacy, formality, hypocrisy, spiritual
pride and the like ; or else to discomfort them will/ dittidc-i ice,
doubts, sight of sin, opposition of the times, vexation of
spirit, and the hkc affections. And these oppositions of Satan
meet with a cln-istian in every respect or consideration, under
which he may be conceived. Consider him in his spiritual
state, in his several parts, in his temporal relations, in his
actions or employments ; and in all these Satan is l)usy to
overturn the kingdom of Christ in him. In his spiritual state,
if he be a weak christian, he assaulteth him with perpetual
doubts and fears touching his election, conversion, adoj)tion,
perseverance, christian liberty, strength against corruptions,
companies, temptations, and persecutions. If he be a stronrr
christian, he laboureth to draw him unto self-confidence, sj)i-
ritual pride, contempt of the weak, neglect of further profi-
ciency, and the like. There is no natural part or faculty
which is not aimed at likewise by the malice of Satan ; for
Christ, when he comes, takes possession of the whole man,
and therefore Satan sets himself against the whole man.
Corporeal and sensitive faculties are tempted either to sinful re-
presentations, letting in and transmitting the provisions of lust
unto the heart, by gazing and glutting themselves on the ob-
jects of the world ; or to sinful executions, finishing and
letting out those lusts which have been conceived in the
heart. The fancy is tempted by satanical injections to be the
forge of loose, vain, unprofitable, and unclean thoughts. The
understanding, to earthly wisdom, vanity, infidelity, prejudices,
mispersuasions, fleshly reasonings, and vain speculations and
curiosities. The will, to stiffiiess, resistance, dislike of holy
things, and pursuit of the world. The conscience, to dead-
ness, immobility, and a stupid benumbedness, to slavish ter-
rors and evidences of hell, to superstitious bondage, to carnal
security, to desperate conclusions. The affections, to inde-
pendence, distraction, excess, and precipitancy. In temporal
conditions, there is no state of health, wealth, peace, honour,
estimation, or the contraries unto these : no relation of hus-
band, father, magistrate, or subject, unto which Satan hath not
such suitable suggestions, as by the advantage of fieshly cor-
ruptions may take from them occasion to draw a man from
God. Lastly, in regard of our actions and employments,
whether they be divine, such as respect God, as acts of piety,
in reading, ' hearing, meditating, and studying his word, in
calling upon his name, and the like ; or such as respect our-
232 Christ's people a willing people.
selves, as acts of temperance and sobriety, personal examina-
tions, and more particular acquaintance with our own hearts ;
or such as respect others, as acts of righteousness, charity, and
edification : or whether they be natural actions, such as are
requisite to the preservation of our being, as sleep and diet :
or civil actions, in our callings or recreations ; in all these
Satan laboureth either to pervert us in the performance of
them, or to divert us from it. There is then no condition,
faculty, relation, or action of a christian man, the which is not
always under the eye and envy of a most raging, wise, and
industrious enemy. And therefore, great reason there is, that
christians should be military men, well instructed in the whole
armour of God, that they may be able to stand against the
wiles of the devil, and to quench all his fiery darts. It is our
calling to wrestle against principalities and powers, and
spiritual wickedness in high places, to resist the devil, to strive
against sin, to mortify earthly members, to destroy the body
of sin, to deny ourselves, to contradict the reasonings of the
flesh, to check and control the stirrings of concupiscence, to
resist and subdue the desires of our evil hearts, to withstand
and answer the assaults of Satan, to out-face the scorns, and
despise the flatteries of the present world, and in all things to
" endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ," 2 Tim.
ii. 3. Our cause is righteous, our Captain is wise and puis-
sant, our service honourable, our victory certain, our reward
massy and eternal ; so that in all respects great encouragements
we have to be voluntaries in such war, the issue whereof is
our enemies' perdition, our Master's honour, and our own sal-
vation.
III. The third thing observed was, the thorough awd uni-
versal resignation and devotedness of Christ's people unto
him : " Thy people shall be wilHng," or a people of great devo-
tion, "in the day of thy power." From whence I shall gather
these observations :
1. They that belong unto Christ as his people, are most
thoroughly and willingly subject unto his government ; do con-
secrate, resign, and yield up their whole souls and bodies to
serve in his wars against all his enemies. For the distinct
understanding of which point we are to observe, that by
nature we are utterly unwilling to be subject unto Christ.
The carnal mind is enmity against God, it is not subject to
the law of God, neither indeed can be, Rom. viii. 7, 8, 10.
For if Christ be over us, the body of sin must die ; it once
CHRIST S PEOPLE A WILLING PEOPLf:. 20:)
crucified him, and he will be revenged ui).)n it, liy natuie we
are willingly subject unto no law, but the law of our mem-
bers; to Jio will, but the will of the flesh ; full of contumacy,
rebellion, and stoutness of spirit against the truth and beauty
of the word and ways of God. The love of corruj)tcd nature
is wholly set upon our own ways ; as an untamed heifer,or a wild
ass, men wander, and go al)out, and weary themselves in their
full compass and swing of lust, and will not be turned. - And
therefore it is that they bid God depart from them, and desire
not the knowledge of his ways ; that they leave the paths of
uprightness ; that having crooked hearts of their own, they
labour likewise to pervert and make crooked the gospel of
Christ, that they may from thence steal countenance to their
sins, contrary to that holy affection of David, " Make thy
way straight before my face ;" that they snuff, and rage, and
pull away the shoulder, and fall backward, and thrust away
God from them, Eccles. viii. 11 ; Prov. xiv. 14 ; Jer. ii. 24 ;
viii. 6; Hos. iv. 16; Jer. ii. 20; xxxi. 22; Isa. Ivii. 10;
Job xxi. 14; Deut. xxxii.5; Gal. i. 7 ; 2 Pet. iii. 16 ; Psa. v.
8; Mal. i. 13; Neh. ix. 29; Acts vii. 39, 31. And
hence it is that men are so apt to cavil, and foolishly to charge
the w^ays of God : 1. As grievous ways, too full of austerity,
narrowness, and restraint. " I knew that thou wert a hard
man," Matt.xxv. 24 ; and " This is an hard saying : who can
hear it ?" John vi. 60. " The land is not able to bear all
his words," Amos vii. 10. There is a lion in the way, a
certain damage and unavoidable mischief will follow me if I
keep in it, Prov. xxii. 13. Thus Israel, when they heard
of giants and sons of Anak, had no heart to Canaan, but
cried, and whined, and rebelled, and mutinied, and in their
hearts turned back into Egypt, Num. xiii. 31 ; xiv. 1, 4;
that is, had more will to their own bondage, than to God's
promise : so when a natural man hears of walking in a narrow
way with much exactness and circumspection, that come what
bait of preferment, pleasure, profit, or advantage whatsoever,
yet he must not turn to the right hand nor to the left, nor
commit the least evil for the greatest good ; that as the people
in the wilderness were to go only where the cloud and pillar
of God's presence led them, though he carried them through
giants, terrors, and temptations, so a christian must resolve to
follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth ; he then turneth
back to his iniquities, and refuseth to hear the words of the
Lord. 2. As unprofitable ways : for " who will bhow us any
234 Christ's people a willing people.
good ?*' is the only language of carnal men, Psa. iv. 6. What
can the Almighty do for us ? say the wicked in Job, xxii. 17.
" It is in vain to serve God ; what profit is it that we have kept
his ordinance ?" Mai. iii. 14, 15. If we must take our con-
science along in all the businesses of our life, there will be no liv-
ing in the world ; notwithstanding the Lord saith, that his words
do (rood to those that v/alk uprightly, that godliness hath the
promises even of this life ; that God will honour those that
honour him, Mic. ii. 7 ; 1 Tim. iv. 8 ; 1 Sam. ii. 30. 3. As
unequal and unreasonable ways ; as a strange, a mad, and a
foolish strictness ; rather the meteor of a speculative brain,
than a thing of any real existence ; rather a wish or figment,
than a soHd truth. And from such prejudices as these men
grow to wrestle with the Spirit of Christ, to withstand his
motions, to quench his suggestions, and to dispute against him.
This people are as they that strive with the priest, such a
bitter and irreconcileable enmity there is between the two
seeds, Hos. iv. 4.
2. We may observe, that, notwithstanding this natural
averseness, yet many, by the power of the word, are wrought
violently and compulsorily to tender some unwilling services
to Christ, by the spirit of bondage, by the fear of wrath, by
the evidences of the curse due to sin, and by the wakefulness
of the conscience. " They have turned their back unto me,
and not their face," saith the Lord ; which notes the disposition
of their will. " But in the time of their trouble they will say,
Arise, and save us," which notes their compulsory and unnatural
devotion. " They shall go with their flocks and with their herds ;"
that is, with their pretended sacrifices, and external ceremonies ;
" to seek the Lord ; but they shall not find him ; he hath with-
drawn himself," Jer. ii. 27 ; Hos. v. 5, 6. As when the Lord sent
lions amongst the Samaritans, then they sent to inquire after the
manner of his worship, fearing him, but yet still serving their
own gods. But this compulsory obedience doth not proceed
from a fear of sin, but a fear of hell. And that plainly ap-
pears in the readiness of such men to apprehend all advan-
tages for enlarging themselves, and in making pretences to
flinch away and steal from the word of grace, in consulting
with carnal reason to silence the doubts, to untie the knots,
and to break the bonds of the conscience asunder, and to turn
into every diverticle which a corrupted heart can shape ; in
taking every occasion and pretext to put God off, and delay
the payment of their service unto him. Thus Felix, when he
Christ's people a willing people. 235
was frightened with the discourse of St. Paul, put it off with
pretence of some further convenient season ; and the unwill-
ing jews in the time of rebuilding the temple at Jerusalem,
" This people say, The time is not come, the time that the
Lord's house should be built," Hag.i.2. Again; in slightinfr the
warnings and distinguishing the words of Scripture out of dieir
spiritual and genuine purity, and so belying the Lord, and
saying. It is not he. '' The word of the Lord," saith'the
prophet, " is unto them a reproach ; they have no delight in
it," Jer. V. 12, 13; vi. 10; that is, they esteem me when I
preach thy words unto them rather as a slanderer, than as a
prophet. Wouldst thou then kuow the nature of thy devo-
tion? Abstract all conceits of danger, all workino-s of the
spirit of bondage, the fear of wrath, the pre-occupations of
hell, the estuations and sweatings of a troubled conscience,
and if all these being secluded, thou canst still afford to de-
dicate thyself to Christ, and be greedily ambitious of his image,
that is an evident assurance of an upright heart.
3. We may observe, that, by the power of the word, there
may yet be further wrought in natural men a certain low de-
gree of desire, a languid and incomplete will, bounded with
secret reservations, exceptions, and conditions of its own,
which maketh it upon every new occasion mutable and in-
constant. When the hypocritical jews came with such a so-
lemn protestation unto the prophet Jeremiah, " The Lord be
a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even ac-
cording to all things for the which the Lord thy God shall
send thee to us," Jer. xlii. 5, 6, 20 ; I suppose they then
meant as they spake, and yet this appears in the end to have
been but a weak desire and incomplete resolution, a zealous
pang of that secret hypocrisy which in the end discovered
itself, and brake forth into manifest contradiction. When Ha-
zael answered the prophet, " Is thy servant a dog that he
should do this great thing?" 2 Kings viii. 13, he then meant
no otherwise than he spake ; upon the first representation of
those bloody acts, he abhorred them as prodigious villanies ;
and yet this was but a fit of good nature for the time, which
•^id easily wear out with the alteration of occasions. When
Judas asked Christ, Master, is it I that shall betray thee ?
it is possible, and peradventure it is probable, that hearing
at that time and believing that woful judgment pronounced
by Christ against his betrayer, " It had been good for that
man if he had not been born," Matt. xxvi. 24, he might then,
236 Christ's people a willing people.
upon the pang and surprisal of so fearful a doom, secretly and
suddenly relent, and resolve to forsake his purpose of treason ;
which yet when that storm was over, and his covetous heart
was tempted with a bribe, did fearfully return, and gather
strength again. When the people returned, and inquired
early, and remembered God their Maker, they were in good
earnest for the time, and yet that was a weak desire, and un-
grounded devotion, their heart was not right towards him,
neither were they stedfast in his covenant. When Saul, out
of the force of natural ingenuity, did, upon the evidence of
David's integrity, who slew him not when the Lord had de-
livered him into his hands, relent for the time and weep, and
acknowledge his righteousness above his own, he spake all
this in earnest as he thought ; and yet we find that he after-
wards returned to pursue him again, and was once more, by
the experience of David's innocency, reduced unto the same
acknowledgement. The people, in one place, would have
made Christ a king, so much did they seem to honour him ;
and yet, at another time, when their over-pliable and unre-
solved affections were wrought upon by the subtle pharisees,
they cried against him, as against a slave, " Crucify him, cru-
cify him :" so may it be in the general services of God ; men
may have wishings and wouldings, and good liking of the
truth, and some faint and floating resolutions to pursue it,
which yet having no firm root, nor proceeding from the whole
bent of the heart, from a thorough mortification of sin and
evidence of grace, but from such weak and wavering principles
as may be perturbed by every new temptation, hke letters
written in sand, they vanish away like a morning dew, and
leave the heart as hard and scorched as it was before. The
young man, whom for his ingenuity and forwardness Christ
loved, came in a sad and serious manner to learn of Christ the
way to heaven : and yet we find there were secret reservations
which he had not discerned in himself, upon discovery whereof
by Christ he was discouraged and made to repent of his resolu-
tion, Mark X. 21, 22. The apostle speaketh of a "repent-
ance not to be repented of," 2 Cor. vii. 10, which hath firm,
solid, and permanent reasons to support it ; therein secretly
intimating, that there is likewise a repentance, which rising out
of an incomplete will, and admitting certain secret and undis-
cerned reservations, doth, upon the appearance of them, flag
and fall away, and leave the unfaithful heart to repent of its
repentance. St. James tells us that " a double-minded man
CHRIST S PEOPLE A WILLING PEOPLE. i>;]7
is unstable in all his ways," James i. 8, never uniform or con-
stant to any rules. Now, tlii.s division of the mind stands
thus ; the heart, on the one side, is taken up with the pleasures
of sin for the present; and, on tlie other, witli the desires of
salvation for the future ; and according as the workings and
representations of the one or other are at the time more fresh
and predominant, in like manner is sin for ihat time either
cherished or suppressed. Many men at a good sermon, when
the matter is fresh and newly presented, while they are looking
on their face in the glass ; or in any extremity of sickness,
when the provisions of lust do not relish for tlie present, when
they have none but thoughts of salvation to depend upon, are
very resolute to make promises, vows, and professions of better
living ; but when the pleasures of sin grow strong to present
themselves again, they return like a man recovered of an ague
with more stomach and greediness to their lusts again. As
water, which hath been stopped for awhile, rusheth with the
more violence when its passages are opened.
4. But we must observe, that in the day of Christ's power,
when he, by his word and Spirit, worketh effectually in the
hearts of men, they are then made free-will offerings ; totally
willing to obey and serve him in all conditions. The heart
of every one stirreth him up, and his spirit maketh him willing
for the work and service of the Lord, Exod. xxxv. 21. They
yield themselves unto the Lord, and their members as weapons
of righteousness unto him, 2 Chron. xxx. 8 ; Rom. vi. 19.
They offer and present themselves to God as a living sacri-
fice ; and therefore they are called " an oblation," sanctified
by the Holy Ghost, Rom. xii. 1 ; xv. 16. Therefore they
are said to come unto Christ, by the virtue of his Father's
teaching, John vi. 43. To run unto him, Isa. Iv. 3. To
gather themselves under him as a common head ; and to flow
or flock together with much mutual encouragement unto the
mountain of the Lord, Hos. i. 1 1 ; Isa. ii. 2, 3. To wait
upon him in his law, Isa. xlii. 4. To enter into a sure cove-
nant, and to write and seal it, Neh. ix. 38. In one word,
" To serve him with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind,"
1 Chron, xxviii. 9 : when the heart is perfect, undivided, and
goeth altogether, the mind will be willing to serve the Lord.
This willingness of Christ's people showeth itself in two
things :
(1.) In begetting most cordial and constant enmity against
all the enemies of Christ, never holding any league or intelli-
238 Christ's people a willing people.
gence with them, but being always ready to answer the Lord,
as David did Saul, " Thy servant will go and fight with this
Philistine." He that is a voluntary in Christ's armies, is not
disheartened with the potency, policy, malice, subtlety, or pre-
vailing faction of any of his adversaries. He is contented to
deny himself, to renounce the friendship of the world, to bid
defiance to the allurements of Satan, to smile upon the face of
danger, to hate father and mother, and land, and life, to be
cruel to himself, and regardless of others, for his Master's ser-
vice. Through honour and dishonour, through evil report
and good report, through a sea and a wilderness, through the
hottest services and strongest oppositions, will he follow the
Lamb whithersoever he goeth : though he receive the word
in much affliction, yet he will receive it with joy too.
(2.) In begetting most loving, constant, and dear affections
to the mercy, grace, glory, and ways of God ; and an universal
conformity unto Christ our Head, who was contented to take
upon him the form of a servant, to have his will subjected unto
the will of his Father. " I delight to do thy will, O my God :
yea, thy law is within my heart," Psa. xl. 8. And as he was,
so are all his in this world ; of the same mind, judgment,
spirit, conversation, and therefore of the same will too.
Now, this dear and melting affection of the heart towards
Christ and his ways, whereby the soul longeth after him, and
hasteneth unto him, is wrought by several principles :
I. By the conviction of our natural state, and a thorough
humiliation for the same. Pride is ever the principle of dis-
obedience. They were the proud men who said unto Jere-
miah, " Thou speakest falsely, the Lord our God hath not sent
thee," Jer. xliii. 2. And they were the proud men who har-
dened their necks, and withdrew the shoulder, and would not
hear, and refused to obey, Neh. ix. 16, 17, 29. A man
must be first brought to deny himself before he will be willing
to follow Christ, and to carry a cross after him. A man must
first humble himself before he will walk with God, Mic. vi.
8. The poor in spirit only receive the gospel : the hungry
only find sweetness in bitter things. Extremities will make
any man not only willing, but thankful to take any course
wherein he may recover himself and subsist again. When the
soul finds itself in darkness, and hath no light, and begins to
consider whither darkness leads it ; that it is even now in the
mouth of hell, under the paw of the roaring lion, under the
guilt of sin, the curse of the law, and the hatred and wrath of
CHRIST S PEOPLE A WILLING PEOPLE. 239
God, it most willingly pursues any probability, and with
most enlarged affections meets any tender of deliverance.
Suppose we tbat a prince should cause some malefactor
to be brought forth, should set before his eyes all the racks
and tortures which the wit of man can invent to punish
prodigious offenders, and should cause him to taste some
of those extremities ; and then, in the midst of his howling
and anguish, should not only reach out a hand of rhercy
to dehver him, but should further promise him, upon his sul)-
mission, to advance him like Joseph from the iron which
enters into his soul, unto public honour and service in the
state ; would not the heart of such a man be melted into
thankfulness, and with all submission resign itself unto the
mercy and service of so gracious a prince ? Now, the Lord
doth not only deal thus with sinners ; doth not only cause
them, by the report of his word, and by the experience of their
own guilty hearts, to feel the weight, fruitlessness, and shame
of sin, and the first-fruits of that eternal vengeance which is
thereunto due : not only set forth Christ before them as a
rock of redemption, reaching out a hand to save, and offer-
ing great and precious promises of an exceeding, eternal,
abundant weight of glory ; but, besides all this, doth in-
wardly touch the heart by the finger of his Spirit, framing it to
a spiritual and divine conformity unto Christ. How can the
soul of such a man, in these present extremities of horror,
which yet are but the pledges of infinite more which must en-
sue ; and in the evidence of so wonderful and sweet promises,
the seals of the eternal favour and fellowship of God, but
choose, with much importunity of affection, to lay hold on so great
a hope which is set before it, and with all readiness and am-
bition of so high a service, yield up itself into the hands of so
gracious a Lord, to be by him ordered and overruled unto any
obedience !
2. This willingness of Christ's people is wrought by a
spiritual illumination of the mind. And, therefore, the con-
version of sinners is called a conviction, because it is ever
WTOught in us as we are reasonable and intelligent creatures.
I take it (under favour and submission to better judgments)
for a firm truth, that if the mind of man were once thoroughly,
and in a spiritual m.anner, (as it becometh such objects as are
altogether spiritual,) possessed of the adequate goodness and
truth which is in grace and glory, the heart could not utterly
reject them : for human liberty is not a brutish, but a reason-
240 Christ's people a willing people.
able thing ; it consisteth not in contumacy, or headstrongness,
but in such a manner of working, as is apt to be regulated,
varied, or suspended by the dictates of right reason. The
only cause why men are not willing to submit unto Christ is,
because they are not thoroughly, and, in a manner, suitable to
the spiritual excellency of the things, enlightened in their
mind. The apostle often maketh mention of fulfilling and
making full proof of our ministry, and of preaching the gospel
fully, namely with the evidence of the Spirit and of power, and
with such a manifestation of the truth as doth commend itself
unto the conscience of a man. Col. iv. 17 ; Acts xiv. 26 ;
2 Tim. iv. 5; Rom. xv. 19. The Vv'ord of God, saith the
apostle, " was not yea and nay," 2 Cor. i. 18 ; that is, a thing
which may be admitted or denied at pleasure, but such a word
as hath no uncertain evidence in itself, nor leaveth any un-
certainty or hesitancy in a mind fitted to receive it. And as
we may thus distinguish of preaching, that there is an imper-
fect, and a full preaching : so may we distinguish of under-
standing the things preached ; in some it is full, and in
others superficial : for there is a twofold illumination of the
mind ; the one theoretical, and merely notional, consisting in
knowledge ; the other practical, experimental, and spiritual,
consisting in the irradiation of the soul by the light of God's
countenance, in such an apprehension of the truth as maketh
the heart to burn thereby, when we know things as we ought
to know them ; that is when the manner and life of our know-
ledge is answerable to the nature and excellency of the things
known, when the eye is spiritually opened to believe and se-
riously conclude that the things spoken are of most pre-
cious and everlasting consequence to the soul, as things that
concern our peace with God. This is the learning of Christ, the
teaching of the Father ; the knowing of things which surpasseth
knowledge ; the setting to the seal of our own hearts that God
is true ; the evidence of spiritual things, not to the brain, but
to the conscience. In one word, this is that which the apostle
calleth a spiritual demonstration. And surely, in this case, the
heart is never over-ruled contrary to the full, spiritual, and
infallible evidence of divine truths unto a practical judgment.
Therefore the apostle saith, that Eve being deceived was in
the transgression, 1 Tim. ii. 14 ; and there is frequent men-
tion made of the deceitfulness of sin, to note, that sin got into
the world by error and seduction. For certainly the will is
a rational appetite ; and, therefore, (as I conceive.) doth nx)t
CHRIST S PEOPLE A WILLING PEOPLE. •_>-! \
Stir from such a good as is fully and spiritually represented
thereunto, as the most universal, adequate, and unqnestionahle
ohjeet of the desires and capacities of a human soul ; for the
freedom and willing consent of the heart is not lawless, or
without rules to moderate it ; but it is therefore said to be
free, because, whether out of a true judgment it move one way,
or, out of a false, another, yet in both it moves naturally, in a
manner suitable to its own condition.
If it be objected, that the heart being unregcnerate, is ut-
terly averse unto any good, and therefore is not likely to be
made willing by the illumination of the mind ; to this I
answer. It is true, the will must not only be moved, but also
renewed and changed, before it can yield to Christ. But
withal, that God doth never so fully and spiritually convince
the judgment in that manner of which I have spoken, without
a special work of grace thereupon, opening the eye, and re-
moving all natural ignorance, prejudice, hesitancy, inadvert-
ency, mispersuasion, or any other distemper of the mind which
might hinder the evidence of spiritual truth. By which means
he also frameth and fashioneth the will to accept, embrace, and
love those good things, of which the mind is thus prepossessed.
3. This willingness of Christ's people is wrouglit by the
communion and inspiration of the Spirit of grace, which is a
free Spirit, a Spirit of love, and a Spirit of liberty : a Spirit
which is in every faculty of man as the soul and principle of
its Christianity, or heavenly being and working. And there-
fore it makes every faculty, in a way peculiar to itself, to work
unto spiritual ends and objects. As the soul in the eye
causeth that to see, and in the ear to hear, and in the tongue
to speak ; so the Spirit of grace in the mind causeth it
rightly to understand, and in the will causeth it freely to de-
sire heavenly things, and in every faculty causeth it to move
towards Christ in such a way and manner of working as is
suitable to its nature.
4. This willingness of Christ's people ariseth from the ap-
prehension of God's dear love, bowels of mercy, and riches of
most unsearchable grace, revealed in the face of Jesus Christ
to every broken and penitent spirit. Love is naturally, when
it is once apprehended, an attractive of love. And therefore
it is that the apostle saith, Faith worketh by love ; that is, by
faith, first, the heart is persuaded and affected with God's
love unto us in Christ. " I live by the faith of the Son ot
God, who loved me, and gave himself for me," Gal. ii. 20 ;
M
242 Christ's people a willing people.
Eph. in. 17 — 19. Being thus persuaded of his love to us, the
heart is framed to love him again : for who can he persuaded
of so great a benefit as the remission of sins, and not be most
deeply inflsuned with the love of him by whom they are re-
mitted ? 1 John iv. 19 ; Luke vii. 47. And by this reci-
procal love of the heart to Christ, faith becometh effectual to
work obedience and conformity to his will. Love is the ful-
filling of the law : he that loves God, would with all joyful-
ness fulfil every jot of God's law if it were possible ; " This
is the love of God," saith the apostle, " that we keep his com-
mandments : and his commandments are not grievous." True
love overcomes all difficulties, is not apt to pretend occasions
for neglecting any service of God, nor to conceive any preju-
dices against it, but puts an edge and alacrity upon the spirit
of a man; he can no more be said to love Christ, who doth
not wilhngly undergo his yoke, than that woman to love her
husband who is ever grieved at his presence, and delighteth
more in the society of strangers.
5. This willingness of Christ's people ariseth from the
beauty and preciousness of those ample promises, which by
the love of Christ are made unto us. It is said of Moses that
he chose (and that is the greatest act of willingness) " rather
to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the
pleasures of sin for a season ;" and the ground of this willing-
ness was, " he had a respect unto the recompense of the re-
ward," Heb. xi. 25, 26. So Christ endured the cross, and
despised the shame ; that is, the shame (which would much
have staggered and disheartened an unresolved man) was no
prejudice or discouragement unto him, to abate any of his
most willing obedience ; and the motive was, " for the joy that
was set before him,'' Heb. xii. 2. And St. Paul professeth
of himself that he " pressed forward ;" he was not only willing,
but importunate and contentious to put forth all his spirits,
and, like riders in a race, to rouse up himself in a holy fervour
and emulation, and all this was " for the prize of the high
caUing of God in Christ Jesus ;" which was, as it were, be-
fore his face in the promises thereof, Phil. iii. 14 : so the
apostle assureth us, that a christian's hope to be like unto
Christ hereafter, will cause him to purify himself, " even as
he is pure," 1 John iii. 3. When a man shall sit down, and
recount with David, what God hath done for him already ;
" Who am I, O Lord God ? and what is my house, that thou
hast brought me hitherto?" and what God hath further
CHRIST'S PEOPLE A WILLING PEOPLE. 243
promised to do for him more ; " Thou hast spoken also of
thy servant's house for a great while to come :" of a cliild of
wrath thou hast called me to an inheritance of the saints in
light, and into the fellowship of more glory than can he
shadowed forth hy all the lights of heaven, though every star
were turned into a sun ; — I say, when the soul shall thus re-
count the goodness of God, how can it but be wonderfully
enlarged with thoughts of tliankfulness, and grieved at. the
slow and narrow abilities of the other parts to answer the ur-
gent and wide desires of a willing soul !
6. This willingness of Christ's people ariseth from the ex-
perience of that peace, comfort, life, liberty, triumph, and
security which accompanieth the Spirit and service of Christ.
Nothing makes a man more fearful of wars than the dangers
and hazards which are incident thereunto. But if a man can
serve under such a prince, whose employments are not only
honourable, but safe ; if he, who is able and faithful to make
good his words, promise us that none either of the stratagems
or forces of the enemy shall do us hurt, but that they shall
fly before us, while we resist them ; who would not be a volun-
tary in such services as are not liable to the casualties and
vicissitudes which usually attend other wars, wherein he might
fight with safety, and come off with honour ? David had ex-
perience of God's power in delivering him from the lion and
the bear, and was well assured that God, who was careful of
sheep, would be more pitiful to his people Israel, and that
made him. with much willingness ready to encounter Goliath,
whose assurance was only in himself, and not in God. When
a man shall consider what God might have done with him,
that he might have sent him to hell as soon as he first
breathed, deprived him of the means of grace, left him to the
rebellion and hardness of his evil heart, and to the rage of
Satan, burnt his bones, and dried up his bowels with the view
of that wrath which is due to sin ; and what he hath done
with him ; he hath called him to the knowledge of his will,
refreshed him with the light of his countenance, heard his
prayers, given an issue to his temptations, and a reviving out
of bondage, fastened him as a nail in his holy place, given
him his favour which is better than life, and spoken of his
servant for a long time to come : oh ! how readily will the spirit
of such a man conclude, Lord, according to thine own heart
hast thou done all this unto me, and I have found so mucli
sweetness in thy service above all mine own thoughts or
-M 2
244 Christ's people a willing people.
expectations, that now, O Lord, my heart is prepared, my
heart is prepared, I will sing and rejoice in thy service I
7. This willingness of Christ's people ariseth from that
excellent beauty and attractive virtue which is in holiness.
" Thy word is very pure : therefore thy servant loveth it."
And therefore we find Christ and his church do kindle the
coals of love, and stir up those flames of mutual tenderness
towards one another, do cherish those longing, languishing,
and ravishing affections, and breathings of hearts, by the fre-
quent contemplations of each others beauty. " Behold, thou
art fair, my love ; behold, thou art fair ; thou hast dove's eyes.
Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant," Cant.
i. 15, 16. These are the principles of that great devotion
and willingness which is in the people of Christ unto his
service.
And hereby we may make trial of the truth of that profes-
sion, subjection, and obedience which we all pretend unto the
gospel of Christ. It is then only sound when it proceeds
from a willing and devoted heart, from purpose, fervour, and
earnestness of spirit ; for as God in mercy accounts the will
for the deed ; because where there is a willing mind, there
will certainly be all answerable endeavours to execute that will,
and reduce it into act ; so he esteems the deed nothing without
the will. Cain and Abel did both sacrifice ; it was the heart
which made the difference between them : let the outward
conversation be what it will, yet if a man regard iniquity in
his heart, God will not hear him. It Is a worse token, saith
Gregory, of an evil man to love sin, than to commit it ; for it
may be committed out of temptation and Infirmity, and so
may be either in part the sin of another that tempteth us, or
at least not the sin of our wholeselves, but of those remainders
of corruption which dwell within us. But our love is all our
own : Satan can but offer a temptation, the heart itself must
love It : and love is strong as death, it worketh by the
strength of the whole man ; and therefore ever such as the
will is (which is the seat of love) such is the service too.
And the reason is :
(1.) Because the will is the first mover, and the master-
wheel in spiritual work ; that which regulateth all the rest,
and keepeth them right and constant : that which holdeth
together all the faculties of the soul and body in the execution
of God's will. In which sense, among others, I understand
that of the apostle, that love is the bond of perfection, Col.
Christ's people a willing people. 245
iii. 14 ; because when love rcsideth in the heart, it will put
together every faculty to do that work of God perfectly which
it goes about. And therefore, by a like expression, it is
called the fulfilling of the law ; because love aims still at the
highest, and at the best in that thing which it loves; it is ever
an enemy to defects. He that loves learning will never stop,
and say, I have enough ; in this likewise love is as stron^r as
death. And he that loves grace, will be still ambitious to
abound in the work of the Lord, and to press forward unto
perfection ; to make up that which is wanting to his faith ; to
be sanctified throughout ; to bring forth more fruit ; to walk in
all pleasing ; to be holy, and unblameable, and unreprovable,
without spot or wrinkle. It is an absurd thing in relifrion to
dote upon mediocrities of grace ; he that with all the exact-
ness and rigour of his heart, can never gather together all
grace, can surely never have too much. In false religions no
man is so much magnified as he that is strictest. That papist
who is most cruel to his flesh, most assiduous at his beads,
most canonical in his hours, macerated with superstitious pe-
nance, most frequently prostrated before his idols, is of all
other most admired for the greatest saint. Oh why should
not an holy strictness be as much honoured as a superstitious
one ! why should not exactness, purity, and a contending
unto perfection, be as much pursued in a true as in a false re-
ligion I why should not every man strive to be filled with
grace, since he can never have enough till he have it all, till
he is brim-full! He that truly loves wealth, would be the
richest ; and he that loves honour, would be the highest of
any other : certainly grace is in itself more lovely than any of
these things. Why then should not every man strive to be
most unlike the evil world, and to be more excellent than his
neighbour ; to be holy as God is holy ; to be as Christ himself
was in this world ; to grow up in unity of faith, and in the
knowledge of him unto a perfect man ? Certainly, if a man
once set his will and his heart upon grace, he will never rest
in mediocrities ; he will labour to abound more and more, he
will never think himself to have apprehended, but forgetting
the things which are behind, he will reach forth to those
things which are before him ; for all the desires of the heart
are strong, and will over-rule any other natural desire. The
grief of David's heart made him forget to eat his bread. The
desire of Christ's heart to convert the Samaritan woman made
him careless of his own hunger. " It is my meat to do the
246 Christ's people a willing people.
will of him that sent me, and to finish his work." A true
heart will go on to finish the work which it hath begun.
" The wicked sleep not," saith Solomon, " except they have
done mischief;" and the enemies of St. Paul provided to stop
the clamours and demands of an empty stomach with a solemn
vow that they would neither eat nor drink till they had slain
him. Lust never gives over till it finish sin, and therefore
the love of Christ should never give over till it finish grace.
(2.) Because God is more honoured in the obedience of the
will than of the outward man. Human restraints may rule
the one, but nothing but grace can rule the other ; for herein we
acknowledge God to be the Searcher of hearts, the Discerner
of secret thoughts, the Judge and Lord over our consciences.
" Whatsoever ye do," saith the apostle, " do it heartily as to
the Lord, and not to men.'' Noting unto us, that a man doth
never respect the Lord in any service which cometh not wil-
lingly, and from the inner man. Now, he worketh in vain,
and loseth all that he hath wrought, who doth not work for
him who is master of the business he goes about, arid who
only doth reward it. Therefore, saith the apostle, " Do it
heartily, as to the Lord ; knowing that of the Lord ye shall
receive the reward of the inheritance : for ye serve the Lord
Christ." He only is the pay-master of such kind of work,
and therefore do it only as to him, so that he may approve
and reward it.
Before I leave this point touching the willingness of Christ's
people, here is a great case, and of frequent occurrence to be
resolved, whether those who are truly of Christ's people, may
not have fears, torments, uncomfortableness, weariness, and
unwillingness in the ways of God ? St. John states the
case in general ; " There is no fear in love ; but perfect love
casteth out fear : because fear hath torment," ] John iv. 18 :
so that it seems where there is torment and weariness, there
is no love : for the clearing of this case, I shall set down some
few positions.
L In general, where there is true obedience there is ever a
willing and a free spirit ; in this degree at the least, a most
deep desire of the heart, and serious endeavour of the spirit of
a man to walk in all well-pleasing towards God ; a longing
for such fulness of grace and enlargement of soul, that may
make a man fit to run the way of God's commandments.
2. Where there is this will, yet there may, upon other
reasons, be such a fear as hath pain and torment in it ; and
Christ's people a willing people. 247
that in two respects : 1 . There may be a fear of God's wrath.
The soul of a righteous man may be surprised with some
gUmpses and apprehensions of his most heavy displeasure ; he
may conceive himself set up as God's mark to shoot at, Job
vii. 20 ; that the poisoned arrows and terrors of the wrath of
God do stick fast upon him, Job vi. 4 ; that his transgres-
sions are sealed up and reserved against him, Job xiv. 17.
The hot displeasure of tlie Lord may even vex his bones, .and
make his soul sore within him, Psa. vi. 1 — 3. He may con-
ceive himself forgotten and cast out by God, surprised with
fearfulness, trembling, and tlie horror of death, Psa. xiii. 1 ;
Iv. 4, 3. Christ may withdraw himself and bo gone, in re-
gard of any comfortable and sensible fruition of his fellowship ;
and in that case the soul may fail, and seek him, but not find
him, and call upon him, but receive no answer. Cant. v. 6.
A man may fear the Lord, and yet be in darkness, and
have no light, Isa. 1. 10. 2. There may be a great fear,
even of performing spiritual duties. A broken and de-
jected man may tremble in God's service, and upon a
deep apprehension of his own unworthiness, and erroneous
applying of that sad expostulation of God with wicked men,
" What hast thou to do to take my covenant in thy mouth ?"
Psa. 1. 16 ; and, " What hath my beloved to do in mine
house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many ?" Jer.
xi. 13. He may be startled, and not dare adventure upon
such holy and sacred things without much reluctance and
shame of spirit. " O my God," saith Ezra, " I am ashamed
and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God : for our iniqui-
ties are increased over our head," Ezra ix. 6. Thus it is said
of the poor woman, who upon the touch of Christ's gar-
ment had been healed of her issue of blood, that she came fear-
ing and trembling, and fell down before Christ, and told him
the truth, Mark v. 33. But yet great difference there is be-
tween the fear of the saints and of the wicked. The fear of
the wicked ariseth out of the evidences of the guilt of sin ; but
the fear of the saints from a tender apprehension of the ma-
jesty of God, and his most pure eyes which cannot endure to
behold uncleanness, (which made Moses himself to tremble,
Acts vii. 32,) and out of a deep sense of their own unwor-
thiness to meddle with holy things. Such a fear as this
may bring much uncomfortableness and distraction of spirit ;
but, never at all any dislike or hatred of God, or any designed
disobedience against him : for as the fear of tiie soul deters,
248 Christ's people a willing people.
so the necessity of the precept drives him to an endeavour of
obedience and v.ell-pleasing. Slavish fear forceth a man to
do the duty some v^^ay or other, without any eye or respect
unto the manner of doing it ; but this other, which is indeed
a filial, but yet withal an uncomfortable fear, rather dissuades
from the duty itself, the heart being so vile, and unfit to per-
form so precious a duty in so holy a manner as becomes it.
3. As the saints may have fear and uncomfortableness,
(which are contrary to a free spirit,) so they may have a weari-
ness and some kind of unwillingness in God's service. Their
spirits, like the hands of Moses in the mount, may faint and
hang down, may be damped with carnal affections, or tired
with the difficulty of the work, or plucked back by the impor-
tunity of temptations, so that though they begin in the Spirit,
yet they may be bewitched, and transported from a thorough
obedience of the truth, Gal. iii. 1. A deadness, heaviness,
insensibility, unactiveness, confusedness of heart, unprepared-
ness of affections, insinuation of worldly lusts and earthly cares,
may distract the hearts, and abate the cheerfulness of the best
of us. And hence come those frequent exhortations to stir up
ourselves ; to prepare our hearts to seek the Lord ; to enforce the
law upon our children ; to exhort one another, lest the deceit-
fulness of sin harden us ; to be strong in the grace of Christ ;
not to faint or be weary of well-doing, and the like. All
which, and sundry like, intimate a sluggishness of disposition,
and natural backwardness of the will from God's service.
4. The proportion of this discomfort and weariness ariseth
from these grounds :
(1.) From the strength of those corruptions which remain
within us : for ever so much fleshliness as the heart retains,
so much bias a man hath to turn him from God and his ways,
so much clog and encumbrance in holy duties. And this
remainder of flesh is in the will, as well as in any other fa-
culty, to indispose it unto spiritual actions. As it is in our
members that we cannot do the things which we would. Gal.
V. 17 : so in proportion it is in our wills, that we cannot with
all our strength desire the things which we should ; and there-
fore David praiseth God for this especial grace, " Who am I,
and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so
willingly after this sort ? for all things come of thee, and of
thine own have we given thee ?" 1 Chron. xxix. 14.
(2.) From the dulness or sleepiness of grace in the heart,
which without daily reviving, husbanding, and handling, will
CHRIST S PEOPLE A WILLING PEOPLE. 249
be apt to contract a rust, and to be over-grown with tliat bit-
ter root of corruption within. As a ball will not move with-
out many rubs and stops in a place overgrown with grass, so
the will cannot move with readiness towards God, when the
graces which should actuate it arc grown dull and heavy. A
rusty key will not easily open the lock unto which it was first
fitted ; nor a neglected grace easily open or enlarge the lieart.
(3.) From the violent importunity and immodesty of some
strong temptations, and unexpellible suggestions, which fre-
quently presenting themselves to the spirit, do there beget
jealousies to disquiet the peace of the heart. Satan's first
end is to rob us of grace, hr which purpose he strengthens
our lusts against us ; but his second is to rob us of comfort,
and to toss us up and down between cur own fears and sus-
picions : for unwearied and violent ':ontradictions are apt to be-
get weariness in the best. " Consider Him that endured such
contradiction of sinners against himself," saith the apostle,
*' lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds," Heb. xii. 3.
(4.) From the present weight of some heavy fresh sin,
which will utterly indispose the heart unto good. As we see
how long security did surprise David after his murder and
adultery. Thus, as Jonah, after his flight from God, fell
asleep in the ship ; so stupidity and unaptness to work is
ever the child of any notable and revolting sin. When the
conscience lays bleeding under any fresh sin, it has a hard
task to go through in a more bitter renewing the tears of
repentance. And hard works have for the most part some
fears and reluctances in the performing of them. It hath not
such boldness and assurance to be welcome to God : it comes
with shame, horror, blushing, and want of peace, and so can-
not but find the greater conflict in itself. Sin dis wonts a man
from God, carries him to thickets and bushes. The soul
loves not to be discovered by God in the company of Satan
or any sinful lusts. That child cannot but feel some strug-
glings of shame and unwillingness to come unto his father,
who'is sure when he comes to be upbraided with the compa-
nions which he more delights in.
(5.) From the proportion of the desertions of the Spirit :
for the Spirit of God bloweth where and how he listeth ; and
it is he that worketh our wills unto obedience. If he be
grieved, and made to retire ; if he turn his wind from our sails,
alas, how slow and sluggish will our motion be I How poor our
progress ! Upon these, and several other the like grounds, may
M 3
250 Christ's people a willing people.
the best of us be possessed with fears, discomforts, and un-
wiUingness in God's service. But yet,
5. None of all this takes off the will entirely, though it do
partially ; for the faithful, in their greatest heaviness and
unfitness of spirit, have yet a stronger bias towards God, than
any wicked man when he is at best : for it is true of them in
their lowest condition, that they desire to fear God's name,
Neh. i. 1 1 ; that the desire of their souls is towards the
remembrance of him, Isa. xxvi. 8 ; that they arc seriously
displeased with the distempers and uncomfortableness of their
spirit, Psa. xlii. 5 ; that they long to be enlarged, that they
may run the ways of God's commandments, Psa. cxix. 32;
that they set their affection unto God and his service, 1
Chron. xxix. 3 ; that tbey prepare their heart to seek the
Lord God, 2 Chron. xxx- 19; that they strive, groan,
wrestle, and are unquiet in their heaviness and dulness, ear-
nestly contending for joy and freedom of spirit, Psa. li. 11,
12, In one word, that they dare not omit those duties,
which yet they have no readiness and disposedness of heart to
perform ; but when they cannot do them in alacrity, yet they do
them in obedience, and serve the Lord when he hideth his face
from them. " I said, I am cast out of thy sight ; yet I will
look again toward thy holy temple," Jonah ii. 4. He that
feareth the Lord will obey his voice, though he walk in dark-
ness and have no light, Isa. 1. 10. So then the faithful have
still thus much ground of comfort, that God hath their wills
always devoted and resigned unto him ; though thus much
likewise they have to humble them too, the daily experience of
a backsliding and tired spirit in his service ; and should there-
fore be exhorted to stir up the spirit of grace in themselves,
to keep fresh and frequent their conmiunion with Christ. The
more acquaintance and experience the heart hath of him, the
more abundantly it will delight in him., and make haste unto
him, that it may, with St. Paul, apprehend him in fruition, by
whom it is already apprehended, and carried up into heavenly
places in assurance and representation. As long as wfe are
here there will be something lacking to our faith, some mix-
ture of unbelief and distrust with it, 1 Thess. iii. 10. Cor-
ruptions, temptations, afflictions, trials, will be apt to beget
some fears, discomforts, weariness^ and indisposedness towards
God's service ; the sense whereof should make us long after
our home ; and with the apostle, to groan, and wait for the
adoption, even the redemption of our bodies, and for the
HOW Christ's people are made willing. 251
manifestation of the sons of God, (for though we are now sons,
yet it doth not appear what we shall be, 1 John iii. 2 ;) should
make us pray for the accomplishment of his promises, for the
hastening of his kingdom, where we shall be changed into an
universal spiritualness, or purity of nature; where these relics
of corruption, these strugglings of the law of the members
against the law of the mind, shall be ended ; these languish-
ings, decays, ebbs and blemishes of grace shall be removed ;
where all deficiencies of grace shall be made up, and that
measure and first fruits of the Spirit whicli we here receive,
shall be crowned with fulness and everlasting perfection.
Here we are like the stones and other materials of Solomon's
temple, but in the act of fitting and preparation ; no marvel if
we be here crooked, knotty, uneven, and therefore subject to
the hammer, under blows and buffets. But when we shall be
carried to the heavenly building which is above, and there laid
in, there shall be nothing but smoothness and glory upon us,
no noise of hammers, or axes, no dispensation of word or sa-
craments, no application of censures and severity ; but every
man shall be filled with the fulness of God, faith turned into
sight, hope turned into fruition, and love everlastingly ravished
with the presence of God, with the face of Jesus Christ, with
the fulness of the Holy Spirit, and with the communion and
society of all the saints.
There is further to be observed, the principle of this
willingness, " In the day of thy power," or " of thine armies ;"
tnat is, when thou shalt send abroad apostles, and prophets,
and evangelists, and doctors, and teachers, for evidencing the
word and Spirit unto the consciences of men. Whence we
may observe, that the hearts of Christ's people are made will-
ing to obey him by an act of power, or by the strength of the
word and Spirit. The heart is not barely enticed, but it is
conquered by the gospel of Christ, 2 Cor. x. 4, 5 ; and yet
this is not a compulsory conquest, (which is utterly contrary
to the nature of a reasonable will, which would cease to be
itself, if it could be compelled,) but it is an effectual conquest.
The will, like all other faculties, is naturally dead in trespasses
and sins : and a dead man is not raised to life again by any
enticements, nor yet compelled unto a condition of such exact
complacency and suitableness to nature by any act of violence.
So then, a man is made willingly subject unto Christ, neither
by mere moral persuasions, nor by any violent impulsions ;
252 HOW Christ's people are made willing.
but by a power, in itself supernatural, spiritual, or divine ; and,
in its manner of working, sweetly tempered to the disposition
of the will, which is never by grace destroyed, but perfected.
Therefore the apostle saith, that it is God who worketh in us
to will and to do, Phil. ii. 13. He frameth our will according
to his own, (as David was said to be a man after God's own
heart ;) and then, by that will and the conscious acts thereof,
thus sanctified and still assisted by the Spirit of grace, he
setteth the other powers of nature on work in further obedience
unto his will. And therefore David praiseth God who
had enabled him and his people to offer willingly unto the
service of God's house, and prayeth him that he would ever
keep that willing disposition in the imaginations and thoughts
of the hearts of his people, 1 Chron. xxix. 14, 18. There-
fore the apostle saith, that our faith standeth not in the wis-
dom of men, but in the power of God, 1 Cor. iv. 5. There-
fore likewise it is called the faith of the operation of God who
raised Christ from the dead, Col. ii. 12.
For the more distinct opening and evidencing this point,
how Christ's people are made willing by his power, I will only
lay together some brief positions which I conceive to be
thereunto pertinent, and proceed to that which is more plain
and profitable.
1. Let us consider the nature of the will, which, to be a
free agent or mover, to have from itself, and within itself, an
indifFerency and undeterminateness unto several things ; so
that when it moves or not moves, when it moves one way oi
other, in none of these it suffers violence, but works according
to the condition of its own nature.
2. We may note that this indifFerency is twofold ; either
habitual, belonging to the constitution of the will, which is
nothing else but an original aptitude, or intrinsical non-repug-
nancy in the will, to move unto contrary extremes, to work, or
to suspend its own working : or else actual, which is in the
exercise of the former, as objects present themselves ; and this
is twofold ; either a freedom to good or evil, or a freedom to
will or not to will.
3. Notwithstandmg the will be in this manner free, yet it
may have its freedom in both respects so determined, as that
in such or such a condition, it cannot do what it should, or
forbear what it should, or cannot do what it should not, nor
forbear what it should not. Fallen man, without the grace
of God, is free only unto evil, and Christ in the time of his
HOW Christ's people are made willing. 253
obedience was free wholly unto good. Man free to evil, but
yet so, as that he only doth it voluntarily, he cannot volun-
tarily leave it undone. Christ free only to good, yet so, as
that he doth it most freely, but could not freely omit the doing
of it.
4. The will worketh not in this condition of things unto
moral objects without some other concurrent principles which
sway and determine it several ways ; so that the will is the fa-
culty which moves, and the other the quality or virtue by
v/hich it moves. And these qualities are in natural men the
flesli, or the original concupiscence of our nature, which
maketh the motions of the will to be the will of the flesh ; and
in the regenerate, the grace and spirit of Christ, so far forth
as they are regenerate.
5. As the will is ever carried either by the flesh or the
spirit to its objects, so neither to the one or the other without
the preceding conduct and direction of the practical judgment,
whether by grace enlightened to judge aright, or by corrupt
affections bribed and blinded to misguide the will ; for the will,
being a rational appetite, never moveth but in a judicious
manner, upon apprehension of some goodness and conve-
nience in the thing whereunto it moves.
6. The judgment is never thoroughly enlightened to un-
derstand spiritual things in that immediate and ample beauty
and goodness which is in them, but only by the Spirit of
Christ, which makes a man to have the self-same mind, judg-
ment, opinion, and apprehension of heavenly things which he
had ; so that Christ and a christian think the same thing, as
the apostle speaks, Phil. ii. 5. The Spirit of grace, working
first upon the judgment to rectify that, and to convince
it of the evidence and necessity of that most universal
and adequate good which it presenteth, the whole nature is
proportionably renewed, and Christ formed, as well in the will
and affections as in the understanding. So that, at the same
time, when the Spirit of grace, by an act of heavenly illumi-
nation, is present with the judgment of reason to evidence,
not the truth only, but the excellency of the knowledge of
Christ thereunto, he is likewise present, by an act of heavenly
persuasion, and most intimate allurement unto the will and
affections, sweetly accommodating its working unto the exi-
gence and condition of the faculties, that they likewise may
(with such liberty and complacency as becomes both their own
nature and the quality of the obedience required) apply them-
254 HOW Christ's people are made willing.
selves to the desire and prosecution of those excellent things
which are with so spiritual an evidence set forth unto them in
the ministry of the word. As hy the same soul the eye seeth,
and the ear heareth, and the hand workelh, so when Christ,
by his Spirit, is formed in us, (for the Spirit of Christ is the
first act, or soul, of a christian man, that which animateth him
unto an heavenly being and working, Rom. viii. 9 — 1 1 ; 1 Cor.
vi. 17,) every power of the soul and body is in some propor-
tionable measure enabled to work in such a manner as is con-
venient and proper to the quality of its nature, to the right
apprehension and voluntary prosecution of spiritual things.
The same Spirit who, by the word of grace, doth fully con-
vince the judgment, and let the light of the knowledge of the
glory of God shine upon the mind, doth, by the same word of
grace, proportionably excite and assist the will to affect it ; that,
as the understanding is elevated to the spiritual perception, so
the will likewise is enabled to the spiritual love of heavenly
things.
By all which we may observe, that this working of the
Spirit of grace, whereby we become voluntaries in Christ's
service, and whereby he worketh in us both to will and to do
those things which of ourselves we were not obedient unto,
neither indeed could be, is both a sweet and powerful work ;
as in the raising of a man from the dead (to which in the
Scriptures the renewing of a sinner is frequently compared)
there is a work of great power, which yet, being admirably
suitable to the integrity of the creature, must needs bring an
exact complacency and delight with it. We may frequently in
holy Scripture observe, that of the same effect several things
may be affirmed, by reason of its connexion unto several causes,
and of the several causalties of manners, or concurrence with
which those several causes have contributed any influence unto
it. As the obedience of Christ was, of all others, the most
free and voluntary service of his Father, if we consider it with
respect unto his most holy, and therefore most undistracted
and unhindered will, (for, if it were not voluntary, it were no
obedience ;) and yet, notwithstanding, it was most certain and
infallible, if we consider it with respect to the sanctity of his
nature, to the unmeasureableness of his unction, to the ple-
nitude of his unseducible and unerring spirit, to the mystery
of his hypostatical union, and the communication of proper-
ties between his natures, whereby whatever action was done
by him might justly be called the action of God, in which
HOW Christ's people are made willing. 255
regard it was impossible for him to sin. In like manner, the
passive obedience of Christ was most free and voluntary as
it respected his own will ; for he troubled himself, he humbled
and emptied himself, he laid down his own life, he became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross ; and yet thus
it was written, and thus it behoved or was necessary for Christ
to suffer, if we respect the predeterminate counsel and purpose
of God, who had so ordained, Acts ii. 23. God would not
suffer a bone of Christ to be broken, and yet he did not disable
the soldiers from doing it, for they had still as much strength
and liberty to have broken his, as the others who were cruci-
fied with him ; but that which in regard of the truth and pre-
diction of holy Scriptures was most certainly to be fulfilled,
in regard of the second causes by v/hom it was fulfilled, was
most free and voluntary. We find what a chain of mere casual-
ties and contingencies (if we look only upon second causes)
did concur, in the offence of Vashti, in the promotion ot
Esther, in the treason of the two chamberlains, in the wake-
fulness of the king, in the opening of the chronicles, in the
acceptance of Esther's request, and in the favour of the king
unto her, and all this ordered by the immutable and efficacious
providence of God (which moderates and guides causes and
effects of all sorts to his own fore-appointed ends) for the de-
liverance of his people from that intended slaughter determined
against them, the execution whereof would evidently have
made void that great promise of their returning out of cap-
tivity after seventy years : with relation unto which promise
their deliverance at this time was in regard of God's truth and
purpose necessary, though in regard of second causes brought
about by an accumulation of contingencies. In like manner,
when the hearts of men do voluntarily dedicate and submit
themselves to the kingdom of Christ, if we look upon it with
relation unto the Spirit of grace, which is the formal virtue
whereby it is wrought, so it is an effect of power, and, as it
were, an act of conquest ; and yet look upon it with relation
to the heart itself, which is the material efficient cause thereof,
and so it is a most free, sweet, connatural action, exactly tem-
pered to the exigency of the second cause, and proceeding
therefrom with most exact delight, answerably to the measure
of the grace of illumination, or spiritual evidence in the mind,
whereby our natural blindness, prejudices, and mispersuasions
may be removed, and to the measure of the grace of ex-
citation, assistance, and co-operation in the heart, whereby
256 HOW Christ's people are made willing.
the natural frowardness and reluctancy thereof may be sub-
dued.
In one word, there are but three things requisite to make up
a free and voluntary action. It must be with a preceding
judgment. There must be an internal indeterminateness and
equal disposition of itself unto several extremes. The will
must have the power of her own work. And all these three
do sweetly consist with the point of the text, that the heart is
made willing to obey Christ by an act of power.
1. This power we speak of is only the power of the word
and Spirit, both which do always work in the ordinary course
of God's proceeding by them with men, by wav of judgment
and conviction, by a way of teaching and demonstration, which
are suitable to a rational faculty.
2. Which way soever the will is by the Spirit of grace
directed and persuaded to move, it still retains an habitual or
internal habitude unto the extremes ; so that, if it should have
moved towards them, that motion would have been as natural
and suitable to its condition, as this which it foUoweth ; for
the determination of the act is no extinguishment of the liberty
thereunto.
3. When the Spirit, by power of the word of grace, doth
work the will in us, yet still the will hath the dominion of its
own act ; that is, it is not servilely or compulsorily thereunto
overswayed, but worketh by a self-motion, unto which it is
quickened and actuated by the sweetness of Divine grace, as
the seed of that action. Thus we see how the subjection of
Christ's people unto his kingdom is a voluntary act in regard
of man's will, and an act of power in regard of God's Spirit,
inwardly enlightening the mind with the spiritual evidence,
not only of the truth, but the excellency and superlative
goodness of the gospel of Christ ; and inwardly touching the
heart, and framing it to a lovely conformity and obedience
thereunto.
The ground of this point, why there is an act of power re-
quired to conquer the wills of sinners unto Christ, is that
notable enmity, stoutness, reluctancy, rebellion, weariness,
averseness — in one word, fleshliness — which possesseth the
wills of men by nature : such forwardness unto evil, so much
frowardness against good ; such a spring and bias from pri-
vate ends, and worldly objects ; such fears without, such fight-
ings within ; such allurements on the right hand, such frowns
and affrlghtments on the left ; such depths of Satan, such
257
hellish and unsearchable plots of prmcipalities and powers, to
keep fast and faithful to themselves this chief mistress of the
soul of man ; such sly and insinuating, such furious and fiery
temptations, to flatter or to fright it away from Christ ; such
strong prejudices, such deep reasonings; such high imagina-
tions, such scornfid and mean conceits of the purity and power
of the ways of Christ ; such deceitfulness of heart, such mis-
persuasions and presumptions of our present peace, or at least
of the easiness of our future reformation ; such strong -sur-
mises of carnal hopes which will be prevented, or worldly
dangers incurred, or private ends disappointed ; such lusts to
be denied, such members to be hewed off; such friends to be
forsaken, such passions to be subdued ; such certain persecu-
tions from the world, such endless solicitations of Satan,
such irreconcileable contentions with the flesh : in the midst
of all these pull-backs, how can we think the will should
escape and break through, if God did not send his Spirit (as
once an angel unto Lot, Gen. xix. 16) to lay hands upon it,
while it Imgers and hankers after its wonted course, to use a
merciful conquest over it ; and, as the Scriptures express it, to
lead it, to draw it, to take it by the arm, to carry it in his
bosom, to bear it as an eagle her young ones on her wings ;
nay, by the terrors of the Lord, and the power of his word and
wrath, to pull and snatch it as a brand out of the fire ? Rom.
viii. 14 ; John vi. 44 ; Hos. xi. 3 ; Isa. xl. 11 ; Deut. xxxii.
11 ; Psa. Ixxxviii. 15, 16; Jude 23. Certainly, there is so
much extreme perverseness, so much hellishness and devilish
antipathy to God and his service in the heart by nature, that
if it were left to its own stubbornness to kick and rebel, and
fall back and harden itself, and were not set upon by the
grace of Christ, no man living would turn unto him, or make
use of his blood : by the same reason that any one man pe-
risheth, every man would too, because in all there is as fun-
damental and original enmity to the ways of grace as there
is in any.
The consideration whereof may justly humble us, in our
reflection upon ourselves, whom neither the promises of hea-
ven can allure, nor the blood and passion of Christ persuade,
nor the flames of hell affright from our sins, till the Lord, by
the sweet and gracious power of his Holy Spirit, subdues and
conquers the soul unto himself. If a man should rise from the
dead, and truly relate unto the conscience the woful and ever-
lasting horrors of hell ; if a man's natural capacity were made
258 HOW Christ's people are made willing.
as wide to apprehend the wrath, fury, and vengeance of a pro-
voked God, the fouhiess, guilt, and venom of a soul fuller of
sins than the heaven of stars, as the most intelligent devils of
hell do conceive them ; if an archangel or seraphim should be
sent from heaven to reveal unto the soul of a natural man the
infinite glory of God's presence, the full pleasures of his right
hand, the admirable beauty of his ways, the intimate confor-
mity and resemblance between his Divine nature in himself,
and the image of his holiness in the creature, the unsearchable
and bottomless love of Christ in his incarnation and sufferings,
the endless incomprehensible virtue and preciousness of his
blood and prayers ; yet so desperately evil is the heart of man,
that if, after all this, God should not afford the blessed opera-
tion and concurrence of his own gracious Spirit, the revelation
of his own arm and power upon the soul, to set on those in-
strumental causes, it would be invincible by any evidence
which all the cries and flames of hell, which all the armies
and hosts of heaven, were able to beget. There is no might
nor power able to snatch a man out of the hands of his sin, but
only God's Spirit. Notable are the expressions which the
Holy Ghost everywhere useth to set forth this wretched con-
dition of the heart by nature. Wilfulness and self-willedness ;
*' We will not hearken : we will not have this man to reign
over us," Jer. xliv. 16; Luke xix. 27 ; many wills in one;
rebellion and stubbornness, stoutness of heart, contention
with God, and gainsaying his word ; impudence, stiffness, and
hard-heartedness ; mischievous profoundness, and deep reason-
ings against the law of God; resolvedness, and abiding in
mischief; holding fast deceit, obstinacy, and self-obduration ;
" They have hardened their necks, that they might not hear,"
Jer. xix. 15. Impotency, immovableness, and undocility ;
their heart is uncircumcised, they cannot hear, there is none
that understandeth or seeketh after God, Jer. vi. 10 ; Rom.
jii. 11. Scorning and slighting the messages of the Lord;
*' Where is the promise of his coming ?" Jer. xvii. 15 ; 2 Pet.
3, 4. Incredulity, and belying the Lord in his word, saying
it is not he ; " W^ho hath believed our report? and to whom
is the arm of the Lord revealed?" Isa. liii. 1 ; Jer. v. 12.
W^restling, resisting, and fighting with the word, rejecting the
counsel of God, vexing and striving with his Holy Spirit ; " Ye
do always resist the Holy Ghost," Luke vii. 30 ; Isa. Ixiii.
10 ; Acts vii. 51. Rage and fierceness of disordered affec-
tions, despising of goodness, traitorous, heady, and high-
HOW Christ's people are made willing. 239
minded thoughts ; brutishness of immoderate lust, the un-
tamed madness of an enraged beast, without any restraint of
reason or moderation. In one word, a hell, and gulf of un-
searchable mischief, which is never satisfied. It is impossible
that any reasonable man, duly considering all these difficulties,
should conceive such an heart as this to be overcome with
mere moral persuasions, or by anything less than the mighty
power of God's own grace. To him therefore we should will-
ingly acknovs^ledge all our conversion and salvation. So ex-
tremely impotent are we, O Lord, unto any good, so utterly
unprofitable and unmeet for our Master's use, and yet so
strongly hurried by the impulses of our own lust towards hell,
that no precipice nor danger, no hope nor reward, no man
nor angel, is able to stop us, without thine own immediate
power ; and therefore " Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us,
but unto thy name" only be attributed the glory of our con-
version.
Again ; by this consideration we should be provoked to stir
up and call together all our strength in the Lord's service, to
recover our misspent time, to use the more contention and
violence for the kingdom of heaven, when we consider how
abundant we have been in the works of sin, in the pursuing
of vast desires which had neither end nor hope in them. Oh
how happy a thing would it be if men could serve God with
the same proportion of vigour and willingness of mind as they
served Satan and themselves before I I was never tired in
that way ; I went on indefatigably towards hell ; like a swift
dromedary, or an untamed heifer, I pursued those evil desires
which had vanity for their object and misery for their end;
no fruit but shame, and no wages but death. But in the ser-
vice of Christ I have a price before me, an abiding city, an
enduring substance, an unfading crown to fix the highest of
my thoughts upon : I have the promises of Christ to
strengthen me, his angels to guard, his Spirit to lead, his word
to enlighten me. In one word, I have a soul to save, and a
God to honour. And why should I not apply my power to
serve him who did reach forth his own power to convert me .^
A long way I have to go, and I must do it in a span of time ;
so many temptations to overcome, so many corruptions to
shake off, so many promises to believe, so many precepts to
obey, so many mysteries to study, so many works to finish,
and so little time for all ; my weaknesses on one side, my
businesses on another : mine enemies and my sins round about
260 THE BEAUTY Ob HOLINESS.
me take away so much, that I have scarce any left to give to
God. And yet, alas ! if I could serve God on earth as he is
served in heaven, if I had the strength of angels and glorified
saints to do his will, it would come infinitely short of that
good will of God in my redemption, or of his power in my
conversion. If God should have said to all the angels in
heaven, There is such a poor wretch posting with full strength
towards hell, go stand in his way and drive him back again,
all those glorious armies would have been too few to block up
the passages betwen sin and hell ; without the concurrence of
God's own Spirit and power, they could have returned none
other answer but this, We have done all we can to persuade
and turn him, but he will not be turned. If then the Lord
did put forth his own power to save me, great reason there is
that I should set my weak and impotent faculties to honour
him, especially since he hath been pleased both to mingle
with his service great joy, liberty, and tranquillity here, and
also to set before it a full, a sure, and a great reward, for
my further animation and encouragement thereunto.
IV. The fourth thing observed in this verse was, the attire
vv'herein Christ's people should attend upon his service ; " In
the beauties of holiness." These words refer to those before,
and that either to the word " people," or to the word " will-
ing." If to " people," then they are a further description of
Christ's subjects or soldiers ; they shall be all like servants in
princes' courts, beautifully arrayed ; like the priests of the law
that had garments of beauty and glory ; and so Schindler ex-
pounds it. If to the word " willing," then it notes the ground
and inducement of their great devotion and subjection unto
Christ's kingdom ; that, as the people came up in troops to the
Lord's house, which was the beauty of his holiness, or as men
do flock toorether to the sight of some honourable and stately
solemnity, so Christ's people should, by the beauty of his
banners, be allured to gather unto him, and fly in multitudes
as doves unto their windows. Whichever way we understand
the words, we may from them observe, that holiness is a glo-
rious and a beautiful thing. The holy oil, with which all
the vessels of the sanctuary were to be consecrated, was a type
of that Spirit who sanctifieth us, and raaketh us kings and
priests unto God ; and it was to be compounded of the purest
and most delicate ingi'edients which the art of the apothecary
could put together. Therefore, our Saviour still calleth his
spouse the fairest of women, to note, that no other beauty \\\
THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 261
the world is to be compared with holmess, Cant. v. 9 : there-
fore our faith and holiness is called a wedding garment, at
which solemnity men use above all other to adorn themselves
with their costliest and most beautiful attire : therefore we are
said to " put on the Lord Jesus," and to " put on bowels of
mercy, humbleness of mind, and meekness,' Rom. xiii. 14 ;
Col. iii. 12 : and therefore the church is compared to a bride
decked in her choicest ornaments and jewels, broidered work,
silk, fine linen, bracelets, chains, jewels, crowns, gold, silver, per-
fect comeliness, garments of salvation and of praise, and robes
of righteousness. And Christ, the Husband of this spouse,
" the chlefest" and most amiable " among ten thousand ; yea
akogether lovely," Cant. v. 10, 16; "the desire of all na-
tions," and the allurement of all hearts that can look upon
him, Hag. 11. 7. And Jerusalem, the palace of this glorious
couple, described by the most precious stones and desirable
things which can be thought on : jasper the wall, gold the
pavement, pearl the gates, precious stones the foundation, and
the Lord the light thereof, Rev. xxl. 18 — 23. Of ourselves,
by reason of sin, we are full of filthiness and deformity in flesh
and spirit, clothed with filthy garments, and overspread from
the head to the foot with wounds and putrefaction. It is only
the holy word of God which maketh us clean from our filthi-
ness, and from all our pollutions. By the washing of water,
by the word, Christ sanctlfieth us ; that he might present
unto himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle ;
that it might be holy and without blemish, Eph. v. 27. And
therefore the apostle, St. Peter, exhorteth christian women
to adorn the inner man of the heart with the " ornament of a
meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God"(whose pure
eye they ought rather to please than the wanton eye of man)
" of great price," 1 Pet. iii. 3, 4. And the truth hereof may
be proved even from the practice of hypocrites themselves ;
for no man will counterfeit villanies, and make a show of the
vices, which Indeed he hath not, except he be desperately
thereunto swayed by an humour of pleasing his wicked com-
panions.
This point will more distinctly appear, if we consider
either the author, nature, properties, or operations of this
holiness.
1. The author is God himself by his Spirit. " The very
God of peace sanctify you wholly," salth the apostle, and " the
God of peace make you perfect to do his will," 1 Thess. v.
262 THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS.
23; Heb. xili. 20,21. Therefore the Spirit is called a
" Spirit of holiness," by the power whereof Christ rising from
the dead was " declared to be the Son of God ;" to note the
answerableness between raising from the dead, or giving life
where there was none before, and the sanctification of a sinner,
Rom. i. 4. Therefore the apostle calleth it the " renewing of
the Holy Ghost," and the forming of Christ in us, the quick-
ening and creating us to good works. Tit. iii. 5 ; Gal. iv. 19;
Eph. ii. 5, 10. By all which we may note, that what beauty
the creation brought upon that empty and unshaped chaos,
when it was distributed into this orderly frame which we now
admire ; or what beauty the re-union of a living soul unto a
dead and ghastly body doth restore unto it ; the same beauty-
doth holiness bring unto the soul of a man which was filthy
before. But yet further we must note, that God did not make
man as other ordinary creatures, for some low and inferior use,
(and yet Solomon saith that they were made ail beautiful in
their season,) but there was a pause, a consultation, a more
than common wisdom, power, and mercy revealed in the work-
manship of man : for God made man for his own more peculiar
delight, company, and communion, one whom he would enter
into a more intimate league and covenant withal. " The
Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself This peo-
ple have I formed for myself; they shall show forth my
praise," Psa. iv. 3; Isa. xliii. 21. I will magnify the beauty
of my glorious virtues in those whom I have sanctified for
myself. Thus we find what perfect comeliness the Lord hath
bestowed upon his people, when he entered into covenant with
them, and made them his own ; one which was always to lean
OH his bosom, and to stand in his own presence, Ezek. xvi.
8, 14. The church is the Lord's own house, a temple in the
which he will dwell and walk ; it is his throne, in which he sitteth
as our Prince and Lawgiver. And in this regard it must needs be
extraordinarily beautiful ; "for the Lord will beautify the place
of his sanctuary, and will make the place of his feet glorious,"
Isa. Ix. 13. Now then, if by holiness we are made God's
building, and that not as the rest of the world is, for his crea-
tures to inhabit, but as a temple for himself to dwell in, as a
gallery for himself to walk and refresh himself in, certainly
holiness, which is the ornament and engraving of this temple,
must needs be a glorious thing, for there is much glory and
wisdom in all God's works.
2. If we consider the nature of holiness, it must needs be
THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 263
very beautiful. In general it consists in a relation of confor-
mity, as all goodness, save that of God doth ; for no creature
is so absolute as to have its being from itself, and therefore its
goodness cannot consist in anything which hath its original
in itself. It is the rule and end which denominateth the
goodness of any created thing ; that therefore which ought
not to work for its own end, ought not to work by its own
rule, for he who is lord of an end must needs be lord of the
means and directions which lead unto that end. And this is
indeed the ground of all sin, when men make themselves, their
own will, wit, reason, or resolutions, to be the spring and
fountain of all their actions : therefore, sin is called our
" own ways," and the " lusts of our own hearts," and our
" own counsels," because it is absolutely from ourselves, and
hath no constituted rule to moderate and direct it. It is im-
possible for any creature, as it comes out of God's hands^ to
be without a law, or to be an original law unto itself: for as
he who hath none over him cannot possibly be subject unto
any law, inasmuch as a law is but the declaration of a supe-
rior's will, what he requires to be done, and what he threat-
eneth on default thereof to inflict, so he who is under the
wisdom and ends of another must needs likewise be subject
to the laws which his will prescribes for advancing and com-
passing his own ends, who, if he be in his own nature and
ends most holy, must needs be holy in the laws which he
enacts. By all which we may observe, that holiness con-
sisteth in conformity ; so that according to the excellency of
the pattern whereunto it refers, so is the measure of its beauty
to be conjectured. And the pattern of our holiness is God
himself, " Be ye holy, as your Father which is in heaven is
holy." Other creatures have some prints and paths of God
in them, and so are all beautiful in their time ; but man had
the image of God created in him ; his will was set up in our
hearts as a law of nature, most pure, right, holy, good, wise,
and perfect ; and that law did bear the same relation to man's
life as his soul doth unto his members, to animate, form, and
organize every motion of the heart, every word of the mouth,
every action of the soul and body, according unto the will of
God. When, after this, man threw away this image, and God
was pleased in mercy again to renew holiness in him, he did
it again by another pattern, or rather the same exhibited in
another manner. He made him then conformable to the
image of his Son, the heavenly Adam, who is himself the
264 THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS.
image of the invisible God, the express character of his
Father's brightness, the Sun of righteousness, the Morning
Star, the Light of the world, the fairest of ten thousand : so that
compare holiness with the first original draught thereof in
paradise, the nature of Adam as it came new out of God's
fashioning ; or with the law of God written in his heart ; or
with the holiness of God, of which it was a ray shining
into the soul ; or image of God with itself in Christ the
Second Adam, and every way holiness in its nature consists
in a conformity and commensuration to the most beautiful
things.
3. If we consider some of the chief properties of holiness,
we shall find it in that regard likewise very beautiful.
(1.) Rectitude and uprightness, sincerity and simplicity of
heart. " God hath made man upright ; but they have sought
out many inventions," Eccles.vii. 29 ; that is, have sought up
and down through many turnings and by-ways to satisfy
crooked affections. It was David s prayer, " Make thy way
straight before my face," Psa. v. 8 ; and it is the apostle's
instruction, " Make straight paths for your feet, lest that which
is lame be turned out of the way," Heb. xii. 13. True ho-
liness is a plain and an even thing, without falsehood, guile,
perverseness of spirit, deceitfulness of heart, or starting aside.
It hath one end, one rule, one way, one heart ; whereas hypo-
crites are in the Scripture called double-minded men, because
they pretend to God, and follow the world. Jam. i. 8 ; and
crooked men, like the swelling of a wall, whose parts are not
perpendicular, nor level to their foundation, Deut. xxxii. .5.
Now, rectitude, sincerity, and singleness of heart are ever in
the eyes of God and man a beautiful thing.
(2.) Harmony and uniformity within itself. The philoso-
pher saith of a just man that he is like a dice, which is every
way even and like itself; turn it how you will, it falls upon an
equal bottom. And so holiness keeps the heart like itself in
all conditions ; as a watch, though altogether it may be tossed
up and down with the agitation of him that carrieth it about
him, yet that motion doth no way perturb the frame, or dis-
order the workings of the spring and wheels within : so, though
the man may be many vv^ays tempted and disquieted, yet the
frame of his heart, the order of his affections, the government of
the spirit within him, are not thereby stopped, but holdeth on in
the same tenor. We know in the body, if any part do exceed
the due proportion, it destroys the beauty and acceptableness
THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 265
of the rest. Symmetry and fitness of the parts unto one
another is that which commends a body. Now hoHness con-
sisteth in this proportion, there is in it an exactness of obedi-
ence, an equal respect unto all God's commandments, an
hatred of every false way, a universal work upon the whole
spirit, soul and body, a supply made unto every joint, a mea-
sure dispensed unto every part ; not a grace due unto christian
integrity which is not in some proportion fashioned in a man.
He that leaves any one faculty of his soul neglected, or atny
one part of the service or law of God disobeyed, (I speak of a
total and constant neglect,) is undoubtedly a hypocrite, and
disobeys all. Jam. ii. 10, 11. As David with a Httle stone
slew Goliath, because his forehead was open; so can our
enemy easily deal with us, if he observe any faculty naked and
neglected. The actual and total breach of any one command-
ment, (total I mean, when the whole heart doth it, though
perhaps it doth execute not all the obliquity which the compass
of the sin admits,) is an implicit, habitual, interpretative, and
conditional breach of all : his soul stands alike disaffected to the
holiness of every commandment, and he would undoubtedly
adventure on the breach of this, if such exigencies and condi-
tions as misguided him in the other should thereunto as
strongly induce him. He that hath done any one of these
abominations, hath done all these abominations in God's ac-
count, Ezek. xviii. 10 — 13. There being in a christian man
a suitable life and vigour of hohness in every part, and a mu-
tual conspiring of them all in the same ways and ends, there
must needs likewise be therein an excellent beauty.
(3.) Growth and further progress in these proportions : for
it is not only uprightness and symmetry of parts, which
causeth perfect beauty and comeliness, but stature likewise.
Now holiness is a thriving and growing thing. The word is
seed, and the Spirit is rain, and the Father is an husbandman,
and therefore the life of Christ is an abounding life, John x.
10. The rivers of the Spirit of grace spring up unto eternity,
John vii. 37, 38. All who are Christ's, grow up unto the
point of perfection which it becometh them to have in him,
even " unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of
Christ," Eph. iv. 12, 13. The meaning of the apostle is,
that Christ is not always an infant in us as when he is first
formed, but that he doth '■'■ grandescere in Sanctis" as Mus-
culus well expresseth it ; that he groweth up still unto the sta-
ture of a man : for wheresoever there is faith and holiness,
N
266 THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS.
there is ever generated an appetite for augmentation. Faith
is of a growing, and charity of an abounding nature, 2 Thess.
i. 3. By the word of truth, as by incorruptible seed, we were
begotten ; and by the same word, as by the sap and milk, are
we nourished and grow up thereby. This affection holiness
ever works, as it did in the disciples, " Lord, increase our
faith," Luke xvii. 5 ; and in David, " Strengthen, O God,
that which thou hast wrought for us," Psa. Ixviii. 28.
(4.) Besides the rectitude, harmony, and maturity which
is in holiness, there is another property, which maketh the
beauty thereof surpass all other beauty, and that is indeficiency.
The measure of Christ must be the rule of our growth ; but
Christ never was overtaken by old age or times of declining ;
he never saw corruption : so we must proceed from strength
to strength, like the sun to the perfect day, but there is no
sinking or setting of holiness in the heart. They that are
planted in God's house do still bring forth fruit in their old
age, and are even then fat and flourishing, Psa. xcii. 14.
" Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is re-
newed day by day," 2 Cor. iv. 16. Our holiness is a branch
of the life of Christ in us, which doth never of itself run into
death, and therefore is not, agreeably to its nature, liable to
decay : for that is nothing but an earnest, beginning, and
assurance of death. " That which waxeth old," saith the
apostle, " is ready to vanish away," Heb. viii. 13/
5. If we consider the operation of holiness, that likewise
will evidence the beauty thereof ; for it hath none but gracious
and honourable effects. It filleth the soul with joy, comfort,
and peace. All joy, unspeakable and glorious joy, peace,
quietness, assurance, songs, and everlasting joy. It maketh
the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame leap, the dumb sing, the
wilderness and parched ground to become springs of water.
It entertaineth the soul with feasts of fatted things, and of
refined wines, and carrieth it into the banquetting house unto
apples and flagons. It giveth the soul a dear communion
with God in Christ, a sight of him, an access unto him, a
boldness in his presence, an admission into most holy delights
and intimate conferences with him in the galleries of love. In
one word, it gathers the admiration of men, it secures the pro-
tection of angels, and, which is argument of more beauty than
all the creatures in the world have besides, it attracteth the
eye and heart, the longings and ravishments, the tender com-
passions and everlasting delights of the Lord Jesus.
THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 267
I have insisted on these properties of hoHness, which denote
inward beauty, because all the graces of the Spirit do beautify
inherently. But the word properly signifies outward adorn-
ing, by a metaphor of rich apparel, expressing the internal
excellency of the soul: which notes unto us two things
more.
1. That the people of Christ are not only sanctified within,
but have interest in that unspotted holiness of Christ, where-
with they are clothed as with an ornament. So the priests of
God are said to be " clothed with righteousness," Psa. cxxxii.
9 ; and we are said to " put on Christ," Gal. iii. 27. And
the righteousness of Christ is frequently compared to long
white robes, fit to cover our sins, to hide our nakedness, and
to protect our persons from the wrath of God, Rev, iii. 18 ;
iv. 4 ; vi. 11; vii. 9 ; so that to the eye of his justice we ap-
pear, as it were, parts of Christ ; as when Jacob wore Esau's
garment, he was as Esau to his father, and in that relation
obtained the blessing. God carrieth himself towards us in
Christ, as if we ourselves had fulfilled all righteousness ; as if
there were no ground of contest with us, or exception against
us. And this is indeed the " beauty of holiness ;" the model,
prototype, and original of all beauty.
2. From the metaphorical allusion (as it is usually under-
stood) it notes unto us likewise, that all the people of Christ
are priests unto God, to offer up sacrifices acceptable unto
him by Jesus Christ, 1 Pet. ii. 5. They have all the privi-
leges and the duties of priests. To approach unto God, we
have liberty " to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,"
Heb. x. 19 ; to consult and have communion with him, to
be his remembrancers ; for as his Spirit is his remembrancer
unto us, " he shall bring all things to your remembrance, what-
soever r have said unto you," John. xiv. 26 ; so is he our
remembrancer unto God, to put him in mind of his mercy and
promises, to make mention of him, and to give him no rest.
To know and propagate his truth ; this was the office of the
priest, to be the keeper of knowledge, and to teach it unto others :
and this knowledge in the gospel doth overflow the earth, and
make every man, in a spiritual sense, a priest, an instructor,
and edifier of his brother. To offer to him such sacrifices as he
now delighteth in : the sacrifices of thanksgiving, the sacrifices
of a broken and contrite spirit, the sacrifices of praise, con-
fession, good works, and mutual communicating unto one
another : in one word, the sacrificing of a man's whole self,
n2
268 THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS.
to be consecrated as a kind of first fruits unto God, being
sanctified by the Holy Ghost.
We see then that hohness is the badge of Christ's subjects;
they are called the people of his holiness, Isa. Ixiii. 18.
Israel was " holiness unto the Lord," and the first fruits of
his increase consecrated unto him and his service as a kind of
first fruits. The livery of Christ's servants is a parcel of the
same Holy Spirit with which his own human nature was
clothed. All the vessels and ministerial instruments of the
tabernacle were anointed with the holy oil; and the house of
the Lord was an house of holiness ; to signify, that every
christian should be sanctified by the Spirit of God, because he
is a temple ; and every member, because it is a vessel and instru-
ment for the Master's use. The Spirit of holiness is that
vyhich distinguisheth, and as it were, marketh the sheep of
Christ from the wicked of the world: "Ye were sealed with the
Holy Spirit of promise," Eph. i. 13 : "Ye have not received
the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God,"
1 Cor. ii. 12. Holiness setteth us apart for God's service, for
his presence and fruition ; protecteth and privilegeth us from
the wTath to come, in the day when he shall separate between
the precious and the vile, and make up his jewels : without
this no man can either serve, or see, or escape God ; either do
his will, enjoy his favour, or decline his fury. All our services
w ithout this are but dross ; and who would thank that man
for his service, who with wonderful officiousness should bring
nothing but heaps of dross into his house ? If a man could
pour out of his veins rivers of blood, and offer up every day as
many prayers as thoughts unto God, if his eyes were melted
into tears, and his knees hardened into horn with devotion ;
yet all this, if it be not the fruit of holiness, but of will-wor-
ship, or superstition, or opinion of merit and righteousness,
it is but as dross in God's sight ? " Wherefore liest thou
upon thy face? there is an accursed thing in the midst of
thee," Josh. vii. 10, VS. Whatever sin thy conscience tells thee
lieth next thy heart, and warms it, so that thou art unwilling to
part from it, take heed of bringing it into God's presence, or
provoking him with thy services ; for he will cast them back into
thy face. " What hath my beloved to do in mine house, seeing
she hath wrought lewdness with many ? Wliat hast thou to
do to take my covenant in thy mouth, seeing thou hatest in-
struction ? Who hath required this at your hand to tread in my
courts ? Bring no more vain oblations ; incense is an abomina-
THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 269
tion unto me," Jer.xi. 15 ; Psa. 1. 16, 17 ; Isa. i. 12, 13. Until
a man put away the evil of his doings, and cleanse himself, all
his worship of God is but mocking of him, and profaning his
ordinances. In vain did the mariners pray while Jonah was
in the ship ; in vain did Joshua intercede while the accursed
thing was in the camp. A man shall lose all which he hath
wrought in God's worship, and have neither thanks nor re-
ward for it, so long as he harboureth any unclean affection in
his heart, and will not yield to part from it. Any sin which
wasteth the conscience, (as every great presumptuous sin doth
in whomsoever it is,) unqualifieth that person for the kingdom
of heaven. Grace maketh a believer sure of salvation, but it
doth not make him reckless or secure in living ; though there
be not an extinguishment, yet there is a suspension of his
right upon any black and notorious fall, that a man must not
dare to lay claim to heaven, that hath dared in a presumptuous
manner to provoke the Lord. Our hoHness is not the cause
of our salvation, but yet it is the way thereunto ; he who, by
any wasting and presumptuous sin, putteth himself out of that
way, must by repentance turn into it again, before he can hope
to find out heaven ; for " without holiness no man shall see
the Lord." He who is an hundred miles from his own house,
notwithstanding his propriety thereunto, shall yet never ac-
tually enter therein, till he have travelled over the right way
which leads unto it. There is an order, from first to last, in
the salvation of men ; many intermediate passages between
their vocation and their glory: justification, repentance, and
sanctification, as a scale or ladder between earth and heaven.
He who falls from his holiness and purity of conscience,
though he be not quite down the ladder, hath the whole work
to begin again, as much as ever ; yea, doubtless he shall never
get to the top till he recover the step from which he fell.
And if in this case it be true, that the righteous shall
scarcely be saved, oh then, where shall that man appear whom
God at the last shall find without this garment and seal upon
him I And therefore we should labour to go to God's throne
with our garments and our mark upon us ; for all other en-
dowments, our learning, our honours, our parts, our prefer-
ments, our earthly hopes and dependencies, will not follow us,
but we shall live to see them, or the comforts of them, depart.
Ahithophel had wisdom like an oracle of God, but he lived to
see it bid him quite farewell ; for he died like a very fool, or
child, who when he may not have his own will, will be re-
270 THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS.
venged upon himself. Haman had more honour than the am-
bition of a subject usually aspires unto, and yet he lived to see
it bid him farevvell, and died the basest death which himself
could devise for his most hated and despised enemy. Jehoia-
kim, a king, lived to see his crown take its leave, and was
buried with the burial of an ass, and dragged like carrion out
of the gates of the city. There will be nothing at last left
for any man to cast his trust upon, but God, or angels, or our
fellows ; and if then God be agauist us, though all which re-
mains were on our side, alas ! what is a handful of stubble to a
world full of fire ! But yet there will not be that advantage, but
the combat must be single between God and a sinner. The
good angels rejoice to do God's will, and the wicked will re-
joice to do man any mischief ; these will be only ready to
accuse, and those to gather the wicked together unto the wrath
of him that sitteth on the throne. Oh ! what would a man
give then for that holiness which he now despiseth ! what
covenants would such a man be content to subscribe unto, if
God would then show him mercy when the court of mercy is
shut up ! Wouldst thou return to the earth, and live there
a thousand years under contempt and persecution for my ser-
vice ? O yes, not under thy service only, but under the rocks
and mountains of the earth, so that I may be hid from the face
of the Lamb. Wilt thou be content to go to hell and serve me
there a thousand years in the midst of hellish torments, and
the reviling of damned creatures ? O yes, infinitely better would
it be, even in hell, to be thy servant than thine enemy. Wilt thou
revenge every oath with a year of prayers, every bribe of cor-
ruption with a treasury of aims, every vanity with an age of
preciseness ? Yes, Lord, the severest of thy commands to
escape but the smallest of thy judgments. Oh ! let us be wise
for ourselves ; there shall be no such easy conditions then
proposed when it will be impossible to observe them ; and
there are now far easier proposed, when we are invited to ob-
serve them.
Again ; from hence we learn, that none will be willing to
come unto Christ till they see beauty in his service, which, with
a carnal eye, they cannot do ; for naturally the heart is pos-
sessed with much prejudice against it, that the way of religion,
in that exactness which the word requires, is but the phantasm
of more sublimated speculations ; a mere notional and airy
thing, which hath no being at all, but in the wishes of a few
men, who fancy unto themselves the shape of a church, as
THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 271
Xenophon did of a prince, or Plato of a commonwealth. And
therefore, though with their tongues they do not, yet in their
hearts men are apt to lay aside that rigour and exactness
which the Scripture requires, namely, to pull out our right eyes,
to cut off our right hands, to hate father and mother, and wife
and lands, and our own life ; to deny ourselves, to cross our
own desires, to mortify our earthly members ; to follow the
Lamb through evil report and good report, through afflictions
and persecutions, and manifold temptations whithersoever he
goeth ; to war with principaHties and powers, and spiritual
wickednesses ; to acquaint ourselves with the whole counsel of
God, and the like ; and instead thereof to resolve upon cer-
tain more tolerable maxims of their own to go to heaven by ;
certain mediocrities between piety and profaneness, wherein
men hope to hold God fast enough, and yet not to lose either
the world, or their sinful lusts. This is a certain and con-
fessed truth, that the spirit which is in us by nature, is con-
trary to the Spirit of purity and power which is in the word ;
and therefore, the universal and willing submission of the heart
unto this, must needs find both many antipathies within, and
many discouragements and contempts without. Christ was
set up for a sign of contradiction to be spoken against, and
that in the houses of Israel and Judah ; and as it was then,
so is it now, even in Abraham's family, in the household and
visible church of Christ, they that are of the flesh persecute
those that are after the Spirit : Christ had never greater ene-
mies than those which professed his name. This is one of
the sorest engines Satan hath against his kingdom, to make it
appear in the eyes of men as a despicable, contemptuous, and
unbeautiful thing. And therefore, no man comes under
Christ's government till that prejudice, by manifest evidence of
the Spirit, be removed. And for this reason the ways of
Christ are set forth as beautiful, even under crosses and afflic-
tions. " I am black" with persecution, with the beating of
the sun upon me, but yet I am " comely, O ye daughters of
Jerusalem," Cant. i. 5. When the watchmen smote the
church, and wounded her, and took away her veil, yet still she
acknowledged Christ, for whose sake she suffered these perse-
cutions, to be "white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thou-
sand,"Cant. v. 7, 10 : and the same opinion hath Christ of his
church, though she be afflicted and tossed with tempest, yet
he esteemeth of her as of a beautiful structure. "How fair and
how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights !" Isa. liv. 11, 12 ;
272 Christ's subjects are numerous.
Cant. iv. 1, 7. And this is that we should all endeavour to
show forth in a shining and unblamable conversation, the
beauty of the gospel, that the enemies may have no occasion
from any indiscretions, affectations, unnecessary reservedness,
deformities, ungrounded scrupulosities, over-worldly affec-
tions, or any other miscarriages of those who profess not the
name only, but the power of religion, to blaspheme or fling off
from a way, against which they have such prejudices offered
them ; for all that which the faithful have common with the
world, shall yet be sure to be charged upon their profession by
wicked men, who have not either reason or charity enough to
distinguish between God's rule, and man's error. " Submit
yourselves," saith the apostle, " to every ordinance of man for
the Lord's sake, for so is the will of God, that with well
doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men,"
1 Pet. ii. 13 — 15 ; for this is certain, the ignorance of foolish
men will not so much lay the blows upon your persons, as
upon that truth and religion which you profess, when you
needlessly withstand any such ordinances as you might without
sin obey.
V. The last thing observed in this verse, was the multitudes
of Christ's subjects, and the manner of their birth ; " From
the womb of the morning : thou hast the dew of thy youth."
Thy children are born in as great abundance unto thee, as the
dew which falleth from the morning womb.
From whence we may note, — That Christ in the day of his
power, in the morning of his church, had multitudes of chil-
dren born unto him. This promise the Lord made to Abra-
ham, and it is not to be limited to his children after the flesh,
but to his children of promise, that his seed should be as the
stars, and as the dust for multitude. Gen. xxii. 17 ; xxviii. 14.
And the prophet applies that promise to Israel by promise,
when those after the flesh should be dispersed and become no
people ; " Yet," saith the prophet, " the number of the chil-
dren of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea which cannot
be measured nor numbered," Hos. i. 10 ; meaning the Israel
of God amongst the gentiles. Thus the faithful are said to
flock like doves unto their windows, and to swell into a sea of
great waters, an hundred and four and forty thousand, with an
innumerable company more, all sealed and standing before
the Lamb, Isa. Ix. 8 ; Rev. vii. 4, 9.
Now, this was in the day of small things, in the time when
Christ first bent abroad his armies and the rod of his strenorth
Christ's subjects are numerous. 273
into the world. Before this, God suffered men to walk in their
own ways ; yea, in his own lifetime Christ forbad his disciples
to enter into the cities of the Samaritans, or the gentiles. And
he promised them that they should do greater works than he
him.self had done, because he went unto his Father, John xiv.
12 ; for when he ascended up on high, he then led captivity
captive ; he triumphed over that ignorance and thraldom under
which the world was held, and gave gifts of his Spirit unto
men of all sorts in abundance ; visions to the young, dreams
to the aged, and his gracious Spirit unto all. We never read
of so many converted by Christ's personal preaching, (which
was indeed but the beginning of his preaching, for it is the
Lord which speaketh from heaven still,) as by the ministry of
his apostles : he thereby providing to magnify the excellency
of his spiritual presence, against all the carnal superstitions of
those men who seek for an invisible, corporeal presence of
Christ on the earth, charmed down out of heaven under the
lying shapes of separated accidents ; and who cannot be
content with that all-sufficient Remembrancer, which himself
hath promised to his church, John xiv. 26, except they may
have others, and those such as the holy Scriptures every
where disgraceth as teachers of lies and vanity, the crucifixes
and images of their own erecting : therein infinitely derogating
from that all-sufficient provision which the Lord in his word
and sacraments (the only living and full images of Christ cru-
cified. Gal. iii. 1,) hath proposed unto men as alone able to
make them wise unto salvation, being opened and represented
unto the consciences of men, not by human inventions, but by
those holy ordinances and offices which himself hath appointed
in his church, the preaching of his word and administration
of his sacraments. And surely they who by Moses and the
prophets, by that ministry which Christ after his ascension
did establish in his church, do not repent, would be no whit
the nearer, no more than Judas or the pharisees were, if they
should see or hear Christ in the flesh. Therefore, it is ob-
served after Christ's ascension, that the word of God grew
mightily and prevailed, and that there were men daily added
unto the church, Acts xix. 20 ; ii. 47 ; that the savour of the
gospel was made manifest in every place, 2 Cor..ii. 14 ; that
the children of the desolate were more than of the married wife,
Isa. liv. 1. Therefore, the believers after Christ's ascension
are called " the multitude of them that believed ; and multitudes
both of men and women were added to the Lord," Acts iv,
n5
274 Christ's subjects are numerous.
32 ; V. 14 ; ten to one of those there were before. " Ten men
shall take hold out of all languages of the nations even of the
skirt of him that is a jew, saying, We will go with you," Zech.
viii. 23 ; that is, shall take the kingdom of heaven by violence,
as Saul laid hold on the skirt of Samuel's mantle, that he
might not go from him.
The reason hereof is to magnify the exaltation and spiritual
presence and power of Christ in the church. While he was
upon the earth he confined his ordinary residence and personal
preaching unto one people, because his bodily presence was
narrow, and could not be communicated to the whole world ;
for he took our nature with those conditions and limitations
which belong thereunto. But his Spirit and power are over
the whole church, by them he walketh in the midst of the
candlesticks. Christ's bodily presence and preaching the jews
withstood, and crucified the Lord of glory ; but now, to
show the greatness of his power by the gospel, he goes him-
self away, and leaves but a few poor and persecuted men be-
hind him, assisted by the virtue of his Spirit, and by them
wrought works which all the world could not withstand. He
could have published the gospel, as he did the law, by the mi-
nistry of angels ; he could have anointed his apostles with
regal oil, and made them not preachers only, but princes, and
defenders of his faith in the world. But he rather chose to
have them to the end of the world poor and despised men,
whom the world (without any show of just reason which can
be by them alleged) should overlook, and account of as low
and mean conditioned men, that his Spirit might in their
ministry be the more glorified. " God hath chosen the foolish
things of the world to confound the wise : and weak things of
the world to confound the things which are mighty ; and base
things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God
chosen, yea, and things that are not, to bring to nought
things that are : that no flesh should glory in his presence,*'
1 Cor. i. 27 — 29 ; and that his own Spirit might have all the
honour : therefore, " I was with you in weakness," saith the
apostle, " and in fear, and in much trembhng, that your faith
should not stand in the wisdom of men,but in the power of God,"
1 Cor. ii. 3, 5. And again ; "We have this treasure in earthen
vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and
not of us. Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit
saith the Lord," 2 Cor. iv. 7 ; Zech. iv. 6. Thus we find,
tliat when the church was most persecuted, it did then most
Christ's subjects are numerous. 275
grow, and in the worst times it brought forth the greatest
Fruit, to note the power of Christ's kingdom above all the
attempts of men. " A great door and effectual is opened
unto me," saith the apostle, "and there are many adversaries ;"
intimating, that the gospel of Christ had great success when
it was most resisted. All persecutors (as St. Cyprian observes)
are like Herod ; they take their times, and seek to slay Christ,
and overthrow his kingdom in its infancy, and therefore at that
time doth he most of all magnify the power and protection of
his Spirit over the same. Never were there so many men
converted as in those infant times of the church, when the
dragon stood before the woman ready to devour her child as
soon as it should be born. The great potentates of the world,
which did persecute the name of Christ, were themselves at
last thereunto subjected, not by fighting, but by dying chris-
tians. As a tree shaken sheds the more fruit, and a perfume
burnt diffuseth the sweetest savour ; so persecuted Christianity
doth the more flourish by the power of the Holy Spirit, whose
foolishness is wiser, and whose weakness is stronger, than all
the oppositions and contradictions of men. But if there be
such multitudes belonging unto Christ's kingdom, is not uni-
versality, and a visible pomp, a true note to discern the church
of Christ by ? To this I answer, that a true characteristical
note or difference ought to be convertible with that of which
it is made a note, and only suitable thereunto ; for that which
is common unto many, can be no evident note of this or that
particular. Now, universality is common to antichristian,
idolatrous, and malignant churches. The Arian heresy in-
vaded the world, and by the imperial countenance spread itself
into all churches. The whore was to sit upon many waters,
which were peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues ;
the kings of the earth were to be made drunk with the wine
of her fornications, and all nations to drink thereof. Rev. xvii.
2 ; xviii. 3. Therefore, touching these multitudes in the church,
we are thus to state the points : 1. Consider the church in
itself, and so it is a very vast body ; but yet consider it compa-
ratively with the other more prevailing and malignant part of
the world, and so it is but a little flock ; as many grains and
measures of corn may lie hid under a greater heap of chaff.
2. The church now is many, comparatively with the old
church of the jews ; " More are the children of the desolate
than the children of the married wife," Isa. liv. 1 ; but not
Gomparatively with the adversaries of the church in general.
"276 Christ's subjects are nUxMerous.
We see of thirty parts of the world, nineteen are either idola-
trous or mohammedan, and the other eleven serving Christ in
so different a manner as if there were many Christs or many
gospels, or many ways to the same end. 3. Though Christ
always have a numerous offspring, yet in several ages there is
observable a different purity and conspicuousness, according
to the different administrations and breathings of the Spirit
upon his garden. In some ages the doctrine is more uncor-
rupted, the profession and acceptation more universal than in
others. In the apostles' time there were many born unto
Christ, by reason of the more abundant measure of the Spirit
which was shed abroad upon them, Tit. iii. 6. In the times
of the primitive persecutions there were many likewise born,
because God would glorify the foundations of his church, and
the power of his Spirit above the pride of men. In the first
countenancing of it by imperial laws and favours, it was very
general and conspicuous, because professed by the obedience,
and introduced by the power of those great emperors whom the
world followed. But after long peace, and after great dignities
had corrupted the minds of the chief in the church, and made
them look more after the pomp than the purity thereof, the
mystery of iniquity, like a weed, grew apace, and overspread
the corn, first abusing, and after that subjecting the power of
princes, and bewitching the kings of the earth with its forni-
cations.
Hence likewise we may learn to acknowledge God's mercy
in the worst times ; in those ages wherein the church was
most oppressed, many yielded themselves unto Christ. The
woman was with child, and was delivered even when the dra-
gon did persecute her. Rev. xii. 1,4; and even then God
found out in the wilderness a place of refuge, defence, and
feeding for his church. As in those cruel times of Arianism,
when heresy had invaded the world, and in those blind and
miserable ages wherein Satan was loosed, God still stirred up
some notable instruments by whom he did defend his truth,
and amongst whom he did preserve his church, though they
were driven into solitary places, and forced to avoid the as-
semblies of heretical and antichristian teachers.
We learn likewise not to censure persons, places, or times.
God had seven thousand in Israel, when Elias thought none
but himself had been left : all are not alike venturous or con-
fident of their strength. Nicodemus came to Christ by night,
and yet even then Christ did not reject him. Therefore wc
Christ's subjects are numerous. 277
must not presently censure our neighbours as cold or dead, if
they discover not immediately the same measure of courage
and public stoutness in the profession of Christ with ourselves.
Some men are by nature more retired, silent, unsociable, unac-
tive men : some, by the engagement of their places, persons,
and callings, wherein they are of more public and necessary
use in the church, are put upon more abundant caution and
circumspection in the moderate carriage of themselves than
other men. Paul was of himself very zealous and earnest in
that great confusion, when Gaius and Aristarchus were dragged
into the theatre, to have gone in unto the people in that their
outrage and distemper ; but the wisdom of the disciples and
some of his chief friends is herein commended, that they sent
unto him, desiring him that he would not adventure into the
theatre, and that they suffered him not, Acts xix. 30, 31.
Again ; we have from hence an encouragement to go on in
the ways of Christ, because we go in great and in good com-
pany : many we have to suffer with us, many we have to com-
fort and encourage us. As the people of Israel when they
went solemnly up to meet the Lord in Zion, went on from
troop to troop ; the further they went, the more company they
were mixed with, all going to the same purpose, Psa. Ixxxiv.
7 : so when the saints go towards heaven to meet the Lord
there, they do not only go unto an " innumerable company of
angels, and just men," but they meet with troops in their way,
to encourage one another, Heb. xii. 22, 23. All the discou-
ragement that Elias had was, that he was alone ; but we have
no such plea for our unwillingness to profess the truth and
power of religion now. We are not like a lamb in a wide
place, without comfort or company ; but we are sure to have
an excellent guard or convoy unto Christ's kingdom. And
this use the apostle makes of the multitudes of believers, that
we should by so great a cloud of witnesses, be the more en-
couraged in our patient running of that race which is set be-
fore us, Heb. xii. L
Lastly ; it should teach us, to love the multitudes, the as-
semblies, and the communion of the saints ; to speak often to
one another ; to encourage and strengthen one another ; not to
forsake the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of
some is ; to concur in mutual desires ; to conspire in the same
holy thoughts and affections ; to be of one heart, of one soul,
of one judgment ; to walk by one and the same rule ; to besiege
Heaven with armies of united prayers ; to be mutually
278 THE SPIRITUAL BIRTH OF A CHRISTIAN.
serviceable to the city of God, and to one another as fellow
members. Therefore hath the Lord given unto men several
gifts, and to no one man all, that thereby we might be
enabled and induced to work together unto one end, and by
love to unite our several graces for the edification of the body
of Christ, Eph. iv. 11—13.
Now, for the manner of producing or procuring these mul-
titudes, it is set forth unto us in two metaphors, — a womb,
and the dew of the morning. Now, first, the birth of dew is of
heavenly birth. That which is exhaled is an earthly vapour,
but the heavenly operation changeth it into dew ; no art of
man is able to do it. It is also undiscerned and secret ; when
it is fallen you may see it, but how it is made you cannot see.
Again ; it is a sudden birth, in a night or morning it is both
begotten and brought forth. Here then we have four obser-
vations :
1. That all Christ's subjects are withal his children. They
are born unto him. Christianity is a birth ; " Except a man
be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God," John
iii. 3. There is a Father. Christ is our Father by generation ;
" Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me,"
Isa. viii. 18 ; as we are his brethren by adoption ; " He is not
ashamed to call us brethren," Heb. ii. 1 1. There is a mother ;
" Jerusalem, which is the mother of us all," Gal. iv. 26.
And there are subordinate instruments, both of one and other,
the holy apostles, evangelists, doctors, and pastors, who there-
fore are sometimes called fathers begetting us ; "In Christ Jesus
I have begotten you through the gospel," 1 Cor. iv. 15 ; and
sometimes mothers bearing and bringing forth ; " Of whom I
travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you," Gal. iv.
19. There is a holy seed out of which these children of
Christ are formed ; namely, " the word of God, which liveth
and abideth for ever," 1 Pet. i. 23. For the heart of a man
new born unto Christ cometh from the word as a paper from
the press, or as a garment from a perfume, transformed into
that quality of spiritualness and holiness which is in the word.
There is a formative virtue, which is the energy and concur-
rence of the Spirit of grace with the word ; for the truth is
not obeyed but by the Spirit ; "Except a man be born of
water and of the Spirit," (water as the seed, and the Spirit as
the formative virtue quickening and actuating that seed,) " he
cannot enter into the kingdom of God," John iii. 5. There
is a new being or nature ; a corruption of our old man, and a
THE SPIRITUAL BIRTH OF A CHRISTIAN. '279
formation of the new : "Old things are passed away ; behold
all things are become new," 2 Cor. v. 17. The same holy
nature, the same mind, judgment, will, affections, motions, de-
sires, dispositions, the Spirit, produces in us which were in him ;
" He that hath this hope purifieth himself, even as he is pure ;
as he is, so are we in this world," 1 John iii. 3 ; iv. 17. Pa-
tient, as he is patient, Heb. xii. 2, 3 ; holy, as he is holy,
1 Pet. i. 15 ; humble, as he is humble, IJohn xiii. 14 ; com-
passionate, as he is compassionate, Col. iii. 12 ; loving, as
he is loving, Eph. v. 2 : in all things labouring to show Christ
fashioned in our nature, and in our affections. There is a
new conversation answerable to our new nature ; that as God
is good in himself, and doth good in his works, Psa. cxix. 68,
so we both are as Christ was, 1 John iv. 17, and walk as he
walketh, 1 John ii. 6. There is new food and appetites there-
unto suitable. A desire of the sincere, immediate, untem-
pered, uncorrupted milk of the word, as it comes with all the
spirits and life in it, that we may grow thereby. New privi-
leges and relations ; the Son of God, the brethren of Christ,
the citizens of heaven, the household, of the saints. New
communion and society ; the fellowship of the Father and the
Son by the Spirit ; fellowship with the holy angels, for we
have their love, their ministry, their protection ; fellowship
with the " spirits of just men made perfect," by the seeds and
beginnings of the same perfection, by the participation of the
same Spirit of holiness, by expectance of the same glory and
final redemption.
In the mean time, then,we should "walk as children of light,"
Eph. V. 8 ; or, as it is here, as " children of the morning." The
day is given us to work in, and therefore in the morning, as
soon as we have our day before us, we should endeavour to
walk honestly. Night-works are commonly works of un-
cleanness, violence, dishonour, and therefore want a cover of
darkness to hide them. Thieves use to come in the night,
1 Thess. v. 2. " The eye of the adulterer waiteth for the twi-
light, saying. No eye shall see me, and disguiseth himself," Job
xxiv. 15. " In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and
dark night," he goeth to the house of the strange woman,
Prov. vii. 9. The oppressor diggeth through houses in the
dark ; " for the morning is to them even as the shadow of
death," Job xxiv. 16, 17. " They that be drunken are
drunken in the night," 1 Thess. v. 7. Sins are of the nature
of some sullen weeds, which will grow nowhere but in the side
280 THE SPIRITUAL BIRTH OF A CHRISTIAN.
of wells and of dark places. But works of Christianity are
neither unclean nor dishonourable ; they are beautiful and
royal works, they are exemplary, and therefore pubHc works ;
they are themselves light ; " Let your light so shine before
men ;" and therefore they ought to be done in the light.
If we be children, we should express the affections of chil-
dren. The innocency, humility, and dove-Hke simplicity of
little children ; as the sons of God, blameless, pure, and
without rebuke, Phil. ii. 15. Children in mahce, though
men in understanding. The appetite of little children ; " As
new born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye
may grow thereby," 1 Pet. ii. 2, 3. In all impatiency the breast
will pacify a little infant ; in all other delights the breast will
entice it, and draw it away : ever so should the word and wor-
ship of God work upon us in all our distempers, and in all our
deviations. Christ was hungry and faint with fasting ; it was
about the sixth hour, and he had sent his disciples to buy
meat, and yet having an occasion to do his Father service he
forgat his food, and refused to eat, John iv. 6 ; viii. 34. The
love of children ; he that is begotten loveth him that did beget
him, 1 John v. 1. With a love of thankfulness ; "We love
him, because he first loved us," 1 John iv. 19. " I love the
Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications,"
Psa. cxvi. 1. With a love of obedience ; " Faith worketh by
love," Gal. V. 6. " Love is the fulfilling of the law," Rom.
xiii. 10. " If a man love me, he will keep my words," John
xiv. 23. With a love of reverence and awful fear ; " A son
honoureth his father," Mai. i. 6. " If ye call on the Father, —
pass the time of your sojourning here in fear," 1 Pet. i. 17.
The faith of children ; for whom should the child rely on for
maintenance and support but the father ? '* Take no thought,
saying. What shall we eat ? or, What shall we drink ? or,
Wherewithal shall we be clothed ? for your heavenly Father
knoweth that ye have need of all these things," Matt. vi. 31,
32. The hope, assurance, and expectation of children ; for
as children depend on their parents for present supply, so for
portions and provisions for the future : fathers lay up for their
children, and so doth God for his. " There is an inheritance
reserved for us," 1 Pet. i. 4. Lastly ; the prayers and requests
of children ; "Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the
Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father,"
Gal. iv. 6.
2. The birth of a christian is a Divine and heavenly work.
THE SPIRITUAL BIRTH OF A CHRISTIAN. 281
God is both father and mother of the dew : by his power and
wisdom a father ; by his providence and indulgence a mother.
Therefore he is so called in Clem. Alex. *'Metripaier;' to note,
that those causalities which are in the second agents divided,
are eminently and perfectly in him united, as all things are to
be resolved into a first unity. " Hath the rain a father ? or
who hath begotten the drops of dew?" saith Job. " Out of
whose womb came the ice ? and the hoary frost of heaven,
who hath gendefedit?" Job xxxviii. 28, 29. None but God
is the parent of the dew ; it doth not stay for nor expect any
human concurrence, or causality, Mic. v. 7 ; Isa. Iv. 10.
Such is the call and conversion of a man to Christ ; a hea-
venly calling, Heb. iii. 1 ; the operation of God in us, Col. ii.
12 ; a birth, " not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor
of the will of man, but of God," John i. 13. Paul may plant,
and Apollos may water, but it is God that must bless both ;
nay, it is God who by them, as his instruments, doth both :
" Of his own will begat he us," Jam. i, 18. The ministers
are " a savour of Christ," 2 Cor. ii. 15. It is not the gar-
ment, but the perfume in it, which diffuseth a sweet scent :
it is not the labour of the minister, but Christ whom he
preacheth, that worketh upon the soul. " I laboured more
abundantly than they all : yet not I, but the grace of God
which was with me," 1 Cor. xv. 10.
It is not good, therefore, to have the faith of God in respect
of persons ; the seed of this spiritual generation cannot other-
wise be given us than in earthen vessels, by men of like pas-
sions and infirmities with others. Therefore, when pure and
good seed is here and there sown, to attribute anything to
persons, is to derogate from God. Where gifts are fewer, parts
meaner, probabilities less, God may and often doth give an
increase above hope, as in the case of Daniel's pulse ; that the
excellency of the power may be of him, and not of man.
Though it be a lame or a leprous hand which soweth the seed,
yet the success is no way altered. Good seed depends not in
its growth on the hand that sows it, but on the earth that
covers, and on the heavens that cherish it : so the word bor-
roweth not its efficacy from any human virtue, but from the
heart which ponders, and the Spirit which sanctifies it.
When then thou comest unto the word, come with affections
suitable unto it. All earth will not bear all seed ; some
wheat, and some but pulse : there is first required a fitness,
before there will be a fruitfulness* Christ had many things
282 THE SPIRITUAL BIRTH OF A CHRISTIAN.
to teach, which his disciples at the time could not carry away,
because the Comforter was not then sent, who was to lead
them into all truth, John xvi. 12, 13. They who by use have
their senses exercised, are fit for strong meat, Heb. v. 14.
The truth of the gospel is a heavenly truth, and therefore it
requires a heavenly disposition of heart to prosper it. It is
wisdom to those that are perfect, though to others foolishness
and offence, 1 Cor. ii. 6. The only reason why the word of
truth doth not thrive, is, because the heart is not fitted nor
prepared unto it. The seed, of itself, is equal unto all grounds,
but it prospers only in the honest and good heart ; the rain is
in itself alike unto all, but of no virtue to the rocks as to
other ground, by reason of their inward hardness and inca-
pacity. The pharisees had covetous hearts, and they mocked
Christ ; the philosophers had proud hearts, and they scorned
Paul. The jews had carnal hearts, and they were offended at
the gospel ; the people in the wilderness had unbelieving
hearts, and the word preached did not profit them. But now,
a heavenly heart comes with the affections of a scholar, to be
taught by God ; with the affections of a servant, to be com-
manded by God ; with the affections of a son, to be educated
by God ; with the affections of a sinner, to be cured by God.
It considers that it is the Lord from heaven, who speaks in
the ministry of the word to him that is but dust and ashes ;
and therefore he puts his hand on his mouth, dares not reply
against God, nor wrestle with the evidence of his Holy Spirit,
but falleth upon his face, and giveth glory unto God ; believes
when God promiseth, trembles when God threateneth, obeys
when God commandeth, learns when God teacheth, bringeth
always meekness and humility of spirit, ready to open unto
the word that it may incorporate.
From hence we must learn to look unto God in every ordi-
nance, to expect his arm and Spirit to be therein revealed,
to call on, and depend on him for the blessing of it. If a man
could, when he enters into God's house, but pour out his heart
in these two things ; a promise, and a prayer : Lord, I am
now entering into thy presence, to hear thee speak from hea-
ven unto me, to receive thy rain and spiritual dew which never
returneth in vain, but ripeneth a harvest either of corn or
weeds, of grace or judgment. My heart is prepared, O Lord,
my heart is prepared, to learn and to love any of thy words.
Thy law is my counsellor, I will be ruled by it ; it is my
physician, I will be patient under it ; it is my schoolmaster,
THE SPIRITUAL BIRTH OF A CHRISTIAN. 283
I will be obedient unto it. But who am I, that I should pro-
mise any service unco thee ? and who is thy minister that he
should do any good unto me, without thy grace and heavenly
call ? be thou therefore pleased to reveal thine own Spirit
unto me, and to work in me that which thou requirest of
me ; — I say, if a man should come with such sweet prepara-
tions of heart unto the word, and could thus open his soul
when this spiritual manna falls down from heaven, he should
find the truth of that which the apostle speaketh, " Ye are
not straitened in us," or in our ministry, we come unto you
with abundance of grace ; but ye are straitened only in your
own bowels ; in the hardness, unbelief, incapacity, and negli-
gence of your own hearts, which receiveth that in drops, which
falleth down in showers.
3. As it is a Divine, so it is a secret and undiscerned birth.
As " the wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the
sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and
whither it goeth : so," saith our Saviour, " is every one
that is born of the Spirit," John iii. 8. The voluntary
breathings and accesses of the Spirit of God unto the soul,
whereby he cometh mightily, and as it were clotheth a man
with power and courage, are of a very secret nature ; and not-
withstanding the power thereof be so great, yet there is
nothing in appearance but a voice ; one of the most empty
and vanishing things. As dew falls in small and insen-
sible drops, and as a child is born by slow and undiscerned
progresses, as the prophet David saith, "I am fearfully
and wonderfully made," Psa. cxxxix. 14; such is the
birth of a christian unto Christ, by a secret, hidden, and in-
ward call ; a high calling, as St. Austin calleth it. By a deep
and intimate energy of the Spirit of grace Christ is formed,
and the soul organized unto a spiritual being. A man hears
a voice, but it is behind him, he seeth no man ; he feels a
blow in that voice, which others take no notice of, though ex-
ternally they hear it too-. Therefore it is observable, that the
men who were with Paul at his miraculous conversion, are
in one place said to hear a voice, Acts ix. 7, and in another
place, not to have heard the voice of him that spake unto
Paul, Acts xxii. 9. They heard only a voice, and so were
only astonished ; but Paul heard it distinctly as the voice of
Christ, and so was converted.
4. As it is a Divine and secret, so is it likewise a sudden
birth. In human actions, great workr. move like great
284 THE SPIRITUAL BIRTH OF A CHRISTIAN.
engines, slowly and by leisure to their maturity : but in spiritual
generations, children are born unto Christ like dew, which is
exhaled, conceived, formed, produced, and all in one night.
Paul, to-day a wolf, to-morrow a sheep ; to-day a persecutor, to-
morrow a disciple, and not long after an apostle of Christ. The
nobleman of Samaria could see no possibility of turning a famine
into a plenty within one night, 2 Kings vii. 1, 2 ; neither
can the heart of a man, who rightly understands the closeness
and intimate radication of sin and guilt in the soul, conceive
it possible to remove either in a sudden change ; yet such is
the birth of men unto Christ. The earth bringeth forth in
one day, and a nation is born at once ; it is spoken of Jeru-
salem the mother of us all, Gal. iv. 26.
THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST. 285
VERSE IV.
TItE LORD HATH SWORN, AND WILL NOT REPENT, THOU ART A PRIEST
FOR EVER AFTER THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.
From the regal office of Christ, and the administration thereof
by the sceptre of his word and Spirit, to the conquering of
willing people unto himself, the prophet now passeth to his
sacerdotal office ; the vigour and merit whereof is by the two
former applied unto the church. Therefore we may observe,
that though the tribes were interdicted confusion with one
another in their marriages,* Numb, xxxvi. 7, yet the regal
and levitical tribes might interchange and minofle bloods ; to
intimate (as I conceive) that the Messiah, with relation unto
whose lineage that confusion was avoided, was to be both a
King and a Priest. Thus we find Jehoiada the priest married
Jehoshabeath the daughter of king Jehoram, 2 Chron. xxii.
1 1 ; and Aaron, of the tribe of Levi, took Elisheba the
daughter of Aminadab, who was of the tribe of Judah, Exod.
vi. 23 ; Numb. i. 7. In which respect I suppose Mary, and
EHzabeth, the wife of Zacharias the priest, are called cousins,
Luke i. 36. In the law, indeed, these two offices were dis-
tinct. " Our Lord," saith the apostle, " sprang out of Juda;
of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priest-
hood," Heb. vii. 14. And, therefore, when king Uzziah en-
croached on the priest's office, he was smitten with a leprosy,
2 Chron. xxvi. 16 — 21. But amongst the gentiles, (amongst
whom Melchizedek is thought to have been a priest,) it was
usual for the same person to have been both king and priest.
The words contain the doctrine of Christ's priesthood.
The quality of it, eternal. The order, not of Aaron, but of
Melchizedek. The foundation of both, God's immutable
decree and counsel ; he cannot repent of it, because he hath
confirmed it by an oath. I shall handle the words in the
order as they stand.
* Notwithstanding many learned authorities to the contrary, upon
more deliberate consideration of this matter, I conceive myself to
have been herein mistaken, and am rather persuaded, that marriages
were lawful between several tribes, save only in the case when daugh-
ters did inherit, to avoid confusion of possessions amongst the tribes.
286 Christ's priesthood
" The Lord hath sworn." Here are two things to be in-
quired : How God is said to swear ? and why he swears in
this particular case of Christ's priesthood ? The former of
these the apostle resolves in one word, " an oath," Heb. vi.
17. He interposed in or by an oath, namely, himself; for
that is to be suppHed out of the thirteenth verse, where it is
said that he sware by himself. So elsewhere it is said, that
" he sware by the excellency of Jacob," that is, by himself,
Amos viii. 7 ; vi. 8. " By myself have I sworn, saith the
Lord, that in blessing I will bless thee," Gen. xxii. 16, 17.
The meaning is, that God should deny himself, (which he
cannot do, 2 Tim. ii. 13,) and should cease to be God, if the
word which he had sworn should not come to pass. So that
usual form, *' As I live," is to be understood. Let me not be
esteemed a living God if my word come not to pass. So
elsewhere the Lord interposeth his holiness ; " I have sworn
by my holiness that I will not lie unto David," Psa. Ixxxix.
35. As impossible for him to break his word as to be unholy.
For the second question, why God swears in this particular ?
I answer :
1. And principally, to show the immutable and irreversible
certainty of what he speaks, Heb. vi. 17. "I have sworn by
myself, the word is gone out of my mouth, and shall not
return," Isa. xlv. 23. Thus we find God confirming the im-
moveableness of his covenant by an oath, Isa. liv. 9, 10 ;
Psa. Ixxxix. 34, 35. When the Lord doth only say a thing,
(though his word be as certain in itself as his oath, for it is as
impossible for him to lie as to forswear himself,} yet there is
an implicit kind of reservation for the altering, revoking, or
reversing that word by some subsequent declarations. As in
the covenant and priesthood of Aaron, though God made it for
a perpetaal ordinance, yet there was afterwards a change of it,
for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. So when the
Lord sent Jonah to preach destruction unto Nineveh within
forty days, though the denunciation came not to pass, yet was
it not any false message, because it was made reversible upon
an implicit condition ; which condition the Lord is pleased
sometimes in mercy to conceal, that men may be the sooner
frightened out of their security, upon the apprehension of
approaching danger. " At what instant," saith the Lord,
" I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a king-
dom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it : if that
nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil,
CONFIRMED BY AN OATH. 287
i will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them,"
Jer. xviii. 7, 8. But when the Lord swears any absolute act,
or promise of his own, (for the revocation whereof there can
no other ground arise, than was extant at the time of making
it, and yet was no bar or hinderance unto it, namely the sin
of man,) he then by that oath seals and assures the immuta-
bility thereof, to those that rely upon it.
2. It is to commend the excellency and pre-eminence of
that above other things, which hath this great seal of heaven,
the oath of God, to confirm and establish it. " Inasmuch,"
saith the apostle, " as not without an oath he was made
Priest : by so much was he made a Surety of a better testa-
ment," Heb. vii. 20, 22 ; and this is a consequence of the
former ; for by how much the more abiding, by so much the
more glorious is the ministry of the gospel. " If that which
was done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth
is glorious," 2 Cor. iii. 11. The more solemn and sacred the
institution was, the more excellent is the priesthood. Now,
this oath was that seal of God, by which he designed and set
apart his Son for that great office, in a more solemn manner
of ordination than was usual to others. " Him hath God
the Father sealed," John vi. 27. It was but " He hath said,"
unto others, " ye are gods ;" but it is " The Father hath
sanctified," to his Son, John x. 34, 36.
3. It is to commend God's great compassion and good will,
for the establishing of the hearts of men in comforts and as-
surance. He therefore confirmed his promise by an oath,
" That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible
for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have
fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us," Heb.
vi. 17, 18. An oath, even amongst men, is the end of all con-
troversy, the determination and composing of all differences ;
how much more when he sets his seal upon his mercy and
covenant, should the hearts of men be secure, and lay fast
hold thereon without doubt or scruple ? Therefore we find
the saints, in the Scripture, make mention of the oath of God,
for establishing their hearts against fears or dangers. " Thou
wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham,
which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old,"
Micah vii. 20. " Thy bow was made quite naked, according
to the oaths of the tribes, even thy word," Hab. iii. 9 ; that
is, thou didst make it appear to thine enemies that thou didst
fight for thy people, and remember thy word or covenant of
288 Christ's priesthood
mercy which thou didst swear unto Abraham the father of the
faithful, and so oftentimes ratify it anew unto his se^d, the
tribes which proceeded from him. And this is the ground of
all the church's comfort and stabiHty ; for, alas ! we every day
deserve to have God abrogate his covenant of mercy with us,
but he is mindful of the oath which he hath sworn, Deut. vii.
7, 8 ; ix. 5. There was wickedness enough in the world to
have drawn down another flood aft€r that of Noah ; the same
reason that caused it, did remain after it was removed. Gen.
vi. 12, 13 ; viii. 21. But God's oath bound him to his
mercy, Isa. liv. 9.
The meaning, then, of this first clause is this, — The Lord,
to show the immutability of his counsel, the unchangeable-
ness of Christ's priesthood, the excellency of it above the
priesthood of Aaron, and the strong consolation which the saints
may therefrom receive, hath sealed it by an oath ; so that he
is a Priest by a decree which cannot be revoked.
It notes unto us the solemn call of Christ unto the
office of priesthood, as before of King, ver. 1. He did not
usurp this honour to himself, as Nadab and Abihu did, when
of their own will they offered strange fire unto the Lord ; nor
encroach upon it as Uzziah ; but he was ordained and be-
gotten, and called of God thereunto, after the order of Mel-
chizedek, Heb. v. 5, 10. He was sanctified and sent, and
had a commandment, and a work set him to do, John x. 18,
36, 37. In which respect he was called a servant, or a
chosen officer formed for a special employment, Isa. xlii. 1 :
xhx. 5; liii. 11 ; Phil. ii. 7. Here then is the consent of
the whole Trinity unto Christ's priesthood. 1. The Fathers
consent, in his act of ordination ; " For him hath God the
Father sealed," John vi. 27. " Thou art my Son, to day have
I begotten thee," Heb. v. 5. 2. The Son's, by voluntary un-
dertaking for mankind : for he was the Surety of the covenant,
Heb. vii. 22. The apostle joineth these two together, " Lo,
I come to do thy will, O God;" Heb. x. 9, 10 : there was
God's will, and Christ's submission thereunto, in which re-
gard he is said to " sanctify himself," John xvii. 19. There
was a covenant between God and Christ ; Christ was to un-
dertake an office of service and obedience for men, to suffer
himself a sacrifice for sin, to be made of a woman under the
law, &c. And for this God was to prolong his days, to give him
a seed, and a generation that could not be numbered, a king-
dom which cannot be bounded, a portion with the great, and
CONFIRMED BY AN OATH, 289
a spoil with the strong; a name above every name, to set a
joy and a glory before him, after he should have finished his
work, Isa hu. 8, 10, 11, 12; Psa. n, 7, 8; Phil. i,. 7, 9^
John xvii, 2 4 5 ; Heb. ii. 8, 9 ; xii. 2. 3. Here is the con-
sent of the Holy Ghost, who did hereunto anoint him, who
came along with him, who formed him in the womb of the
virgni, and descended upon him in his solemn taking of this
office in John s baptism, by which Spirit he was consecrated,
warranted, and enabled unto this great function, Isa. Ixi. 1 '
xlii. 1 ; Matt. iii. 16, 17 ; Heb. i. 9. '
If then God call Christ unto his priesthood by a solemn
oath, and make him Surety of a better covenant, we ou^ht to
take the more especial notice thereof; for when God swears
he must be heard. The more excellent anything is, the more
earnest^^heed should be given unto it; for "how shall we
escape, saith the apostle, "if we neglect so great salvation,"
so sure a covenant, Heb. ii. 1, 3.
This is the only rock on which we may cast anchor in any
trouble, doubt, or fear of spirit. It is not our own will or
strength that holds us up from ruin, but only God's oath, by
which Christ IS made a Priest, "able to save them to the
uttermost that come unto God bv him." St. Paul and his
company were in a great tempest, all hope that they should
be saved was taken away, Acts xxvii. 20, yet he exhorts them
to be ot good cheer, because there should not be the loss of
any mans hfe amongst them; and the ground thereof was
Oods promise, which he believed, ver. 24, 25. The case is
the same with us, we are compassed about with infirmities •
with enemies too hard, and with sins too heavy for us • with
tears and doubtings, that we shall lose all again ; how can we
in such tempests of Spirit be cheered, but only by casting
anchor upon God's covenant, which is established by an oath?
by learning to hope above hope? Rom. iv. 18; to be strong
m him, when we are weak in ourselves ? to be faithful in him
when we are fearful in ourselves ? to be stedfast in him'
when we stagger in ourselves ? in the midst of Satan's buffets
and our own corruptions, to find a sufficiency in his grace
ab e to answer and to ward off all ? 2 Cor. xii. 10. To catch
hold of his covenant, and to fly to the hope that is set before
us, as the only refuge and sanctuary of a pursued soul, when
we are not able to stand by ourselves ? Isa. Ivi. 6 ; Heb vi
f\- J^ ^ ""^'^ ^'^'^ ^^"'S when a man hath a distinct view
ot his hlthmess and guilt, by reason of sin, not to give over
290 Christ's priesthood
himself and his salvation as desperate things. It is nothing
but icrnorance and insensibiUty which make men presume of
the pardon of sin. In this case then we must consider God's
oath and covenant with his people.
1. Not to reject them for their sins. "Israel hath not
been forsaken, nor Judah of his God : though their land was
filled with sin against the holy One of Israel," Jer. li. 5.
" My people are bent to backsliding, — yet I will not execute
the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy
Ephraim : for I am God, and not man," Hosea xi. 7, 9.
2. Not always to suffer them to lay under sin, but in due
time to heal their backslidings, Hosea xiv. 4. He will not
only remove our transgressions from himself, but he will re-
move them from us too ; and that so far, as that it shall be as
possible for the east and west to meet together, as for a man
and his sins, Psa. ciii. 12. Though we made him to serve
with our sins, and wearied him with our iniquities, yet he
will not remember against us our past sins, Isa. xHii. 25 ;
neither will he see against us the sins which remain. Numb,
xxiii. 21. Those he will forgive, and these he will subdue;
and all this because of his truth unto Jacob, and his mercy
unto Abraham, which he sware unto our fathers from the days
of old, Micah vii. 18 — 20. He hath given us ground for
both our feet to stand upon, and holdfast for both our hands
to cleave unto : a promise and an oath, " that by two immu-
table things, we might have a strong consolation," Heb. vi.
18. So the apostle saith, that all the promises of God
in Christ are " yea and amen :" yea, to note their truth ; and
amen, to note their certainty and stability, being confirmed by
the oath of Christ. For so that word may be understood,
either as an oath, or at least as a very strong and confident
affirmation, which is of equal force and power unto an oath,
2 Cor. i. 20 ; except haply we will understand the words
" nai* and " auto' to be the same thing expressed in seve-
ral tongues ; as Abba, Pater, in other places, thereby noting
not only the stability, but the universality of God's promises.
Many things there are in this call of Christ unto his office
to confirm this consolation, and upon which the troubled soul
may cast anchor.
1. From the Father he hath received a command and call
unto this service, and so as a servant he hath fidelity ; for
God chooseth none but faithful servants. He was an Apostle
and High Priest sent to preach the will, and to pacity the
CONFIRMED BY AN OATH. 291
wrath of God; and he was " faithful to him that appointed him,
as Moses was," Heb. iii. 2. And if he be faithful, we may trust
him, for he will do the work which is given him to do. "Faith-
ful is he that calleth you, who also will do it," 1 Thess. v. 24.
2. From himself there is a voluntary submission, whereby
he gives himself for his church, and lays down his own life,
Eph. V. 25; Tit. ii. 14; John x. 11 ; for being of himself
equal with the Father, he could not be by him commanded,
ordained, or over-ruled to any service, without a voluntary
concurring to the same decree ; emptying himself and taking
on him the form of a servant ; making himself less than his
Father, and in some sort for awhile lower than the angels,
that so he might be commanded. So that besides his fidelity
to rest on as a servant, here is his especial mercy as a con-
curring agent in the decree, whereby he was ordained unto
this office : he is not only a faithful, but a merciful High
Priest, to make reconciliation for the sins of men, Heb. ii. 17.
But a man may, both by his fidelity as a servant, and by his
mercy, as having the same tender compassion with him that
sent him, be willing to help another out of misery, and yet
may not be able to effect his own desires for want of power.
And therefore,
3. By the unction of the Holy Spirit, who proceedeth from
the Father and himself; he is said to be sanctified by the
Father, John x. 36, and to sanctify himself, John xvii. 19;
to have received power and authority from his Father, Matt,
xxviii. 18 ; John v. 27 ; xvii. 2 ; and to have power likewise
within himself, John x. 18. That Spirit, which for the dis-
charge of this office he brought with him in fulness, and unto
all purposes of that service into the world, is a " Spirit of
power," 2 Tim. i. 7, whereby he is enabled perfectly to save
all comers, Heb. vii. 25 ; so that unto his fidelity and mercy,
here is added ability likewise.
4. As he received an office and a service, so he received a
promise from his Father hkewise, which did much encourage
him in this service. And this promise is two-fold. 1. The
promise of a great seed, which, by the execution of his office,
he should gather unto himself ; and of a great conquest over
all his enemies. God conferred this honour upon him, to be
the King of a mighty people, whom he should save and sanc-
tify to himself. They were given unto him, Psa. ii. 8 ; John
xvii. 6 ; so that unto his fidelity, mercy, and power, here is
further added a propriety to the thing which he saves : and
o2
292 Christ's priesthood confirmed by an oath.
who would not use all fidelity in his own business, all mercy
towards his own seed, all the power he hath to deliver his own
house from the fire? Christ was faithful " as a Son over
his own house, whose house are we," Heb. iii. 6. 2. There
was the promise of a great glory and crown, which the nature
he had assumed should in his person receive after the fulfilling
®f his service. After he had been a little while lower than
the angels, he was to be crowned with glory and honour,
Heb. ii. 7 ; and therefore we may be sure that he hath ful-
filled all righteousness, and done for his church all which he
was to do upon the earth, because he is gone, and we see him
no more : for his sufferings were to go before, and his glory to
follow, 1 Pet. i. 11. This is the apostle's argument why we
are not in our sins, but delivered from them, because Christ is
risen, 1 Cor. xv. 17. " Who is he that condemneth ? it is
Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at
the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us,"
Rom. viii. 34. And it is his argument again, why we ought
to hold fast our profession, and to come boldly to the throne
of grace for help in time of need, because we have a great
High Priest that is passed into the heavens, Heb. iv. 14 — 16.
5. As he had a promise from the Father to encourage him,
so he had a nature from us to incline him unto the execution
of his office. He was made of a woman, made like unto us
in all things, sin only excepted, tempted and afflicted as we
are : and so there are two things which the heart of a behever
may rest upon in him in any discomforts. 1. His sympathy.
For besides his essential mercy, as he is God, there was in him
a mercy which he learned by being like unto us. " In all
things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that
he might be a merciful and a faithful High Priest, " Heb. ii.
17. Such was his compassion towards the hunger of the
multitude. Matt. xv. 32, because he himself knew what hun-
ger was, Matt. iv. 2 ; and such was his compassion towards
the sorrows of Mary and Martha, John xi. 33, 33, because
he himself was acquainted with grief, Isa. liii. 3 ; and such was
his compassion towards Peter in that state of desertion wherein
he lay, Luke xxii. 61, because he himself knew what it was
to be forsaken, Matt, xxvii. 46. And this is the apostle's
assurance that we shall obtain mercy and grace to help in
time of need ; because he had a feehng of our infirmities, and
was tempted, as we are, Heb. iv. 15, 16. 2. His consan-
guinity. He is not ashamed to call us brethren. He is our
HOW GOD IS SAID TO REPENT, AND HOW NOT. 293
Goel, our Kinsman, and therefore our Redeemer, Heh. ii. 11 :
Ruth iii. 9 ; iv. 4.
" And will not repent." Many things God hath said,
which he hath revoked, as the destruction of Nineveh, the
death of Hezekiah, and tlie like ; which implying a tacit con-
dition, fit in the particular cases to be concealed ; upon the
varieties of that, God might be said either to persevere, or to
repent, Jer. xviii. 7, 8 ; xxvi. 13, 19. God is ever most un-
changeable in all his ways, counsels, and purposes ; they stand
for ever. Nothing can fall out to make God more wise, more
merciful, more provident, more powerful, than he was before ;
and, therefore, nothing can make him truly to change his will,
or to repent of his former actions or resolutions. There is
with him " no variableness, neither shadow of turning. He is
not a man that he sliould repent. I the Lord change not,"
Jam, i. 17 ; 1 Sam. xv. 29; Mai. iii. 6. Only in mercy unto
our weakness God condescends unto the manner of human
expressions, retaining still the stedfastness of his own work-
ing, which receiveth no variation nor difference from the con-
tingencies of second causes. He speaketh according to our
capacity, but he worketh according to his own counsel ; so that
God is then said to repent, when that which is once willed to
be, he after, by the counsel of the same will, causeth not to
be ; therein not changing his own counsel, but only willing
the change of the things, that the same thing for this period
of time shall be, and then shall cease.
Now then, when not only the counsel of God is immutable
in itself, but also he hath ordained some law, covenant, or
office, which he will have for ever to endure, without either
natural expiration, or external abolishment, then is God said
not to repent. To apply this to the present business ; the
apostle, speaking of a new covenant which is established upon
this new priestliood of Christ, (for the priesthoods and the
laws go both together ; the one being changed, there is made
of necessity a change of the other, Heb. vii. 12,) maketh the
introducing of this new covenant, which is founded upon the
oath of God, to make the preceding covenant old and transitory :
" In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first
old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to
vanish away," Heb. viii. 13. And he saith peremptorily, that
it was therefore disannulled, because of '' the weakness and
unprofitableness thereof," Heb. vii. 18 ; and this he affirmeth
294 HOW GOD IS SAID TO REPENT, AND HOW NOT.
even of the moral law ; that law, the righteousness whereof
was to be fulfilled in us by the Spirit of Christ, Rom. viii.
3, 4 ; namely, in sincerity and in love, which are the bond of
perfection, and the fulfilling of the law. For the full under-
standing then and applying the words to the priesthood of
Christ and the law of grace, or the second covenant there-
upon grounded, it will be needful to resolve these two ques-
tions : 1. Whether or not God hath repented him of the law,
which was the rule and measure of the covenant of works ? 2.
Upon what reasons or grounds the immutability of ihe second
covenant or law of grace standeth ?
1. For the first of these, the psalmist telleth us, that the
commandments of God are sure, and that " they stand fast
for ever and ever," Psa. cxi. 7, 8. And we may note, that
the same form of speech which the Lord useth to show the
stability of the new covenant, (" The mountains shall depart,
and the hills be removed ; but my kindness shall not depart
from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed,
saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee," Isa. liv. 10,) the
same kind of form doth our Saviour use to express the sta-
bility of the law ; " It is easier for heaven and earth to pass,
than one tittle of the law to fail," Luke xvi. 17. Now, the
law hath a twofold obligation ; the one principal, which is to
obedience, whereunto is annexed a promise of righteousness,
or justification : the other, secondary and conditional, which is
unto malediction, upon supposal of disobedience. For " cursed
is every one which continueth not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them," Gal. iii. 10. Now, if no
tittle of the law must fail, then neither of these two must fail,
but be both fulfilled ; and then it should seem that the first
covenant is not removed notwithstanding the weakness thereof.
For resolving thereof, we must note, that in point of validity
or invalidity, there can but five things be said of the law ; for
first, either it must be obeyed, and that it is not, " for all have
sinned, and come short of the glory of God," Rom. iii. 23.
Or, secondly, it must be executed upon men, and the curse or
penalty thereof inflicted ; and that it is not, for " tliere
IS no condemnation to them that are in Christ," Rom. viii. 1.
Or, thirdly, it must be abrogated, or extinguished ; and that
It IS not ; for heaven and earth must sooner pass away.
If there were no law, there would be no sin, for sin is the
transgression of the law ; and if there were no law, there would
be no judgment; for the world must be judged by the law.
THE IMMUTABILITY OF THE NEW COVENANT. 295
Or, fourthly, it must be moderated and favourably interpreted
by rules of equity, to abate the rigour and severity thereof;
and that cannot be ; for it is inflexible, no jot nor tittle
of it must be abated. Or, lastly, the law itself remaining,
the obligation thereof notwithstanding, must, towards such
or such persons, be so far forth dispensed withal, as that a
surety shall be admitted, (upon a concurrence of all their
wills, who are therein interested — God willing to allow,
Christ willing to perform, and man willing to enjoy,) both to
do all the duties, and to suffer all the curses of the law, in the
behalf of that person, who in rigour should himself have done
and suffered all. So then, neither the law, nor any jot or
tittle thereof is abrogated, in regard of the obligations therein
contained, but they are all reconciled in Christ with the second
covenant. Yet, notwithstanding, to the purpose of a cove-
nant, or rule of righteousness, between us and God, so he
hath repented of it, and removed that office or relation from
it, that righteousness should come to us thereby, by reason of
the weakness and unprofitableness which is in it to that
purpose by the sin of man : yet thus much the law hath to do
with justification, that the fulfilling of the whole law is there-
unto ever some way or other presupposed. Only, in the first
covenant, we were to do it in our own persons ; in the second,
Christ is appointed and allowed to do it for us. He fulfilled
all the obligations of the law ; the duties thereof by active
obedience in his life, and the curses thereof by passive obedi-
ence in his death. Now then, we by faith becoming one with
Christ, the grace of God doth number us up in the same mass
and sum with him, and so imputeth and accounteth that ours,
which was done by him. There is no righteousness but doth
originally refer and bear proportion to the law of God, and
yet we are not justified by the law, but by grace ; because it
is the favour of God, contrary to the rigour and exaction of
the law, which alloweth the righteousness of the law by one
fulfilled, to be unto another accounted. A man is denomi-
nated righteous, as a wall may be esteemed red or green.
Now, that comes to pass two manner of ways, either by the
colour inherent and belonging unto the wall itself ; or by the
same colour in some transparent body, as glass, which by the
beam of the sun shining on the wall, doth externally affect the
same, as if it were its ovvu, and covers that true inherent
colour which it hath of itself. In like manner, by the strict
covenant of the law, we ousht to be risfhteous from a righteous-
296 THE IMMUTABILITY OF THE NEW COVENANT.
ness inherent in, and performed by ourselves : but in the new
covenant of grace we are righteous by the righteousness of
Christ, which shineth upon us, and presenteth us in his colour
unto the sight of his Father. Here, in both covenants, the
righteousness, from whence the denomination groweth, is the
same, (namely, the satisfying of the demands of the whole law ;)
but the manner of our right and propriety thereunto is much
varied. In the one we have right unto it by law, because we
have done it ourselves : in the other, we have right unto it
only by grace and favour, because another man's doing of it
is bestowed upon us, and accounted ours. And this is that
gracious covenant of which the Lord here saith, " I have
sworn, and will not repent."
2. For resolving of the second question, upon what reasons
the immutability of the covenant of grace standeth, w-e must
note, that as things are of several sorts, so accordingly they
may be mutable or immutable several ways.
(1.) Some things are absolutely immutable out of the na-
ture of the thing itself; and that is, when the abrogation or
alteration of the thing would unavoidably infer some prodi-
gious consequences and notorious pravity with it, as certain
dishonour to God, and confusion upon other things. As if we
should concei'''e a man free from worshipping, reverencing,
acknowledging, loving, or trusting in God ; herein the crea-
ture would be unsubordinated to the Creator, which would
infer desperate pravity and disorder ; and God would be
robbed of his essential honour, which he can no more part
from, than cease to be God. But it is repugnant to the nature
of an entire covenant, to be in this manner immutable. For
in a covenant there is a mutual stipulation and consent be-
tween God and man ; and after performance of man's duty,
God maketh promise of bestowing a reward. Now, there
can be no binding necessity in God to confer, nor absolute
power in man to challenge any good from God, who doth
freely, and by no necessity, good unto his creatures.
(2.) Some things are merely absolute law, not of any in-
trinsical necessity, resulting out of the condition of their na-
ture ; such as are free either to be or not to be of themselves ;
or when they are free, to continue or to cease ; not in them-
selves determined unto any condition of being unvariably be-
longing unto their nature. And such are all covenants ; for
God might have dealt with men, as with lapsed angels, never
have entered anew into covenant with them : he might have
THE IMMUTABILITY OF THE NEW COVENANT. 297
reserved unto himself a power of revocation and calling In his
patent, shutting up his office of mercy again. How then
comes It, that this covenant is immutable, and Christ's priest-
hood of everlasting and unchangeable vigour to all ages and
generations of men ? that there shall never be erected in the
church any other form of God's worship, or any other instru-
ments of man's salvation, than those which we now enj,oy ?
The apostle groundeth it upon two reasons, the promise and
the oath of God, Heb. vi. 17, 18. 1. The promise putteth
a right in the creature which he had not before ; and that pro-
mise determineth the will of God to the being, and leaveth it
not indifferent to the being or not being of the covenant. For
it is the foundation of a just claim, which we by faith may
make upon the fidelity, justice, and power of God, to make it
good. " He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,''
1 John I. 9. The righteous God shall give unto me a crown
of righteousness, '2 Tim. iv. 8. Righteousness and justice,
as well as mercy, are the ground of forgiveness of sin and salva-
tion, not in relation or respect to merit in us, but to promise
in God. Only mercy it was which moved him to promise ;
and having promised, only truth, fidelity, and righteous-
ness bind him to perform. As impossible it is for God to
break any promise, and to lie unto David, as It is to be an unholy
God, or to deny himself, Psa. Ixxxix. 35 ; 2 Tim. 11. 13.
2. The oath of God ; for that pawns his own being, life,
power, truth, holiness, to make good that which he hath so
ratified. Upon these two doth the Immutability of the second
covenant, and of Christ's priesthood depend.
Here then we see upon what ground all our comfort and
assurance subsisteth ; not upon any strength, power, liberty,
or inherent grace already received, which we of ourselves are
every day apt to waste and be cheated of by Satan and the
world, but upon God's unchangeable mercy and covenant.
This was all David's " salvation and desire," all that his heart
rested upon, that " though his house were not so with God,"
that is, did fail much of that beauty and purity which therein
God required, and therefore did deserve to be cast ofT; yet
God had made with him an " everlasting covenant, ordered in
all things, and sure," 2 Sam. xxiii. 3. When the conscience
is afflicted with the sense of sin, with the fear of its own slip-
periness and unstedfastness in God's covenant, this is all it
nath to support It, that " God is one," Gal. ill. 20 ; that
Christ is " the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever,"
o 5
298 THE IxMMUTABILITY OF THE NEW COVENANT.
Heb. xiii. 8 ; that he is where he ever was, ready to meet
those that return, Isa. Ixiv. 5 ; Luke xv. 20. If I should do
to men as I have done to God, they would despise, forsake,
reveiK^e themselves on me ; I should never receive grace nor
favour acrain : but God is not as man, Hosea xi. 9 ; the whole
cause of his compassion is in and from himself, and therefore
he doth not take the advantage of our failings and exaspera-
tions to alter the course of his dealing towards us, Psa. ciii.
8, 14. Though we fail every day, yet his compassions fail
not ; and, therefore, from his immutable mercy it is that we are
not consumed, Lam. iii. 22 ; Mai. iii. 6. His blessing of
an adopted people is an irreversible thing ; because he is God,
and not man, and therefore cannot repent, nor call in the pro-
mise which he hath made ; for which purpose he doth not be-
hold iniquity in Jacob, nor perverseness in Israel, Numb, xxiii.
19 — 21. I might shut out the light of the sun from me, yet,
as soon as I remove the curtain, the sun is still where it was,
ready to be found, and to shine upon me. The case were
lamentable with us, if so often as man provokes God's justice,
he should presently revoke his mercy ; if the issue of our sal-
vation should depend upon the frailty and mutability of our
own nature, and our life should be in our own keeping. If
the pure angels of heaven fell from their created condition,
and became most black and hideous adversaries of the God
that made them ; if Adam stood not tirm with all that stock
of strength and integrity of will which he had in paradise,
how can I, who have so many lusts within, so many enemies
without, such armies of fear and temptations round about me,
be able to resist and stand ? Inherent grace is as mutable in
me as it was in Adam ; Satan as malicious and impetuous
against me as against Adam ; propensities to sin and falling
away, strong in me, which were none in Adam ; snares as many,
weaknesses more ; enemies as many, temptations more. From
the grace which is deposited in mine own keeping I cannot
but depart daily, if the Lord should leave me in the hand of
mine own counsel : even as water, though it could be made
as hot as fire, yet being left unto itself, will quickly reduce and
work itself to its own original coldness again. We have
grace abiding in our hearts from the Sun of righteousness,
who shines upon us ; as we have light in our houses, ahvays
by emanation, effusion, and supportance. Therefore, this is all
the comfort which a man hath remaining, tliat though I am
wantin/T to myself, and do often turn from God, yet he is not
THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST. 299
wanting to me, nor turns from me ; " for the gifts and calling
of God are without repentance," Rom. xi. 29. The heart of
the best man is like the wheels in Ezekiel's vision, Ezek. i.
] 6. As mutable and moveable several ways as wheels ; as
perplexed, hindered, and distracted in itself, as cross wheels in
one another ; grace swaying one way, and flesh another :
who can expect stability in such a thing ? Surely of itself
it hath none ; but the constancy and uniformity of motion
in the wheels was this, that they were joined to the living
creatures who, in their motion, turned not when they went,
ver. 17 — 21. Such is the stability of the faithful in the co-
venant ; they have it not from themselves, for they are all like
wheels ; but from Him, unto whom, by the same Spirit of life,
they are united, who cannot repent nor return from the cove-
nant of mercy which he hath made.
" Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek."
We now come to speak of the priesthood of Christ itself,
which is thus sealed and made immutable by the oath of God.
" Every high priest," saith the apostle, " is ordained for men
in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and
sacrifices for sin," Heb. v. 1. These sacrifices are of two
sorts : some eucharistical, expressive of homage, subjection,
duty, and service ; as the dedication of the first-fruits, the
offerings of Abel and Cain, and the meat and drink offerings :
some expiatory, for the washing away of sins, for making
compensation to the justice of God, which had been in sin
violated, and to propitiate him again. So that, in this respect,
a priest was to be a middle person, appointed by God to stand
and to minister between him and men in their behalf ; to be
impartial and faithful towards the justice and truth of God,
and not to be overruled by his love to men to injure him; and
to be compassionate and merciful towards the errors of men, .
and not to be overruled by his zeal to God's justice, to give
over the care or service of them. And such an high priest
was Christ : zealous of his Father's righteousness and glory ;
for he was set forth to declare the righteousness of God, Rom.
iii. 23 ; and he did glorify him on earth by finishing the things
which he had given him to do, John xvii. 4 : compassionate
towards the errors and miseries of his church ; for he was ap-
pointed to expiate and to remove them out of the way, Col. ii. 14.
Touching this priesthood, we will thus proceed . I. To
inquire into the necessity we have of such a priest. II. What
300 THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST.
kind of qualifications are requisite in him who must be unto
us such a priest. III. Wherein the acts or offices of such a
priesthood do principally consist. IV. What is the virtue,
fruits, ends, events, of such a priesthood. V. What are the
duties v^hich the execution of that office doth enforce upon
us, or what uses we should make of it. In these five parti-
culars, I conceive, will the substance of most things which
pertain unto the priesthood of Christ be reduced.
I. For the first of these we must premise this general rule :
There can be no necessity of a priest, in that sense which
is most proper, and here intended, but between a guilty crea-
ture and a righteous God ; for if man were innocent in his
relations towards God, he would stand in no need of an ex-
piation ; and if God were unrighteous in his dealings with
man's sin, there would not be due unto him any just debt of
satisfaction. This being premised, I shall, through many
steps and gradations, bring you to this necessity of Christ's
priesthood which we inquire into.
1. Every creature is unavoidably subject to the Creator;
for he made all things for himself, and all are to return that
glory to him for which he made them, Prov. xvi. 4 ; Rom. ix.
21. And this subjection of the creature to the Creator doth
suppose a debt of service to the will of the Creator. It is
impossible, and utterly repugnant to the quality of a creature,
not to be subject to some law, and indebted in some obedience
or other to him that made it. It is a certain rule in creatures,
that God giveth every creature a being to this end, that it
might put forth that being in some such operations as he hath
fitted it for, and prescribed it to observe. The most excellent
creatures that excel in strength are ministers to do his pleasure
and to hear his voice, Psa. ciii. 20, 21 ; and all the rest have
their several laws and rules of working by his wisdom set
them, in the which they wait upon him, and according unto
which they move, like Ezekiel's wheels, by the conduct of an
invisible Spirit, and by the command of a voice that is above
them ; as if they understood the law of their Creator, and
knew the precepts which they do obey, Ezek. i. 13, 16 ; Psa.
civ. 19. No creature is for itself only, or its own end ; for
that which hath not its being of itself, cannot be an end unto
itself ; inasmuch as the end of every thing which is made,
is antecedent to the being of it in the mind and intention of
him that made it.
2. No creature is in its being, or in any of those operations
THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST. 301
and services which it owes to God, intrinsically and of itself
immutable. It is God's own peculiar honour to be without
variableness or shadow of change, James i. 17; Mai. iii. 6.
There was a time when the sun stood still, and moved back-
ward, and was filled with darkness, as with an internal cloud ;
when the lions have forgotten to devour, and the fire to
consume : God can, as he will, alter the courses of nature,
let go the reins, and dispense with the rules which him-
self had secretly imposed upon the creatures to observe ;
which shows that they are not in themselves immutable.
That constancy, which in their motions they observe, is
from the regular government of that most wise Providence
which carries them to their end without any turning, Ezek. i.
17 : but when his glory requires, and his will commands it,
the mountains tremble, the sea cleaves asunder, the rivers run
back, the earth opens, the laws of nature stand still for a while
without any execution, as if they were suspended or repealed
by him that made them ; and therefore in that text of Scrip-
ture, Ezek. i. 24, 25, things are said to move by a voice which
is above them, namely, by the command of the Supreme Cause.
3. Man being in his nature and formal constitution a rea-
sonable creature, was appointed by God to serve him after a
reasonable manner, out of judgment, discretion, and election ;
to make choice of his way above all others, as being most ex-
cellent and beautiful in itself, and most convenient and advan-
tageous unto man : therefore our service is called a " reason-
able service," Rom. xii. 1 ; and David is said to have chosen
the way of truth and the precepts of the Lord, Psa. cxix. 30 ;
and Moses to have chosen the afflictions of God's people and
the reproaches of Christ before the pleasures of sin, or the
treasures of Egypt, Heb. xi. 25, 26. And hence it is, that
holiness, in the language of Scripture, is called judgment :
" He will convince the world of judgment," John xvi. 8 ;
and " he shall bring forth judgment unto victory," Matt. xii.
20. Noting, that the Spirit of holiness ruleth and worketh in
the producing of obedience by the way of reason and conviction,
therefore he is called a " Spirit of judgment," Isa. iv. 4.
And for this cause God did not set any overruling law, or de-
terminating virtue over the operations of man, as of other
creatures, that so he might truly work out of the conduct of
judgment and election of will.
4. There is no deviation from a reasonable service, or true
active obedience, properl) so called ; (for the obedience of
302 THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST.
brutes and inanimate creatures is rather passive than active,)
which hath not some intrinsical pravity in it, and, by con-
sequence, some fundamental demerit, or obligation unto pu-
nishment; for guilt is the proper passion of sin, resulting out
of it, and therefore inseparable from it. It cannot be that a
creature should, of itself, and out of the corruption of its
own reason and judgment, choose to relinquish the service of
him to whom it is naturally and unavoidably subject, and by
that means become altogether unprofitable, abominable, and
unfit for the master's use, and for those holy ends to which it
was ori<Tinally ordered, but it must withal incur the displeasure,
and thereupon provoke the revenge of that righteous Creator
who, out of great reasons, had put it under such a service.
5. By all this which hath hitherto been spoken, it appears
that God is not unjust, but most holy and righteous : 1, In
making a law for man to observe when he forbad the eating
of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, to show
that man had nothing by personal, immediate, and un derived
right, but all by donation and indulgence. Any law God
might justly make, the obedience whereof he gave the creature
an original power to perform, by reason of the natural and
necessary subjection of the creature unto him. 2. In annexing
a curse and penalty to the violation of that law, which for the
declaration of his glorious justice he might most righteously
do, because of the inevitable demerit, or liableness unto cen-
sure from the disobedience of that law resultincr. 3. Inmakimr
man in such a mutable condition, as in the which he might
stand or fall by his own election, because he would be obeyed
by judgment and free choice, not by fatal necessity, or abso-
lute determination.
6. Here then comes in the fall of man, being a wilful or
chosen transgression of a law, under the precepts whereof he
was most justly created, a\id unto the malediction whereof he
was necessarily and righteously subject if he transgressed ;
for, as by being God's creature, he was subject to his will, so
by being his prisoner, he was as justly subject unto his wrath ;
and that so much the more, by how much the precept was
more just, the obedience more easy, the transgression more
unreasonable, and the punishment more certain.
Now, by this fall of man, there came great mischief into
tlie world, and intolerable injury was done by the creature to
Him tliiit made him. His dominion and authority in his holy
conunand was violated ; his justice, truth, and power, in his
THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST. 303
most righteous threcatcnings, were despised ; his most pure
and perfect image, wherein man was created in righteousness
and true hohness, was utterly defaced ; his glory? which, by
an active service, the creature should have brought unto him,
was lost and despoiled; so that now things will not return to
their primitive order and perfection again till these two things
be first effected : a satisfaction of God's justice, and a Repa-
ration of man's nature ; which two must needs be effected by
such a middle and common person as hath both zeal towards
God, that he may be satisfied, and compassion towards man,
that he may be repaired ; such a person, as having man's
guilt and punishment on him transferred, may satisfy the
justice of God, and, as having a fulness of God's Spirit and
holiness in him, may sanctify and repair the nature of man.
And this person is the Priest here spoken of by David.
Here the learned frame a kind of conflict in God's holy
attributes, and by a liberty which the Holy Ghost from the
language of holy Scripture alloweth them, they speak of God
after the manner of men, as if he were reduced unto some
straits and difficulties by the cross demands of his several at-
tributes. Justice called upon him for the condemnation of a
sinful, and therefore worthily accursed creature, which demand
was seconded by his truth, to make good that threatening :
" In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
Mercy, on the other side, pleaded for favour and compassion
towards man, wofully seduced and overthrown by Satan;
and peace for reconcilement and pacification between an
offended Judge and an undone creature. Hereupon the infi-
nite wisdom and counsel of the blessed Trinity found out a
way, which the angels of heaven gaze on with admiration and
astonishment, how to reconcile these different pleas of his at-
tributes together. A priest then is resolved upon, one of the
same blessed Trinity, who, by his Father's ordination, his own
voluntary undertaking, and the Holy Spirit's sanctification,
should be fitted for the business. He was to be both a Surety
and a Head over sinful men, to suffer their punishments and to
sanctify their natures : in the relation of a Surety, to pay
man's debt unto God; and in the relation of a Head, to re-
store God's image unto man ; and thus in him, " Mercy and
truth have met together ; righteousness and peace have kissed
each other," Psa. Ixxxv. 10.
So then the necessity which fallen man hath of this Priest
here spoken of, is grounded upon the sweet harmony of God's
304 THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST.
mercy, truth, righteousness, and peace ; which will more dis-
tinctly appear by considering three things.
(L) God did purpose not utterly to destroy his creature^
and that principally for these two reasons, as we may observe
out of the Scriptures : 1. His own free and everlasting love,
and that infinite delight which he hath in mercy, which dis-
poseth him abundantly to pardon and to exercise loving-kind-
ness in the earth, Micah vii. 18 ; Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7 ; Psa.
ciii. 8 ; Isa. Iv. 7 ; Jer. ix. 24. 2. His delight to be actively
glorified by his creatures' voluntary service and subjection ;
*' Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit,"
John XV. 8. " I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked,
but that he turn from his way and live," Ezek. xxxiii. 11.
He delighteth most in bloodless conquests, when by his pa-
tience, goodness, and forbearance, he subdueth the hearts,
affections, and consciences of men unto himself, so leading
them unto repentance, and bringing down their thoughts unto
the obedience of Christ. He loveth to see things in their
primitive rectitude and beauty, and therefore esteemeth him-
self more glorified in the services than in the sufferings of
men. He loveth to have a church and generation of men
wlio shall serve him in the midst of all his enemies. " The
Lord loveth the gates of Sion more than all the dwellings of
Jacob," Psa. Ixxxvii. 2 ; because he was there more solemnly
worshipped and served. And therefore he resolved not to de-
stroy all men, lest there should be no religion upon the earth.
When the angels fell, they fell not all ; many were still left to
glorify him actively in their service of him ; but when Adam
fell, all mankind fell in him, so that there was no tree of this
paradise left to bring forth any fruit unto God ; and this is
most certain, God had rather have his trees for fruit than for
fuel ; and for this reason he was pleased to restore mankind
again. These are the causes why the Lord would not utterly
destroy man ; but these alone show not the necessity of a
priest to come between God and man.
(2.) God did purpose not to suffer sin to pass utterly unpu-
nished, and that for these reasons : 1. Because of his great
liatred thereunto. He is of purer eyes than to behold evil ;
he cannot look on iniquity, Hab. i. 13 ; it provoketh abhor-
rency in him, Psa. v. 6; Zech. viii. 17; Amos v. 21, 22;
Isa. i. 13, 14. 2. Because of his truth and the law which he
had established against sin, which he will in nowise abolish ;
*' One jot or tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all
THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST. 305
be fulfilled," Matt. v. 18. For it is altogether indecent,
especially to the wisdom and righteousness of God, for that
which provoketh the execution to procure the abrogation
of his law ; that that should supplant and undermine the law,
for the alone preventing whereof the law was before estab-
lished. 3. Because of his terror and fearful majesty ; for God
will have men always to fear before him, and by his terror to
be persuaded from sinning, 2 Cor. v. 10, 11. God will, for
this cause, have men always to fear before him, because he
referreth entirely to himself the punishment of sin. " Feai him
which is able to destroy both body and soul in hell. I say
unto you, Fear him," saith our Saviour, Matt. x. 28 ; Luke
xii. 3 ; for " it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the
living God ; " and therefore we ought to serve him "with reve-
rence and godly fear," because he is " a consuming fire,"
Heb. X. 31 ; xii. 28, 29.
(3.) Add unto all this, the everlasting impotency which is in
man, either to satisfy God or to repair himself. God's justice,
which is wronged, is infinite, and his glory infinite ; of which
man had attempted to spoil and rob him ; and man is both
finite in himself, and very impotent by reason of sin, (for, to
be a sinner, and, without strength, are terms equivalent in the
Scripture, Rom. v. 6, 8). Now, then, between finite and infi-
nite there can be no proportion, and, therefore, from the one
to the other there can be no satisfaction : man is utterly unable
to do any of God's will, because he is altogether carnal, Rom.
viii. 7 ; 1 Cor. ii. 14 ; and he is utterly unable either to suffer
or to break through the wrath of God, because he hath not
strength enough to endure it, nor obedience to submit unto it.
Now then, join all these things together, and we shall see the
absolute necessity we had of a priest. God will not execute
the severity of his law, for thereby the creature should ever-
lastingly lose the fruition of him, and he should likewise lose
the service and voluntary subjection of his creature. And yet
he will not abolish his law neither, lest thereby his justice
should be more securely abused, his hatred against sin the
less declared, his truth in all his threatenings questioned, and
his dreadful majesty by men neglected. He will not punish
those persons whom he loves, because he is pitiful to them ;
he will not pass over the sins which he hates, because he is
jealous towards himself. Man and sin are as inseparably
joined together since the fall as fire and heat ; yet God will
have mercy on the man, and he will take vengeance of the sin.
306 THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST.
Some course, then, or other must there be found out to trans-
fer man's sin on another's person who may be able to bear them,
and to interest man's person in another righteousness, which
may be able to cover him. Some way must be found out,
that tilings may be all one in regard of man, as if the law
had been utterly abrogated ; and that they may be all one in
regard of God too, as if the creature had been utterly con-
demned. And all this is done in our High Priest: on him
was executed the curse of the law ; by him was fulfilled the
righteousness of the law ; for him was remitted the sin of
man, and through him were all things made new again. The
world was in Christ as in its Surety, making satisfaction to the
justice of God ; and God w^as in Christ as in his Ambas-
sador, reconciling the world unto himself again. By all which
we see the necessity which fallen man had of a priest to re-
store them.
Hence we may learn, how much we ought to hate sin,
which arms the law, justice, and power of God against us.
As hateful as it is unto God, so hateful it is in itself ; for he
judgeth uprightly, he seeth things just as they are, without
passion, prejudice, or partiality : and as hateful as it is in it-
self, so hateful should it be unto us, as the only ground of
our misery, of the creature's vanity, and of God's dishonour.
We see it is so hateful unto God that he will most certainly
be avenged of it. If he spare me, yet he will not spare my
sin, though his own beloved Son must be punished for it.
Oh, then, why should that be light to me which was as heavy
as a millstone to the soul of Christ ? Why should that be
my pleasure which was his passion ? why that be in a throne
with me which was upon a cross with him ? Why should I
allow that to be really in me which the Lord so severely pu-
nished when the guilt thereof was but imputed to his Son ?
Many sins there are which others in their practice, as well as
papists in their doctrine and profession, esteem for light and
venial sins. But, however, let us not dare esteem that a light
thing, for which Christ died. And woful had it been for men
if Christ had not, in his body on the tree, carried as well the
guilt of our idle words, our vain thoughts, our loose and im-
pertinent actions, as of our oaths, execrations and blasphe-
mies. If great sins were as the spear and nails, certainly small
sins were as the thorns which pierced his head. And there-
fore wc should learn, with David, to hate every evil way, be-
cause God hates it and suffers it not to pass unpunished ; to
THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST. 307
revenge the quarrel of Christ against those lusts of ours which
nailed him to his cross, and to crucify them for him again ;
and for that end was Christ crucified, " that our old man
might be crucified with him, that the body of sin might be
destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin," Rom.
vi. 6.
Again, we see by this necessity of a priest, how deeply we
stand engaged to our merciful God, who hath vouchsafed to
help us in our greatest necessity. How we ought to love him
who hath first of all loved us ; how we ought in our bodies
and in our spirits to glorify him who hath so dearly bought
us ; how we should willingly fight for him who overcame for us ;
how thankful we should be to him who was so compassionate
unto us ; how we should admire and adore the unsearchable
riches of his wisdom and goodness, who, when we were despe-
rately and incurably gone, had found out a way of escape and
deliverance for us. God stood not in need of us, or any ser-
vice of ours ; he could have glorified himself in our just de-
struction. Who, then, can enough express either the mercy
of God or the duty of man, when he considers that God
should call together all the depths of his own wisdom and
counsel to save a company of desperate fugitives, who had
joined in combination with his greatest enemies to resist and
dishonour him ? It would have posed all the wisdom of the
world, (though misery be commonly very witty to shape and
fashion to itself images of deliverance,) to have found out a
way to heaven between the wrath of God and the sin of man.
It would have posed all the heavenly intelligences and the
united consultations of the blessed angels to have reconciled
God's mercy in the salvation of man and his justice in the
condemnation of sin ; to have poured out hell upon the sin,
and yet to have bestowed heaven upon the sinner. If God
should have instructed us thus far, You are miserable creatures,
but I am a merciful God ; the demands of my justice I must
not deny, neither will I deny the entreaties of my mercy ; find
me out a sacrifice answerable to my justice, and it shall be ac-
cepted for you ail : oh ! where could man have found out a
creature of capacity enough to hold, or of strength enough to
bear the sins of the world, or the wrath of God ? Where
could he have found out, in heaven or earth, amongst men or
angels, a priest that durst accompany such a sacrifice into the
presence of so consuming a fire ? Or where could he have
found out an altar where'on to offer, and whereby to sanctify
308 THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST.
SO great a sacrifice ? No, no ; the misery of man was too
deep and inextricable for all the created counsel in the world
to invent a deliverance. Now, then, if God himself did study
to save me, how great reason is there that I should study to
serve him ? How ought all my wisdom, and counsel, and
thouorht, and desires be directed to this one resolution, to live
acceptably and thankfully unto him, who, when he might have
produced glory to himself out of my confusion, chose rather
to humble, and, as it were, for a while to unglorify himself for
my salvation ? Certainly, that man did never rightly under-
stand the horror of sin, the infinite hatred of God against it,
the heaviness of his wrath, the malediction of the law, the
mystery and vast dimensions of God's love in Christ, the
preciousness of his sacrifice, the end, purpose, or merit of his
death, or any of those unsearchable riches of God manifested in
the flesh, who will not crucify a vanity, a lust, a pleasure, an
earthly member unto him again ; who finds more content and
satisfaction in his own ways of sin and death ; more wisdom
in the temptations and deceits of Satan and his own fleshly
mind, than in those deep mysteries of grace and contrivances
of mercy which the angels desire to pry into.
Therefore, in the last place, we should labour to feel the
necessity we have of such a priest. This is the only reason
why so few make use of so precious a fountain, because they
trust in their own muddy and broken cisterns at home, and
are never sensibly and thoroughly touched with the sense of
their own wants ; for it is not the saying and confessing with
the mouth only, that I have nothing, nor the knowing in spe-
culation only that I have nothing, but the feeling and smarting
by reason of my want, which will drive me to seek for relief
abroad. If a man did seriously consider and lay together
such thoughts as these ; I am very busy for the affairs and
passages of this present Hfe, which will quickly vanish and
pass away like a weaver's shuttle, or a tale that is told ; 1 have
another, and an abiding life to live after this is over. All
that I toil for here is but for the back, the belly, the bag, and
posterity. And am I not nearer to myself than I am to my
money ? Am I not nearer to my soul than I am to my body,
or to my posterity ? Must I not have a being in that, when
neither I nor my posterity have either back to be clothed, or
beily to be fed, or name to be supported ? Oh ! why am I
as sadly employed ? why spend I not some at least as serious
and inquisitive thoughts about this as about the other ?
THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST. 309
Do I not know that I must one day stand before Him who is
a consuming fire ? that I must one day be weighed in the
balance ? and woe be unto me if I am found too light I Ap-
pear before him I dare not of myself alone, without a priest
to mediate for me, to cover and protect me from his fury,^ and
to reconcile me unto him again. My person wants a priest ;
it is clogged with infinite guilt, which, without him, cannot be
covered. My nature wants a priest ; it is overspread with a
deep and universal corruption which, without him, cannot be
cured. My sins want a priest ; they are in number and in
quality above measure sinful, which, without him, cannot be
pardoned. My services want a priest ; they are blemished
and poisoned with many failings and corruptions ; without him
they cannot be accepted. I say, if men did seriously lay to-
gether such thoughts as these, it could not be that rational
and serious men, men of deep thoughts in other matters, who
love to sift out things to the bran, and to be very solicitous
for evidence and certainty in them, should suffer such a busi-
ness as this, (their interest in that Priest who must alone
clothe their persons with his righteousness, and cleanse their
nature with his Spirit, and wash away their sins with his
blood, and sanctify their prayers, and alms, and all religious
devotions with his incense and intercession, or else all of them
must pass through the trial of such a fire as will consume
them all,) to be passed over with loose and slender thoughts,
and to be rested in and resolved upon, rather by the lying
presumptions of a deceitful heart, than by the evidences and
testimony of God's Holy Spirit. " Consider what I say, and
the Lord give you understanding in all things."
II. The second thing proposed to be considered in the
priesthood of Christ, was the qualification of that Person who
was to be a fit High Priest for us. Legal sacrifices would not
serve the turn to purge away sin, because of their baseness.
They are not expiations of sin, Heb. ix. 9, 12 ; but were only
remembrances and commemorations of sin, Heb. x. 3. Neces-
sary it was that heavenly things should themselves be purified with
better sacrifices, Heb. ix. 23 ; for they of themselves, without
that typical relation which they had unto Christ, Gal. iii. 23, and
that instrumental virtue which in that relation they had from
him, Heb. ix. 13, were utterly weak and unprofitable, Heb.
vii. 18; as the shadow hath neither being in itself, nor
can give refreshment unto another, but dependency on the
body to which it belongeth. And this appeareth by their
310 THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST.
reiteration : where the conscience is once purged, and there is
remission of sin, there is no more offering, Heb. x. 2, 18 ; for
the repeating of the sacrifice, shows that the person for whose
sake it is repeated is in the same condition now as he was in
at the time of the former oblation. Also, by their variety :
there were both gifts and sacrifices for sin, Heb. v. 1 ; viii. 3 ;
bulls, and goats, and calves, and lambs, Heb. ix. 12, 13 ; and
that shows that no one thing was fit to typify the full expia-
tion wrought by Christ ; whereas he offered but one sacrifice,
and by that perfected for ever them that are sanctified, Heb.
X. 12, 14. And if legal sacrifices would not serve the turn,
then neither would legal priests be fit for so great a work ; for
all the good which the priest doth is in the virtue of the sacri-
fice which he brings ; and this likewise the apostle proves by
many arguments. Because of their sinfulness ; for they them-
selves wanted an expiation, and therefore could not be medi-
ators for the sins of others, Heb. v. 3, 7, 27. Because of the
carnality of their institution ; they were made after the law of
a carnal commandment ; that is, of a temporary, perishable,
and merely external ordinance, Heb. vii. 16, which prescribed
only the examples and shadows of heavenly things. Because
of their mortality ; they were not suffered to continue by
reason of death ; whereas our Priest must ever live to make inter-
cession. Because of their ministry and the revolution of their
services, which never came to a period or perfection, in which
the priest might give over and sit down : they stood daily
ministering, and oftentimes offering, (their service did daily
return upon them again,) whereas Christ, "after he had
offered one sacrifice lor sin, for ever sat down on the right
hand of God," Heb. x. 11, 12.
To show you then the qualifications of this Priest. A
priest, in general, is ordained for men in things pertaining to
God, to offer sacrifice for the obtaining of riohteousness and
. . J, . o o
remission oi sins.
1. Christ being a Priest, must of necessity be a Mediator
and a Surety between parties, that he might have one unto
whom, and others for whom, and in whose behalf, to offer a
sacrifice. Every priest must be a mediator, to stand between
God and the people, and to intercept and bear the iniquity
even of their holy things. And to this mediation there must
concur the consent of the parties between whom it is nego-
tiated ; " For a mediator is not a mediator of one." Now,
God giveth his consent by laying on him our iniquities, and
THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST. 311
" making his soul an offering for sin," and tliereby declaring
himself to be one with ns ; and man gives his consent when,
by faith, he receiveth Christ, and so becometh not only the
friend, but the son of God, John i. 12.
2. Every mediator is not immediately a priest ; for there is a
mediation only by way of entreaty, prayer, and request,
wherein men do obtain, but not deserve, or purchase remission
for others : such mediators were Joab and the widow of Te-
koah in the behalf of Absalom, 2 Sam. xiv. There are
mediators by way of satisfaction, as sureties are between the
creditor and the debtor ; and such a mediator was Christ,
not only a Mediator, but also a Surety of a better covenant,
Heb. viii. 6 ; vii. 22. He was not to procure remission of
our sins by way of favour and request ; but he was set forth
to declare the righteousness of God, Rom. iii. 23 : and such
a Mediator between God and us must needs be a priest too ;
for the debt which we owed unto God was blood ; " Without
shedding of blood is no remission," Heb. ix. 22.
3. Being such a Priest, he must have a sacrifice answerable
to the debt which was owed to his Father. The debt we
owed was the forfeiture and subjection of our souls and bodies
to the wrath of God and the curse of the law. God is able
to destroy both soul and body in hell, Matt. x. 28. It is not
to be understood only of his absolute power, but of that power
which, as our Judge, he hath over us ; as we are his prisoners,
and so obnoxious to the curses of his law. Therefore our
Priest was to have a soul and a body, to pay as a Surety for
our souls and bodies : " Thou shalt make his soul an offering
for sin," Isa. liii. 10 ; " My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even
unto death," Matt. xxvi. 38. And again, " A body hast thou
prepared me ;" " We are sanctified through the offering of the
body of Jesus Christ once for all," Heb. x. 5, 10 ; '' His
own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree," 1 Pet. ii.
24. So he was to be man, that he might have a fit and an-
swerable sacrifice to offer. Thou hast fitted, or prepared, a
body for me, that my sacrifice might be proportionable to that
in the place whereof it stood. And thereby, as he is fit for
passion, so also for compassion ; he was to be our Kinsman,
and of our blood, that he might be a merciful and faithful
High Priest, Heb- ii. 11, 17 : and fit for derivation of his
righteousness, and transfusion of his Spirit upon us ; " for
both he that sanctifieth, and they who are sanctified, are all
of one," And as it must be thus fitted to the sinner, that it
312 THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST.
may be a proper and suitable sacrifice for his sin, so must it be
perfect likewise. Without blemish or sin. " Such an High
Priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate
from sinners," Heb. vii. 26 ; that so he might offer himself
" without spot to God," and have no need of a sacrifice for
himself, Heb. ix. 14. Also, without any manner of defect,
which should stand in need of supplement and contribution
from something else ; that of itself alone it might be sufficient
and available to bring perfection and salvation unto men, and
to leave no more conscience of sin behind it, Heb. vii. 19 ;
X. 2.
4. As there was to be such a sacrifice, perfect in itself, and
fit for the use and occasion for which it was appointed, so
there must be an altar upon which to offer it unto the Father ;
for it is the altar which sanctifieth the offering ; that is, which,
in regard of God, giveth it acceptance, and which, in regard
of man, giveth it virtue, merit, and value answerable to his
occasions. This sacrifice was to be sufficient for the satisfac-
tion of God, and for the justification and reparation of man ;
and both these by means of the altar on which it was offered,
which was the Divine nature. " Through the Eternal Spirit
he offered himself without spot to God," and so by his blood
purgeth our consciences from dead works, Heb. ix. 14. For
Christ, as God, sanctified himself as man, that so we, through
the virtue and merit of his sacrifice, might be sanctified like-
wise, John xvii. 19. He was to be God as well as man ; a
medium of participation before he could be the medium of re-
conciliation ; that so he might himself be supported to un-
dergo and break through the weight of sin and the law, and
having so done, might have compass enough in his sacrifice
to satisfy the justice of God, and to swallow up the sins of
the world.
3. Inasmuch as the virtue of the Deity was to be attributed
truly to the sacrifice, (else it could have no value nor virtue in
it,) and that sacrifice was to be the life, soul, and body
of the Priest who offered it, because he was not barely a
Priest, but a Surety, and so his person stood in stead of ours,
to pay our debt, which was a debt of blood, and therefore he
was to offer himself, Heb. ix. 26 ; 1 Pet. ii. 24 : and, inas-
much as his person must needs be equivalent in dignity and
representation to the persons of all those for whom he medi-
ated, and who were for his sake only delivered from suffering :
for these causes it was necessary that God and man should
THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST. 313
make but one Christ, in the unity of the same infinite Person,
whose natures they both were ; that which suffered, and that
which sanctified. The human nature was not to be left to
subsist in and for itself, but was to have dependence and sup-
port in the person of the Son, and a kind of inexistence in
him, as the graft of an apple may have in the stock of a plum.
From whence ariseth, 1. The communication of properties
between the natures ; when, by reason of the unity of the
person, we attribute that to one nature which is common to
the other, not by confusion or transfusion, but by communion
in one end and in one person ; as when the Scriptures attri-
bute human properties to the Divine nature : the Prince of life
was slain, Acts iii. 15; God purchased the church with his
own blood. Acts xx. 28 ; they crucified the Lord of glory,
1 Cor. ii. 8. Or, divine to the human nature : as, the Son
of man came down from heaven, John iii. 18 ; and the Son
of man shall ascend where he was before, John vi. 62. Or,
when both natures work with their several concurrence unto
the same work, as to walk on the waters, and to rise out of the
grave. By which communication of properties, virtue is
derived from the altar to the sacrifice, inasmuch as it was the
Lord of glory who was crucified. So that his passions were,
in regard of the person which bare them, both human and
Divine, because the person was God and man. 2. From the
unity of the person supporting the human nature with the
Divine, ariseth the appliableness of one sacrifice unto all men.
Because the person of the Son is infinitely more than equiva-
lent to the persons of all men, as one diamond to many thou-
sand pebbles ; and because the obedience of this sacrifice was
the obedience of God, and therefore cannot but have more
virtue and well-pleasingness in it than there can be demerit or
malignity in the sin of man.
Now, this person, in whose unity the two natures are con-
joined, is the second Person in the holy Trinity. He was
the person against whom the first sin was principally com-
mitted ; for it was an affectation of wisdom, and to be like
unto God, (as the falling sin now is the sin against the third
Person ;) and therefore the mercy is the more glorious that
he did undertake the expiation. By him the world was made.
Col. i. 16, 17 ; John i. 3 ; and therefore, being spoiled, he
was pleased to new make it again, and to bring many sons
unto glory, Heb. ii. 10. He was the express image of his
Father, Heb. i. 3; Col. i. 15 ; and therefore by him are we
p
314 THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST.
renewed after God's image again, Col. iii. 10. He was the
Son of God by nature, and therefore the mercy was again the
more glorified in his making us sons by adoption, and so joint
heirs with himself, who was the Heir of all things.
So then it became us to have such an High Priest as should
be first an equal, middle person between God and man. In
rec^ard of God towards man, an officer appointed to declare
his righteousness; and in regard of man towards God, a
Surety ready to purchase their pardon and deliverance.
Again, such a one as should be one with us ia the fellowship
of our nature, passions, infirmities, and temptations, that so
he might the more readily suffer for us, who in so many
things suffered with us ; and one with God the Father in his
Divine nature, that so by the virtue of his sufferings and resur-
rection he might be able both to satisfy his justice and to
justify our persons, to sanctify our nature, to perfume and
purify our services, to raise up our dead bodies, and to present
us to his Father a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle.
And both these in the unity of one person, that so by that
means the Divine nature might communicate virtue, merit, and
acceptableness to the sufferings of the human ; and that the
dignity of that person might countervail the persons of all
other men. And this person, that person of the three by
whom the glory of the mercy should be the more wonderfully
magnified. In one word, two things were requisite to our
High Priest : a grace of union, to make the person God and
man in one Christ ; and a grace of unction, to fit him with
such fulness of the Spirit as should enable him to the perform-
ance of so great a work, Isa. xi. 2.
1. By all which we should learn to adore this great mystery
of God manifested in the flesh and justified in the Spirit, the
unsearchableness of that love which appointed God to be
man, the Creator of the world to be despised as a worm, for
the salvation of such rebels as might justly have been left
under chains of darkness, and reserved to the same inevitable
destruction with the devils which fell before them.
2. To have always before our eyes the great hatefulness of
sin, which no sacrifice could have expiated but the blood of
the Son of God himself; and the great severity and inexora-
bleness of God's justice against it, which no satisfaction could
pacify, no obedience compensate, but the suffering and priva-
tion of himself. Oh ! what a condition will that man be in,
who must stand, or rather everlastingly sink, and be crushed
THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST. 3]5
under the weight of that wrath against sin which amazed and
made heavy unto death the soul of Christ himself I Which
made Him who had the strength of the Deity to support him ;
the fulness of the Spirit to sanctify and prepare him ; the
message of an angel to comfort him ; the relation of a be-
loved Son to refresh him ; the voice of his Father from
heaven testifying unto him that he was heard in that' he
feared ; the assurance of an ensuing glory and victory to en-
courage him, (none of which shall be allowed the wicked in
hell, who shall not only be the vessels of his vengeance, but,
which will be as grievous as that, the everlasting objects of
his hatred and detestation ;) which made, I say, even the Son
of God himself, notwithstanding all these abatements, to pray
with strong cries and bloody drops, and woful conflicts of the
soul against the cup of his Father's wrath, and to shrink and
decline that very work for which only he came into the
world !
3. To praise God for that great honour which he hath
conferred upon our nature in the flesh of his Son, which in
him is anointed with more grace and glory, and filled with
more vast and unmatchable perfection than all the angels in
heaven are together capable of ; for though for a little while
he was made lower than the angels, for the purpose of his suf-
fering, yet he is now " sat down on the right hand of God ;
angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto
him," Heb. ii. 9 ; i. 4, 13 ; 1 Peter iii. 22. And for the
infinite mercy which he hath showed to our souls, bodies, and
persons in the sacrifice of his Son ; in our reconciliation and
favour with him ; in the justification of our persons from the
guilt of sin ; in the sanctification of our nature from the
corruption of sin ; in the inheritance reserved in heaven for
us ; in the communion and fellowship we have with Christ in
his merits, power, privileges, and heavenly likeness. " Now,"
saith the apostle, " we are sons, and it doth not yet appear what
we shall be ; but we know that when he shall appear, we
shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is," 1 John iii. 2.
III. From these things which have been spoken of the
personal qualifications of our High Priest, it will be easy to
find out the third particular inquired into, touching the acts
or ofiices of Christ's priesthood, or rather, touching the parts
of the same action, for it is all but one. Two acts there are
wherein the execution of this office doth consist.
1. An act of oblation himself once for all, as an adequate
p2
316 THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST.
sacrifice and full compensation for the sins of the whole
world Heb. ix. 14, 26. Our debt unto God was twofold ;
as we were his creatures, so we owed unto him a debt of active
obedience in doing the duties of the whole law ; and as we are
his prisoners, so we owed unto him a debt of passive obedience,
in suffering willingly and thoroughly the curses of the law.
And under this law Christ was made, to redeem us who were
under the precepts and penalties of the law, by his fulfilling
all that ri<7hteousness. Therefore the apostle saith, he
was "sin for us ;" that is, a sacrifice for sin, to meet and
intercept that wrath which was breaking out upon us, 2 Cor.
V, 21. Herein was the great mercy of God manifest to us,
that he would not punish sinners, though he would not spare
sin. If he should have resolved to have judged sinners, we
must have perished in our own persons ; but being pleased to
deal with sin only in the abstract, and to spare the sinner, he
was contented to accept of a sacrifice, which (under the rela-
tion and title of a sacrifice) stood in his sight like the body of
sin alone by itself ; in which respect he is likewise said to be
made "a curse for us," Gal. iii. 13. Now, that which, to-
gether with these things, giveth the complete and ultimate for-
mality of a sacrifice unto the death of Christ, was his own will-
ingness thereunto in that he offered himself. And therefore he
is called the " Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the
world," because " he was dumb and opened not his mouth, but
was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross," Phil. ii.8.
(1.) Christ's death, in regard of God the Father, was
a necessary death ; for he had before determined that it
should be done, Acts iv. 28. *' Thus it is written, and
thus it behoved Christ to suffer," Luke xxiv. 46. " The
Son of man must be lifted up," John iii. 14 ; and therefore
he is said to be a " Lamb slain from the foundation of the
world," in regard of God's decree and pre-ordination. But
this gave it not the formality of a sacrifice ; for God the
Father was not the priest, and it is the action of the priest
which giveth the being of a sacrifice to that which is ofiered.
(2.) Christ's death, in regard of men, was violent ; they slew
him with wicked hands, and killed the Prince of life. Acts ii.
23; iii. 15. And in this sense it was no sacrifice either,
for they were not priests, but the murderers of Christ.
(3.) His death, in regard of himself, was voluntary. " 1
lay down my life, fio man taketh it from me, but I lay it down
of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power
THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST. 317
to take it again," John x. 17, 18 : and this oblation and will-
ing obedience, or rendering himself to God, is that which
gives being to a sacrifice. He was dehvered by God, Acts
ii. 23; he was delivered by Judas and the Jews, Matt, xxvii.
2 ; Acts iii. 13 ; and he was yielded and given up by him-
self, Gal. ii. 20 ; Eph. v. 25. In regard of God, it was
justice and mercy, John iii. 16, 17 ; Rom. iii. 25 ; in regard
of man, it was murder and cruelty, Acts vii. 52 ; in regard
of Christ, it was obedience and humility, Phil. ii. 8. And
that voluntary act of his was that which made it a sacrifice ;
" He hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to
God for a sweet smelling savour," Eph. v. 2. His death did
not grow out of the condition of his nature, neither was it in-
flicted on him by reason of an excess of strength in those that
executed it, (for he was the Lord of glory,) but only out of
mercy towards men, out of obedience towards God, and out
of power in himself. By his power he assumed those infirmi-
ties which the economy and dispensation of his priesthood on
the earth required ; and by the same power he laid them aside
again when the service was ended ; and this I say was that
which made it a sacrifice. As martyrdom, when men lay
down their lives for the profession of the truth and the service
of the church, is called a sacrifice, Phil. ii. 17.
If it be here objected, that Christ's death was against his
own will, for he exceedingly feared it, Heb. v. 7 ; and prayed
earnestly against it, as a thing contrary to his will. Matt. xxvi.
39. To this I answer, that all this doth not hinder, but com-
mend his willingness and obedience. Consider him in private
as a man, of the same natural affections, desires and abhor-
rences with other men ; and consider the cup as it was, a very
bitter cup, and so he most justly feared and declined it, as
knowing that it would be a most woful and a heavy combat
which he was entering upon. But consider him in his public
relation, as a Mediator, a Surety, a merciful and faithful
High Priest, and so he most wiUingly and obediently sub-
mitted unto it. And this willingness, by reason of his office,
was much the greater, because, by reason of his nature, his
will could not but shrink from it. It is easy to be wilHng in
such a service as is suitable to our natural condition and
affections ; but when nature shall necessarily shrink, sweat,
startle, and stand amazed at a service, then, not to repent, nor
decline, nor fling off the burden ; but, with submission of
heart, to lie down under it, this is, of all other, the greatest
318 THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST.
obedience. It was the voice of nature, and the presentation
of the just and implanted desires of the flesh, to say, " Let it
pass from me ;" it was the retractation of mercy and duty to
say, " Glorify thyself." Whatever my nature desires, whatever
my will declines, whatever becomes of me, yet still glorify thy-
self, and save thy church : if it cannot otherwise be than by
drinking this bitter cup, " Thy will be done."
2. The second act in the work of Christ's priesthood is the
act of application, or virtual continuation of this sacrifice to
the end of the world ; and that is in the intercession of Christ,
unto which there is pre-required a power and prevalency over
all his enemies, to break through the guilt of sin, the curse of
the law, and the chains of death, with which it was impossible
that he should be held. The vision which Moses had of the
burning bush was an excellent resemblance of the sacrifice of
Christ. The bush noted the sacrifice ; the fire the suffering ;
the continuance and prevailing of the bush against the fire,
the victory of Christ, and breaking through all those suffer-
ings which would utterly have devoured any other man. And
this power of Christ was shown in his resurrection, wherein
he was " declared to be the Son of God with power," Rom.
i. 4 ; and in his ascension, when he led all his enemies captive,
Eph. iv. 8 ; and in his sitting at the right hand of God, far
above all principalities and powers, Eph. i. 19, 20. All
which did make way to the presenting of his sacrifice before
the mercy-seat, which is the consummation thereof, and with-
out which he had not been a priest. " We have such an
High Priest," saith the apostle, " who is set on the right
hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens ; for if he
were on earth he should not be a priest, seeing that there are
priests that offer gifts according to the law," Heb. viii. 1, 4.
It was the same continued action whereby the priest did offer
without the holy place, and did then bring the blood into the
holiest of all, Heb. xiii. 11. For the reason why it was shed
was to present it to the mercy-seat, and to show it imto the
Lord there. So Christ's act or office was not ended, nor fit
to denominate him a complete priest, till he did enter with
blood, and present his offering in the holiest of all, not made
with hands, Heb. ix. 24. And therefore he had not been a
priest if he should have continued on the earth ; for there was
another priesthood there, which was not to give place but
upon the accomplishment of his ; for the whole figure was to
pass away when the whole truth was come. Now, Christ's
THE INTERCESSION OF CHRIST. 319
oblation was the truth prefigured in the priest's sacrificing of
the beast ; and his entrance into heaven was the truth pre-
figured in the priest's carrying of the blood into the hohest of
all. And therefore both these were to be accomplished before
the levitical priesthood did give place.
Here, then, it will be needful, for the more full unfolding of
the priesthood of Christ, to open the doctrine of his inter-
cession at the right hand of his Father. The apostle calleth
it the appearing of Christ for us, Heb. ix. 24 ; which is a
forensic term, an expression borrowed from the custom of
buman courts ; for, as in them, when the plaintiff' or defend-
ant is called, their attorney appeareth in their name and be-
half; so when we are summoned by the justice of God to
defend ourselves against those exceptions and complaints
which it preferreth against us, " we have an Advocate with
the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous," who standeth out,
and appeareth for us, 1 John ii. 1. As the high priest went
into the sanctuary with the names of the twelve tribes upon
his breast, so Christ entered into the holiest of all with our
persons, and in our behalf ; in which respect the apostle saith
that he was apprehended of Christ, Phil. iii. 12 ; and that
we do sit together in heavenly places with him, Eph. ii. 6.
Merit and efficacy are the two things which set forth the virtue
of Christ's sacrifice, by which he hath reconciled us to his
Father. The merit of Christ being a redundant merit, and
having in it a plentiful redemption, and a sufficient salvation,
hath in it two things : First, there is an expiation, or satis-
faction, by way of price ; secondly, there is an inheritance,
by way of purchase and acquisition, Eph. i. 14. He was
made of a woman, made under the law, for two ends, that he
might redeem us from the curse under which we lay, and that
he might purchase for us the inheritance which we had for-
feited before ; for so by adoption in that place I understand,
in a complex and general sense, every good thing which be-
longs unto us in the right of our sonship with Christ, and
that is the inheritance of glory, Rom. viii. 17, 23.
Now, all this is eff'ected by the obedience of Christ's death ;
for in that was the act of impetration, or procurement, con-
sisting in the treaty between God and Christ. But there is
yet further required an execution, a real effectualness, and
actual application of these to us. As it must be, in regard
of God, a satisfaction and a purchase, so it must be likewise
in regard of us, an actual redemption and inheritance. And
320 THE INTERCESSION OF CHRIST.
this is done by the intercession of Christ, which is the com-
memoration, or rather continuation of his sacrifice. He
offered it but once, and yet he is a Priest for ever ; because
the sacrifice once offered doth for ever remain before the
mercy-seat. Thus, as in many of the legal oblations, the
beast was slain on the altar, and then the blood was, together
with the incense, brought before the mercy-seat, Lev. xvi.
11, 15: so Christ was first slain, and then, "by his own
blood, he entered into the holy place," Heb. ix. 12 : that
was done on the earth, without the gate ; this in heaven, Heb.
xiii. 11, 12: that the sacrifice, or obtaining of redemption;,
this the application, or conferring of redemption. The sacri-
fice consisted in the death of Christ alone ; the application
thereof is grounded upon Christ's death, as its merit, but
effected by the life of Christ, as its immediate cause. His
death did obtain, his life did confer redemption upon us ; and
therefore, in the Scriptures, our justification and salvation are
attributed to the life of Christ : " He was delivered for our
offences, and was raised again for our justification," Rom. iv.
25. " If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain ; ye are yet
in your sins," 1 Cor. xv. 17. " He shall convince the world
of righteousness, because I go to my Father," John xvi. 8,
10. " Because I live, ye shall live also," John xiv. 19. " If
we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live
with him," Rom. vi. 8. " Being made perfect," or conse-
crated for ever, " he became the Author of eternal salvation
unto all them that obey him," Heb. v. 9 ; vii. 28. He is able
perfectly to save, because he ever liveth, Heb. vii. 25. We
were reconciled in his death ; but had he there rested, we
could never have been acquitted, nor entered in, for he was to
be our Forerunner; and therefore the apostle addeth a "much
more " to the life of Christ : " Much more, being reconciled,
we shall be saved by his life," Rom. v. 10. Not in point of
merit, but only of efficacy for us ; as in buying land, the
laying down of the price giveth a man a meritorious interest ;
but the delivering up of the deeds, the resigning of the pro-
perty, the yielding up of the possession, giveth a man an
actual interest in that which he hath purchased : so the death
of Christ deserveth, but the intercession and life of Christ
applieth salvation unto us. It was not barely Christ's dying,
but his dying victoriously, so that it was impossible for death
to hold him. Acts ii. 24, which was the ground of our salva-
tion. He could not justify us till he was declared to be
THE INTERCESSION OF CHRIST. 321
justified himself; therefore the apostle saith that he was
"justified in the Spirit," 1 Tim. iii. 16; namely, by that
Spirit which quickened him, Rom. i. 4; viii. 11 ; 1 Peter iii.
18. When Christ offered himself a sacrifice for sin, " he
was numbered with the transgressors," Mark xv. 28. He
bare our sins along with him on the tree, and so died under
the wrongs of men, and under the wrath of God, in both re-
spects as a guilty person ; but when he was quickened by the
Spirit of holiness, he then threw off the sins of the world
from his shoulder, and made it appear that he was a righteous
person, and that his righteousness was the righteousness of
the world. So then our faith and hope was begun in Christ's
death, but was finished in his life ; he was the Author of it,
by enduring the cross ; and he was the Finisher of it, by
sitting down on the right hand of the throne of God, Heb.
xii. 2. The apostle sums up all together : " It is God that
justifieth. Who is he that condemneth ? It is Christ that
died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right
hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us," Rom. viii
33,34.
Now, to show more distinctly the nature and excellency of
Christ's intercession, it consisteth in these particulars.
1. His appearance, or the presenting of his person in our
nature and in his own, as a public person, a Mediator, a
Sponsor, and a pledge for us ; as Judah was both a mediator,
to request, and a surety, to engage himself to bear the blame
for ever with his father for his brother Benjamin, Gen. xliii.
8, 9 ; and Paul was a mediator for Onesimus ; " I beseech thee
for my son Onesimus," Philem. ver. 9, 10: and a sponsor;
*' If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on
mine account; I will repay it," ver. 18, 19. So Christ is
both a Mediator and Surety for us, Heb. vii. 22 ; viii. 6.
2. The presenting of his merits as a public satisfaction for
the debt of sin, and as a public price for the purchase of glory ;
for the justice of God was not to be entreated or pacified
without a satisfaction ; and therefore where Christ is called
an Advocate, he is called a Propitiation too, 1 John ii. 2 ;
because he doth not intercede for us but in the right and
virtue of the price which he paid : for the Lord " spared
not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all," Rom. viii.
32. He dealt in the full rigour of his justice with him.
3. In the name of his person, and for the vigour and virtue
*ii bis merits, there is a presenting of his desires, his will, his
P 5
322 THE INTERCESSION OF CHRIST.
request, and interpellation for us, and so applying both unto
US : " Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me
be with me where I am," &c., John xvii. 24.
4. To all this doth answer the consent of the Father, in
whose bosom he is, who heareth him always, John xi. 42 ;
and in whom he is well pleased. Matt. xvii. 5 : who called
him to this office of, as it were, master of requests in the be-
half of his church, and promised to hear him in his petitions ;
" Ask of me, and I shall give thee," Psa. ii. 8, Thus,
when ^schylus the tragedian was accused in the Areopagus of
impiety, his brother Amyntas stood out as his advocate, using
no other plea but this, he opened his garments, and showed
them how he had lost his hand in the service of the state, and
so vindicated his brother. Or. as Zeleucus, when he put out
one of his own eyes for his son, who had been discovered in
adultery, delivered him from half the punishment which him-
self had decreed against that sin. Or, to come nearer, as
when the hand steals, if the back be scourged, the tongue may,
in matters that are not capital, intercede for a dismission : so
Christ, when he suffered for us, (which he might more justly
do than any one man can for another, because he was, by
Divine pre-ordination and command, and by his own power,
more lord of his own life than any other man is of his, John
X. 18,) may justly, in the virtue of those his sufferings, inter-
cede in our behalf for all that which those his sufferings did
deserve, either for the expiation of sin, or for the purchase of
salvation ; in which sense the apostle saith that the blood of
Christ is a speaking or interceding blood, Heb. xii. 24.
By all which we may observe the impiety of the popish
doctrine, which distinguishes between mediators of redemption
and mediators of intercession ; affirming that, though the
saints are not redeemers of the world, yet they are, as the
courtiers of heaven, mediators of intercession for us, and so
may be sought unto by us. To which I answer, that we must
distinguish of interceding, or praying for another : there is one
private, and another public, (which some learned men have
observed in Christ's own prayers ;) or praying out of charity,
and out of justice or office. Or, praying out of humility,
with fear and trembling, or out of authority, which is not
properly prayer, (for prayer, in its strictest sense, is a pro-
posing of requests for things unmerited, which we expect out
of God's gracious promise, and not out of any price or pur-
chase ;) but the presenting of the will and good pleasure of
THE INTERCESSION OF CHRIST. 323
Christ to his Father, that he may thereunto put his seal and
consent ; the desiring of a thing so as that he hath withal a
right jointly of bestowing it, who doth desire it. To be a
Mediator belongs only to Christ, because true intercession (as
it is a pubhc and authoritative act) is founded upon the satis-
factory merits of the person interceding : he cannot be a right
advocate who is not a propitiation too ; and therefore the, pa-
pists are fain to venture so far as to affirm that the intercession
of the saints with God for us is grounded upon the virtue of
their own merits. " We pray the saints to intercede for us ; that
is, that we may enjoy the suffrage of their merits :" but this is
a very wicked doctrine. 1. Because it shareth the glory of
Christ, and communicateth it to others. 2. Because it commu-
nicateth God's worship to others. 3. Because, under pretence of
modesty and humility, it bringeth in a cursed boldness to deny
the faith, and driveth children from their Father unto servants,
expressly therein gainsaying the apostle, who biddeth us make
our requests known to God, Phil. iv. 6 ; and assured us that
by Christ we have boldness so to do, Heb. x. 19 ; and free
access allowed us by the Spirit, Eph, ii. 18 ; whereas one
chief reason of turning to the saints and angels is because
sinful men must not dare to present themselves or their ser-
vices unto God in their own persons, but by the help of those
saints that are in more favour with God, and with whom they
may be bolder.
Now, from this doctrine of Christ's intercession, many and
great are the benefits which come unto the church of God ; as,
1. Our fellowship with the Father and his Son. " I pray for
these;" that, " as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, they
also may be one in us," John xvii. 20, 21.
2. The gift of the Holy Ghost. " I will pray the Father,
and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide
with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth," John xiv. 16,
17. All the comforts and workings of the Spirit in our
hearts which we enjoy are fruits of the intercession of Christ.
3. Protection against all our spiritual enemies. " Who is
he that condemneth ? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that
is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who
also maketh intercession for us," Rom. viii. 34. " I pray that
thou wouldest keep them from the evil," John xvii. l5. But
are not the faithful subject to evils, corruptions, and tempta-
tions still ? How, then, is that part of the intercession of
Christ made good unto us ? For understanding hereof we
^24 THE INTERCESSION OF CHKIST.
must know that the intercession of Christ is available to a
faithful man immediately ; but yet in a manner suitable and
convenient to the present state and condition of the church, so
that there may be left room for another life, and therefore we
must not conceive all done directly. As the sun shineth on
the moon by leisurely degrees till she come to her full light ;
or, as if the king grant a pardon to be drawn, though the
ijrant be of the whole thing at once, yet it cannot be written
and sealed but word after word, and line after line, and action
after action : so the grant of our holiness is made unto Christ
at first, but in the execution thereof, there is line upon line,
precept upon precept, here a little and there a little ; such an
order by Christ observed in the distribution of his Spirit and
grace as is most suitable to a life of faith, and to the hope we
have of a better kingdom. " I have prayed for thee that thy
faith fail not," saith Christ unto Peter ; yet we see it did
shake and totter : the prayer was not that there might be no
failing at all, but that it might not utterly and totally fail.
4. The assurance of our sitting in heavenly places. His
sitting in heavenly places hath raised us up together and
made us sit with him, Eph. ii. 6 ; because he sitteth there in
our flesh ; because he sitteth there in our behalf ; and because
he sitteth there as our centre, Col. iii. 1, 2 ; and so is near
unto us, by the unity of the same nature with us ; by the
quality of his office or sponsorship for us, and by the commu-
nion and fellowship of his Spirit.
5. Strength against our sins : for, from his priesthood in
heaven, which is his intercession, the apostle infers the wTiting
of the law in our hearts, Heb. viii. 4, 6, 9, 10.
6. The sanctification of our services ; of which the levitical
priests were a type, who were to " bear the iniquity of the
holy things of the children of Israel," that they might be ac-
cepted, Exod. xxviii. 38. He is the Angel of the covenant,
who hath a golden censer to offer up the prayers of saints.
Rev. viii. 3. There is a three-fold evil in man : 1. An evil
of state, or condition, under the guilt of sin. 2. An evil of
nature, under the corruption of sin, and under the indispo-
sition and inaptitude of all our faculties unto good. 3. An
evil in all our services, by the adherency of sin ; for that which
toucheth an unclean thing is made unclean ; and the best wine,
mixed with water, will lose much of its strength and native
spirits. Now, Christ, by his righteousness and merits, justi-
fieth our persons from the guilt of sin ; and by the grace and
THE INTERCESSION OF CHRIST. 325
Spirit, doth in measure purify our faculties, and cure them oi
that corruption of sin which cleaves unto them. And, lastly,
by his incense and intercession, doth cleanse our services from
the noisomeness and adherency of sin, so that in them the
Lord smelleth a sw^eet savour : and so the apostle calleth the
contributions of the saints towards his necessities, " an odour
of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God,"
Phil, iv, 18 ; Gen. viii. 21. And this is a benefit which run-
neth through the whole life of a christian ; all the ordinary
works of our caUing, being parts of our services unto God,
(for in them we work as servants to the same Master,) are unto
us sanctified, and to the Father made acceptable, by the inter-
cession of his Son, who hath made us priests, to offer all our
sacrifices with acceptance upon this altar, Rev. i. 6 ; I Peter
ii. 5.
7. The inward intercession of the soul itself for itself,
which is, as it were, the echo of Christ's intercession in our
hearts : " The Spirit maketh intercession for us with groanings
which cannot be uttered," Rom. viii. 26. The same Spirit
groaneth in us, and more fully and distinctly, by Christ, pray-
cth for us. " These things I speak in the world," saith our
Saviour, " that they might have my joy fulfilled in them-
selves," John xvii. 13 ; that is, as I conceive, I have made
this prayer in the world, and left a record and pattern of it in
the church, that they, feeling the same heavenly desires
kindled in their hearts, may be comforted in the workings of
that Spirit of prayer in them, which testifieth to their souls
the quality of that intercession which I will make for them in
heaven.
8. Patience and unweariedness in God's service. " Let us
run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto
Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith ; who for the joy
that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God,"
Heb. xii. 1, 2.
9. Confidence in our approaches to the throne of grace.
*' Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, that is passed
into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our
profession, and come boldly unto the throne of grace," Heb.
iv. 14 — 16. And again; " This Man, after he hath offered
one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of
God, from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his
foot-stool ;" from whence the apostle inferreth, " Having,
326 JUSTIFICATION BY
therefore, boldness to enter into the hoUest by the blood of
Jesus ; and having an High Priest over the house of God ;
let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith,"
Heb.x. 12,19,21,22.
And all these things are certain to us m the virtue of this
intercession of Christ : because the Father heareth him and
answereth him, John xi. 42 ; xii. 28, and appointed him to
this office, Heb. v. 4, 5. Because the Father loveth us ; "I
say unto you, that I will pray the Father for you : for the
Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me," John
xvi. 26, 27. Because as Christ hath a prayer to intercede
for us, so hath he also a power to confer that upon us for
which he intercedeth ; " I will pray the Father, and he shall
give you another comforter," John xiv. 16. " If I go not
away, the Comforter will not come unto you ; but if I depart,
I will send him unto you," John xvi. 7. That which Christ
by his prayer obtained for us, by his power he conferreth upon
us ; and therefore he is said to " receive gifts for men," Psa.
Ixviii. 18 ; noting, the fruit of his intercession ; and by the
apostle " to give gifts unto men," Eph. iv. 8 ; noting, the
power and fulness of his person. " Having received of the
Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth
this, which ye now see and hear," Acts ii. 33. Thus great,
and thus certain are the benefits which come unto the church
from the intercession of Christ.
IV. The fourth thing to be inquired into about the priesthood
of Christ, was, — what are the virtue and fruits thereof? They
may be all comprised in two general words : there is the payment
of our debt, and an overplus and redundancy of merit. Satis-
faction, whereby we are redeemed from under the law ; and an
acquisition, or purchase of an inheritance and privileges for
us. The obedience of Christ hath a double relation in it ;
there is the relation of a legal righteousness, as it bears exact
and complete conformity to the law, will, and decree of his
Father. And there is the relation of a merit over and beyond
the law ; for though it were that which we did necessarily owe ;
yet it was that which of himself he was not bound unto, but
by voluntary susception, and covenant with his Father ; for
it was the blood and obedience of God himself.
Here then it is to be considered his payment of that debt
which we did owe unto God, in which respect he is said to
bear our sins. To bear sin, is to have the burden of the guilt
of sin and malediction of the law laid upon a man ; so it is
IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS. 827
said, " He that troubleth you, shall bear his judgment," Gal,
V. 10. " The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father,
neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son ; the
wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him," Ezek. xviii. 20.
So wrath is said to abide on a man, John iii. 36 ; and sin is
said to be retained,* or held in its place, John xx. 23. So
Christ is said to bear our sins in his body on the tree, 1 Pet.
ii. 24 ; Isa. liii. 4, 5 ; and by so bearing them he took them
off from us, cancelled the oUigations of the law against us,
and did all whatsoever was requisite to satisfy an offended
justice ; for he fulfilled the law, which was our debt of ser-
vice ; " It becometh us to fulfil all righteousness," Matt. iii.
15. And he endured the cross, and curse, the bloody agony,
and ignominy of that death which was the debt of suffering,
Heb. xii. 2 ; and the covenant between him and his Father
was, that all this should be done by him as our Head and
Surety : and so he was to taste death " for every man," Heb. ii.
9 ; Rom. v. 8. So there is a commutation allowed, as it
were, that he should be in our stead ; his soul a sacrifice, and
his life a price, and his death a conquest for ours ; and there-
fore he is called a price or ransom for all those in whose place
he was made sin, 1 Tim. ii. 6 ; and a curse, 2 Cor. v. 21 ; Gal.
iii. 13. Though he had not any demerit, or proper guilt of
sin upon him, which is a deserving of punishment, (for that
ever grows out of sin either personally inherent, or at least
naturally imputed, by reason that he to whom it is accounted,
was naturally contained in the loins of him from whom it is
on him derived,) yet he had the guilt of sin so far as it notes
an obligation and subjection unto punishment, as he was our
Surety, and so in the sight of God's court of justice, one
with us who had deserved punishment imputed unto him.
The fruit which redounds to us hereby, is the expiation or
remission of our sins by the imputing of his righteousness unto
us. " This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed
for many for the remission of sins," Matt. xxvi. 28. " In whom
we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of his grace," Eph. i. 7. And this
must needs be a wonderful mercy, to have so many thousand
talents forgiven us, such an infinite weight taken off from our
consciences, the penalty and curse of so many sins removed
from us. Our natural condition is to be an heir of everlast-
ing vengeance, the object of God's hatred and fiery indigna-
tion, exiles from the presence of his glory, vessels fit and full
328 JUSTIFICATION BY
of misery, written within and without with curses, to be
miserable, to be all over-miserable, to be without strength in
ourselves, to be without pity from other, to be without hope
from God, to be without end of cursedness ; this is the condition
of a sinner, and from all this doth the mercy of God deliver us.
The manner whereby the satisfaction of Christ becomes
profitable unto us, unto the remission of sin and righteous-
ness, is by imputation, Rom. iv, 3, 5, 8 ; v. 19. No man is
able to stand before God's justice, for he is " a consuming
fire," Heb. xii. 29. No flesh can be righteous if God enter
into judgment. He is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity,
Hab. i. 13 ; for his eyes are not eyes of flesh, Job x. 4.
Now, all the world is guilty before God, and cometh short of
his glory ; it Ueth in wickedness, 1 John v. 19 ; and therefore
must be justified by a foreign righteousness, and that equal to
the justice offended, which is the righteousness of God unto
us graciously imputed. We are "justified freely by his
frace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,"
Lom. iii. 12, 24.
To open this point of justification by imputed righteous-
ness : we must note that two things are pre-required to deno-
minate a man a righteous man. There must be extant a
righteousness which is sufficient and able to justify ; and there
must be a right and propriety to it, whereby it cometh to pass
that it doth actually justify.
We must then first inquire what the righteousness is
whereby a man may be justified. Righteousness consisteth
in a relation of rectitude and conformity. " God hath
made man upright ; but they have sought out many in-
ventions," and turned into many crooked diverticles of their
own, Eccles. vii. 29 ; Deut. xxxii. 5. A wicked man loveth
crooked ways, to wander up and down in his own course,
Jer. xxxi. 22 ; Hos. iv. 16 ; whereas a righteous man
loveth straight ways, Heb. xii. 13 ; Psa. v. 8, because right-
eousness consisteth in rectitude : and this presupposeth some
rule, unto which this conformity must refer. The primitive
and orighial prototype, or rule of holiness, is the righteousness
of God himself, so far as his image is communicable to the
creature, or at least so far as it was at the first implanted in
man : " Be ye perfect, even as your Father which is in hea-
ven is perfect," Matt. v. 48. It is not meant of his infinite
perfection, (for it was the sin of Adam to aim at being a*
God, in absoluteness and independent excellency,) but of that
IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS. 329
perfection of his, which is in the word set forth unto us for
an image and pattern whereunto to conform ourselves. There-
fore, the secondary rule of righteousness, or rather the same
rule unto us revealed, is the law of God written in his word;
in the which God's holiness, so far as it is our example, ex-
hibiteth itself to the soul, as the sun doth communicate its
light through the beam which conveys it. Now, in the law
there are two things ; one principal, obedience ; the other se-
condary, malediction, upon supposition of disobedience :
" Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which
are written in the book of the law to do them," Gal. iii. 10.
So then, upon supposition of the sin of man, two things are
required unto justification ; the expiation of sin by suffering
the curse ; and the fulfilling of righteousness again. Man
created might have been justified by obedience only ; but man
lapsed cannot otherwise appear righteous in God's sight, but
by a double obedience ; the one passive, for the satisfaction
of his vindictive justice, as we are his prisoners ; the other
active, in proportion to his remunerative justice, as we are his
creatures.
But besides this, that there must be a righteousness extant,
there is required in the person to be justified or denominated
thereby, a propriety thereunto, that it may be his righteous-
ness, Jer. xxxiii. 16. Now, there may be a two-fold pro-
priety to righteousness according to a two-fold manner
of unity. There is a personal and individual unity, whereby
a man is one in and by himself, and so hath propriety to a
duty performed, because it is performed in his own person,
and by himself alone. There is a common unity, whereby a
man is one with another, or whereby many are one in and with
some other thing which is the fountain and original of them
all. And this is the ground of righteousness imputed ; for
in the law a man is justified by performing entire obedience in
his own person ; for the law requireth righteousness to be
performed by a created and implanted strength, and doth not
put, suppose, or indulge any common principle thereof out of
a man's self : therefore legal righteousness is most properly
called our own righteousness, and is set in opposition to the
righteousness of God, or that which is by grace imputed,
Rom. x. 3 ; Phil. iii. 8, 9. We see then, that in this matter
of imputation, either of sin or righteousness, for the clearing
of God from any injustice or partiality in his proceedings,
there must ever be some unity or other between the parties ;
330 JUSTIFICATION BY
he whose act is imputed, and the other to whom it is imputed :
it would be prodigious and against reason to conceive that the
fall of angels should be imputed unto men, because men had
no unity in condition either of nature, or covenant with the
angels, as we have in both with Adam.
This common unity is two-fold : either natural, as between us
and Adam, in whom we were seminally contained, and
orio-inally represented ; for otherwise than in and with Adam
there could at the beginning be no covenant made with man-
kind, which should equally reach unto all particular persons
in all ages and places of the world : or voluntary, as between
a man and his surety, who are to be viewed but as one per-
son. And this must be mutual, the one party undertaking to
do for the other, and the other yielding and consenting there-
unto ; as between us and Christ ; for Christ voluntarily un-
dertook for us, and we by the Spirit of Christ are persuaded
and made willing to consent, and by faith to cast our sins
upon Christ, and to lay hold on him. And besides the will
of the parties who are, the one by default, the other by com-
passion and suretiship, engaged in the debt, there is required
the will and consent of the judge, to whom the debt is due,
and to whom it belongeth, in the right of his jurisdiction, to
appoint such a form of proceeding for the recovery of his
right as may stand best with the honour of his person, and
the satisfaction of his justice, who, if he would, might in rigour
have refused any surety, and have exacted the whole debt of
those very persons by whose only default it grew. And thus
it comes to pass that by grace we have fellowship with the
Second Adam, as by nature with the first, 1 Cor, xv. 45. So
then, between Christ and us there must be an unity, or else
there can be no imputation. And therefore it is that we are
said to be "justified by faith," and that "faith is counted for
righteousness," Rom. iv. 5 ; not the act of believing, as if that
were in itself accounted righteousness, as it is a work proceeding
from us by grace ; but because it is the bond of union between
us and Christ, and by that means makes way to the imputation
of Christ's righteousness unto us. Therefore we are said to be
buried, and crucified in and with Christ, by the virtue of faith
incorporating Christ and a christian together, and communi-
cating the fellowship of his sufferings and resurrection, Rom.
vi. 6 ; Gal. vi. 14 ; Eph. iii. 17 ; Phil. iii. 10. " If I be
lifted up," saith our Saviour, " I will draw all men unto me."
When Christ hung on the cross, we in a sort were there loo.
IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS. 331
As in Adam we were all in paradise by a natural and
seminal virtue, so in Christ by a spiritual virtue, whereby
in due time faith was to be begotten in us, and so we
to have an actual being of grace from him, as after our
real existence we have an actual being of nature from
Adam. Thus we see that Christ did for us fulfil all right-
eousness, by his passive meriting and making satisfaction unto
the remission of sins ; by his active covering our inabilities,
and doing that in perfection for us, which we could not
do for ourselves. He suffered our punishment ; " he was
wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniqui-
ties ; the chastisement of our peace was upon him ; and with
his stripes we are healed," Isa. liii. 5. If it be here objected,
that an innocent person ought not to suffer for a guilty, for
guilt is inseparable from sin ; " The son shall not bear the
iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity
of the son ; the soul that sinneth, it shall die," Ezek, xviii.
20. For the clearing of this objection, we must note that
there is a two-fold manner of guilt, (as I have before touched,)
either such as grows out of inherent sin, which is the deserv-
ing of punishment, as it is in us ; or such as grows out of im-
puted sin, and that not by reason of natural union, as the guilt
of Adam's sin is imputed unto us, Cwhich manner of imputa-
tion is likewise the foundation of our demerit, and causeth us
to deserve punishment,) but voluntary, by way of recognizance
and apprehension. And so guilt is only a free and willing
obnoxiousness unto that punishment which another hath de-
served. Amongst sinful men it is true, that the son shall not
bear the punishment of the father's sin : 1. Because he is
altogether personally distinct. 2. Because he is not appointed
so to do, as Christ was, John x. 18. 3. Because he is not
able to bear them, so as to take them off from his father, as
Christ did ours. He was himself able to stand under our
punishment without sinking, and was able, by suffering them,
to take them off from us, because his person was answerable
in dignity, and therefore (by the grace of God, and the act of
his Divine jurisdiction in ordering the way to his own satis-
faction) equivalent in justice unto all ours. 4. Because he
hath already too many of his own to bear. But yet, if the
will of the son go along with the father in sinning, it is not
strange, nor unusual for him to suffer for his father's and his
own sin together, as for the continuation of the same offence ;
because, though he do not will the punishment, (as Christ did
332 JUSTIFICATION BY
ours,) yet imitating and continuing the sin, he has comeritecl
to the cause for the punishment too.
1. Now for an answer and resolution of the question, —
whether or not an innocent person may suffer for a guilty, we must
first note, that God, out of his dominion over all things, may
cast pains upon an innocent person, as it is manifest he did
upon Christ. And what ground of complaint could any crea-
ture have against God, if he should have created it in fire,
and made the place of its habitation the instrument of its
pain? Do not we ourselves without cruelty upon many
occasions put creatures that have not offended us unto pain ?
2. It is not universally against equity for one to suffer the
punishment of another's sin : we see the infants of Sodom,
Babylon, Egypt, of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, were in-
volved in the punishment of those sins of which themselves
were not guilty. The Lord reserved to himself the punish-
ment of the fathers on the children ; he punished the sins of
three hundred and ninety years all together, Ezek. iv. 5.
Ham committed the sin, and yet Canaan was cursed for it,
Gen. ix. 22, 25. The sin was Gehazi's alone, and yet the
leprosy cleaved not to him only, but to his posterity, 2 Kings v.
27. The sin of crucifying Christ was the sin of the jews in that
age alone, and yet wrath is come upon them to the uttermost
even unto his day. Matt, xxvii. 23 ; 1 Thess. ii. 16. Achan
trespassed alone, but he perished not alone, but his sons, and
his daughters, and all that he had with him, Josh. vii. 24. See
1 Kings xxi. 21 ; Judges ix. 56 ; 1 Kings ii> 33 ; Jer. xxii. 30,
3. The equity hereof in the case of Christ doth herein
plainly appear, when all parties are glorified, and all parties
are willing and well pleased, there is no injury done unto any ;
and in this the case is so. 1. All parties are glorified: the
Father is glorified in the obedience of his Son ; " I have both
glorified my name, and will glorify it again," John xii. 28.
" I have glorified thee on the earth : I have finished the work
which thou gavest me to do," John xvii. 4. The Son is
glorified ; " Thou madest him a little lower than the angels ;
thou crownedst him with glory and honour," Heb. ii. 7 ;
John xvii. 5. And the sinner is glorified ; " I will that they
also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am ; that
they may behold my glory," John xvii. 24. 2. All parties
are willing : the Father is willing, for by his ordination he
appointed Christ to it, Acts iv. 27, 28 ; by his love and ten-
der compassion he bestowed Christ upon us, John iii. 16 ; by
IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS. 333
his Divine acceptation he rested well pleased in it, Matt. xvii.
5 : in one word, by his wonderful wisdom he fitteth it to the
manifestation of his glory and mercy, to the reconciliation of
him and his creature, and to the exaltation of his Son. The
Son is willing ; he cheerfully submitteth unto it, Heb. x. 9 ;
and freely loved us, and gave himself unto us. Gal. ii. 20.
The sinner is willing, and accepteth and relieth upon it, as we
have seen at large before in the third verse ; so that there can
be no injury done to any party, where all are willing, and
where all are glorified.
4. That an innocent person may thus in justice and equity
suffer for a guilty, there is required, (besides these acts of or-
dination in the supreme, of submission in the surety, and of
consent in the delinquent,) 1. An intimate and near conjunc-
tion in him that suffereth with those that should have suffered.
Several unions and conjunctions there are ; as poKtic, between
the members and subjects in a state ; and thus in a common-
wealth, universally sinful, a few righteous men may, as parts
of that sinful society, be justly subject to those temporary evils
which the sins of the society have contracted ; and the people
may justly suffer for the sins of the prince, 2 Sam. xxiv. 17 ;
and he for theirs, 1 Sam. xii. 25. 2. Natural, as between
parents and children ; so the Lord visited the sins of Dathan
upon his little ones. Numb. xvi. 27, 33. 3. Mystical, as
between man and wife ; so the Lord punished the sins of
Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, by giving over his wife unto
whoredom, Amos vii. 17 ; and we see, in many cases, the
husband is liable to be charged and censured for the exorbi-
tances of his wife. 4. Stipulatory and by consent ; as in the
case of sureties, or hostages, who are punished for the sins of
others whom they represent, and in whose place they stand
as a caution and defence against injuries which might be
feared, as we see in the parable of the prisoner committed
to the custody of another person, 1 Kings xx. 39, 42.
5. Possessory, as between a man and his goods ; and so we find
that a man was to offer no beast for a sin-offering but that
which was his own, Lev. v, 6, 7. Now, in all these respects
there was in some manner conjunction between us and Christ;
he conversed amongst men, and was a member of that tribe
and society amongst whom he lived, and therefore was alto-
gether with them under that Roman yoke which was then upon
the people, and in that relation paid tribute unto Cassar. He
had the nature of man, and so was subject to all human and
334 JUSTIFICATION BY
natural infirmities without sin. He was mystically married
unto his church, and therefore was answerable for the debts
and misdemeanours of the church. He entered into covenant,
and became Surety for man, and therefore was liable to man's
engagements. He became the possession, in some sort, of
his cliurch ; whence it is that we are said to receive him and
to have him, 1 John v. 12 ; not by way of dominion, (for so
we are his, 1 Cor. vi. 19,) but by way of communion and
propriety ; and therefore, though we cannot offer him up unto
God in sacrifice for our sins, yet we may in our faith and
prayers show him unto his Father, and hold him up as our own
armour and defence against the wrath of God, Rom.xiii. 14.
There is required in the innocent person suffering, that he
have a free and full dominion over that from which he parteth
in his suffering for another. As in suretiship, a man hath
free dominion over his money, and therefore in that respect he
may engage himself to pay another man's debt ; but he hath
not a free dominion over himself or his own life, and there-
fore he may not part with a member of his own in commuta-
tion for another's, nor lay down his own life for the delivering
of another from death, except in such cases as the word of
God limiteth and alloweth. But Christ was Lord of his own
life, and had therefore power to lay it down, and to take it up.
And this power he had, (though he were in all points subject
to the law as we are,) not solely by virtue of the hypostatical
union, which did not for the time exempt him from any of
the obligations of the law, but by virtue of a particular com-
mand, constitution, and designation to that service of laying
down his life : " This commandment have I received of my
Father," John x. 18.
It is required that this power be ample enough to break
through the suffering he undertaketh, and to re-assume his
life, and former condition again. " I have power to lay it
down, and I have power to take it again." So then, the sum
of all is this ; by the most just, wise, and merciful will of God,
by his own most obedient and voluntary undertaking, Christ
Jesus, being one with us in a manifold and most secret union,
and having full power to lay down, and to take up his life
again by special command and allowance of his Father given
him, did most justly, without injury to himself, or dishonour
to or injustice in his Father, suffer the punishment of their
sins, with whom he had so near an union, and who could not
themselves have suffered them with obedience in their own
IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS. 335
persons, or with so much glory to God's justice, mercy, and
wisdom.
If it be here again objected, that sin in the Scripture is
said to be pardoned, which seems contrary to this payment
and satisfaction : to answer this, we must note that, in the
rigour of the law, the delinquent himself is in person to suffer
the penalty denounced ; for the law is, " In the day that thou
eatest thou shalt die ;" and " the soul that sinneth, it shall
die. Every man shall bear his own burden," Gal. vi. 5. So
that the law, as it stands in its own rigour, doth not admit of
any commutation, or substitution of one for another. There-
fore, that another person suffering may procure a discharge
to the person guilty, and be valid to free him, the will, con-
sent, and mercy of him to whom the infliction of the punish-
ment belongeth must concur, and his over-ruling power must
dispense, though not with the substance of the law's demands,
yet with the manner of execution, and with that rigour which
binds wrath peremptorily upon the head only of him that hath
deserved it. So then we see both these things do sweetly
concur ; a precedent satisfaction by paying the debt ; and yet
a true pardon and remission thereof to that party which should
have paid it, and out of mercy towards him, a dispensing with
the rigour of that law, which in strictness would not admit any
other to pay it for him.
Thus we see how Christ hath suffered our punishment.
But further, he did all obedience, and fulfilled all actions of
righteousness for us ; " for such an High Priest became us,
who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners," Heb.
vii. 26. He came not into the world but for us, and there-
fore he neither suffered, nor did anything but for us. As
the colour of the glass is by the favour of the sun-beam
shining through it made the colour of the wall, not inherent
in it, but shining upon it, by an extrinsical affection ; so the
righteousness of Christ, by the favour of God, is so imputed
unto us, as that we are by an act of grace in the sight of God
righteous too. In which sense I understand those words,
" He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen
perverseness in Israel," Numb, xxiii. 21. Though it is in-
deed in him, yet the Lord looketh on him as clothed with the
righteousness of Christ, and so is said not to see it ; as the
eye seeth the colour of the glass in the wall, and therefore
cannot behold that other inherent colour of its own, which
yet it knoweth to be in it.
336 JUSTIFICATION BY
Now, of the doctrine of justification by Christ's righteous-
ness imputed we may make a double use. 1. It may teach
us that great duty of self-denial ; we see no righteousness will
justify us but Christ's, and his will not consist but with the
denial of our own. And surely, whatever the professions of
men in word may be, there is not any one duty in all the
christian reho^ion of more difficulty than this, to trust Christ
only with our salvation : to do holy duties of hearing,
reading, praying, meditating, almsgiving, or any other ac-
tions of charity or devotion, and yet still to abhor ourselves
and our works ; to esteem ourselves after we have done all,
as unprofitable servants, and worthy of many stripes : to do
good things, and not to rest in them ; to own the shame and
dross of our solemn services : when we have done all the good
works we can, to say, with Nehemiah, " Remember me, O
my God, concerning this, and spare me according to the
greatness of thy mercy," Neh. xiii. 22 ; and with David,
" Unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy : for thou renderest to
every man according to his work," Psa. Ixii. 12 ; it is thy
mercy to reward us according to the uprightness of our works,
who mightest in judgment confound us for the imperfection
of our works : to give God the praise of our working, and
to take to ourselves the shame of polluting his works in us.
There is no doctrine so diametrically contrary to the merits of
Christ, and the redemption of the world thereby, as justifica-
tion by works. No papist in the world is, or can be, more
conscientious for good works than we both in our doctrine,
and in our prayers, and in our exhortations to the people.
We say no faith justifieth us before God, but a working faith ;
no man is righteous in the sight of men, nor to be so es-
teemed, but by works of holiness ; " for without holiness no
man shall see the Lord ;" he that is Christ's is "zealous of
good works ;" " purifieth himself, even as he is pure," and
walketh as he did in this world. Here only is the difference ;
we do them, because they are our duty, and expressions of
our love and thankfulness to Christ, and of the workings of
his Spirit in our hearts ; but we dare not trust in them, as that
by which we hope to stand or fall before the tribunal of God's
justice, because they are, at best, mingled with our corrup-
tions, and therefore do themselves stand in need of our High
Priest to take off their iniquity. We know enough in Christ
to depend on, we never can find enough in ourselves. And
this confidence we have, if God would ever have had us justi-
IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS. 337
fied by works, he would have given us grace enough to fulfil
the whole law, and not have left a prayer upon public record
for us every day to repeat, and to regulate all our own prayers
by, " Forgive us our trespasses." For how dare that man
say, I shall be justified by my works, who must every day say,
Lord, forgive my sins, and be merciful unto me a siimer I
Nay, though we could fulfil the whole law perfectly, yet from
the guilt of sins formerly contracted, we could no other way
he justified, than by laying hold by faith on the satisfaction
and sufferings of Christ.
2. It may teach us confidence against all sins, corruptions,
and temptations. " Who shall lay anything to the charge
of God's elect ? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that
condemneth ? It is Christ that died," Rom. viii. 33, 34.
Satan is the blackest enemy, and sin is the worst thing he can
allege against me, or my soul is or can be subject unto ; for
hell is not so evil as sin. Inasmuch as hell is of God's
making, but sin only of mine. Hell is made against me, but
sin is committed against God. Now, I know Christ came to
destroy the works, and to answer the arguments and reasonings
of the devil. Thou canst not stand before God, saith Satan,
for thou art a grievous sinner, and he is a devouring fire.
But faith can answer, Christ is able both to cover and to cure
my sin, to make it vanish as a mist, and to put it as far out
of mine own sight, as the east is from the west. — But thou hast
nothing to do with Christ, thy sins are so many and so foul, says
Satan. Surely the blood of Christ is more acceptable to my
soul, and much more honourable and precious in itself, when
it covereth a multitude of sins. Paul was a persecutor, a
blasphemer, and injurious, the greatest of all sinners ; and yet
he obtained mercy, that he might be for a pattern of all long-
suffering to those that should after believe in Christ. If I
had as much sin upon my soul as thou hast, yet faith could
unlade them all upon Christ, and Christ could swallow them
all up in his mercy. — But thou hast still nothing to do with
him, because thou continuest in thy sin, says Satan. But
doth he not call me, invite me, beseech me, command me, to
come unto him ? If then I have a heart to answer his call,
he hath a hand to draw me to himself, though all the gates
of hell and powers of darkness, or sins of the world stood be-
tween.— But thou obeyest not this call, says Satan. True
indeed, and pitiful it is, that I am dull of hearing, and slow of
following the voice of Christ. I want much faith ; but yet,
Q
338 JUSTIFICATION BY
Lord, thou dost not use to quench the smoking flax, or to
break the bruised reed. I believe, thou art able to help
mine unbelief. I am resolved to venture my soul upon thy
mercy, to throw away all my own loading, and to cleave only
to this plank of salvation. — But faith purifieth the heart,
whereas thou art unclean still, repKes Satan. True indeed,
and miserable man I am therefore, that the motions of sin do
work in my members. But yet. Lord, I hate every false way ;
I delight in thy law with my inner man ; I do that which I
would not, but I consent to thy law that it is good ; I desire
to know thy will, to fear thy name, and to follow thee whither-
soever thou leadest me. — But these are but empty desires,
the wishings and wouldings of an evil heart, says Satan.
Lord, to me belongeth the shame of my failings, but to thee
belongeth the glory of thy mercy and forgiveness. Too true
it is that I do not all I should ; but do I allow myself in any-
thing that I should not ? do I make use of mine infirmities to
justify myself by them, or shelter myself under them, or dis-
pense with myself in them ? Though I do not the things I
should, yet I love them, and delight in them, my heart and
spirit, and all the desires of my soul are towards them ; I hate,
abhor, and fight with myself for not doing them. I am
ashamed of mine infirmities, as the blemishes of my profession ;
I am weary of them, and groan under them as the burdens of
my soul. I have no lust, but I am willing to know it ; and
when I know, to crucify it. I hear of no further measure of
grace, but I admire it, and hunger after it, and press on to it.
I can take Christ and affliction, Christ and persecution
together. I can take Christ without the world ; I can take
Christ without myself. I have no unjust gain, but I am
ready to restore it. No time have I lost by earthly business
from God's service, but I am ready to redeem it. I have
followed no sinful pleasure, but I am ready to abandon it ; no
evil company, but I mightily abhor it. I never swore an oath,
but I can remember it with a bleeding conscience. I never
neglected a duty, but I can recount it with revenge and indig-
nation. I do not in any man see the image of Christ, but I
love him the more dearly for it, and abhor myself for
being so much unHke it. I know, Satan. I shall speed never
the worse with God, because I have thee for mine enemy.
I know I shall speed much the better, because I have my-
self for mine enemy. — Certainly., he that can take Christ
offered, that can in all points admit him, as well to
IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS. 339
purify as to justify, as well to rule as save, as well his
grace as his mercy, need not fear all the powers of darkness,
nor all the armies of the foulest sins which Satan can charge
his conscience with.
The great virtue and fruit of the priesthood of Christ
emanated from the redundancy and overflowing of his me'rit.
He doth merit to have a church ; for the very being of the
church is the effect of that great price which he paid ; there-
fore the church is called a purchased people, Acts xx. 28.
" Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inhe-
ritance," Psa. ii. 8. When he made his soul an offering for
sin, he did by that means see his seed, and divide a portion
with the great, Isa. liii. 10 — 12. The delivering and select-
ing of the saints out of the present evil world was the end of
Christ's sacrifice. Gal. i. 4. He did merit all such good
things for the church, as the great love of himself and his
Father towards the church did resolve to confer upon it. They
may, I conceive, be reduced to two heads :
1. Immunity from evil ; whatsoever is left to be removed
after the payment of our debt, or taking off from us the guilt
and obligation unto punishment. Such is the dominion of
sin : — " Sin shall not have dominion over you," Rom. vi. 14.
" The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, hath made me
free from the law of sin and death," Rom. viii. 2. " He that
committeth sin is the servant of sin ; but if the Son shall
make you free, ye shall be free indeed," John viii. 34, 36.
" Whosoever is born of God doth jiot commit sin," 1 John
iii. 9 ; that is, he is not an artificer of sin, one that maketh
it his trade and profession, and therefore bringeth it to any
perfection. He hath received a spirit of judgment, that
chaineth up his lusts, and a spirit of burning, which worketh
out his dross, Isa. iv. 4 ; Mai. iii. 2, 3 ; Matt. iii. 12. Such
is the vanity of our mind, whereby we are naturally unable to
think, or to cherish a good thought, 2 Cor. iii. 5 ; Eph. iv.
17. The ignorance and hardness of our hearts, unable to
perceive, or delight in any spiritual thing, Eph. iv. 18 ; John
i. 5 ; Luke xxiv. 25, 43. The spirit of disobedience and
habitual strangeness and averseness from God, Eph. iv. 18.
Such are also all those slavish, affrightful, and contumacious
effects of the law, in terrifying the conscience, irritating the
concupiscence, and compelling the froward heart to an unwill
ing and unwelcome conformity. The law is now made our
counsellor, a delight to the inner man ; that which was a lion
before, hath now food and sweetness in it.
q2
2^0 OUR DUTY IN RESPECT TO
2. Many privileges and dignities, in the virtue of that prin-
cipal and general one, which is our unity unto Christ ; from
whence, by the fellowship of his holy and quickening Spirit,
we have an unction which teacheth us his ways, and his voice,
which sanctifieth our nature, by the participation of the
Divine nature ; that is, by the renewing of God's most holy
and righteous image in us, which sanctifieth our persons, that
they may be spiritual kings and priests. Kings, to order our
own thoughts, affections, desires, and studies towards him; to
fight with principalities, powers, corruptions, and spiritual
enemies. Priests, to offer up our bodies, souls, prayers, thanks-
givings, alms, and spiritual services upon that altar, which is
before his mercy-seat, and to slay and mortify our lusts and
earthly members ; which sanctifieth all our actions, that they
may be services to him and his church, acceptable to him, and
profitable to others.
From this unity with him grows our adoption, which is
another fruit of his sacrifice. He was " made of a woman,
made under the law, that we might receive the adoption of
sons," Gal. iv. 4, 5. By which we have free access to call
upon God in the virtue of his sacrifice ; sure supplies in all
our wants, because our heavenly Father knoweth all our
needs ; a most certain inheritance, and salvation in hope ; for
we are already " saved by hope," Rom. viii. 24, and Christ
is to us the " hope of glory," Col. i. 27.
Again ; there is from hence our exaltation, in our final
victory and resurrection, by the fellowship and virtue of
his victory over death, as the first-fruits of ours, 1 Cor.
XV. 20, 49; Phil. iii. 21. And in our complete salva-
tion, being carried on in our souls and bodies, that they
may be presented to himself without spot and blameless,
Eph. V. 26, 27, and to be brought unto God, 1 Pet. iii. 18.
Now, to take all in one view, what a sum of mercy
is here together ! Remission of all sins, discharge of all
debts, deliverance from all curses; joy, peace, triumph,
security, exaltation above all evils, enemies, or fears ; a pe-
culiar, purchased, royal seed, (the gift of God the Father
to his Son,) deliverance from the dominion and service of all
sin, vanity, ignorance, hardness, disobedience, bondage, co-
action, terror ; sanctification of our persons, natures, lives,
actions ; adoption, hope, victory, resurrection, salvation, glory.
Oh, what a price was that which procured it ! Oh, what man-
ner of persons ought we to be for whom it was procured !
V. The fifth thing to be spoken of about the priesthood of
THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST. 841
Christ 1 shall quickly despatch, — the duty we owe upon all
this.
1. We should not receive so great a grace in vain, but by
faith lay hold upon it, and make use of it. " Let us fear,"
saith the apostle, " lest, a promise being left us of entering
into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto theiyi :
but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed
with faith in them that heard it," Heb. iv. 1, 2. God in
Christ is reconcileable unto us, one with us in his good
will, and in his proclamation of peace. When two parties
are at a variance, there is no actual peace without the mutual
consent of both again ; till we by faith give our consent, and
actually turn unto God, and seek his favour, and lay hold on
the mercy which is set before us : though God be one, in
that he sendeth a Mediator, and maketh tender of reconcile-
ment with us, yet this grace of his is to us in vain, because we
continue his enemies still. The sun is set in the heavens for
a public light, yet it benefiteth none but those who open their
eyes, to admit and make use of its light. A court of justice
or equity is a public sanctuary, yet it actually relieveth none
but those that seek unto it. Christ is a public and universal
salvation, set up for all comers, and applicable to all particu-
lars, John iii. 16. " He is not willing that any should
perish, but that all should come to repentance," 2 Peter iii.
9. He tasted death for every man, Heb. ii. 9. But all this
is not beneficial unto life, but only to those that receive him.
Only those that receive him are by these mercies of his made
the sons of God, John i. 12 : without faith they abide his
enemies still. God in Christ publisheth himself a God of
peace and unity towards us. Gal. iii. 20 ; and setteth forth
Christ as an all-sufficient treasure of mercy to all that, in the
sense of their misery, will fly unto him, Rev. xxii. 17. But
till men believe, and are thus willing to yield their own con-
sents, and to meet his reconciliation towards them, with theirs
towards him, his wrath abideth upon them still ; for, by believ-
ing only he will have his Son's death actually effectual, though
it were sufficient before. Oh, therefore, let us not venture to
bear the wrath of God, the curse of sin, the weight of the law,
upon our own shoulders, when we have so present a remedy,
and so willing a friend at hand to ease us !
2. We should labour to feel the virtue of the priesthood
and sacrifice of Christ working in us, purging our consciences
342 THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST.
from dead works, renewing our nature, cleansing us from the
power and pollution ol sin ; for when by the hand of faith,
and the sweet operations of the Spirit we are therewithal
sprinkled, we shall then make it all our study to hate, and to
forbear sin, which forced out so precious blood, and wrung
such bitter cries from so merciful a High Priest ; to live no
lono-er to ourselves, that is, as men, 1 Cor. iii. 3 ; Hosea vi.
7, after our own lusts and ways : but (as men that are not
their own, but his that bought them,) to live in his service,
and to his glory, 1 Cor. vi. 19, 20 ; 2 Cor. v. 14. All that
we can do is too little to answer so great love : love to empty
himself, to humble himself, to be God in the flesh, to be God
on a cross, to take off from us the hatred, fury, and vengeance
of his Father, and to restore us to our primitive purity and con-
dition again. Why should it be esteemed a needless thing to
be most rigorously conscionable, and exactly circumspect, in
such a service as unto which we are engaged with so infinite
and unsearchable bounty? He paid our debt to the ut-
most farthing, drunk every drop of our bitter cup, and saved
us thoroughly : why should not we labour to perform his ser-
vice, and to fulfil every one of his most sweet commands to
the utmost too ?
3. We should learn to walk before him with all reverence
and fear, as men that have received a kingdom which cannot
be moved, Heb. xii. 28. And with frequent consideration of
the High Priest of our profession, that we may not, in pre-
sumption of his mercy, harden our hearts, or depart from God,
Heb. iii. 1, 8. But in due remembrance of the end of his
sacrifice, which was to purchase to himself a peculiar people,
zealous of all good works. Tit. ii. 14.
4. We should learn confidence and boldness towards Him,
who is a great, a faithful, and a merciful High Priest : this
use the apostle makes of it ; " Seeing that we have a great
High Priest, let us hold fast our profession, and come boldly
unto the throne of grace," Heb. iv. 14 — 16. And again ;
" Having therefore boldness to enter into the holiest by the
blood of Jesus ; and having an High Priest over the house
of God ; let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance
of faith,' Heb. x. 19—22.
5. We learn perseverance and stedfastness in our profession,
because he is able to carry us through, and save us to the
utmost. This is that which indeed makes us partakers of
Christ. " We are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the
THE ORDER OF CHRlSX's PRIESTHOOD. 343
beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end," Heb. iii.
14. The considering of him, of his perseverance in finishing
of his own work, and our faith, and his power and ablhty
to save us to the uttermost, will keep us from fainting in
our service and the profession we have taken, Heb. xii. 2, 3 ;
X. 23.
6. We have hereby access to present our prayers, and all
our spiritual sacrifices upon this altar, sprinkled with the blood
of that great sacrifice, and liberty to come unto God by him
who liveth to make intercession for us, Heb. vii. 25. " In
whom we have access with confidence by the faith of him,"
Eph. iii. 12. Therefore the Lord is said to have his eyes
open to our prayers, to hearken unto them, 1 Kings viii. 52 ;
because he first looketh upon our persons in Christ, before he
receiveth or admitteth any of our services.
7. We ought frequently to celebrate the memory, and to
commemorate the benefits of this sacrifice wherein God hath
been so much glorified, and we so wonderfully saved. There-
fore the Lord hath of purpose instituted a sacred ordinance in
his church, in the room of the paschal lamb, that as that was
a prefiguration of Christ's expected death, so this should to
all ages of the church be a resemblance and commemoration
of the same exhibited. " As often as ye eat this bread, and
drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come,'*
1 Cor, xi. 26. For in the ordinances he is crucified before
our eyes, Gal. iii. 1 ; therefore the apostle, more than once,
infers from the consideration of this sacrifice and office of
Christ, our duty of not forsaking the assemblies of the saints,
and of exhorting and provoking one another, Heb. iii. 13;
X. 24, 25.
I now proceed to the last thing mentioned in the words
concerning the priesthood of Christ, and that is about the
order of it : — " Thou art . a Priest for ever after the order of
Melchizedek." Of this Melchizedek, we find mention
made but in two places only in the Old Testament, and
in both very briefly ; the first in the history of Abraham,
returning from the slaughter of the kings, when Melchizedek,
being the priest of the most high God, brought forth bread
and wine, and blessed him, Gen. xiv. 18 — 20; and the other
in this place. And for this cause the things concerning him
and his order are hard to be understood, Heb. v. 11. It
was so then, and so it would be still, if St. Paul had not
344 THE ORDER OF CHRIST S PRIESTHOOD.
cleared the difficulties, and showed wherein the type and the
antitype did fully answer ; which he hath largely done in
Heb. vii.
For understanding and clearing the particulars which are
herein considerable, here are some questions which offer them-
selves, 1. Who Melchizedek was? 2. What is meant by
"his order?" 3. Why Christ was to be a Priest after his
order, and not after Aaron's? 4. Why he brought forth
bread and wine ? 5. What kind of blessing it was with
which he blessed Abraham? 6. In what sense he was
without father and without mother, without beginning of days
or end of life ?
1 . For Melchizedek, who he was, much hath been said by
many men, and with much confidence. Some heretics of
old affirmed that he was the Holy Ghost. Others, that he
•was an angel. Others, that he was Shem, the son of Noah.
Others, that he was a Canaanite, extraordinarily raised up by
God to be a priest of the gentiles. Others, that he was Christ
himself, manifested by a special dispensation and privilege
unto Abraham in the flesh, who is said to have seen his day,
and rejoiced, John viii. 56. Difference also there is about
Salem, the place of which he was king. Some take it for
Jerusalem, as Josephus, and most of the ancients. Others,
for a city in the half tribe of Manasseh, within the river Jor-
dan, w^here Hierom reports that sOme ruins of the palace of
Melchizedek were in his days conceived to remain. I might
be tedious in insisting on this point, who Melchizedek was :
but when I find the Holy Ghost purposely concealing his
name, genealogy, beginning, ending, and descent, and that to
special purpose, I cannot but wonder that men should toil
themselves in the dark to find out that of which they have
not the least ground of solid conjecture, and the want of evi-
dence whereof is expressly recorded, to make Melchizedek
thereby the fitter type of Christ's everlasting priesthood.
2. What is meant by " his order ?" It is as much as the
state, condition, or prescribed rule of Melchizedek ; and that
was " after the power of an endless life," Heb. vii. 16. Not
by a corporeal unction, legal ceremony, or the intervening act
of a human ordination, but by a heavenly institution, and im-
mediate unction of the Spirit of life ; by that extraordinary
manner whereby he was to be both King and Priest unto God,
as Melchizedek was.
3. Why was he not a Priest after the order of Aaron ?
THE ORDER OF CHRIST's PRIESTHOOD. 345
The apostle givcth us this answer, because " the law made
nothmg perfect," but was " weak and unprofitable,'* and there-
fore was to be abolished, and to give place to another priest-
hood. Men were not to rest in it, but by it to be led to Him
who was to aboHsh it, Heb. vii. 11, 12; as the morning-star
leadeth to the sun, and at the rising thereof vanisheth. The
ministry and promises of Christ were better than those of the
law; and therefore his priesthood, which was the office of
dispensing them, was to be more excellent likewise, Heb. viii.
6, For when the law and covenant were to be abolished,
the priesthood, in which they were established, was to die
likewise.
4. Why Melchizedek brought forth bread and wine ?
The papists, that they may have something to build the
idolatry of their mass upon, make Melchizedek to sacrifice
bread and wine, as a type of the eucharist. I will not fall
into so tedious a controversy, as no way tending to edification ;
and infinite litigations there have been between the parties
already about it. In one word ; we grant that the ancients do
frequently make it a type of the eucharist, but only by way
of allusion, not of literal prediction, or strict prefiguration ; like
that, " Out of Egypt have I called my Son," and, " In Rama
was there a voice heard," which were literally and historically
true in another sense, are yet, by way of allusion, applied by
the evangelist unto the history of Christ, Matt. ii. 15, 18.
But we may note : it is, he brought it forth, he did not offer
it up. He brought it forth to Abraham as a prince to en-
tertain him after his conquest, as Josephus, and from him
Cajetan understand it ; not as a priest to God. If he did
offer, he offered bread and wine truly ; these men, only the
lying shapes thereof, and not bread and wine itself, which they
say are transubstantiated into another thing. The priesthood
of Melchizedek, as type, and of Christ as the substance, was
a priesthood which could not pass unto any other, either as
successor or vicar, to one or the other, and it was only by
Divine and immediate unction ; but the papists make them-
selves priest by human and ecclesiastical ordination, to offer
that which they say Melchizedek offered : and by that means
most insolently make themselves either successors, or vicars,
or sharers, and co-partners, and workers together with him
and his antitype, Christ Jesus, in the offices of such a
priesthood as was totally uncommunicable, and intransient,
Heb. vii. 24 ; and so most sacrilegiously rob him of that
Q 5
346 THE ORDER OF CHRIST's PRIESTHOOD.
honour which he hath assumed to himself as his pecuHar
office.
5. What kind of blessing it was wherewith Melchizedek
blessed Abraham? To this I answer, that there is a two-fold
benediction. The one out of love, and so any man may bless
another by way of well-wishing : " The blessing of the Lord
be upon you : we bless you in the name of the Lord," Psa.
exxix. 8 ; the other with authority, as a king, a priest, an ex-
traordinary superior and public person, by a way of office, and
to the purpose of effecting, and real conveying the blessing
itself desired : " Without all contradiction," saith the apostle,
" the less is blessed of the better," Heb. vii. 7 ; and such was
this of Melchizedek, a seal, assurance, and effectual confirma-
tion of the promise before made, Gen. xii. 2, 3.
6. In what manner he received tithes ? I answer, with
Calvin, that he received them as testifications of homage,
duty, and obedience from Abraham ; for the apostle useth it
as an argument to prove his greatness above Abraham, which
could be no argument in the case of pure gift : since gifts, as
gifts, though they prove not a general inferiority in him that
receives them, yet they prove, that in that case there is some-
thing which may be imputed, and which deserves acknow-
ledgment. But in this particular all the acknowledgments
are from Abraham to Melchizedek. Besides, nothing was
here, by Abraham or Melchizedek, done after an arbitrary
manner, but according to the extraordinary influences of the
Holy Spirit, and officially on both sides, as the learned Came-
ron hath observed.
7. In what sense he was without father, mother, or gene-
alogy ? I answer, with Chrysostom, that it is not meant
literally and strictly ; but only the Scripture takes notice of
him as an extraordinary man, without signifying his line, be-
ginning, end, or race, (as Tiberius said of Rufus, that he was
a man born out of himself,) that so he might be the fitter to
typify Christ's person and excellency, in whom those things
were really true, which are only spoken of the type, of whose
beginning, end, or parentage, we neither have, nor^ can have
any knowledge. These things thus premised, it will be easy
for you to anticipate those observations, which grow between
the type and the antitype, which therefore I will but cursorily
propose.
1. Christ's priesthood is such as did induce a kingdom
with it ; for Melchizedek was " king of Salem, and priest of
THE ORDER OF CHRIST's PRIESTHOOD. 347
the most high God." This, Jerome, and from him Am-
brose, report to have been meant by the order of Melchizedek,
namely, that Christ was to be a royal Priest. By way of
merit purchasing a kingdom of his Father, and by way of
conquest recovering it to himself out of the hands of his
enemies.
2. Christ, by offering up himself a sacrifice unto God, is
become unto his people a King of righteousness, or, the Lord
our righteousness, in which sense he is called " the Prince of
Hfe," Acts iii. 15 ; that is, he hath all power given him as a
Prince, to quicken, and to justify whom he will, John v. 20,
21. And this comes from his sacrifice and perfect obedience
to us imputed, and by faith employed and apprehended ; for
having fulfilled the righteousness of the law, and justified him-
self by rising from the dead, he became, being thus made
perfect, the Author of righteousness and salvation to us, Heb.
v. 9. We had in us a whole kingdom of sin, and therefore
there was in him that should justify us, a kingdom of grace
and righteousness ; " that as sin hath reigned unto death,
even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal
life by Jesus Christ our Lord," Rom. v. 21 ; and therefore
we are said to be justified by the righteousness of God, Rom.
iii. 21, 22; that is, such a righteousness as is ours by gift
and grace, not by nature, Rom. x. 4 ; and such a righteous-
ness as God himself did perform, though in the human nature,
in our behalf, Acts xx. 28 ; Phil. ii. 6 — 8.
And this is the ground of all our comfort, the best direc-
tion in all our miseries and extremities whither to flee. A
king is the greatest officer amongst men, and his honour and
state is for the support, defence, and honour of his people :
he is the father and the keeper of the laws. If I want any
of that justice and equity, of which his sacred bosom is the
public treasure, I may freely beg it of him, because he is an
officer to dispense righteousness unto his subjects ; so also is
Christ unto his church. I find myself in a miserable con-
dition, condemned of sin by the conscience, by the testimony
of the word, by the accusations of Satan, and full of discomforts.
God is a God of justice, and a consuming fire ; myself a
creature of sin, and all stubble ; Satan the accuser of the
brethren, who labours to blow up the wrath of God against
me. In this case what shall I do ? Surely God hath set
his King on Zion ; and he is a King who hath life and
righteousness to give to me ; who hath grace enough to
348 THE ORDER OF CHRIST S PRIESTHOOD.
quench all sin, and the envenomed darts of Satan ; in whom
there is erected a court of peace and mercy, whereunto to ap-
peal from the severity of God, from the importunity of the
devil, and from the accusations and testimonies of our own
hearts. And indeed he had need be a king of righteousness
who shall justify men ; for our justification is in the remission
of our sins ; and to pardon sins, and dispense with laws is a
regal dignity ; and God taketh it as his own high and peculiar
prerogative, " I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy trans-
gressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins,"
Isa. xliii. 25. No man, nor angel, nor created power, no
merit nor obedience, no rivers of oil nor mountains of cattle,
no prayers, tears, nor torments, can wipe out the stains, nor
remove the guilt of any sin ; I only, even I, and none else
can do it. None but a Divine and royal power can subdue
sin, Micah vii. 18.
And this is aground of another comfort, that being a King
of righteousness, he is rich in it, and hath treasures to bestow ;
that as we have a kingdom, a treasure, and abundance of sin ;
so we have a King who hath always a residue of Spirit and
grace, who hath a most redundant righteousness from faith to
faith, Rom. i. 17. A man's faith can never overgrow the
righteousness of our King. If we had all the faith that ever
was in the world put into one man, it could not over-clasp the
righteousness of Christ, or be too big for it. As if a man had
a thousand eyes, and they should one after another look on
the sun, yet still the light would be revealed from eye to eye ;
or as if a man should go up by ten thousand steps to the top
of the highest mountain, yet he could never overlook all the
earth, or fix his eye beyond all visible objects, but should still
have more earth and heaven discovered unto him from step to
step ; so there is an immensity in the righteousness and mercy
of God, which cannot be exhausted by any sins, or over-
looked and comprehended by any faith of men. As God
doth more and more reveal himself, and the righteousness of
Christ unto the soul, so man maketh further progresses from
faith to faith. And therefore, we should learn everlasting
thankfulness unto this our King, who is pleased to be unto us
a Melchizedek — a Priest to satisfy his Father's justice, and a
Prince to bestow his own.
3. Melchizedek was king of Salem, that is, "of peace." Here
are two things to be noted ; the place, a city of the Canaan-
ites ; and the signification thereof, which is peace ;
THE ORDER OF CHRIST's PRIESTHOOD. 349
(.1.) Then we must observe, that Christ is a Kiufr of Ca-
ll aanites, of gentiles, of those that lived in abominable lusts :
" Such were some of you ; but ye are washed, but ye are
sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus,"
1 Cor. vi. 11. Be a man ever so sinful or unclean, he hath
not enough to pose or nonplus the mercy and righteousness of
Christ : he can bring reconciliation and peace amongst Jebu-
sites themselves ; though our father were an Amorite, our
mother an Hittite ; though we were gentiles estranged from
God in our thoughts, lives, hopes, ends ; though we had jus-
tified Sodom and Samaria by our abominations, yet he can
make us nigh by his blood, he can make our crimson sins as
wnite as snow, he can for all that establish an everlasting co-
venant unto us, Eph. ii. 11, 13; Isa. i. 18; Ezek. xvi. 60.
I was a blasphemer, a persecutor, very injurious to the Spirit
of grace in his saints ; I wasted, I worried, I haled into pri-
son, I breathed out threatenings, I was mad, and made havoc
of the church ; I was within one step of the unpardonable sin,
nothing but ignorance between that and my soul ; " Howbeit
for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ
might show forth all long -suffering, for a pattern to them which
should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting," saith St.
Paul, 1 Tim. i. 13, 16. Let us make St. Paul's use of it:
1. To love and to believe in Christ, to accept as a most
faithful and worthy saying, that Christ came to save sinners ;
indefinitely, without restriction, without limitation ; and me,
though the chiefest of all others. Though I had more sins
than earth or hell can lay upon me, yet if I feel them as heavy
weights, and if I am willing to forsake them all, let me not
dishonour the power and unsearchable riches of Christ's blood ;
even for such a sinner there is mercy. 2. To break forth into
St. Paul's acknowledgment, " Now unto the King eternal,
immortal, invisible, and only wise God ;" to him that is a
King of righteousness, and therefore hath abundance for me,
that is eternal, and yet was born in time for me ; immortal,
yet died for me ; invisible, yet was manifested in tlie flesh for
me ; the only wise God, and who made use of that wisdom,
to reconcile himself to me, and by the foolishness of preach-
ing doth save the world, " be honour and glory for ever and
ever. Amen."
(2.) From the signification of the word, we may note,
where Christ is a King of righteousness, he is also a King of
peace. So the prophet calleth him, " the Prince of peace,"
350 THE ORDER OF CHRIST S PRIESTHOOD
Isa. ix. 6 ; a Creator and Dispenser of peace. It is his own by
propriety and purchase, and he leaves it unto us : " Peace I
leave with you, my peace I give unto you : not as the world
o-iveth, give I unto you," John xiv. 27. The world either
deceives, or is deficient ; but peace is mine, and I can give it.
Therefore, as the prophet Jeremiah calleth him by the name of
rif^hteousness, Jer. xxxiii. 16, so the prophet Micah calleth
him by the name of peace ; '* This man shall be the peace
when the Assyrian shall come into our land," Micah v. 5. To
which St. Paul alluding, calleth him, our peace, Eph. ii. 14.
By him we have peace with God, being reconciled ; and
again, " Being justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ," Rom. v. 1 ; so that the
heart can challenge all the world to lay anything to its charge.
By him we have peace with our own consciences ; for being
sprinkled with his blood, they are cleansed from dead works,
and so we have the witness in ourselves, as the apostle speak-
eth, Heb. ix. 14 ; 1 John v. 10. By him we have peace with
men. No more malice, envy, or hatred of one another, after
once the kindness and love of God our Saviour towards men
appeared. Tit. iii. 3, 4. All partition walls are taken down,
and they which were two before, are both made one in him,
Eph. ii. 14. And then there is towards the brethren, a love of
communion ; towards the weak, a love of pity ; towards the poor,
a love of bounty, either brotherly love, or general love ; to-
wards those without, mercy, charity, compassion, forgiveness ;
towards all, good works, 2 Pet. i. 7. By him we have peace
with the creatures, we use them with comfort, with liberty,
with delight, with piety, with charity, with mercy, as glasses
in the which we see, and as steps by the which we draw
nearer to God. No rust in our gold or silver ; no moth, nor
pride in our garment ; no lewdness in our liberty ; no hand
against the wall ; no flying roll against the stone or beam of
the house ; no gravel in our bread ; no gall in our drink ; no
snare on our table ; no fears in our bed ; no destruction in our
prosperity : in all states we can rejoice ; we can do and suflTer
all through Christ that sirengtheneth us. We are under the
custody of peace ; it keeps our hearts and minds from fear of
enemies, and maketh us serve the Lord with confidence, bold-
ness, and security, Phil. iv. 7. " The work of righteousness
shall be peace ; and the effect of righteousness quietness and
assurance for ever," Isa. xxxii. 17.
4. From both these, that is, from a peace grounded in
THE ORDER OF CHRIST's PRIESTHOOD. 351
righteousness, blessedness must needs result; for it is tlie
blessedness of a creature to be re-united and one with his
Maker ; to have all controversies ended, all distances swallowed
up, all partitions taken down ; and therefore the apostle useth
.righteousness and blessedness as promiscuous terms, Rom. iv.
5, 9. All men seek for blessedness, it is the sum and collec-
tion of all desires ; a man loveth nothing but in order and sub-
ordination unto that. And by nature we are all children of
wrath, and held under by the cuFse ; so many sins as we have
committed, so many deaths and curses have we heaped upon
our souls, so many walls of separation have we set up between
us and God, who is the fountain of blessedness. Till they be
all covered, removed, forgiven, and forgotten, the creature cannot
be blessed : " Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered," Rom. iv. 7. All the benedic-
tions which we have from the most high God, come unto us
from the intercession and mediation of Christ. His sacrifice
and prayers give us interest in the all-sufficiency of Him that
is above all, and so are a security unto us against all adverse
power or fear ; for what or whom need that man fear, that is
one with the most high God ? " If God be for us, who can
be against us?" Rom. viii. 31. When God blesseth, his
blessing is ever with effect and success ; it cannot be reversed,
it cannot be disappointed : " Hath he said, and shall he not
do it ? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good ?
Behold,'' saith Balaam, " I have received commandment to
bless : and he hath blessed ; and I cannot reverse it," Numb,
xxiii. 19, 20.
5. From Melchizedek's meeting Abraham returning from
the slaughter of the kings, we may observe the great forward-
ness that is in Christ to meet and to bless his people, when
they have been in his service: " Thou meetest him that re-
joiceth, and worketh righteousness," Isa. Ixiv. 5. " I said, I
will confess my transgressions ; and thou forgavest the iniquity
of my sin," Psa. xxxii. 5. No sooner did David resolve in
his heart to return to God, but immediately the Lord was be-
fore him with his mercy, and anticipated his servant's confes-
sion with pardon and forgiveness : " Thou preventest him with
the blessings of goodness," Psa. xxi. 3. As the father of the
prodigal, " when he was yet a great way off'," far from that
perfection which might in strictness be required, yet because
he had set his face homeward, and was now resolved to sue
for pardon and re-admittance, when he saw him, " he had
352 THE ORDER OF CHRIST S PRIESTHOOD.
compassion, and ran" (the father's mercy was swifter than the
son's repentance) " and fell on his neck, and kissed him,"
Luke XV. 20, We do not find the Lord hasty in his punish-
ments ; he is slow to anger, and doth not stir up all his wrath
together. He is patient and long-suftering, " not willing that
any should perish, hut that all should come to repentance ;"
lie comes, and he comes again, and the third year he forbears,
before he cuts down a barren tree : but when he comes with a
blessing, he doth not delay, but prevents his people with
goodness and mercy. Oh, how forward ought we to be
to serve him, who is so ready to meet us in his way, and
to bless us !
6. From the refreshments and preparations which Melchi-
zedek made for Abraham and for his men, we may observe,
that Christ, as King and Priest, is a comforter and refresher of
his people in all their spiritual weariness, and after all their
services. This was the end of his unction, to heal and to
comfort his people : " The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the
poor ; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach
deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the
blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the
acceptable year of the Lord," Luke iv. 18, 19, To provide
" a feast of fat things, a feast of wine on the lees, of fat things
full of marrow, of wine on the lees well refined," Isa. xxv. 6.
To milk out unto his people consolations and abundance of
glory, Isa. Ixvi. 11. To speak words in season to those that
are weary, and to make broken and dry bones to rejoice, and
to flourish like an herb, Isa. 1. 4 ; Psa. li. 8 ; Isa. Ivi. 14,
And this is a strong argument to hold up the patience, faith,
and hope of men in his service, and in all spiritual assaults ;
we have a Melchizedek who after our combat is ended, and
our victory obtained, will give us refreshments at the last, and
will meet us with his mercies. If we faint not, but wait
awhile, we shall see the salvation of the Lord, that in the
end " he is very pitiful, and of tender mercy," Exod. xiv. IS ;
Jam. v. 11. " He is near at hand, his coming draweth nigh:
he is near that justifieth me ; who will contend with me ? Let
us stand together : who is mine adversary ? let him come near
to me,'' Isa. 1. 8, 9. The readiness of the Lord to help is
a ground of challenge and defiance to enemies, Phil. iv. 5 ;
Jam. V. 8. Job went forth mourning, and had a great war
to fight ; but the Lord blessed his latter end more than his
THE ORDER OF CHRIST's PRIESTHOOD. 353
beginning, and after his battle was ended, met him like Mel-
chizedek with redoubled mercies. David, Hezekiah, Heman
the Ezrahite, and many of the saints after their example, have
had sore and dismal conflicts, but at length their conflicts have
been proportionable to their wrestlings ; they never wanted a
Melchizedek after their combats to refresh them. " Rpjoicc
not against me, O mine enemy ; when I fall, I shall arise ;
when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. I
will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned
against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment
for me ; he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold
his righteousness," Mic. vii. 8, 9. He hath strength, cou-
rage, refreshment, and spirit, to put into those that fight his
battles ; though they be but as Abraham, a family of three
hundred men, against four kings, yet he can cut Rahab, and
wound the dragon, and make a way in the sea for the ran-
somed to pass over, and cause his redeemed to return with
singing, and with joy and gladness upon their heads. " I,
even I, am he that comforteth you ; who art thou, that
shouldst be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of
man which shall be as grass ?" Isa. li. 12.
7. From Melchizedek's receivhig of tithes from Abraham,
(which the apostle taketh special notice of four or five times
together in one chapter, Heb. vii. 2, 4, 6, 8, 9,) we may ob-
serve, that Christ is a receiver of homage and tribute from his
people. There was never any type of Christ as a Priest, but
he received tithes ; and that not in the right of anything in
himself, but merely in the virtue of his typical office ; so that
originally they did manifestly pertain to that principal Priest,
whom these represented, whose personal priesthood is stand-
ing, unalterable, and eternal, and therefore the rights thereunto
belonging are such too.
Not to enter upon any disputes or unwelcome controversies,
thus much I cannot by the way but observe, that those who
labour in the word and doctrine, and therein are ambassadors
for Christ, and stand in his stead, to reveal the mysteries and
dispense the treasures of his grace in the church, ought to
have, by way of homage to Christ, and by way of recompense
and retribution to themselves, a liberal maintenance, befitting
the honour and dignity of that person whom they represent,
and of that service wherein they minister. The apostle saith,
that they are worthy of double honour, an honour of reve-
rence, and an honour of maintenance, 1 Tim. v. 17, 18 ; and
354 THE ORDER OF CHRIST S PRIESTHOOD.
doubtless the very heathen shall rise up in judgment against
many who profess the truth in both these respects ; for the
heathen themselves did show so much honour to their idol-
atrous priests, that I remember reading of one of the Roman
consuls seeing a priest, and some vestal virgins going on foot,
and he riding on his chariot, descended, and would not go into
it again, till those diabolical votaries were first placed. Nay,
their very kings and emperors in Greece, Egypt, and Home,
thought it one of the greatest honours to be withal the priests
for the people.
Liberal maintenance is due to those that labour in the word
and doctrine, out of justice, and not out of mercy, for their
work's sake. I will not press the examples of heathens them-
selves in this duty for the shame of christians. We find that
the priests of Egypt had portions out of the king's own trea-
suries, and that their lands were still reserved unto them, Gen.
xlvii. 22. And we find besides these lands, that they had the
third part of all yearly tribute and levies, as Diodorus Siculus
tells us. But we vnll first look upon the example of God's
own priests and levites under the law ; and then upon the
precepts and commands of the gospel. God is not less mind-
ful of ministers under the gospel, than of those under the law.
Now then, if you will not believe that a liberal maintenance is
now by God allotted unto the ministry, look what he did allot
to them. Look upon the proportion cf their persons, and
then upon the proportion of their maintenance. For their per-
sons : it would not be hard to prove that the tribe of Levi,
though the thirteenth part of the people in regard of their
civil division, were not yet the fortieth part of the people ;
look unto the numbering of them, and compare Numb. i. 46
with Numb. iii. 39. The other tribes were numbered from
twenty years old and upward, all that were able to bear arms,
which was to the age of fifty years, as Josephus reports ; (for
at that age they were supposed to be unserviceable for war ;)
and yet thus their number amounted to six hundred and three
thousand five hundred and fifty men able to go to war. The
levites, on the other side, were numbered from one month old
and upward, and yet the whole sum amounted but to twenty and
two thousand. Now, conjecture the number of those in the other
tribes who were under twenty years of age, and who were too
old for warlike service to be but half as many as the rest, yet
the whole number of the tribes reckoned from their infancy
upward will amount, at the least, to nine hundred two thousand
THE ORDER OF CHRIST's PRIESTHOOD. 355
men. Of which number, the number of the levites is just the
one and fortieth part. Afterwards we find that they increased to
a mighty number more, 1 Chron. xxiii. 3 ; but the whole people
mcreased accordingly; for the tribe of Judah, which was before
but seventy-four thousand, was then five hundred thousand ;
and, in Jehoshaphat's time, eleven hundred thousand at least,
2 Sam. xxiv. 9 ; 2 Chron. xvii. 12 — 19 ; well then, the levites
were but the fortieth part of the people, (not so much,) so
that this tribe was but almost a quarter as numerous as the
rest. Now look, in the next place, to the proportion of their
maintenance. One would think that the fortieth part of the
people could require but the fortieth part of the maintenance
in proportion. But, 1. They had the tenth of all the increase
of seed, and fruit, and great and small cattle. Lev. xxvii. 30.
2, They had forty-eight cities, with suburbs for gardens, and
for cattle. Numb. xxxv. 2 — 7. Which cities were next to
the best, and in many tribes the best of all ; in Judah, Heb-
ron, in Benjamin, Gibeon, both royal cities ; so that those,
with about a mile suburb to every one of them, can come to
little less than the wealth of one tribe alone, in that little
country, which, from Dan to Beersheba, was about a hundred
and sixty miles long. 3. They had all the first-fruits of clean
and unclean beasts, Numb, xviii. 13: of the fruits of the
earth and the fleece of the sheep, Deut. xviii. 4 ; Neh. x. 35 :
of men to be redeemed. Numb, xviii. 15. 4. The meat of-
ferings, the sin offerings, the trespass offerings, the heave
offerings, and the wave offerings, were all theirs, Numb, xviii.
9 — 11. 5. They had all vows, and voluntary oblations, and
consecrations, and every hallowed thing. Numb, xviii. 8, 9.
6. Excepting the holocaust, they had either the shoulder, or
the breast, or the skin, or something of every sacrifice which
was offered, Numb, xviii. 18; Lev. vii. ; Deut. xviii. 3. 7.
The males were to appear three times a year before the Lord,
and they were not to come empty-handed, Exod, xxiii. 15, 17.
8. Unto them did belong many recompenses of injury, which
was the restitution of the principal, and a fifth part. Numb.
V. 7, 8. Now, put the tithes, the cities, and these other con-
stant revenues together, and the priests and levites, who were
but about a quarter as many as one tribe, had yet about three
times the revenues of one tribe.
But to leave this argument, let us consider what the
apostle saith : " Let him that is taught in the word commu-
nicate unto him that teacheth," in all his goods, as Beza well
356 THE ORDER OF CHRIST's PRIESTHOOD.
expounds it, Gal. vi. 6. " The elders that labour in the
word and doctrine are counted worthy of double honour. For
the Scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth
out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward,"
1 Tim. V. 17, 18. " Whogoeth a warfare at any time of his
own charges ? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the
fruit tliereof ? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the
milk of the flock? Say I these things as a man," (that is,
am I partial ? do I speak merely out of affection, and human
favour to mine own cause, or calHng ?) or " saith not the law
the same also ? For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou
.shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn.
Doth God take care for oxen ? Or saith he it altogether for
our sakes." That is, doth God provide laws for rewarding
and encouraging the labour of brute beasts, and doth he leave
the maintenance and honour of his own immediate officers to
the arbitrary and pinching allowances of covetous and cruel
men ? " For our sakes, no doubt, this is written. That he
that plougheth should plough in hope ; and that he that
thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope." That is,
that the encouragement of the ministers in their service might
depend upon such a hope as is grounded on God's law and
provision, and that they might not be left to the wills and
allowances of those men against whose sins they were sent.
And this the apostle proveth by an argument drawn from a
most answerable equity ; " If we have sown unto you spiritual
things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things ?"
If you do rightly judge of those heavenly treasures which we
bring in abundance unto you, impossible it is that you should
judge our pains and service towards your immortal and pre
cious souls sufficiently rewarded with a narrow and hungry
proportion of earthly and perishable things. " Do ye not
know that they which minister about holy things, live of the
things of the temple ? and they which wait at the altar are
partakers with the altar :" (to note, that they receive their
maintenance from the hand of God himself, whose only the
things of the altar are, and not from men :) " Even so hath
the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should
live by the gospel," 1 Cor. ix. 7 — 11, 13, 14. And what is it
to live ? They must live as men, they must have for neces-
sity and for delight. They must hve as believers. " He that
provideth not for his own is worse than an infidel," 1 Tim. v,
8. They must therefore have by the gospel sufficient to lav
THE ORDER OF CHRIST's PRIESTHOOD. 357
up for those whom the law of common humanity, much more
of faith, commands them to provide for. They must hve as
ministers. They must have wherewith to maintain the duties
of their calhng, a good example of piety, and charity, anj
hospitality, that they may confirm by practice what in doc-
trine they teach, 1 Tun. iii. 2. And the instruments of "their
calling, which is a profession of so vast and unlimited a com-
pass of learning, (for there is no part of learning in the whole
circle thereof which is not helpful, and may not contribute to
the understanding of holy Scripture, and to some jiart or other
of a divine employment,) cannot but be very ciiargeablo.
And alas I how many men preach the gospel, and yet can
scarcely find the first and meanest of all these sup])Hes ! This
is the greatest inoratitude of the world, and withal the malice
and policy of Satan, by the poverty and contempt of the mi-
nisters, to bring the gospel itself into contempt, and to deter
able men from adventuring on so unrewarded a calling, as
Calvin justly complains. All that can with colour or coun-
tenance be pretended by those who are guilty of this neglect,
is poverty and disability to maintain the gospel. And it
were well if there were not places to be found wherein dogs
and horses, hawks and hounds grow fat with God's portion ;
and the mercenary preacher, when he grows lean with want,
is accused of too much study. But suppose that poverty be
truly alleged ; do we think poverty a just pretext for the neg-
lect of a moral duty ? May a man spend the Lord's-day in
his business because he is poor, and wants means ? And if I
may not rob God of his time, upon pretence of poverty, neither
then is the same any argument to rob him of his portion.
" Be not deceived, God is not mocked," Gal. vi. 7 ; namely,
with pretence of poverty and necessity, as Calvin expounds
that place. St. Paul bears witness unto some men, that they
did good beyond their power, that they were richly liberal,
though they were deeply poor, 2 Cor. viii. 2, 3 ; and yet
those were but contributions out of mercy, whereas double
honour is due to the ministers of the gospel by a law of jus-
tice. It is a wrong and foolish apology to pretend the pu-
nishment for the continuance of tlie fault. The poverty of
many men is doubtless a just recompense for their neglect
of the honour of the gospel ; for God hath ever severely
punished the contempt and dishonour done to his mes-
sengers, 2 Chron. xvi. 10, 12 ; xxiv. 21, 25; xxvi. 19, 20;
xxxvi. 16, 17. Whereas, on the other side, do thou deal
358 THE ORDER OF CHRIST S PRIESTHOOD.
faithfully with God, fulfil to thy power his appointment and
decree, that they which preach the gospel, may live by the
gospel, and then hearken unto God : " Honour the Lord
with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine in-
crease ; so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses
shall burst out with new wine," Prov. iii. 9, 10. " Consider
now from this day and upward, from the day that the founda-
tion of the Lord's temple was laid, consider it. Is the seed
yet in the barn ? From this day will I bless you," Hag. ii.
18, 19. " Ye are cursed with a curse; for ye have robbed
me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the
storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove
me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts," (if you will not
do it out of duty, yet do it out of experiment,) " if I will not
open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing,
that there shall not be room enough to receive it," Mai. iii.
9, 12. There was never any man lost by paying God his
dues ; there was never any man thrived by grudging, or
pittancing the Almighty. I will conclude this point with the
apostle ; it is his doctrine : faithful ministers are worthy of
double honour. And it is his exhortation ; " Render to all
their dues : tribute to whom tribute is due ; custom to whom
custom ; fear to whom fear : honour to whom honour," Rom.
xiii. 3.
8. The priesthood of Christ is an everlasting priesthood.
He also was without father and without mother, without be-
ginning of days, or end of life. As man, without a father ; as
God, without a mother ; " The same yesterday, and to-day,
and for ever, Heb. xiii. 8. His name was " Everlasting
Father," Isa. ix. 6. His gospel an " everlasting gospel,"
Rev. xiv. 6. He was the Lamb slain from the beginning
of the world. The virtue of his blood goes backward
as high as Adam. He was fore-ordained before the foun-
dation of the world, 2 Tim. i. 9. The redemption of
those that transgressed under the first testament, the remission
of sins that were past, were procured by this sacrifice, Heb.
ix. 15 ; Rom. iii. 25. It goeth downward to the end of the
world ; he must reign till all be put under his feet, and he
must raise up all by the power and virtue of his victory over
death. And lastly, it goeth onward to all immortality ; for
though the acts and administration of his priesthood shall
cease, when he shall have delivered the kingdom to his Father,
and have brought the whole church into God's presence ; yet
THE ORDER OF CHRIST S PRIESTHOOD. 359
the virtue and fruits of those acts shall be absolutely eternal ;
for so long as the saints shall be in heaven, so long they shall
enjoy the benefit of that sacrifice, which did purchase not a
lease, or expiring term, but an endless life, an everlasting glory,
an inheritance incorruj)tible, and that fadeth not away, re-
served in heaven for them.
360 THE VICTORIES OF CHRIST.
VERSE V.
THE LORD AT THY RIGHT HAND SHALL STRIKE THROUGH KINGS IN
THE DAY OF HIS WRATH.
VERSE VI.
HE SHALL JUDGE AMONG THE HEATHEN, HE SHALL FILL THE
PLACES WITH THE DEAD BODIES ; HE SHALL WOUND THE HEADS
OVER MANY COUNTRIES.
In the former part of the psalm, we have had the description
of Christ's offices of King and Priest, together with the effects
thereof in gatliering a willing people unto himself. Now,
here the prophet showeth another effect of the powerful admi-
nistration of these offices, containing his victories over all his
enemies, allegorically expressed in a hypotyposis, or lively
allusion unto the manner of human victories ; wherein first I
shall in a few words labour to clear the sense ; and then the
observations which are natural, will the more evidently arise.
" The Lord at thy right hand." To lay aside their expo-
sition who understand these words of God the Father ; the
words are an apostrophe of the prophet to those at whose
right hand the Lord Jesus is. Some make it an apostrophe
to God the Father, a triumphal and thankful prediction of that
power and judgment which he hath given to this his Benja-
min, the Son at his right hand ; because that thereby the
phrase retaineth the same signification and sense which it had
in the first verse. As if David had said, O God, the Father
of all power and majesty, worthy art thou of all praise, thanks-
giving, and honour, who hast given such power to thy Son in
the behalf of thy church, as to smite through kings, and judge
the heathen, and pull down the chief of his enemies, and to
subdue all things to himself. These read it thus : " O Lord,
he that is at thy right hand shall strike through kings."
Others make it to be an apostrophe to the church, and so to
be a phrase not expressing Christ's exaltation, as verse 1, but
his care and protection over his church, his readiness to assist
and defend his own people against all the injuries and assaults
of adverse power. Solomon saith, " A wise man's heart is at
his right hand ; but a fool's heart at his left," Eccles. x. 2.
THE VICTORIES OF CHRIST. 361
That is, his heart is ready and prepared to execute any wise
counsels or godly resolutions ; as the prophet David saith,
" My heart is fixed," or prepared ; " O God, my heart is fixed :
I will sing and give thanks." But a fool's heart, when he
should do anything, is like his left hand, unskilful, un-
active and unprepared ; " when he walketh by the way, his
wisdom faileth him," ver. 3. And this readiness and present
help of God to defend and guide his church is expressed fre-
quently by his being at the right hand thereof. " Because
the Lord is at my right hand, I shall not be moved," Psa.
xvi. 8. " He shall stand at the right hand of the poor to
save him," Psa. cix. 31. " I the Lord thy God will hold
thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not, I will help thee,"
Isa. xH. 13. As if David had said. Be not dismayed nor cast
down, O ye subjects of this King, as if being exalted to God's
right hand, he had given over the care and protection of his
people ; for as he is at the right hand of his Father in glory
and majesty, so is he at your right hand too, standing to ex-
ecute judgment on your enemies, and to reveal the power of
his arm towards you in your protection.
Now the reasons of this phrase and expression, as I con-
ceive, are these two. 1. To note that Christ's power, provi-
dence, and protection do not exclude, but only strengthen,
assist, and prosper the ordinary and just endeavours of the
church for themselves. The Lord is not at our left hand, to
succour us in our idleness and negligence ; but at our work-
ing hand, to give success to our honest endeavours. The
sword of the Lord doth not fight without the sword of Gideon,
Judg. vii. 18. In the miracles of Christ, when he fed and
feasted men, he never created wine nor bread of nothing ; but
blessed, and so changed, or multiplied that which was by hu-
man industry prepared before. Our Saviour had fish and
bread of his own, and yet he would have his disciples put in
their net and catch, and bring of their own ; to note unto us,
that God's power and providence must not exclude, but en-
courage man's industry, John xxi. 9, 10. He protecteth us
in our ways, not in our precipices or presumptions, Psa. xci.
11. So long then as the church is valiant and constant in
withstanding the enemies of her peace and prosperity, God is
andoubtedly with her to bless that courage, and to strengthen
that right hand ; so long as Moses held up his hand, God
fought for Israel. There were Joshua's sword, and the hand or
prayer of Moses, and upon those God's blessing, Exod. xvii.
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362 THE VICTORIES OF CHRIST.
12, 13. And they were all to concur. If the sword should
cease, the prayer would do no good ; for God will not be
tempted : if the prayer faint, the sword is in vain, for God
will not be neglected. As in a curious clock, stop any wheel,
and you hinder the whole motion. If God promise to be
present, Joshua must promise to be courageous, Josh. i. 3,
6, 9. 2. To note unto us the care and miHtary wisdom of
Christ our Captain, to meet with and to prevent our enemies,
and to intercept their blows against us ; for we may observe
in the Scripture, that Satan plieth the right hand of the
church ; laboureth to weaken and assault us where there is
most danger towards him. " Let Satan stand at his right
hand," Psa. cix. 6 ; that is, give him over to the rage of
Satan, that he may be hurried to execute his will. Thus
Satan stood at the right hand of Joshua the high priest, to
resist him, Zech. iii. ] . Noting the assiduous and indefati-
gable endeavours of Satan to resist, disappoint, and overthrow
the works of the worthies in God's church : " We would have
come unto you, even I Paul, once and again ; but Satan hin-
dered us," 1 Thess. ii. 18. And to divert the strength of
men upon his own service. And therefore, to rebuke him,
and to show to the church that our strength is from him, and
due unto him, he also stands there to outvie the temptations
and impulses of Satan.
These are the two expositions which are given of these words,
" The Lord at thy right hand." 1 think it is not unfit to
embrace both ; and so something I shall touch upon both
senses.
" Shall strike through," or wound, or make gore of blood ;
" kings in the day of his wrath." The word is, " Hath
stricken through kings." It is a prophecy of things future,
spoken as of things to be done. To strike through, notes a
complete victory and full confusion of the enemy, an incurable
wound, that they may stagger, and fall, and rise up no more,
and that affliction may not arise a second time, Nahum i. 9 ;
1 Sam. xxvi. 8. The only difficulty is what is meant by
kings ; for which we must note, that the kingdom of Christ is
spiritual, and his war spiritual, and therefore his enemies for
the most part spiritual. Therefore I take it, we are hereby to
understand the most potent enemies of Christ; whether spi-
ritual, (" We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, and powers, and spiritual wickedness in high
places," Eph. vi. 12 ; 2 Cor. x. 4 ;) or carnal, as heathen and
THE VICTORIES OF CHRIST. 363
wicked men, Psa. ii. 8, 9; the fat and the strong enemies of the
church, Ezek. xxxiv. 16. Our spiritual enemies are called
kings, in Scripture. Satan, the prince of this world, the god of
this world, the prince of the power of the air, John xvi. 11 ;
2 Cor. iv. 4; Eph. ii. 2 : the king of the locusts, Rev. ix. 11.
Sin and original concupiscence are a king : " Let not sin reign
in your mortal bodies," Rom. vi. 12. And the earthly enemies
of Christ are called kings. The ten horns, that is, ten kings,
make war with the lamb. Rev. xvii. 12, 14. " The kings of
the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together
against the Lord, and against his Christ," Acts iv. 26. And
death, which is the last enemy, is a king ; the king of terrors,
that reigneth over men. And over all these kings do the
victories of Christ reach. Some, by kings, understand the
Roman emperors, (who are called kings, 1 Pet. ii. 13, 17,)
and their overthrow for persecuting the church. But since
all sorts of Christ's enemies are called kings in Scripture, and
all of them do push at his kingdom in the church, I see no
ground why we may not, by kings, understand them all, with
their subjects, armies, and associates. As in great victories
the lords and principal men are said to be overcome, when the
servants and soldiers are routed and slain.
" In the day of his wrath." That is, when time hath
ripened the insolency and malice of the enemy, when his fury
is fully stirred up and provoked, when the just and full time
of his glory is come ; that it may appear that they are over-
come, not by time, or chance, or human power, or secular
concurrence, but only by the power of his wrath he will do it.
Christ is never destitute of power, but in wisdom he hath
ordered the times of his church ; when to have his church
suffer and bear witness to him, and when to triumph in his
deliverances. So the meaning of this clause is this, — When
the day of recompense is come, when the sins and provocation
of his enemy are ripe, when the utmost period of his patience
is expired, in the fixed and unmoveable day which he hath set,
be the probabilities never so poor, and preparations never so
small, the expectations never so low, the means in human view
never so impossible, yet then, by his wrath, he will utterly and
incurably wound his enemies, both spiritual and temporal, that
they shadl not rise a second time.
" He shall judge amongst the heathen." The word judg-
ment noteth both government and punishment. " The Lord
shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants,
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364 THE VICTORIES OF CHRIST.
when he seeth that their power is gone," Deut. xxxii. 36 :
there to judge, noteth government, " The Lord standeth
up to plead, and standeth to judge the people," Isa. iii. 13.
*' That nation whom they serve will I judge," Gen. xv. 14 :
there to judge noteth punishment. Here it is taken for ex-
ecuting condemnation upon the contumacious adversaries of
the gospel of Christ amongst the gentiles, as in the great
victory of Gog and Magog, Ezek. xxxix. Some, by gentiles,
understand all enemies, both spiritual and earthly.
" He shall fill the places with dead bodies." That notes
both the swiftness of the victory, and the greatness of the
victory; that it shdl be so general, and so speedy, that
the enemy shall have either none left, or they that are left
shall not be able, nor have leisure to bury their dead bodies,
Ezek. xxxix. 11.
" He shall wound the heads over many countries." That
is, either the principal of his enemies everywhere ; or Satan,
who is the god of the world, that ruleth as head over the
children of disobedience in all places ; or anti-christ, the head
of nations, the chief of God's enemies. Rev. xiii. 7, 8.
I. " The Lord at thy right hand." According to the two-
fold apostrophe before mentioned, here are two observations
which I will but touch.
1. That God the Father is worthy to have all the power,
majesty, and judgment, which he hath given to his Son our
Mediator, for our protection, salvation, and defence, most
thankfully and triumphantly acknowledged to him. We find
our Saviour himself praising God on this behalf, that he had
delivered all things into his hand, even power to make babes
believe on him, Matt. xi. 25, 27. And to this St. Paul fre-
quently refers, namely, in praising and glorifying God for
Christ. " O wretched man that I am ! who shall deliver
me ? — I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord," Rom.
vii. 24, 25. " All the promises of God in him are yea, and
in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us," 2 Cor.i. 19, 20.
" He gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from
this present evil world, according to the will of God and our
Father : to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen," Gal.
i. 4, 5. " That every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father," Phil. ii. 11. And
reason there is that it should thus be acknowledged to the
Father, because he hath all his kingdom and power in the
church from the Father. All power is given unto me. He
THE VICTORIES OF CHRliiT. ^65
)on
hath given me a name above every name ; and this the IS
hath revealed to us, that so he might manifest tlie name,
that is, get glory to his Father thereby, John xvii. 6, 7.
For it was Grod in Christ that reconciled the world to himself.
2. He hath it all given unto him in our nature, in our be-
half, and as our Head ; so that we, in the gifts of God to him,
were only respected, and therefore we have reason to praise
God for them. It was not indeed given to him strictly, (for
it was to him an office, but not a benefit,) but to him for us,
or to us hi and by him. In all the victories, deliverances,
refreshings, and experiences of God's power and goodness, we
must ever remember to praise God in and through his Son ; to
acknowledge the power of his right hand, which is not now
against his church, but against the enemies of his church.
Therefore, the deliverance of his church is ascribed to God's
right hand, because he hath there one to plead, to entreat, to
move his right hand in our behalf. Therefore, in all our dis-
tresses, in all conflicts and temptations, we must by faith look
up unto God's right hand, and put him in remembrance of that
faithfulness, righteousness, atonement, and intercession which
is there made in our behalf. There we have matter enough
to fill our mouths and hearts with praises, and triumph,
and rejoicing in him. " It is Christ, who is at the right
hand of God;" therefore " Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ ?" Rom. viii. 34, 35. Here are two arguments
for the church's safety and triumph ; the love of Christ, and
the honour of Christ. He loveth all his to the end. But
what good can love do without power? Therefore, he that
loveth us is exalted by God, and hath all power given him for
this purpose, that his love may do us good. In the conflicts
of my corruptions, (which are an adversary too subtle, too
numberless for me to vanquish,) I may yet, when I am driven
to Paul's extremity, rest in his thanksgiving ; and looking up
to Jesus, who will be the finisher of every good work which
he begins, and seeing him at God's right hand, may triumph
in the power and office which God hath given to his Son
there, which is, to subdue our iniquities, and to sanctify us by
his truth, and by that residue of Spirit which he keepeth for the
church, John xvii. 17, 19: for that prayer is a model, as it
were, and counterpart of Christ's intercession ; for, saith he,
" I come to thee ; and these things I speak in the world, that
they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves," vcr. 13;
that is. That they having a specimen and form of that
366 THE VICTORIES OF CHRIST.
intercession, which with thee I shall make for them, left upon
public record for them to look on, and there finding that their
sanctification is the business of my sitting at thy right hand,
may, in the midst of the discomforts and conflicts of their cor-
ruptions, have a full joy and triumph in the honour which
thou hast given me. I am beset with the temptations of my
enemies, and persecutions for the name of Christ ; in this case
I may give God praise for the power which he hath given to
his Son. I may appeal from mine enemies unto God's right
hand. I may, like Stephen, when the stones and buffets are
about my soul, look up by faith, and see there my Captain
standing up in my defence. Acts vii. 55. I may acknowledge
unto God the power given unto his Son, that though nothing
of all this fall upon me without his provision and permission,
yet sure I am, that he hath power and mercy in his right hand ;
that though mine enemies were as strong as a combination
and army of kings, yet the Lord at his right hand hath from
him, in my behalf, received power enough to strike through
kings, when the day of his wrath is come.
Note further : Christ is at the right hand of his people, present
with them, and prepared to defend them from all their enemies.
Present by his Spirit, to strengthen, comfort, and uphold them ;
enabling them to glory and rejoice in all their sufferings, as
knowing that they are but for a moment, and that which is
needful to purge their faith, and to make them bear their
shame, 1 Pet. i. 6, 7 ; Jam. i. 2, 3 ; and to glorify the conse-
quent power of Christ, which shall be revealed to their joy,
1 Pet. iv. 13; when he will recompense double to us in mercy,
and to our enemies in severity, Isa. liv. 7, 8 ; Ixi. 7. Present
by his mighty power, and by his angels, to rescue, deliver, and
protect them ; to be as a wall of fire, as a shield, a buckler, a
rock, a Captain to his people, Zech. ii. 5.
And this is the ground of all the church's comfort, that
more is with them than against them. The enemies have
combinations and confederacies of men ; but the church hath
Immanuel, God with them, Isa. viii. 10. None can pull
Christ from the right hand of God, or from the right hand of
his people ; that is, none can take away either his power or
his love from his people. The church and truth can never
be crushed and overthrown, no more than a rock with the
raging of the waves : they are heavenly things, and therefore
nothing of earth or hell can reach to corrupt them. It was
but a vain attempt of the giants to build a tower to heaven.
THE VICTORIES OF CHRIST. 367
The world was made, that there might be therein a church to
worship and contemplate that God who made it ; tlierefore,
in the creation, God never rested till he came to a church, to
note, that this was the end thereof ; and therefore it is easier
to pull down the world, and to shake in pieces the frame of
nature, than to ruin the church. The church hath Christ for
her Husband; he to whom all knees must bend, he whom every
tongue must confess, he who will subdue all things to him-
self; so she hath love, power, and jealousy, all three very
strong things, on her side. And therefore, the only way to be
safe, is to keep Christ at our right hand, to hold fast his
truth, worship, and obedience ; for so long as we have Imma-
nuel, all adverse power is but flesh, and all flesh is but grass,
withered in a moment when God blows upon it.
Note again : Christ, in his appointed time, will utterly over-
throw the greatest enemies of his kingdom, and deliver his
church from under the sorest oppressions. There is not any
one argument in the holy Scriptures more frequently repeated,
than this of Christ's victories : they w^ere prefigured in the
deliverance of Israel out of Egypt, 1 Cor. x. 2 — 4 ; in the
deliverances of the ark out of the waters, 1 Pet. iii. ; and in
the deliverance of the jews from Babylon, Rev. xiv. 8 ; Isa.
xi. 10, 12, 13 : to note, that in the sorest extremities and
greatest improbabilities, God will show himself jealous for his
people. 1. This victory is expressed by treading of a wine-
press, Isa. Ixiii. I — 6, when there are none to help ; when the
church is brought to sorest extremities, though multitudes
meet against her, as many as the grapes in a vintage, they
shall all be but as clusters of grapes, he shall squeeze out their
blood like wine, and make his church to thresh them. Lam. i.
13; Rev. xiv. 19, 20; Joel iii. 13; Micah iv. 13. 2. By
the dissipation of smoke out of a chimney ; " They shall be as
the smoke out of the chimney," Hos. xiii. 3. 3. By fire
consuming thorns and briers, Isa. x. 17. While they be
folded together as thorns, and while they are drunken as
drunkards ; that is, while they have plotted their counsels and
confederacies so curiously, that no man dares so much as
touch them, and while they are drunken with the pride and
confidence of their own strength, they shall then be devoured
as stubble that is fully dry, Nahum i. 10 ; Isa. xxvii. 4 ;
xxxi. 9.
Therefore, the Scripture calleth Christ " a man of war,"
Exod. XV. 3, because he is furnished with all arts of victory.
368 THE VICTORIES OF CHRIST.
Power invincible; as a lion amongst shepherds, so is he
amongst his enemies, Isa. xxxi. 4. Wisdom unsearchable,
which must stand, ver. 1, 2 : if he purpose, none can disap-
point him, Isa. xiv. 27. Authority, by the least intimation
to gather together all the forces of the world against the ene-
mies of his church : if he but hiss unto them, they presently
come in troops, Isa. v. 26 ; vii. 18. He can command help
for his people, Psa. xliv. 4 ; Ixxi. 3 ; and if that should fail,
he can create help for his people, as he did for Israel, when
he wrought miracles to deliver them, Psa. cvi.
We may more profitably consider the truth and comfort of
this point, by discoursing of it in the several enemies of Christ
and his people. The great enemy of the Seed of the woman
is the serpent, that great red dragon, whose names are all
names of enmity ; — the accuser, the tempter, the destroyer,
the devourer, the envious man ; — furnished with much strength,
and mighty succour, legions of principalities and powers
attending on him ; and with much wisdom, which the Scrip-
ture calleth the wiles and craftiness of Satan. And his
arts of destroying men are two, — to tempt, and to accuse.
His temptations are two-fold : either unto sin, or unto discom-
fort; either to make us offend God, or to make us disquiet
ourselves ; either to wound us, or to vex us. And in all these
his arts, Christ, our Captain, will tread him under our feet, and
will give his church the victory at the last ; either by arming us
with sufficiency of grace and faith in his victories ; putting us,
by his Spirit, in mind of his temptations, which taught him
compassion towards us, who are so much weaker ; encou-
raging our hearts to cry out unto him who is our merciful and
compassionate High Priest, in our extremities, as Paul did,
2 Cor. xii. 8, 9 ; stirring up our faith to lay hold on him when
we are in darkness, and the spirit of adoption to cry unto him
when we are in danger, and the spirit of wisdom to solve the
objections, to discern the devices of Satan, and to prepare and
arm our hearts accordingly to wrestle with him : or else, by
rebuking of him, pulling in his chain, a^nd chasing him away,
and undertaking the combat in person for us, when Satan is
ready to prevail, Zech. iii. 1, 2. Thus he overcometh him as
a tempter, and ever giveth some either comfortable or profitable
issue out of them.
He likewise overcometh him as an accuser. Satan accuseth
the saints either by way of complaint and narration of the
things which they have done, Rev. xii. 10. which the apostle
THE VICTORIES OF CHRIST. 3Gi>
calleth his laying of crimes to the charge of men, Rom. viii.
33 ; and then Christ overcometh him by his intercession, and
in the hearts of his saints by making them judge and accuse
themselves, that they may be able to clear themselves too,
1 Cor. xi. 31 ; 2 Cor. vii. 11. Or, he accuseth by way of
suspicion or preconjecture, as he did Job, Job i. 9 — 11 : and
herein, likewise, Christ overcometh him in his servants, by per-
mitting him to tempt and vex them, that they may come the
purer out of the fire ; and by putting a holy suspicion and
jealousy into them over their own hearts, which may still be a
means to prevent them against evils that are likely to assault
them, to teach them in every condition, as well possible as
present, how to walk acceptably before God, Phil. iv. 11 — 13.
Another great enemy of the kingdom of Christ, is, the lust
of our own evil nature. " The carnal mind is enmity against
God : for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed
can be," Rom. viii. 7 : enmity in grieving, vexing, and
quenching the Holy Spirit in us, and lusting enviously against
his grace. Jam. iv. 4, 3. And here also Christ overcometh,
by the prevailing power of his Spirit ; giving us more grace,
demolishing the kingdom of sin, and judging the prince of this
world, who before did rule in the children of disobedience.
And this he doth by the judgment seat and sceptre of his-
Spirit in the heart; for the judgment of the Spirit is too hard
for the principality of Satan, John xvi. 11. The Spirit of
Christ is a victorious Spirit ; he bringeth forth his judgment
unto victory, Matt. xii. 20 ; Isa. iv. 4. He worketh out by
degrees the dross and impurity of our nature and services.
1. By faith fixing upon better promises and hopes than lust
can make, 1 John v, 4 ; Heb. xi. 24 — 26. 2. By watchful-
ness in eyeing corruptions, and so stirring up those arguments
and principles which are strongest against them, Job xxxi. 1 ;
Psa. xxxix. 1. 3. By leading us to more acquaintance with
God in knowledge, love, and communion. Job xxii. 21 ;
1 John i. 3 ; and so fetching more wisdom and strength from
him : for this is the way that we get all our strength, even by
learning of him, Phil. iv. 12. 4. By inclining the heart to
hate, and to complain of corruptions ; to bemoan itself, as Paul
and Ephraim did, Rom. vii. 23 ; Mark ix. 24 ; Jer. xxxi. 18,
19. 5. By bringing the heart into the light, there to approve
and judge its actions, John iii. 20 ; by setting it always in
God's eye, that it may not sin against him, Psa. xvi. 8.
6. By convincing the heart of the beauty and excellency of
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370 THE VICTORIES OF CHRIST.
arace, of the loathsomeness of sin to God ; and so making the
soul more full of desires for the one, and against the other^ Isa.
xxvi. 8 ; Ezek. xxxvi. 31 ; and thus kindling lust against lust.
Gal. V. 17. 7. By being always a present monitor and
watchman in the soul, to supply it with spiritual weapons and
reasoning against the temptation of lust, John xiv. 26. 8. In
one word, by daily supplies from the residue of the Spirit which
is in our Head ; whereby, according to the proportion and
exigence of the members, he floweth into them, Mai. ii. 15 ;
Phil. i. 19. This is that seed, that leaven, that vital instinct,
which is ever in the heart, setting itself against the workings
and life of lust, and by Httle and little wasting it away, as fire
doth water.
The grand instrument of Satan and lust (who are the two
leaders in this war against Christ) is the wicked world; that is,
the power, malice, wisdom, learning, or any other either natural
or acquired abilities of evil men : for even in an earthly re-
spect, by the word "kings," we are not only to understand those
raonarchs and princes of the earth, who set themselves against
Christ ; but all such as excel in any such worldly abilities as
may further that opposition. It notes the strength, poHcy,
pride, and greatness of mind, or scorn of subjection, which is
in the heart against Christ. So that "king" here stands in op-
position to subject ; they who reject Christ's yoke, and break
his bonds asunder, and will not have him to reign over them,
these are the kings in the text. And these also will he smite
through, and confound by the power of his word, and the
strength of his arm. " The Lord gave the word : great was
tlie company of those that published it. Kings of armies did
flee apace : and she that tarried at home divided the spoil,"
Psa. Ixviii. 11, 12. " Tophet is ordained of old; for the
king it is prepared," Isa. xxx. 33. " Come and gather your-
selves together unto the supper of the great God ; that ye may
eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh
of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on
them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small
and great," Rev. xix. 17, 18. " But those mine enemies,
which would not that 1 should reign over them, bring hither,
and slay them before me," Luke xix. 27. " Be wise now, O
ye kings ; be instructed ye judges of the earth. Serve the
Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath
is kindled but a little," Psa. ii. 10 — 12. Thus the Lord
THE VICTORIES OF CHllIST. 371
overthioweth his church's enemies, and protecteth it against
all their greatest preparations, and most formidable power.
This he doth several ways : 1. Sometimes, by diverting their
forces from liis church into some other necessary cliannel, or
ambitious design of their own. Thus Rabshakah and his
host were called from Judah, 2 Kings xix. 7, 8. So the Lord
promised his people, that when they went up to appear before
him thrice a year, he would divert the desires of their enemies
from their land, Exod. xxxiv. 24. Thus Julian the apostate,
having but two main plots to honour, (as he supposed,) his
government and his idols withal ; the subduing of the Persians,
and the rooting out of the Galileans, as he called them ; was
prevented from the one by being first overthrown in the other ;
for the prosperous success of which expedition he vowed unto
his idol-gods a sacrifice of all the christians in the empire, as
Gregory Nazianzen relateth. 2. Sometimes, by infatuating, and
implanting a spirit of giddiness and distraction in the enemies
of his church, making them destitute both of counsel and
courage. When God would punish Babylon, (which is a
type of the enemies of Christ's kingdom,) he made their hearts
melt, that they should be amazed one at another, and " their
faces should be like flames," Isa. xiii. 7, 8 ; that is, not only
pale like a flame, but rather, as I conceive, full of variety of
fearful impressions, and distracted passions : nothing so tre-
mulous, so various, so easily bended every way with the
smallest blast, as a flame ; so their fear should make their
blood and spirits in their faces to tremble, quiver, and vary, to
come and go like a thin flame in them. Thus God threatened
to mingle a perverse spirit, to make the spirit of Egypt fail in
them, and their wisdom to perish, Isa. xix. 1 — 3, 14, 17.
3. Sometimes, by ordering casualties and particular emergencies
for the deliverance of his church ; a thing wonderfully seen in
the histories of Joseph and Esther. Thus a man, by a chain
made up of several links, some of gold, others of silver, others
of brass, iron, or tin, may be drawn out of a pit : so the Lord
by the concurrence of several insubordinate things, which have
no manner of dependence, or natural coincidence amongst
themselves, hath oftentimes wrought the deliverance of his
church, that it might appear to be the work of his own hand.
3. Sometimes, by ordering and arming natural causes to defend
his church, and to amaze the enemy. Thus the stars in their
courses are said to fight against Sisera, Judg. v. 20. A
mighty wind from heaven beating on their faces discomfited
372 THE VICTORIES OF CHRIST.
them, as Josephus reports. To make good that promise,
" No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper." Thus
the Lord slew the enemies of Joshua with hail, Josh. x. 1 1 ;
and thus the Moabites were overthrown, by occasion of the
sun shining upon the water, 2 Kings iii. 22, 23. 4. Sometimes,
by implanting fancies and friglitful apprehensions into the
minds of the enemy, as into the Midianites, Judg. vii. 13, 14 ;
and the Assyrians, 2 Kings vii. 6. Thus the Lord caused a
voice to be heard in the temple, before the destruction of Je-
rusalem, warning the faithful to go out of the city. 5. Some-
times, by stirring up and prospering weak and contemptible
means, to show his glory thereby. The Medes and Persians
were an effeminate and luxurious people ; Cyrus a mean prince,
for he was not at this time the emperor of the Medes and Per-
sians, but only son-in-law to Darius, or Cyaxares ; and yet
these are made instruments to overthrow that most valiant
people, the Babylonians, Isa. xlv. 1, 13. As Jeremiah was
drawn out of the dungeon by old rotten rags, which were
thrown aside as good for nothing, Jer. xxxviii. 1 1 : so the
Lord can deliver his church by such instruments as the enemies
thereof before would have looked upon with scorn, as upon
cast and despicable creatures : for God, as he useth to infa-
tuate those whom he will destroy ; so he doth guide with a
spirit of wonderful wisdom those whom he raiseth to defend
his kingdom. The Babylonians were feasting, and counted
their city impregnable, being fortified with walls and the great
river ; and God gave wisdom beyond the very conjectures of
men, to attempt a business which might seem unfeasible in
nature, to dry up the Euphrates, and divide it into several
small branches ; and so he made a way to bring the army into
the city while they were feasting, the gates thereof being in
great confidence and security left open, Isa. xliv. 27 ; xlv. 1 ;
Jer. li. 36. 6. Sometimes, by turning the hearts of others to
compassionate the church, to hate the enemies, and not to
help them, but to rejoice when they are sinking, Isa. xiv. 6 ; x.
16; Nahum iii. 7. 7. Sometimes, by the immediate stroke of
God upon their bodies or consciences. Thus God gave the
church rest by smiting Herod, Acts xii. 23, 24. 8. Sometimes,
by tiring them quite out, and making them, for very vexation
and want of success, give over their vain attempts ; or else dis-
heartening them that they may not begin them. 9. Sometimes,
by turning their own devices upon their heads, ruining thern
with their own counsels, and, it may be, despatching them
THE VICTORIES OF CHRIST. 373
with their own hands. Thus the Lord set every man's sword
against his fellow in the huge host of the Midianites, Jud<T.
vii. 22. Thus Pilate and Nero, the one the murderer of Christ,
the other the dedicator of all the consequent great persecu-
tions, both died by their own hands, as being most wicked and
most cruel, and therefore fittest to revenge the cause of Christ
and his people upon themselves. Thus God did not only
curse the counsel, but revenge the treason of Ahithophel by
an act of the most desperate folly and inhumanity which could
be committed. 1 0. Sometimes, by hardening them unto a most
desperate prosecution of their own ruin, as in the case of
Pharaoh ; suffering them to lift at the stone so long, till it
loosen, and fall upon them, Zech. xii. 3 ; Matt. xxi. 44.
11. Sometimes, by ingratiating the church with them to their
own destruction, as he did Israel with the Egyptians, Exod.
xii. 35, 36. By these, and many other like means, doth the
Lord overthrow the enemies of his kingdom.
II. Now all this is, " In the day of his wrath" or in his
own due time : where we may note, by the way, that Christ
hath wrath in him as well as mercy. Though he be by
wicked and secure men misconceived, as if he were only com-
passionate ; yet he will more sorely judge them hereafter,
whom he doth not by persuasions and allurements prevail with
here. So merciful he is, that he is called a Lamb for meek-
ness ; and yet so terrible, that he is called a Lion for fury. It
is true, fury is not in him, Isa. xxvii. 4, namely, to those that
apprehend his strength, and make their peace with him. But
yet to those that will not kiss, that is, not love, worship, nor
obey him, he can with a little wrath show himself very ter-
rible, Psa. ii. 12. He cometh first with peace, Luke x. 5 ;
but it is a peace mercifully offered ; not a peace growing out
of any necessity or exigencies on his part, and so wrought by
way of composition for his own advantages. The peace of a
conqueror, Zech. ix. 10; a peace which putteth conditions to
those to whom it is granted, that they shall be tributaries and
servants unto him, Deut.xx, 10 — 12. Therefore the apostle
saith, that he came to preach or to proclaim peace, Eph. ii.
17 ; but if we reject it, he then denounces the sentence,
" Those mine enemies which would not that I should reign
over them, bring hither, and slay them before me," Luke
xix. 27.
But the main thing here to be noted, is, that Christ hath a
day, a prefixed and constituted time wherein he will be avenged
374 THE VICTORIES OF CHRIST.
on the greatest of his enemies. When he forhears and suffers
them to prevail, yet still he holdeth the line in his own hand ;
the hook of his decree is in their nostrils, and he can take
them short when he will. It is never want of power, wisdom,
or love to his church, that their quarrel is not immediately re-
yeno-ed ; but all these are fitted to his greater glory. The
Lord seemeth to neglect, to break up the hedge, to sleep while
his church is sinking ; (as Christ to his disciples seemed care-
less, Mark iv. 38, 39 :) thus, frequently in Scripture the saints
expostulate with God in an humble and mourning debate ;
" Why sleepest thou, O Lord ? arise, cast us not off for
ever," Psa. xliv. 23 ; Jer. xiv. 8. 9. But God hath his
question against us too for this infirmity and haste of ours ;
" Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, my way
is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from
my God ?" — that is, he hath not taken notice of my calamity.
" Hast thou not known, hast thou not heard, that the ever-
lasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth,
fainteth not, neither is weary ? there is no searching of his
understanding," Isa. xl. 27, 28. '*' He is wonderful in coun-
sel, and excellent in working ;" and therefore he doth not
slumber nor sleep ; but only, in wisdom, ordereth times and
seasons, that there may, in the end, be the greater glory unto
him, and in the things done, the more beauty. " Everything,"
saith Solomon, " is beautiful in its season :'' if you gather it
before, it loseth both its beauty and virtue. It would be a
madness for a man to mow down his corn when it is in the
green blade. " The husbandman waiteth," saith the apostle,
" for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for
it," Jam. V. 7. Now, the prophet assuretn us, that "light,"
that is, comfort, refreshment, peace, deliverance, " is sown for
the righteous," Psa. xcvii. 11. It was sown for the people of
God when they were in captivity, though to themselves they
seemed as dead men in their graves ; yet indeed they were not
dead, but as seed in the furrows, which revived again, Psa. cxxvi.
5, 6 ; and therefore the Lord, like a husbandman, is said to
wait, that he may be gracious to his people, Isa. xxx> 18.
Though a man suffer ever so much injury, and be most
violently kept out of his own right, yet he must wait till time
and mature proceedings have brought on his matters to a trial ;
therefore the Lord calleth it " The year of recompenses for
the controversy of Sion," Isa. xxxiv. 8. It is not for private
men to order the periods, or bounds, or revolutions of times
THE VICTORIES OF CHRIST. 375
wherein businesses are to be tried ; but public authority
constitutes that, and every man must wait for tlie appointed
time: so the church must not set God the times when it
would be heard or eased ; but must trust his wisdom and power,
Jer. xlix. 19 ; for there is a set time wherein he will have
mercy upon Sion, Psa. cii. 13. Now, this time is ruled and
bounded by these considerations :
1. When the sin of the enemy is grown ripe, and his heart
proud and insolent against God and his people ; when he
trampleth upon the poor; when he sacrificeth to his own net;
when he adoreth his own counsels ; when he deifieth his own
condition, and thinketh that none can pull him down : then is
it a time for God to show himself, and to stir up his glory
" It is time," saith David, "for thee, OLord, to work : for they
have made void thy law," Psa. cxix. 126 : so outrageous
they are, that their fury runneth over from thy servants to
thine ordinances, to blot out the very records of heaven, the
name and fear of God out of the earth. And this reason and
period of time we find frequently in the Scriptures given : " In
the fourth generation they shall come hither again ; for the
iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full," Gen. xv. 16 ; it is not
grown to that ripeness and compass, as I, in my wise, secret,
and patient providence, will permit. " O thou that dwellest
upon many waters, abundant in treasures," (saith the Lord to
Babylon,) " thine end is come, and the measure of thy cove-
tousness," Jer. li. 13. When men have filled up the measure
of their sins, then is their end come ; be their wealth, or
safety, or their natural or acquired strength ever so great.
" Put ye in the sickle,'' saith the prophet, " for the harvest is
ripe : come, get you down ; for the press is full, the fats over-
flow ; for their wickedness is great," Joel iii. 13. When
wickedness is so great, that it filleth all vessels, then is the
Lord ready to put in his sickle, and to cut it down.
It is further demanded when sin is full ? To this I answer,
that there are three things principally which set forth the sin-
fulness of sin, — universality, impudence, and obstinacy.
1. When a whole land is filled with it, that there are none to
intercede, or to stand in the gap ; when from streets to palaces,
from houses to courts, from schools to churches, from every
corner sin breaketh forth, so that blood toucheth blood.
" The land is full of adulterers," saith the prophet ; " because
of swearing the land mourneth ; for both prophet and priest
are profane ; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness,
376 THE VICTORIES OF CHRIST.
saith the Lord," Jer. xxiii. 10, 11 : when in every place, and
at every view there are new, and more abominations, Ezek.
viii. 17 ; Jer. v. 16. 2. When sin is impudent and out-
rageous ; when there is no fear, modesty, or restraint, but it
breaketh all bounds, and like a raging sea overrunneth the
banks. " They declare their sin as Sodom," saith the pro-
phet, " they hide it not. Woe unto their soul !" Isa. iii. 9 :
it is so full, that it breaks out into their countenance ; hypo-
crisy itself is too narrow to cover it. This is that which the
apostle calleth an " excess of riot," 1 Pet. iv. 4 ; and the pro-
phet, a rushing like an horse into the battle, Jer. viii. 6. Now,
when God thus gives a man over, sin will not be long a filhng
up. When lusts break forth, and throng together ; when from
concupiscence sin goes on to conception and delight, to for-
mation and contrivance, to birth and execution, to education
and custom, to maintenance and defence, to glory and boast-
ing, to insensibility, hardness, and a reprobate sense, then
there is such a fulness in sin, as is near unto cursing ; the
very next step is hell. 3. When sin holds out in stubborn-
ness, and is incorrigible ; when the remedy is refused, the par-
don rejected, peace not accepted ; then is sin come to its
fulness. The sins of the Amorites were never quite full,
until they rejected that peace, mercy, and subjection to God's
people, which was offered them. But when men sin against
those means of grace which are sent unto them, and leave no
remedy to themselves ; no marvel if the Lord give them over,
and let in the enemy upon them, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 16. There-
fore, we must take heed of finishing sin, for it is not sin
alone, but the consummation ard finishing of sin which con-
demns a man.
Now, when thus the sin of the enemy is grown so ripe,
that it breaketh forth into pride and insult against God's
people, then is the Lord's tiu:e to show himself. " I will
restore health unto thee," saith the Lord to his church, " and
I will heal thee of thy wounds ; because they called thee an
out-cast, saying, this is Sion, whom no man seeketh after,"
Jer. xxx. 17 : see Jer. 1. 11 ; Ezek. xxv. 3 ; Obad. verse 3, 4.
When the highways were waste, and the way-faring man
ceaseth, and the enemy regarded no man, " Now will I rise,
saith the Lord ; now will I be exalted," Isa. xxxiii. 10,
W^hen the enemies help forward the affliction of God's people,
and by their pride and insult double the misery which is upon
them, then will the Lord return them in mercies, and be
THE VICTORIES OF CHRIST. 377
sore^-displeased with his enemies, Zech. i. 15, 16 ; Isa. xl.
2 ; xlvii. 5, 6.
2. When God's people are thoroughly humbled and pur-
ged : for God useth wicked men as his staff or weapon, as his
fire or fan, to correct and purge them, Isa. x. 12. He intended
not in his punishments such severity against them, as against
their enemies: if the rod be for the child, the lire is for. the
rod, Isa. xxvii. 7 — 9. When men are so smitten, that they
can return to him that smiteth them, and not revolt more and
more ; for God will not throw any more darts at those who
are sunk and dead already. When they are stirred in their
hearts jointly to seek the Lord, and to meet him in the way of
his judgments, and to compassionate and favour the dust of
Sion, then is the day of his wrath : for when God's time to
deliver a people is come, he will more abundantly stir up the
hearts of his people to pray for it, Psa. cii. 16, 17 ; Dan. ix.
2, 3 ; whereas, when he will destroy a people, he will not
suffer his saints to pray, Jer. xiv. 1 1 .
3. When all human hopes and expectations are gone, when
a people is so pilled and broken, that they have no courage,
means, succours, or probabilities left, then is God's time to
deliver his church, and to punish his enemies. " The Lord
shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants,
when he seeth that their power is gone," Deut. xxxii. 36 ;
Psa. cix. 31. In one word, when the preparation and pre-
mises, as it were, unto God's glory are best ordered and put
together, then is the day of his wrath come.
The church then need not be cast down with the insults of
her enemies, since Christ is the same yesterday, and to-day,
and for ever ; such as he was ever to his church, such he is
still, Deut. XX. 3, 4 ; Isa. li. 12, 13 ; Deut. xxxi. 6 — 8. If
he has delivered his church from the pride of her enemies
heretofore, his power, truth, watchfulness, compassion, are still
the same ; and by faith in them we may rebuke Satan, we may
chide away the weakness and fear of our own hearts, we may
rejoice against those that insult over us, when they rage most ;
we may hope their time is short, and that it is but the biting
of a wounded beast. Therefore, we find the saints in
Scripture arm themselves against present dangers, with the
consideration of what God hath done for his church in times
past, Psa Ixviii. 7, 8; Ixxiv. 13, 18; Isa. li. 9 — 11; and
in the confidence of the same truth and power, break forth into
a holy scorn of their enemies, Micah vii. 8 — 10. In the
378 THE VICTORIES OF CHRIST.
sorest extremities we may fix our faith on God ; and he de-
Hcrhteth to be depended upon alone, when all outward helps
and probabilities fail: see Isa. xli. 17, 18; Habak. iii. 17,
18. One of the hugest hosts of men that we ever read of
came against Asa, yet by relying on God they were all de-
livered into his hand ; and the reason is added, because God
hath eyes and strength, 2 Chron. xvi. 8, 9 ; or, as he is else-
where described, seven horns, and seven eyes, much wisdom
and much power, to show himself valiant in the behalf of those
that walk uprightly, Rev. y. 6.
We should learn likewise to rejoice and triumph with all
thankfulness of heart when Christ subdueth the enemies of
his kino-dom, and giveth deliverance and refreshment to his
people. When he maketh his hand known to his servants,
and his fury to his enemies, then should all those that love
Jerusalem rejoice, Isa. Ixvi. 10. Thus the church, after they
were delivered from the malice of Haman, instituted days of
joy and feasting, Esther ix. 22. It is a sign of an evil heart
against the peace and prosperity of the church of Christ, to
envy, or slight, or think basely of the instruments and ways
whereby Christ delivereth it ; as we see in Tobiah and San-
ballat, Neh. iv. 2, 3.
4. We should learn wisdom to lay hold on the times and
seasons of God's peace, because he hath a day of wrath too ;
to apprehend the offers and opportunities of grace. Christ
had been at the church's door, and had knocked for admit-
tance ; but neglecting that season, he was gone, and she suf-
fered much before she could find him again. Cant. v. 2 — 6.
When the Lord speaketh unto us in his ordinances, and by
the secret motions and persuasions of his Holy Spirit, we should
not defer, nor put him off, as Felix did Paul, to some other
time, but pursue the occasion, and set ourselves to do every
duty in God's time. There is a time for every work, and it
is beautiful only in its time ; and therefore fit it is, that we
should observe wisely the signs and nature of the times. Matt,
xvi. 3; and accordingly proportion our devotions for the
church and ourselves. It is the worst loss of time, to let slip
the seasons of grace and spiritual wisdom, till, it may be, God's
time of mercy is passed over, " If thou hadst known in this
thy day the thing that belongs to thy peace I" But now thy
day is over, and my day of wrath is come, they are now hid-
den from thine eyes.
III. " He shall judge amongst the heathen." By heathen
THE VICTORIES OF CHRIST. 379
we are to understand the same with enemies, verse 1, and
people, Isa. Ixiii. 6 ; meaninsr all the armies and swarms of
Christ's enemies, either spiritual or secular. The word ^ren-
tile was a word of great contempt and detestation amongst
God's people, as the word jew is now amongst us ; a proverbial
word to cast reproach and shame upon men. Therefore the
apostle saith of the Ephesians, that in times past they had
been gentiles in the flesh, Eph. ii. 11 ; as if by being chris-
tians they had ceased to be gentiles, or rather that word had
ceased to be a term of reproach. Gentile was a word of
scorn, as Samaritan, John viii. 48, or Canaanite, Ezek. xvi.
3, or publican, Matt, xviii. 17, Luke xviii. 11 ; and therefore
we find those two joined together, publicans and sinners : and
so the apostle joineth these two words, gentiles and sinners,
Gal. ii. 15. So then, the word heathen is added by David
to the enemies of Christ, to render them the more odious, and
to express their more abject and hateful condition. Thus
the meaning is, — his most abject and hateful enemies, that
are unto him as Canaanites and Samaritans, he shall judge ;
that is, he shall condemn and punish them
Whence we may note, that Christ's victories over his ene-
mies shall be by way of pleading and controversy. His mili-
tary is likewise a judiciary proceeding, grounded upon right-
eous and established laws. Therefore, the day of God's wrath is
called a time of vengeance, and recompense for the controver-
sies of Sion, Isa. xxxiv. 8 ; to show that the Lord doth not
take vengeance but by way of debate. And therefore, when
he punisheth, he is said to plead with men : " The priests
said not, where is the Lord ? and they that handle the law
knew me not. Wherefore I will yet plead with you,
saith the Lord, and with your children's children will I plead,"
Jer.ii. 8, 9. Thus to plead, and to take vengeance, go together,
Jer. Ii. 36. And the Lord is said to reprove with equity,
and to smite the earth with the rod of his mouth ; that is, to
convince, and argue before he doth punish, Isa. xi. 4 ; as we
see in the case of Sodom, Gen. xviii. 21, 23. Herein the
Lord showeth that all our misery begins with ourselves ; that
if we perish, it is because we would not take his counsel, nor
be guided by his will ; that he did not sell us to any of his
creditors, but that for our iniquities we sold ourselves, Isa. 1. 1.
In human wars, though ever so regularly and righteously
ordered, yet many particular men may perish without any per-
sonal guilt of their own. But in these wars of Christ, there
380 THE VICTORIES OF CHRIST.
shall not a man perish, till he be first convinced, by a judiciary
proceeding, of his own demerit. "Every mouth must be
stopped, and all the world," by the evidence and acknowledg-
ment of their own conscience, " become guilty before God,"
before his wrath shall seize upon them. The Lord sent Noah
to preach, before he sent a flood to destroy the old world.
He aroiied with Adam, before he thrust him out of paradise.
The voice goeth ever before the rod, Micah vi. 9. This
course our Saviour observed towards him who had not the
weddino- o-arment ; first convinced him, until he was speech-
less, and then cast him into outer darkness. Matt. xxii. 12,
13. And this course the Lord took with his people when he
punished them, Isa. v. 3, 4 ; Amos ii. 11 ; iii. 7. For he
will have the consciences of men to subscribe, and acknow-
ledge the justness of his proceedings, and to condemn them-
selves by their own witness ; when he entereth into judg-
ment he doth it by line and plummet, Isa. xxviiL 17 ; in
proportion to the means of grace neglected, to the patience
and forbearance abused, to the times of grace overslipped, to
the purity of the law violated and profaned. We must take
heed, therefore, of continuing gentiles, of being aliens from
that commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from that cove-
nant of promise, of living without God in the world. No
man can with hope or comfort say, " Enter not into judge-
ment," but he who is the Lord's servant, and of his household
We must be all ingrafted into the natural olive, and become
the seed of Abraham, and jews by covenant, before Christ
will be our peace, or reconcile us unto his Father, Rom. ii
29 ; xi. 17, 24 ; Gal. vi. 16 ; Eph. ii. 11, 14.
IV. " He shall fill the places with dead bodies." This
notes the greatness of the victory, that none should be left to
bury their dead. There shall be an universal destruction of
wicked men together in the day of God's wrath, they shall
be bound up in bundles, and heaped up for damnation, Matt,
xiii. 30 ; Psa. xxxvii. 38 ; Isa. i. 28 ; Ixvi. 17. And it notes,
the shame and dishonour of the enemy, they shall lay like
dead bodies upon the face of the earth, and shall be behold-
ing to their victors for a base and dishonourable burial ; as
we see in the great battle with Gog and Magog, Ezek. xxxix.
V. " He shall wound the head over many countries."
Either literally, antichrist. Rev. xvii. 2, 8 ; who taketh upon
him to be universal bishop and monarch, and to dispose of
crowns, and dispense kingdoms at his pleasure. Or spiri-
THE VICTORIES OF CHRIST. 381
tually, Satan, who is the prince of this world, whose head
Christ was to crush and tread under our feet, Gen. iii. 15 ;
Rom. xvi. 20. Or figuratively, the head, tliat is, the counsel
and power of many nations, which shall at last appear to have
been but a vain thing, Psa. ii. 2 ; 1 Cor. i. 19. What sense
soever we follow, the main thing to be observed is • that
which we handled before ; that Christ will in due time ut-
terly destroy the greatest, the highest, and the wisest of his
enemies. And therefore this may suffice upon this verse.
382 THE SUFFERINGS AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST.
VERSE VII.
HK SHALL DRI>KOF THE BROOK IN THE WAY : THEREFORE SHALL
HE LIFT UP THE HEAD.
Some understand these words in the sense of the two former,
for a figurative expression of the victories of Christ ; and that
in a two-fold manner. Some by " brook," understand the
blood of the adversary, with vdiich the way should be filled
as with a stream : and by drinking thereof, the satiating, re-
freshino-, and delighting himself in the confusion of his
enemies ; for the Lord is eased when his enemies are sub-
dued, Isa. i. 24. Others, that he should pursue his victory
with such heat and importunity, that he should not allow any
time of usual repast, but should content himself with such
obvious refreshment as should offer itself in the way ; and
should immediately lift up his head again, to pursue the
enemy at the heel ; and in this sense, there is no more
new matter here intimated than that which hath been before
handled.
Others understand the means whereby Christ should thus
lift up his head, and exalt himself above all the enemies of his
kingdom ; namely, by his passion and sufferings : by death
"destroying death and him that had the power of death,
which is the devil." I will not undertake to define which
sense is most agreeable to the place ; it being so difficult.
But upon occasion of this latter, (which I think is more ge-
nerally embraced,) I shall speak something of the means and
grounds of Christ's victories over his enemies, and of his
government in his church, namely, his sufferings and resur-
rection.
" He shall drink of the brook in the way." By brook,
then, or torrent, we may understand the wrath of God, and
the rage of men : the afflictions and sufferings which befel
Christ. And this is a very frequent metaphor in holy Scrip-
tures, by water to understand afflictions, Psa. xviii. 4, 5 ; xlii.
7 ; Ixix. 1 ; cxxiv. 4, 5. Thus the wrath of the Lord is called
a stream, and a lake, Isa. xxx. 33 ; Rev. xix. 20. In regard
THE SUFFERINGS AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 383
of the rage and irresistibleness thereof; and In regard of the
turbidnessand thickness thereof; for Ciod's wrath is full of dreo-g,
Isa. li, 17 ; Psa. Ixxv. 8. It is said in the history of Clirist's
passion, when he was going to wrestle with that woful agony
in the garden, tliat "he passed over the brook Cedron," John
xviii. 1. And we may observe in the history of the kings,
that when the good kings, Hczekiah, and Asa, and Josi<ih,
purged the city and the temple of idolatry, " they burnt the
cursed things at the brook Kidron, and cast them thereinto,'*
2 Chron. xv. 16; xxix. IG ; xxx. 14; 2 Kings xxiii. 6. To
note unto us, that this brook was the sink, as it were, of the
temple ; that into which all the uncleanness of God's house,
all the cursed things, were to be cast : with relation whcreunto
it is not improbable that the prophet David, by a prophetical
spirit, might notify the sufferings of Christ, by drinking of
that cursed brook over which he was to pass, to signify that
on him all the faithful might lay and pour out their sins, who
is therefore said to be made sin, and a curse for us, 2 Cor.
V. 21 ; Gal. iii. 13. As the people when they laid their hands
on the head of the sacrifice, did thereby, as it were, unload all
their sins upon it.
Now, as waters signify afflictions, so there are two words
with relation thereunto, which signify suffering of afflictions,
and they are both applied unto Christ. " Are ye able to
drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and be bapiized with
the baptism that I am baptized with ?" Matt. xx. 22. He
that drinketh hath the water in him ; he that is dipped or
plunged hath the water about him : so it notes the univer-
sality of the wrath which Christ suffered, it was within him ;
" My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death." And it
was all about him ; betrayed by Judas, accused by jews, for-
saken by disciples, mocked by Herod, condemned by Pilate,
buffetted by the servants, nailed by the soldiers, reviled by the
thieves and standers by, and which was all in all, forsaken
by his Father. Thus then, drinking of the brook, is meant
suffering of the curses ; and it is frequently so used, Jer. xxv.
27 ; xUx. 12 ; Ezek. xxiii. 32, 34 ; Habak. ii. 16 ; Rev. xiv ,
9, 10.
By " the way," we must understand, either the life of Christ
on earth ; his passage between his assumed voluntary humility
and his exaltation again : or the way between mankind and
heaven, which by that flood of wrath, and torrent of curses,
which were *" against us," Col. ii. 14, was made utterly
384 THE SUFFERINGS AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST.
impassable, till Christ, by his sufferings, made a path through
it, for the ransomed of the Lord to pass over.
** Therefore shall he lift up his head." It noteth, in the
Scripture phrase, victory ; bursting forth, and breaking through
those evils which did urge and press a man before, Psa. xxvii.
6 : and also boldness, confidence, and security to the whole
body, Luke xxi. 28. And further, it is not, He shall be lifted
up ; but, He shall do it himself. He hath the power of Hfe,
and the fountain of life in himself, John v. 26 ; x. 18. So
that, following this sense of the words, the meaning is, He shall
suffer, and remove all those curses which were in the way
between mankind and Heaven ; and then he shall lift up his
head in the resurrection, and break through all those suffer-
ings into glory again ; which sense is most punctually and
expresslv unfolded in those parallel places, Luke xxiv. 26,
46; PhiLii. 8, 9; ] Pet. i. IL
" He shall drink of the brook in the way." From hence
we may note, that between mankind and Heaven there is a
torrent of wrath and curses, which doth everlastingly separate
between us and glory ; a great and fixed gulf, which all the
world can neither wade through nor remove. The law, at
first, was an easy and smooth way to righteousness, and from
thence to salvation ; but now every step thereof sinks as low as
hell. It is written within and without with curses ; which way
soever a man stirs, he finds nothing but death before him : one
man's way by the morality of his education, the ingenuousness
of his disposition, the engagement of other ends or relations,
may seem more smooth and plausible than another's ; but, by
nature, they all run into hell ; as all rivers, though ever so dif-
ferent in other circumstances, run into the sea. It is as im-
possible for a natural man, of himself, to escape damnation, as
it is to make himself no child of the old Adam, or not to have
been begotten by fleshly parents. The gulf of sin in our
nature cannot be cleansed, and therefore the guilt thereof
cannot be removed. The image we have lost is by us irre-
parable ; the law we have violated, inexorable ; the justice we
have injured, unsatisfiable ; the concupiscence of our nature,
insatiable ; sin an aversion from an infinite good, and a con-
version to the creature infinitely ; and therefore the guilt
thereof infinite and unremovable too.
We should learn often to meditate on this point, to find
ourselves reduced unto these straits and impossibilities ; that
we cannot see which way to turn, or to help ourselves, for
THE SUFFERINGS AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 385
that is the only way to draw us unto Christ. Everv man na-
turally loves to be m tlie first place beholding to iinnsclf; in
any extremity, if his own wits, purse, projects, or endeavours
will help him out, he looks no further ; but when all his own
succours have forsaken liim, then he seeks abroad. It is
much more true in the matter of salvation ; no man ever did
begin at Christ, but went unto him upon mere necessitv,
when he had experience of the emptiness of all his other
succours and dependences ; we all by nature are oU'ended at
him, and will not have him to reign over us, till thereunto
we be forced by the evidence of that infinite and unpreventable
misery, under which, without him, we must sink for ever.
This is of all other the most urgent argument to men at
first to consider, that there is a torrent of curses, a sea of
death, a reign of condemnation, a hell of sin within, and a
hell of torments without, between them and their salvation ;
and there is no drop of that sea, no scruple of tliat curse, no
tittle of that law, which must not all be either fulfilled or en-
dured. Suppose that God should summon thy guilty soul to
a sudden appearance before his tribunal of justice ; and should
there begin to deal with thee even at thy birth ; alas ! thou
wouldst be utterly gone there ; even there of the seed of evil
doers, the spawn of viperous and serpentine parents, a cursed
child, a child of wrath, an exact image of the old Adam, and
of Satan. But then, after this is produced a catalogue
and history of sins of forty, fifty, or threescore years long.
And in them every inordinate motion of the will, every sud-
ien stirring and secret working of inward lust, every idle
word, every unclean aspect, every impertinency and irregu-
larity of life scored up against thy poor soul, and each of them
to be produced at the last, and either answered or avenged.
Oh, where shall the ungodly and sinners appear, if they have
not right in Christ ! And how should men labour to be se-
cured in that right ! Who would suffer so many millions of
obligations and indictments to lay between him and God un-
cancelled, and not labour to have them taken out of the way ?
Now, the only way to be brought hereunto, is, to deny our-
selves, and all we do ; to do no good thing for this end, that
we may rest in it, or rely upon it when we have done, but
after all to judge ourselves unprofitable servants : when we
have prayed, to see hell between heaven and our prayers ;
when we have preached, to see hell between heaven and our
sermons ; when we have done any work of devotion, to see
S
386 THE SUFFERINGS AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST.
Iiell between heaven and all our services, if God should mark
w^hat is amiss in them, and should enter into judgment with
us : in one word, to see hell between heaven and anything in
the world else, save only between Christ and heaven. Till in
this manner men be qualified for mercy, they will have no
heart to desire it, and God hath no purpose to confer it.
Christ must be esteemed worthy of all acceptation, before God
bestows him : and the way so to esteem of him is, to feel
ourselves the greatest of sinners. And when the soul is thus
once humbled with the taste and remembrance of that worm-
wood and gall which is in sin, there is then an immediate
passage unto hope and mercy. Lam. iii. 19 — 22 ; and that
hope is this, that Christ hath drunken up and dried that
torrent of curses which was between us and heaven, and hath
made a passage through them all by himself unto his Father's
kingdom. He was made sin, and a curse for us, that so he
might swallow up sin and death, and might be the destruction
of hell, Hosea xiii. 14. I will here but touch upon two things,
1. What Christ suffered. 2. Why he suffered.
1. For understanding of the first, we must note, that Christ's
human nature was, by the hypostatical union, exalted unto
many dignities, which to all the creatures in the world besides
are utterly incommunicable ; as the communication of pro-
perties, the adoration of angels, the primogeniture of the crea-
tures, the co-operation with the Deity in many mighty works,
the satisfaction of an infinite justice by a finite passion, &c.
Exalted likewise it was by his spiritual unction above all his
fellows, with that unmeasurable fulness of grace, which wonder-
fully surpasseth the united and accumulated perfections of all
the angels in heaven. We must note likewise, that all these
things Christ received for the work of man's redemption,
and therefore he had them in such a manner as was most
suitable and convenient for the execution of that work. Now,
Christ was to fulfil that work by a way of suffering and obe-
dience ; by death to destroy him that had the power of death ;
as David, by Goliath's sword, slew him that was master of the
sword. As there fell a mighty tempestuous wind upon the
Red sea, whereby the passage was opened for Israel to go out
of Egypt into Canaan ; so Christ was to be torn and divided
by his sufferings, that so there might be a passage for us to
God, through that sea of wrath which was between our
Egn,-pt and our Canaan, our sin and our salvation. Here
then are two general rules to be observed concerning the suf-
THE SUFFERINGS AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 387
ferings of Christ. 1. That the economy or dispensation of
his mediatorship, is the measure of all that lie sutf'ercd. So
much as that required, he did suffer, and more In; did not t
for though he suffered as man, yet he suffered not hecause he
was a man, but because he was a mediator. 2. Inasmucli as
a mediator between God and sinners was to be lioly and se-
parate from sinners, (for if he should have ])een a sinner," he
had been one of the parties, and not a mediator,) therefore
none of those sufferings which are repugnant to his holiness,
and by consequence unserviceable to the administration of
his office, could belong unto him. Such things then as did
no way prejudice the plenitude of his grace, the union of his
natures, the quality of his mediation, such things as were
suitable to his person, and requisite for our pardon, such as
were possible for him, and such as were necessary for us, those
things he suffered as the punishments of our sins.
Now, punishments are of several sorts ; some are sins,
some only from sins. Some things, in several respects, are
both sins and punishments. In relation to the law, as de-
viations, so they are sin : in relation to the order and dis-
position of God's providence, so they are punishments ; as
hardness of heart, and a reprobate sense. Other punish-
ments are from sin, and in this regard sin is two ways to be con-
sidered, either as inherent, or as imputed : from sin, as inherent,
or from the consciousness of sin in a man's self, doth arise
remorse, or torment and the worm of conscience. Again ; sin,
as imputed, may be considered two ways ; either it is imputed
upon a ground in nature, because the persons to whom it is
imputed are naturally one with him that originally committed
it, and so it doth descend, and is derived upon them. Thus
Adam's sin of eating the forbidden fruit is imputed unto us,
and the punishment thereof on us derived, namely the priva-
tion of God's image, and the corruption of our nature. Or
else it is imputed upon a ground of voluntary contract, un-
dertaking, or engagement, so that the guilt thereupon growing
is not a derived, but an assumed guilt, which did not bring
with it any desert, or worthiness to suffer, but only an obliga-
tion and obnoxiousness thereunto. As if a sober and honest
person be surety for a prodigal and luxurious man, who spend-
ing his estate upon courses of intemperance and excess, hath
disabled himself to pay any of his debts; the one doth for his
vicious disability deserve imprisonment, unto which the other
is as liable as he, though without any such personal desert.
s 2
388 THE SUFFERINGS AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST.
Now then, the punishments which Christ suffered are only
such as agree unto sin thus imputed, as all our sins were unto
Christ.
Again; in punishments we are to distinguish between
punishments inflicted from without, and punishments ingene-
rated, and immediately resulting from the condition of the
person that sufFereth ; or between the passions and actions
of the men that are punished. Punishments inflicted, are those
pains and dolorous impressions which God, either by his own
immediate hand, or by the ministry of such instruments as he
is pleased to use, doth lay upon the soul or body of a man.
Punishments ingenerated, are those which grow out of the
weakness and wickedness of the person lying under the sore
and invincible pressure of those pains which are thus inflicted ;
as blasphemy, despair, and the worm of conscience. In one
word, some evils of punishment are vicious, either formally in
themselves, or fundamentally, and by way of connotation in
regard of the originals thereof in the person suffering them.
Others are only dolorous and miserable, which press nature,
but do no way defile it, nor refer to any either pollution or
impotency in the person suffering them, and of this sort only
were the punishments of Christ.
Now, these punishments which Christ thus suffered, are
either incohate, or consummate. Incohate, as all those defects
of our nature which neither were sins, nor grounded upon the
inherence of sins, (for he took not our personal, but only
our natural defects,) so far as they have pain and anguish in
them : and these were either corporeal, as hunger, thirst,
weariness, and the like ; or spiritual, as fear, grief and sor-
row, temptations. Consummate, were those which he suffered
at last : and these likewise were either corporeal, as shame,
mockings, buffets, trials, scourgings, condemnation, and an
ignominious and cursed death ; or spiritual, and those were
principally two :
(1.) A punishment of dereliction; "My God, my God,
why hast thou forsaken me ?" Matt, xxvii. 46. There was
some kind of separation between God and Christ during the
time of his sufferings for sin in that cursed manner. For un-
derstanding whereof we must note, that he had a fourfold
union unto God. 1. In his human nature, which was so fast
united in his person to the Divine, that death itself did not
separate it either from the person or from the Deity. It was
the Lord who lay in the grave. 2. In love, and so there was
THE SUFFERINGS AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 389
never any separation either ; but when he hanged on the cross,
he was still the beloved Son of his Father, in wlioin he was
well pleased. 3. In the communion of his spirit and iiuliness ;
and in that regard likewise there was no disunion, for he was
offered up as a Lamb without spot or blemisii. 4. In the
fruition of the light of his countenance, and of his glory and
favour ; and in this respect there was for the time of iiis suf-
ferings a dereliction, by the withdrawing of his countenance,
not by the dissolvhig of his union. He looked upon Christ
as a God armed against the sins of the world which were then
upon him.
(2.) There was a punishment of malediction. Ciirist under-
went the curse of the law, he grappled with the wrath of God,
and with the powers of darkness ; he felt the scourges due unto
our sins in his human nature, which forced and wrung from
him those strong cries, those deep and woful complaints, that
bloody and bitter sweat, which drew compassion from the very
rocks. And surely it is no derogation to the dignity of
Christ's person, but on the other side, a great magnifying of
the justice of God against sin, of the power of Christ against
the law, and of the mercy of them both towards sinners, to
affirm, that the sufferings of Christ, whatever they were in the
kind of them, were yet, in their weight and pressure, equally
grievous with those which we should have suffered : for being
in all things, save sin, like unto us, and most of all in his
liableness to the curse of the law, (so far as it did not neces-
sarily denote either sin inherent, or weakness to break through
in the person suffering,) I see no reason why he should not
be obnoxious to as great extremities of pain ; for no degree of
mere anguish and dolor can be unbefitting the person of Him
who was to be known by that title, " A man of sorrows."
And surely, it was far more indignity to him to suffer a vio-
lent death of body from the hands of base men, than to suffer
with patience, obedience, and victory, far sorer stripes from
the hand of God his Father, who was pleased to lay upon
him the iniquity of us all.
2. For the second thing proposed, Why Christ suffered these
things ; the Scripture giveth principally these reasons : To
execute the decree of his Father, Acts iv. 27, 28. To fulfil
tlie prophecies, prefigurations, and predictions of holy Scrip-
tures, Luke xxiv. 46. To magnify his mercy and free love
to sinners, and most impotent enemies, Rom. v. 8. To de-
clare the righteousness and truth of God against sin, who
390 THE SUFFERINGS AND llESURRECTION OF CHRIST.
would not be reconciled with sinners but upon a legal
expiation, Rom. iii. 25. For although we may not limit the
unsearchable wisdom and ways of God, as if he could no other
way have saved man ; yet we are bound to adore this means,
as being by him selected out of that infinite treasure of his
own counsel, as most convenient to set forth his wonderful
hatred of sin, his inexorable justice and severity against it,
his unsearchable riches of love and mercy towards sinners,
and in all things to make way to the manifestation of his
glory. But further, to show forth his own power, which had
strength to stand under all this punishment of sin, and at last
to shake it off, and to declare himself to be the Son of God
by the resurrection from the dead, Rom. i. 4. For though
Christ did exceedingly fear, and for that seems to decline and
pray against these his passions ; yet not out of jealousy, or
suspicion that he should not break through them. But he
feared them as being pains unavoidable, which he was most
certain to suffer ; and as pains very heavy and grievous, which
he should not overcome without much bitterness, and very woful
conflict. Now for a word of the last clause.
" Therefore shall he lift up the head." We may hence
observe, that Christ hath conquered all his sufferings by
his own power. As in his passion, when he suffered, he
bowed down his head, and gave up the ghost with a loud
voice, to note, that his sufferings were voluntary, John
xix. 30 ; so in his resurrection, he is said to lift up his head
himself, to note, that he had life in himself, that he was the
Prince of life, and that it was impossible for him to be held under
by death, as we were by the law, Rom. vii. 6. And that his
exaltation was voluntary likewise, and from his own power,
for he was not to have any assistance in the work of our re-
demption, but to do all alone, John ii. 19; v. 26; x. 17;
Acts iii. 15.
If it be objected, that Christ was raised from the dead by the
glory of his Father, and that he raised him up, Rom. vi. 4;
Acts xiii. 33 ; to this I answer, that this was not by way of sup-
plement and succour, to make up any defect of power in Christ ;
but only by way of consent to Christ's own power and ac-
tion, that so men might jointly honour the Son and the Father,
John V. 19, 23. Or, by the glory of the Father we may un-
derstand, that glorious power which the Father gave unto his
Son in the flesh, to have life in himself, John v. 26 ; annexing
thereunto a command to exercise the same power, John x. 18
icrc'iii
Hi
THE SUFFERINGS AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 391
Or, he is said to he raised hy himself and his Father
Ijoth, because the Holy Spirit which immediately quickened
him, was both his and his Father's, Rom. i. 4 ; 1 Tim. iii.
16 ; 1 Pet. iii. 18. It was not any personal thing wlic.
the Son differed from the Father, which raised Jesu^ from
dead, but that Spirit which was common to them both.
To conclude, then, with the consideration of those great
benefits, and that excellent use which this resurrection of
Christ doth serve for unto us.
1. It assureth us of the accomplishment of his works of
m.ediation on earth, and that he is now in the execution of
those other offices which remain to be fulfilled by him in
heaven, for the application of his sacrifice unto us ; for having
in the resurrection justified himself, he thereby rose for our
justification likewise, Rom. iv. 25. For if the debt had not
been taken quite off by the Surety, it would have been upon
the principal still. And therefore, the apostle provcth the
resurrection by this, that God's mercies are sure, Acts xiii. 34 ;
whereas, if Christ were not risen from the dead, we should
be yet in our sins ; and so, by consequence, the mercies of
David should have failed us, 1 Cor. xv. 17, 18. And for
this reason it is, as I conceive, that the Lord sent an angel
to remove the stone from the mouth of the sepulchre ; not to
supply any want of power in him, who could himself have
rolled away the stone with one of his fingers ; but as a judge,
when the law is satisfied, sendeth an officer to open the prison
doors to him who hath made that satisfaction : so the Father,
to testify that his justice was fully satisfied with the price
which his Son had paid, sent an officer of heaven to open the
doors of the grave, and, as it were, to hold away the hanging,
while his Lord came forth of his bedchamber.
2. It assureth us of our resurrection ; for as the Head must
rise before the members, so the members are sure to follow
the Head. The wicked shall rise by his judiciary power, but
not by the virtue and fellowship of his resurrection, as the
faithful, who are therefore called the " children of the resurrec-
tion," Luke XX. 36 ; 1 Cor. xv. 20, 21.
3. It doth, by a secret and spiritual virtue, renew and sanc-
tify our nature, Rom. vi. 4. For the acts of Christ's mediation
in his sufferings and victories are spiritually applicable and
effectual in us unto answerable efl'ects. His death to the mor-
tification of sin, Heb. ix. 14; 1 John i. 7 ; and his resurrection,
to the quickening of us in holiness, Eph. ii. 5; Col. ii. 12.
392 THE SUFFERINGS AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST.
4. It comforteth us in all other calamities of life which may
befall us, that He who raised up himself from the dead, hath
compassion and power to deliver us from all evil, and to keep us
from falling. This is the sum of Job's argument, God will
raise me up at the last day, therefore undoubtedly he is able
(if it stand with my good and his own glory) to lift me up
from this dunghill again. Job xix. 27. And this is God's
argument to comfort his people in patient waiting upon him
in their afflictions, because their dead bodies shall live, and
those that dwell in the dust shall awake and sing, Isa. xxvi. 19.
5. Lastly, it serveth to draw our thoughts and affections
from earth unto heaven ; because things of a nature should
move unto one another. Now, saith the apostle, " our con-
versation is in heaven, from whence we look for the Saviour,
the Lord Jesus Christ ; who shall change our vile body, that
it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to
the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto
himself." To Him, with the Father and the Holy Ghost,
three Persons, and one God, be all honour, glory, majesty,
and thanksgiving for ever. Amen.
THE END.
Londoa: Printed by W. Clowes and SoKS, Stamfoul-street.
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