HEBREWS ii. 3.
How shall we escape, if we ne∣glect so great Salvation?
IN handling these Words, I shall endea∣vour to shew, 1. The Greatness of the Salvation wrought for us by Christ; and 2. Our Inexcusableness and the intolerable Aggravations of our Guilt and Punishment, if we neglect it. That so either common Gratitude in re∣flecting upon the infinite Condescensions of Divine Love may draw us, or at least the Terrors of the Lord may affright us into Obedience. For how shall we escape, if we neglect so great Salvation?
I. I am to shew the greatness of the Sal∣vation wrought for us by Christ. And this appears,
1. From the Consideration of the Great∣ness and Majesty of the Person undertaking it. Now 'twas not any one of the Patri∣archs, who were burning and shining Page 85 Lights in their Generations. 'Twas not Moses, nor one of the Prophets, by whom in times past he spake unto the Fathers; But when the Fulness of the time was come God dealt with us, as the Lord of the Vineyard did with his Husbandmen; last of all sending even his own Son to be his Ambassadour to Mankind. His own Son, from whom by the Spirit all those Divine Teachers, which from the Beginning of the World to his Birth went before him in the Flesh, receiv'd their Power and Commis∣sion. Of whom Moses and the Prophets were only Types, Fore-runners and Sha∣dows; Figures, Ministers and Substitutes, to prepare and enable the World by de∣grees to receive this great Mystery of God∣liness, God manifested in the Flesh: this last and universal Declaration of Life and Immortality brought to light in his Go∣spel. His own Son, who is his only-Be∣gotten, Co-essential and Co-eternal with himself, the Heir of all things, the Lord of Glory, the very Brightness of his Fathers Glory, the Express Image of his Person, full of Grace and Truth. His own Son, * by whom were all things made, Visible and Invisible. Those most glorious and exalted Sons of the Morning, who when the Foundations of the World were laid, Page 86 sang melodiously together, and shouted for Joy, as well as the Beasts of the Field. All Thrones, Dominions, Principalities and Powers in Heaven and Earth, as well as the subordinate Classes of inferiour Be∣ings, and who still upholds them all by the Word of his Power. This is the Person, that comes to Save us. Even He, † who subsisted in the Form or Nature of God, and therefore thought it no Robbery, but his inviolable Right, to be Equal with God, makes himself of no Reputation, but takes upon him the Form or Nature of a Ser∣vant, and is made in the Likeness of Men.
But now how miserable and wretched was our Captivity which the Arm of Om∣nipotence only could lead captive? How thick and dismal the Darkness we were in, which the irresistable Rays of the Sun of Righteousness only could disperse and scat∣ter? How weighty and insupportable that Wrath which nothing could appease, but the adequate Condescensions of an Infinite Love? Where were all those spotless Beau∣ties of the Upper World? Those kind, compassionate Spirits, who seem to make it a great Part of their Heaven, to relieve us here below? Where all those bright Page 88 Squadrons of exalted Seraphims whose Names are renown'd and glorious for their transcendent Love in the Habitations of Men here, as well as in the Mansions of Glory? Could not these unstain'd, pure, and undefiled Images of our heavenly Fa∣ther, These faultless, innocent, and un∣blameable Beings, who continually sur∣round his Throne with Anthems of Praise, intercede for, and reconcile the offended Deity to Sinful Man? No, we were such heinous Offenders, that nothing less than God himself, could satisfie for our Faults: These Blessed Spirits could only in strains of Sorrow lament our Fall, and with a Pity and Concern commensurate to the passible Nature of such happy Beings, expect the Final determination of Infinite Wisdom, Goodness and Justice.
I know many Learned Men, both An∣cient and Modern, are of Opinion, That God might have pardon'd the Sins of Man∣kind without any Satisfaction made to his Justice, Solo nutu, & jussu, & voluntate, merely by the unexceptionable Preroga∣tive of his Soveraign Will and Power; and that 'twas only to shew his great Concern for the Honour of his Laws, and his ever∣lasting Hatred and Detestation of Sin, that he humbled his own Son to become a pro∣pitiation Page 89 for it. Far be it from me, to in∣trench upon the Divine Omnipotence, or impiously to say to his Goodness, what himself does to the Sea; Hitherto shalt thou come, but no farther, and here shall thy Operations be staid. Yet I think we may venture to affirm, that these Excellent Persons seem to be so enamour'd with the Beauty, of that lovely Attribute, his Mercy, that they have hardly vouchsaf'd to cast so much as one glance upon his Justice. Mercy, I acknowledge, is his Favourite, his darling Excellence; the very Flower and Beauty, as I may so say, of his Nature, in which his Soul takes most Delight and Complacency. And this, consider'd alone, might have remitted the whole Debt without any payment at all, or at least have accepted the Satisfacti∣on of an Angel. But then I consider on the other hand, that Justice is as Essential to him as Mercy, and that as the one is in∣finite, so is the other too. Now Justice (you know) demands the whole Debt should be discharg'd, and the Sinner not releas'd till he has one way or other paid the uttermost Farthing. But which, I pray, of all the Angels, is sufficient for these things? or where shall we find, amongst those Finite, tho' glorious, Beings, a Savi∣our Page 90 able to satisfie Infinite Justice for the Sins of the whole World? The Blessed Je∣sus look'd and saw there was none to help, and wonder'd there was no Intercessor; therefore his own Arm brought Salvation to him, and his Righteousness it sustain'd him. What I say, none of all Created Be∣ings, none of the heavenly Powers, those Magisterial and Master-pieces of his Crea∣tion, could Undertake, the Son of God himself humbly descends from his Throne of Glory even down to his Foot-stool, to perform and accomplish. Welcome then, thrice welcome, Blessed Jesu, into thine own World. Welcome to the unhappy Dwellings of forlorn and helpless Man. May the sense of thine infinite Love enlarge thy Dominions, and cause all People, Na∣tions, and Languages, to rise up, and call thee Blessed. May all Nations, whom thou hast made come and worship thee, and glorifie thy Name; For thou art Great, and dost wonderous things, thou art God alone.
Now then, my Brethren, let us not so ill requite this stupendous Condescension of the Son of God, as to debase him (as some impious and ungrateful Wretches do) beneath the Condition he humbled himself unto. Let us not, I say, for his infinite Page 91 Love cast Dirt in his Face; or, because he vouchsaf'd to assume the Infirmities of Humane Nature, despoil him (as much as we can) of the Glory and Majesty of the Divine. Though his Beauty was benight∣ed under a Cloud, there was Form and Comeliness enough in him, that we should desire him. The unconverted * Jew him∣self will tell us, that his Divinity, like the Sun shining through a Cloud, gave such Illustration and Testimony to all his Acti∣ons, that 'twas hardly lawful to call him a Man. And now he has run his Race, and finished his Course; the Cloud is remov'd, and the Mists all scatter'd before the pre∣vailing Sun. The Incarnate God shines forth in his full Glory and Triumph; yea, he is now altogether lovely. 'Tis the high∣est Repast of Angels, and the peculiar En∣tertainment of Glorified Spirits, to behold, admire, and praise his excellent Greatness; and when our enlarged Souls shall fly away to the same blissful Mansions, and be ad∣mitted to the Comprehensions of an intui∣tive Beatitude, they shall with equal Satis∣faction contemplate his Divine Beauty, and as skilfully tune their Harps to his Praises as they. Let us therefore, in the mean time, lay our Hand upon our Mouth, and with all due Prostration both of Body and Page 92 Mind adore this great Mystery of Good∣ness, this astonishing Miracle of the Divine Mercy and Condescention, which, though above the adequate Comprehension of our Reason, is put beyond all possibility of Di∣strust; being most amply confirm'd to us by the concurrent and infallible Testimony of God, Angels, and Men.
At his Baptism and Transfiguration, you know, he was proclaim'd by a Voice from Heaven, to be the Beloved Son of God, in whom he was well pleas'd. And again, when he bringeth in his First-begotten into the World, he commands, that this Exina∣nition of himself (this Obscuration of his Essential Glory under the Veil of Humane Flesh) may not diminish one Ray from the Honour of his Divine Majesty; but that all the Potentates in Heaven and Earth fall down and worship him. Worship him, † says he, all ye Gods, all ye Angels and Thrones in Heaven, all ye Kings and Judges of the Earth. The holy Angels, with their usual Chearfulness, obey'd the Royal Or∣ders. They humbly ador'd the holy Child Jesus, and stood ready, through all the Periods of his Life, to Serve and Worship him. St. Peter, though he saw him not so clearly as these Blessed Spirits, generously confess'd, that he was Christ the Son of Page 93 the Living God; and he receiv'd this Con∣firmation from the Mouth of our Lord him∣self, That Flesh and Blood had not reveal'd it unto him, but his Father only, which is in Heaven. Nay (to the everlasting Shame and Confusion of the unbelieving Sons of Men) the Devils themselves have ever subscrib'd to this Article. They knew and confess'd him here on Earth, and still be∣lieve and tremble. The over-aw'd and trembling ‖ Oracle plainly confess'd to the Roman Emperour at his Birth, that though he appear'd under all the disadvantageous Circumstances of Humanity and Weakness, He was the Soveraign Lord and King of the blest Beings above; * which was after∣wards confirm'd by a whole Legion of un∣clean Spirits, when in the Man possess'd they joyntly lifted up their Voices to him with a Jesus thou Son of God Most High. But to what purpose, I say, was all this? or why all this Noise and Ostentation, had he not been the Son of God in another and more excellent manner than were any of the Sons of Men, who either liv'd with him, or that went before him, had there not been something in it extraordinary, that entitled him to so sublime and divine a Privilege?
Page 94Angels, Kings, and Prophets (I confess) are frequently call'd the Sons of God. They have a larger Participation of his Power, or a Communication of more special Grace than is indulg'd and granted to his other Children; but yet their Honour and Dig∣nity fall infinitely short of that of Jesus the Son of God. For to which of the Angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this Day have I begotten thee? Or who is he amongst all those exalted Sons of the Most High, whom the Father advanc'd to sit at his own Right-hand till his Enemies are made his Footstool? David (you know) was a King, and yet he calls him Lord; and John the Baptist, though he was more than a Prophet, was never by Angels, Men, or Devils acknowledg'd to be properly the Son of God: no; these are the high Prero∣gatives of our Lord Christ Jesus: to him alone belong the most glorious and super∣eminent Titles of his own Son, his only Son, his only Begotten, and the Heir of all things. So that in all things (I say) he has the Preheminence.
But the Scriptures (if possible) speak plainer yet. They not only instruct by natural and necessary Illations and Conse∣quences, but also (to prevent all Cavils and Disputes) are careful in many places Page 95 to assert this Truth as clearly, and as ex∣presly, as Words can speak. * St. Thomas believes and confesseth to him, that he is his Lord and God; and those who should afterwards inherit the same Faith, are pro∣nounced Blessed. The Beloved † Disciple is positive, that the Word was God; and in the Close of his first Epistle speaking of Jesus, (to shew against an Objection, which he rightly foresaw would be after∣wards urg'd against the Christians, that they might safely worship him, without any Fear or Danger of that Idolatry which the Heathens were guilty of in worship∣ping their Daemons,) This, says he, is, not Deus factus, a made God, a God by Office, not by Nature; but 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the True God. The Learn'd * Apostle adds, that this Second Man is the Lord from hea∣ven, and God manifested in the Flesh, and again, (most blasphemously, if not truly; this being that particular Eulogy which is due only to Jehovah, the one Supreme, Eternal God of Israel) 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, God over all Blessed for Ever and Ever. Nay, (not to men∣tion the many Repetitions of this most glo∣rious Doxology to him in other places of Scripture) This is that good Confession our Lord himself made before his Judge. Page 96 He had all along, to the Rage and Amaze∣ment of his Enemies, held his peace; shew∣ing by his Silence, that he despis'd all their Accusations as certain and apparent Calum∣nies. But no sooner is urg'd to determine this Point, but he opens his Mouth, and de∣cides the matter. I adjure thee by the living God, * says the High-Priest, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus, after their modest way of Af∣firmation, saith unto him, Thou hast said, Or, as St. Mark more positively, Jesus said, I am. 'Tis certain, the High-Priest understood him not in that Vulgar Sense wherein Great and Righteous Persons, Kings and Prophets, are call'd the Sons of God; but that he affirm'd himself to be so in the Literal, Proper, and Natural Signifi∣cation of the words: For otherwise he could not, upon the account of this Con∣fession, have charg'd him with Blasphemy, nor consequently the Council have voted him to be guilty of Death. Thus too in the Fifth of St. John he tells the Jews plain∣ly, that God is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, his own Fa∣ther; making himself thereby (as they rightly concluded) to be Equal with God. And in another Conference with them in the Tenth of that Evangelist, He not only owns himself to be the Christ, and the Son Page 97 of God in the most proper sence; but adds farther, that He and his Father are One: One, not in Will only, but in Essence, Glory, Honour, and Power. I am sure the Jews understood him thus: for know∣ing, that none could call himself the pro∣per and natural Son of God, who must not assert himself likewise to be God, and al∣lowing him to be nothing more than a mere Man, they again tax him with Blasphemy, and go about to stone him. I and my Father, says our Lord, are One. Then the Jews took up Sones again to stone him. Jesus answer'd them Many good Works have I shew'd you from my Father; for which of those Works do ye stone me? The Jews answer'd him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not, but for Blasphemy, and because that thou, be∣ing a Man, makest thy self God. The Jews, I say, in these places accuse him of calling himself the Son of God in the most proper Sense, and consequently of making himself also very God. And yet our Lord is so far from traversing the Indictment, or re∣selling the Crimination, that in Vers. 38. he confirms their Logick, and then leaves them in this Opinion, which certainly he could never have done without infinite Derogati∣on from the Honour of the Divine Majesty, Page 98 and downright blasphemy, had he not really been what they apprehended he said he was: the Proper, Natural, and Only Begotten Son of God.
Thus, I say, is the Divinity of our Lord put beyond all possibility of Distrust, being preach'd to all the World by Angels, Prophets, and Apostles; Proclaim'd more than once from Heaven by the God of all Truth, the Eternal Father of Angels and men; and also most positively asserted in a publick Assembly by our Lord himself, who, as the *Holy Ghost bears him witness, did no Sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. What need we then, My Brethren, any farther witness? Or how is it possible for any Man, who rightly understands the weight of Divine Testimony, to call it in∣to Question? Such Men as † Eusebius has long since observ'd, must be more wise than their Maker, more knowing, and more intelligent, even than God that made them. Those inspir'd and infallible Wit∣nesses, the Prophets and Apostles, were not so knowing; and the most intelligent of all the Heavenly Spirits, the Cherubims themselves, if compar'd to them, are found wanting. The Church of Christ, in all Ages, has unhappily been overspread with the thick, uncomfortable darkness of Igno∣rance Page 99 and Error; and These Men alone have had the inestimable Privilege of enjoy∣ing the happy Goshen, the Dwellings of Light, the glorious Habitations of Wisdom and Knowledge. For if after the compli∣cated, irrefragable Testimony of so many Infallible Witnesses, the Belief and Con∣fession of the Church be requir'd in this Matter, She has in all Ages believ'd and confess'd it. This is that Faith, says the * Synod of Antioch, which we have re∣ceiv'd from the Beginning, and which the holy Catholick Church preserves pure and undefil'd; having deriv'd it by a constant and uninterrupted Succession, even unto this Day, from the Blessed Apostles them∣selves. And † some truly excellent and Learned Divines of our own, have shewn at large the Truth of this Assertion, from the particular Writings and Monuments of the Primitive Fathers; who, as well before as after the Council of Nice, with one Heart and one Voice confess and main∣tain the Divinity and Eternal Generation of the Son of God. These well-grounded and pious Souls could not be laugh'd or ri∣dicul'd by the Scoffs and Jeers, the Taunts and Sarcasms of their Learned and witty Adversaries; nor frighted by the severest Appearances of Torture and Persecution, Page 100 out of their Trust and Confidence in the Holy Jesus; but notwithstanding all the Imputations of Folly and Madness from an invidious Trypho, a scoffing Lucian, a viru∣lent Celsus, and a malicious Julian, they continually call'd upon him in the time of Trouble, and (as * Pliny tells Trajan) sang Praises to him as to the God of their Salvation. Neither did they only thus bravely contend for the Faith against the violent Incursions of the wild Boar out of the Forest; the Menaces and blasphemous Assaults of their profess'd Enemies, the Jews and Gentiles; but also were infinitely careful to secure it from the Wiles and Stratagems of the little Foxes; those false Teachers, that crept in amongst them, and under the specious Pretences of Reason and Revelation continually endeavour'd to spoil the Lords Vineyard. No sooner did any Heretick dare to impugn or invalidate this Doctrine, but he was immediately dis∣own'd by all the Faithful, and Anathema∣tiz'd or cast out of the Church as a rave∣nous Wolf, who design'd only to devour and tear in pieces the Lord's Flock, which is de∣monstratively Evident from that Class of Hereticks, Ebion, Theodotus, Artemon, Paulus Samosatenus, and Photinus. In short, Socinus himself confesseth, that the Page 101 whole Stream of Antiquity runs against him; and, that of all the Primitive Fathers and Councils, there is not so much as one that any way countenanceth his Opinion. So that you see, from all hands, that un∣less with a truly Satanical Pride we exalt our selves above all that is called God, and flatly give Heaven and Earth, God, An∣gels, and pious Men the Lye to their face, and side only with Jews, Turks, and Pa∣gans, we must acknowledge the Blessed Jesus to be in very deed no other than the Only-Begotten Son of the Most High, the Maker of All things, the King of Glory, Alpha and Omega, the First of Beings, and the Last of Ends, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
Thus then does the Greatness of our Sal∣vation appear from the Greatness and Ma∣jesty of the Person undertaking it. It does so
2. From the Greatness and Unconceiva∣bleness of those Sufferings, whereby he did accomplish it. Some, indeed, lessen the Sufferings of our Lord, by thinking he had the Comprehension of Blessedness, the Sup∣ports of actual Glory in the midst of all his Torments; that even then he did behold the Face of God, and communicate in Glory. But in answer to Men of these Page 102 Thoughts, I consider with the Excellent Bishop * Taylor,
1. That though the two Natures of Christ were knit by a mysterious Union in∣to one Person, yet the Natures still retain'd their incommunicable Properties; so that as the Divine Nature could not by vertue of this Union derive upon it self the Infir∣mities of the Humane, so neither did the Humane partake in all Instances of the Fe∣licities of the Divine: these indeed being essentially in God, but to Man communi∣cated without Necessity, and by an arbi∣trary Dispensation. Tho' therefore, as God, he is omniscient, and knows every thing; yet that, as Man, he was ignorant as many things, seeking Fruit upon the Fig-tree when the time of Figs was not come, and telling us himself, that he knew not the Day nor the Hour when he should judge the World; and therefore being said to have increas'd in Wisdom and Know∣ledge. Though, as God, he is from Ever∣lasting, and World without end; yet that, as Man, he had a Beginning in the Circum∣scriptions of time. Lastly, Though, as God, 'twas impossible for him to suffer, yet that, as Man, he was the Subject of Tor∣ment and Misery.
Page 1032. That some Virtues and Excellencies were then in the Soul of Jesus, which are not consistent with a glorify'd State; such as Hope, Holy Desires, and the like: All which having their Seat in the Soul, do suppose her yet in a state of Pilgrimage; a Condition, that is imperfect, and in order to something beyond what is present, it being impossible (as St. Paul observes) for a Man to hope for that which he alrea∣dy sees and enjoys.
3. That this Opinion annuls and de∣stroys the whole Merit of his Sufferings. For the least glympse of Glory, the minu∣test Ray of Beatifick Vision, out-weighs the greatest Calamities, and infinitely exceeds all that Spirit of Pain that can be extracted from the Infelicities of this World. But the Holy Scriptures everywhere assure us, that his Passion upon the Cross was a state of Merit and Work, and that as a Reward of it, he was crown'd with Glory and Im∣mortality. We see Jesus, says the * Apo∣stle, who was made a little lower than the Angels, for the suffering of Death crowned with glory and honour. And ‖ again, Christ humbled himself, and became obedient to Death, even the Death of the Cross. Where∣fore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a Name which is above every Page 104 Name. For his Sufferings (you see) his Name was exalted, his Kingdom glorify'd, and his Humanity advanc'd above all the Orders of Angels. For these he was made the Lord of all the Creatures, the First-fruits of the Resurrection, the Exemplar of Glory, the Prince and Head of the Catho∣lick Church: And therefore since all this was his Recompence, the Reward of his Sufferings, it could not be a necessary Con∣sequence and natural Efflux of the Personal Union of the Godhead with the Huma∣nity.
On the other hand there are who affirm, that the Soul of Jesus upon the Cross suf∣fered the Pains of Hell, and all the Tor∣ments of the Damn'd; and that without such Sufferings, it is not imaginable he should pay the Price which God's Wrath did demand of us. But the same that re∣proves the former, does likewise reprehend these latter. For the Hope, which was the support of his Soul in the midst of its Ago∣nies, as it confesseth an Imperfection, that is not consistent with the state of Glory, so does it exclude that Despair which is the Sting and Torment of accursed Souls. Our dearest Lord suffer'd indeed the whole Condition of Humanity, Sin only except∣ed; and by those sad Pains he endur'd up∣on Page 105 the Cross, merited Heaven for himself as the Head, and for all his faithful Servants as the Members of his Mystical Body. But yet (I say) we cannot conceive that he was ever under the Amazement of Hell, or that upon the Cross he felt the formal Mi∣sery and Spirit of Pain, which is the Por∣tion of Damned Spirits, because 'twas im∣possible he should despair, and without De∣spair 'tis impossible there should be a Hell.
But though I can by no means subscribe to this Assertion; yet I think 'tis highly probable, that in the Intention of Degrees and present Anguish the Soul of our Lord upon the Cross might feel a greater Load of Wrath than is incumbent in every in∣stant upon perishing Souls. S. Paul tells us, that every Sinner, as such, carries no less a Load about with him than a whole Body of Death. How many Deaths then, and unconceivable Agonies, must the Lamb of God have felt, when (as the Prophet speaks) the Lord laid on him the Iniquities of us all? Certainly the lively Sense of united, concentred Vengeance due to the Sins of the whole World, and the vast and singular Capacity of his Soul who was the Word in∣carnate, rendred his Sufferings most ama∣zing and insupportable. His Agony was so great, that it compell'd him, for a time, Page 106 almost to despair, and sink under its weight. Sure we are, it extorted from him this most bitter Cry, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And how insuppor∣table must those Sufferings have been, which could appear even to stagger such a Faith, and to eclipse his Assurance of the Presence and Love of his Heavenly Father?
But now again, How great is the Bitter∣ness of that Death, the rescuing us from which, brought so much Shame, and Pain, and Amazement upon the Son of God? How unparalell'd and unconceivably great that Salvation, in the purchasing of which the Lord of Hosts himself did even bleed and die? The Waters of Bitterness (you see) entred his Soul, and the Storms of Death and of his Father's Anger broke him all in pieces. But if this was done in the Green Tree, what without this would have been done in the Dry? If (I say) the Suf∣ferings of our Lord, who was the Son of God and innocent, who was all fair, and had no spot in him, were so sad and la∣mentable, then how amazing and insup∣portable had our Portion been without this Atonement, whom Sin had rendred his profess'd Enemies; and, as it were, fitted and mark'd out as Fewel for everlasting Burnings? But,
Page 1073. The Greatness of our Salvation ap∣pears, in that it frees us from the Bondage and Slavery of the Law. This was a grie∣vous and servile Dispensation, consisting of innumerable little Rites and Ceremonies, which had no intrinsick Value in them∣selves, and are therefore said by God him∣self to be Statutes that were not good; but were only adapted for a time to the weak Capacities and babe-like Humours of the Jews. Of Rites and Ceremonies, I say, so heavy and burdensome, that the Apostles themselves complained, that 'twas a Yoke upon their Necks, which neither they nor their Forefathers were ever able to bear. But now has Christ taken this Yoke from off our Necks, and made out a way for us into the Liberty of the Sons of God. He deals no longer with us as with Chil∣dren in our Minority, but has deliver'd us from the Tutorage and Paedagogy of the Law, from the Severity of its Commands, from the exact Punctilio's and Numerous∣ness of its Imposition. The new Moons and Sabbatical Years, the many Washings and Purifications stand us in no stead; nei∣ther are we oblig'd to long and tedious Journeys to Jerusalem, to present our Ob∣lations and Sacrifices at the Temple. Christ our Passover having been sacrificed for us, Page 108 and the Messiah cut off, all those typical Oblations and Sacrifices must for ever cease, the Shadow give place to the Substance, those Ritual Observances to Natural and Moral Duties, those Carnal Ceremonies to the Spiritual Worship, and that Tempora∣ry Dispensation to the Everlasting Cove∣nant of the Gospel. Circumcision now avails no more than Uncircumcision, and 'tis neither Meat nor Drink, but a new Creature only, that commends a Man to God. In a word, our Duty is no longer clogg'd with a company of useless and trou∣blesome Ceremonies, but (like the Servi∣ces of the ancient Patriarchs) is more ea∣sie and acceptable, more plain and simple, more humane and natural, more becoming the Grandure and Majesty of the Divine Being, and, more agreeable to the Nature of a spiritual and immortal Soul. 'Tis on∣ly to be happy the most proper and com∣pendious way; to love our blessed Maker for himself, and our Neighbours for his sake; to visit the Fatherless and Widows in their Afflictions, and to keep our selves un∣spotted from the World. All which, espe∣cially if we consider the extraordinary In∣dulgence of Divine Assistance, which we now enjoy, render our Salvation Great, Wonderful, and Glorious. And so I come Page 109 to my Fourth Particular, which is to shew, the Greatness of our Salvation, from the Consideration of those greater Aids of Di∣vine Grace, those particular Mercies we now enjoy under the Dispensation of the Gospel, whereby we may be freed both from the Guilt and Punishment, and also from the Power and Dominion of Sin.
4. Now the Law only discovers Sin, but affords no degrees of supernatural Power to subdue it; but with the Preaching of the Gospel the Holy Ghost was sent down from Heaven, who by illuminating, preventing, and exciting Grace assists Men to perform the Conditions of Salvation, and is pro∣mis'd in rich and liberal Supplies to all that humbly and ardently pray for him. God now pours Water upon him that is thirsty, and Floods upon the dry Ground; he pours out his Spirit upon our Seed, and his Bles∣sing upon our Off-spring, whereby they may spring up as among the Grass, as Wil∣lows by the Water-courses. The Law di∣rects to no means for the Expiation of Guilt, but peremptorily and dogmatically denounceth Death to all Offenders. The Soul that sins shall die. But the Gospel delivers us from this terrible Sentence of the Law, and allows a Renovation of the Sinner by Repentance, to which the ple∣nary Page 110 Pardon of Sin is assured. Wash ye,* make ye clean, says God by his Evangelical Prophet, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do well, and though your Sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like Crimson, they shall be as wool. God indeed will not pardon those who flatter themselves in their Sins; but they who confess and forsake them shall find Mercy. The Law exacts absolute perfect, uninterrupted Obedience; and for the least Omission or accusing Act, past an irrevocable Doom upon the Offender: Cur∣sed is the man that continues not in a things written in the Law, to do them. But the Gospel mitigates and allays this Strictness and Severity; calls only for sincere and persevering, though imperfect Obedience, and propounds such merciful Conditions to the guilty, that upon the performance of them they may plead their Pardon seal'd with the Blood of their Redeemer, to be sav'd and crown'd in the Day of Judg∣ment.
And thus whereas the Law worketh no∣thing but Wrath, being as terrible in its In∣junctions, as 'twas at first in its Promulga∣tion; the Kingdom of Heaven, the Gospel of Peace, addresseth it self to us after ano∣ther Page 111 manner. It speaks to us in a still, small Voice; the whole Tenour of it (you see) running in this gentle strain, Sin no more; Repent and be converted; Come to Christ, and be refresh'd, and find Rest unto your Souls. The Grace of God, I say, which bringeth Salvation, doth thus appear, teaching us, that if the time past of our Lives shall suffice us to have wrought the Will of the Gentiles, and we will now in good earnest renounce all our ungodly and worldly Lusts, and take care for the time to come faithfully to discharge our Duty to God, our Neighbour, and Our∣selves, to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present World, Sin shall not have Dominion over us, God having ob∣lig'd himself by express Promise, that he will not suffer us to be tempted above what we are able, but that in all our Temptations he will make a way for us to escape, that we may be able to bear them. So that though Sin is not entirely destroy'd, (that being the Privilege of Angels and Souls freed from the Fetters of Mortality) yet (as St. Paul speaks of its Effect, Death) it has lost its Sting, and is only instrumental to the Advancement of the Glory of God, who upon our sincere and hearty Repen∣tance, and Reformation of our Lives, will Page 112 pardon all our past Offences, though never so many and great in themselves; and for those daily Failures, those Sins of Infirmity, those Lapses of Humane Nature, which the Best of Men must more or less be subject to, as long as they lie under the Disadvan∣tages of Mortality, will put them all upon the Score of the Cross.
5. The Greatness of the Salvation wrought for us by Christ, appears, in that he has deliver'd us from that Ignorance and Darkness which the whole World lay in at his Coming. Both Jews and Gentiles (I confess) had some Notices or Conception• of a Future State; but then they were so miserably intricate and obscure, so confus'd and uncertain, that they were very little better than none at all. Those most Think∣ing and Learned Pagans, the Pythagoreans and Platonists, after the most diligent Search and Enquiry into these Matters, could never advance beyond a Probability: all their fine Harangues and rapturous Dis∣courses upon the Immortality of the Soul, being Indications rather of their good Wish∣es, than Demonstrations of its Reality. Aristotle not only wavers and fluctuates in his Opinion, but also Problematically disputes against it; though it must be con∣fess'd, that in his Book De Animâ he stiles Page 113 her, without any scruple, Eternal and Im∣mortal. But the Stoicks are as Dogmatical in this Point as in any other. Sometimes indeed they talk like Abstracted Beings or pure Intelligences, with the noblest Flights of Rhetorick and Fancy decyphering the Exalted Happiness of the Soul when she is entirely loosned from the Clogs of Matter, and freely roves up and down in the pure unmixed Regions of Light and Glory. But then (as though they had lain all this while in a Trance, and had only been en∣tertained with the fantastick illusive Re∣presentations of a sportive Imagination) they for the most part peremptorily deter∣mine, That Death is not only the Separa∣tion of the Soul from the Body, but the ut∣ter Dissolution likewise, or Dissipation of both; there being no more after the Death of a Man than was before his Birth, viz. Emptiness, Insensibility, and Darkness: Nay, when in their abstracted Humours they vouchsafe to allow her a Subsistence without the Body, 'tis only till the next Universal Conflagration, when she and all Created Beings must End and Die toge∣ther. Nor indeed was the Confession of that great Master of Morality, Socrates himself, much better; for, concluding his gallant and most excellent Apology before Page 114 the Areopagites, with some glorious Refle∣ctions upon the inestimable Happiness of Good Men in the other World, he in the very last Words dash'd all with an open un∣disguis'd Acknowledgment of his remain∣ing Doubts and Jealousies.* 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Could I be assur'd (says he a little before) of the Reality of this Blessed State, I would gladly die a thousand times over to enjoy it. But now (my Judges) the time of my Departure is come: 'Tis your Lot to live, and mine to die; which of these two is the Better, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, is a thing utterly unknown to any but God alone. In short, Dicaearchus, Democritus, Epicurus, and their Followers, as constant∣ly as positively declare, That there is no Subsistence of the Soul after this Life; but that when the Body returns to Dust, she immediately relapseth into the bottomless Abyss of Annihilation and Darkness.
And then for the Jews, at the time of our Saviour's Coming, they stood much upon the same Level: For, though from the Translation of Enoch and Elias, and the Death of their Patriarchs, who never inhe∣rited the Promises of Temporal Felicity, and particularly that of Moses, which their Rabbins are pleas'd to call The Kiss of Page 115 God's Mouth, intimating thereby, that he breathed out his Soul by the Force and Energy of Contemplation; without those Pains and Convulsions which are the usual Concomitants of the Death of other Men, resolving himself into the Embraces of his Maker: From the positive and express Words of Job, which (however some Mo∣dern Commentators are pleas'd to under∣stand them) are, I conceive with S. Hie∣rom and the Ancients, as plain and clear a Confession of the Resurrection, as any that have been made since the Promulgati∣on of the Gospel: From the glorious Con∣fession of that excellent Woman and her se∣ven Children in the Maccabees, who all re∣fus'd Deliverance, that they might obtain a better Resurrection: and from those ma∣ny Promises of Eternal Life scatter'd up and down in the Book of Psalms, and other Writings of the Old Testament. Though (I say) from all these one might reasona∣bly expect the Jews should have had some fuller and clearer Knowledge of the State after Death; yet being no part of that Cove∣nant which (if strictly considered as made with that People at Mount Sinai) was foun∣ded only upon Temporal Promises; Peace, Long Life, Plenty, and Prosperity in their own Land, they had generally no other Page 116 Effect, than that they were believ'd to be the Reward of Men of Heroick and Extra∣ordinary Piety. Nay, their unaccountable Blindness and Unattention to the Faith and Manners of their Fathers, who did all eat the same spiritual Meat, and did all drink the same Spiritual Drink, as we Christians do, occasion'd so many Cavils and Dis∣putes amongst them, that the Sadduces peremptorily deny'd it; not only, decry∣ing the Resurrection of the Dead, but af∣firming likewise, with the foremention'd Epicureans, that the Souls of Men did pe∣rish together with the Body. And tho' the Pharisees on the contrary confess'd it, yet their Notions of it (as Josephus him∣self,* who was one of them, tells us) were no better than those of Fairy-Land or Ely∣sian Dreams. Delicious Dwellings, flowery Fields, Crystalline Rivers, and beautious Trees of Gold, under whose delightful shade they should play and toy away a whole Eternity with fair and amorous Vir∣gins, was the utmost Heaven they could or car'd to imagine; and therefore the Sadduces so often foil'd and buffled them with that Argument of the Woman and her seven Husbands, which they thought to be so conclusive, that (but with diffe∣rent Success) they attack'd likewise with it our Saviour himself.
Page 117But now the Veil is taken off by Christ, and we behold the Glory of the Lord with open Face; For this (says the Apostle) is the Promise that he has promis'd us, even Eternal Life. A Life not of sensual and brutish Pleasures, not a Paradise of all Fil∣thiness and Debauchery (whereby the Epi∣leptick Impostor has likewise impos'd upon his Followers) but a Life of perfect Purity and Holiness, a Life of immaterial, spiri∣tual, abstracted Joys, of chaste and ratio∣nal Delights; where our Nature shall be entirely conform'd to the Divine, made like to God, and we enjoy an endless and uninterrupted Communion with our Ma∣ker. This he has promis'd, and of this he has given us Assurance; all the Assurance the thing is capable of, in that he has not only rais'd himself from the Dead, but call'd likewise some of our Brethren al∣ready out of the Grave, and taken them up with him in their glorious Bodies to enter before-hand upon the Possession of this pro∣mis'd Inheritance. So that we may boldly say with the Apostle, We know for certain, and are fully assured, that if this earthly house of our Tabernacle be dissolved, we have a Building of God, an House not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens. Thus has the Sun of Righteousness dispell'd all those Page 118 Clouds of Ignorance and Darkness which overspread the whole World at his Rising, and brought Life and Immortality to per∣fect Light thro' the Gospel. Which must certainly be acknowledg'd to be a very great Salvation, if we consider in the next place, that he has hereby rescu'd us from that base and slavish Fear of Death, by rea∣son of which we had otherwise been all our life-time subject to Bondage.
6. Now how unwelcome soever Death must be to those Men, to whom 'tis there∣fore all Terror before, because all Darkness behind; who are therefore dismay'd at his Approach, because they know not the Consequences of this King of Terrors; 'tis impossible that Person should immoderate∣ly fear Death, who considers, that 'tis on∣ly a Passage from this Wilderness to the true Canaan, the Rest above, that flows with Milk and Honey, with Innocence and Happiness for ever: who knows, that the Death of the Saints is not total, but that as in the Ceremony of Purification from Le∣prosie one Bird was kill'd, the other let fly into the open Air, (the mysterious Sha∣dow of the Lepers being restor'd to a state of Liberty) so when the Body dies, and returns to the Earth, the Spirit is freed from the Clogs of Mortality, and returns, with Page 119 Songs of Joy and Triumph in its mouth, to the Object of its Happiness, the God that gave it. Nay, the faithful Christians, the true Lovers of Jesus, who have tasted the Goodness of the Lord, and long consi∣der'd and well weighed the incomparable Difference between the mean, imperfect, frail Felicities of this present World, and the substantial, solid, immutable Glories of that which is to come, must certainly cry out with the inflamed * Spouse, Draw us, and we will run after thee: O! loosen our Affections from this World, that we may readily ascend to thee. Their longing Souls will renew the passionate Sighs of the Exil'd Prophet, O when shall we come and appear before the presence of God! How welcome must Death be to them, when it comes (as it were) with Olive-branches in its hands to offer them Peace? to set them at perfect Liberty from the Bondage of Corruption, the Servitude and Thraldom of their mortal Bodies? They know their happy Souls will be immediately convey'd by Angels into the Presence of their Savior, and by him presented to his Father without Spot or Wrinkle, invested with his Righte∣ousness, compleat in his Holiness, and pre∣par'd and qualified for an Everlasting Com∣munion with him in Glory. That they Page 120 are the Reward of his Sufferings, the pre∣cious and dear Purchase of his Blood, and therefore that they shall be joyfully recei∣ved into Heaven by him, who will then see the glorious Effects of the Travail of his Soul, and be satisfied. That the Angels, who rejoyc'd at their Conversion, will much more do so at their Glorification; and the Church of the First-born, who have before them entred into Glory, have a new Accession of Joy, to see them safely arriv'd at the same undefil'd and immortal Inheri∣tance. These things (I say) thus duly considered, must needs inspire them with Courage and Alacrity, and enable them chearfully to lay down their Bodies, that they may ascend to the Seat of Blessedness, this happy Society above, that inspires mu∣tual Endearments and Joys for evermore. I am sure 'twas thus with the Primitive Christians. S. Paul, with the most earnest Affections and passionate Zeal, desir'd to depart hence, to leave the transitory, dis∣satisfying Pleasures of this Life, to be dis∣solv'd and to be with Christ; and the Mar∣tyrs with all imaginable Boldness and Gal∣lantry encountred Death, that interpos'd between them and Glory. They as wil∣lingly left their Bodies, as Elias let fall his Mantle, to ascend into Heaven.
Page 121Some indeed of these excellent Persons (as ‖ S. Chrysostom tells us) went to Death with many Appearances of Fear. When they heard the wild Beasts roar, they were struck with Horror: At the sight of the Executioners and the Instruments of Tor∣ture, they were pale and trembling. The Flesh seem'd to cry out, O! Let this Cup pass from me. But these, alas! were but the little ineffectual Struglings of innocent Nature, which, though weak and faint, follow'd the Spirit, and corrected its own Desire with, Not my Will, but thine be done. As the Moon in Eclipse, though obscure, goes on in a Regular Course, as when 'tis full of Light by the Reflection of the Sun; so these Christian Heroes, though as it were, forsaken and depriv'd of the kind Influences of the Spirit, the bright Beams and Irradiations of Divine Comfort, perse∣ver'd notwithstanding in their Regular Mo∣tion, the resolute and undaunted Profession of the Truth. No Torments could force them to renounce their Saviour; no Ter∣rors of Death to warp from the Profession of their Faith; but the Consideration of that eternal weight of Glory, which after a short night of Sorrow and Heaviness they should receive in the Inheritance of the Saints in Light, enabled them at length to Page 122 overcome their Fears, and in spight of all the Reluctancy of Nature, to keep the Command of God, and the Faith of Jesus. Thus the Stars fall down from Heaven, and Clods of Earth ascend and shine in the Firmament. The Angels, that excell'd in Strength and Knowledge, kept not their state of Purity and Glory, but are shame∣fully sunk down into Corruption and Mise∣ry: but these humble Believers, though weak and encompass'd with many Difficul∣ties, were preserved by the Blood of Jesus from destructive Evil, from the Fear of the First, and the Power of the Second Death, passing undauntedly through the Domini∣ons of the King of Terrors to their Fathers Kingdom, where with all the Company of Holy Angels and Beatified Souls, they now lie infolded in the Circles of Peace and Joy, expecting the Consummation of Bles∣sedness, the Redemption of their Bodies in the joyful and glorious Morning of the Re∣surrection. Which brings me to my Se∣venth and Last Particular, which is to shew the Greatness of the Salvation wrought for us by Christ, in that he has not only me∣rited the Salvation of our Souls, but the Redemption likewise, or the Resurrection, of our Bodies.
Page 1237. Of all the Christian Doctrines, this was ever esteemed the most incredible; and has accordingly, in all Ages, met with the greatest Opposition. The Learned Hea∣thens generally look'd upon the Body as the Prison, the Dungeon, and Sepulchre of the Soul, and therefore do not stick to affirm, That for a separated Soul to return into a Body, is to undergo a second Death. Nay, that famous Rabbin Ben Maimon was of the same Perswasion; it being a known Aphorism of his in his Great Work, That in the World to come (or state of consum∣mate Happiness) there shall be nothing but pure Incorporeity. This engag'd them to employ all their Learning and Parts to represent this Doctrine as a monstrous and ridiculous Paradox, not fit to be embrac'd by any of the genuine Sons of Wisdom and Learning. Accordingly we find St. Paul was counted mad by Festus, and but a Bab∣ler at best by the great Wits at Athens, for venturing to preach to them Jesus and his Resurrection: and it chiefly stomachs the Heathen in Minutius Felix, that the Chri∣stians should peremptorily assert the Resur∣rection of the Body, which every Eye saw to be subject to Corruption; and yet at the same time threaten Ruin and Destructi∣on to the Heavenly Bodies, which the ge∣nerality Page 124 of Philosophers acknowledg'd in∣corruptible. Nay some Christians them∣selves have not been very careful to answer us fairly in this matter. Photius tells us of Synesius, that for his great Parts and singu∣lar Abilities he was made a Bishop, before he believ'd this Article; and the Socinians, Anabaptists, and some other Sectaries, seem to be no great Favourers of it at this day. But what if these Men believe not? Shall their Unbelief make the Faith of God of none effect? God forbid. Yea let God be true (as the Apostle speaks) though every Man a Lyar. He then that is Truth it self, who therefore can neither deceive nor be deceived, has told us, that the hour is co∣ming, in the which all that are in the ‖ Grave shall hear his Voice, and shall come forth, they that have done good to the Resurrection of Life, and they that have done evil to the Resurrection of Damnation.
And now (my pious Brethren) how joy∣ful and pleasant a thing is this, to hear of the Restitution of our lost Parts, the Reno∣vation of our corrupted and putrefy'd Bo∣dies? that they shall not be devour'd in the Jaws of Death and the Grave, but re∣stor'd to us again all Fair, and Beautiful, and Glorious? Sin indeed removes us all into the Retirements of the Grave, and se∣curely Page 125 locks us up for a time in the Iron Embraces of the King of Terrors. It dis∣mantles us of all our Strength and Beauty, and dooms us to dwell for ever in those dark Houses of Forgetfulness and Corrupti∣on. We lie in the Grave like Sheep, help∣less, and fast bound in the Chains and Fet∣ters of Death. This last Enemy has at pre∣sent an absolute and entire Domination over us; our Beauty, Honour, and Glory, mouldering and consuming all away in his insatiable Dwellings. But yet he who hath the Keys of Hell and of Death, hath pro∣mis'd to unlock the Doors of these loath∣some Prisons, and to let the Prisoners go forth into a state of Liberty and Glory. He turneth Man to Destruction; but his Al∣mighty Voice will one day call through all the Receptacles of Nature, Come again ye Children of Men. By him lastly, who li∣veth and was dead, and is alive for ever∣more, shall those that sleep in the Dust of the Earth be awak'd and sing, Death is swallowed up in Victory. Which Conside∣ration alone, as it is full of Comfort, and Joy, and Triumph to every faithful Chri∣stian, so is it likewise sufficient to curb the Arrogance and Haughtiness of that Apo∣state Spirit. Who therefore (says an in∣genious * Author of our own) chiefly fre∣quents Page 126 Coemeteries, Charnel-Houses, and Churches, because they are the Dormito∣ries of the Dead; where, like an insolent Champion, he beholds with Pride the Spoils and Trophies of his Victory over Adam.
And thus I have discharg'd my first Ge∣neral Head, which was, to shew the Great∣ness of the Salvation wrought for us by Christ. I now proceed to my Second, which is, very briefly to lay before you our Inexcusableness, and the intolerable Ag∣gravations of our Guilt and Punishment, if we neglect it. How shall we escape, &c.
1. Then, we shall be utterly inexcusa∣ble, and intolerably aggravate our Guilt and Punishment, if we neglect this great Salvation which Christ hath wrought for us, because we shall be entirely destitute of the mollifying Circumstances and Conside∣rations of Ignorance. Whilst Men had lit∣tle or no Understanding, but walk'd on still in Darkness, 'twas no wonder that the Foundations of the Moral, as well as of the Intellectual World, were out of course. Their broken Notices of another State, and beggarly Conceptions of its Delights and Entertainments, induc'd them rather to let loose the Reins to their Intemperance, than to correct and retrench the Luxuriancy of Page 127 their Vices. A more delicious Canaan, the Fields and Groves of Elysium, and a Maho∣metan Paradise, naturally lead Men to an unbounded Gratification of their sensual Appetites, as to that which is the End and Perfection of their Beings, their ultimate Portion in the Regions of Eternity. So that a truly moral Man, with such Perswasions about him, would be an Object equally strange and surprizing, as Fewel or dry Stubble, that will not take fire in the midst of a burning firy Furnace.
But now with Christians is the Case quite otherwise. We know for certain both the Existence and Nature of the other State. That for pure and holy Souls, who are en∣tirely cleans'd from the Stains and Polluti∣ons of corrupted Nature, and rais'd to the Possession of their Primitive Brightness, re∣mains a most glorious and undefil'd Inheri∣tance, Entertainments most agreeable to their enlarged Faculties, exalted and divine Joys for evermore. That for impure and sensual Souls, on the contrary, who fight under the Banner of the World and the Flesh, forsaking God that made them, and lightly esteeming the Rock of their Salva∣tion, is prepar'd a Worm that will never die, and a Fire that will ne'er be quench'd. We know (I say) that Refin'd and Puri∣fied Page 128 Souls will be receiv'd into serene undi∣sturbed Mansions of everlasting Happiness, the City of the Living God, the Heavenly Jerusalem, where, with all the shining and innumerable Companies of Holy Angels, they shall for ever behold and praise the un∣folded Beauties of their God and Saviour. That on the other hand there are sad, un∣comfortable Regions of Darkness and Mise∣ry, where Fire and Brimstone, Storms and Tempests, will be the lamentable and ever∣lasting Portion of the Ungodly. Fire and Brimstone, to possess, inflame, and torment their Bodies; and the Storms and Tempests of an enraged Conscience impetuously to hurry their awak'ned Souls through all the unhappy Stages of that woful Eternity. If we then dare to commit Wickedness, who have received this clear Knowledge of its sad Effects and Consequences; that it cuts off all our hopes of the Glories of Heaven, and irrevocably condemns us to the uncon∣ceivable Agonies and Amazements of Hell; we put our selves beyond all possibility of Excuse, and (as our Saviour himself assures us) unmeasurably enhanse the Severities of our Condemnation. This is the Condemna∣tion, * says he with an Emphasis, i. e. the highest, the greatest, the most intolerable Condemnation, that when Light is come in∣to Page 129 the World, Men love Darkness rather than Light. In a word, God may vouch∣safe to wink at the times of Ignorance, and graciously overlook the unhappy Miscarri∣ages of the unenlightned World: He may be favourable to the Servant that knows not his Will, and therefore does unwitting∣ly things worthy of Stripes: But Christi∣ans, who know their Lord's Will, and yet prepare not themselves, nor do according∣ly, will have nothing to plead or pretend for their Disobedience, and therefore will most certainly be beaten with many Stripes.
2. We shall be utterly inexcusable, and intolerably aggravate our Guilt and Punish∣ment, if we neglect this great Salvation which Christ has wrought for us, because we thereby become guilty of the vilest In∣gratitude. We know the infinite Obliga∣tions to Duty and Gratitude, which our Heavenly Father has laid upon us; all the Stratagems of his Goodness, the astonishing Miracles of Divine Mercy and Condescen∣sion. That he, whom the Virgins, the untainted Beings above adore and love, meekly drew a veil over his Essential Glo∣ries, and cloath'd himself with Flesh for the Society of Mankind. That the Eternal, Independent, All-sufficient One, stoop'd down for our sakes to the lowest Estate of Page 130 Uneasiness and Need; and the Lord and Governour of all the Kingdoms of the Earth vouchsaf'd to dwell among us, though he scarce found a place where to lay his Head. That the King of Glory was contented not only to be despis'd and rejected of Men to become a Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with Grief; but also to suffer his most pre∣cious Life to be most cruelly and ignomini∣ously taken from among Men, that be might entitle us again to Happiness and Glory. Nay, we have seen the only begot∣ten Son of the Living God oppress'd and groaning under a heavier load of Misery than all this; almost sinking under the in∣supportable Burthen of his Father's Wrath and in the Anguish and Bitterness of 〈◊〉 Soul most lamentably complaining, t• his Father too, whom he had never offe••¦ed, had for the Foulness and Blackne•• our Iniquities hid his Face from him. 〈◊〉 more, we are sensible that we our se• have been the Betrayers and Murtherers of the Lord of Life; that he has frequently bled afresh, and been crucify'd again 〈◊〉 our new Sins; that our repeated Impieties have wounded his sacred Side, and the 〈◊〉 rows of our Ingratitude pierc'd him to 〈◊〉 very Heart. How (notwithstanding 〈◊〉 this) he is so merciful, that he will not Page 131 suffer his Displeasure to arise, but that he calls us daily, importunes us incessantly, and intreats us earnestly to return. That he begs us not to ruin and destroy our selves, opens his Arms to receive us, tho' we have been never so ungrateful, and pro∣miseth Pardon for all that is past, if we will but take care to be obedient for the future. Lastly, we know, that if we will return, and do Works meet for Repentance, he will in due time take us from this Vale of Misery, these Regions of Exile, this State of our Pilgrimage into his Father's House, there solemnly pronounce our Discharge before all his Saints, and crown us with Joy unspeakable and full of Glory.
Now then to trespass against this great Friend and Benefactor, whose wonderful Love even condescended to assume our Na∣ture into his Divinity, and so to exalt it above Cherubims and all the brightest Or∣ders of Intelligences; who in our Nature thus assum'd graciously embrac'd for our •akes both the Miseries and Calamities of a distressed Life, and also the Infamy and Tortures of an accursed Death; who still (notwithstanding all our disingenuous and most ungrateful Returns) continues his Tenderness and Compassion for us, even •ayly offering his Grace and Pardon to the Page 132 greatest of Sinners, and by all the gentle Insinuations of an unwearied •over endea∣vouring to allure and entice them into Happiness. To trespass (I say) against this great Friend and Benefactor, is cer∣tainly a Provocation of the most amazing Proportions, a Sin of the deepest Dye, the basest and soulest Ingratitude, that can be imagined. What then (think you) will be the Condition of such Sinners when God shall come to Judge the World? When they shall see him, whose infinite Love they have despised and rejected, coming in the Clouds of Heaven, and all his Holy An∣gels with him, to reward every Man ac∣cording to his Works? Alas! every Cir∣cumstance of this glorious Day will fright∣fully represent to their awak'ned Conscien∣ces the monstrous Aggravations of their unparallell'd Ingratitude. This God, who now comes in the Clouds with Vengeance is that very Saviour who dy'd to redeem them. Those Emeralds or sparkling Jewels that shine so gloriously in his Body, the deep and gastly Wounds he receiv'd 〈◊〉 their sakes: Those glittering Attendant• and Myriads of holy Ones; the Company he design'd for their Eternal Conversation and those bright Regions of Everlast••• Day, which appear over their Heads, th• Page 133 Place he so dearly purchas'd for their im∣mortal Inheritance. These things (I say) thus united, and at once represented to their view, will swell their Passions to that Height and Fullness, as infinitely exceed the Measures of Mortality to conceive. They will occasion such sharp, such acute Reflections, as (like two-edged Swords) will every way rend, and tear, and stab, and gash their mollified Spirits with fresh incurable Wounds to all Eternity. Their monstrous Ingratitude will then look them broad in the face, and (like frightful and terrible Gorgons or Furies) possess their Souls with Horror and Trembling, with ineffable Amazement and everlasting Con∣fusion. In a word, The thorough and lively Apprehensions which they shall then have of their Sins and Follies, will so in∣cense and enrage them, that they'll be all in a flame with Fury and Indignation a∣gainst themselves, weeping, and wailing, and gnashing their Teeth; always, as it were, uon a Rack, without any Inter∣mission of their Pains and Anguish, distor∣ted, afflicted, distracted, confounded.
What then remains, but that, since these things are so, we seriously take our Case into Consideration? That since our Burden is lighter than that of Jews or Gentiles, we Page 134 run with greater Chearfulness the ways of God's Commandments? That we grieve not the Holy Spirit, nor turn the Grace of God into Lasciviousness; but that the great, extraordinary Assistances which we now enjoy under the Gospel, influence our Wills, direct our Choice, and give Warmth and Vigour to our Affections? That the cer∣tain Faith and Assurance which we have of a Future State, and of its Rewards and Pu∣nishments, work most powerfully upon our Minds to conquer all the Temptations of this Life, to deterr us from doing any thing whereby we may forfeit our Crown, and to render us stedfast, immoveable, al∣ways abounding in the Work of the Lord, forasmuch as we know, that our Labour will not be in vain in the Lord? and since the greatest Punishments imaginable attend our Miscarriages, that we lift up the hands that hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees, and run with patience the Race that is set before us? Let us then look unto Je∣sus, the Author and Finisher of our Faith, and follow his Example, who for the Joy that was set before him endur'd the Cross, despis'd the Shame, and is therefore now sat down at the Right-hand of the Majesty on High. Let us frequently contemplate his stupendious, unfathomable Love in Page 135 vouchsafing to assume our Nature; that he, who is Mighty, should so debase himself to magnifie us, and evermore say with the in∣flam'd and seraphick Virgin, Holy and Blessed is his Name. Let us, with her Piety and Devotion, view the Immacu∣late Lamb of God crown'd with Thorns upon the Cross: Let us behold him there bleeding and dying for our Sins. Let his unconceivable Agonies sink deep into our Hearts, and make us to weep bitterly for those Sins which caus'd such Torments to our Dearest Lord. Let us beseech him by all that Anguish and Amazement his Soul endur'd for our sakes, never to suffer us to crucifie him any more; but that he would be pleas'd to come and take up his Lodging with us, to drive out all those Usurpers, the World with its Vanities; to make an utter Destruction of every Amala∣kite, and to take to himself the entire Pos∣session of our Hearts. Let us most passi∣onately intreat him not to suffer our im∣mortal Souls, the price of his own Blood, to perish; but that he would be graciously pleas'd to wash away all their Stains, to cloath them in his white Robe, and so to present them spotless and unblameable to our Heavenly Father. Lastly, If the Au∣thor of Salvation, and that Eternal too, be Page 136 worthy to be prais'd, let us now begin these Songs upon Earth, which will be our happy Employment and Business in Heaven, with all those glorious Angels and Holy Ten Thousands that worship about the Throne, saying, Blessing, and Honour, and Glory, and Power be unto him that fitteth upon the Throne, and unto the Lamb for Ever and Ever. Amen. Amen. Allelujah.
