Jesus and the resurrection justified by witnesses in heaven and in earth in two parts : the first shewing that Jesus is the Son of God, the second that in him we have eternall life / by Symon Patrick ...

I.

AND in the very entrance of so pious a design, to improve the great grace which Heaven hath bestowed on us, it becomes us to stand amazed at the tran∣scendent love of God our Saviour: who not contenting himself to have thoughts and intentions of good towards such wretched Sinners, hath been pleased to make us a gracious promise that he will bless us; and to acquaint us, by no less Messenger then his own Eternall Son ap∣pearing from heaven in our flesh, with the secret purposes of his heart to give us the greatest Blessedness. There is nothing so astonishing as this; whether we consi∣der the incomparable excellency of the Good he designs us, or the favour he hath done us in revealing it to us, or the glo∣ry of that person by whom he reveals it, or the certainty we have that this is a

true report, that God hath given to us E∣ternall Life, and this Life is in his Son.

O most joyfull news! shall we poor mortalls live for ever? and live there where Jesus is? May such as we presume to expect such glory, honour and immor∣tality, as he hath brought to light by his Gospell? O wonderfull love! which might have concealed its kindness, and yet eternally obliged us. It had been e∣nough, if we had got to heaven, without knowing before-hand we should be so happy. Why should such offenders in∣joy the comfort of hoping for so great a Happiness, while we are here in these earthly prisons? Might we not have been well contented, to creep upon our hands and knees to so high a glory? Had we not been fairly used, if with our heads hanging down, and not daring so much as to lift up our eyes to that holy place, we had travelled through this world, and at last found our selves, beyond all ex∣pectation, at rest with Jesus? But, O the love of God, which hath bid us hold up our heads, and look above, and be∣hold our Lord in his glory, and hope well, yea be confident, that he hath sea∣ted us together in heavenly places in Christ

Jesus! We are indebted to him beyond all thoughts, for promising us so freely, out of his exceeding great love, and gi∣ving us so evident a right to such glory and honour, as our own unworthiness and guilt forbad us to promise our selves, or to have the least expectance of.

And what is it that he hath so freely promised? To look into that high and holy place where he is? at some distance to behold his glory? to have an Angel come sometimes to visit us, and bring us some message from him in some of the suburbs of heaven? And a great favour too, I assure you. A very singular kind∣ness it ought to be esteemed, if we vile wretches may be permitted to be so hap∣py, as but to come near the gates of the celestiall palace. Well would it be for us, to come but within the sound of those melodious hymns which the hea∣venly host continually sing: or to live but in some of the most remote corners of that heavenly countrey; and there enjoy, for many Ages, the sweet society of some good Friends, in pure love and innocent conversation. But hark; He tells us we shall live with him, and see his Glory, and be with his Son Jesus, and

reign together with him in his heavenly Kingdom, and be equall to the Angels, and enter into the joy of our Lord, and continue with him for ever. What man∣ner of love is this, that we should be called the Sons of God; and being like him, be∣hold him as he is! Where is our love? whither is it run? after what is it wan∣dred, if it be not here ready to acknow∣ledge this kindness, in making us such great, such exceeding great and precious promises? Ah me! that we should have lost our selves so much, as not to find our affections forward to meet such a love as this, with the highest transport of joy! When our hearts so abound with love, that we have enough for every thing in the world; when there is not a pretty bird or a dog but we have some to spare for it; have we none at all for our Lord God, for LOVE it self, for that Love which hath so loved us?

Ah blessed Jesus! that thou shouldst be pleased to doe so much for those, whose hearts thou knewest to be so cold, that they would scarce be warmed with the brightest beams of thine inconceiva∣ble love! How shall we excuse our selves to thee, that our Souls are still so frozen,

after thou, the Sun of righteousness, hast shone so long so powerfully upon us?

Let us consider, are we fed with a mere fancy? do we live onely in a plea∣sing dream? or are we left in doubt of the truth of these things, and hang in such suspence, that we know not what to think of them? No such matter nei∣ther. He hath compleated his kindness, by giving us a Certainty and full assurance of those things which are revealed to us in his Gospell. Here are WITNES∣SES of the highest quality to attest the truth of his Love: by whom we know that the Son of God is come, and hath gi∣ven us an understanding that we may know him that is true, &c. This is the true God, and Eternall Life. And as if one or two were not sufficient, here are six Witnes∣ses come to tell us how he loves us. Hea∣ven and Earth conspire to draw our hearts to be love of him; who hath not onely given us exceeding great Promises, but exceeding great Certainty that they are all true and faithfull. He knew very well they would seem incredible; being as much beyond all our thoughts, as they are beyond our deserts. And therefore he took care to give us such evidences of

their truth, as should not merely work in us belief, but a full assurance of faith. By Himself, by his Word, by the Holy Ghost, by the Water, the Bloud, and the Spirit, we are so many ways rooted and grounded in this perswasion, that we can∣not but see we are doubly beholden to his infinite bounty: first, for such excee∣ding great and precious promises; and then, for as wonderfully great confirma∣tion of them, to our unspeakable and endless comfort.

And are we not yet apprehensive of his love? Doth it not yet feelingly touch our hearts; but leave us indifferent whether we will love him or not? Ah fools that we are! who must be sent to school to those brute creatures mentioned before, to teach us better nature and bet∣ter manners. How do our very dogs (as I have said elsewhere) follow us and fawn upon us for a crust of bread? how close do they keep to us? how ready are they to defend us and our houses, and all belonging to us? Even when we are dead, some of them have been known not to forsake their Masters for any other. And what is all this service for, but such things as we have no use of, or make no

account of our selves? O blessed God! who can endure to stay so long as to hear this applied to himself, before he learn to love thee? I see whither this lesson tends: I behold already how shamefull it is to dispose of my heart away from thee. Thou hast given us thine own dear Son: What a gift! how great a boon! Thou hast promised us eternall life: How in∣valuable a possession! Thou hast given us good hopes and strong consolation: What an excessive kindness! Shall we not devote our selves to thee? shall we not forsake all, and follow thee, whi∣thersoever thou wilt lead us? We cannot refuse: we must resolve to surrender our hearts intirely to thee. We should be worse then Dogs, should we not with all our minds and soul and strength love that transcendent goodness, which by the most miraculous demonstrations hath perswa∣ded us, that we shall live eternally with himself, and enjoy the everlasting fruits of his infinite love. This is the most comfortable news that could possibly ar∣rive from heaven. Should we have had our own wishes, nothing greater, nothing so great could have entred into our hearts desire. This sweetens the bitter∣ness of all afflictions, and this heightens

all our joys; when we hope the one shall shortly, but the other shall never end.

Plutarch deservedly blamed Epicurus of great incogitancy, who, making all hap∣piness consist in Pleasure, denied the state of the future life: which it is the greatest pleasure to hope for and expect. Nothing casts such a damp upon all a man's enjoyments here, as the cold thoughts of an endless death seizing on his heart. He cannot but sigh to think that shortly there must be a finall period put to all his delights. As on the con∣trary, this gives life and spirit to them, if he can think they shall be improved and perpetuated for ever. And therefore how much do we owe to the love of God, who hath given us assurance even of the Resurrection of our body to an immortall life; and told us, it shall be so far from being lost by going to the grave, that, like Seed, it shall rise again quite ano∣ther thing then it was when cast into the ground? no longer weak, contemptible, corruptible and mortall; but power∣full, spirituall, glorious, incorruptible and immortall: and consequently ca∣pable of purer, more spritely, and more

lasting pleasures then now it injoys.

O how much more comfortable is this opinion, then that of the Epicurean, (as Tertullian excellently speaks ,) which vindicates thee from destruction! How much more seemly then the Py∣thagorean, which doth not send thee into beasts! How much more full then the Platonicall, which restores e∣ven thy body as a new dowry to thee! O tast and see how gracious the Lord is.

Bonum Deum novimus; solum opti∣mum à Christo ejus addiscimus : We knew God was good before; but so most ex∣cellently good, we learn onely from his Christ; who bidding us, next him, to love our Neighbour, doth that himself which he expects from us. He loves even our body, which is so many ways of kin to him.

Notes

• De Te∣stimonio animae c. iv.
• Id. De Resurrecti∣one carnis cap. ix.