THE First general EPISTLE OF St. JOHN The APOSTLE, Unfolded and Applied. The First PART In two and twenty Lectures on the First Chapter: and two Verses of the Second: Delivered in St. Dyonis. Back-Church. AN. DOM. 1654. By NATH. HARDY Minister of the Gospel, and Preacher to that Parish. Orig. hom. 2. in divers. O Beat johannes, non immeritò vocaris johannes, id est, cui donatum est: cui enim Theologorum donatum est, quod tibi donatum est? abdita videlicet summi boni penetrare mysteria & ea quae tibi revelata & declarata sunt humanis mentibus ac sensibus intimare. London, Printed by E. Tyler, for Nathanael Webb and William Grantham, and are to be sold at the Black Bear in Paul's Church yard, 1656. AQuilae, Theologi Christo Discipuli conjunctissimi Fidei Martyris meruenti Charitatis praeconis Ecclesiae insignis Columnae D. Johannis Apostoli Perspicaci Mystae, Servo Fideli, Confessori invicto, Spectatissimo Exemplo, Reverendo Patri, Johanni Dº Episcopo Roffensi. In primam Epistolam has Commentatiorum primitias D.D.N.H. In perpetuum grati animi Testimonium. Obnixè rogans 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, ut & illi res omne genus prosperas, & Ecclesiae Anglicanae aerumnis & erroribus (heu!) penè obrutae antiquam veritatem & splendorem pristinum, pro summa sua misericordiâ largiri velit. THE Epistle to the Reader. THE mahometans say, that the first thing God created was a pen: Chronicon. de vitis, Mahum. & successor. Sure I am, the best thing which ever was conveyed to us by a pen is the Bible; nor can the one be better exercised then about the other. I have often wished that every one of St. Paul's Epistles, yea every Book of holy Writ might have a Davenant to draw forth its lineaments; nor do I know any work that would be of more general and singular use, than a practical Commentary upon the whole Bible. Upon a small, yet choice piece of this sacred Volume, I have made an essay, wherein if any thing be well done, let it be ascribed to divine assistance, and whatsoever is amiss, to my ignorance. The chief design of this work is explication of the Text; yet I have still annexed a brief application of the doctrine, that I might not only enlighten thy mind, but enliven thy affections. In the prosecution of this design, I am sometimes engaged in controversies, which are calmly debated, and (according to my measure of knowledge) hope truly stated; if thou hast a Starlight, yet contemn not my Candle. The prefixing of the prayer is that to which I am necessitated for my own vindication, having met with my name affixed (in print) to a broken prayer, made up of some scraps, which a scribbling pen hath taken from my mouth, and phrases which another's fancy hath added. In omnibus meis scriptis, non solum pi●m lectorem, sed & liberum correctorem desidero. Aug. pro●em. l 3. de 〈◊〉. What mistakes, misplacing, omissions, or additions of words thou mayest observe in perusing these discourses, pardon and correct, those especially, which are taken notice of to thy hand. If these labours find any acceptance with the pious, orthodox, and judicious, I shall be encouraged to a progress, and the remaining parts may in due time see the light. Thy candid censure, of, and devout prayer for, is earnestly desired by him, who is Thine in the common Saviour, NATH. HARDY. The Prayer commonly used before Sermon. Eternal Jehovah, in whose presence the glorious Angels veil their faces, as being not able to behold thy brightness; How shall we who are men and not Angels; worms and no men, yea, dust and ashes rather than worms, dare to appear before the, Oh Lord, we acknowledge there is an infinite distance between thee and us by our Creation, as far as is between the high Heavens, and the low Earth. Thou art Infinite, and we finite, Thou art immutable, & we changeable, Thou art the Potter, and we the Clay: Thou our Maker: and we all the work of thy hands. But far, oh far greater is that distance which we ourselves have made between thee and us by our corruption; even as far as is between the highest Heavens, and the lowest hell: Thou art Purity, add we Filthiness, Thou ●rt Majesty; and we Misery: Thou a God of purer eyes then to behold iniquity without fury, and we such in whom dwelleth nothing but sin and iniquity. We were at first (Oh God) concluded in sin, and in iniquity did our Mother bring us forth, and ever since we have conceived nothing but sin, and that iniquity hath been a fruitful Mother of all uncleanness: we are by nature deprived of all good, and depraved with all evil, & throughout the whole course of our life we have neglected much good, and committed more evil. Which of thy righteous laws (Oh God) have not we often violated by impiety against thee, and iniquity against man, in our thoughts and affections, in our words and actions? Before we knew thee, we knew how to offend thee, and ever since thou hast set up a light of knowledge in our minds, we have not ceased to act the works of darkness in our lives. Thy patience hath spared us, and our wickedness hath provoked thee; thou hast forborn to punish, and we have therefore gone on to R●●ell. The rain of thy Word hath not fructified our barren lives, The beams of thy love hath not melted our frozen hearts, The thunder of thy wrath have not awakened our sleepy consciences, but we still continue to add sin unto sin, and thereby treasure up wrath against the day of wrath. We confess (O God) our just deservings of thy fury, yet are we bold to implore thy free bestowings of mercy, We have abundantly sinned, but thou canst abundantly pardon: with us there have been numerous Rebellions, but with thy Son Christ Jesus is plenteous redemption. According to the freeness of thy mercy, and the fullness of his merits, the greatness of thy compassions, and the meritoriousness of his passion, have mercy upon us, be reconciled to us, that all our sins may be blotted out of the book of thy remembrance. Do thou (Oh God) forget our sins, but let us remember them; do thou cast them behind thy back, but let us set them before our faces; open our eyes that we may see, open our hearts that we may consider, how glorious a Name we have dishonoured, how gracious a Father we have provoked, how dear a Jesus we have crucified, how Holy a Spirit we have grieved, how just a law we have transgressed, how great salvation we have despised, what long suffering patience we have abused, what precious opportunities of grace we have mis-spended, what Heinous sins we have committed; that by all these considerations we may be melted into tears of godly sorrow for our sins, that so mourning, we may loathe, loathing, we may leave, leaving, we may strive against, and striving against, we may obtain power and victory over them. Be it enough (O God) for it is enough, nay, too too much, that we have played away so great a part of the candle of our lives in the pleasures of sin, oh give us grace for that little inch of our candle which is yet to burn, so to let our light shine before men, that they seeing our good works, may glorify thee our Father which art in heaven. To this end we pray thee, enlighten our blind minds, incline our crooked wills, soften our hard hearts, compose our distempered passions, mortify our earthly members, sanctify our whole man, Spirit, Soul, and Body, and preserve us blameless to the coming of our Lord Jesus. Implant (oh God) and increase all the graces of thy holy Spirit in us, confirm our faith, establish our hope, strengthen our patience, enlarge our love, inflame our zeal, quicken our obedience, put thy fear into our hearts, that we may never depart from thee, and do thou never leave nor forsake us, but be our God, our Guard, our Guide even to the death; and after death receive us to thyself, in that glory which is everlasting. Not to us, (oh Lord) not to us alone, but to thy holy Catholic Church, be thou propitious; she is the Vine which thine own right hand hath planted, let her be for ever preserved, and suffer not (Good God) suffer not either the wild Boar out of the Forest to pluck up her root, or the many pestilent Foxes that are within her to pluck off her grapes. Plant thy Gospel where yet it is not, restore it where it is lost, continue and enlarge it where it is, especially in these Realms. Remit our crying sins, Remove thy heavy judgements, Restore our wont blessings, Settle all things once again amongst us, upon their right and ancient Foundations that Glory may dwell in our Land. Let the cry of the Fatherless and the Widow ascend into the ears of the Lord God of Hosts, that he may give them beauty for ashes, and the oil of gladness for the spirit of heaviness. Bless all sorts and degrees of men among us. Let the Gold of our Nobility excel in Grace, as they do in Honour, purify the Silver of our Gentry from the dross of vice, Engrave upon the brass of our Commonalty, the fear of thy holy Name; and preserve thine earthen vessels, in whom is laid up, and by whom is dispensed thy heavenly Treasure, the Pastors and Ministers of thy Church. Comfort all the sons and daughters of sorrow, pour oil into wounded consciences, secure tempted souls, settle distracted minds, heal diseased bodies, relieve impoverished families, release imprisoned persons, those especially who suffer for the Testimony of a good conscience. Oh thou that hast a Salve for every sore, a Cure for every cross, a Remedy for every malady; apply thyself suitably to all the necessities of thy children. And now in Blessing, Bless that Word of all thy Grace, which goeth forth throughout all Congregations, lawfully and duly assembled in thy fear this day; this in particular. Oh thou that standest at the door and knockest, be pleased to open; Open the Preachers lips, that his mouth may show forth thy praise, and declare thy message with power and plainness; open the people's ears, that they may hear thy Word with reverence and diligence: open all our hearts, that with faith and love we may receive, with care and conscience we may obey thy sacred truth, so as it may become the power of thee our God, to the illumination of our judgements, the renovation of our natures, the reformation of our lives, and the salvation of our souls, through Jesus Christ our only Mediator and Redeemer; for whom we bless thee: To whom with thyself and blessed Spirit of Grace, we give all praise and glory; and in whose most absolute Form of Prayer, we further call upon thee, saying, Our Father which in Heaven, etc. THE FIRST Epistle General OF St. JOHN. SERM. 1. HISTORY, PROPHECY, and DOCTRINE, Junil. in Bibl. pat. T. 1. are the three Channels in which run the Streams of Sacred Writ, from whence ariseth the division of its BOOKS into Historical, Prophetical, and Doctrinal: Not, but that all the Books of Scripture are Doctrinal, in which respect the Apostle saith, it is profitable for Doctrine; but, 2 Tim. 3.16. because some Books are chiefly concerned in narrations of things past, others in the predictions of things to come; and some are chiefly, if not only, conversant about Dogmatical Truths, and Practical Precepts, they are not unfitly thus distinguished. Of this latter sort are the Epistolary Writings, and therefore in this regard the fittest to be discussed among the people; The Prophetical Books are most congruous to the Schools, but the Doctrinal most suitable to the Pulpit; those for exercising the Learned, these for feeding the Vulgar. Upon this account I have made choice of an Epistle, and in particular, (not without serious and mature deliberation, nor yet (I hope) without the blessed Spirits instigation) of this First Epistle General of S. JOHN to be the subject of my Postmeridian discourses. If any shall be inquisitive to know why among all the Epistles of the Holy Apostles I have pitched my thoughts upon this, I shall return this threefold answer, which as a threefold cord, (and that saith Solomon is not easily broken, Eccles. 4.12. ) enduced me to this Work. One, (though indeed the least) is that I find not any English Expositor upon it, nor yet many among the Latin, except those who have undertaken Comments upon all the Epistles, whereas either in Latin or English, or both, I find several excellent Interpreters upon each of the rest: and truly, I shall esteem it an high honour conferred upon me by my God, if, through his gracious enablement by a (though imperfect) dilucidation of this Epistle, I may cast a Mite into the Churches-Treasury. A second and more persuading reason is the congruency of it to the age wherein we now live, since there is the same occasion (as to general, if not particular considerations) now given to Ministers of handling, which St. John had then of writing this Epistle. To clear this you may be pleased to know, that there were two sorts of men in St. John's days, to wit, Antichristian-Hereticks, and Carnal-Gospellers, those expressly denied the fundamentals of Christian Religion, these whilst they had Divine phrases, seraphical expressions flowing from their lips, were sensual and diabolical in their lives, talking of Communion with God, dwelling in God, knowing the truth, and what not? and yet practising envy, malice, hatred, and all uncharitableness in their actions, against both these this Boanerges (for so he with his brother James are called by Christ, Mark 3.17. ) thundereth, and accordingly (as appeareth by the several Chapters,) his Scope is double in this Epistle. 1. To warn the Orthodox that they were not withdrawn from their Christian profession by the wiles of Heretics, this our Apostle himself expresseth to be one special end of his writing, where he saith, 1 John 2.26. These things have I written unto you concerning them which seduce you. Indeed wherein can the shepherd more express the care of his flock, then in keeping off the wolves; a Minister of his charge, then in arming them against Heretics: Nemo non & lectu dignam & scitu necessariam hanc Epistolam judicare possit maximè hisce temporibus quae haereses & schismata cum magno Ecclesiae detrimento invexerunt. Fer. proaem. in Epist. Joh. And is there not as great need in this age as ever of such a caution, wherein such a multitude of deceivers swarm to the endangering of ignorant and unstable Christians. 2. To persuade in general a practice agreeable to Christian profession, in reference to which he saith, Cap. 2.1.3.11. These things I write to you, that you sin not, Sanctus Judas totus est in fide Orthodoxâ, Jacobus in oratione & patientia, Petrus in sanctitate, & Johannes in charitate fidelibus commendandâ. Lap. proaem. in Ep. Cathol. Succendi cor nostrum in igne charitatis quaerimus Johannis verba pensemus cujus omne quod loquitur charitatis igne vaporatur. Greg. Hom. 13. in Ezek. In ipsâ Epistolâ satis dulci & satis memorabili maximè charitas commenda●ur. Aug. Expos. in hanc Epist. and in special the practice of that most truly Christian-grace, Love, which therefore he calleth the message from the beginning. It is observed of precious stones, that each of them hath a several and peculiar excellency, the like is taken notice of in sacred Books, and the splendour of this is, that it is much conversant in describing and prescribing the grace of charity. For this reason St. Gregory adviseth those who would be inflamed with this heavenly sire to read St. John. whose words are altogether as it were coloured with love. And St. Augustine taking notice of this, affirmeth that Charity is the chief thing commended by Saint John in this Epistle. And can any admonition be more seasonable to this licentious and malicious Generation? That prediction of our Saviour, The love of many shall wax cold, Matth. 24.1, 2. id. ibid. was never more verified then in these days. The best of us need this advice, as oleum in flamma, oil to nourish and increase the flame, and the most as flamma ad fomitem, a coal fetched from the Altar to kindle, or recover this fire in us. Indeed canting-language, affected forms of Religious-speech were never more in use, but the reality of a Christian and charitable conversation was never less in fashion. And if as without doubt that of Solomon be true, a word spoken in due season, Pro. 15.23. how good is it, The discussing of this Epistle which was written for these ends so nearly concerning us, cannot but be profitable for, and so acceptable to us. But, 3. Lastly, the chief argument (which incited me to this undertaking) is the comprehensive excellency and utility of the matter contained in this Epistle. Hieron. Epistol. ad Paulin. St. Hierome speaking of all the Catholic Epistles, calls them breves pariter & longas, breves verbis, long as sententiis; Short, and yet long, short in phrase, but long in sense. This is singularly true of this Epistle, which as in situation it is the middle, so for matter the fullest of them all, at once enriched with weight of matter and elegancy of words, Mediam tenet in septem quasi honoratiorem catholicis locum. Lor. in loc. in which respect Lorinus is bold to say, no other Epistle is more divine than this of him who is by the Church called the Divine. The truth is, a world of heavenly matter is contained in this little Map, which that it may the better appear, Ausim ipse dicere nullam hac Epistola magis theologicam. id. ibid. give me leave in few words to delineate it before you. The Globe of Divinity parts itself into two hemispheres, to wit, credenda & agenda, the things we are to know and believe, and the things we are to do and perform; both which are here described, and therefore those two words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at the second ver. of the first Chap. are by Justinian considered as referring to those two heads, Videtur Apostolus du●bus hisce verbis dupraecipua Christianae Religio●is capita indica●e voluisse etc. 〈◊〉. in 〈◊〉. Joh. Epi●●. 1. the bearing witness to matters of faith, and the showing, or declaring to matters of practice. Out of this Epistle we may gather an abstract of the things to be known, and that concerning God, ourselves, and Christ. 1. Concerning God we may hence be instructed in his nature, attributes and persons, as to his Nature, that he is light, and in him no darkness; his Attributes, that he is faithful, just, holy, righteous, pure, invisible, Chap. 1.5, 9.2.20, 29.3.3, & 20.4.8, 12.5.7. knowing all things, and love itself; The Persons, that there are three which bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, the Holy Ghost, and these three are one. 2. Concerning ourselves we may here learn what we are by nature, namely lying in wickedness, what we are by grace, to wit, borne of God, Chap. 5.19.3.9, & 3. and what we shall be in glory, like to him seeing him as he is. 3. Concerning Christ, we have him here characterized in his natures, offices, acts, and benefits. 1. In respect of his natures, he is as to his Deity called true God, Chap. 5.20.4 9.1.1. and yet more distinctly with reference to his personality, the only begotten Son of God; as to his humanity, he is said to be sent into the world, and so truly man, that he was seen, heard, and handled by the Apostles. 2. As to his offices, he is here asserted in general to be the Christ, and so anointed to those offices, Chap. 5.1.3.5, 8.2.2, 27. and in particular as Priest, to take away sin, to be the propitiation for our sins, and our Advocate with the Father; as Prophet by his Spirit to teach us all things, and as a King, to destroy the works of the devil. 3. Most of his Mediatorial acts are here specified, his Incarnation, where he is said to come in the flesh, Passion, Chap. 4.3.3.16.5.11.2.2.2.28.4.17. in that he layeth down his life for us, his Resurrection, in as much as eternal life is said to be in him, and his Ascension, and Intercession, because he is affirmed to be an Advocate with the Father, and his coming again in the day of judgement to appear as Judge of the world. 4. Lastly, we need not go further than this Epistle to meet with those benefits we obtain by him, Chap. 3.24.4.15.1.3.2.12.3.1.5.6.2.25. in that he giveth his Spirit to us, whereby we dwelling in him, and he in us, have fellowship with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ; and by virtue of this forgiveness of our sins for his Names sake adoption, whereby we are called the sons of God. Finally, Justification by blood, Sanctification by water and eternal life. 2. Nor are only doctrines of faith, but rules of practice deducible from this Epistle. 1. Would we know what to avoid, this Book teacheth us in general to eschew all sin, Chap. 3.4, 8.2.15▪ 3.12, 15.5.16, 20. both describing what it is, a transgression of the Law, and dehorting us from the commission of it, in particular to expel the love of the world, to abandon hatred, malice and envy, to keep ourselves from Idols, and especially to beware of the sin unto death. 2. Would we be instructed what we are to put in practice in this Epistle? we are called upon to believe in the Name of Jesus Christ, Chap. 3.22, 23.3.17, 7.5.1, 3.14.2.1.1.9▪ 15.2.4, 16.6.28 4.6. to love God who hath begotten us, and to love those who are begotten of him, to have the hope of glory fixed in us, to declare our repentance by confessing our sins, and purifying ourselves, to overcome the wicked one and the world, to conquer the lusts of the flesh, to walk as Christ walked, by imitation of him, and to abide in him by perseverance, to hear the Word preached by the Ministers of Christ, to ask the things we want according to his will, to open bowels of compassion, and distribute our worldly goods to our needy brethren, finally to do righteousness, keep God's commandments, and do those things which are pleasing in his sight. In few words, there are many golden Three in Theology, which I find scattered up and down in this Epistle, and being put together, must needs much ennoble it in our estimation. The three persons in the sacred Deity, God the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, their Trinity in Unity, and Unity in Trinity. The threefold state of man, to wit, deformed, reformed, and transformed, corrupt, regenerate, and glorified. The threefold coming of Christ, in the flesh, by his Spirit, and at the day of judgement. Those three grand enemies of man's salvation, the flesh, world, and the devil. The three Theological graces, Faith, Hope and Charity. The three principal duties of Religion, Prayer, Hearing and Alms, are plainly set before us in this parcel of Holy Writ. Nay, yet once more, Those three things which every Christian man ought to be acquainted with for his souls health, to wit, the Creed, the Lords Prayer, and the Ten Commandments, are here at least summarily comprised. Our blessed Saviour telleth us the whole Law is reducible to these two great Commandments, the love of God, and our neighbour, both which are here amply taught us. The Lord's Prayer is intimated, in that we must ask according to Gods will, which cannot be unless according to that pattern; yea, in that we are called sons of God, it teacheth us to cry Our Father, and that chief Petition in it, Forgive us our sins is once and again inculcated. Finally, if you please, we may out of this Epistle, compile a Creed not much unlike that of the Apostles, (no less justly then commonly heretofore received amongst us, though now almost forgotten by us,) in these or the like words. I believe in God the Father, invisible, just, holy, pure and faithful, who knoweth all things, (and is no less Almighty to do all things,) who is love itself, whereby he vouchsafed to make the heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ his only begotten Son, who came in the flesh, (to wit, by being conceived of the Holy Ghost, and borne of the Virgin Mary,) and laid down his life for us, (being crucified, dead, and buried,) and having life in himself, (rose from the dead, and ascended to heaven, where he sitteth at God's right hand,) is our Advocate with the Father, and at that day of judgement shall come and appear again, (to wit, to judge the quick and dead.) I believe in the Holy Ghost, the fellowship or communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, and eternal life. By this time you cannot but see (beloved,) what a body of divinity, what a treasury of spiritual knowledge this Epistle is, Fer. proaem. well might F●rus say, Ipsam Evangelicae Doctrinae summam brevissimam complectitur, the sum of Evangelical Doctrine, is succinctly and yet distinctly comprehended in it; and now me thinketh every one is ready to say with that Father, Tertul. adver. Hermog. cap. 22. Adoro plenitudinem sacrae Scriptura: I adore and admire the fullness of Holy Scripture, wherein every drop is as it were a rivulet, every rivulet a great river, and river an Ocean: every branch a tree, every tree an orchard, a orchard a field: I mean every Verse as it were a Chapter, every Chapter an Epistle, every Epistle a Volume, for the abundance of precious truths contained in them; and yet more particularly by these considerations sufficient reason cannot but appear, as for my discussion so your attention, and thus this discourse serveth to make way for the following. But before I begin, I have one request to make to you, and that from my very soul, that as (I hope) you have not, are not, so you will not be wanting in your requests to God for me, and what you should ask for me, I shall not go out of this Epistle to tell you, even that unction from the Holy One, whereby we may know all things, that anointing which teacheth us all things, and is truth and no lie, Chap. 2.20, 26. Let this be the matter of your prayer, both for me, & for yourselves, that it may teach me how to expound, & apply, you how to hear & receive, both you & me how to understand and obey the sacred saving truths which are delivered to us in this First General Epistle of St JOHN. I shall not at this time enter upon the Epistle itself, only in a few words take notice of the Title which is prefixed, wherein we have two things considerable: Namely, The penman John, and the writing which is set down: for the nature of it, to be an Epistle: for the order, the first: and for the extent of it, a general Epistle. First, The Epistle is asserted to be St. JOHN'S. Indeed we do not find him setting down his Name in any part of the Epistle, the other Apostles are express in this particular. james and Peter, and jude, and Paul in all Epistles, except that to the Hebrews; but Saint JOHN in this Epistle is altogether silent, in the other two he only giveth himself the common title of an Elder: when he hath any occasion to mention himself in his Gospel, and that in things much tending to his dignity, it is done in a third person by way of circumlocution, only in his Apocalypse he specifieth his Name, Rev. 1.4. but that without any addition of honour or dignity. It lets us see in general the humility of this holy Apostle, who thought so meanly of himself, that he accounts himself not worth the naming. Indeed on the one hand, (though it's often too true of many, who arrogantly affect to blazon their own names and titles,) we are not to imagine that when the other Apostles prefix their name's, and most of them their high calling, that it is done out of vain glory; But on the other hand, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 idem quod 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nomen compositum ex 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 et 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gratia Pass. Lex. we may justly conclude it a testimony of great humility in this Apostle, that he suppresseth his Name, his Office by silence. Thus whilst he was high in Christ's, he became lowly in his own eyes▪ whilst he was rich in grace (his ve●y Name carrying as it were grace, as Benjamines' sack did money in its mou●h,) he was poor in spirit, scarce thinking himself worthy of a name. Oh let us learn by his pattern not to affect our own praises, nor speak high things of ourselves, ever remembering, that as artis est celare artem, it is an art to conceal our art, so to neglect our own names and honour, is the best way to true honour and a good name. Besides this notion of humility, it may further be conceived, and not improbably, that this concealment of his Name was an act of prudence, especially considering the time when it is most rationally conjectured to be written, to wit, (as the learned English Annotatour hath observed to my hand, Dr. Ham. ) not long before the destruction of jerusalem, when as the Church was under a sharp persecution, (occasioned no doubt by those many Antichrists then arising,) in which S. JOHN was peculiarly involved; yea, of which he warneth those to whom he writeth, and therefore wisely forbeareth to publish his Name, which might have been prejudicial to him. There is no doubt a policy consistent with piety; which as all Christians, so Ministers may use in persecuting times. It was that our Saviour at least allowed his Disciples, Matth. 10.16. to be wise as serpents, with this caution, that they were innocent as Doves; and sure it is no injury to truth and innocency, if a man, a Minister in prudence, withhold the publication of his name, to prevent his enemy's malice. Aug. de doctr. Christ. l. 2. c. 8▪ Euseb. Eccles. hist. l 7. c. 20. But whether these or any other were the reasons of S. IOHN's silencing his Name, yet it is without controversy, that he was the Penman; and indeed as Dionysius Alexandrinus hath not unfitly observed The Gospel and the Epistle are so concordant, often using the same phrases, that he who penned the one, must be acknowledged as the writer of the other. But I shall not need to prove what all Christians grant, only it will not be amiss in a few words to give you a character concerning this sacred Amanuensis. Though in one Greek Copy I find only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, The Epistle of St. JOHN, yet the most read the title 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, The Epistle of JOHN the Apostle, whereby it appeareth, that the Penman of the Epistle was not an ordinary Saint, and so a member of, but an officer, yea, dignified with the highest office in the Christian Church: for so we find S. Paul in his enumeration, beginning with Apostles as the most divine order; and yet more than so, Eph. 4.11. this Apostle JOHN was not only one of the twelve, but one of the three whom Christ honoured so far, Luke 8.57. Math. 17.12.26.37. Gal. 2.9. as to be witnesses of his miracle in raising the Ruler's daughter, Spectators of his glorious transfiguration on the mount, and his associates in the garden when he laboured under that sore agony, and whom S. Paul mentioneth as pillars of the Church; yea, one of the two whom Christ sent to prepare the Passeover for him and his Disciples to eat: Luke 22.8. Joh. 19.26.13.23.24. And yet to go one step higher, there were some prerogatives with which this Apostle was invested above any of the rest. To him it was above all the other, Christ at his death upon the Cross commended the care of his mother; Him it was whom Christ admitted so near, as to lean on his bosom, Aug. in. Joh. tr. 61. Joannes cum caput suum supra pectus Jesu domini reclinaret, hauriebat profunda▪ secreta sapientiae. Ambros. in Ps. 118. octon. 2. Joannes et Apostolus et Evangelista et propheta etc. Hier. contr. Jovin. l. 1. Math. 3.17. being therefore called the Disciple whom jesus loved, and to whom even Peter beckoned that he should ask Christ concerning him that should betray him. quod majus dare potuit Majoris dilectionis indicium? Christ could not give a higher testimony of his affection towards him, then by taking him into his bosom; no wonder if lying at such breasts, he did thence suck spiritual wisdom, and drink the nectar of Divine Mysteries, whereof he became at once an Evangelist in his Gospel, a Prophet in his Revelation, an Apostle in his Epistles. And surely the consideration of the person should make us so much the more in love with the Epistle, me thinketh as God saith to us concerning Christ, who was in his bosom, This is my well beloved Son, hear him, that Christ saith to us concerning St. John, who lay in his bosom; This is my well beloved Apostle, hear him, though yet let me add one caution, with which I shall close up this branch, that we rest not in the Writer, but look up to the enditer, remembering that St. John, and all Holy men of God, both spoke and wrote as moved by the Holy Ghost; they were only the amanuensis, but the Spirit is the Author; they were the Instrumental, but the Spirit is the Principal efficient; and therefore though we ought to honour them, yet we must look beyond, 2 Pet. 1 23. above them, receiving what was written by them, as inspired by God, and accordingly to yield audience, credence and obedience to it, and so much for the Penman. Pass we on to the writing itself, and therein consider we, I. The nature of it, expressed in that denomination of an Epistle: indeed in a large sense the whole Bible is called by St. Gregory, Epistola Omnipotentis Dei ad creaturam suam in qua verba Dei sonan●, Greg. l. 4. ep 40. & cor Dei dicitur; Gods Epistle to his Creature, wherein his mind is revealed; but in a strict sense it is only used of, and applied to this and other holy Writings of the like nature: For, an Epistle properly so called, is a familiar colloquy between absent friends, Epistolarum eiusmodi usus est ut disjuncti locorum intervallis affectu adhaerea● mus in quibus inter absentes imago refulget praesentiae &c Ambros. l. 8. ep. 65. whereby they impart counsel and comfort to, and so after a sort become present each with other. To this purpose the Father excellently, where he saith, The use of Epistles is to unite them that are separated, to make present those that are absent, by which we communicate our thoughts and minds to our distant friends; thus it was with the Apostles, they could not be always present with those Churches they had planted, & therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vice fungebatur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, they endeavoured to advise, and strengthen, and build them up by Epistles. It lets us see the care of godly Ministers over their people, not only whilst present by speaking, but when absent by writing to them, egebant vexali haeresibus & persecutionibus Epistolarum consolation, St. JOHN well knew what need the Christians (being as sheep in the midst of wolves) had of direction and consolation, Lorin in epist. and therefore he sendeth this comfortable Epistle to them, desiring that though his tongue could not, yet his pen might reach them. And yet further we may here take notice of God's mercy, Pulchra est piorum veter●m observatio, Quod in novo d●mum Testam●nto in quo deus familiariter per filium suum n●bis locu●us est mysteria regni caelestis per epist●lus cons●ribi coeperint cum epist●la nihil aliud sit quam familiare cum amico colloquium. Gerard. in epist. petr. 2. Host 12.10. as well as the Apostles care who is pleased so familiarly to converse with his Church by way of Epistle: he dealt with the Jewish Church as with Servants by way of Mandate, but with the Christian as with Friends by way of Epistle, far be it from us that his Familiarity should beget Contempt, but rather the lower he is pleased to condescend in this way of making known his will to us, let us so much the more Highly advance his goodness, and readily follow his dictates. God seemeth to set it down as an Aggravation of Jsraels' disobedience, that he used similitudes by the Ministry of his Prophets, it will be no less of ours, that God hath used Epistles by the Ministry of his Apostles in a most friendly way, advising us for our good, and yet these love-tokens are slighted and contemned by us. II. The order of this Epistle is next to be briefly taken notice of, it is the first, and it is so in a double consideration; the one of time; the other of dignity: it is the first, not the only Epistle he wrote; first implieth at least a second; and here we find not only a second, but a third: this holy Apostle was not idle or negligent, but in several kinds, and in the same kind once and again reneweth his pains: nor yet is there only a priority in respect of order, but of honour: the first, because the largest, the fullest, the sublimest of all the Epistles, for the extent of it, not only equalizing, but exceeding the other two; and that not severally, but jointly, for the matter of it more divine and heavenly then either of the rest. All portions of Holy Writ are alike excellent as to the Author from whom they are sent, and end for which they are written; but yet some of them may be moreful and useful than others; such is this, if compared with St. JOHN'S other Epistles, and therefore called first. III. The last thing to be discussed in the Title, is the Extent of the Epistle, signified in that term Catholic. It is the appellation which is given to the seven Epistles of James, Par. in Jac. Peter, john and jude, an Epithet affixed to them, (as Pareus thinketh) rather through inconsiderateness then any just ground, but I think him too rash in that censure. Others have sought the reason of it in the number which being septenary, is a number of perfection, intimating the universal perfection of the Doctrine contained in them, in which respect these Epistles have been resembled to wisdoms seven pillars, Pro 9.1. Rev. 1.13.5, 6. Math. 15.34. by which her house is supported: The Lambs seven horns by which Heretics are pushed at: the seven Golden Candlesticks, by which the light of Evangelical Doctrine is set up, and the seven loaves by which multitudes are nourished, but this I conceive to be a fancy rather than a verity. There are two reasons given of this Appellation, which carry in them most probability, especially the latter. 1. This Epistle may be called General according to Oecumenius his notion, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 etc. Oecumen. in Epist, Cathol. Serrar prolog in Ep. Cath. Aug. in Ep. because it is not directed to one particular person, as those to Timothy and Titus, nor yet to particular Churches, as those to the Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, etc. but to the converted jews in several parts, and in this sense denominatio à majori parte petita, the denomination is not from every Epistle (since two, at least one, of St. john's Epistles is manifestly directed to a particular person, but the greater part, as for this first Epistle, St. Austin indeed seemeth to assert it as directed to the Parthians, but if with junius, we understand that as an Hebrew word, it signifieth as much as the scattered, banished; or if we take it in the vulgar notion, we must know, that Parthia was then a potent Kingdom, containing under it many oriental Nations, through which, as josephus testifieth, Jun. in Bellarm. l. 2. de. verb. dei. c. 15. Joseph. Antiq. l. 14. c. 12.164. abundance of the jews were scattered, to whom it is not improbable this Epistle might be directed, and so this reason of Catholic fitly applied to it. 2. But that which (at least to me) seemeth most rational, is that this Title was given them upon their general reception in the Church, in which respect they were called Canonical as well as Catholic. To clear this you must know, that at the first besides those Epistles which carry St. Paul's name in the front of them, only the first Epistle of Peter, and this of john, were universally received; Aug. in Ep. Indeed concerning this Epistle of St. john, St. Austin saith, Per omnes gentes recitatur, orbis terrae authoritate retinetur; It was received by the whole Christian world from the beginning, and to distinguish these from the rest, they were then called Catholic, and afterwards the other sive being received into the Canon, had this name affixed to them for the distinguishing of them from those Epistles of Barnabas, Ignatius, and Policarpus, which though ancient, Non ut aliis quippian adimat sed has illis adjungerent. Jun. in Jud. Epist. Hoc nomen hic impositum est epistolis quod a diversis authoribus sine conscripta et common eye nomen tribuendum. Carthus. proaem in Epist. Call. were not taken into the rule of our faith: nor was this any diminution to the authority of St. Paul's Epistles, but only an intimation that these were now added to those, and whereas the other Epistles being written by one man, might very well receive a single denomination from him, and be called St. Paul's Epistles; These being penned by several, could not be mentioned jointly without some such fit and venerable Title annexed to them. The useful meditations we may hence take up are, that since this Epistle is written generally to the Christians in several places, we are to remember it is as well Catholic in respect of several ages. Indeed there is no age of man, but is herein instructed; so he saith himself, that he writes to children, young men, fathers; nor is there any age of man since it was written to whom it doth not extend; and therefore no less concerneth us then those who were then alive; And surely as the epistle is general, Ideo videtur dici 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod non certis per●sonis dedicetur, sed ad omnem aetatem et sexum pertineat Art. in loc. so our application of it must be particular: Every one bringing the lessons of it home to our own hearts; and yet once again, since it was so generally at first received, therefore we to be the more confirmed in the verity of it, and so induced the more strongly to believe the assertions, and carefully to obey the directions contained in it. And thus with what brevity I could I have unfolded the Title page; time will not now give me leave to enter upon the Book itself. But I hope what hath been already said will prove a good preparative to my ensuing discourses, both to give some light for the knowledge of, and cause some heat of love towards this parcel of holy writ: And my desire to you (with which I shall conclude) is, that though I cannot begin to handle, you would begin to read it, and as in itself it is a familiar kind of writing, so by frequent perusing make it familiar to you; and as the penman of it lay in Christ's bosom, so it may lie in your bosom to be both your comforter & counsellor till you come to rest in Abraham's bosom to all eternity Amen. THE FIRST EPISTLE OF St. JOHN. SERM. 2. I. CHAP. ver. 1, 2, 3, 4. 1. That which we from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the word of life. 2. (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us.) 3. That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. THese words are as an head to the body, a gate to the field, a porch to the building of this epistle, An introduction which very much speaketh the writer to be St. John, because it is as it were antistrophe evangeliis a resounding to the proem of his Gospel. Lapid. in loc. The gospel begins with, In the beginning was the word, and this with that which was from the beginning concerning the word of life, there a little after, The word was made flesh, and we saw his glory, here the life was manifested and we have seen it, Aug. ibid. vide si non attestatur Epistola sua Evangelio suo saith the Father justly. See how the one as it were ecchoeth and answereth to the other, so that at the very threshold we may read the builder of this excellent fabric. And as this exordium speaketh the writer; so it manifesteth him an Orator, since it fitly agreeth to those rules which Oratory giveth to be observed in praeambles. There are three properties in every good exordium, convenient length, lest if excessive, the Oration be like the little City of Mindas, with a great gate; suitable aptness fetched from the very bowels of the matter in hand, Exordia ex ipsis causae viscerebus sumenda Cic. de orat. l. 2. and a profitable efficacy to render the auditory attentive, docible, and benevolous, all of these meet in this preface. The length you see consists but of 4. verses, whereas the Epistle spreadeth itself into 5. Chapters, in respect of its fitness, it is taken from the matter itself, about which he intended to write, Munus exordii est comparare benevolentiam, si causa sit invidiosa & dubia, attentionem▪ si causa videatur levis, & parvi momenti; docilitatem, si difficultas aut prolixitas offendat Alsted. Orat in Encyclop. Exordium sine exordio nullis prorsus ambagibus auditorem suspendens Fer. in loc. not staying the Reader in any needless circumlocutions, yea (which is almost peculiar to this Apostle) not so much as in a salutation of those to whom he writeth; Finally it is so fully and exactly composed that it cannot but attain with rational men the ends of a preface, since the importance of what he was to speak of, being no less than that of life, & that life eternal, it could not but gain attention, the perspicuity of it, by reason of the manifestation of this life, could not but render them docible, and the end of the Apostle being their joy, and profit, and comfort, might well command benevolence to him, who declareth so much good will towards them. And I hope this proem being so ample, I shall need no other Preface to obtain the like from you, than the rehearsing and unfolding this, That which was, etc. The manner of composing these verses by reason of that figure which Rhetoritians call hyperbaton, the transposition of words, and likewise the interposition of a parenthesis, is somewhat dark and obscure: And the Greek Scholiast undertaketh to give several reasons of it, justin in loc. Occum. in loc. such as are to let us know that our salvation consisteth not in words, but things; to prevent the casting of pearls before swine, to avoid Heathenish loquacity, to express much in a little, and to exercise our diligence in finding out the sense and meaning of it: And how involved a Labyrinth soever this period may seem (I doubt not) but by the clue of the spirit we shall extricate ourselves out of it. The Syriack version hath contributed some light to this dark sentence by placing the principal verb in the front, we publish to you that which was from the beginning, etc. but the sense of these verses will, I conceive, appear the plainliest by digesting them into those several propositions, by which as so many steps we shall orderly ascend to their genuine meaning. 1. The word of eternal life which was with the Father was manifested to us. 2. This word of life being manifested, we have heard and seen with our eyes, and looked upon, and our hands have handled. 3. That which we have thus seen, heard, and handled concerning this word of life, was from the beginning: 4. That which was from the beginning▪ and which we have heard, seen, and handled, concerning the word of life, we bear witness, show, declare, and write to you. 5. The end of our declaring and writing these things to you is, that your joy may be full, by having fellowship with us. 6. That fellowship which we have, and we would you should have, together with us, is with the Father and his Son jesus Christ. That I may proceed both more distinctly and succinctly in discussing these words, be pleased to observe in them these two Generals: to wit, Apostolicum praedicationis studium, & sublime Evangelii preconium here is, The Apostles care of their duty in publishing the Gospel, and this according to the English Translation, in four, but according to the Greek original, in three expressions, one of them being twice repeated, we bear witness, we show, we declare, and unto you. The Gospel's excellency which they did publish, and this delineated in four characters; namely, 1. The dignity of its object, and that no other than the word of life, even that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested to them. 2. The certainty of its tradition, in as much as it was that which they had heard, seen with their eyes, looked upon, and their hands handled. 3. The Antiquity of its origination, as being that which was from the beginning. 4. The utility of the end, which is the people's communion with the Apostles, yea with God and Christ, in those words, that you may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ; and by this means the completion of their comfort in those words, that your joy may be full. These are the several branches of this tree of life, through each of which by Divine enablement, I shall pass according to the proposed method, gathering and distributing those sweet and wholesome fruits which grow upon them, Gen. 1. Pluralis nominativus primae▪ personae non semper magnitudinis sed saepe modestiae habet significationem ●●bi nostra decora cum aliis partimur. Grot. in loc. The Apostles care of publishing the Gospel is the first considerable, and it is that which St. john doth here assert in the behalf not only of himself, but his fellow Apostles, for it is not the singular I, but the plural number We; nor is this a term of State, as sometimes Princes write in a magnificent stile, but intended to comprehend the other Apostles, together with himself, that they might be accounted as faithful as he in this sacred work: The expressions by which our Apostle sets forth the exercise of their care, are very significant, and such indeed as do superadd somewhat at least by way of explication to the other: Take them briefly in their order as they lie in the verses. 1. The first we meet with is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bear witness; This was indeed the chief office to which the Apostles were designed by Christ to bear witness of him, and that they might be enabled to the faithful discharge of it, he promised he would, V. 2. joh. 15 26, 27. Acts 1.8. and accordingly did after his ascension, cause them to receive the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon them. Not (Beloved) that Christ stood in need of any human testimony, he saith himself, I receive no witness from man; joh. 5.34. v. 36 37. to wit, as wanting it, or not having greater: his own miraculous works which were done by him did testify of him, the Devils of Hell, the Angels in heaven, those out of envy, these in duty gave witness to him: Nay, his Father by a wonderful voice from Heaven, attested him to be his wellbeloved Son, it was not then in regard of himself that he ordained the Apostles to be his witnesses, but in regard of them, and the people, of them, that he might put this high honour upon them of being, as it were Christ's Iury. Look as Gods making use of instruments in his providential works, is not ex defectu potestatis, but abundantia bonitatis, want of power, but abundance of love whereby he would advance his creatures to that great dignity of being his Servants: So Christ's appointing his Apostles to be witnesses, was not because he stood in need of testimony from them, but that he might confer the honour upon them of giving testimony to him, and as of them, so of the people, who having men like themselves to bear testimony to Christ, might with the confidence, & cheerfulness, received it, in this respect, what Christ said concerning those words he uttered at the raising of Lazarus, Jo. 11.42.12.30. because of the people that stand by I said it, and concerning that voice from heaven, it came not for me but for your sakes, the same may be asserted concerning the Apostolical Testimony, it was not, as if Christ needed it, but because we need it for our confirmation and consolation. I end this, with a double Item. To the Ministers of the Gospel that we remember this is our duty as well as it was the Apostles, to bear witness to Christ, to be an eye witness of Christ risen was indeed peculiar to the Apostles, and therefore that St. Paul might be an Apostle, Christ was pleased to manifest himself visibly to him, but to bear witness to Christ is that which all Ministers are obliged to, and therefore to labour that we approve ourselves true and faithful witnesses, asserting only and wholly the truth of the Gospel, It is required in a steward (saith the Apostle) that he be found faithful, no less in a witness, Ministers are both God's stewards and Christ's witnesses; oh let them discharge their duty with fidelity. To the people, that they receive with faith what the Apostles and Ministers of Christ attest with truth; that as there is fidelitas in teste, Hoc se protestari dicit sim●l scilicet et exequens officium fidei & ingerens terrorem incredulitati etc. Cass. de Incarn. l. 5. c. 6. Sacerdotis praedicatio salvandis est correctio, contestatio judicandis etc. Ambros. Serm. 83. so there may be fides in auditore, these faithful witnesses may find believing cares. What great reason there is of believing these witnesses will afterwards appear, let it suffice us to know for the present, that he who hath appointed them to bear witness, expecteth we should embrace it. And so much the rather ought this duty to be performed by the people, because as we do testari, so likewise obtestari, protestari (for that sometimes is the notion of this word, and is so construed here by Cassian) we so bear witness to the truth as that we protest against all those who receive not our Testimony, we testify not only for the strengthening of faith in the weak, but for the affrighting of them who are obstinate in their infidelity, since as we now bear witness to you, so we shall one day bear witness against such, and that Testimony which cannot now prevail for your conversion, shall at last come in as an evidence to your condemnation; and so much for the first term. 2. The next expression 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is twice repeated but Englished by two several words we show and we declare, V. 2, 3. it is that which intimateth what kind of bearing witness the Apostle here intended. There are indeed several ways of bearing witness to Christ, to wit, by suffering, especial●y death itself (for to such the name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 applied) for Christ's cause, and the Gospels, by leading lives answerable to the Christian profession, & by openly publishing the truth of Christ, & all of these ways the Apostles did bear witness to Christ, the most of them suffering death actually, except this Apostle, who yet was banished, & no doubt was ready to have died (had he been called to it) for the name of jesus, nor were any of them wanting by the Holiness and uprightness of their conversations to attest and credi their doctrines, but that way of bearing witness which here is meant appeareth by the subjoinging of this phrase to be the promulging of the Evangelicall truths concerning the Messiah, Cum displiceret Testimonium &c Aug ep. 26. to which those other ways are necessary appendices, that as we preach, we should live and be ready to justify the truth of what we preach, with the loss even of our lives, if the providence of God, and malice of men put us upon it. That than which we have here to take notice of, is the readiness of these Apostles to show and declare the mysteries of salvation to the people; indeed this was the chief part of their work, being therefore compared to lights and Ambassadors, the nature of light is to discover, the business of an Ambassador is to impart his message, and accordingly, the work of an Apostle is to reveal the Gospel. Indeed for this very end the life was manifested to them, that they might manifest it to others, Christ made known himself to them that they might make him known to others: and it is that which is God's aim: in what soever knowledge he bestoweth upon any of us. He hath given light to the Sun that it should be communicated to the World, water to the ocean, that it should feed the rivers, and talents to Ministers, Christians, not that they should hide them in a napkin, but employ them for the enriching of their brothers, and therefore if we hear a veni et vide, come and see, we must expect to hear another voice abi et narra go and tell and declare it, The truth is, this is the temper of a religious heart, Jeremy saith of himself I was weary with forbearing, Jer. 20.9. Ps. 40.10. Act. 4.20. and David, I have not hid thy righteousness, nor concealed thy truth from the great congregation, and the Apostles, we cannot but speak. Spiritual knowledge in the Christian soul: is like new wine in the vessel which must have a vent, or the ointment in the right hand, which cannot but bewray itself. The zeal that is in a faithful ministers, Pro. 27.16. nay in every godly man, for the advancing of God's glory, edifying others, propagating religion burneth so strongly, that it cannot but flame forth in showing what he knoweth to others: oh let every one of us, to whom any divine illumination is imparted, fulfil God's design, & testify the truth of grace in our hearts, by endeavouring to teach and instruct our brethren. But this is not all we are to consider in this expression the Greek word is a compound of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth to bring a message & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, which is as much as from another, Bez. in loc. so Beza glosseth upon the word here, we declare, as being sent by God to publish this erran and that, which hereby is intimated to us, is, that these holy Apostles did not run before they were sent: but had a mission and commission to show and declare the things of the Gospel. Indeed St. Paul puts the question, and by it no doubt intendeth a negation; how shall they preach except they be sent? and the Author to the Hebrews is express, Rom. 10.15. Heb. 5.4. no man taketh this honour upon him, except he be called of God, as was Aaron. These Apostles were in an immediate and extraordinary way, sent by Christ himself, the successors of the Apostles were separated and sent by them, and all the true Ministers of Christ have been, are, and shall be sent by their successors until the end of the world, to declare this message. I would to God this were more seriously pondered on in this licentious age, wherein so many presumptuously undertake to preach the Gospel without a call: Gregory Nazianzen speaking in his own defence, saith, he came to this work 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not of himself but being called, Greg. Naz. orat. 25. but a great number in our days send themselves into the vineyard, as if our Saviour had said, not the Kingdom of heaven, but the preaching of the Kingdom suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force, having no right at all to it; these men tread in the steps, and it is Gods wonderful Patience they come not to the dismal end of Corah, and his complices; It is true beloved, all Christians, as I have already hinted, aught as they are able to declare the things of God to others, teaching and exhorting one another; but it is as true that this they are to do within the compass of their place and calling, as Masters, as Parents, as Governors in a private charitative way, but still this declaring here understood, which is in a public authoritative way, belongs only to them who are sent, either immediately or mediately from God. I end this, to show and declare that is our part, who are the Ministers, to hear and attend, that is yours, who are the people; and surely as we are bound to do the one, you are no less obliged to perform the other, we after St. Paul's pattern, Act. 20.27. must not shun to declare the whole counsel of God to you, and you must not neglect to receive the counsel we declare, and so much the rather considering that as we do annuntiare, so we do denuntiare, declare the truth to you, so we denounce Judgement against the stiffnecked, and hard hearted auditors, yea as we do now annuntiare, so we must at the last day renuntiare (and all these things the word in the Text signifieth) return an account to our Lord and Master, what entertainment our message hath found with those to whom we are sent: and then as truly it will be woe to us, if we have not declared: so woe will be to you, if you have not regarded this message which we show and declare unto you; and so much be spoken of the second Particular. V. 4. 3. There is yet one term more behind, and that is, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we write unto you, and as declaring showeth what kind of bearing witness the Apostle chiefly relateth to; so this writing, what kind of declaring he especially speaketh of; Modi praedicandi Evangelium omni creaturae sunt duo etc. jun. animadv. in Bell. l. 4. c. 3. for whereas there are but two ways of declaring the Gospel, to wit, sermo and scriptio, word and writing by the tongue and the pen; this latter is that which the Apostle principally intendeth when he saith, we declare, we write, that is, we declare by writing. And indeed there are several advantages in writing above speaking, which might very well induce the Apostles to take this course. My tongue saith David, is the pen of a ready writer; Ps. 45.1. the pen no less truly is as the tongue of a ready speaker. 1. By this it is we speak to many, very many, even those that are absent and far distant from us, in which respect, writing is wittily styled an invention to deceive absence; and therefore St. Paul made use of it for this very end, when he saith to the Corinthians, being absent I write unto you: whereas by the voice we only speak to those who are present, and in a little compass of ground distant from us; so that, be they never so many, they are but a very few in comparison of those to whom we communicate our thoughts by the pen. 2. Again, by this it is we speak, not only whilst alive, but when we are dead, and so declare the truth, not only to them who are coaetaneous with us, but shall in future ages succeed after us; in which regard, that of the Psalmist is very suitable, Psa. 102.18. Scripserunt Apostoli ut no● solum hominibus qui tunc erant sed omnibus qui f●turi erant, ipsi non solum vivi sed etiam mortui Evangelium annuntiarunt Maldon●t praefat in Evang. This shall be written for the generations to come: words pass away, and are buried in Oblivion, whilst writing remaineth and becometh an image of eternity. Upon these considerations it is more than probable that St. John and others of the Apostles did show by writing, since the Christians of those times were scattered up and down by persecution, so that the Apostles could not reach them all in person, nor had they regard only to the present age, but to the propagation of Christianity in succeeding, and therefore they made use of this way, to declare by writing. That which we are from hence to take notice of is double. 1. In special, the industry of the Apostle is to be meditated on by Ministers for their imitation; these men of God, neglect no means whereby they may bear witness to Christ, and declare the Gospel: hence it was that where ever they came they did teach both publicly and privately, and where they could not come, they sent by writing, for the edification of the Church. St. Judas saith of himself, that he gave diligence, nay, jude 3. all diligence, and that not only to speak, but write of the common salvation, and by this means whereas the slothful man is dead whilst he liveth, he (with the rest of the Laborious penmen of holy writ) lives though dead. This practice should be Ministers pattern, who must make the salvation of the people their business, and do all the good they can, & that by all ways in promoting the knowledge of Christ; if we had as many tongues or hands as Argus had eyes, we should think them all little enough to employ in this sacred work of the Gospel. 2. In General, the benignity of God is to be contemplated by us all for our gratulation, in that he was pleased to put his Apostles upon writing the mysteries of salvation. Indeed as the Greek Father's expression is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, it was Gods singular good pleasure which moved him to move these holy men to the penning of his word for our learning, Theoph. in Matth. that we may have a sure guide, a clear light, an infallible rule to walk by; and therefore however some among the Romanists, yea (which is more doleful) even among ourselves cast contempt upon Scripture, Coster. Enchirid. styling it attramentariam Theologiam, an inky Divinity, a dead letter, let us highly esteem it, steadfastly cleave to it, and acknowledge the mercy of God in affording it. I am not ignorant how the Romanists that they may deny the written word to be an adequate Rule of faith, Bellarm. de verb. dei. l. 4. c. 4. and infer a necessity of their un-written traditions, assert that the Apostles did not write (by virtue of any command from Christ, but only upon emergent occasions: but beloved, as to some parcels of holy writ, we read of an express Precept; Duodecies Ioanni mandatum ut scrihat in libro Apocalypseos. jun. animadv. in Bel. 1 l. 4. c▪ 13. 2 Tim. 3.16. Sufficiebat gen●rale mandatum ut docerent▪ praedicarent, etiam ut traderent nam illa omnia fiunt duobus modis vel viuá voce vel scripto. Cham. de can. l. 9 c. 6. so often in the Apocalypses, no less than twelve several times, besides, (as the learned Chamier and junius well observe against Bellarmine) the general command of teaching all Nations, and preaching the Gospel to every creature, virtually requireth the use of all means, among which, writing is not the least for the publication of it; and yet further, when as we read in St. Paul's Epistle to Timothy, that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all and every parcel of Scripture is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of divine inspiration, we may very well conclude that the penmen had an internal command putting them on, as well as an internal assistance enabling them to this holy work. In this respect it is that St. Augustine saith expressly, whatsoever God would have us know concerning his word, and his works he gave in charge to those sacred amanuensis to write; and therefore let none of us be wise above what is written, but humbly and meekly confine ourselves to that which his goodness and wisdom hath allotted for us, Quicquid ille de suis d●ctis & factis nos legere voluit hoc scribendum illis tanquam suis manibus imperavit. to walk by the writings of his Prophets and Apostles, beseeching him that as he hath caused his truths to be written, that they may be read with our eyes, so he would write them in our hearts, and thereby we may have a comfortable evidence, that our names are written in the book of life. And thus I have given a dispatch to the first general part, to wit, the Apostles care of their duty, pass now on to the other General, which is the Gospel's excellency, Gen. 2. A●g. de consens Evang. part. 1. l. 1 c. 35. and therein to the Eminency of its object, in the close of the first, and part of the second verses, in those words (the word of life, the life that was manifested, that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested to us, all which is spoken concerning Christ. But before I enter on the handling of these words in this (which I conceive to be the most genuine) interpretation, there is another exposition, which being neither improbable, nor unprofitable, I shall not pass by, and it will be all I can discuss at this time. It is of those who understand these words concerning the Gospel itself, as if that were here called the word of life, wherein this eternal l●fe is manifested, Bifariam potest exponi vel de Christo, vel de Evangelio Calu. in lo●. Vera Evangelii doctrina Grot. ibid. Videtur omnino intelligere Evangelium Vorst. ibid. though even according to this construction the encomium is of the Gospel, with reference to its matter, where about it is conversant: This Exposition is that which is alleged by Calvin, asserted by Grotius, and assevered by Vorstius, nor is it dissonant to the analogy of faith, & according to it, here are two things to be considered, namely, the appellation given to the Gospel, it is the word of life: and the reason of that appellation, because in it the life, eternal life is manifested to us. 1. The appellation here affixed to the Gospel, is choice and comfortable, it is the word of life; a title which is made use of by St. Paul, when he required of the Philippians, that they should shine as lights in the world, Phil. 2.15, 16. holding forth the word of life, and by the Angel, when he commands the Apostles to speak in the ears of the people, Act. 5.20, 13.26▪ 20▪ 31. Eph. 13. Tit. 2.11. jam. 1.21. all the words of this life: suitably hereunto, it is that it is called else where the word of salvation, and the Gospel of salvation, and the Grace of God that bringeth salvation, and the engrafted word, which is able to save our souls; and yet once more, that word of God's Grace, which is able to build us up, and to give us an inheritance among them which are sanctified. 2. The reason of this appellation is fit and pregnant, because those words, eternal life is manifested to us, are such a confirmation, that they ate withal an explication of the Title in both the branches of it. For 1. Would we know what this life is, whereof the Gospel is the word? the answer is, it is eternal life, in which respect St. Peter saith to Christ, joh. 6.68. thou hast the words of eternal life. In these two expressions is contained a short description of felicity, it is a life, for since life is the highest of all created excellencies, it is aptly used to set forth a state of happiness: Cum beatitudo sit perfectum bonum & sufficiens oportet quod desiderium hominis quietet & omne malum excludat naturaliter autem homo desiderat retinere bonum quod habet. Aquin. prim. 2. quest. 5. Artic 4. especially if we take vivere as comprehending in it valere, and so denoting an hail, vigorous, and prosperous life. But that which crowneth life itself, and maketh it an happiness, is its eternity, since (as the Schools well;) true bliss must be able to give satisfaction to the appetite, which it cannot do, if there be any fear of losing or expiring; the truth is, neither of these two can be severed in an happy condition, were it eternal, if it were not life, there could be no bliss, since it is true of the damned that they shall exist eternally; and were it life, if it were not eternal, it could not be happy, since a transitory fading life is rather a death than a life, and therefore that the Gospel may appear a means of happiness, it is said to reveal to us eternal life. And 2. Would we know in what respect the Gospel is the word of this life? the answer is, because this eternal life which was with the Father, is by it manifested to us; indeed we must here distinguish between data and manifestata, the giving and the manifesting of this life, nor is it mine, but St. Paul's own distinction, where he informeth us. that salvation or life eternal was given us in Christ jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest by Christ, 2 Tim. 1.9, 10. who hath brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. The truth is, eternal life, before the time of the Gospel, was with the Father, that is, did latere quod●mmodo apud patrem, lie hid in the Father's bosom, unrevealed to the world: As to the Gentiles, it was altogether unknown, who therefore are said to sit in darkness, Daven in coloss. and the shadow of death, as being wholly strangers to this life: and as to the jews, it was hid (as Learned Davenant hath observed) ex parte & comparatiuè: the greatest part of the jews looked no higher than an earthly Canaan, and dreamt only of a temporal happiness to be accomplished by the Messiah, the discoveries of life were so dark, that few could spell them, and that manifestation which any of them had, was very obscure, in comparison of what is by the Gospel. It is true, eternal life was so far revealed in the old Testament, that the believing jews attained to some knowledge of it, so as that they looked for it, and no doubt are in their souls possessed of it; upon this account St. Paul tells Timothy, that the holy Scriptures (to wit; 2 Tim. 3.15. joh. 5.39. of Moses and the Prophets, were able to make him wise to salvation, and Christ bids the jews to search the Scriptures, because they thought (which yet Christ reproveth not as a bare surmise) in them to have eternal life: but still those discoveries were very imperfect, Vide Rive●. Isag. Scripture. Non Patriarchis non prophetis etc. Grot. in loc. in comparison of that knowledge which the Gospel imparts, and therefore one observeth an Emphasis in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to us, not to the Patriarches, not to the Prophets was this life, to wit, so clearly manifested as to us, the Apostles of Christ, and by us to the Sa●nts throughout the world, in which respect St. Paul writing both to the Ephesians and the Colossians, Eph. 3.5. Col. 1.26. Primariò sanctis Apostolis, secundariò aliis sanctis▪ immediatè Apostolis, mediatè deiservis. Davon. in coloss. styles not only the calling of the Gentiles (which is as much spoken of by the Prophets, as any other evangelical truth) but the whole doctrine of life in the Gospel, a mystery which hath been hid from ages and generations, nor was in other ages made known to the sons of men, but is now revealed unto his holy Apostles, and made manifest to his Saints by his Spirit. To sum it up in few words, Eternal life is that mystery which could not have been found out by reason, neither the thing itself, nor the way to it could by any humane wit or industry have been at all discovered, and therefore it must be manifested, to wit, by a divine Revelation, a spiritual illumination, and only the Gospel is the word wherein God hath been pleased to vouchsafe the clear distinct, and full manifestation of it, for which reason it is deservedly called the word of life. To apply this briefly, what should the consideration hereof teach us? But 1. Thankfully to acknowledge what a rich treasure a precious pearl God hath vouchsafed to us, in bestowing the Gospel on us; life is the most precious treasure in nature, eternal is the best of life's: Oh then, how singular is the worth of the Gospel, which manifesteth this life unto us; and surely, as the water of life itself, so the vessels that convey it to us, should be highly esteemed by us; we may truly say of all the Ministers of the Gospel, what that possessed Damosel said concerning St. Paul, and the rest: These men are the servants of the most high God, Act. 16.17. which show unto us the way of salvation, and what St. john here saith of himself, and fellow Apostles, we may no less justly say of ourselves, we show to you that eternal life which was with the father. Shall the Lawyer be valued who showeth you that way of preserving your temporal estate? shall the Physician be honoured, who showeth you the way of prolonging your corporal life: and shall not the feet of them be beautiful, who bring the glad tidings of peace, and show the way of obtaining eternal life? But however, if we must be neglected, yet let the treasure we bring, be gratefully esteemed by you, as you love your life, as you value eternity, prise the Gospel. That I may the more enhance the worth of the Gospel, consider it not only absolutely and positively, but oppositively and comparatively. 1. In opposition to the Law strictly taken, which (though there was a time when life might have been obtained by it, yet) now to us who are guilty of the breach of it, it threateneth nothing bu● death. Oh how sweet is the Gospel to the transgressor of the Law, in the Law there is nothing but matter of fear, in the Gospel of love, in the Law, God is against us, in the Gospel, he is Emanu●l, God with us. The Law curseth, the Gospel blesseth: the office of the Law is to accuse and terrify; of the Gospel, to heal and comfort; finally, the Law is a kill Letter, but the Gospel a quickening Spirit. 2. In comparison with the state of the Old Testament; How much more obliged are we to God, who live in the times of the New, in respect of the clear Revelation of this life unto us? God spoke with Moses at the door of the Tabernacle, but now he leadeth his Spouse into the presence Chamber: The Old Testament Christians saw through a veil, but now the Curtain is drawn; with them it was the dawning of the day, with us it is full noon; oh that we would praise the Lord, for his inestimable goodness to us, upon whom the glorious light of the Gospel shineth. 2. To endeavour, that what this word of life is in it self, it may be to every one of us; and as it is the word of life by way of manifestation, so it may be also by way of operation, effectual, to bring us to that life which it revealeth to us, the more to quicken us in this endeavour, it would be seriously considered by us, that though the Gospel be intentionally the word of life, yet accidentally it proveth to many the savour of death: namely, those who receive with the left hand of infidelity, what God offereth with the right hand of grace and mercy; the same Sun both softeneth the wax, and hardeneth the clay; the same earth is sweet in the grape, and bitter in the wormwood; the same odour is a refreshment to the Dove, and poison to the Beetle; the same herb called Rhododaphne, is a cure to men, bit with serpents, and venomous to beasts; and the same Gospel, is both to believers a word of life, and to unbelievers a means of condemnation, whilst they love darkness rather than light, and choose death before life: Oh therefore, let it be our prayer, among whom this word of life hath been so long preached, that it may come to us, as it did to the Thessalonians, 1 Thes. 1.5. not in word only, but also in power, so as it may become to every one of us the power of God to salvation, and life eternal; THE FIRST EPISTLE OF St. JOHN. SERM. 3. CHAP. I. Ver. 1, 2. 1. That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the word of life. 2. (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life which was with the father, and was manifested to us.) A Scripture to which I need no beginning, since it begins with the beginning, and that such a beginning as hath no beginning; a Text to which a Preface will be needless, because itself is a Preface, and yet such a Preface, as may withal be called a book. In reference to the Epistle, it is a proem, in itself it is a volume well worth our most serious study and perusal. The Apostles duty, and the Gospel's excellency, are the two Sections which divide it, the first of which consisting only of one leaf, though that having three columes I read over the last time. The second expatiateth itself into four large leaves, the first of which is written as it were on both sides, having a double exposition annexed to it, the one side was then dispatched, & now we are to turn over the other, and according to the most genuine sense to handle these words as spoken concerning Christ, the word of life, that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifest to us. Nor is it without strong reason (as I conceive) that we should incline to this latter, as the most congruous interpretation. For 1. This phrase the word of life primarily agreeth to Christ since when it is attributed to the Gopsel it is in reference to Christ, and therefore eternal life is manifested in the Gospel, because Christ by whom we obtain that life, is revealed in it. 2. The things that are here asserted concerning this word of life, are such as most properly belong to the person, Vt rei certam scientiam declararet hiscae metaphoris videndi, & contractandi oculis ipsis & manubus usus est Socin. in Apoc. Non animadvertunt hoc a joanne socili. ut teste etc. Est. ibid. rather than the doctrine of Christ; the word of life is said to be manifested, and that such a manifestation as was visible; nay, so as they not only heard & saw, but handled, which cannot literally be referred but to a corporeal substance; and to understand those expressions with Socinas' metaphorically, is here very unsuitable, because the strength of the argument, by which St. john would confirm what he delivered concerning Christ, lieth in the literal acception, that sensible experience they had of him, by hearing, seeing, and handling. 3. Those phrases of Word and Life, are most frequently, when used by this Apostle in all his writings applied to Christ; joh. 1. ●. 5.7.11.20. so in the beginning of his Gospel, when he saith, in the beginning was the word, and in him was life, it is without controversy spoken of Christ; so in the last Chapter of this Epistle, the term Word, in the enumeration of the Trinity, is plainly meant of Christ, and this Life is said to be ●n him: and again, of him no doubt those words are spoken, This is the true God, and eternal life. 4. Add to all this, That which (where there is an equal probability of reason on both sides) shall ever with me praeponderate the scales, is that almost all Expositors, as well ancient as modern go this way▪ and interpret this concerning the person of Christ. And now following this construction, you may observe the person of Christ generally denominated, and particularly exempl●, 〈◊〉 the former in the end of the first, and the latter in the greatest part of the second verse, of each in their order. 1. The General denomination here given to Christ is, that he is called the Word of Life; and here are two substantives, that singly deserve our consideration. 1. Christ is called the Word. An expression not altogether unknown to those Heathens, Trismagistus and Plato, which made Amelius swear when he read the beginning of St. john's Gospel, Dr. Hammond. Annot. in Luc. c. 1. per jovem barbarus iste cum nostro Platone sensit verbum esse in ordine principii. This Barbarian (for so he was in his esteem) agreeth with our Plato, asserting the word to be in the order of a principle. But they being ignorant both of the Trinity, and of the Messiah, though they had the word, could not rightly understand the thing; as for the jews, it is very likely it was known to them as the name of the Messiah, at that time when St. john wrote, because it was often used in the Chaldee language, which was then common among them. It were easy to multiply places in the Old Testament, where when the Hebrew reads Lord, the Chaldee paraphrase rendereth it the Word of the Lord; thus where the Prophet saith, Israel is saved by the Lord, Isa. 45.17. Ps. 110▪ 1▪ the Chaldee read it, the word of the Lord; and when in the Psalms it is said, the Lord said to my Lord, the Chaldee read to my word; and these may suffice to let us see that the jews being no strangers to this language, could not but be acquainted with this term. A Title which St. john, of all the Evangelical penmen seemeth most to delight in, and therefore it is most frequent in his writings; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 &c Cyr. Thes An●t. 19 nay, indeed only used by him in the New Testament, who is therefore called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉; and no wonder if he who was a seraphical writer, made so much use of this sublime expression. That I may fully and distinctly represent the several notions of this term Word among interpreters, be pleased to look upon it as capable of a double trope, to wit, a metaphor, and a metonymic. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 & sermonem & rationem significaet. lact. Instituti l. 4. c. 9 1. This phrase may not unfitly be looked upon as metaphorical. Christ resembled to a word, which that I may the better explicate, take notice of that known distinction of Word, into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, conceptus mentis, & sermo oris, the inward conceit of the mind, and outward speech of the lips, to both which, the Messiah is not unfitly compared. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Bas. hom. 15. 1. The conceit of the mind is called a word, the heart having its language as well as the mouth, and speech being nothing else but as it were the echo of that voice which is in the mind; now to this it is which the ancients generally refer this title Word, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 etc. Ignat ep. 3▪ add magn. verbum h●eres est non ●●nus etc. Hila●. l. 2 de T●init 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. 〈◊〉 2. the 〈◊〉 vide Bas loc. praedict. when spoken of Christ▪ nor is it without good reason, that they conceive the Messiah compared to the internal Word, and that in a double respect. 1. Primarily, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, in regard of his Father, for as the internal word is that offspring of the mind, so is Christ the Son of God, as the mind formeth its conceit, by understanding the object proposed, so the Father generateth his Son, by understanding his own essence; as the conceit issueth from the mind, without any passion or trouble; so is the Son begotten of the Father; as the generation of the word, in the mind is immaterial and spiritual, without any carnal conjunction, so is the generation of the Son of God; finally, as the word which is framed in, remaineth with the mind, so the Son being begotten of, Mens cogit ando verbum intra se generat & sic generat verbum de se ●t genitum habeat apud se sic verbum divinum in ipso patre manet a quo gignitur. Fulg. ad Megrim l. 3. c▪ 7. Vide Aug. de Trinit. l 9 c. 10 abideth in the Father, though withal notwithstanding those analogies, there want not many discrepancyes; for whereas the internal word is an accident to the mind, different from it in essence, and after it in time, so as though the word could not be without the mind, the mind may be without the word; Christ is the consubstantial, coeternal Son of the Father, and as there was no time when the word was without the Father, so neither when the Father without his word. I cannot let this go without taking notice how graciously God is pleased to condescend to us in his language, that though we cannot comprehend, we may apprehend something of those divine mysteries: This age hath brought forth a Generation of Preachers, who wrap up plain notions in cloudy expressions, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉▪ Cyr. Thes. assert. 19 Bas. Chrysost. Aug. cum aliis. but they are very unlike the Spirit of God, who clotheth sublime verities in plain similitudes; what mystery in all Divinity more abstruct than that of the generation of the Son of God? the Prophet Isaiah is at his quis enarrabit, who shall declare it; for of this many Father's understand that question, and yet much of it is manifested to us, by this common metaphor of a word. 2. Secondarily, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in regard of the creatures, A●g. quaest▪ 63.83 Apoc. 3 15. joh. 1.1, 2. Aug. de Trn. l. 15. c. 11. for as the internal word is that according to which a man effecteth all his actions, so is this word, principium omnia peragendi, the beginning of the creation of God, as he calleth himself, and by this word it is that all things were made, as this Apostle saith in his Gospe: And as the internal word may exist in the mind, and yet the external work not presently be; but the work cannot be unless the word pr●e-exist in the mind: So Christ was from eternity with God, before the world was made, but the world could not be made without this word. It is a consideration which should teach us, when we contemplate the world's goodly fabric, to reflect on Christ the former of it, even the Creation (if considered by a knowing Christian) leadeth not only to God but Christ, nor can we think seriously upon the making of the world, except we remember how it was made by a word, which word is Christ. 2. But further, the speech of the lips is that to which most properly this term word belongs, Vide damasc. de orthod. fide▪ l. 1. c. 6. & Cyr. Catech. 11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 coming from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dico to speak, and truly there wants not a fit analogy in this metaphor; it is true, there are many things wherein this external word is unlike to Christ, as its extrinsicalness to the person, its temporary continuance, and the like; but there is one thing wherein it seemeth aptly to shadow forth Christ to us, for as a man maketh known himself to others by his word, so is the Father by Christ revealed unto the world; some observing the various acceptance of this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, have taken hold of the signification of definitio, Filius dicitur verbum quia agnitionem patris facit Iren. l. 4. c. 14. Quia per ipsum innotescit pater Aug. de fid▪ & symb. c. 3. Heb. 1.3. 2 Cor. 4.4. Slat▪ in Corinth. and applied it to this present purpose▪ for as the definition doth explicate the thing defined, so doth Christ make known the Father, but the common signification of the word, seemeth sufficiently to illustrate the same truth, and so accordingly is taken notice of by the Fathers, Irenaeus and Augustine, who tell us, he is therefore called the Word, because by him the Father is made known, and through him we come to the saving knowledge of God, in this respect it is that Christ is called by the Author to the Hebrews, the brightness of his Father's glory, and express character of his person; and again, by St. Paul, the image of God, quia patrem suum nobis conspiciendum praebet, because he manifesteth his Father to us. And yet more particularly, as that which a man maketh known of himself by his word, is his will, intent and purpose, so hath the Father by Christ imparted to the world his eternal purpose and counsel concerning man's salvation. It is observable, that Christ is called the power of God, and the wisdom of God, 1 Cor. 1. ●4. Apoc. 19.13. and the word of God in Scripture, and all fitly: he is the wisdom of God, because God's decrees and counsels, are, as it were, made by him; the power of God, because they are made good, and accomplished by him, and the word of God, because they are made known and promulged by him: 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epiph 〈◊〉 7● this is Epiphanius his notion of word: he is called (saith he) the word, because he is the interpreter of his Father's counsels and mind to men, and that we may expound Scripture by Scripture, me thinketh that of the Author to the Hebrews is a Comment upon this title, when he saith, God in these last days hath spoken to us by his Son, who therefore is the word, because God by him hath spoken, and that most clearly to us. It is a distinction not unusual, nor irrational, which is made between sonus, vox, H●b. 1. ●. and verbum, a sound, a voice, a word, a sound, being any kind of noise, a voice, an articulate sound, and a word, a significant voice; The application of it, to this present business, is very fit; the Prophets of the Old Testament, they were as a sound, john Baptist, Christ's immediate forerunner, Mat. 3.3. was as a voice: he is called so, the voice of one crying in the wilderness; but it is Christ, and he only who is the word, distinctly and fully signifying to us the will of God concerning our salvation. How great is our happiness (beloved) who live in these last days, and how great will be our misery if we be deaf to the word, by which in these last day's God speaketh to us, and therefore let that Apostolical counsel be acceptable. See that you refuse not him that speaketh, rather let us hearken to him, learn of him, Heb. 12.25. and seek from him divine knowledge. The truth is (brethren) thus the case now stands. Eternal life (to wit, the only way to it) is to know the only true God, and jesus Christ, whom he hath sent; no man knoweth the Son, joh. 17.3. Luc. 10.24. but the Father, nor the Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. This only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, joh. 1.8. Mat. 17.5. he hath declared him. Yea, he counselleth us to buy of him that eye salve, by which only we may see; and the voice from heaven chargeth us with; This is my well-beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him; and therefore as Peter said to Christ, Lord to whom shall we go, joh. 6.68. thou hast the words of eternal life? So let us say, Blessed jesus whither shall we go, whom should we hear but thee, thou art the word of life? 2. I have done with the metaphorical, a word of the metonymical construction, and so Christ is called the Word, in as much as he is the subject matter of the word, and this we shall find true, both in a general and a special consideration. 1. In general, The whole word either mediately or immediately in a proxim or remote way points at Christ; to him all the Prophets as well as the Apostles give witness; the Scriptures are as the field, and Christ is the treasure hid in this field; they as the ring, and Christ as the diamond of great price, which giveth the lustre to it; he is the centre in which all the lines in holy writ do meet; Christus velatus in veteri, revelatus in novo, in isto praedictus, in illo praedicatus. B●ys. conc. lati. in post. and this word of life is the very soul and life of the word: oh let us in the reading of this sacred book break the bone, that we may suck the marrow, crack the shell, that we may feed on the kernel, open the Cabinet, that we may find the pearl, search the Scriptures, that we may meet with Christ in them; since as that devout Ancient said, he found no relish in Tully's Oratorical writings, because he could not read jesus there. So the very sweetness and excellency of the Bible lieth in this, that we may read jesus, as it were in every line of it. But 2. In special, word is as much as promise, when Synecdochically taken; Act. 1.4 Luk. 24.49. and thus, as the spirit is sometimes called the promise, so Christ is called the word, quasi eum dicas de quo loc●tus, vel quem pollicitus est dominus; to wit, he of whom God speaketh, or whom he promised should come into the world; in this respect, those words of St. Paul, fitly explicate the phrase, where he tells Agrippa, I continue witnessing no other things than those which the Prophets and Moses did say should come: Christ is therefore the word, Act 26. 2●. because it is he whom they say should come, or to use Zachary his expression, he is that horn of salvation which God raiseth up in the house of David, as he spoke by the mouth of all his holy Prophets which have been since the world began; Luk. 1▪ 6●, 70. Moses his great Prophet, Balaams' star, Esaiahs' tender plant, Jeremy's branch, Zacharies horn, Malachi his Sun, are all of them mystical Prophecies and promises of the Messiah. It lets us see at once, both the goodness and faithfulness of God, his goodness in that before he gave his Son, he gave the promise of him; he was promissus priusquam missus, first assured verbally, then sent actually; and his faithfulness, in that as he promised, so he gave him; sicut promissus sic missus, he was not more mercifully promised, than faithfully sent. It did not seem good to his wisdom to confer this jewel presently, but in the mean space that the Church might have somewhat to support her, he vouchsafed the promise of it: divine promises are as sweet bits to stay our stomaches before the full meal of his actual performances; the promise of Christ's first coming was that which comforted the jews, and the promise of his second coming is that which now reviveth the Christian Church: and since we have found him making good his word in the one, we may assure ourselves he will fulfil it in the other; since as he was so good as to give a word, so he will be so good as his word, and give the thing whatsoever it is that he is pleased to promise; for so it was in that singular eminent promise of Christ, who is therefore not unfitly called the word; and so much for that. 2. The other substantive yet remaineth, to wit, life, which is in the place of an adjective, and may be rendered as an Epithet, the living word, and look as Christ, when he is compared to bread, Genitivus loco Epitheti capitur. Calv. in loc. to a stone, it is with this addition, the bread of life, a living stone, to difference him from other stones, from common bread; so he is here called the word of life, to distinguish him from, and advance him above other words; for whereas other words though spoken by living persons, yet have no life in themselves; this word is the living word personally subsisting, or else, as he is called the bread of life, because he giveth and communicateth life to them that feed on him; so here the word of life, because he is the author of life to them that receive him: but the discussion of this falleth more fitly in in the next part, to which therefore I pass on; namely. Gen. 2. The particular exemplification in which Christ is characterized as God-man, as God, as man; as God-man he is styled the life, and the eternal life; as God, he is said to be the life which was with the Father▪ as man, he is the life which was manifested. Of each of which with all possible brevity and perspicuity. Part. 1. He is called the life, that eternal life. If you ask in what respect this agreeth to him, the answer is already hinted, but shall now be more largely prosecuted; He is the life, Vera vita per se subsistens & author vitae. justin. Persectissimè vitae rationem habet & spiritualem coelestē aeternamque vitam tribuit. Serrar. ibid. and that eternal, two ways, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 formaliter and efficienter in himself, & in respect of us, as being both vivus and vivificus, living & giving life. 1. Christ is the life, and that eternal life, because in himself he liveth for ever; this is true of him, primarily as God: this being one of his choice attributes, that he is the living God, & inasmuch as divine attributes are better expressed by the abstract, than the concrete, he is fitly said, not only to be living, but life itself, and this life is most properly said to be eternal, because it is so, both a part ante & a part post, from everlasting to everlasting; Secondarily, this is true of him, as Mediator, God-man; since, though there was a time when thus he began to live, to wit, at his assumption of our nature, Rom. 6.9. Rev. 1.18. Heb. 9.25. and likewise his life on earth did expire, to wit, at his passion, yet now he dieth no more, death hath no more dominion over him, but he is alive for evermore, and that to make intercession. 2. But that which I conceive most suitable to the Apostles meaning, is that Christ is said to be the life, because he is the original of life to us, in this respect the abstract fitly agreeth to him, because life is in him as sap in the root, water in the fountain, to convey it to all that believe on him; in this sense it is that Christ useth it concerning himself (as appeareth by his own Commentary) I am the life, whosoever believeth in me, joh. 11.25. Col. 3.3. though he were dead, yet shall he live: hence it is that he is called by the Apostle Paul expressly our life, nor is he only life, but eternal life, Vitam largitur dum omnia fovet & conservat. justin. joh. 10.28. that life which as Mediator he vouchsafeth to believers being eternal; indeed all creatures are beholding to him for their natural life, in him we live, move, and have our being; but the life which believers have by him, is an eternal life, according as he saith himself, I give to them eternal life. joh. 10.28. This is that life which (as the learned Davenant observeth) 1 Christus promisit, Christ promised to his disciples, Daven. in Coloss. Luc. 12.32. and in them to all Christians, where he saith, it is my Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom, 2 promeruit, by his own death he purchased for all believers, in which respect eternal life is said to be the gift of God through jesus Christ our Lord: Rom. 6.23. 3 praeparavit being now ascended into heaven, he there maketh ready for us, according as he saith himself, I go to prepare a place for you; and yet more, 4 inchoat, joh. 14.2. he begins by the work of grace in the hearts of all the faithful, in which respect he that believeth on him, is said to have everlasting life: and finally, 5 reddet, joh. 6.47. he will at the last day consummate by glory. Indeed, than it is that our bodies being raised, our persons shall be glorified, and this eternal life actually conferred, & therefore our blessed Saviour joineth these two together, in that forementioned place, I am the resurrection and the life: joh. 11.25. thus as the ointment ran down from Aaron's head to his beard, and thence to his skirt; so that eternal life which Christ rising from the grave personally enjoyeth, shall be communicated to all his members. To sum it up, Christ, God-man, Mediator, is the life, that eternal life, in respect of his threefold offices, of King, Priest, and Prophet: as Prophet, he is the life by way of Revelation, discovering this eternal life to us; as Priest, by way of impetration, procuring this eternal life for us; as King, by way of collation, conferring this eternal life on us: and as the fullness of water is dispensed by the Sea to the Earth, and the fullness of light is communicated by the Sun to the Air, and the fullness of Corn was divided by joseph among the people; so the fullness of grace and glory of life, even eternal life is conveyed by Christ to his Church, and therefore very justly doth this character belong to him. And now what should this consideration teach us, But 1. To bewail our sad condition whilst we are without Christ: for if Christ be the life all that know him not, or believe not in him, must needs be in a state of death and damnation. It is observable, that St. Paul, speaking of the Ephesians whilst in the state of unregeneracy, Eph. 2.1, 2.12. saith, they were dead in sins and trespasses; and a little after, renders this as the reason, because at that time they were without Christ; indeed as the body without the soul is corporally, so the soul without Christ is spiritually dead; and alas, whilst we are in this estate, we are without all hope of life, being under the sentence, not only of the first, but second death, and therefore john the Baptist saith expressly, joh. 3.36. he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him; oh heavy load, and unsupportable weight, which upon whomsoever it abideth, must needs crush him to pieces, and sink him to the depth of Hell: Oh labour we then both in respect of ourselves and others, to be sensible of our natural estate, and if we mourn over our friends dead bodies, much more should we mourn over theirs, and our dead souls. 2. To seek after this life, because it is eternal, and to seek it by union with Christ, who is the life. Indeed this temporal life may be used, but only that eternal life is to be sought, the life that now is, is a fleeting shadow, a vanishing vapour, a day, which though never so pleasant, cannot be long; but the life which is to come, is a light ever shining, a leaf never fading, and such a day as shall know no evening: and now tell me which is most rational, to seek after that life which is lost, almost as soon as it is found, or after that life which being once found, can never be lost? to catch after that which being got, we cannot hold, or that which being once got, we cannot lose? and therefore that I may allude to our blessed Saviour's expression; labour not for that which perisheth, but for that life which endureth to eternity. joh. 6.27. To this end, let it be our continued care to gain, to assure our interest in, and union with Christ; the Shunamite went to the Prophet for raising her dead child: we must to Christ for the quickening our dead souls; it is very observable what St. Peter saith to this purpose: 1 Pet. 2.4, 5. To whom coming as to a living stone, we also are built up as lively stones: so that if you know how we become living stones, it is by coming to, and being built upon Christ as our foundation; the soul cannot enliven the body, till infused into, and united with it, nor can we receive life from Christ, but by an interest in him: he that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood (saith Christ himself) hath eternal life; there is life, eternal life in the flesh and blood of Christ, joh▪ 6.54. but then we must eat and drink it, that so this spiritual food may be incorporated into us, and we made one with Christ. 3. Lastly, to set an high value upon Christ, and give him the glory of this great mercy, even eternal life; of all the Titles that do express the personal excellencies of the Lord Christ, that of the word is most glorious; and of all those that do express the privileges we have by him, none so comprehensive as this of eternal life, To you who believe (saith the Apostle) concerning this living stone, 1 Pet. 2.7. he is precious; and well he may, since he bestoweth so rare a jewel, and so invaluable a pearl as eternal life upon us; indeed all our good and comfort is wrapped up in Christ; he is the bread to nourish us, the light to guide us, the life to save us; are then any beginnings of this life wrought in us? any hopes of it assured to us? let us look upon ourselves as vessels filled by this fountain, stars enlightened by this Sun, carcases enlivened by this spirit, acknowledging what we have, and hope for to be only and wholly from Christ, that as we have life from him, he may have thanks from us: Now to him who is the life, that eternal life, be praise and glory in the Church throughout all ages, Amen. THE FIRST EPISTLE OF St. JOHN. SERM. 4. CHAP. I. Ver. 2. 2. (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life which was with the father, and was manifested unto us.) AMong the mystical interpretations of those four living creatures, mentioned in Ezekiel and the Apocalypse, Ezek 1.5. Apoc. 4.6. that of resembling by them, the four Evangelists, is the most usual among the Ancients; and St. john is compared to the Eagle by them all, except Iraeneus, who likeneth him to the Lion. Iren adv. haeres. l. 3. c. 2. St. Hieroms reason is from the Eagles wing, which soareth highest of any bird: St. Gregory's from the Eagles eye, which is able to look upon the Sun, and both very apposite, for so doth St. john in his Gospel look upon the Sun of righteousness, and so are high in contemplation of his Divinity; Dum in ipsâ divinitatis substantiâ intendit, quasi more Aquilae oculos in solemn fixit. Greg. in Ezek. l. 1. hom. 4. Assumptis pennis Aquilae & ad altiora festinans de verbo dei disputat. Hier. in Matth. praefat. joh. 1.2. Ps. 36.9 Vide Theod. ibid. nor is this less observable in this Epistle than in his Gospel, which both beginneth and closeth with the Deity of Christ: Indeed we have here in this beginning, both the Godhead and Manhood of the Messiah, and the union of both in one person set before us, when he saith, That which was from the beginning, etc. The second Character here given, and which now followeth to be handled, is of Christ as God, in those words, which was with the Father: It is the same no doubt in sense, with that in the Gospel, and the word was with God; and to this purpose Theodoret applieth that of the Psalmist, With thee is the fountain of Life. For the better explanation of it, we must take notice of the Noun▪ the Preposition, and the Ve●●; ●ather, with the Father, was with the Father. 1. By the Father, we are here no doubt to understand the first person in the sacred Trinity; Indeed it is a word that is taken in Scripture, both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, essentially and personally; essentially it is common to all the persons; Quando divinitas intra se describitur, nomen patris sumitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Quando autem fit collatio divinitatis adcreaturas nomen patris sumitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 & complectitur omnes personas. Gerard. l. 6. de. Deo patre. 1 joh. 3.1. personally it is only true of the first: when it is used of God in respect to the Creatures, it is to be understood essentially, and our Apostle so intends it, when he saith, Behold what manner of love the Father, hath showed, that we should be called the Sons of God; But when of God in order to the persons, it is to be constru●● personally, as here; and in the next verse, it is manifestly so used. And the first person is called the Father, say some, because he is the original of the Trinity, as connoting the relation he hath both to the Son and the Holy Ghost; but ●hy others, more properly the first person i● the Father only in relation to the second, who is his begotten after the most perfect way of Generation, and so he only a Father in regard of him. But further. 2. The chief thing considerable, is what this meaneth, that Christ the life is said to be with the Father. The answer to which, I shall lay down both negatively and affirmatively. 1. Negatively, we must not strain the expression too far, as noting either an inferiority, or separability between those two persons, of the Father, and the Word. 1. Not a separability, as if Christ were so with, that he were without the Father, Vide Fulgent. ad Monim. l. 3. joh. 10.14. as a cloak which a man holdeth in his hands is with him; but yet without him in this sense with, is opposed to in: but that in this construction it cannot be verified of Christ is plain, because he is said not only to be with, but in the Father. 2. Not an inferiority, as it is sometimes used, when he that is said to be with, doth after a sort depend upon the person with whom he is in a way of subordination and subjection, in which respect, the Son is said to be with his Father, the servant with his Master, and the like. As for the eternal Son of God, St. Paul saith, he holdeth it no robbery to be equal with God, Phil. 2.6. and therefore his being with, cannot infer a disparity; indeed this expression is true reciprocally, joh. 14.11. the Father with and in the Son, as well as the Son in and with the Father; the three persons being mutually with each other, and none superior to the other. But 2. Affirmatively, this exposition noteth, Qui ab aeterno latuit absconditus in sin● patris. T●●in. in loc. Ve●ôum absconditum esse insinuat cum subjungit & verbum erat apud Deum. Greg. Mor. l. 5. c. 1●▪ 1. The secrecy of Christ's subsistence before he came into the world, he was with the Father, to wit, in his bosom, and so hid from the world, as things in the bosom are recluse from common view, and the opposition of this with the Father, to manifesting, giveth some ground for this construction. 2. The distinct personality of the Son from the Father; with the Father, that is, subsisting with the Father, and though not divided, yet distinguished from him, hence it is that St. Ambrose maketh use of this place, to stop the mouth of Sabellius, who would confound the persons; the same person cannot be said to be with himself, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 declarat hypostaceos distinctionem Bez. in loc. Subsistens apud aliam subsistentem Serrar. ibid. Quod erat apud deum non commixtione confunditur, sed manentis verbi apud patrem folidâ perfectione distinguitur ut Sabellius annotat. Ambros. de fid. l. 1. c▪ 5. Qui est apud alium distinguitur ab illo quia nihil est apud se. Paul. palate. in joh. Quod erat apud deum sempiternae divinitatis in patre & filio inseparabilis u●itas edocetur ut erubescat. Eudoxi us & Eunomius. Ambros. de fid. l 1 c. 5. but with another person, and therefore the life which is with the Father, must be a distinct person from the Father. 3. The essential unity between the Father and the Son. He that is with another, though he is distinct from, yet he must be near to, or else he could not be said to be with him; nor are we to imagine this with, when spoken of the Divine persons, to note a local (as a man who is in the same place, is said to be with another) but an essential union, whereby though they are personally distinguished, yet they are essentially united; and in this respect St. Ambrose maketh use of this phrase to confute Eudoxius and Eunomius. This then is the Catholic faith, the Father and the Son are alius and alius, another and another person, but not aliud and aliud, another and another thing; and this Preposition with, may serve fitly to connote both these. 4. Lastly, the Son's eternity may, be insinuated in this Preposition, in as much as with, stands in opposition to before and behind; as the Son could not be before, so neither is he after the Father, but with him, and therefore as the Father is eternal, so also is the Son. Indeed in humane generation the Son is after, but in Divine, the Son is with the Father; nor can any moment be assigned to the Father, wherein the Son was not. This will yet further appear by, 3. The Verb which is set down in the Praeterimperfect tense, and that we may comprise the full of it, take it in a double opposition to the Present, and the Praeterfect-tense. 1. It is not said which is with the Father, St. john might have said so of him as man, he being then ascended to heaven, and set down at the right hand of his Father; but here speaking of him as God, he useth the past-time, he was, that is, from all eternity with the Father: so that if any shall be so curious as to ask where this life was before it was manifested? Christ was before incarnate? the answer is, he was with the Father, by which the heresy of Elion and Cerinthus falls to the ground, An te omnia Deus erat solus ipse sibi, solus autem, quia nihil aliud extrinsecùs praeter illum, caeterum ne tum quidem solus▪ habebat enim secum quam habebat in semetipso rationem suam. Tertul contr. prox. c. 5. Prov. 8.22, 23. joh. 17.4. Si antequam mundus esset gloriam habuit apud deum & claritatem tenuit apud patrem ante mundum fuit, nec enim habuisset gloriam nisi ipse prius fuisset qui gloriam posset tenere. Tertul. de Trinit. lib. cap. 24. Erat, significat aliquid fuisse, & non esse adhuc determinatum, nec desinisse sed adhuc manere. Aquin. in joh. Evang. who deny him any being before he was born of his mother: upon this account it is, that Tertullian saith excellently, The father was alone before he made the world, and yet he was not alone because the eternal life was with him; and in this respect wisdom saith, the Lord (not created according to the unhappy mistake of the Greek, but) possessed me (according to the true meaning of the Hebrew) to wit, as a Father is said to possess his son, and this in the beginning of his way before his works of old, to wit (as it followeth in the next verse) from everlasting; suitably hereunto, Christ mentions a glory which he had with the Father, before the world was; from whence, an Ancient strongly argueth, that he was with the Father from all eternity, since he could not have had that glory if himself had not been. Besides, when we find these two words, eternal, and was here put together, we have reason to conceive that eternity is to be taken in its most proper notion, as it excludes not only ending, but beginning; according to which, it were a contradiction in terminis, to say this eternal life was not with the Father from everlasting. 2. It is not said which hath been, but which was, to note that his subsistence with the Father is not now at an end, but this eternal life still remaineth with the Father; for that Aquinas maketh the notion of this word was, importing a thing so to have been, as that it doth not cease to be; and therefore when Christ is said to come forth from the Father, it must not be taken in a rigid sense, & is best explained by this phrase of manifesting, his making himself known to the world in our nature, being all that is meant by his coming forth from the Father; for the truth is, he so was, as that he still is, and for ever shall be with the Father; and in this respect it is not unworthy our observation, that the Apostle doth not say, which was with the Father, and is now separated from him, but only is now manifested to us, to wit, so as that this life still is with him, and that to eternity. To end this, let the meditation hereof, 1. Comfort us, in as much as it assureth us that Christ is very fit for the work he undertaketh, and therefore will accomplish it: The great design of the Messiah is to reconcile us to the Father, and who fitter to do this than he that was with the Father? Indeed he that is here said to be with, is elsewhere said to be in the bosom of the Father; and who more fit to make our peace than he, joh. ●. 1●. who lieth in the Father's bosom? upon which ground, is that expression of St. Paul, He hath made us accepted in his beloved; Eph. 1.5. Christ and the Father are one by nature. Let us not doubt but he hath prevailed to make us one with God by Grace now, and by glory hereafter. 2. Encourage us against that contempt and scorn which is cast upon Christian Religion, Facit haec ad demonstrandam fidei nostrae dignitatem. Gualt. in Epist. jer. 17.5. as if we did place our trust in a mere man; and therefore the jews upbraid us with that curse in the Prophecy of jeremy, Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his Arm; but he is not a mere man whom we trust in, and therefore that curse doth not belong to us, for as he became man of his mother in the fullness of time, so he was God with his Father, before all time. 3. Exhort us to adore this eternal life which is with the Father, with the same reverence and worship we give to the Father; we need not fear idolatry, when as it is expressly said, Io●. 5.23. Ambros. de fid. l. 1. c. 5. that all men should honour the Son, as they honour the Father: let then St. Ambrose, his pithy counsel take place in spite of blasphemous Heretics, jungat honorificientia patri filium quem junxit divinitas, as the Father and the Son are joined together in unity of essence, so let us join them together in unity of worship, saying in words, not much unlike those of the Elders: worthy art thou (oh jesus) to receive glory, and honour, and power, for thou art that eternal life which was with the Father. Rev. 4. 1●. 3. The last character remaineth which belongs to Christ as man, set forth in the word manifested, which as being of singular concernment, is twice repeated, to wit, both in the beginning and the end of the second verse; for the better explication whereof, these three things are briefly to be considered: What this manifestation imports. Who it is that was thus manifested. Why the thing here intended, Intelligens illam exhibitionem promissi Messiae per incarnationem factam. Illyr. in loc. is called a manifestation. 1. As to the first of these queries, it is generally answered; that by this manifestation, we are to understand the incarnation of the Son of God: nor is it without sufficient reason, since 1. This phrase is manifestly used elsewhere in this sense, so by St. Paul, with that explicatory additament, Per incaernationem se● mundo manifestavit. Tirin. ib. 2 Tim. 3.16.1.10. 1 joh. 5.5, 8. when he saith, God was manifested in the flesh; nay without any addition when he speaks of the appearing of jesus Christ, and which yet more confirms it by our Apostle himself in this Epistle, and that twice in one Chapter, he was manifested, and the Son of God was manifested, that is (as all agree) incarnated. But 2. Besides these parallel Scriptures, there is a convincing Argument in the Text itself, to which end, you may be pleased to observe, that this parenthesis is interserted by the Apostle, on purpose to prevent an objection that might be made against, and so add a confirmation to what is asserted in the precedent verse; whereas St. john there saith, he and the rest heard, saw and handled the word of life: it might be asked, How could this be? Tacitae objectioni occurrit, etc. Illyr. in loc. this living word being spiritual and immaterial, to which he implicitly answereth by adding, and the life was manifested, to wit, in the flesh, in which respect, the▪ and after the Hebrew phrase, Manifestata est ipsae vitae in carne etc. Aug. ibid. may well be construed for; this being a strong reason to prove that this word of life might be seen by them, since he was manifested to them; yea, which giveth much light, and addeth much strength to the verity of this Exposition, the Apostle immediately knitteth these two together, manifesting and seeing: the life was manifested, and we have seen it, whereby it appeareth that the manifestation spoken of is such as was visible, Particula 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 juxta Hebraicam phrasin accipitur. Zanch. ib. and therefore must be corporeal, since only that which is corporeal is visible. 2. That the manifestation is the incarnation is clear, but it would be further inquired, who it is that was thus manifested? the answer to which appeareth by those two Characters, the word of life, and the life which was with the Father: it was not then the Father himself, but the word with the Father, the second person in the sacred Trinity that was incarnated. True it is, the divine essence was incarnate, and therefore St. Paul saith, God manifested, Vide damase. de orthod. fid. l. 3 c. 6. Chap. 3● 8. Licet tota Trinitas in hujus formae assumptionem, operata sit tamen, neque sp. sanctus sed solus filius eam sibi junxit Tho. Aquin. pars. tertia q. 3 art. 1. Vide Lomb. sent. 3. dist. 1. li●●. 8. Aug. in. l. de dogm. Eccles. c. 2. because the whole divine nature is in every person, but yet only as in one of the persons, and therefore our Apostle saith, as here, the word, so elsewhere the Son of God was manifested. It is true, that as all external works, so this of the incarnation belongs to the whole Trinity; but yet the termination of this work was only in the Son, as three persons may make a garment, and only one weareth it, or three persons conclude a match, and only▪ one of them, the Person married. If it shall be further inquired, why the word, the second person was manifested? divers reasons are given in answer by the Ancients 1 By the word all things, were at first made, fit it is that the new, as well as the old creation, should be his work. 2 This word is the image of the Father, and therefore most fit to restore the image of God in man. 3 The third is the middle person in the Trinity, and therefore most fit to be Mediator between God and man. 4 He is the word to reveal his Father's will to the world, Athanas de Incarnate▪ Verbi. and therefore he fittest to be manifested in the flesh for this end. 5 He only the Son, and therefore most suitable for him to become the Son of man, that he might make us the Sons of God. 6 In a word, had either the Father, or the Holy Ghost been incarnate, there must have been two sons in the Trinity, which were incongruous. 7 But when all is said, that which we must acquiesce in, is the good pleasure of the blessed Trinity, by whose mutual consent, the second person, the Son of God, the word of life was made flesh, and so manifested. 3. The last quaere cometh now to be unfolded: Why the thing here intended is called a manifestation? whereby we shall see the aptitude of this phrase, and to this end I shall answer it, both by way of remotion, and of position. 1. We must not by any means construe this phrase in favour of those who deny Christ to have a real body, as if Christ's coming into the world were only a phantasm or apparition, a manifestation in, Vide Athanas. de salutari. adventu. Christ. but no real assumption of the flesh. In opposition to this heresy, Athanasius saith solidly, That as in the manifestation of this word, there was no transmutation of the Godhead into flesh, so neither a fantastical representation, but a true assumption of flesh. It is true, the Holy Ghost only appeared in the shape of a Dove, but he came not to redeem doves: Christ came to redeem man, and therefore would be truly man. 2. But if you will know the true reason of this expression, it is because the Deity in our flesh, hath most clearly manifested itself to men. Vide Dyonis. ep. 3. ad Cajum. Naz. orat. 38. The Father's phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, is not much unlike those Scripture expressions, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉; and Gregory Nazianzen enquiring why Christ's Nativity is called by this name, giveth this pregnant reason, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, because God made himself in a special manner manifest to the world, by coming into it. The truth is, never did God so familiarly reveal himself, as when he took our nature. Indeed, there is a manifestation of God in the works of his Creation, the invisible things of his power and Godhead are seen in this visible fabric; Rom. 1.20. but this is only of his attributes, as a picture discovereth the art, Non pater in rubo, non pater in eremo, sed filius Moysi loc●tus est. Ambr. de fid. l. 1. c. 5. Hilar. de T●in. l. 4. but not the Person of the Painter. There was indeed some manifestation of God to the Patriarches of old and (as is probably conceived) it was the Son of God which did appear unto them, yea, and that in an humane shape; for one of those three men that came to Abraham, is not irrationally thought to be the second person in the Trinity; but still those apparitions were but at sometimes, and to some few persons, and indeed were but as Irenaeus calleth them, praeludia verae incarnationis, Iren l. 4. c. 37. forerunners of his incarnation, and as it were, the dawning of the day, wherein the Sun of righteousness did arise. Indeed, so clearly did the Deity manifest itself in Christ incarnate, that when Philip desireth him to show him the Father, joh. 14.9. Christ tells him, he that hath seen me, ha●h seen the Father. Thus as the candle giveth its light through the lantern, and the face is seen through the vail, so did the Godhead manifest itself through our flesh. But perhaps you will say, how can this be, that the Deity should be manifested in flesh? whatsoever is a medium of discovering any thing, must be somewhat proportionable to that it discovereth: Now Flesh and God are at a distance, nor is there any proportion between them; 2 Tim. 3.16. but beloved, St. Paul speaking of this, calls it a great mystery, and therefore if we cannot see how it should be, let that content us. Besides, it cannot be denied, but that the assumption of our flesh, was in respect of the Deity, not a manifestation, but an obscuration, and therefore it is said of him by St. Paul, he emptied himself, he humbled himself, when he took on him our nature; but yet still in respect of us, Phil. 2.5, 6. it was a manifestation. To clear this briefly, and yet fully, you must know, That objects of excelling brightness are best manifested through allaying mediums: thus the Sun being in itself so transcendently lightsome, cannot be looked on by us as it shineth in its own lustre, but best conveyeth its light to us through the clouds; and hence it is, that whilst the clouds obscure, they make the sun beams to us more obvious; the same is the case in this present matter, God's face in itself, is so bright, that we cannot see it, and live, which made the Israelites desire that God would no more speak to them by himself, but by Moses: whereas, Exod. 20.19. in the face of jesus Christ through the cloud as it were, of our humanity, God is become familiar with men, and we partake of the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, as St. Paul speaketh. 1. To apply this, 2 Cor. 4.8. here is matter of 1. Exultation, and that upon several grounds. 1. Because it is spoken of, as a thing already accomplished; it is not the life may be, or shall be, but was manifested: Coelesti lumine perfusi Christum venturum expectabant, & videre exoptabant, quem illi futurum praestolantur, apostuli praesentem conspexerunt Iren. l. 4. c. 24. this manifestation was that which the Saints of the Old Testament waited for, and rejoiced in the very expectance; for so it is said by Christ concerning Abraham, He saw my day, and rejoiced, much more cause have we to rejoice in the real performance. 2. When we look upon the impulsive cause of this manifestation, which was no other than free love and mercy. Revelatio deitatis, revelatio charitatis, in the appearing of our Saviour Christ, there was an appearing of the Grace of God, in the manifestation of this eternal life, was a manifestation of immense love to the sons of men, and therefore saith Athanasius, Athanas. de Incarnate. our Saviour gave a great experiment of his singular affection, in that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, being in himself invisible, he was pleased to manifest himself as the eternal word to us. 3. And yet lastly, considering this manifestation in the effect, whereby it appeareth, that as he was manifested to us, so likewise for us, even our Redemption. The Pagans, when any great works are done beyond the common course of nature, ascribe it to the apparition of some deity; the Son of God appeareth to do a great work, such as not all the creatures in heaven or earth could possibly have effected, this life was manifested, yea, and he was manifested, that we might have life through him: Why art thou strange poor trembling soul, and standest afar off from him, who draweth so nigh to thee? the blessed God was willing to manifest the riches of his love, and that all terror might be prevented, he appeareth as a man; God is come down, and that not in a flaming fire, roaring thunder, warlike armour, but clothed with the garment of flesh; thus whilst he vaileth his greatness, he unvaileth his goodness, and therefore say not, Who shall go up to heaven to bring down this life to us? or down into the deep, to fetch it thence? it is nigh us, Rom. 10.6. even manifesting itself in, yea, conveying itself to us by our flesh. 2. Excitation, to endeavour, that as this life was manifested to, and for, so it may be in us. Those words in the Canticles, Cant. 8.6. Set me as a seal upon thy heart, and a signet upon thy arm, are by the Ancients understood, as the words of Christ to his Spouse, thereby stirring her up to pious affections, and religious actions, in quibus figura Dei Christus luceat, Ambr. de Virg. l. 1. by which Christ may shine forth, and it may appear that this life liveth in her. That expression of St. Paul, holding forth the word of life, is by some referred to Christ, Phil. 2.16. Zanch. whom we must hold forth to the world by pious & exemplary conversations, that so as he was pleased to manifest himself in our nature, we may manifest him in our lives. I end this first general, which is the Messiahs' character, who is the object of the Gospel. He is the ●ord, let us give ●are to him. He is the life, let us seek it from him. He is the eternal life with the Father, let us adore him. He was in due time manifested, let us acknowledge him. And to this word of life, who being from eternity with the Father, was thus pleased to manifest himself; let us give in heart, in word, in life, faith and affection, praise and thanksgiving, obedience and subjection to all eternity, Amen. SERM. 5. THE FIRST EPISTLE OF St. JOHN. CHAP. I. Ver. 1. That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the word of life. SUch is the transcendent worth of Christ, the word, that no words can declare it, of the word of life, that no tongue can set it forth to the life, of the life manifested, that no expressions can manifest it; and yet even in these very characters, much of the excellency of Christ is delineated before us, so that what the Psalmist said of jerusalem, Glorious things are spoken of thee, Ps. 87.3. oh thou City of God, I may say of Christ as he is here represented, Glorious things are spoken of thee, oh thou Son of God; nor is there less verity than dignity in these sayings, that as the one cannot but attract our love, so the other may engage our faith; this holy Apostle, and the rest had good ground for, clear evidence, convincing proof of what they uttered; for it was no more than what sensible experience did assure them of, That which we have heard, etc. It is that part of the Text I am now to handle, Part. 2. the commendation of the Gospel from certain tradition, as being that which the Apostles had heard, and had seen with their eyes, and their hands had handled of the word of life. Out of the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established; so runs St. Paul's maxim, lo hear no less than three witnesses, to wit, three senses, hearing, 2 Cor. 13.1. seeing, handling, produced by St. john, to assert the truth of what he writeth: Auribus audiere, oculis videre salutem, tractavere manu corpus de morte receptum. Tertul contr. Marc. l. c. 7. Prius audierint, quia Dominus resurrexit, postea vero oculis in spexerunt, & contractarunt pedes & manus & latus ejus. Didym. joh. ●0. 27. Luc. 24 39 ●er. in loc. some Expositors restrain it particularly to the resurrection, of which the Apostles first heard by Mary Magdalen, afterwards they saw him themselves, and one of them handled him, putting his hand into his side, yea Christ bids them all to see and handle him; indeed the special work of the Apostles, was to be witnesses of the resurrection, and therefore it is not improbable that St. john might have a singular eye to it, but yet we shall do best to take Scripture in the fullest latitude, and so refer this, ad totam verbi incarnati oeconomiam, to the whole oeconomy of the word incarnate; thus according to the several ways whereby Christ was pleased to manifest himself to them, he was heard, seen, and handled by them: he manifested himself in flesh, and so was handled; in his miracles, and so was seen; in his words, and so was heard. That we may the better understand, both the intent, and extent of these phrases, let us consider them severally. 1. That which we have heard of the word of life; it is a clause which admits of several references. To Moses and the Prophets, that which we have heard out of their writings concerning the Messiah, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Oecumen. Hug. for it is mentioned of both, that they were read in the jewish synagogues every Sabbath-day, whither the Apostles often repaired. 2. To the Scribes and Pharisees, that which we have heard from their mouths in their expositions upon Moses and the Prophets, the Pharisees themselves preached those things concerning the Messiah that were fulfilled in him, and so against their wills gave testimony to him whom they rejected. 3. To john the Baptist, that which we heard from him, who was Christ's harbinger to go before him, Lyr. and pointed at him with an ecce, Behold the Lamb of God. 4. To the voice from heaven, that which we heard when we were with him in the holy mount. 2 Pet. 1.17, 18. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, the Father himself by this extraordinary way testifying of him. 5. Or lastly, (and as I conceive most suitably to the Apostles meaning) to Christ himself, that which we heard from his own mouth, for so it seemeth to be expounded at the fifth verse, the message that we heard of him, not from others at second hand, V. 5. Mat. 5.1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hoc in loco non significat, ex aliorum narratione aliquid accipere, sed suis auribus aliquid audire Bez. in loc. Audivimus non ab aliis sed ipsomet filio Dei, ●ustin. ibid. Aug de serm. Dom. in Mat. but immediately from his own lips; we read in the Gospel, that he opened his mouth and spoke, and as generally to the multitude, so more especially to his disciples, unfolding to them the mysteries of the Kingdom, aperuit os suum qui prius aperuit or a prophetarum, he that opened the mouths of the Prophets, at last openeth his own mouth, and oracula quasi auracula, those sacred oracles, which like honey dropped from his lips, were distilled into their ears, who continually sat at his feet to receive instruction from him; nor was it a naked hearing which the Apostle here intends, but an hearing so, as to understand and believe; for it is such an hearing as put them upon declaring, which could not have been, unless they had understood, nor would have been, except they had believed themselves; this is that which perhaps the iteration of it at the third verse may insinuate, they heard, and heard, to wit, with the ear, and with the heart, and that is the right hearing, when there is internus fidei assensus, as well as externus auris auditus, Vide Lor. Did. in loc. an inward assent accompanying our outward attention; that which Christ spoke to his disciples, he many times spoke to many others; but as when the instrument sounds, a multitude hear it, yet only the musical ear understands and taketh delight in it; so only the Apostles heard with a divine religious ear, by which means it affected their hearts, and inclined them to declare and write that they had heard. 2. That which we have seen with our eyes, that which we have looked upon; The next sense, which is brought in as a witness, is their sight, and it is set forth with abundance of emphasis, to unfold which, observe the extensiveness of the object, and intensiveness of the act. 1. This that, the object is of a large extent, and may be taken in reference to both his natures, to wit, humane and divine. 1. The Apostles saw his humanity, beheld him a man, altogether like to themselves, sin only excepted, they saw him eating, drinking, walking, and thereby expressing the actions of an humane body; yea, they saw him in weariness, hunger, thirst, and so subject to the defects of our frail nature. 2. They saw his divinity, to wit, in the effects of it, those powerful miracles which were wrought by him; such works may well challenge our aspect. They saw him cleansing the Lepers, curing the sick, Vide Lorin: Lyrar: in loc. opening the eyes of the blind, the ears of the deaf, nay, raising the dead; and this, Interpreters conceive St. john especially to aim at, expounding him by himself in the Gospel, where he saith, we saw his glory as the glory of the only begotten Son of the Father, full of grace and truth; yea, joh▪ 11 14: besides those miracles which he wrought among men whilst on earth, they saw his glorious transfiguration on the mount, his raising himself from the grave, and his wonderful ascending into heaven, when from mount Olivet a cloud received him out of their sight; all this, and what ever else conduced to declaring either his manhood, or his Godhead may be very well comprehended in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, that which we have seen. 2. The act is set forth with a great deal of advantage, to express the intensiveness of it. For 1. It is not barely that which we have seen, but that which we have seen with our eyes, an addition which may seem a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 (since if we do see, Lorni. ibid. Chrysost. in Ps. 441. Efficax locutio non enim satis fuit, dicere vidimus sed addit oculis nostris. Grot▪ ibid. it must be with our eyes) but is indeed an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, since as chrysostom well observeth concerning the like phrase of hearing with our ears, it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the usual custom of men, when they assert any thing, whereof they are fully assured, and that to those, who by reason of the strangeness of it, may seem to doubt, to say, I heard it with these ears, I saw it with these eyes, and these hands handled it. 2. It is not once, but twice, nay, thrice expressed, as if there lay a great deal of weight in the evidence of this sense, as indeed there doth; and therefore that we may be assured they did see what they declared, it is not only mentioned so emphatically in the first verse, we have seen with our eyes; but again in the second, the life was manifested, and we have seen it; and yet again, ut dilucidior fieret sententia & cer●ior veritas, that the sentence which was obscured by the parenthesis, Zanch. in loc. might be made more plain by an Epanalepsis, and withal, that the truth of what is asserted, might appear more certain, it is repeated at the third verse, that which we have seen and heard. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spec tare plus quam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 videre Zanc. 3. To express it yet more fully, here is another word added more significant than the former, which we have looked upon; it is the same with that which is used in the Gospel, we saw his glory, and there are several things which it doth superadd▪ joh. 1.14. 1. That they saw not only with bodily, but with mental eyes, they saw culm dijudicatione considering and judging what they saw, and which upon mature judgement was found to be as it appeared; Didym. in loc. Multa videmus oculis quae revocata ad judicium animi secus essent. Art ibid. Sollicitam & sagacem inspectionem indicat. justinian. ib. for so Didimus referreth, seeing to the body, and looking on to the mind: Indeed this was it which differenced the Apostles from the rest of the beholders. Christ had many spectators of his person and works, but the great part only saw them with their eyes, but did not look upon them with their Judgements, so as to ponder and consider aright of them, and therefore were not converted by them; whereas the holy Apostles so saw, that they looked on with serious and deliberate inspection. 2. That what they saw, was not done privately in a corner, but to the open view, the word here used is the root of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, which signifieth a stage, or theatre, and that you know is an open place, Act. 10.14. nothing more public than that which is acted upon a stage. Thus it is said of him after his resurrection, that God showed him openly, though not so openly as before, when he went about in several places, doing good, and working miracles, in the sight not▪ only of his Apostles, but the people. 3. That what they saw, was not a transient, but a continued sight; it was not one, but many miracles they beheld, not once, but often that they saw him; and therefore it was not probable they should be deceived: St. Luke saith, Christ was seen of his Apostles after the resurrection for 40. days, and before, Act. 1.3. Grot. in loc. for many years together; to this purpose is Grotius, his gloss upon the Text, diu multumque we frequently, constantly beheld the great things that were done by him. 4. Lastly, that they so saw as to believe, and believing to rejoice, and rejoicing, to admire at those things▪ which they beheld. To this purpose is that of the Greek Scholiast, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Oecumen. beholding with our eyes, we wondered at that we saw; for that the Greek word is used sometimes to signify, to see a thing with admiration and amazement; indeed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, miracula spectacula; miracles are such sights as may well raise our admiration, at the beholding of them. Ipsa gradatio crescentium verborum valdè facit ad certitudinem. Illyr. No wanden that Christ's wonders were seen with wonder. Besides. 3. And our hands have handled; The last of the senses, but not the least, nay, greatest in point of evidence, is that of handling. Nor is it unworthy our observation, how fit a gradation is here made; Pluris est unus oculatus testis, quam auriti de cem. Plaut. Trucul Ipse & auditus & visus & ne phantasma crederetur, tractatus. Tert. adv. prax. c. 15. Vide Aristot. de An. l. 2. text 94. Eos piè ad robur fidei invitabat ad tactum Sim. de Cass. l. 14. Luc. 24.39. Tertium sensum adjicit tactum nam is quoque intervenit tum alibi tum in panibus multiplicatis & Lazaro. Grot. ibid. the Apostle proceeding still higher and higher, he begins with hearing, as being that sense which is most capable of deception, from thence he riseth to that of seeing, which is more certain; one eye-witness being of more value than ten ear-witnesses: and yet because seeing might pretend ludibria oculorum, the eye might be subject to delusion, he addeth another sense, which as it is crassior, so it is certior, more gross, so it is most sure; asserting, that what he declared with his mouth, was that which not only his ear and eyes, but his hands gave testimony to. That one of the Apostles, namely, Thomas, did handle him with his hands, is expressed; and where it is said of this Apostle, that he leaned in his bosom, it implieth that he handled him; nay, in as much as we find that the other Apostles did eat, drink, converse with him, nay, that he saith to them, handle and see; it is not improbably conceived, that they might all handle him, so much the rather considering that it is here affirmed by St. john, not only of himself, but others; our hands have handled: nor doth this handling only refer to his person, but his miracles, the fishes and loaves which he gave them to feed so many thousands with, the dead bodies which he raised to life, whereby the reality and verity of his miracles did the more clearly appear to them. There are only two questions would be discussed ere we apply this truth. 1. How all this can be verified in reference to the word of life, which was with the Father? Can a spiritual substance be handled, an immaterial be visible, an incorporeal be heard, and such is the word of life, Verbum caro factum sic sermonem vitae videre possint. Aug. in ep. Verbum Dei quod per se invisibile, vident Apostoli, tractant etc. Hier. in Amos. Filius Dei in suâ naturâ invisibilis in nostra naturâ visibilis factus est etc. Cypr. de bapt. Vide Zanch. justin. Bez. in loc. Necessarium fuit ut Apostoli eo tactu, visu, crederent quippe qui ad posteritatem certitudinem suae fidei erant transmissuri Paul. pal. in joh. Cum displiceret ipsum Testimonium passi sunt omnia quae pas si martyrs etc. Aug. in ep: and yet thus it is here asserted; we have heard, we have seen with our eyes, and our hands have handled of the word of life. To which the answer is easily returned, that this person▪ the word of life, was made flesh, or as it is in the next verse, was manifested, to wit, in humane nature, and so though in himself he were invisible, yet in flesh he was visible and palpable. This is that which perhaps may be insinuated in the Preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here inserted; it is not said the, but of, or concerning the word of life, because it was not the very word itself, but that nature which the word assumeth to itself; though withal, in as much as that nature was assumed into unity of person with the word, it was the word itself they saw and handled; and so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is only an Hebraism, and equivalent to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Acts answereth to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, and so the Syriack readeth it the word of life. 2. What might be the reason why the Apostles had such sensible confirmation of what they did declare? The answer to which is because, 1. The holy Apostles were to be the first publishers of the doctrine, concerning Christ come in the flesh: 2 the doctrines they were to publish, were such as were very incredible to human reason, & therefore presently found great opposition; nay yet further, 3 these Apostles were not only to be the first declarers, but by reason of persecution, were to be in some kind or other sufferers for the truth of that which they did declare: now upon these considerations it was most requisite these planters of Christianity should be bold and resolute in declaring and defending what they declared: Rationally much less religiously bold they could not be, unless strongly and undoubtedly confirmed in, and assured of the truth of those things they did declare, Quod videt aliquis potest nuntiare alteri etc. Didym. ib. Act. 4.20.1.3. Vide Quintil. l. 5. c. 9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 graeci indubitata & necessaria signa vocant. Bez. & this confirmation they could not have by a better way than sensible demonstration. Hence it is that the Apostles give this as the reason of their resolvedness, we cannot but speak the things we see and hear; and St. Luke calls those proofs which the Apostles had of Christ's resurrection, by seeing and coversing with him, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which our translation not unfitly rendereth infallible proofs, by which therefore they were no doubt strengthened in their faith, and animated with courage. To apply this to ourselves in several particulars. 1. Here is matter of confutation, and that both direct and collateral. 1. This directly confuteth a double heresy. Aug. de haeres. 1. That of the Marcionites, and Manichees (whereof St. Austin saith Cerdo was the author) who assert all things Christ did, were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, only in appearance, denying that he was truly man. But surely when we read that he was not only heard, but seen and handled; we must needs acknowledge him real man; an apparition may indeed deceive the sight, but it cannot the feeling; Christ was not only seen, but felt: hence it is that this is his own argument to his disciples, when they doubted whether he were not a spirit; handle me, see me, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as you see me to have. Luc. 24.39. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 etc. Oecumen. 2. That of the Nestorians, who assert two persons, the one the Son of God, the other the Son of Mary; but were it so, St. john's words could not be verified, they saw and handled the word of life, for it was only the manhood they saw and handled; and if the man Christ were a distinct person from the word of life, they could not be said to handle the one, when they handled the other; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Naz. orat. 38. and therefore we do from these, and such other like places, strongly assert a unity of the two natures in one person, it being one and the same person, who as God was invisible, and as man visible, as God, was from the beginning, as man, had a beginning, as God, was immaterial, and as man palpable. 2. This collaterally confutes that error of the Papists, who assert the flesh and blood of Christ to be corporally present in the holy Sacrament, so as that the bread and wine are by a miraculous work transubstantiated into it; indeed from this very clause a strong argument may be drawn, and that two ways. 1. To prove that Christ's flesh and blood is not there corporally present, because than it must be visible; it is an undoubted maxim in Philosophy, omne corporeum est quantum, quantity is inseparable from corporiety, and being so, it cannot but be visible and palpable; nay, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉▪ Plat. in Trin. since it implieth a contradiction for a thing to be a body, and not to be visible, because it is as much as to be, and not to be a body, it is that which Omnipotency itself cannot do, and therefore in vain is a miracle pretended. 2. To prove that the bread and wine in the holy Sacrament, are not transubstantiated, but remain bread wine still, because it is a clear axiom, bodies are such in their own nature, as they present themselves to the sense, when it is every way disposed and fitted for the object: now that which at the holy table offereth itself to the view, and taste, and touch of the most rectified organ, is not flesh and blood, but bread and wine; and therefore if St. john's proof here be valid, that which he declared was true, because he saw and handled it, we may with the same validity, prove it is bread and wine in the sacrament, because by seeing and handling we find it to be such. 2. Here is matter of Conviction, to persuade us of the verity of the Apostolical writings; It is true, the chief reason why we are to receive their writings, is because they were moved, and extraordinarily assisted in the penning of them, by the holy Ghost; but yet withal, this may be a secondary reason of our assent to what they testified and wrote, because it was no other than that which they had heard, nay seen, nay, handled; we all think it just and reasonable to believe a man when he speaketh not by hear-say, but personal experience: and why then, is it not reason that we should believe the Apostles, who declare nothing but what they heard, saw, and handled? This was so rational an argument in St. john's account, that speaking concerning Christ's being thrust through with a spear, he thus argueth: He that saw it bare record, and his record is true; therefore true, because of that which he saw: joh. 19.35. and hence it is, that john the Baptist, complaining of the jews infidelity, in rejecting Christ, useth this aggravation; what he hath seen and heard, 3.32.11. that he testifieth, and no man receiveth his Testimony; and in the same Chapter, Christ himself taketh up the same complaint to Nicodemus, verily, verily, I say unto thee, we speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen, and you receive not our witness. To drive this nail to the head, there are but three things that can possibly be objected against this reason, which being cleared, I conceive it will remain unanswerable, and such as may convince a jew, a Pagan, if they were not wilfully blind. That they say they heard, saw, and handled, what they never did, and so were no better than deceivers. That they did only think they saw such things, but in truth did not, and so were themselves deceived. That that which they did hear, see, handle, will not amount to a proof of what they declared, namely, that jesus was the Christ. To all which, I doubt not but to return a full answer. 1. As to the first, such an accusation cannot aequitably be charged on any, except they either were men of loose and flagitious lives, and so not likely to make any conscience of a lie, or else that there were some great advantage, apparently accrueing by such a lie, which perhaps might have an influence, not only on a loose, but a civil person; now neither of these can in this case be alleged. For 1. The Apostles were men of holy and exemplary lives, Phil. 2.15. men that did shine as lights in the world by their good conversation, men whom those grand Apostates, and enemies of Christianity could charge with nothing but simplicity, and therefore no reason to suspect that they should tell such a gross lie, as to say, they heard, or saw, or handled, what they never did. 2. It is sufficiently manifest, that they were not alured to bear this Testimony by any gain, either of honour, or profit, or pleasure; nay, in stead of gain, there was nothing but loss, they were hated of all men, Vide Grot. de verit. Christ. Relig. l. 2. for Christ's names sakes; they forsook father, mother, friends; they were exposed to hunger, thirst, cold, nakedness, tortures, and most of them to death itself, nemo gratis malus est; no man will be wicked for nothing, nay, invent and maintain, and stand in a lie, when no benefit, but a great injury redounds to him by it; and therefore we may justly conceive that it was nothing but the force of truth that prevailed upon them, and the Spirit of God burning as a fire in their bosoms, which could not be concealed. 2. As to the second, These three things are very considerable. 1. That where the object is sensible, if there be a fit organ, an apt medium, and a convenient distance, the sense is not, cannot be deceived, nor is there any demonstration more certain: now these things, of which the Apostles bear witness, were things placed within the compass of sense, as being concerning a man, his birth, death, resurrection, and the like, all which are sensible objects; and they who tell us they saw these things, were the companions of this man, always near to, conversing with him; nor did ever any deny them to be men of perfect senses; and therefore there is no reason to suspect a deceit. 2. That it was not one or two, or a few, but many, who had this sensible experience; there were twelve who did continually attend upon Christ; 1 Cor. 15 6. & after his resurrection, he was seen of above five hundred. Though one man's sense might be bad, or fallible, yet it is not imaginable that so many were deceived, especially considering that all they who testify to us what they saw, agree for substance in one and the same testimony, not varying from, not jarring against one another. 3. And yet once more, it is plurium sensuum experimentum, Fálsa utique testatio si oculorum & aurium & manuum sensus natura mentitur. Tertul. de Anim. c. 17. they had the proof of many senses, and if one, yet it is not likely that all should be deceived; if the ear, yet sure not the eye; if the ear and eye, yet not the hand; if any, yet not all of these; and therefore it is very improbable, nay, impossible, they should be deceived. 3. As to the last, the contrary will plainly appear, if we consider these two things. 1. The proving those prophecies which were made concerning the Messiah, to be fulfilled in him, is an evident proof that he was the Messiah: but by their senses they might and did prove these things to be accomplished in him, for they saw him borne and dying, and rising according to the Scriptures, the greatest part of those things which are foretold, being within the reach of sense. 2. The proving him to be a worker of glorious miracles (such as never any before nor since, did nor could do, unless by his power, and in his name) proveth him to be the Messiah, the great Prophet which should come into the world: But by sense they were able to prove that such and such miracles were wrought by him, and therefore it is very observable, that when john sent to Christ, to know whether he was he, or they must look for another: the answer Christ returneth, is an argument drawn from sense; Go tell john what things ye have seen and heard, how that the blind see, the lame walk, Luc 7.20, 21, 22. the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and to the poor the Gospel is preached: And therefore, all these considerations being laid together, it remaineth as a clear truth, that Christian Religion is very reasonable, and the sensible experience which the Apostles, those first planters of Christianity, had concerning the things they declared and wrote, is a strong and undeniable reason, why we should give credence and obedience to their writings. 3. To draw to an end, here is in the last place matter of Exhortation, and that double. 1. That before we declare things or truths to others, we look that we be fully convinced of their verity our selves; surely if he that doth any thing which he doubteth, whether it be lawful, sinneth, much more he that declareth any thing which he doubteth whether it be true; and especially doth this concern the Ministers of the Gospel, who being to speak as the oracles of God, must speak the word of truth. Indeed there are two things every good Minister should be careful to do, in respect of the things he declareth. To work the goodness of them on his own affections. To imprint the verity of them on his own understanding. The truth is, what we take only upon hear-say, or is only a fiction of our own brain, and an invention of our own fancy, we can never confidently maintain, or however not solidly; and the true reason why so many recant, deny the truth they have declared, is (at least for the most part) because they were never throughly established in the faith, and sufficiently convinced of its verity. 2. That so far as is imitable by us, we follow these holy Apostles, in hearing, seeing, looking on, and handling the Word of life. It is true, we cannot now hear Christ speaking to us with his own mouth, but we may hear him speaking to us by his faithful messengers; We pray you in Christ's stead, saith the Apostle: and again, it is Christ that speaketh in us: 2 Cor. 5 20.12.5. Oh then, let him that hath ears hear, and let us all pray for that hearing-eare, whereby we may attend to what Christ's Ministers speak from, as if it were spoken by him, to wit, with all humility and sincerity. Again, we cannot now see him in his person, but we may see him in his Ordinances. St. Paul saith, that in the Gospel, jesus Christ is before our eyes, evidently set forth, crucified among us; and that in the holy Sacrament, Gal▪ 3.1. 1 Cor. 11.26. we show forth the Lords death till he come: oh therefore, let us in these holy ordinances see, and so see, as to look upon, and rejoice in him. Finally, we cannot handle him corporally in himself, but we may handle him sacramentally in the pledges of his love, the bread and wine; we may handle him, though not literally, yet metaphorically by faith, believing on him: Indeed it is faith that can do all these acts, hear and see, and look on, and handle Christ; it is the Christians ear, and eye, and hand, let us so make use of it, by faith attending to him, beholding and embracing him, till at last the time come, of his second manifestation, when with these eyes and no other, we shall see him coming in the glory of his Father, and to the endless joy of our hearts hear him pronouncing the sweet sentence, job 19.27. Mat. 2●. 34. Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you, from the beginning of the world. THE FIRST EPISTLE OF St. JOHN. SERM. 6. CHAP. I. Ver. 1. part first. That which was from the beginning. Ver. 3. part middle. That ye also may have fellowship with us. CHRISTIAN RELIGION hath ever met with contradiction; it is true as St. Paul saith, without controversy it is a great mystery, 2 Tim. 3.16. but it is as true, that because it is a great mystery, therefore it hath never been without controversy: nor hath the Devil been wanting to blow this flame, raise these commotions. At the very first he strove to strangle this Babe in the cradle, nip this blossom in the bud, and devour Christianity in its infancy, whilst he stirred up the jews and Pagans without, various false teachers within the Church, to oppugn true Religion; for this reason, no doubt it was that this holy Apostle endeavoured to confirm those to whom he wrote, in the verity of Christian faith; to which end, he beginneth this Epistle, with discovering both its antiquity and certainty, in these words, That which was from the beginning, etc. Part. 3. The antiquity of the Gospel's origination, is that part I am next to handle, as it is expressed in the very beginning, That which was from the beginning. I am not ignorant, that a great part of Expositors refer these words to the person of Christ, as if St. john's meaning were thus to be construed, The word of life, which was from the beginning: A special argument, moving them to this interpretation, is the fit correspondence between the Epistle and the Gospel, which begins with those words, In the beginning was the word, and is no doubt to be understood of Christ, signifying his eternal subsistence: Indeed these words, was from the beginning, do very fitly and fully represent that divine truth to us. For Verbum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 propriè ad Deum pertinet. Bez. Exod. 3.14. joh. 8.58. Propter murabilitatem temporum in quibus versatur▪ nostra mortalitas, non mendaciter dicimus & fuit & erit, & est &c. 1. The verb was, being a verb substantive, is peculiar to God, and so belongs to Christ as God: the being of all creatures is determined to some species, as it is an Angel, or it is a man, and the like, only of God, we say he is without any additament, for that is the name God gave himself; I am hath sent thee, and Christ applieth to himself before Abraham was, I am. Indeed the Tense is very improper, since eternity admits not of prius, or posterius, nor knoweth any succession; but yet as St. Austin observeth, because of the mutability of time, in which we subsist, we best conceive of eternity, by referring to those distinctions of time, past, present, to come, affirming of Christ as God, that he was, is, and shall be, since there was no time wherein he was not; Aug. in joh. tr. 19 there shall be no time wherein he shall not be, and there is no time wherein he is not; in which respect, he is said to be yesterday, to day, and the same for ever. Heb. 13.8. 2. These words from the beginning, serve yet more clearly to express the eternity of his Godhead, whether we understand by beginning, eternity itself, or the beginning of the Creation: some construe beginning by eternity, for though it is true, eternity hath no beginning, yet in as much as it is no less true, that there was nothing before eternity, this word beginning, may though improperly, be applied to it, and so was from the beginning, is was from eternity. The most, & I conceive most rationally understand by beginning, rerum omnium initium, AEternitas est pritcipium sine principio. Lap. in loc. Confer. Mat. 19.4. cum v. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Oecumen. In principio sic dictum, ac si diceretur ante omnia. Aug. de Trinit. l. 6. c. 2. Non sicut in principio fecit Deus coel●m & terram ita in principio fecit verbum, sed in principio erat verbum. Aug. ep. 66. Coepit esse caro ex Virgene Mariâ sed non tunc caepit verbum, etc. Aug. in ep. the beginning of all things, that time when all creatures began to have a being, and so this from, is the same with the Gospels in, and both as much as before the beginning; in this respect, it is that St. Austin observeth, it is not said, God made him in the beginning, as it is of the heaven and the earth, and the things in both; but he was in the beginning, even then when other things began to exist, he had a personal subsistence, and therefore eternal, because whatsoever was before the beginning of time, must be eternal. And if in this sense we construe these words, they are prefixed no doubt, on purpose to prevent a mistake, which might arise from the following words; for whereas, they might have been apt with some Heretics to think, that this word did not begin to be till he was heard, seen & handled, he first acquaints them that he was from the beginning. Indeed, than it was he began to be man, but not to be, than he was made flesh, but he was the word before, even from all eternity, the word of life, which was from the beginning. But when I observe the Grammar of the Text, I must crave leave to receded from this Exposition, for it is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, he which was, or the word which was, but that which was from the beginning, concerning the word of life; by which it appeareth, that the most proper reference of these words, is not to the person of Christ, Vide Athanas. Synops. Theoph. & Oecumen. in loc. but to the doctrine which the Gospel revealeth concerning him, and this exposition no less agrees with the Logic, than the Grammar of the Text, since in this sense, (as Oecumenius, Theophilact, and Athanasius have observed) the words are an answer to that objection which was made against Christian doctrine by its enemies, as if it were a new doctrine, that therefore he might take off this aspersion, which both jews and Greeks did cast upon Christianity; he assureth us that it is no novel fancy, but an ancient mystery, that which was from the beginning. And now according to this Interpretation, we are further to inquire, in what respect this is verified of Christian Religion, Evangelicall doctrine, that it was from the beginning. The answer to which, will be dispatched in three considerations, each of which exceedeth the other. 1. That which was from the beginning, that is, which was preached from the very first, Videtur omnino designari tempus illud quo primùm caepit Evangelium praedicari Vorst. in loc. that Christianity was published to the world. That this phrase from the beginning, is so to be understood in some places, both of the Gospel and Epistle, is not to be denied; and Vorstius is positive, that it must be so understood here: nor will I reject this sense, though I shall not confine the words to it. Take it then thus briefly; soon after the Gospel was preached, there arose up some who broached another Gospel, and filled the Church with damnable heresies; now St. john in these words, acquits his doctrine from partaking with heresies, and lets them know, that what he declared to them, was not what some Heretics had lately invented, and privily brought into the Church, but what was taught by Christ to his Apostles, and by them to the world, from the very beginning. 2. But besides this, we may very well carry the expression a great deal further, and look backward as far as the fall of man, which was in the beginning of the world, and so that which was from the beginning, A condito orbe in Ecclesiâ semper praedicata etc. Zanch. that is the doctrine which soon after the world began, was preached to man; for indeed, the promise made by God to Adam, the seed of the woman shall break the serpent's head: what is it but an abridgement of the Gospel, an epitome of Christianity, a summary of Evangelical truths? nay, this doctrine is that which still along was umbris praefigurata, vaticiniis praedicta, praefigured in the types, and foretold in the prophecies; upon which ground St. Paul saith expressly of the Gospel of God, it is that which he had promised afore by his Prophets, in the holy Scriptures, and Zachary saith, the raising up of Christ an horn of salvation, Rom. 1.2. Luc. 1.70. is that he spoke by the mouth of his holy Prophets, which have been since the world began: the truth is, as God would never have man destitute of a way to come to him, so the way for fallen man to come to him, hath been one and the same for substance in all ages of the Church, and the New Testament is nothing else but the unveiling of Moses his face, a breaking of the Old Testament shell, a more clear discovery of what was, though darkly made known from the beginning. 3. And yet to go one step further, beyond which we cannot go, that which was from the beginning, that is, before the beginning of the world, to wit, in the eternal purpose and counsel of God; indeed as the permission of man's fall which was in the beginning of time, so the effecting of man's redemption, which was in the fullness of time, was fore-ordained by God before all time, so as the Gospel is nothing else, but as it were a Copy of that writing which was in the mind of God from all eternity; in this respect it is that the Gospel is called the everlasting Gospel, Rev. 14.6.13.8. Tit. 1.2. Vide Est. ibid. and Christ is said to be the Lamb●slain from the foundation of the world; and yet more clearly this eternal life is said to be that which God, which cannot lie, promised (that is purposed) before the world began. From whence we may profitably infer a double conclusion. True Antiquity is a sure mark of verity. That Antiquity is true, which is from the beginning. 1. Would Ministers know what doctrine they ought to declare, and the people what they are to receive? this is a good rule, let it be that doctrine which hath been anciently embraced and maintained by the Christian Church: Vincent. Lyr. adv. h●r. c 9.26, 30. a very seasonable Item in these days, wherein to use Vincentius Lyrinensis his expression; Bene fundata antiquitas scelestâ novitate subruitur, well grounded antiquity is overturned by fanatic novelty; the cry of the Egyptian Priest in Plato, cited by Clemens Alexandrinus? Oh Solon, Solon, you are always children; may fitly be taken up of the men of this Generation, they are children pleased with every novel toy, Cl. All str●m. l. 1. in fine. and tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine. Not content with the ancient Apostolical government, universally continued in the Christian Church for many hundred years, we have endeavoured to erect new forms, which Proteus-like, change into several shapes, and about which, the contrivers cannot tell how to agree. Not knowing indeed themselves what they would have; not satisfied with, nay, much offended at the ancient devout Liturgy of our English Church, which the first compilers extracted as a quintessence out of the several preceding Liturgies, both of the Greek & Latin Church: we have erected a new, or rather no way of worship, leaving every Minister to the dangerous liberty of an extemporary devotion, and the people to the sad slavery of hearing those vain Tautologies, nay, many times horrid blasphemies, which are vented in those kind of prayers. And yet once more not willing to be regulated by those ancient doctrinal truths, which the Church, from and with the holy Scriptures hath delivered to us, how many are there amongst us, who seek another Gospel, vent strange opinions, the people heaping up to themselves teachers, and the teachers heaping up to themselves auditors, who have an itch after novelty, not only in discipline, but doctrine. Oh my brethren, take we all heed, lest we be infected with this itch, which is the sister of superstition, mother of rashness, and the daughter of inconstancy; rather let the Prophet jeremy his words take place with us: Thus saith the Lord, stand ye in the ways, and see, jer. 6.16. and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls; let St. Paul's counsel to Timothy be acceptable; serva depositum, 2 Tim. 1.13, 14. Vincent. Lyr. l. d. jude 2. Hold fast the form of sound words, non a te inventum, sed tibi creditum, which was not invented by thee, but committed to thee; and according to St. judes' exhortation, let us contend earnestly for the faith which was once delivered to the Saints: Finally, let St. Hieroms practice be our pattern; Meum propositum est antiquos legere & a side ecclesiae catholicae non recedere, my resolve is to read the ancients, and not recede from the faith of the Catholic Church. Mos iste semper in Ecclesiâ viguit ut quo quisque foret religiosior eo promptiùs novellis adinventionibus contrairet. Vinc. Lyr. adv. haer. c. 9 Quod primum illud verum quod posterius falsum. Tertul. Aug. de bapt. parvul. Indeed however it may now be made one of the marks of the well-affected godly party to follow new ways; yet I am sure Lyrinensis sets it down as a continued practice in the Church, that the more religious any man was, the more zealous he was against factious novelties. 2. But further, as we must assert antiquity, so that antiquity is, what was from the beginning, for though error may be old, yet still, that which is from the beginning is truth; indeed as crookedness is no other but a deviation from a strait rule, so error an aberration from truth, and therefore as a crooked line supposeth a strait, so error supposeth truth; and upon this ground it is, that the Father's rule is veritate manifestâ cedat consuetudo veritati, when truth appeareth, custom must give way, because indeed, be the custom never so ancient, truth was before it. With this it is we must justly answer the Romish plea of antiquity, for many of their erroneous assertions, that though they have been some of them of many hundred years standing, yet they were not known in the pure and primitive times of the Church, and therefore as our blessed Saviour in the point of divorce, reduceth the jews to this consideration, Mat. 19.8. it was not so from the beginning; true indeed, it hath been long permitted you for the hardness of your hearts, but it was not so from the beginning, the first institution giveth no such allowance: so we in those points of controversy between us and the Church of Rome reduce them to the beginning of Christian Religion; it is true, many of their doctrines have been long published, but they were not from the beginning, they were not taught by Christ or his Apopostles, or their Successors in the first Centuries of the Church. Whilst therefore the Papists scoff at our Religion, as a novel faction, as those Athenians did at Paul's doctrine; we have this in readiness to retort, and are able (blessed be God) to make it good against them, ours is no other than that which was from the beginning, and that even at Rome itself preached, and professed; nor do we differ from them, but only in those opinions which since the golden foundation of Christianity was laid by Christ and his Apostles, hath been by Babel builders superstructed, as hay and stubble, fit only to be cast into the fire. The last branch of the Gospel's commendation is from the utility of the end. Now the end which is here mentioned is double, Pa●t. 4. to wit, proximus and remotus, the proxime and immediate end, is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, a sacred fellowship, the remote end, which is indeed the effect of the former is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, a spiritual joy. Part. 1. The first of these is set down in these words, That you also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son jesus Christ, wherein this end of the Gospel, and the declarers of it, is propounded and expounded, that in the former, and this in the latter clause, which is enclosed in a parenthesis. 1. The proposition is, That you also may have fellowship with us, which that we may handle in its fullest latitude, we shall consider it, both absolutely as a benefit, and relatively as an end. 1. You have fellowship with us, is a choice benefit, and such as may be construed two ways. That you and we may have fellowship together. That you may have the same fellowship which we have. Zanchy expounds it of the former, Gagnetus of the latter, Marlorate taketh in both, so shall I, the one indeed following upon the other, una cum illis fieri Ecclesia. Zanch. Vt participos sitis sicut & nos. Gagn. Vt societatem cum Apostolis habeamus & eorundem b●norum particip●s simus Marlor. Communicatione in eâdem fide Religione Ecclesiâ Menoch. josh. 17.3. Eph▪ 4.5 Heb. 2.10, 12. joh. 10.16. Rev. 6.11. Gal. 3.16.4.26 1 Pet. 2.5. 1 Cor. 12.12.13. since being in fellowship with the Apostles, they became partakers of the same privilege that they had, though this latter is that which I conceive the most genuine sense, and therefore I shall especially insist upon. 1. The benefit here understood, may be the joining of these converted Christians into one body with the Apostles, whilst they by embracing the Apostles writings, and acknowledging the truth of what they declare, became members of the Church, whereof the Apostles were the Planters. And surely this is no small comfort, that all believers how different soever in offices and degrees, how distant soever in place and habitation, have yet a spiritual fellowship with one another, to wit, in as much as they are fellow worshippers of the same God, fellow Subjects of the same Lord, fellow soldiers under one Captain, fellow sheep in the same fold, fellow servants under one Master, fellow brethren of the same Parents, fellow stones in the same building, fellow members in the same body. And look as in corporations and societies, though the particular members are never so remote one from the other; yet in as much as they all belong to the same society, they are said to have fellowship each with other. So is it in the Christian Church, and this relation is that which as it carrieth in it dignity, it being in Theodosius his opinion, and not unjustly a greater honour to be membrum Ecclesiae, then Caput Imperii, a member of the Church, than Head of an Empire; so also manifold duties of mutual love and amity one towards another, of earnest and devout prayer one for another, of sympathy and fellow feeling one with another, of imparting all manner of talents one to another, because they are members one of another. But 2. The more genuine construction of this benefit, is to interpret it, the intituling of them to whom he wrote to the same fellowship and partaking, to wit, of God and Christ, as it followeth in the next words, which he with the rest of the Apostles had, as if he should say, these privileges which hitherto we enjoyed alone, Quae nos Apostoli hactenus soli hahuimus en nunc per Evangelium etiam vobis annuntiantur & communicantur etc. Fer. in loc. we now by writing the Gospel, communicate to you; we are the first members of the Church, but not the whole body, and therefore you as well as we are capable of the same benefits. And it is a tacit prevention of an objection which might be made; for whereas, when the Apostle saith, we write the things we have seen concerning Christ, they might say or think what is this to us, we have not, cannot see or handle him, it is a privilege not possible for us to attain; to this these words implicitly return an answer, that by the Apostles writing what they saw, they, to wit, believing the truth of what was written, might have fellowship with them; and thus it is true of all Christians, who by faith have fellowship with Christ as well as the Apostles, though they never saw him, because the same interest in his person, Illi viderunt & nos non videmus & tamen socii sumus quia fidem communem tenemus. Aug in ep. Mat. 13.16. his merits, and those good things which are purchased by him. Excellently to this purpose St. Austin on this very place, they saw and we do not, and yet we are partakers of the same benefits with them, because we believe in Christ as well as they. It is very observable in this respect, that our blessed Saviour himself, as in one place, he tells his disciples, blessed are your eyes, for you see, so in another place he tells them, blessed are they which have not seen, and yet have believed; joh. 20.29. we then who are there no doubt pointed at, are as well happy as the disciples, and as they, had they not believed in Christ, would have been miserable though they saw him, so we believing in him, are blessed, though we cannot see him: yea, Magnarum vigor est mentiū●r edere quae corporeo non videntur intuitu etc. Leo de ascens. Serm. 1. 2 Pet. 1.1. eo magis beati in credendo quo minus expedi●i in videndo, the want of sight evidenceth our faith so much the more amiable. Oh let us set an high estimate upon this grace of faith, which giveth us an interest in Christ, as well as the Apostles; it is very observable what the Apostle Peter saith of those to whom he wrote, that they had obtained the like precious faith with him, and the rest of the Apostles; indeed of all divine gifts, faith is not of the least price, and their faith which saw not Christ, is a like precious with them that did, because it instateth them in the same fellowship, and therefore how should we Christians value our faith. But 2. That you may have fellowship, argueth these words, to be set down as the end, which the Holy Ghost aimed at, in declaring and writing to them, not only that they might know those things to be true, Non tantum ut noritis haec esse vera, sed ut & vos non minus quam nos fructum inde participetis. Grot ibid. but that they might reap the same benefit by them which the Apostles had; thus as the Sun shineth that others may partake of the same light with itself, and the fountain sends forth water, that others may participate of it; so do these Apostles write that the people might relish the same sweetness in Christ, which they had tasted. It is that which is observable in the Apostles, considered under a double notion, as Pastors, as Christians. 1. As Pastors, we see in them what is the aim of a true Minister of the Gospel, not so much his own, as his people's benefit. St. john doth not say, we write that we may participate with you, to wit, in your temporals, but that you may participate with us in our spirituals; true, this is the people's duty to the Pastor according to that Apostolical precept; Quod Apostoli predicandi quaesierint, Fer. Gal. 6.6. let him that is taught, communicate to him that teacheth in all good things: but this is not that the Pastor aimeth at, in declaring the Gospel to the people, but rather that he may be an instrument to communicate those better things to them. Indeed (as St. Paul observeth) false teachers suppose gain to be godliness, 1 Tim. 6.5. minding nothing more than their own carnal advantage, but the true Apostles esteem godliness gain, and therefore chiefly aim at the people's spiritual benefit; Vide Gualt. Cal. in loc. and truly this is that which (as Calvin noteth) should be a singular means to gain your credence to our writing our declarings; why will you not believe our report, regard our message, when our end is only your good, that you may partake the same benefit with us? 2. As Christians we may in them behold the frame of a truly pious heart, to desire that others may have fellowship with itself, in the same spiritual enjoyments; good Christians are no niggards of their heavenly dainties, Num. 11.29. Act● 26, 29. Ioh: 1: 45: 4: 29. they love not to eat their morsels alone, but invite others to the same participation; hence that wish of Moses, would all the Lords people were Prophets, and of St. Paul, that all were as he except his bonds: upon this ground it was that Philip having found Christ, called Nathanael, and the woman of Samaria, having met with the Messiah, inviteth her friends to the sight and knowledge of him, and if you desire the reason, it is plain. Because 1. The bringing others into the same fellowship with themselves, is a means of enlarging the Kingdom of Christ, and so of advancing the glory of God; Religion teacheth every good man to pray, hallowed be thy name, and thy kingdom come; and surely we cannot pray this cordially if we desire not, endeavour not that which tends to both, the winningmen to the faith of Christ. 2. The gaining others to their fellowship will be the means of making them for ever happy, and therefore as in zeal for God's glory, so in charity to the souls of their brethren, they cannot but desire it; this is the different temper of envy and charity, envy thinketh it a small matter to be happy itself, unless another may be unhappy, charity would not be happy alone, but striveth to draw in company; this Aretius giveth as the sense of these words here, We love you as ourselves, and therefore wish you as well as ourselves, Parum est si tu sis faelix nisi alter sit in faelix Vide Aret. in. loc. that you may have fellowship with us. 3. The bringing in others, is no diminution to themselves, it is the manifest difference between spiritual and temporal riches, those diminish by imparting, but not these. Godly men well know, that if others have more, they shall not therefore have the less, and it were strange not to wish a courtesy to another, when it may be no injury to ourselves; the music is not the less harmonious to thee, because others hear it, nor doth the candle the less enlighten thee, because others see by it as well as thyself, nor is our participation of heavenly things the less, because others have the same fellowship with us. To end this, let the same mind be in us, that was in these holy Apostles, and is in all good Christians. Indeed it is that which in a bad way is usually the practice both of the Devil and wicked men; the Devil being himself fallen, never ceased till he drew Adam into the same pit with him; ungodly men would have all partners in the same wickedness, & wretchedness with themselves: they say, Come with us, cast in thy lot among us, let us all have one purse; Prov▪ 1.11▪ 14. and by these words they seek to entice and inveigle inconsiderate persons: for this reason, it was that that Epicure Heliogobalus took care for the training up of his Son in the same luxuriant courses wherein himself lived. Now there is an oblique imitation, even of wicked men, which is commendable; as sin is boundless, so grace must be abounding, as sin is infectious, so grace must be communicative; evil men decrease from bad to worse, holy men must increase from good to better, wicked men strive to make others as bad or worse than themselves, good men must endeavour to make others as holy and as happy as themselves; thus we may learn even of the worst of men, but rather let Christ's Apostles be our Tutors, his Disciples, our Schoolmaster. Thus let believing masters instruct their servants, parents teach their children, friends admonish their friends, and godly Ministers exhort their hearers; as here the Apostles did declare and write to the people for this very end, that they might bring them into the same blessed fellowship with themselves. THE FIRST EPISTLE OF St. JOHN. SERM. 7. CHAP. I. Ver. 3. part last. And truly our fellowship is with the Father, and his Son jesus Christ. THe Person of Christ is of all others, the most amiable and excellent; hence the Psalmist saith mystically of him, thou art fairer than the children of men, as being indeed more than a mere Son of man; and the Spouse in the Canticles being asked in contempt by the daughters of jerusalem; Psa. 45.2. what is thy beloved, more than another beloved? Cant. 5.9, 10. returneth that high, yet deserved encomium, my beloved is the chiefest among ten thousand. The doctrine of Christ is that, than which none more certain and undoubted: in which respect, the main fundamental axiom of Christ's coming into the world, is called by St. Paul a faithful saying, 1 Tim. 1.15. jam. 1.18. and the whole Gosspel by St. james, the word of truth, there being infallible verity and fidelity in evangelical sayings. The sincere professors of Christ are such, as none else but they can be truly happy and blessed: hence it is that they are dignified by the Apostle Peter, 1 Pet. 1.9. with these honourable titles, of a chosen generation, a royal Priesthood, an holy Nation, and a peculiar people. And now beloved, if you look into this short exordium, In exordio hujus Epistolae Ioannes tria haec nobis inculcare voluit quod nihil majus aut excellentius personâ Christi nihil certius quam Evangelium nostrum, nihil denique beatius Christiano homine. Fer. in loc. you shall find each of these briefly and pithily handled. The Gospel's certainty, as being most ancient and evident, is evinced in the first verse, Christ's excellency, as being the word of life, that eternal life is insisted on in part of the first and the second verse; finally, the felicity of a Christian, as being one that hath fellowship with God and Christ, and thereby fullness of joy is characterized in the third and fourth verses; well may this golden three invite us once and again, nay often to look into, and peruse this choice preface, That which was from the beginning, etc. We are now come according to our proposed method to the last branch of the second General, the commendation of the Gospel, from the utility of its end; and having made entrance upon the first end, as it is propounded in those words, that you also may have fellowship with us; we are now to handle the Exposition of it in the following, and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and his Son jesus Christ. Which words are a plain assertion, unfolding the dignity and excellency of that fellowship which the Apostles and all believers with them have, Explicat quam nobilis sit Ecclesiae societas Zanch. inasmuch as it is a fellowship with the Father and his Son; it is that which our translators set down with an asseveration, truly conceiving this to be the emphasis of the pleonasm, which is in the Greek. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. The Greek word which is here rendered fellowship, admits both in sacred and profane Writs of a double construction, as signifying either communio or communicatio, communion and fellowship, or communication and partnership, and though in some places only one of those can well be admitted, yet here I conceive both may very well consist, and the Apostle may be probably thought to intend that intimate communion which believers have with, and by virtue hereof, the liberal communication they receive from the Father, and his Son jesus Christ. To unlock this Cabinet, and show you the rich pearl contained in it; give me leave to consider it, both generally and particularly; in general, what maketh up this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fellowship here mentioned, and in particular, as this fellowship is expressed to be with two of the persons in the sacred Trinity, the Father, and his Son jesus Christ. 1. The substance of the benefit will be discovered in the general dicussion, and that you may the more distinctly understand it, proceed with me by ●hese four steps, which are as so many degrees of this fellowship, namely, amicable reconciliation, effectual regeneration, comfortable association, and complete glorification. 1. The rice and inchoation of this fellowship is reconciliation, whereby God of an enemy becomes a friend, Ipsius gratiam & favorem haebere & amicitiâ dignum reputari, & in faedere esse. Fer▪ in loc. Rom. 5.1. and receiveth us into favour; to this purpose is Ferus his paraphrase, to have fellowship (saith he) is to be in Covenant with God, to be one of the number of those to whom he vouchsafeth his special love; accordingly this phrase may be interpreted by that of St. Paul, where he saith, we have peace with God, and he hath made us accepted. The truth is, Eph. 1.6. we all by nature are not only strangers, but enemies, and where there is hostility, there can be no society, so that we begin not to have fellowship with, till we are reconciled to God. This reconciliation of God, to penitent believing sinners, is most elegantly and sweetly shadowed forth under the Father's gracious behaviour towards the returning prodigal; no sooner doth his Son set foot forward to come home, but his Father saw him, there were eyes of love, had compassion on him, there were bowels of love, and ran to him with feet of love, Luc. 15 20. and fell on his neck, there were arms of love, and kissed him with lips of love: by all which expressions, we may gather what a tender dear affection of amity there is in God towards penitents, which is the foundation of this fellowship. 2. The concomitant of this reconciliation is regeneration, since whosoever is accepted by God, hath stamped upon him the image of God, and so doth after a sort partake with God. Fit haec societas cum Deo per similitudinem. Serrar. To clear this, you must know that there can be no fellowship where there is not some similitude, in which respect, saith one upon my Text, This fellowship with God is by likeness to him, for this reason, at first it was that Almighty God intending man a creature to have fellowship with ●●mself, made him after his own image; nor can we be admitted into this fellowship, unless this image be renewed in, and restored to us; now, this image of God is nothing else but the communication of such qualities as resemble those, which, for this very reason, the Schools call the communicable attributes of God, such are his holiness, goodness, mercy, justice, truth, and the like, and because holiness is the chief, yea, after a sort comprehensive of the rest, therefore especially in this, is the image of God placed, and so this fellowship with God is a participation with him in purity and sanctity, and may therefore fitly be explained by St. Peter's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 partaking of the divine nature, 2 Pet. 1.4. H●b. 12. 1●. or St. Paul's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, partaking of his holiness. 3. The progress of this fellowship is in that sweet communion which believers (being thus reconciled and regenerated) have with God, Assotiatio cum Deo, Trin. so that there is though not an equality (far be it from us to make such a blasphemous construction of this phrase) yet a near and intimate familiarity, in which respect, God and a Christian may be said to walk, to talk, to feast, nay, to lodge and dwell together; Believers walk with God in a holy Subjection, God walketh with believers, in affording them gracious protection, Believers speak to God in devout supplications, God speaketh to believers in spiritual consolations, Believers feast God with their graces, God feasteth Believers with his joys. Finally, Believers inhabit in the secret of the most high, and God reposeth himself in the bosom of believers: hence occur those phrases of Gods being with us, Eph. 3.12. R●v. 3.20. 1 joh. 4.15. and our walking with God, of our having access to God, and his coming down to us, of our supping with him, and his supping with us, of our dwelling in God, and God in us, we being (to speak it with holy reverence) as it were convivae his fellow commoners, conviatores fellow travellers, yea contubernales, chamber fellows. Add to this 4. The consummation of this fellowship is in the other world where there shall be a full communication of the image of God to us, whereby we shall partake of purity, life, and immortality, of unspotetd holiness and indeficient happiness, when we shall have the clear vision of God face to face, and by virtue of that a full fruition of him so far as a created nature is capable of, and all this without the least interruption, intermission, cessation. This fellowship is that which for the present we have, though not re in actual possession; yet spe in certain expectation, that participation and communion which we have here by grace, being an earnest and pledge, asring us of that we shall have hereafter by glory, and this shall suffice to be spoken in general of the nature of this fellowship. 2. The further amplification of this fellowship is in that here are two persons specified, and though it be one and the same fellowship which we have with all the persons, yet inasmuch as two of them are severally mentioned, it may well admit of a distinct consideration. 1. This fellowship is said to be with the Father. It is very observable to the understanding of this, that the Father being the first person in the Deity, is the primary original and fountain of all communication to the creature; whence it is, that those Acts which the Deity is pleased to exercise towards the creature are, though not exclusively; yet for the most part expressly assigned in Scripture to the Father: thus the Father is said to come and dwell with us; the Father is he that hath begotten us again to a lively hope: joh. 14.23. 1 Pet. 1.3. Eph. 1.3. finally the Father is said to bless us with all spiritual blessings. No wonder if this fellowship is here said to be with the Father; The nearness of this fellowship which we have with the Father, is represented by a gradation of allusions in Scripture; all which do excellently illustrate this truth. There is some kind of participation that a servant hath with his Master, Est societas Domini cum servis, patris cum filiis etc. Serrar. yet greater is that which one friend hath with another, yet greatest is that which a son hath with his Father: in all these relations we stand to the Father; we his servants, and he our Lord; Nay, not only servants, but friends, and therefore we read not only of Moses the servant, Num. 12.7. james 2 23. but Abraham the friend of God; nay, we are adopted to be sons, and therefore it is no presumption to say, our fellowship is with the, because our Father. 2. This fellowship is said to be with his Son Jesus Christ, which may very well admit of a double construction; either Our fellowship is not only with the Father, but his Son. or Our fellowship with the Father, is by and through that fellowship which we have with the Son. 1. Our fellowship which we have with the father, is also with his Son jesus Christ. There is a generation of men indeed in the Romish Church, who challenge this as their peculiar, to be è societate jesu, Jesuits, jebusites rather, such, who whilst they pretend to be of the society of jesus, are in truth limbs of Antichrist, and one day this jesus will give them little thanks for this arrogant assumption of his name, whilst they stand in opposition to his truth. As for the real privilege of having society with Christ jesus, it is not be appropiated to any order of men, but is justly applicable to every Christian. This fellowship which we have with Christ, is set forth in various similitudes; such as are these, of the head and the members, root and branches, foundation and building, husband and wife; and look what participation the members have with the head, receiving sense and motion from it, the branches with the root, which communicate to them sap and juice, the building with the foundation, by which it is sustained and upheld: finally, the wife with the husband, having an interest in his person, goods, what ever he is, and hath, the same hath every Christian with Christ, who communicateth himself with all his merits and benefits unto him: Indeed as the Apostle tells us. Col. 2.16. joh. 1.16. It pleased the Father, that in him should all fullness dwell, and this not for himself, but us, that we, as the Evangelist speaketh, might of his fullness receive grace for grace. If you would yet have a more distinct explanation of this fellowship, consider it in reference to each of these Titles which are here used, we having fellowship with him as God's Son, as our jesus, and as Christ. 1. We have fellowship with him as he is God's Son, in as much as we participate of his Sonship and inheritance; Christ, though the only begotten, yet maketh us the adopted sons of God, and therefore our Apostle saith in his Gospel, To as many as receive him, he giveth this power, joh. 1.12. Non ait patrem nostrum, aliter ergo meum, aliter vestrum, naturâ meum, gratiâ vestrum. Aug. ibid. Quicquid habet Christus habent illi qui cum eo sunt in societate donatitio jure. Na●gorg. in. loc. Rom. 8.17. to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe in his name; in this respect, Christ tells his Disciples, I go to my Father, and your Father. Indeed he saith not our Father, because Christ's filiation is of another kind than ours, but mine and yours, not only mine, but yours. Christ communicates to all believers by grace, that which himself had by nature, and as thus we have fellowship with him in the Sonship, so likewise in the inheritance: as the inheritance is Christ's by natural right, so he conveyeth it to us by deed of gift, and therefore the Apostle Paul saith, that being children we are heirs, heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ. 2. We have fellowship with him as jesus, in as much as it is to believers, that he becometh effectually a jesus, according to that expression of the Angel (when he gave this name to him) For he shall save his people from their sins; indeed we are sick of sin, and jesus is our Physician; we are captives to Satan, and jesus is our Redeemer; we are at enmity with God, and jesus is our Peacemaker; we are in danger, and jesus is our deliverer: Finally, we are indebted, and jesus is our surety. Now as the Patient partaketh of health by his Physician, the captive of liberty by his Redeemer, enemies are reconciled by their Peacemaker, the afflicted saved by their deliverer, and the debtor is acquitted by his surety, so have we by this jesus, a participation of pardon, peace, liberty, and salvation. 3. We have fellowship with him as Christ, and that whether you look upon the mediatorial offices he was pleased to undertake, or the mediatorial acts he performed. 1. Christ signifieth as much as anointed, and we have an unction too, Psa. 45.8. he was indeed anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows, but yet, so as that we are fellow partakers with him of this ointment; in which respect, St. Hierom well observeth, that the very name of this unction is communicated to us, Higher ep. 140. who from Christ are called Christians. Yet more distinctly, there is a threefold office to which Christ was anointed, in each of which, we have fellowship with him, namely, prophetical, sacerdotal and regal; St. Paul saith concerning Christ jesus, that he of God, is made unto us wisdom, 1 Cor. 1.30. and righteousness, and sanctification and redemption; as he is a Prophet he is made to us wisdom, enlightening and informing our ignorance; as Priest, he is made to us righteousness, absolving us from the guilt of our sin, whereby our persons are justified, and services accepted; as King, he is made to us sanctification, enabling us to mortify our lusts, and to live holily: thus he becometh a Christ, and being a Christ, he is a jesus also, and thereby Redemption to us. In respect of this participation with Christ in his offices, it is that we are not only in general called Christians, but in particular said to be Kings and Priests to God the Father, Rev. 1.5. 1 Pet. 2.5. and that of his making; and the Christian Church is called a royal Priesthood, offering up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable by jesus Christ. 2. This jesus being thus anointed, for the accomplishing of our salvation, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Rom. 6.4, 5, 6 Col▪ 3.1. and the completion of his offices, performed many acts; he was born, crucified, dead, buried, he rose again, and ascended into heaven, and in all these we have fellowship with him; with his birth in our new birth and regeneration, with his cross in our sufferings, with his death in the mortification of our lusts, with his burial in the progress of that work, with his resurrection in our newness of life, and with his ascension in our heavenly conversation. This is that which the Apostle Paul often intimateth in those phrases, we are buried with him, we are planted into the likeness of his death, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. our old man is crucified with him, and you are risen together with Christ, yea, yet more suitably in those expressions, the virtue of his resurrection, and the fellowship (the same word with this in my text) of his sufferings. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Phil. 3.10. This being that which every Christian, more or less, experimentally knoweth, and wherein he hath a conformity to, and so a fellowship with Christ. 2. But this is not all that the Apostle here insinuateth, those words, and with his Son jesus Christ, being not only a further enlargement of this participation, in that it is as with the Father, so with the Son, but likewise a discovery of the means whereby we come to have this fellowship with the Father, and that is by having fellowship with the Son, according to which notion, we may fitly conceive the Father to be the terminus, Eph. 1.6.2.13. Rom. 5.1. 1 Cor. 5 19 and the Son the medium of this societas; the Father is he with whom, and the Son is he by and through whom we have this fellowship with the Father, and therefore it is else where said, he hath made us accepted in his beloved, and we have peace with God through our Lord jesus Christ, and God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, and to name no more, they who were a far off, are made nigh by the blood of Christ, that amity and communion which we have with God, being only in and through a mediator jesus Christ. The Heathens were in part sensible of this truth, who conceiving that the supreme Gods were defiled by the unhallowed approaches of mortals, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Plut. invented Heroes, and half Gods, a kind of middle powers, to be as mediators between those Gods and them, but this doctrine of a mediator, the Gospel fully revealeth, and this to be no other than jesus Christ, by whom we are brought to communion with God. Indeed there was a time (to wit, in innocency) when man stood not in need of a Mediator, but enjoyed a fellowship of perfect amity with his Creator; but now man being fallen from that integrity, and thereby having lost the favour of God, there is no other way of reconciliation but by Christ. So that as TheThemistocles, when Admetus was incensed against him, brought the King's son in his arms, and implored his favour, so we can by no means obtain a fellowship of reconciliation with the Father, but by his Son jesus Christ: in this respect it is, that Christ saith concerning himself, I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh to the Father but by me; and upon this ground, joh 14.6. he is not unfitly resembled to that ladder in Jacob's vision, which reached from earth to heaven, Gen 28.12, Scala pa●adisi fracta in Adamo reparata est in Christo Bonav. by whom alone we climb to heaven, so that if we will pervenire ad Deum, we must ascendere per hominem, to come to God, we must ascend by the man, even the man Christ jesus. There is only one thing further to be enquired, for the full explication of this clause, Factis ad offensum scala beata patrem Ger. in Genes. and that is why the Apostle having mentioned two, doth not annex the third person, and with the Holy Ghost? In answer to which, you must know, that the third person though he be not expressly mentioned, is necessarily employed, for the truth is, we can neither have fellowship with the Father, nor with the Son, but by the Holy Ghost, by the spirit it is, that God begets us again unto himself, and therefore it is called the renewing of the Holy Ghost; Tit. 3.5. by the spirit it is, that we participate of God's holiness, and therefore he is called the spirit of holiness, not only because he is so in himself, but it is he that communicateth it unto us: finally, by the spirit it is, that the Father and the Son dwell in us, Rom. 1.4. and have communion with us; in which respect our Apostle saith, we know he abideth in us, by the spirit he hath given us, and therefore it is, 1 joh. 3.24. that we find this elsewhere directly expressed concerning the Holy Ghost, to wit, in that solemn benediction, to the Grace of our Lord jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father, is joined the communion or fellowship of the Holy Ghost. Though then he is not here named, we are not therefore to imagine he is excluded. Indeed it is a rule in Divinity, which St. Ambrose hath observed to my hand, qui unum dixerit Trinitatem signavit, Ambros. de Sp. S. l. 1. c. 3. when any one of the persons is nominated in any external operation, all the rest are employed; and therefore as when we find only mention of the fellowship of his Son jesus Christ, we must take in the Father & the spirit; 2 Cor. 1.8. Phil. 2.1. and when we read only of the fellowship of the spirit, we must conceive it as well of the Father and the Son; so when here we find the Father and the Son expressed, we must not exclude the holy spirit, and look as our blessed Saviour when he speaketh of that knowledge which is the way to eternal life, though he only mention the Father and his Son jesus Christ, Joh. 17.3. is to be understood as including the holy Ghost, so are we here to interpret S. john, and therefore may very well add by way of explication, our fellowship is with the Father and his Son jesus Christ, and with the holy spirit: nor yet doth there want a reason (as justinian hath well observed) why the Apostle maketh no express mention of the Holy Ghost, Vide Justinian. in Ep. Cath. as he doth of the Son of God, namely because as for the communion of the Holy Ghost; they to whom he wrote, could not be ignorant of it, as having no doubt had experience themselves of the effusion of his gifts upon them, and therefore it needed not to name him, but because the divinity of the Son of God was oppugned by the Heretics of those times, therefore he thought it fit with the Father to mention the Son; And thus much, or rather thus little of this unconceivable, much more unspeakable benefit, the fellowship which Believers have with the ever blessed and glorious Trinity; what now remaineth, but that I bring it home by some comfortable application to ourselves. There are only three inferences which are plainly deducible from hence for our practice. 1. Whatever men do either for, or against any Christian, reflects on God and Christ, with whom they have fellowship; Christ shall say to those at the last day, who relieve his members now, Matth. 25.40. In as much as you did it unto them, you did it unto me, and it was his saying to Saul in the vision, when he breathed forth threaten against the Church▪ Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? and why this, Act. 9.5. but because of the fellowship which is between Christ and his Members. Take then heed O ye sons of Belial, Non tam▪ vos quam Christum in vobis pierce. quuntur: Salu. de provide li. 8. c. 4. Est●. 6. 1●. how you scoffingly deride at, proudly insult over, and maliciously persecute the servants of God, and members of Christ. Haman notwithstanding all his greatness, durst not but honour Mordecai, because he was the man whom the King delighted to honour, and dare you abuse such whom God vouchsafeth to honour? know you not that they are his jewels, and will you deface them? M●●. 3.17. Zech. 2.8. 1 Cor. 3.16. the apple of his eye, and will you touch them? his temple, and will you seek to destroy them? Are they not (to speak it with an humble modesty) all in all with God, his bosom friends, his daily associates, and dare man whose breath is in his nostrils, do any injury to them? or can he do it, and hope impunity? Let none deceive themselves, Qui insurgit in Christum, Domini, insurgit in Dominum Christi, he that riseth up against the Lords anointed, riseth up against the Lord, by whom he is anointed, and he that offereth any indignity unto them that have fellowship with the Father and his Son, offereth it to the Father and the Son, with whom these have fellowship, and therefore must in due time expect the sure vengeance of the Almighty, upon so great impiety. 2. Great is the dignity of Beleivers, who have fellowship not with Kings the best of men, not with Angels the best of creatures, but with God himself, the Father and his Son Jesus Christ; and therefore let them not debase this dignity, dishonour this fellowship by conversing too much with creature-comforts. When Augustus the Roman Emperor, saw Saracen Ambassadors sporting with dogs, he asketh them if there were no women in their countries: when wicked men see Believers swallowed up of earthly contentments; will they, not question whether there be any such divine fellowship, as is pretended: since than we have a fountain of living waters: why do we dig to ourselves broken Cisterns? and if we have fellowship with God, let us scorn to be familiar with the world: rather let us say with David, Whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is none on earth I desire in comparison of thee, Oh blessed Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, to converse with. 3. How amiable and desirable must this fellowship needs be which is with the Father and his Son, Jos. 17.21. and therefore to be earnestly endeavoured after; for this it was, Christ prayed in the behalf of his Church, and not only of them, but all that should believe in his name, that they all may be one as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, and surely this, we both may and aught to pray for in our own behalf; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that you may have, was S. John's desire for these to whom he wrote, and it ought much more to be our desire and endeavour for ourselves, that we may have; and if we have attained any degree already, that we may have yet greater measure of this fellowship. Habeatis, i. e: habere pergatis & in eâ proficiatis, loquitur enim fidelibus qui jam habebant hanc societatem Lapidan loc. Joh. 10.10. This is the note of Lapide upon the Text, that you may have, that is, that you may continue to have, and have more fully this communion, because he writeth to Beleivers, in whom this was already begun; indeed this participation being qualitative, doth Suscipere magis & minus, admit of degrees: All have fellowship with God and Christ, as well as the Apostles, but not in the same degree; Christ tells the Jews, I come that they may have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. So doth S. John write to these, that they might have fellowship, and have it more abundantly, in the same fullness that the Apostles had. If then as yet thou art a stranger, now labour to acquaint thyself with God and be at peace, and if thy acquaintance be begun, endeavour that it may grow to an endeared intimacy: indeed who would not hunger and thirst after, who can be sufficiently satisfied with this fellowship? Fellowship in itself, is a thing very delectable: the wise man much enlargeth in the commendation of it, Eccles. 4.9.10 11. when he saith, two is better than one, and pronounceth a vae soli, woe to him that is alone: indeed as the Greek Proverb runs, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, one man is no man, and as Euripides, one hand can make but a weak defence, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Eurip. in all undertake society is helpful. Fellowship is amiable to all creatures (even the dove will mourn when she hath lost her Mate) but especially to man who is therefore called by the Philosopher 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a creature born for society: indeed for this reason banishment is accounted next to death, because it depriveth of civil society; it is observable, how sadly this hath been bemoaned, not only by a Cain, Thou hast this day driven me out from the face of the earth, but by a job, I am a companion to owls, Gen. 4 14. Job 30.29. Psal. 102.6.7. and a brother to Dragons, and by a David, I am as a Pelican in the wilderness, and an owl in the desert, I am as a sparrow alone upon the house top. And if fellowship be so lovely to all men, how much more religious fellowship to good men; if fellowship with men be delightful, how much more this fellowship with God himself, the Father, and the Son. This, this beloved is the only good fellowship. There is indeed a fellowship called by that name which is the cover of many enormities, the devourer of large patrimonies, the bane of many hopeful wits, & yet is the darling of a great number in the world, I mean the riotous fellowship of luxurious companions. But alas, how unlike are the thing & the name, how catachrestical an expression is it, when drunkenness is styled good fellowship? Oh turn in hither, & behold that which truly deserveth this name, this fellowship with God and Christ, in which there is all good of honesty, utility, and of jucundity, a fellowship in which all safety, liberty, pleasure, and contentment, is to be found; no wonder if the Psalmist saith, Blessed is the man whom thou choosest & causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy Courts, he shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, Psal. 65·4. even of thy holy Temple. This is that fellowship to which God calleth us in his Gospel, and of which by Faith in the Gospel we participate. Indeed as Beza well observeth upon the text; This is the very scope of the Gospel, to make God and us at one, and as Naogorgeus appositely; Scopus Evangelii ut omnes una conjuncti in Christo, per fidem filii Dei simus. B●z. Fides clavis est & aditum praebet ad hanc communionem Naogorg. Faith is the key which opens the door, and admits us into the presence-chamber of the King of Glory. Oh therefore let us cordially embrace the Gospel, and daily strengthen our faith in it, so as we may have, and that every day more and more of this heavenly fellowship, till at last we come to heaven, where our faith being turned into sight, we shall have the greatest reason to say in the language of the Apostle; truly our fellowship is now not only with Saints and Angels, with Patriarches, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, but with the Father and his Son jesus Christ. THE FIRST EPISTLE OF St. JOHN. SERM. 8. CHAP. I. Ver. 4. part last. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. I Am now come by divine assistance to the end of the beginning, the conclusion of the Exordium of this Epistle, namely, the last clause of the fourth verse, a close full of sweetness, the subject whereof is that sweet Monosyllable, joy; the sound of which cannot but charm our ears, and ravish our hearts; indeed the thing which this word expresseth, is the wheel upon which all men's projects and motions turn, the mark at which all their designs and endeavours aim. Those various design●s of men in getting wealth, grasping honour, purchasing lands, building houses, planting vineyards, do all meet in this one centre of joy, and contentment; the truth is, this is that prize for which all run, and yet to which few attain, because they miss the way that leadeth to it: would you then, beloved, enjoy that joy you so earnestly desire, and partake of the content you so industriously strive for, turn in hither, follow the Apostles dictates who wrote this Epistle, that it may be subservient to this very end, for so he telleth us himself, These things we write, that your joy may be full. I find in the Greek Copies a double reading of the pronoun in this clause whilst in some it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in others 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, in those a pronoun of the second person, referring to them to whom the Apostles wrote, to which accords our translation; your joy, in these a pronoun of the first person, respecting the Apostles who did write, and so may be rendered our joy; both of these constructions are both agreeable to the analogy of Faith, and suitable to the scope of the Apostle, and therefore I shall omit neither. 1. The most and the best Copies read it your, and therefore on this I shall chiefly insist; but before I enter upon the sense of this clause, it would not be passed by, that the phrase is such, as our blessed Lord himself was pleased to use once and again. If you cast your eyes upon that large and excellent valedictory Sermon of Christ to his Disciples; in the Gospel of S. john you shall find this expression twice mentioned. These things I have spoken to you that my joy may remain in you, Joh. 15 11.16.24. Imbibisse mihi videtur plerasque formulas Johannes quibus utebatur Christus. Lorin. and that your joy might be full; and again, ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full: and now as Scholars use to imitate their Master's language, and one friend affecteth those forms of speech which the other is frequent in, so doth this beloved disciple; in that stile in which Christ spoke to his disciples, He speaketh to his children: indeed it is not only observable in this, but those other phrases of keeping Christ's Commandments, of loving one another, of abiding in Christ, and the like; which as you find them to be Christ's in the Gospel, so here they are used by S. john in the Epistle, thus lying in his Master's bosom; he sucked in as it were the phrases which dropped from his lips, and here mellifluously poureth them out. To let go the phrase, that we may take in the sense and scope of the words: be pleased to look upon them in a double reference either to the end of the third, or the beginning of the fourth verse. 1. Refer this clause to the end of the former verse, and then the choice truth here insinuated, is, that by fellowship with the Father and his Son jesus Christ; Beleivers have fullness of joy: or if you please, take it thus; the joy which Believers have in fellowship with God and Christ is a full joy. For the better explication of which assertion, I shall demonstrate it to be true in a double notion, to wit, de praesenti, & de futuro, both here and hereafter; for of both I find Expositors interpreting these words. 1. The joy which Believers have for the present in this fellowship is a full joy. The truth of which will the better appear, if we consider it not only positively, but oppositively; assertively, but exclusively, it being true of this joy, and no other, that it is a full joy. What ever we have in fellowship with the creature, is a false, a vain, an empty joy, a shadow; nay, to use the Greek Poets phrase, a dream of a shadow; real, substantial, solid full joy, Si gaudeam de rebus s●culi, etc. Vide Orig. Hom. 11. in Num. is only to be found in fellowship with God in Christ; more particularly to illustrate this truth, be pleased to know that this joy, and this alone is a full joy in respect of its adjuncts, effects, objects. 1. There are two adjuncts peculiar to this joy, which demonstrate its fullness, to wit, the sincerity, and the permanency of it. 1. This joy is a sincere cordial joy: a full shower of rain is that which doth not only wet the surface, but sink into the ground, Plenum gaudium cujus interiora sunt pacata. Na●gorg. Sen. ep. 23. bedew the branches, but go down to the root. That is a full joy which doth not only fill the face with laughter, but the heart with comfort, and such, yea, such alone is this joy. Caeterae hilari●ates non implent pectus sed frontem remit●unt, saith Seneca; worldly joy smooth the countenance, but have no influence upon the soul; Guadulup. in Luc. Prov. 14.13. nay, many times to use Guadulupensis his comparison, as sweet juicy plumbs have stones with a bitter kernel within them, so to give the reddition in Solomon's words, even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; wicked & worldly men for the most part, do but counterfeit a mirth, Sen. de consol. ad polyb. c. 24. like a Commander in a desperate battle, (to borrow Seneca his similitude) who lest his Soldiers should run away, sets a good face on it, speaks cheerfully, whilst yet his heart aches: but this joy is such, that it doth not only with oil cause the face to shine, but with wine make the heart glad: the blessed Virgin's expression is, P●. 104.15. Luc. 1.47. Ps. 4 6. my spirit rejoiceth in God my Saviour, and David saith, thou hast put gladness in my heart. Indeed, Hilaris cum pondere virtus. The joy of Religion is not a l●ght joy, which only swimmeth at the top, but weighty, and sinks down to the bottom of the heart, so as it exhilarateth the inmost parts; it maketh the mind like the upper region of the air, without any clouds of sorrow, or if you will, like heaven itself, where there is nothing but light of joy; in a word, this spiritual fellowship maketh the heart merry, Pro. 15.13. which, as the Wise man saith, is a continual feast. Laetitia saeculi cum magnâ expectatione speratur ut veniat & non potest teneri cum venit. Aug. tract. 7. in joh. 2. This joy is a permanent lasting joy, that is most truly said to be full, which doth not fail, and such only is this Divine joy; other joys are such as before they come, we make great account of, but when they are come, we cannot keep, nay, we quickly grow weary of, and as the flower often sheds before the leaf fade, so the joy vanisheth, whilst yet the thing remaineth: in this respect, we may say of worldly joy, it is satiating, but not satisfying, glutting, and yet not filling, Quae major voluptas▪ quam fastidium ipsius voluptatis. Tertul. de spectac. c. 29. like some meats which nauseat the stomach, and do not fill the belly, but Christian joy is that which we can never have enough of; of this society, and the joy in it, there is no satiety, and though it be a full joy, yet we are never so full of it here, but we desire more, whilst both the desire obtaineth fruition, and the fruition increaseth the desire; indeed this water quencheth our thirst as to any thing else, all other joys seeming vain, worthless to him that hath this, but in respect of itself, it is still kindling new flames of love; excellently hath St. Gregory to this purpose observed the difference between corporal and spiritual delights, those when we want them are coveted, Vide Gregor. Hom. 36. in Evang. Et Greg. Nyss. orat. de Mort. when we have them are loathed, those are only loathed by those who want them, but still coveted by those who taste them. Besides, other joys are such as many times end in sorrow, how oft have you seen tears in men's eyes, after the heartiest laughter? nothing more usual than for the Sun of carnal mirth to set in a cloud, and this serpent of sensual delight hath always a sting in its tail, that verse, Vae tibi ridenti, quia mox post gaudia slebis Vide Goclen. de Risu. They say, hath all the parts of speech in it; sure I am, it compriseth in it the state of all voluptuous Epicures, who sowing in joy, reap in tears, and after all their good cheer, are sure to meet with a sad reckoning. Indeed carnal delights, at first glitter like gold, but at last prove heavy as lead; and as one saith aptly, they are wine in the morning, beer at noon, but they are vinegar at night; but this joy is a remaining, abounding joy, whereof no man had or shall have cause to repent; carnal joy, like a standing pool, quickly drieth up, and leaveth nothing but the mud of discontent; whereas Christian joy is like a fountain of water, ever running. That, (to take up St. Bernard's metaphor) is like a candle, which goeth out in a snuff, Vide Bern. serm. de fallac. present. Vitae. Et Bas. hom. de Deo gratiis semper agendis. a stink, a smoke; This, like the morning light, shineth brighter and brighter, unto the perfect day: finally, that like the crackling of thorns under a pot, soon vanisheth, and leaveth nothing but the ashes of sorrow behind it, whereas this, like the fire under the Altar, never goeth out. 2. Not only the adjuncts, but the effects commend this joy, it being deservedly called a full, because a strong joy, able to sustain the spirit under, and bear it up against affliction; Heb. 6.18. Neh. 8.10. Solatium quia recreate, fortissimum quia roborat. it is the Apostles Epithet, strong consolation, and it is Nehemiahs' assertion, the joy of the Lord is your strength; when any wind ariseth, it bloweth out, when any damp is cast forth, it puts out the candle of worldly joy: but this joy like a torch, burneth clearest in the dark night of trouble; and which plainly bespeaketh its fullness, it is of manifold use, nay, indeed of universal concernment in all calamities: in which respect, the greek father affirmeth of him, that is in communion with God, Cl. All storm. l. 7. he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, merry in all conditions; other joys at best, carry in them only a partial emolument, and therefore it is the joy of wealth is no antidote against sickness; nor can the joy of health cure the sorrow of poverty, but this joy is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the universal medicine, the catholic remedy against all sorts of miseries; it maketh a prison sweet, and pain easy, it maketh a man cheerful in want, and comfortable in losses, it turneth a wilderness into a garden, teacheth to sing in a cage, and accounts solitary exile a courtesy, finally it supports, in life, yea, and it comforts in death. Thus like the tree cast into the waters of Marah, it sweetens all calamities to us; and as outward afflictions are mitigated, so inward troubles are removed by this joy, those wounds of conscience, which carnal mirth can only skin over, this cureth, and therefore whereas, after sensual jollity, those wounds fester the more; by this joy the very rotten core is eaten out, and we enjoy a spiritual sanity of mind and conscience; the sum is, let conscience accuse, let the world persecute, let the devil tempt, yea, let afflictions of all sorts, (like the waves of the Sea) successively, nay, simultaneously beat against the ship of the soul, this joy like a firm anchor, will be able to stay it. 3. Lastly, the fullness of this joy, chiefly depends on the ground and object whereabout it is conversant. It is an undoubted maxim, that the object of all joy, is good, and therefore such as is the good, such is the joy; if the good be only so in appearance, the joy must be needs be false and empty, but if it be a real, full good, the joy must needs be both true and full: now, as for worldly joy, it is only in vain, empty things. Solomon hath long since passed that censure upon these terrene comforts, all is vanity, Eccles. 1.2. Aug. serm. 37. de verbis Dom. and therefore the joy must needs be gaudium vanitatis, a vain joy; whereas this joy is fixed on God our Creator, Christ our Redeemer, and so is gaudium veritatis, a true and solid joy, the one is a joy in corn and wine, as David distinguisheth it; but the other in the light of God's countenance; the one in broken cisterns that hold no water, Ps. 4.6. but the other in the fountain of living waters; and indeed, hence it is, that the fullness of this joy, in those forementioned respects ariseth; therefore doth this joy fill the heart, because it is in God and Christ, who is a proportionable good to the heart; therefore is this joy such, as no man can take from us, because it is in God and Christ, of whose fellowship none can debar us; therefore is this joy able to support us under all troubles, because it is in God and Christ, who is an universal, and all-sufficient good. Alas, other joys being only in outward perishing things, and such as at best can afford but some particular advantage, must needs be defective, only God and Christ is such a good, as is of a spiritual nature, everlasting durance, and general extent; no wonder if this fellowship alone content the mind, and the soul find that in this, which may answer all its wants, Quid quaeris ext●a illum? quid desideras praeter illum? quid placet c●m illo? Bern serm de miser. hum. Quisquis verò percipit quid valeat illa cum Deo societas h●c unâ abundè contentus. Calv. in loc. Posito effecto pro causâ significat ipsam be atitudinem. Illyr, in l●c. Per nomen gaudii pleni significat id quod in re atque pat●● pe●ficitur. Lorin. ibid. Ps. 16 11. Aristot Eth. l. 7. c. 12. Rom. 5.3. and satisfy all its desires▪ Excellently therefore St. Bernard, What needest thou seek beside him? what can please without him? what dost thou desire, which thou mayest not find in him? he made all, he hath all, he is all. Whatsoever good thou wishest, sweet thou cravest, delectable thing thou searchest after, it is all to be found and enjoyed in him, and that by communion with him; good reason hath St. john to wish, that his brethren to whom he wrote, might have this fellowship, even upon this account, that the●r joy might be full. 2. Though this joy we have for the present, be as you have heard, a full joy, in opposition to carnal and worldly joy, yet in comparison of that celestial joy, it is but empty, and rather filling than full, and therefore some conceive joy here to be by a metonymic of the effect for the cause put for blessedness, because then alone it is that we shall have full and perfect joy, and to this purpose some (as the Philosopher observes) derive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, only changing the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, as if the word blessedness, did signify greatly to rejoice. Indeed, as David saith, in thy presence is fullness of joy; our joy will never be full, till we come to enjoy the beatifical vision: our joy here, is only in hope and expectation; so St. Paul, we rejoice in hope of the glory of God: nor can our joy be full, till we come to the fruition of what we expect. Hence it is, that all we have here is but a taste, than we shall drink deep of the river of pleasure: Now we have only the first fruits, hereafter our joy shall be as the joy of harvest: Finally, now the joy of the Lord enters into us, but than it is we shall enter into the joy of the Lord, Mat. 25.21. and be, as it were, swallowed up in the boundless ocean of that joy; the truth is, according to this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, so is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, our exultation answereth our participation, because this fellowship cannot be perfect, till we come to heaven, where we shall fully enjoy sanctity and immortality with God and Christ for ever, therefore then and not till then, shall this be verified, our joy shall be filled. And now to tell you how full that joy shall be, I want words: St. Peter speaking of our joy which we have in believing, calls it unspeakable, and full of glory; indeed, sentire est cordis, dicere non est oris, 1 Pet. 1.8. the heart feeleth what the tongue cannot express: but oh then, how glorious, and not only unspeakable, but unconceivable shall that joy be in seeing. Surely, as when Christ miraculated wine, he filled the vessels to the brim, joh. 2.7. so shall he fill the vessels of our souls in that day, with the water of joy, to the very brim, so as there shall not be the least deficiency, but an abundance, yea, a superabundance, both over, and everflowing, to make glad the inhabitants of that heavenly City to all eternity. What then is the inference which we are to draw from hence, but that we learn? what joy to seek after? namely, that which is full, and wherein (to that end) to place it, namely, in fellowship with God and Christ. Beloved, it is a false slander, an odious calumny, which by black mouths is belched forth against Christianity, as if it were an enemy to all joy, whereas it doth not extirpate, but ordinate our joy, teaching us to place it on the right object; you are mistaken when you think that we would rob you of your comfort, and spoil your mirth; no brethren, our aim in endeavouring to bring you to God and Christ, is (to use Seneca's phrase upon better grounds) that you might never want mirth; Nolo tibi unquam de esse laetitiam. Sen. ep. 23. ● Thess. 5.16. or according to St. Paul's expression, that you may rejoice evermore: Indeed, this is our scope, to confine your carnal joy, or rather refine it, that it may be pure, spiritual, and heavenly. Oh that you would at last be wise, and fix your joy in the right centre, by elevating it to the things above; how should you say with that penitent Father, Far be it Lord, far be it from the heart of thy servant, that I should account myself happy by any earthly joy, that is the joy, which is not given to the wicked, but only to them who serve thee, Vide Aug. conf. l. 10. c. 22. whose joy thou thyself art, and that is the blessed life to rejoice of thee, in thee, for thee, that is it, and no other; or in words not much unlike those of St. Paul, God forbid that we should rejoice in any thing, save in fellowship with the Father, and his Son jesus Christ. Gal. 6.14 2. Refer this clause to the former part of this verse, and then the truth, which is manifestly employed is, that those things which the holy men of God did write, are able to give fullness of joy. This is the doctrine which I shall endeavour to illustrate, both generally of all the holy writings, and particularly of the Apostolical writings. 1. There is fullness of joy to be had in the holy Scriptures, this was that which David experienced, and therefore affirmeth concerning himself, that the words of God were sweet to his taste, Ps. 119.103.162. and he rejoiced in them, as one that found a great spoil; and that holy man Ambrose upon those words, breaketh forth into these expressions, I have great cause to rejoice, for I have found the spoils for which I have not laboured; Vide Ambros. in Ps. 118. I have found the Pentateuch of Moses, the writings of the Prophets; I have found Christ the wonderful Counsellor, and Paul the prudent builder; for this reason, no doubt it is, that the word of God contained in the Scripture, is compared to light, and wine, and honey, Vide Bern. serm. 64. Chrysost▪ hom. in E●trep. and milk, all which, are of a pleasing and exhilarating nature; indeed the holy Scriptures are a tree of life, whereof every leaf is healing, or according to St. Chrysostom, a pleasant garden, wherein every flower yields a fragrant smell; or to use St. Ambrose his comparison, Ambros. de offic. l. 1. c. 32. a feast, in which every book is a dainty dish, affording both sweet and wholesome nutriment. No wonder if St. Paul, speaking of the Scriptures, maketh mention of the patience, Rom. 15.4. and hope, and comfort of the Scriptures, there being no such ground of hope and patience, and therefore no such comfort to be found elsewhere, as in these sacred books. 2. As this is true in general of all parcels of holy writ, so more especially of the Apostolical writings; to this purpose St. Cyril mystically interpreting those words of the Prophet Micah, that every man should sit under his vine, and under his figtree, observeth that wine is an emblem of joy, the figtree of sweetness, Mic. 4.4. Vide Cyr. Al. ibid. and by both is shadowed that joy wh●ch the Evangel●cal doctrine should produce in those who sit under the preaching of it; indeed those doctrines which reveal God and Christ, satisfaction to God by Christ, reconciliation to God in Christ, can only give solid comfort to the soul, since God out of Christ, is a consuming sire, only in Christ he is a reviving Sun; out of Christ, he is a sin-revenging, only in Christ a sin-forgiving God: now these doctrines are no where made known but in holy writ, and they are most clearly delivered in the Apostolical writings, what Moses and Esay, and jeremy, spoke obscurely that Paul, and Peter, and john, declare plainly, and therefore though we find joy in those, yet by these our joy is filled. It is not unworthy our obsetvation in the Text, that this clause. These things we write, stands in the middle, between our fellowspip, is with the Father and his Son jesus Christ, and that your joy might be full, as having indeed an influence on both, and by effecting the one, it produceth the other; these things which the Apostles write, reveal God and Christ, and the way of fellowship with them, and by bringing us to this fellowship, they convey unto us this fullness of joy and comfort. To apply this in some short confectaries. 1. How injurious is the superstition of the Papists, and that both to the Scriptures themselves, and to the people. 1. To the Scriptures, Vide Bellarm. de verb. Dei. l 4. c. 3. in that they deny to them a perfect sufficiency containing all things necessary to salvation, and that for this reason that th●y might advance the esteem of their unwritten Traditions: indeed such traditions as are not fictitious but real, not particular but universal, and clearly appear to be s●, we reject not; but withal, we assert there are no such traditions delivering any thing necessary to salvation, which is not to be found either in express terms, or by evident consequences in the holy Scriptures, and that I may not wander, we meet with a strong argument to this purpose in my text. That which is able to give us full joy, must not be deficient in any thing which conduceth to our happiness; but the holy Scriptures give fullness of joy, and therefore the way to happiness is perfectly laid down in them; the major of this syllogism is so clear, that it needs no probation: for who can or will deny, that full joy is only to be had in a state of bl●sse; the minor is plain from this Scripture, and may thus be drawn forth. That which the Apostles aimed at in, may doubtless be attained to by their writings, for they being inspired of God, it is no other than the end that God purposed in inspiring, which they had in writing, and either God himself is wanting in the means which he hath designed for this end, or these writings contain in them, what will yield fullness of joy, and to that end bring us to a state of blessedness. Laicis lectionem scripturae permittere est sanctum dare canibus & margaritas ante p●rcos projicere. Host de verb. Dei. 2. To the people whom they expressly forbid to read the holy Scriptures, esteeming the permission of them to the vulgar eye to be the casting of pearls before swine, and the giving holy things to dogs: hence is it that in a seeming reverence to holy writ, and withal a pretended care of the Laics, that they may not wrest the Scriptures to their own perdition, they lay upon them a prohibition; but the truth is, as they are but false friends to the Scripture, so in this they are manifest enemies to the people, bereaving them of that comfort which they might have in the reading of those divine books. Certainly the Apostles intended that their Epistles should be read both to and by them, to whom they wrote them: now these you to whom S. John wrote were ordinary Christians, dispersed in several countries, such, whom in the second Chapt. he calls not only Fathers, but young men and children, and the other Apostles expressly direct their Epistles, to all that are called to be Saints, as well private persons in, as public officers of the Church; nay yet further, when we consider what singular benefit is to be gained by the reading of the holy Scriptures for correction, instruction, and in particular, consolation; surely it is no small injury, that the Church of Rome by this prohibition doth to her members, even as great as if the mother should deny the dug to the tender infant. 2. How odious is the profaneness of those Christians who neglect the holy Scriptures, and give themselves to reading other books? How many precious hours do many spend, and that not only on workdays, but holidays, in foolish Romances, fabulous histories, lascivious poems? and why this? but that they may be cheered and delighted, when as full joy is only to be had in these holy books. Alas the joy you find in those writings, is perhaps pernicious; such as tickleth your lust, and promoteth contemplative wickedness, at the best it is but vain, such as only pleaseth the fancy and affecteth the wit; Psal. 19 8. whereas these holy writings (to use David's expression) are right, rejoicing the heart. Again, are there not many who more set by Plutarch's Morals, Seneca's Epistles, and such like books; then they do by the holy Scriptures? it is true beloved, there are excellent truths in those moral writings of the heathen, but yet they are far short of these sacred books; those may comfort against outward trouble, but not against inward fears; they may rejoice the mind, but cannot quiet the conscience; they may kindle some flashy sparkles of joy, but they cannot warm the soul with a lasting fire of solid consolation. And truly brethren, if ever God give you a spiritual ear to judge of things aright, you will then acknowledge there are no bells like to those of Aaron's, no harp like to that of david's, Olim mihi Tullius dulcescebat blandiebantur carmina Poetarum. etc. Petri Damn Ser. de Christi Natal. no trumpet like to that of Isaiahs', no pipes like to those of the Apostles, and you will confess with Petrus Damianus, that those writings of heathen Orators, Philosophers, Poets, which formerly were so pleasing, are now dull and harsh in comparison of the comfort of the Scriptures. 3. Lastly, let us so diligently read, steadfastly believe, and obediently conform to these writings, that our joy may be full by them. It is very observable, what the Prophet jeremy saith concerning himself. Thy words were found, and I did eat them, and thy word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; jer. 15.16. Ede Scripturarum coelestium cibos & ede ut permaneant tibi in vitam aeternam, etc. Ambros. in Psal. 118. Habeant sibi caeteri si velint suas opes gemmâ bibant. serico niteant, etc. Hieron. Ep. 155. Non excedat tibi lex de ore cordis tui, volve, revolve, versa reversa, ac tunc intelliges quid sapiat manna, etc. Drog. Host. de sacram. Dom. pass. l. 1. Vide Ambros. l●d. Petr. Sim. Tilet. the word caused in jeremy joy and rejoicing, that is, a full joy, but by what means; it was by eating it, so must we get comfort in the Scriptures by eating, that is, reading, meditating, and applying them to ourselves. Let then that counsel which St. Ambrose giveth, be acceptable to us; Eat, and eat daily of this heavenly manna, that thy hunger may be satisfied, and thy soul nourished to eternal life: remember the advice which St. Hierom giveth, Whatever joys and pleasures others may take, let our delights be in the law of the Lord. Finally, harken to the exhortation of Drogo hostiensis. Let not the Law depart from thy heart, read and ponder again and again, that thou mayst find the savour of this manna, & with the Bee suck the sweetness of these heavenly flowers: And yet more particularly, when thou art cast into any danger, labourest under any affliction, make use of these writings for thy comfort, which are as St. Ambrose truly styleth them, the only refuge in all temptations. Excellently to this purpose is that even of a Roman Bishop, in his exhortation to the Clergy? Doth any one labour with ignorance? these writings are a light to the feet, and a lantern to his paths; do we weep in this valley of tears? here we may find that which will dry our eyes, and revive our spirit; dost thou thirst after righteousness? here is a fountain of pure water? art thou spiritually hungry? here is the bread which came down from heaven: indeed there is no condition that can befall a Christian, Vid. Rivet. Isag. p. 406. to which these holy writings do not afford a suitable and proportioned consolation. I end this therefore with allusion to that expression of the Prophet Esay, Is. 12.3. Hier. Pr●cop. ibid. With joy shall you draw water out of the wells of salvation. These wells of salvation, are Evangelical truths: so St. Hierome spiritual sayings; so Procoptus, Oh let us by the bucket of faith draw the water of comfortable doctrine out of those wells, to the joy and solace of our hearts. I have now dispatched the first and most genuine reading of this pronoun, Oecumen. in loc. the other (which the Greek Scholiast taketh notice of) would not be altogether passed by, which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, a pronoun of the first person, since not only some Greek copies, but the Syriack version also so renders it, that our joy might be full. And thus as venerable Bede observeth upon these words, it lets us see what is the joy of a godly Minister; Gaudium doctorum fit plenum cum multos ad sanctae Ecclesiae societatem perducunt. Bed. ibid. Senec. ep. 24. namely, when the people by his declaring, preaching, writing, are brought to fellowship with God and Christ, and the more they gain to this fellowship, the more is their joy enlarged and filled up. Indeed (that I may borrow Seneca's similitudes) if it cannot but delight the husbandman when he seeth his plants grow, his trees flourish, his fruits ripen, if it must needs rejoice the Shepherd to behold his Sheep sound, fat, and fruitful; if it glad the heart of a Schoolmaster o● Tutor to observe his Scholars thrive in learning, Cum gaudere in hoc omnes fratres oportet tum in gaudio communi, major est Episcopi portio. Cypr. ●p. 7. ad and increase in knowledge, it must needs be matter of abundant joy to the Ministers of the Gospel, when they reap the fruit of their labour in the conversion and confirmation of their people. This is that which this holy Apostle John, as here, so elsewhere expresseth to be his temper, when writing to the Elect Lady, the saith, I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in the truth; Joh. Ep. 2. v. 4.3. v. 4. and when writing to the wellbeloved Gaius, he saith, I have no greater joy than that my children walk in truth, Ep. 3. v. 4. Phil. 4.1. 1 Thes. 2.19.20. the same spirit lodged in that blessed Apostle Paul, who calls the Philippians his joy and his Crown, and the Thessalonians his hope, his joy, his Crown of rejoicing, his glory and his joy, by which phrases is intimated an exceeding joy, glorying being the height of rejoicing; nay Emperors cannot take greater joy in their crowns, than he did in those of whose conversion God had made him instrumental: nay as if he knew not how enough to be thankful, he breaketh forth into that pathetical question, what thanks can we render to God for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes. 3.9. To this purpose was that pious speech of an holy Bishop to his flock, Euseb vercel. Episcop. implestis viscera mea, cum implestis mandata divina; your fulfilling Gods precepts is the filling up of my joy. We read in the parable, of a woman, who having found her lost groat, called her neighbours and friends to rejoice with her; that finding the lost groat, Luc. 15.9. is an emblem of a lost sinner gained to Christ, and the woman represents the Minister who cannot but greatly rejoice at his being the means of converting any sinner; indeed as we find afterward in that Chapter, V. 7. There is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth; the truth is, there is joy both in heaven and in earth, whilst both the Angels those heavenly Ministers, and Ministers those earthly Angels, rejoice at the winning of souls to Christ. This is the joy of godly Ministers for the present, and shall be, yet much more at the last day, in the presence of our Lord jesus Christ, Greg hom. 17. in Evang. at his coming, when (as St. Gregrory aptly) Peter shall appear with his converted jews, and Paul with his converted Gentiles, and all Pastors, with their reduced sheep, when they, who have received any spiritual profit by us, shall give in evidence for us, and be as so many pearls set in our Crown of glory. Oh then, how should we that are the Ministers of Christ, double, yea, Jo. 21▪ 15.16.17. treble our diligence in feeding the flock, according to Christ's threefold mandate? how should we bestir ourselves in all the ways, by all the means we can, by preaching, writing, and that in exhorting, reproving, comforting, that we may bring men to this fellowship, since it will be the filling of our joy? Indeed, a lazy careless Minister, is not more the peoples, than his own enemy, since as he hindereth their good, so his own comfort: for if it be uncomfortable when we sow much, and reap little, the success not answering our pains, it must needs be much more doleful, when conscience giveth in testimony against us, that we have sowed but little, having been careless and negligent in the discharge of our duty, since whereas the other is but only a cross, this is a curse, according to that of the Prophet jeremy, cursed is he, that doth the work of the Lord negligently. Jer. 48.10. But further, oh that you who are the people, would upon this consideration labour to profit, by what we preach and write to you, that hereby you may fill our joy. Many of you pretend a great deal of love and respect to us: oh my brethren, if you love us, do not grieve us by your unprofitableness: By your presence, you fill our Churches, by your maintenance, you fill our purses: but what is this, if by your obedience you do not fill our joy? many of you seem to pity us, when you see us exhausting our spirits, wasting our bodies, weakening our strength in preaching to you: oh then, why do you not refresh our minds, revive our spirits, rejoice our hearts in requiting our pains, with your fruitfulness? it is true beloved, our work in itself is difficult, but your hard hearts, are an heavier burden to us, than our hard work. Truly if our hearts deceive us not, to find good wrought upon you by our pains, is the best cordial you can give us, as that godly Father said to his people of Antioch, I feel not the weight of my labour, because I am revived by the gain of you that are my Auditors. Chrysost. ad pop. Antioch. hom. 9 Let me then bespeak you my dearly beloved parishiners and auditors this day, in the same language St. Paul bespoke his Philippians, Phil. 2.2. fulfil you my joy in your endeavour, to profit by my Ministry: why shall we, who are Evangelical sowers, be forced to complain that we sow our seed, if not among briars and thorns, which scratch and tear (the usage that too many have found in these days) yet among stones, so as it yields no fruit? why do you force us with our preaching and praying, to join tears in weeping for, and over you, because of your barrenness? nay, why should we come in at the last day of judgement as witnesses against you, and be forced to give up our account with grief? I end all, if on the one hand, you will not be won to Christ by our Ministry, know that as it is our sorrow, it will be your misery, our heaviness, your unhappyness, if it be uncomfortable to us, it will be unprofitable to you, and if you put us upon a woe of condoling, you will meet with a woe of condemning: and on the other hand, if our Ministry be effectual to bring you into fellowship with God and Christ, know that it will not only be ours, but your joy (for so we may put both the readings of this clause together) we shall have some, and you will have much more cause of comfort in it. For this end it is my brethren, that we show and declare, and write. Oh do not disappoint us of our hopes, and frustrate our desires, but for this cause do you hear, believe, and obey, that both your and our joy may be full. THE FIRST EPISTLE OF St. JOHN. SERM. 9 CHAP. I. Ver. 5, 6, 7. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of jesus Christ his Son, cleanseth us from all sin. HAppiness is the Centre, in which all men's desires meet, and the mark at which all their intentions shoot; this is that which every one seeketh after for himself, and which Christ's Apostles and Ministers labour after, in regard of their people. The safety of the flock is the shepherd's care, the health of the patient, the Physician's work, and the people's salvation, the hearty desire, prayer and endeavour of every faithful Preacher: Indeed, for this end, they are set as lights, placed as stars in the firmament of the Church, that they may guide men's feet into the way of peace, and path of life. True happiness principally, nay, wholly consists in communion and fellowship with God in Christ, since he is that summum bonum, chief and universal good, the fruition of which alone, can make us happy: no wonder if St. john, with the rest of the Apostles, desiring to bring the people to blessedness, labour by their preaching and writing, to make them partakers of this fellowship. But as indeed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, all things of excellency are attended with difficulty, Plut. de. lib. educ. so is in special this fellowship; the truth is, to be mistaken in it, is very easy, to partake of it, is very difficult, the attainment of it, will undoubtedly make us happy, but withal, it is very hadly attained unto; good reason than had St. john, having signified this fellowship, as that which was the end of his writing, to discuss in his writing at once the marks whereby we may know, and the means whereby we may atain it, with which, he therefore begins in the words that I have now read. This then is the message which we heard of him, etc. Having already passed through the Preface, we are now to handle the Epistle itself; I shall not stay to give you an exact and particular Analysis, or as it were, Anatomy of its body, and that chiefly, because our Apostle doth not tie himself to a strict, and accurate method, though I doubt not, but in perusing the several Chapters, and parcels of it, we shall find a rational connexion and dependence of one upon the other, and all upon the principal scope. It may for the present suffice, to know that the design of this discourse is, to instruct all men professing Christianity, how they may try the truth of their profession. To erect a partition wall discriminating between heretical and orthodox, hypocritical, and sincere Christians: Finally, To deliver us a Box of evidences, by which we may clear our interest in communion with God and Christ, and thereby our title to eternal life; and indeed this is that which our Apostle implicitly insinuateth in the former verse, V. 4. since the fullness of our joy must needs ar●se only from an apprehension of our part in this partnership, and expressly asserteth in the last Chapter, where he saith, Ch. 5.14. These things have I written, that you may have eternal life. As for the words which I have now read, Jam incipit rem ipsam attingere suaeque doctrinae materiam p●op●nit. Lo●in. in loc. our Apostle in them giveth us a breviate of what he intends to enlarge upon in the rest of the Epistle, summarily proposing what he doth afterwards abundantly exemplify; for if you peruse the whole Epistle, you shall find (if not all, yet) the greatest part spent in one of these three things, either in delineating the steps of the way, whereby we walk in the light; such as are faith, obedience, contempt of the world, and especially love to God and our brethren, or in declaring the choice privileges of fellowship with God and Christ, namely our justification, adoption, and glorification, or in describing those Antichristian heretics, who pretend to have fellowship with Christ, and walk in darkness, so that in few words if you please, we may call these three verses the Text, and the rest of the Epistle, a Commentary upon the Text. Begin we then now with the Text, and in it for our more orderly proceeding be pleased to take a view of the porch and the house, and in the house of the foundation and the superstructure, and in the superstructure of the two rooms, directly opposite one to the other; the one as it were on the left, the other on the right hand. The porch is contained in those words; This than is the message which we have heard of him, & declare to you; the foundation of the house in those; God is light, and in him is no darkness at all; and the rooms in the house are on the one hand, the vain presumption abominable lie of those who pretend to have fellowship with God, and walk in darkness; on the other the assured fellowship with God, and cleansing by Christ, of those who walk in the light. Of each of these in their order, most humbly beseeching him who is the light to irradiate our minds with his heavenly beams, that we may clearly discern, and effectually embrace those truths which are here set before us. 1. Enter we then into the porch, a clause which for substance and in effect we have already handled, as having met with it in the beginning of the third verse. And truly, were this only a repetition, it would not be supervacaneous, because no endeavour can be too much, as for the informing our apprehensions aright of, so for the confirming our faith in, and assent to evangelical doctrines, indeed it is the policy of the Devil, and that which by many ways he endeavoureth to cause in us both a misunderstanding of, and hesitation about Gospel truths. It was the stratagem he used with our first parents, to beget in them a questioning, and then a denial of the verity of Gods saying, and it is still his practice to make us either totally deny or causelessly doubt of divine writings; Vide Gualt. Lorin. in loc. no marvel if the Apostle, not once, but again,; nay (as Lorinus observeth) thrice inculcates that what he was now to write, was no other than what he had heard. But as this is a repetition, so with some addition, & it is such an iteration as admits of variation, if you please to compare this with the precedent parallel clause, you shall find a noun & pronoun here added, whereas before it is only that which, here it is the message which, and whereas there it is only that which we have heard; here it is that which we have heard of him, so that here are two things to be discussed de novo, which is, what it is that hearing they declared a message, & of whom they received it, of him, & yet there is one thing more not touched before, because it more fitly falls in, now, the persons who did hear of him, and declare to us. We 1. That which the Apostles heard is here called a message: so our translation renders it: as also Beza? Vide Bez. Grot. Socin. in loc. and the vulgar Latin version; according to which Grotius tells us in one manuscript, it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉; Socinus would have us believe a mistake in the scribe of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, and that it should be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the noun of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, which is the verb our Apostle useth here for declaring. But the usual reading in the Greek Copy is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, and that in its most known acception signifieth a promise, nor (though I confess I am almost alone in it) do I see any reason why we should decline the word, or its usual signification; nay indeed (at least to me) it seemeth very congruous and suitable. For 1. It is the word which out Apostle afterwards useth, when he speaketh of the same thing, 1 Joh 2 25. that which they had heard from the beginning, presently adds, this is the promise which he hath promised, and so we have heard. 2. But chiefly it is that which very aptly agreeth with the context, whether you look backward or forward 1. In the former verse, the Apostle acquaints the people that his end in writing these things was, that their joy might be full; and here he tells us what those things were that would bring this fullness of joy, to which purpose he calleth them not barely a message, but a promise; which is a message of glad tidings, able to fill our joy. Non secus ac si ingens nobis bonum Joannes promitteret de Deo enuntiat ipsum omni modo lumen esse, etc. Velasq. in Philip. c. 1. v. 2. Annot. ●, mor. 2. If you look on what immediately followeth, God is light, and in him is no darkness, though for this reason, that signification of promise is rejected, because those words are assertory, not promissory: yet a late Writer hath observed (ingeniously, though not so solidly) a congruency even in these words; because light represents the communicative goodness of God; here is a tacit & virtual promise, assuring us, that God is ready to cast forth the beams of his grace and mercy on us. 3. But I conceive in this lieth the mistake of interpreters, that they understand this message to consist in the words immediately subsequent, whereas if we examine it more narrowly, we shall find the substance of the message to be laid down in the seventh verse, to which the term of promise fitly agreeth, it being a manifest promise of fellowship with God, and cleansing by Christ to them who walk in the light; and this is illustrated in the sixth verse by a redargution of that lying promise which presumptuous sinners who walk in darkness, make to themselves of having fellowship with God. And as for those words in the fifth verse, God is light, and in him is no darkness; they are apparently premised as a proof of the promise and, confirmation of the message (for which reason I call them in the division the foundation of the building) & accordingly that Greek particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being as well causal as declarative, may be fitly, and is so rendered by the vulgar Latin quoniam, because, and the sense will amount to this, Because God is light, and in him is no darkness: therefore they, and they only who walk in the light, being thereby like to him, can or shall have fellowship with him, cleansing by his son; and this is the promise which have heard of him. This word, and thereby somewhat of the sense of the whole being thus cleared to us; I cannot pass it over without a double note, well worthy our serious consideration. 1. The nature of the Gospel's message, it is a promise. 2. The tenure of this promise, it is conditional. 1. The Syriack word here used signifieth Gospel, the Greek, promise: indeed the Gospel in its chief design is promissory, it is not only an historical narration of something done, but of this as done for us, and so a promissory declaration of God's good will towards us; the Prot●vangelium, first Gospel preached by God to fallen Adam, Gen. 3. 1●. is a plain promise, The seed of the woman shall break the Serpent's head; nor is there any promise now made to man, but what is contained in the Gospel. The Law is a denunciation of wrath, of a curse against us, because of trangression; only the Gospel is an annunciation of mercy and forgiveness; that breatheth forth only a cold blast, a Northwind of threatening; this sendeth forth a warm gale, a Southwind of promise. A promise it is, and that not of paying a debt, but bestowing a gift: man's promise is ofttimes an act of justice, but Gods, of mere grace and free love, and therefore it is that his purpose of which the Gospel-promise is the counterpane, is joined with Grace, 2 Tim. 1.9. Eph. 1.7. Acts 20.32. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, etc. Ammon, and that special promise of the Gospel forgiveness of sin, is said to be according to the riches of his grace; yea one appellation given to the Gospel is, that it is called the word of God's grace, because it manifesteth his free grace to sinners. And indeed if we believe the Greek critic, this truth is wrapped up in the very word there used, this being the difference between 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, that the latter is only a promise of what is due, but the former of what is free. A promise it is, and that such as hath many promises in the womb of it, and those as the Apostle Peter calls them, 2 Pet. 1.4. exceeding great and precious, not of temporals, but spirituals; nay eternals. Fellowship with God, remission, adoption, eternal life; what not? are the choice and precious benefits which this promise revealeth and offereth to us; indeed it is a treasury of divine riches, a store-house of the soul's provision, a cabinet of heavenly pearls, all things truly good, and justly desirable, being contained in, and conveyed to us by this promise, Oh let us learn to set an high value upon Evangelical doctrine. Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name, Psal. 138▪ ●. saith the Psalmist, thou hast magnified thy Gospel above all thy word, may we say; and that upon this ground, because it is promissory revelation; surely if the whole word of God be as milk, the promising part is as the cream of that milk; if that be as a Firmament of Stars, this is as the Sun in that firmament. Finally, if that be as a Feast, this is the sweetest dish in that Feast. 1 Pet. 2.2.3 Desire saith the Apostle Peter, the sincere milk of the word (meaning the Gospel) if you have tasted that the Lord is gracious; indeed we may taste the verity of God in all his words; the equity of God in his commands, the severity of God in his threats: but we only taste the mercy of God how gracious he is in the Evangelical promises; and surely tasting, we cannot but singularly esteem, and fervently desire it. Vide Calv. Grot in loc. 2. Calvin and Grotius make the sense of these words, this is the promise; to intend thus much. The promise which we bring to you hath this condition annexed to it, to wit, of walking in the light; and therefore it is expressed with an if, an hypothetical conjunction; That then, which we have further to take notice of, and would by no means be omitted, is, that the promise of the Gospel is conditional; it is a position with a supposition, nor are the benefits in it granted absolutely, but respectively. It is a question moved by some how the promise can be free and yet cnoditional, not considering the difference between a meritorious cause, for which a thing ought to be, and a necessary condition, without which it cannot be effected; were there a proportion of equality between the thing promised, and required, the promise could not be free, but the Evangelical condition is such only, as maketh us meet for, not worthy of the thing promised, and therefore hath only a proportion of congruity. Mercy then is the spring from whence the promise floweth, but duty is the channel in which it runneth down to us. The primary design of the Law was precept, commanding us to do, though there was annexed to it a promise, which upon doing what was commanded, we should receive. The principal scope of the Gospel is promise, revealing what God is pleased to do for us, yet so, as that there are precepts annexed to it, which require somewhat to be done by us, that we may obtain the promise. What then God hath joined together, let not us put asunder: the most of us with Malchus have but one ear to hear the promise, but not the precept of the Gospel; we like well to gather the rose, and suck the honey of a promise, but the condition we hate as the pricles and sting; we would gladly have the privilege assured, and yet we abhor the duty required, but be not deceived, if you will have the one, you must do the other. God will not fulfil his part, unless we perform ours; and therefore it is in vain to expect an accomplishment of his promise, but on his own terms▪ in fine, the Gospel is a promise, let us not be so unthankful unto God and Christ, as to reject it: it is a conditional promise, let us not be so injurious to our selves, as to misapply it. 2. The Apostles heard this message of him: if you ask, of whom? the answer is to be fetched from the end of the third verse, the Father and his Son Jesus Christ; V. 3. it would not be passed by, that the Apostle speaking of two persons; nay implicitly of all three, useth the singular number, saying, not which we heard of them, but him; from which though Socinus would only gather an unity of will & affection, Socin in loc. yet the Orthodox conclude an unity of essence and nature. The multitude of believers were of one heart in the primitive times, and one soul, Acts 4.32. yet it would have been very improper to have spoken of them, as one man, but inasmuch as the Father and the Son, though two persons, ●ave one and the same essence, it was very proper to use the singular number, that which we have heard of him. That which we are here to take notice of is, 1. Partly, that these Apostles heard before they declared. It is very observable, that in the Hebrew tongue, the same verb in Kal signifieth to learn, and in Piel to teach, and the same noun signifieth both an hearing, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and a report; and indeed the Greeks use 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, and the Latins auditio in the same sense; whereby is intimated to us, that we must be hearers, ere we be speakers, learners, ere we be Teachers, Scholars, before we be Tutors. And I could heartily wish that this consideration might be a check to the inconsiderate rashness of those giddy heads in this age, who never sat at Gamaliels feet, and yet step into Moses his chair; and though they have scarce learned any thing themselves at either School or Academy, adventure to teach the people in these sacred Oratories. 2. Chiefly, That what they declared to the world, was no other than what they heard from Christ, this is that which as S. John asserteth here, so S. Paul elsewhere concerning himself: 1 Cor. 11.23.7.23. That which I have received of the Lord, I have delivered unto you; and in another place, not I but the Lord: Thus it was with the Apostles, and thus it was with the Prophets, who uttered nothing but what was by God revealed to them, and therefore you find them very often bringing in, Sic dicit Dominus, Thus saith the Lord. 1. It is an Item to Ministers, that our faithfulness appear in delivering as wholly, so only the Counsel of God, the mind of Christ, revealed in his Word to the people, whilst Jesuits declare what they hear from the Pope, as accounting him infallible, whilst Enthusiasts declare what they hear from the devil, mistaking his delusions for the spirits inspirations; let the Ministers of Christ declare nothing but what they hear; though not immediately, yet mediately from Christ: oh far be it from us to pretend to be his messengers, and yet to vent our own inventions, and preach our own fancies: what Ambassador dare deliver any thing to a foreign Prince but what the King his Master giveth him in charge; Oh let us who are the Ambassadors of Christ, declare nothing but that message with which he sends us. 2. It is a document to the people, that the Apostolical writings, Ideo reverenter atque inviolabiliter debetis retinere quod mihi Dominus tradidit & ego vobis. Ans. in Cor. Jo. 10.4. and our preaching according to them be received by you with Faith and reverence, because they are no other than the dictates of Christ; indeed whose authority should prevail if not Christ's? and with whom? if not the Church: it is the character of Christ's sheep, that they know his voice, and follow it; we need not fear that he who is the way will cause us to wander, who is the truth will cause us to err, who is the faithful witness, will go about to deceive us: so long as we speak the truth in and from Christ, and lie not, do you believe and doubt not. 3. The We to whom Christ was pleased to impart this message, and by whom he declared it to the world, Nihil in illis videbis quod aliquâ praerogatiuâ dignum censeas. Gualt in loc. would be considered; and that especially in respect of their mean and low condition: if you look upon S. John and the rest of these holy Apostles with a carnal eye, there was nothing in them which might render them worthy of so high a prerogative: they were poor rude illiterate despised Fishermen; and who were they that Christ should employ them to be his Ambassadors? King's do not use to send beggars and peasants of their errands, but Christ was pleased to make use of these contemptible persons for his Embassy. In this respect it is the Apostle saith, we have this treasure in earthen vessels; not golden or silver, but earthen vessels, 2 Cor. 4.7. are chose by Christ for the receiving and communicating of this heavenly treasure of the Gospel. Indeed, whether you look on things or persons, still they are mean and despicable, which Christ employeth in his service. As the Prophet from God appointed the water of jordan to be the means of curing Naaman's leprosy, so hath our Lord Christ instituted water and bread and wine, common ordinary creatures, to be the pledges of his love, and conduit-pipes of his grace to the Church; and as common things, so ordinary persons are thought fittest by him to be employed in his work; indigent ignorant fishermen must be the publishers of his Gospel to the world. It is that which lets us see the freeness, the strangeness, and the wisdom of divine dispensations. 1. The freeness, in that as the Apostle speaketh, there is no respect of persons with God, Rom. 2.11. it is not external qualifications that Christ looketh at, the poor as well as the rich, the simple as soon as the wise, the base as easily as the noble are accepted of him; nay many times he passeth by these, and chooseth those. 2. The strangeness, in that it is so contrary to the dictates of carnal reason, who would not have thought it the most probable way of spreading the Gospel, if Christ had employed the Scribes that were learned in the Law, and the Rulers of the people to have been the publishers of it; Is. 55.8. but God's ways are not as our ways, neither are his thoughts as ours; he loves to tread in uncouth paths, and for the most part such as are cross to our reason. 3. The wisdom, in that this serveth much to magnify his own name, look as the less aptitude there is in the matter, so the less energy, there is in the instrument; so much the greater doth the skill, power, and causality of the efficient appear, the less there is of men in any work, the more of God is seen. To do so great a work as the publishing and promoting of Christian Religion, by such weak instruments as the Apostles were, cannot but highly advance the honour of Christ, since as S. Paul speaketh, hereby the excellency of the power is manifested to be of God and not of man. 2 Cor. 4.8. 2. And thus I have given you a view of the porch, be pleased now to go into the house, and therein to take a survey of the 1. Foundation, as it is laid down in those words, God is light, and in him is no darkness at all; if we consider these words in their utmost latitude, they are both a position and a probation, but this latter I shall defer to the following words. For the more full handling of this clause as a position, be pleased to observe something, both more general and more special. 1. In general, the words are a metaphorical description of God: For beloved, when the Apostle saith, God is light, we must not think that the nature of God is the same with that of light; indeed as St. Austin well observeth, the Sun is light, and the Moon is light, and the other Stars are light, but far be it from us to imagine that the Creator's essence is the same with the Creatures, Aug in ep. but something far more choice and excellent; only by light as a similitude the Apostle would represent something of God to us; and thus it is not unworthy our consideration. That 1. The metaphor which St. john maketh choice of, is drawn from a thing very obvious and familiar to us: Indeed, as one saith well, light is that than which nothing is more unknown, and yet nothing more known, being that which is visible to every eye; and in this respect, the fitter to illustrate God by, that by what we do know, Nihil luce notius simul & ignotius. Lor. in loc. we may be instructed concerning him, whom we do not know. It is a fit pattern for all Ministers to follow, whose work is not to make plain things hard (as too many do) but to make hard things plain; and therefore to draw their similitudes from common and manifest things, such as may not cast a vail over, but give a lustre to the truth they deliver. Indeed, the end of these similitudes, is chiefly to help the mind in conceiving, and the memory, in retainning what is by them represented; now familiar comparisons are both more quickly understood, and easily remembered, and therefore ought espeoially to be used. 2. The Apostle endeavouring to instruct us concerning the Creator, borroweth a resemblance from the Creature. Indeed, as the Apostle Paul speaketh, there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, something to be known of God by the Creatures, the earth, and every pile of grass that groweth out of it, Rom. 1.20. but much more the heavens, and the beams of light that flow from it, declare the glory of God. God hath vouchsafed somewhat of his excellencies to the Creatures, Ps. 19.1. and therefore in them we may, nay, aught to read something of God, and that not only in respect of his being, but attributes. Oh let us study this divine Art, learn this spiritual Alchemy, to extract heaven out of earth, God out of the Creature; that as we behold the works of his hand, so we may in and by them, see the excellency of the worker. It is a known maxim in Philosophy, Omnis cognitio fit per sensum, All natural knowledge entereth into the mind by the sense; and it is thus far true in Divinity, that spiritual knowledge may be helped by the sense: happy is that man, who maketh the things which he seeth, as so many stairs, by which his contemplation goeth up to God, whom he doth not see. 2. In particular, this metaphorical description of God is set forth both affirmatively, God is light; and negatively, in him is no darkness at all; and both may be construed two ways, to wit, as spoken of God, considered either, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, in himself, or in his influences. 1. In himself. And that 1. Affirmatively, God is light. And thus, 1. This metaphor of light (though but darkly) shadoweth forth the Trinity, the Father being as the body of light, the Son as the beams, the Holy Ghost, as the Splendour of both. Dyonis de divin. nomin. c. 2. Damasc. de fid. l. 1. c. 4. Dyonisius illustrateth it by the similitude of three candles, enlightening one and the same room: Damascen of the pareliis, when there appear as it were three, and yet it is but one sun; some have observed a resemblance of it in the Hebr●w, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the Latin, Lux, which signify light, all of which are monosyllables, consisting of three letters; and in the Hebrew word they observe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be the beginning of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth the Father, and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be the beginning of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, which signifieth the spirit, and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being the middle letter, may aptly represent the Son, which is the middle person, especially being near of kin to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the first letter of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, which signifieth the Son; but as I would not altogether contemn, so neither do I much delight in such kind of observations; and besides, it is no doubt alien from the Apostles scope, to intend by this metaphor, a resemblance of the Trinity. 2. That therefore which is to be considered, is, in what respects this metaphor of light doth resemble the nature and attributes of God. And there are several Attributes of God, which are aptly delineated in the various properties of light. 1. The light, of all bodies, is the most immaterial and incompounded, whereby the simplicity and spirituality of God's nature may be insinuated, which is void not only of all matter, but of all composition. 2. The light is the first of all the Creatures, which we find mentioned in the beginning of Genesis; the first thing that God said on the first day of the Creation was, Let there be light, Gen. 1.3. and this shadoweth forth the eternity of Gods being, who is both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the first and the last, before all other things whatsoever. 3. The light shines in all parts of the world, East, West, North, South, every way scattering its rays: and what is this but an emblem of the ubiquity of God's presence, who is in all places, filling heaven and earth? 4. The light is a Creature of a resplendent beauty and lustre, by reason of which, it is apt to dazzle the eyes of the beholder, and this sets forth God's transcendent majesty and glory, in which respect, Psa. 104.2. 1 Tim. 6.13. he is said to cover himself with light as with a garment, and to dwell in the light, which no man can approach unto. 5. The light is of that nature, that it cannot but impart itself for the good of others, shining upon the just and unjust; and this characterizeth the diffusive goodness of God, whereby it is that as he is good, so he doth good, and that to all. But there are more particularly two attributes, which light doth clearly discover, and which may agree to the scope of the Apostle, especially the latter. 1. The light is of a discovering nature, so that nothing can be hid from the heat thereof, it pryeth into every corner, Ps, 19.16. it peepeth in at every crevice, so that all things are made manifest by it; in which respect, it mindeth us of God's Omniscience, whereby it is, that all things are naked and open to him, even things that are most secret. To thee, Heb. 4.12. saith David, the darkness and the light are all one, Ps. 139.11. because God seeth in the dark, as plainly as in the light, by his own light he revealeth the deep and secret things; he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him saith Daniel, finally, I try the reins saith God of himself, Dan. 2.22. jer. 17.10. our minds being as apparent to him as the entrails of a beast are to us, when the body is ripped up. It is a truth well worthy our meditation, that we may be hereby admonished to take heed to our ways; indeed, in this respect, that which is appropriated to good men, is true of all men, they walk in the light, to wit, of God's omniscience; and oh then, how careful should we be of our walk? Alas, how vainly do hypocrites please themselves in the secrecy of their actions, and perhaps persuade themselves, that God himself taketh no notice of their doings; whereas his eyes are upon the ways of man, Job 34.21, 22. and he seeth all his goings, there is no darkness nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves, saith Elihu concerning God, Indeed, as St. Ambrose excellently, If thou canst not hide thyself from the Sun, which is God's Minister of light, Ambros. offic. l. 1. c. 14. how impossible will it be to hide thyself from him, whose eyes are ten thousand times brighter than the Sun. 2. But to draw near the Apostles scope, light is a pure defaecate body, a bright spotless splendour; though it shine upon filthy dunghills, it contracts no pollution, but still retaineth its pure lustre. And by this aptly is represented the holiness and purity of God. Mal. 4.2. That expression of the Prophet Malachy concerning Christ, giveth much light to this truth, when he calleth him A Sun of righteousness; since what the Sun is in sensibles, that is, God among inteligibles; Vide Gr. Naz. orat. 40. and what light is in the Sun, that is righteousness and holiness is in God; this is that attribute by which God is often called in Scripture, the holy God, and the holy One; yea, Is. 63.3.43 15. the Angels double, nay treble it, Holy, holy, holy; it is an attribute so essential to God, that every thing so far as it hath relation to God, is said to be holy, his name holy, his word holy, his works holy, his day an holy day, his temple an holy place, his Ministers holy persons, and all because he is a pure and holy God. 2. For the better illustrating of this perfect purity and sanctity of God; it is that our Apostle goeth on, and to his affirmative addeth a negative, in him is no darkness at all. Zanchy hath observed concerning this clause, that it may be referred both to the predicate, Vide Zanc. in loc. and the subject of the former proposition, and so may be rendered in it, or in him. In it, to wit, the light, there is no darkness, and so it is as much as if said, God is a most bright l●ght; for look as the darkness which hath no light at all, is a thick Egyptian Cymmerian darkness, so that l●ght which hath no darkness, must needs be a most a clear splendid l●ght; but I rather refer it with our Translators to the subject God (though the difference is not material) in him is no darkness at all. Before I proceed, a stumbling block would be removed, that seeming contradiction of the Psalmist, to this of St. john, where he saith concerning God, he made darkness his secret place; but it is easily reconciled, since that darkness only noteth the inscrutable and incomprehensible majesty of God; Ps. 18.11. Vide Oecumen. in loc Lorin. in Ps. and it is to be understood of him in reference to us, not himself. In respect of us, because we cannot comprehend him, darkness is his secret place, but in regard of himself, the purity of his own nature, he is light and not darkness, as the Sun, though it be sometimes hid from us by dark clouds, remaineth still in itself most light some. And now if you would know the intent of this negative, Is. 38.1. Ps. 40.10.11. Vid. Bez. Marlor. Lorin. in loc. it is but the more strongly to affirm the contrary; this is an usual way of expression in the Hebrew, as Beza observeth from that speech of Isaiah to Hezekiah, Thou shalt die, thou shalt not live; and of David concerning himself, I have preached, and have not refrained, I have not hid, I have declared, and it is a form of speaking very usual with St. john, as you may find in the very next verse, and several other places of the Epistle, which it shall suffice (because it here first appeareth) once for all to take notice of. This appearing to be the scope, the meaning is no more but this, God is light, and in him is no darkness, that is, God is so pure, that not the least, the smallest spot can cleave to him; so holy, that not any sin at all can be found in him; as there is no defect in his knowledge, so there is no default in his nature, and to this tend those expressions of Moses, Deut. 32.4. Ps. 92.15.5.4. Nec ignorantia nec nequitia in Deo. Dydim. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Europe. Vide Carthus. in loc. He is a God of truth, and without iniquity, just and right is he; and of David, he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him; and again, Thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness, neither shall evil dwell with thee. Indeed the Gods of the Heathen were such as had been impure filthy men; and therefore, as one of themselves argueth, no Gods: but the true God cannot be charged with any iniquity; nay, as Carthusian enlargeth it, because it may be said of the Angels that stand, and the Saints that are glorified, they have no darkness of sin at all in them: in God there is not so much as a defectibility, or mutability, which yet is in the Creatures, if considered in themselves, because of their dependency, though the reducing of it into act is impossible, in regard of their plenary confirmation in the state of bliss: God then, as Aquinas excellently, is a pure, a most pure act, without the least potentiality: Aquin. in. 1 Tim. 6.17. and so this in the highest sense, agreeth to him, and to him only, he is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 2. These words are true of God; not only formally, but causally; in himself, but in regard of his influence, and that in both the clauses. 1. God is light, that is, according to St. james expression, The Father of lights: so that whatever light there is in any Creature, it is but a ray, a beam of his excellency. That distinction of a threefold kind of light is very considerable to this purpose, there is lux light. jam. 1.17. Illuminata & non illuminans, enlightened and not enlightening, to wit, the air. Illuminata & illuminans, enlightened, and enlightening, such is the moon. Illuminans & non illuminata, enlightening, but not enlightened, and this is the Sun. It is that which may fitly be applied here, all Christians are lights as the air, Ministers are lights as the moon, but only God is light as the Sun, to wit, receiving no light from any other, and communicating to others what light they have; and this exposition Zanchy conceiveth most suitable to the Apostles meaning in this place, making the parallel to run thus. Look as the l●ght where it ariseth, and displayeth its beams, Vide Zanch▪ in loc. expels darkness, with all the effects of it, and maketh all to be clear and lightsome, so doth God to all them who have fellowship with him, impart the light of his grace, so that they can no longer walk in the darkness of sin; and though I conceive that the Apostles aim, is chiefly to describe the purity of God's nature in himself, and thereby the repugnancy of walking in darkness, and consonancy of walking in the light, to him (both because this carrieth in it a full sense, correspondent to the Apostles intention, and also because the phrases of no darkness in him, and afterwards his being in the light, do intimate that these words are to be understood rather subjectiuè, then effectiuè; of what God is in himself, than what he doth to us) yet withal I cannot but acknowledge this construction, to be both pious and ingenuous. 2. And accordingly the sense of the other clause in him is no darkness at all, amounts to this that he is not, cannot be the cause of any darkness. It is true, God is said in Scripture to create darkness as well as to form light, but that is the darkness of calamity, not of iniquity; Is. 45.7. it is true, God hath an hand even in the darkness of sin, so far as to limit it, how far it shall spread, and no farther; as to permit, that it shall be, & suffer men to walk in it, as judicially to withhold the light of his grace from them who love darkness rather than light, whereby they plunge themselves into greater darkness. Finally, so as to bring light out of the darkness, good out of evil, and make all the darkness of sin tend accidentally to illustrate the glory of his own wisdom, justice, and mercy, but still far be it from him to be any way an impelling cause of any wickedness. Indeed these two do one necessarily flow from the other, There is no darkness in, therefore none can be from him; nil dat quod non habet, is a known rule in Philosophy; no cause can communicate to another what it hath not in itself: Deus non est author eorum quorum est u●tor Fulg. l. 3. ad Monim. c. 3. Vide Damasc. de orthod. fide l. 4. c. 20. surely then, God having no darkness in himself, cannot be any cause of it in us. Besides, he is an hater, an avenger of darkness, and it cannot consist with his justice to be a punisher of it, were he himself the Author. In a word, It is impossible that the same cause should directly produce contrary effects: can the same fountain send forth sweet and bitter, fresh and salted water; no more can God who is light, and the natural cause of light be the author of darkness. To draw to an end in a word of application. 1. Our Apostle here implicitly teacheth us by what means we may come to know something of God; Aquin▪ part. 1. q. 13. art. 1. indeed those three ways which the Schools mention of knowing God, per viam causalitatis, eminentiae & remotionis, by way of efficiency, eminency, and remotion, are all to be found in this Scripture. We know God by way of causality, when we assert him the prime, supreme, universal cause of all good whatsoever; we know him by way of eminency, when we attribute to God whatsoever perfection or worth there is in any or all the creatures, and that as being in him after a more eminent manner. Finally, we know God by way of remotion, when we deny of him whatever imperfection and defect is observable in the creature. A taste of all these our Apostle here giveth us, since if we understand the words both formally and causally, he proclaimeth him the cause of that light and beauty, and excellency that is in us; he attributeth to him that which is the most noble among inanimate creatures, light; and he removeth from him darkness, which is a defect and deformity. 2. Learn we with this holy Apostle to have high and holy thoughts of God, as most pure and free from all pollution. Indeed there have not wanted such Sons of Belial who have charged God with sin; as the Luciferians who blame God for dooming Lucifer to eternal darkness; the Talmud which blasphemously forgeth the new moons, as appointed for an expiation of a fault in the deity, of taking away the light from the moon, and giving it to the Sun; and too many there have been who charge their own sins upon God; as Plautus brings in a deboyst wretch pleading for himself, dii voluerint, and St. Augustine speaketh of some Jews who would say, when they had done any crime, Deus voluit. Oh let all such opinions be to us, Aug. ad art. fals. imposit. resp. 10.13, 14. as they were to that Father, detestable and abominable; and as St. Basil adviseth, though God's counsels may many times seem strange to our reason, yet let that axiom be firmly rooted in our minds, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Bas. orat. Deus non est autor mali. that no evil can come from the good God, no darkness from him who is light. Indeed there are two attributes of God wherein he especially delights, his mercy and his holiness. Oh let us take heed how we diminish the one, or deface the other, when we speak of God after the manner of men, as we represent his power by the arm, his mercy by the bowels, his justice by the hand, so his holiness by the face. Oh how great an injury must he needs account it, if we shall throw dirt in his face? and therefore remember the caution of S. james, let no man say when he is tempted, that he is tempted of God, Jam. 1.13. for God tempteth no man, neither can he be tempted. 3. Lastly, let us learn of whom to seek whatsoever light we stand in need of: Every good and every perfect gift (saith the forementioned Apostle) cometh down from above; we must shine in his beam, Chap. 1.17. be kindled at his flame, and be lighted by his torch. Like the moon we are dark bodies, till the glory of the Lord arise upon us; if we lack any light of wisdom, of grace, of comfort; we must ask it of, and only expect it from God. And therefore in a sense of our own darkness, let us sue to him, for that spiritual illumination, which may guide and conduct us, through the wilderness of this world, till we come to the heaven of heavens, where God in an especial manner, is the light of it, and in his light we shall see light; even the light of his face in glory for ever. THE FIRST EPISTLE OF St. JOHN. SERM. 10. CHAP. I. Ver. 6. If we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. IT is an undoubted truth, that all parcels of holy Writ, are alike in respect of their divine authority, and un-erring verity. But it is as true, that there is some difference between them in respect of clear perspicuity and beneficial utility, some parts of Scripture, being as more plain, so more useful than others. Such no doubt are those upon which the Holy Ghost, hath as it were set a mark, and to which he hath affixed an asterisme. Thus when we meet with a Selah in the close, or a verily, verily, in the beginning of any sentence, and yet when we find any dignifying clause placed in the front or rear of any discourse, it is no doubt the spirits intention to put us hereby on a more serious consideration on such Scriptures, as containing somewhat in them of more than ordinary importance. No doctrine more fundamentally necessary to be believed, than tha● of salvation by Christ incarnate; and therefore St. Paul doth not barely assert it, 1 Tim. 1.15. but prefixeth an encomium before it, This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation: no lesson more needful to be learned by a believer then that of maintaining good works, and therefore the same Apostle calling upon believers to learn it, annexeth a Preface, This is a faithful saying, Tit. 3.8. and these things I will, that thou affirm constantly. And surely upon this very account we have a great deal of reason to look upon this present Text, as nearly concerning us, since we find the doctrines of it ushered in with an Exordium, This is the message which we have heard of him, and declare to you, etc. 3. Having already led you through the porch, and given you a view of the foundation, I hope I shall not need to go back and take a review; pass we therefore into the rooms of this fabric, which are a Reproof and a Promise, the one in the sixth, the other in the seventh verse, that is; as it were on the left hand inhabited by those whom Christ will one day place on his left hand, to wit, presumptuous hypocrites, and the other on the right, inhabited by those who shall be set on Christ's right hand, namely sincere and holy Christians. 1. The Reproof is that I am now to begin with, concerning which (before I fall upon particulars) it will not be amiss to observe in general, that it is at once both sharp and mild, discovering those two graces to be sweetly conjoined in this Apostle (which it is pity they should in any be severed) zeal & discretion, the one making him faithful, and the other gentle in framing his reprehension. 1. On the one hand it is very considerable, what plainness of speech St. john useth in this reproof; he is not meal mouthed, but sharp tongued, in home and down right language he telleth these sinners their own. It might have sufficed the Apostle to say, They who walk in darkness, can have no fellowship with God; but see, he useth more harsh terms, giving them the lie, who say they have fellowship with God, and walk in darkness: we s●y in our English proverb, a lie deserveth the stab; it is accounted by all Nations an high offence, to tell a man he lieth: but the zeal of this holy man maketh him bold and sharp in his expressions. How well doth fervent vehemency become a Minister in all his addresses to the people, but especially when he reproveth? Some in dealing with sinners, and rebuking their sins, are like men that handle thorns, as if they durst not touch them; they are loath to rub too much upon their Auditors sores, and dare not pierce them to the quick: but surely as a cold and heartless Petitioner, beggeth a denial; so a cold and heartless reprover, doth but harden and hearten the sinner in his evil ways. Qui timidè rogat, docet negare. T●tt 1.13. St. Paul bids Titus, not only to reprove, but to do it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sharply; so our Translators, cuttingly, so the force of the original: like good Chirurgeons, that lance and search the sore to the bottom: indeed, a pitiful cruelty, is far better than a cruel pity, yea, and there is found health in those smart wounds. And indeed, if we consider with whom our Apostle had to do, we shall find it was not without just reason, that he is so bitter against them. It is the counsel of St. jude concerning offenders, of some have compassion, jud. v. 22, 23. making a difference, but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; we must put a difference in the persons whom we reprove, and accordingly, put a difference in our reproofs; those who offend through infirmity, and declare themselves penitent, are to be rebuked with lenity, lest they be swallowed up of grief and despair; but others we must save with fear, that is, by terrifying them with threats, and with a loving violence, plucking them out of the fire of those destructive courses. Such are all obstinate trangressors, who offending heinously, are to be checked severely, to whom (when they spurn at our rebukes) we return St. Augustine's answer, Emenda●e vitia, & ego emendabo verba. Aug. When you amend your lives, we shall mend our language. More especially of this kind, are presumptuous hypocrites, a sort of men with whom our Apostle had here to do, and which of all others, deserve to be roughly handled, and that upon a double ground; the heinousness of their sin, and the highness of their self conceit. 1. Hypocrites are the worst of sinners; we may wrong a wicked man, in calliing him an hypocrite, but we cannot injure an hypocrite, in calling him a wicked man: what the moralist saith of the ungrateful, is as true of the hypocritical person, Ingratum si dixeris, omnia, dixeris. he is a very sink of all filth. Hypocrites are not only the children of the Devil, but as it were, his first born; Malus ubi bonum se simulat, tunc est pessimus, a bad man is then really worst, when he is seemingly best. No wonder if such sinners find what they so well deserve, tart and severe rebukes from the mouths of God's messengers. 2. Besides, hypocrites, though the worst of men, have the best conceits of themselves, and it is no easy matter to take them off; Prov. 30.12. Rev. 3.17. they are pure in their own eyes, though they be not washed from their filthiness, and being miserably poor, account themselves rich, and increased with goods; they lull themselves asleep, sing a requiem to their souls, soothing up themselves with an omnia benè, so that there is need of loud cries to awaken them. Indeed, penitent sinners are sharp to themselves, and therefore God's Ministers must use lenitives to them; but arrogant hypocrites are indulgent to themselves, and therefore they must apply corrasives to them; no man needs a more severe reprover, than the self flatterer. It is then a fit Item for all Ministers, when they have to do with hypocrites, to rebuke them sharply. True indeed, though none more need reproof, yet none are more unwilling to hear and bear it, than they. This sort of men, commonly have briars hanging at their ears, to scratch those who deal roughly with them: condemn the feigned shows, seeming professions of hypocrites, and they will presently decry you as a scoffer at Religion, Railer against the godly party, and an enemy to the Saints▪ But we must not neglect our duty, what misconstruction soever they are pleased to put upon it; we have the pattern of Christ himself, who speaking to the Scr●bes and Pharisees, hypocrites, useth upbraiding language; whilst he compareth them to wolves in sheep's clothing, to whited sepulchers, yea, to serpents and vipers, denounceth severe woes against them, Mat. 23.27.33. and in his Epistle to Philodelphia, mentioning those who were dissembling jews, Rev. 3.9. he accounts them worthy of no better names than liars, and the Synagogue of Satan. This was the practice of his forerunner, john the Baptist, who observing the hypocritical Pharisees to come to his Baptism, resembleth them to the most venomous creatures, and calleth them a generation of vipers: finally, this is the example which this other john, Mat. 3.7. his beloved disciple here sets us, giving hypocrites (and that no less justly than sharply) the lie. 2. On the other hand, it is no less observable, that St. john in directing his reproof, useth not the second, but the first person, saying, not if you, but if we; by which his intent (no doubt) is to demonstrate the impartiality of his spirit, that if He, or any other of the Apostles, could or should be guilty of this fault, Vide Oecumen. in loc. he would be no less severe to himself and them, than he was to these hypocrites; by this means he plainly lets them see that these words were not written in passion, much less out of any hatred to their persons, but only to their practice; since he is no more violent against them, than he would be against himself upon the same, occasion: hereby the edg● of his reproof was much taken off, which otherwise might have been too sharp, and the potion sweetened, which else might have proved too bi●ter. It is a singular skill, and prudence in a reprover, so to qualify his severest censures, as they may appear to be free from either wrath or malice. Indeed, froward, and much more malicious reproofs, do not corrigere, but corrodere, instead of healing, fret the sore, like too much wind, instead of increasing, put out the flame of devotion. To take off all such suspicions, and to render reproof the more acceptable, it is that the messengers of God have found out several ways of mitigating their reproofs: for this end it was, that Moses composed his tart reprehension of Israel's ingratitude, Deut. 32. 2 Sam. 12. 1 Cor. 4.6. in the form of a Song, that Nathan coming to David upon an harsh errand, begins it with a parable. Finally, that St, Paul rebuking the faction of the Corinthians, transfers it in a figure to himself; and accordingly here St▪ john useth the first person, if we say, etc. Having thus taken a survey of this room at large, come we now to the several partitions contained in it. And there are three things which our Apostle discovereth in this reprehension concerning these hypocrites. The impiety of their practice, they walk in darkness. The eminency of their profession, they say they have fellowship with God. The incongruity of their profession to their practice, they ly●, and their practice to their profession, they do not the truth. These are the three paths, through which, my discourse, and your attention must walk, beseeching God for the light of his holy spirit, that I may speak, you may hear, all of us may do the truth, and so none of us come under the censure of the text, for walking in darkness, and not doing the truth. 1. The impiety of their practice, is that which is described by that metaphorical phrase, Gen. first. of walking in darkness: for the right understanding whereof, we shall take a short view of both the metaphors, to wit, darkness and walking, there being in both an emphatical significancy. 1. For the better illustrating of this term darkness, be pleased to take notice, that there is a fourfold darkness, namely, naturae ignorantiae, miseriae, nequitiae of nature, of ignorance, of misery, and of iniquity. 1. Darkness of nature (properly and literally so called) is the absence of light; when the Sun taketh its leave of our horizon, and all things are envellopped in the sable mantle of the night, than we justly say it is dark: of this darkness Moses speaketh, when he sayeth, God made two great lights, Gen. 1.18. job 3.4. to divide the light from the darkness, and this was the curse job wished, upon the day wherein he was born, that it might be darkness. 2. Darkness when used in a borrowed sense, serveth to represent in Scripture a state, 1. Of ignorance in divine matters, when the mind is destitute of spiritual knowledge, unacquainted with the mysteries of salvation. What is it, but as it were, wrapped up in darkness? in this darkness, the Gentiles, before the coming of Christ, are said to sit, Luc. 1.77. Eph. 5.8. and in this respect, the Ephesians are said to be sometimes darkness, to wit, in their unregeneracy. 2. Of misery, and that of all sorts, temporal, spiritual and eternal▪ When the Psalmist speaketh of some who sit in darkness, he presently explaineth himself of those who are bound in affliction; Ps. 107.10. job 10.22. and more especially, when job speaketh of a land of darkness, he manifestly intendeth the grave and its forerunner, death, the last, but not the least, nay, the greatest of all temporal evils. When the prophet Isaiah mentioneth, One that feareth the Lord and obeyeth his voice walking in darkness and seeing no light no doubt he is principally to be understood of the darkness of spiritual desertion, Is. 50.10. when God withholdeth the light of his countenance from the soul. Finally, when we frequently read in the New Testament of utter darkness, Mat. 22.13. 2 P●t. 2.17. jude 13. the mist of darkness, blackness of darkness, what else do those phrases mean, but the damneds everlasting misery, in being wholly deprived of the beatifical vision. 3. Of iniquity, in this respect it is, that the power of sin ruling in men's hearts, Col. 1.12. Eph. 5.11. Rom. 13.12, 13. is called the power of darkness, and the works of sin which they act in their lives, are called the works of darkness, especially, flagitious enormities, such as rioting and drunkenness, chambering and wantonness, strife and envying, which are enumerated by the Apostle, as the works of darkness. If you ask in which of these acceptions it is here to be construed, some Interpreters answer in two of them, In tenebris ambulare est versari in ignorantiâ & peccato Lor. in loc. Vide Oecumen. ibid. namely, for ignorance and iniquity, but doubtless more suitably, the latter is to be understood, namely, sin and wickedness; and chiefly, gross notorious sins, because the Apostle speaketh of the conversation; the darkness of ignorance, is that in which men are said to sit; but that in which they walk, is most congruously construed to be the darkness of sin. And indeed so truly, nay fully, doth this term of darkness agree to sin, that it taketh in all the other acceptions under some notion or other, each of which, may serve as a several reason, why this appellation of darkness is given to it. 1. Sin hath relation to the darkness of nature, as a concomitant, which it most delights in; 1 Thes. 5.5. Prov. 7.9. job 24.13, 14, 15, 16, 17 most sins are such as fly the light, and love to be covered over with night's canopy, St. Paul saith of drunkards, that they are drunk in the night, and Solomon of the young man, that he goeth to the harlot's house in the evening, in the black and dark night, and job of the adulterer, the thief, the murderer, that they rebel against the light, and the morning is to them, even as the shadow of death. To this purpose it is, Cl. Al. storm. l. 3. Nox & amor vinumque nihil moderabile suadent. Ovid. that Clemens Alexandrinus observeth of the Carpocratians, that they appointed their meetings in the night. Indeed, the night being a cover to wickedness, maketh men secure and shameless in committing it; no marvel if they make choice of that time, and there works are therefore deservedly called the works of darkness, because acted in the night. 2. Sin hath relation to the darkness of ignorance, both as an effect, and as a cause, in which respect, it is called by wickedness· 1. No sin is committed, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Dyonis. de celest. Hier. Prov. 14.22. Aristot▪ Eth. but the judgement is first infatuated; and therefore it is the wiseman's question, Do not they err, that devise mischief? and the Philosophers assertion, every offender erreth; there is upon the heart of every sinner, atra nubes caeca nox (to use the Poet's expression) a black cloud, a dark night, which causeth him to wander, and the blindness of our mind, is that which misguideth our feet, in which respect, sin is an effect. 2. The commission of sin, as it hardeneth the heart, so it blindeth the mind; what mists, and fogs, and clouds are to the air, that are corrupt affections, and flagitious actions to the soul, darkening, and obscuring whatever light of knowledge shineth in it; in this notion we may very well understand that of the wise man, P●ov. 4▪ ●9. when he saith, the way of the wicked is as darkness, the darkness of ignorance increasing upon men, as they go on in sinful ways; and in this respect, sin is as a cause, and because sins are caused by, and withal, are the causes of darkness and ignorance in the mind, very fitly is this brand of darkness set upon it. 3. Sin hath reference to the darkness of misery as a cause, and that in its full latitude; Wherefore doth the l●ving man complain (saith the Church, Lam 3.40. in respect of temporal afflictions) man suffereth for the punishment of his sin, all the miseries of life; yea, death itself being the bitter fruits of sin, for so the Apostle saith expressly, death entered into the world by sin. It is the interposition of sin between God and us, Rome 5.12. that eclipseth his loving kindness towards us; so saith the Prophet Isay, Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you: Isa. 59.2. Noli cadere in peccatum & non tibi occidet hic sol si tu feceris casum tibi faciet occasum. Aug tract. 2. in joh. Mat. 25.30. finally, it is wickedness that brings eternal wretchedness, that being the doom denounced by our blessed Saviour, against the wicked servant, Cast him into utter darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, so that in this respect, is sin most justly called darkness, because it brings so great a darkness of sorrow and calamity upon the sinner. And thus I have given a dispatch to the first of these metaphors. 2. The other of walking is no less considerable, a word that is very frequently used in Scripture, and that to signify in general a course of life. Ambulandi verbum latè patet & accipitur pro vitae ratione. Lor. in loc. Indeed, what is our life but a walk, and all the actions of our life, as so many steps? and as walking in a way, leadeth to some place or other, so doth the course of every man's life tend to some end, either of felicity or misery. To this purpose is that metaphor of sowing, which we so often meet with in holy writ, because sowing bringeth forth some harvest or other, according to the seed that is sown. And I would to God that all men might hence learn so to look upon themselves as sowers, as travellers; & therefore to make choice of their seed, and take heed to their ways; more particularly this word is used, both in respect of a good and an evil course of life▪ and an instance of both, we have in this and the next verse; there it is applied to a godly, and here to a wicked conversation. That than which we are now to inquire into is, what this phrase of walking imports, concerning a state of sinful living, the answer to which, will appear by taking notice of three properties in the motion of walking, as being motus voluntarius, continuus & progressivus, a voluntary, constant, and a progressive motion. 1. Walking is a voluntary motion; it is one thing to be drawn, and another thing to go; the one is an act of violence, the other of voluntariness: walking is a free willing act, so willing, that it is an act of choice, and is never done, Ambulandi verbum indicat de flendam delectationem. id. ibid. but upon a preceding deliberate resolution; nor is it only voluntary, but delightful; running is painful, but walking a pleasant motion, and it is a great deal of content and pleasure men take in walking. All this representeth the temper of wicked men, who not only act sin, but affect it; a good man may be sometimes drawn into sin, but bad men walk in it; yea as Solomon's expression is, They leave the path of uprightness; to walk in the way of darkness. Hence it is, that (as it there followeth) they rejoice to do evil, Prov. 2.13, 14. and the ways of sin are pleasant to them; for this reason, no doubt it is, Prov. 4.17. job. 15. ●9. Eph. 5.14. that the acting of sin is compared to eating, and drinking, and sleeping, as well as to walking; nor doth the hungry man take more delight in eating, the thirsty in drinking, the weary in sleeping, than the wicked man doth in sinning. 2. Walking is a continued motion, an iteration of many steps one after another; this intimateth the most characterizing property of a wicked man: he is one who repeateth and multiplieth sinful actions; the cup of iniquity is never from his mouth, his imaginations are only evil, and that continually; the special bent of his heart, and the general current of his life is vile and wicked, I have spread out my hands all the day (saith Almighty God) unto a rebellious people, Is. 67.2. which walketh in a way that is not good, the length of God's patience argueth the continuance of their provocations, and to note this it is expressed by the phrase of walking. It is one thing for a man to fall, and another to lie, one thing to step, and another to walk in any way. The Moralist saith truly una actio non denominat any one evil action denominateth a man a sinner but not wicked; men, good men may sometimes step into an evil way, he only is to be adjudged bad, who frequently reneweth his sins and maketh it his constant practice to do iniquity. Ambulare i. e. de malo in pejus proficere Aquin. 3. Walking is a progressive motion wherein we set one foot before another and so are still going forward till we come to our journey's end. And this is a fit emblem of a wicked disposition, which still addeth sin to sin; and groweth from bad to worse. The Prophet Jeremy saith of the wicked they proceed from evil to evil and again they weary themselves to commit iniquity they walk so long till they are weary; Jer. 9.3.5. And when they are weary they will not give over walking. Ambula●e est ulterius tendere & peccato peccatis cumulare Serrar. 2 Tim. 3.13. Quis peccandi finem sibi posuit Horat. St. Paul saith concerning Heretics they wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived; indeed wicked men never come to their maximum quod sic, in sinful growths, sin like the sea never will set bounds to itself. This dark walk is a descent, wherein men go lower and lower, never staying of themselves, till they come to the bottom. And as in walking, a man is every step further of the term from which, and nearer to the term to which he moveth; So sinners every day, go further and further off from God, and draw nearer and nearer to the suburbs of Hell. By this time I doubt not but the meaning of this clause appeareth, and if we look upon those whom our Apostle may be probably supposed here principally to intend to wit the Gnostics we shall find this fully verified concerning them. They were a sort of people that did constantly wallow in notorious wickedness and counted it pleasure to live in all manner of impiety Epiphanius, writing of them saith it loathed him to delineate, Epiph. adu. har. i. 1. T. 3. what darkness of wickedness they lived in, and I tremble to mention what he there relateth, concerning their impure and flagitious practices, in which respect it was, that (as both he and St. Austin observe) they were among other names called Borboritae, Aug. de haeres. ad qu●d ult de●. the signification of that name being fully verified, in them who were a Generation of filthy unclean persons. And as this was in a very high degree to be charged upon them, So is it more or less, true of all wicked and ungodly persons; Wickedness is their way, darkness is their walk, in which they willingly give themselves up to a course of sin in some kind or other. To apply this, L●m▪ 3.40. what other use should w●e make of this part, then that which the Church exhorteth to let us search and try our wa●es: And oh that every one of us would deal impartialy with ourselves & pass a right censure upon our own condition, according to this description. It is a sad truth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉— no man will acknowledge himself wicked though he be so. We willingly accuse ourselves to be sinners, but we would excuse ourselves from being wicked. But alas what will it avail us, not to think ourselves so, if yet in truth we be so. Oh therefore let us bring ourselves to the test, and faithfully examine whither we do not walk in darkness. Set thyself oh sinner in the presence of God, and ask thy conscience this question. in● perhaps oh sinner thou dost not walk in chambering and wantoness, I but dost thou not walk in strife and envying. Is there not some deed of darkness, or other to which thou art addicted, with which thou art enamoured, and from which thou wilt not be diverted. And now if upon diligent enquiry thy conscience accuse thee, and thine own heart condemn thee, oh than be further (and that even from this very expression) convinced of thy deplorable and miserable estate, lugere (say Etymologists) is quasi luce egere; surely we have great reason to mourn over ourselves, because we walk in darkness. One of the plagues of Egypt was a thick darkness it is the plague of all wicked men, oh that they were sensible of it. And if you please a little further to trace the metaphor, you shall find this phrase of walking in darkness, to denote as well the calamity as the iniquity of transgressors. There are three no less sad than common attendants on walking in darkness casus, error, terror, falling, wand'ring, trembling, all which are in a spiritual sense sadly true of ungodly sinners. 1. Darkness is casus inductiva apt to cause stumbling and falling; these two are joined together by the psalmist in his curse let their way be dark and slippery, Psal. 35.10▪ in the dark men stumble at every ston●, fall into many a pit so that many have lost their limbs, nay lives by walking in darkness, thus do wicked men by walking in sin wound their consciences▪ hazard their souls, whilst their table becometh a snare; everything they enjoy a stumbling block, and they are continually ready to fall into the pit of perdition. 2. Darkness is erroris productiva apt to make men wander and lose their way; how many hath the night enclosed within some desolate wood, exposed to cold and rain upon some spacious heath, whilst missing the right path, they have not known whither to go, thus do wicked men walking in the dark, Psal. 14 2. Isay 53.6. miss their way to bliss, and wander up and down in folly, in this respect the Psalmist saith of them, they are all gone out of the way and the Prophet compareth them to stray sheep. 3. Darkness is timoris incussiva that which maketh men prone to fears and terrors, in the dark a man is in continual fear of some danger or other to befall him, because he cannot see his way, nay he is apt to fall into panic fears, whilst every bush is in his fancy a thief, and the least noise causeth a commotion in his breast. Thus is it with wicked men many times, they fear (according to the Psalmists expression) where no fear is, though withal the truth is, they have always real cause of fear, in respect of the danger that deservedly hangs over their heads. Indeed as men in the dark sometime not seeing, Fear not the peril which they are very near to; So wicked men being secure are fearless and not considering what they deserve fear not till they come to feel, but when once their sleepy conscience is awakened, oh what horrid fears, perplexing terrors, invade them whilst the cloud of vengeance is ready every moment to rain fire, hail, and brimstone upon them. To end all, what now remaineth but that this discourse of darkness serve as a light to discover to you where you are, what you do, and whither you are going; That so being enlightened to see your utter darkness, you may walk no further, but with incessant cries beseech him who is the Father of lights, that he would send his spirit to pluck you out of Sodom, and by his mighty working deliver you from the power of darkness, & translate you into the kingdom of his dear son: Amen. SERM. 11. THE FIRST EPISTLE OF St. JOHN. CHAP. I. Ver. 6. If we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. THat Preface which I find in the beginning of one of Salvians books, concerning God's Government of the world; I may here aptly make use of; I suppose, yea, I am confident, my discourse of this Scripture, will be unwelcome to many auditors, and that because it is a smart and sharp reprehension: Arbitror imo certus sum etc. Salu. de Gub. Dei l. 8· men naturally love to be tickled with applause, not scratched with reproof; we relish well the honey of commendation, but know not how to digest the wormwood of increpation. But beloved, the diet, which is not so toothsome, may be wholesome; that potion which is very bitter to the taste, may prove healthful to the body; and faithful rebukes, though they be not so pleasing, yet I am sure are profitable, especially when they are seasonable and suitable, such as this was to those in St. john's time; and I would to God it were not as truly agreeing to many, very many, in our days, who will be found one day among the number of those liars, If we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. Having already dispatched the impiety of those men's practice, in that they walk in darkness; that which followeth next in order is, the eminency of their profession, employed in that supposition, If we say we have fellowship with him, for in this supposition, there is a position couched, namely, That many who walk in darkness, say they have fellowship with God. For the better explication of which, in its fullest latitude, I shall briefly premise a double distinction, and then pursue a double proposition▪ The distinctions to be premised, are of 1. A double Having this fellowship, to wit, in spe, and in re, in a confident expectation, and in a real possession. 2. A double Saying we have it, namely, a saying within ourselves, and a saying to others, that is, inward in respect of our thought and opinion, this outward in respect most properly of our words, and not excluding gestures, and all other ways of external expression. The propositions to be prosecuted, are two, 1. Many say they, have fellowship with God in hope, who yet walk in darkness; they promise to themselves, the future vision of God's face, whilst they go on in the wilful breach of Gods Law. This is that which they say in their hearts, persuading themselves, that their condition shall be happy, though their conversation is wicked; of such an one it is Moses speaketh, who blesseth himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imaginations of my own heart. This is that they say with their lips, impudently laying as full claim to happiness, Deut. 29.19. as the uprightest and exactest Saint. If you inquire whence this comes to pass, I answer, from the false reasonings which are in the minds of men, concerning. The freeness of God's grace in electing. The fullness of his mercy in forgiving. The worthiness of Christ's blood in redeeming. 1. When presumptuous sinners hear that God's election is without respect to any worthiness or qualifications in us, they presently fancy to themselves, that their names may be written in the book of life, as well as any other; yea, they fond imagine, that being elected, they shall have fellowship with God, let them live as they list; and hence they are emboldened to presume and boast of a future well-being, not considering that God's election, though it be not conditional, yet is ordinate, to wit, to the end by the means, to happiness by holiness. 2. When wicked men look upon the extent of God's mercy, whereby it is, that he desireth not the death of a sinner, that he is a God pardoning iniquity, transgression and sin, not only few, but many, small, but great, all sorts of sin: they promise to themselves a facility of obtaining forgiveness, whilst yet they indulge to their sins, not considering that God is just, as well as merciful, righteous, as well as gracious, and he is ready to pardon the penitent, so he will by no means clear the guilty. Finally, when secure sinners hear of the infinite merit of Christ's blood, how satisfactory it is for the sins of the whole world, and therefore much more of a particular person, they are willing to persuade themselves of an interest in that blood, and thereby of reconciliation and fellowship with God, not considering what our Apostle saith, in the very next verse, the blood of jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin but it is only those who walk in the light. Thus is the sweetest honey turned into gall by bad stomaches, the most wholesome antidotes become poison to wicked men, and the precious supports of a lively faith, are abused to be props of presumption, by arrogant hypocrites, by reason whereof, it is that they are so impudent as to say, they hope to have fellowship with God, though they walk in darkness. 2. Many who walk in darkness, say they have actually this Divine fellowship, and are in a state of grace. As for the grossest sort of hypocrites, who make pretences of religion and holiness, a cover of their wickedness; they cannot say it in their hearts, because their consciences must needs tell them, they are wicked and odious in God sight: but they say it to the world, that they may walk in the dark, and accomplish their wicked designs the more secretly, speedily and effectually. But as for others, they say it both in opinion and profession, they think, and accordingly boast themselves, to have communion with God, though they walk in the darkness, both of sin and error. Instances of this nature, there want not many in all times of the Church. The Prophet Isay speaketh of the Israelites in his time, that they did swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness. They call themselves of the holy City, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel. And again, God himself, concerning the people saith, Is. 48.1, 2. that notwithstanding, their transgressions and sins, in which they lived, they would seek him daily, as a nation that did righteousness, yea, Is. 58.1, 2. that they took delight in approaching to God: and what was this, but to say they had fellowship with him, of this sort, were the Pharisees in john the Baptists time, Mat 3.7.9. though they were a Generation of vipers, yet they would say within themselves, they had Abraham to their Father, and so in effect, that God was their God; such were those in Phylodelphia, Rerel 3.9. of the Synagogue of Satan, and yet they said, they were Jews, the people in covenant with God. Against this generation of men it is, that St. Paul declaimeth, where he saith, they have a form of godliness, by which they say, we have fellowship with God, and yet deny the power of it, to wit, by walking in darkness; and again, they profess they know God, 2 Tim. 3.5. Tit. 1 16. and so have communion with him, whilst in their works they deny him, by walking in darkness. Indeed, so far hath the presumption of some carried them, that (though they were impure heretics, and at once, both in respect of doctrine and manners, walked in darkness yet) they have said, not only that they had fellowship with God, but that they were the only people that had fellowship with him. This did the Gnostics (a people, as you have already heard, that lived in all manner of impurity) pretend, that they only were the people, who had the knowledge of God, and his Son jesus Christ, which is eternal life, and therefore gave themselves that title. Such was Novatian with his followers, whom St. Cyprian compareth to an Ape, dissembling itself to be a man, because being an enemy against, Cypr. ep 73. he assumed to himself the authority and verity of the Catholic Church. Not to expatiate in this large field, at this day on the one hand, the Papists appropriate to themselves the title of Catholics, assert theirs the only true Church, wherein alone fellowship with God is to be had, and out of which, there is no salvation to be obtained, and yet they walk in the darkness of idolatry, superstition and impietyes, and on the other hand, the Schismatics; among ourselves, account themselves the only Saints; the pure Churches, those that alone have communion with God in pure ordinances whilst their pride and arrogance, malice and oppression, cruelty and bloodshed, sedition and rebellion testify to their faces that they walk in darkness. To apply this, all than is not gold that glistereth, nor are fair shows a sufficient argument of reality, the truth is there are many sincere hearted Christians who make conscience of their ways and walk in the light that have not so far attained, as to say they have & hope for fellowship with God, being very jealous and timorous about their spiritual and eternal estate. And yet many base hypocritical wretches, who indulge to themselves in known wickedness are strongly confident of felicity, yea make large professions of piety. Take heed therefore how you give credit to pretences esteem not a pharisee, the holier for the breadth of his phylacteries or depth of his fringes, every man is not presently a scolar that weareth black, nor a Gentleman that is arrayed in scarlet, nor a Christian, that is so in name and profession, well meaning persons think all men speak as they mean, and are as they seem, P●o, 14.15. but the wiseman tells us it is the word· Indeed because many who walk in darkness, say they have fellowship with God to infer. All who say they have fellowship with God, walk in darkness would argue too little charity. But to conclude, that all who say they have fellowship with God, have so indeed, argueth too much credulity. It is true if I know not a man's conversation, charity bids me think well of his profession and hope well of his hopes, but with all prudence adviseth me, that I be not presently drawn aside with smooth words, and fair pretences. The sum is, neither rashly censure, nor yet hastily credit them who say they have fellowship with God, lest as by the one, you may contemn the good, so by the other you may believe a liar. For if they who walk in darkness say it they lie. And so I am fall●n on the last, and main part of this scripture. The Incongruity of these two, the hypocrites profession and practice one to the other they lie, and do not the truth. Prol. 3. Mentimur ecce Peccatum commissionis non facimus veritatem ecce peccatum omissionis Aquinn in l●c. mentimur refertur ad professionem non facere veritatem ad mores. A●et. ibid. Here are two characters given of these hypocrites the one affirmative, the other negative, the one of lying, the other of not doing the truth. Aquinas conceiveth by these two a double sin charged upon them, the one of commission in speaking a lie, the other of omission, in not doing the truth▪ Aretius better refers the lie to their sayings, The not doing the truth to their walking, therefore their saying is a l●e, because their walking in darkness, is a not do●ng the truth, and so the latter is added by way both of explication and confirmation to the former. 1. Begin we with the affirmative expression, and therein inquire how this saying appeareth to be a li●. To which end be pleased to know, that there are two things considerable in a lie, to wit the material, and the formal part, the matter of a lie is a falsehood, the form of it is an intentional asserting it to be true. 1. As to the first of these we lie, is as much as we say that which is false, indeed every falsehood is not a l●e, but in every lie there is a falsehood. It is true a man may tell a l●e, and yet speak truth; but it is then when he thinketh it to be false, and commonly the matter of a lie, is that which is false in the nature of the thing. Such is the matter of this saying in the text, that a man who walketh in darkness hath fellowship with God I grant, a man who hath fellowship with God may fall into darkness; Rectè praesentis temporit ve●bum p●nitur L●r ibid. do some particular work of darkness, but he cannot walk in it. It is not to be denied, but that a man who doth walk in darkness, by changing his course may come to have fellowship with God; and a man that now hath fellowship with God may be one that hath walked in darkness, but to say that he who doth walk in darkness hath fellowship with God, is materially a lie, because a notorious falsehood. That this may more fully appear, consider this double demonstration. 1. That saying which is not according to, nay directly against the saying of God, must needs be a lie; for if God be the God of truth, his must needs be the word of truth, & so whatsoever is dissonant to it, false and lying. Now (beloved) search if you please the whole volume of sacred writ, from the beginning of Genesis, to the end of the Apocalypse, and find if you can any leaf in that book, or any line in those leaves that speaketh the least word of peace or pardon or comfort or mercy from God to a man that walketh in darkness, liveth in wickedness, nay indeed God hath written a bill of divorce to every such person, Act. 8.21. Pro. 15.20.11.26. M●●. 7.4. Is. 57 21. Ps. 68.21. non est tibi pars neque sors as the Apostle said to Simon Magus, thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter of divine fellowship, who walkest in sinful courses. The Lord is far from the wicked, the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, there is no peace saith God to the wicked, God will wound the hairy scalp of him, that goeth on in his wickedness. Depart from me ye workers of iniquity, This is the language which the Holy Ghost useth, and the doom which the scriptures passeth on such a person, & now tell me can there be a more palpable untruth, then when God saith no peace for men to say peace, and for them to whom God saith depart, to say they have fellowship with him. 2. To say that is, which not only is not but cannot be is a lying falsehood, who would not account him a liar that should as●ert a thing actually existing which is not only improbable but impossible? now for a man walking in darkness to have fellowship with God, is all together impossible, and the reason is clear in the context, read but the end of the former verse, with this and the inconsistency will be manifest because, God is light and no darkness is in him therefore they who walk in darkness cannot have fellowship with him. For as St. Paul puts the question intending by it a vehement negation, 2 Cor. 6.14. what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness, and what communion hath light with darkness. We see in experience the darkness cometh not till the light be gone, when the light cometh, the darkness vanisheth, they cannot dwell together and the ground of it is clear in philosophy because things of a contrary nature do mutuò se tollere mutually take a way each other. Indeed contrary qualities may in remiss degrees consist in the same subject but not in intense; and when they do, it is with them as with a pair of scales, if one go up, the other goeth down, as one increaseth, the other decreaseth, now God is not only lightsome but light, & such a light, as is without the least darkness, light in the abstract, and that noteth the brightest lustre, whereas the wicked man walketh in darkness, yea according to St. Paul's phrase concerning the Ephesians, Eph 5, 6. he is darkness in the abstract and that noteth the utmost darkness, as soon then may the clearest light & the thickest darkness rest in the same place together as God: and a wicked man have fellowship together Michael and the dragon could not agree in one heaven, nor the ark and dagon in one house, nor Esau & Jacob in one womb, no more can God and a wicked man agree, A silly old hermit was sorry that God and the devil should be at odds, and would undertake to make them friends, but the devil bids him spare his labour for they were everlastingly fallen out. Indeed God and a wicked man are not so, there is a possibility of reconciliation, but not whilst he so continueth, you may as easily believe that fire and water, peace and war, purity and filthiness, love and hatred, truth and falsehood, happiness and misery, light and darkness can be made friends as that God can be at one with him who goeth on in his sins. By reason of this contrariety between God and a wicked man, it is that as God hateth the wicked, so the wicked hateth God, darkness doth not with more celerity fly from the light, than unrighteousness from God so that it is impossible not only for this fellowship to be but, to be so much as desired. It is true many wicked men desire to go to heaven but it is because they are mistaken in their imaginations about heaven, they look upon it as a place of felicity but not of sanctity they only fancy it a place of pleasure and contentment but consider not that the pleasure is in fellowship with a pure and holy God. Alas the society of a godly man is a burden a terror to the wicked, he cannot be merry so long as he is in his company, what then will be the fellowship of an holy God, upon which account I may truly say, that if God should let a wicked man into heaven, heaven would be an hell and that divine fellowship a torment to him. By this time I doubt not, but you see the truth of the falsehood, written as it were with a sun beam, and what just cause St. John hath to give them the lie, Vide Aug. l. de mendac. c 42. Voluntas fallendi pertinet ad perfectionem mendacij etc. Regn. de mend. who walking in darkness, say they have fellowship with God, there being a plain untruth in it, which is the material part of a lie. 2. But further in a lie not only the matter, but the form of it is to be considered, this by the most is made an intention to deceive, for so the definition usually runs, nor is it to be denied but that this is consecutiuè an essential property, of and so annexed to every lie, yet if we speak of that which is constitutiuè the essential form of a lie, it is the intention of asserting a known faleshood, so that to lie in its proper notion is for a man to affirm or deny intentionally that which he knoweth to be contrary. If we apply this to the business in hand it is only to be charged properly on the grossest hypocrites, who against the inward verdict of their own consciences say this openly to men, that they have fellowship with God, yea which maketh them perfect liars, they say this on purpose to deceive, and cheat the purblind world, that they may seem to others what they know they are not, it is that which one aptly calls not only dipped but double dipped hypocrisy. And yet in as much as the falsehood of this proposition is so evident, that whosoever will make use of his reason must acknowledge it, it followeth that even they, who may in saying this speak what they think, are interpretatively liars. If a man shall wilfully shut his eyes, and say the sun shineth not, would you account him any whit excusable for his not seeing, or rather would you not adjudge him to tell a voluntary lie, the same is the case here. All who assert this, are to use St. Peter's phrase willingly ignorant they cannot but know, 2 P●t. 3.5. and yet they will not know the falsehood of it, which, being an affected ignorance, is so far from excusing, that it rather aggravateth; and therefore this brand of a liar most justly rests on every one, who walking in darkness, saith he hath fellowship with God, and so much for the affirmative expression, pass we on to the Negative in these words and do not the truth, this phrase of doing the truth is very rare I find it not used in the new Testament but only by the Master and the beloved disciple, it is Christ's phrase in his speech to Nicodemus, he that doth the truth cometh to the light, and here St. John having learned it from him maketh use of it, we do not the truth. Joh. 3.21. An expression which at first view seemeth harsh and incongruous, since truth more properly refers to the Judgement than the life, and is the object rather of contemplation than action: hence it is that truth is that which we are said to know and believe, & that which we are said to do is good, and this is the most usual phrase of the scripture. But if we look a little more narrowly into this expression, it will appear apt and significant to which end we must know, that according to the Philosophers there is a three fold truth, Metaphysical, Logical, and ethical; the first is in being the conformity of a thing to the idea, Veritas in Essendo, Cognoscendo, Significando, by which it was framed, the second is in knowing, the conformity of the understanding with the thing, the third is in signifying the conformity both sermonis and facti, of our words to the things, and our actions to right reason, by which distinction it manifestly appeareth that there is a practical as well as a speculative truth, and so this phrase of doing the truth very suitable. To open it a little more fully, be pleased to know that doing the truth, may be construed two ways, and both here be made use of, to wit, by considering truth either as the object, or the manner of this doing. 1. To do the truth considered objectively, Facere veritatem est operari secundum legem justitiae rectitudinis & honestatis. Tolet in Joh. Vide Cyr. Alex. in Joh c. 3. Ezek. 18.5. Facere veritatem nihil aliud est quam sincerê agere vorst in loc. Is. 38.2. is to conform in doing to the truth that is the word of God, the rule and square of truth, and so this phrase may be expounded by that of Ezekiel, doing that which is lawful and right, to this purpose is the exposition which St. Cyrill and Tollet give of the phrase in the Gospel, to do the truth, is to do according to the law of Justice, rightly and honestly, to make the law of God the rule of our conversation, whereby we may be come acceptable to God. 2. To do the truth considered modally, is to do what we do heartily, sincerely, and so it may be explained by Hezekiahs' phrase of walking in truth, and with a perfect heart, for as to doing good, it is not enough that we do what is good, but that we do it well so to doing the truth, it is not sufficient that we do what is right, but that we do it truly with a good and upright heart, and no wonder if our Apostle here declaiming against hypocrites, whose devotion is but a stage play, a mere feigned representation, and whose conversation is after their own lusts, not Gods ways, chargeth them that they do not the truth. But if we put these two expressions together we lie, and do not the truth, there may seem yet a further incongruity, it would have been more suitable (one would think) to have said, we lie and speak not the truth, since lying refers to the tongue, and so this would have been fitly annexed as a proof of the lying, in that they speak not truth, but if we consider upon what account the Apostle chargeth these hypocrites with lying we shall find this phrase was fitly made choice of not doing, rather than not speaking truth. The reason why this saying is asserted to be a lie, is because their walking was not answerable to their talking, their doing, to their saying, no wonder that he saith they lie, and that is because, they do not the truth. Non solum in falsis verbis sed in simulatis operibus mendacium est Christi anum sedicere & opera Christi non faceremendacium est. Ambr. Serm. de Abrah. Non facimus veritatem, ● e. facto non probamus verum esse quod verbo aut cogitatione loquimur Est in loc. To clear this more plainly, you must know that though in a strict & proper sense, a lie is the dissonancy between the tongue & the heart, the words & the thoughts, when a man speaketh one thing & thinketh another; yet in a large & no less real notion it is a dissonancy between the tongue and the hand, the words and the works, when a man speaketh one thing & doth another. To this purpose St. Ambrosse excellently noteth, that there is a lie as well in respect of deeds as words, for a man to call himself a Christian, and not to do the works of Christ is a lie and thus Estius glosses on these words, we do not the truth that is we prove by our deeds, that what we say is not true. Indeed they are alike bad, when the life, as when the heart giveth the tongue the lie, may in respect of men the former is far more discernible than the latter, when a man speaketh what his heart thinketh not, I cannot presently say he lieth, because I know not what he thinketh, but when a man speaketh that which his actions confute, I can easily see and boldly say that he lieth. That than which our Apostle would intimate to us by this phrase is, the contrariety between an hypocrites profession and his conversation: his voice is jacob's but his hands are Esaws, like silver he looks white, but draweth black lines, audi, nemo melius, specta, nemo pejus, loquitur ut Piso vivit ut Gallomus. Hear him talking, you would think him an Angel, see him walking, you will find him a Devil like that stage-player who cried oh caelum and pointed with his finger to the earth, his tongue talketh of heaven, whilst his fingers are defiled with the earth, he speaketh much of the spirit, but he walketh after the flesh, the discourse of his lips is holy, the course of his life profane; in a word, his profession is angelical, his conversation diabolical, his words are spiritual, his works carnal; he saith, he hath fellowship with God, but he lieth, for he doth not the truth. To apply this, when I read this Text, and consider the Times, I am ready to believe that the one was in a special manner intended for the other, so fully is this charge of lying verified in this generation; it was the complaint of God by the Prophet, Ephraim Compasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit: may he not take up the same against us? Host 11.12. England compasseth God about with lies, and London with deceit. Let our ungodly, abominable, unjust practices speak, if our fastings, and prayers, and profession, be not a loud notorious lie. Oh that I could cry aloud this day, in the ears of these liars, to awaken them out of their security, jer. 7.4. Trust not in lying words, was the caution of the Prophet to the jews, it is no less needful for us: let us not content ourselves with false shows, nor rest on vain hopes, it was the charge of the Prophet against the people, concerning their King, Hos 7.3. that they made him glad with lies; and what else do hypocrites whilst make themselves glad with false presumption. Oh that this lying generation would sadly consider, what a kind of lie this is, whereof they are guilty. The Schools distinguish of three kind of lies, according to the several ends at which they aim, to wit, jesting for mirth and pleasure, officious for profit and advantage, pernicious, tending to injury and hurt, Triplex mendacium, jocosum, Officiosum, Perniciosum. all of these are condemned, but the latter is justly accounted the most abominable, and of this sort is this lie, my text speaketh of a pernicious hurtful lie. That you may see the injury which cometh by it, consider it in reference to God and his Gospel, to others, and to ourselves. 1. To say we have fellowship with God, and w●lk in darkness, is such a lie as tendeth much to the dishonour of God, and disgrace of Religion, St. Paul, speaking to the hypocritical jews, tells them, the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, the like may be said to licentious Christians, the name of God is blasphemed among Turks and Pagans through you, Rom. 2, 24. Ita agimus ac vivimus ut hoc ipsum quod Christianus populus esse dicimur opprobrium Christi esse videatur. Salu. de Gub. dei l. 4. when the Indians were so barbarously used by the Spaniards, who called themselves Christians, they cried out, quis (malum) Deus iste, what God doth these men serve? when the enemies of the reformed Church, hear what perjury, oppression, bloodshed, they who would pretend to the strictest profession of it commit, are they not ready to say, what a Religion is it, these men profess, that can dispense with such wickedness? It was no small (though a just) disgrace to the Pope, when the King of Hungary, having taken a Bishop prisoner in battle, sent his armour to him, and only this in writing, Vide num haec sit vestis filii tui, Is this your Son's coat? And it is a sad (though unjust) reproach, which the bad lives of Christians cause to fall on God himself, whilst profane wretches are apt to say, These are your Saints; and thus, by our wicked conversation, our being called Christians, brings a reproach to Christ and Christianity. 2. Besides this (which is the highest) injury to Religion, it is hurtful to others, when they who pretend to have communion with God, lead wicked lives; how are strong Christians grieved, the weak staggared, and they that are without, kept back from embracing Religion, yea, encouraged in their licentious actions? nay, if these that say they have fellowship with God, do such abominable things, what need we trouble ourselves? are profane wretches ready to say, our lives are little worse than theirs, why should not our condition be as good? 3. This lie will prove no less pernicious to ourselves, he who is the eternal truth, cannot endure lying lips, vident & rident demones; Devils see and rejoice, Mendaces non fert qui est aeterna veritas. Gualti in loc, God seeth, and is incensed against such dissembling wretches; every such hypocrite may well think God bespeaketh him in the Psalmists words, What hast thou to do to take my name into thy mouth, seeing thou hatest to be reform, and refusest to receive instruction? Ps. 50.16. and must expect no other answer at that day, Math. 7.23. when they may plead their outside devotion, and large profession, but depart from me ye workers of iniquity, I know you not. Brethren, you may for a time cozen men, but you cannot deceive God, and as St. Cyprian excellently, Est vera de mentia non cogitare non scire quod mencacia non diu fallant Cypr ep. 55. Math. 25.51. it is a mere madness not to think, and know that liars will at last be found out. Diogenes seeing a vicious young man clad in a Philosophers habit, plucked it off, as conceiving that it was defiled by him; and God will one day pluck off the hypocrites vizor of piety, that he may appear in his colours, and in that day, how far more tolerable will it be for professed enemies of God and religion, than for such persons? It is very observable, that other sinners are doomed to have their portion with hypocrites, as if hypocrites were the tenants, and the rest, as it were, inmates of hell; certain it is, the furnace of torment shall be seven times hotter for a carnal gospeler, loose professor, then for licentious Pagans, since their condemnation shall be so much the greater, by how much their profession hath been the holier, and the higher they have lifted themselves up to heaven, in their religious pretences, the lower they shall be cast down to hell for their impious practices. Let then every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity; it was St. Cyprians advice to those, who took on them the name of Confessors, that they would keep up the honour of their name, it is mine, to all who take upon them the name of Professors. For shame let us not so palpably give ourselves the lie; quid verba audiam, cum facta videam, what avail good words, when our works are bad? tace linguâ, loquere vitâ, either say less, or do more. In one word; let our actions speak, what our expressions pretend to, and our conversation be answerable to our profession; so shall we be found true men, and not liars, and not only knowers and professors, but doers of the truth, and so be blessed in our deed. THE FIRST EPISTLE OF St. JOHN. SERM. 12. CHAP. I. Ver. 7. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of jesus Christ his Son, cleanseth us from all sin. RIghtly to divide the word of truth, is the charge St. Paul gave to Timothy, and a special part of every Minister's office. To give every Auditor his due and proper portion, as a Master of a feast doth to every guest, is (according to some expositors) the right dividing the word of truth; for which reason, no doubt it is, that among other similitudes, 2 Tim. 2.15. Vid. Est. Lap. ibid. 1 Cor. 4.1. Ministers are compared to Stewards, whose work is to provide for, and distribute to every one in the family, their convenient food. What St. Paul requireth of all Christians, in respect of their neighbours and Superious, Render to all men their due, Tribute to whom Tribute, custom to whom custom, fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour belongeth; Rom. 13.7. That by way of analogy is required of all Ministers, in regard of their people, to give to every one their due; reproof to whom reproof, threatening to whom threatening, instruction to whom instruction, and comfort to whom comfort appertaineth. A manifest example hereof, we have given by this holy Apostle in this place, expressly reproving, and implicitly threatening, in the former verse, those to whom it belongs, such as walk in darkness; and here sweetly comforting those to whom promises belong, such as walk in the light, in this verse. But if we walk in the light, etc. This is that room on the right hand, into which we are now to enter; wherein, if you please, you may take notice of three Partitions, here is the Christians Practice, to walk in the light. Pattern, as he is in the light. Privilege, we have fellowship, etc. Or if you please to reduce the three to two, here is considerable, The duty required, and the mercy assured. Or, The qualification premised, walking in the light, as he is in the light. The Collation promised of. Communion with God, we have fellowship one with another. justification by Christ, and the blood of jesus Christ his Son, cleanseth us from all sin. The first of these is all I can dispatch at this time, wherein you may please to observe, The Path and the Guide, whom we are to follow. The walk and the footsteps, which we are to trace. The matter of the duty wherein it consists, walking in the light. The manner of the duty, how it is to be performed, as he is in the light. Let me crave your patience whilst I shall by the light of divine truth lead you through both these. The matter of the duty, which qualifieth a Christian, is said to be walking in the light. pa●t. 1. Rom. 13.13. There is a phrase used by St. Paul, of walking as in the day, which cometh somewhat near this of walking in the light and if we should construe light here literally and perfix an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before, in the light it would excellently instruct us in the nature of a truly Christian conversation. They who walk in the light, walk visibly to the eyes of all beholders, walk carefully that they may not behave themselves unseemingly, nor do any thing which may be offensive. 1. Thus must Christians walk (as) in the light to wit. Exemplarily according to the counsel of our saviour, let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, it is not enough to do good works in secret, Math. 5.17. but we must show them openly, and though we must abhor to do our works for this end, that they may be seen yet we must so do them, as they may be seen. 2. Exactly in such sort as may become the Gospel we believe, and religion we profess, Rom. 13.8. Eph. 5.15. Vide Zanch ibid. we must walk 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is St. Paul's phrase to the Romans, honestly, so our translators, decently so the sense of the original, as befits those that call themselves Christians, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the Apostles phrase to the Ephesians, circumspectly, so our translators, accuratly, so the force of the word, Philip. 2.15. that we may be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the sons of God without rebuke as the same Apostles expression is to the Philippians, so that even a carping momus cannot spy a fault. But this cannot be the right way of interpreting this clause, since we find the (As) in the next, and therefore we are to understand light metaphorically, and so our chief work is to inquire what the Apostle intends by this metaphor of light. I shall not trouble you with the various acceptions of the word in holy writ, let it sufice to know. There is a threefold light, ad quod, per quod, in quo. To which, by which, and in which we are to walk. 1. There is a light to which we walk, namely the light of glory, and happiness. Those two chief excellencies life & light are not unfitly made choice of in scripture, to shadow forth the future estate of the glorified, St. Paul calls it the inheritance of the saints in light, to show how pleasant, glorious, and amiable, that inheritance is, this light, Collo. 1·13. Vide daven ibid. is the terminus ad quem, term of a Christians motion to which the course of his life tendeth, and in which at last it endeth. 2. There is a light by which we walk, and this is double to wit external, and internal, of the word, and of the spirit, Pro. 6 23. Ps. 119.105. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lex lux, the law is a light, the commandment a lamp saith the son, and he learned it of his father who saith thy word is a light to my feet, and a lantern to my paths, it being God's word that discovereth to us the way, wherein we should walk, and yet this is not enough without the other, though adest lumen the sunshine never so bright yet, if desunt oculi eyes be wanting, to make use of the light, it will be in vain to us. There must not only be a light before the eyes, but a light in the eyes, if we will see to go; and therefore St. Paul prayed that the eyes of their understanding might be enlightened, since it is only by the direction of the word, Ephes. 1. 1●. joined with the illumination of the spirit, that we are enabled to walk in our spiritual journey. 3. Lastly and to our present purpose, there is a light in which we are to walk, and that is the light of sanctity, and holiness; this being the path, in which every Christian must tread, and when we remember that the light spoken of God in the fifth verse, intends his holiness, that the darkness, mentioned in the former verse, is put for wickedness, we may rationally conclude that by light, here we are to understand holiness. Having found out the meaning, it will not be amiss to inquire a little further, into the Analogy of the metaphor, which will the better appear if we consider the original, and the properties of light. 1. Light is of a celestial extraction, springs of water arise out of the earth, but the fountain of light is in the heavens, those flowers of light, are found in no garden, but the supernal firmament: so is holiness of an heavenly parentage, as prudence so piety is that which is from above. That of our Saviour except a man be borne again, James 3▪ 17. Joh. 3.5 Vide Cyr. Al. ibid. 2 Pet. 1 4. may according to a double signification of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be read, except a man be borne from above, and indeed St. Cyrill doth so interpret it, our Generation is in some sort from below but our regeneration is only from above, and for this reason partly, though not principally, is holiness called by the Apostle Peter the divine nature, because of a divine original, indeed Christ calls it our light, when he saith to his Disciples, let your light sh●ne before men, and so it is subjective, but not effective, our light because in us, but not from us; and therefore it is so ours as that it is primarily his, from whence we receive it. 2. Light among others, hath two special properties, namely clarity and beauty, the one following the other, light is of a clear bright splendent nature, and by reason hereof, it is of a very beautiful and lovely aspect, yea it is the great ornament of the world, putting a beauty on all things else, since without it, the redness of the rose, the whiteness of the lily, all natural and artificial beauty were as good be not existing, because not appearing. By these two properties, are represented those two parts of holiness which consists in purgamento and in ornamento cleansing and adorning, in holiness there is purity which answereth the splendour, and there is conformity which answereth to the beauty of light, holiness is expulsive of all sin, and thereby maketh the soul bright, holiness restoreth God's image, and thereby maketh the soul beautiful, indeed it is holiness that puts a beauty upon all other excellencies, our naturals, morals, our intellectuals, are then ornaments, when like the diamond to the ring holiness is superadded to them. You see what this light is, and how fitly light doth illustrate it, but yet this is not all, for since this light we are speaking of, is the way the only way to communion with God, remission of sins and eternal life; and besides since there are somethings which glitter and yet are not this light, such are civility, morality, and pharisaical sanctity, so that it is not only possible, but easy to mistake, give me leave yet a little more distinguishingly, to characterise this light to you. To which end, since God is compared by the Psalmist to the sun, Ps. 84 12. Mal. 42. and Christ is called by the Prophet Malachy, a sun of righteousness, and this light is of the same quality with Gods, nay is a ray and beam of his, we may infer that the light to which holiness is here resembled is sun-light, and so the differences which are between the light of the sun, and that of the moon and the stars, will aptly seem to difference holiness, from those other things that seem to come near to it. To instance briefly in a few particulars. 1 The light of the sun, helpeth a man to see, and find out the filth in his house, yea to search into the most secret corners of every room, whereas the moon and starlight, only helpeth a man to see a little abroad in the open streets and fields. This is a singular difference, between pharisaical, and real sanctity, that is curious to look abroad but seeth nothing at home, so that pharisee condemned the publican, and saw nothing in himself worthy of blame, but this is careful to look at home, and searcheth into the secret corners the very spirit of the mind so did good David when he prayed. Cleanse thou me from secret faults. 2. The sun-light, discovereth moats, and pins, Ps. 19.12. and atom, things of the least, and smallest quantity, whereas the moon and starlight only manifests trees, and houses, Hanc sollicitudinem non facit nisi spiritus sanctus qui nec minimam paleam intra cordis quod possidet habitaculum patitur residere. Bern serm. 1. the sp. S. and such things as are of a great magnitude. This is the difference between sanctity, and morality; morality teacheth a man to avoid gross vices, notorious offences, scandalous enormities; but it is only holiness which causeth a man to make conscience of the least sins, as well as the greatest. 3. The sun-light representeth those things which may be seen by moon and starlight, in another clearer, fuller way, hence it is we cannot give so true a judgement of the greatness, or colour of any thing by moon & star, as by sun-light, the parallel holds in this present matter. Holiness enlightens a man to look on the same sins, which morality and civility discovereth, with another, and a clearer aspect, since whilst the civil person, only abhors them as enemies to his good name, Ps. 51.4. Luk. 15.21. and the moralist as repugnant to reason, the holy man loathes them, as breaches of God's law, and offences to his majesty, for so repenting David, and the returning prodigal, looked upon their sins, as against and before God. 4. The sun-light, though gradually, yet powerfully expelleth darkness out of the air, so that the night becometh day, whereas the moon and starlight only mitigateth and lesseneth it, and therefore the darkness prevailing, it is night still, this is that which puts a difference between sanctity and civility, civility restraineth sin, but holiness conquereth it, civility lesseneth the actings, yet taketh not away the power, whereas holiness though not all at once, yet by degrees subdueth the power of corruption. 5. Finally, the sun-light is ever attended with heat, driving away cold, as well as darkness, whereas the moon and starlight can only illuminate, but not warm, which appeareth in that, the moon and stars shine brightest when the night is coldest, this is the peculiar efficacy of true holiness, that it doth not only irradiate the understanding but inflame the will and affections with a love to God and zeal for his glory, in which respect it is that they whom Christ purifieth to himself a peculiar people, are said to be zealous of good works. Tit. 2.14. By this time, (I hope beloved) you are in some measure enlightened, to understand the nature of this light, wherein we are to walk, it would not be passed by what this importeth, that we are required to walk in this light, since the emphasis of the phrase, holdeth as well in regard of good, as evil. The better to clear this, be pleased to consider walking in a double opposition to bare stepping, and to standing still. 1. It is not taking a step, or two in the light, which denominateth a man, 1 Tim. 4.7. Isa. 1.17. a walker; it is not a few good actions, but a good conversation, which speaketh a man, a Christian; St. Paul bids Timothy, to excercise himself in godliness, and the Prophet's counsel is learn, or as it may be rendered, accustom yourselves to do well. It is the constant habitual practice, and exercise of holiness, which may most justly be called a walking in the light, indeed this walking, is not opposed to stumbling, no nor yet to falling, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Kal significat & didicit & Assuescit. there is a great deal of difference, inter carrentis casum & vitae ●ursum between the course of life in which a man runs, & the falls he may catch in running, if not only in some particular acts, but our general course we practise holiness, though we cannot but sometimes fall into sin, we shall be found walking in the light. Ambulare brevit●r dico proficese. Aug. Serm. 15. de verb. Apost. Prov. 4, 16. 2. It is not to begin in the way of holiness, and then stand still; but we must go forward to perfection. St. Austin very aptly expounds ambulare by proficere; walking is a proficiency in holiness: indeed both the metaphors in the Text press this duty; holiness is as light which shineth more and more to the perfect day, living holily is as walking wherein we go on step by step, till we come to the journey's end. True it is, we do not, H●mo in luce ambulat qui in virtutum operibus proficit. Aquin. cannot always walk with even pace, sometimes all we can do is to creep, and then again our hearts are so enlarged that we can run; but however, the good Christian will still be going never accounting himself to have attained. Indeed so long as we are in this world, our holiness is rather in fieri, then in facto, perfecting, then perfect. 2 Cor. 7▪ 1. When we come to be comprehensores, we shall sit down, but whilst we are viatores, we must walk on in the light. What now remaineth, but that every one of us reflect upon himself, and ask his soul this question; do I walk in the light, to which, by a faithful inquiry into our conversation, according to the preceding characters, we may be able to teturn an answer, only for our further quickening in this work, I shall briefly mind you of these following considerations. 1, There is a great deal of difference between talking of, and walking in the light▪ our lips may drop as the honey comb, whilst we are in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity: many have golden tongues and leaden feet, Acts 8.23. it is not Scripture discourse, but a religious course, which denominateth a man a Christian. 2. It is one thing to have the light of knowledge, and another thing to walk in the light of holiness; too many men as well as children, are troubled with the rickets, their heads are big, full of speculation, but their feet are unnable, to walk in spiritual actions; If you know these things, happy are ye if ye do them: having the light, Joh. 13.7. may help us with Moses to see the land of Canaan, but it is walking in the light, must bring us with Joshuah to enter into it, though we have mouths and speak well▪ turns and see well, yet if we have feet that walk not, hands that work not, we are but idle idol Christians. 3. It is not barely, not walking in darkness, but walking in the light, that is required of a Christian. The Pharisees religion in the Gospel consists chiefly of Negatives, but our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, Luke 18.11. Matth. 5.20. Ezek. 18.31. Isay. 1.18. 2 Cor. 7.1. so saith our great Lawgiver, indeed it is good not to do evil, but withal, it is evil not to do good; the unprofitable as well as the prodigal is an evil servant, we must not only cast away our transgressions, but make us new hearts, cleanse from filthiness, but perfect holiness, cease to do evil, but learn to do well, not walk in the darkness, but walk in the light. 4. It is not a mere resolution, but the real execution of holiness, that entitleth to happiness; Oh how many are cast into utter darkness, who here resolved to walk in the light▪ in vain are those purposes which have a conception but no birth, which only blossom, but never bear ripe fruit. The repenting prodigal as he said, I will arise, so he did arise and go to his Father; Luke 15.18.20 Psal. 119.109. holy David saith, I have sworn, and withal addeth, I will perform it: only this must be understood with one caution, 2 Cor. 8.12. if God give time and place of performance, otherwise that of St. Paul concerning alms, is generally true; if there be a willing mind it is accepted, in which respect it is a very uncharitable opinion which excludeth all deathbed penitent resolutions, from divine acceptation. Indeed that deathbed promises of amendment, are seldom real, is not to be denied; yea, that when they are real, it is very difficult, if not impossible for themselves or others certainly to know it, must needs be granted; and therefore the case of such persons is doubtful and dangerous: but since God's grace can speedily work a change in the will and affections; and where such a change is wrought, the resolutions must needs be cordial, and such as (if life were afforded) would undoubtedly be accomplished; we have reason to believe that he who always accepts the deed chiefly for the will, will in such a case accept the will for the deed: and therefore the condition of such an one, is not altogether desperate. But still beloved this stands in full force, as to us who have as yet life and health continued to us; our purposes will be to no purpose, if they be not attended with practices, nor is it if we will, but if we do walk in the light. And thus I have acquainted you with the matter, go we on to The manner of the duty in those words, as he is in the light, wherein we shall consider two things. Part. 2, What is here asserted concerning God, he is in the light. What is here required from us, employed in that particle as. 1. God is said here to be in the light, a very improper expression, according to a strict acception. When it is said of God at the fifth verse, that he is light, we must look upon the phrase as only metaphorical, since he is ten thousand times brighter than the Sun, but when here he is said to be in the light, it is a catacrestical expression, since it is impossible, either that the light should be in him who hath no accident, or that he should be in light, who is infinite, and illimited; nay, indeed those two phrases, he is light, and he is in the light, seem one to contradict the other, Lux non est pr●priè in luce Carthus. since nothing can be said strictly to be in itself, but both the phrases being allusive, they may well stand together, and this latter, if construed according to its true intention will be found emphatically significant. If you please to difference the meaning of these two phrases you may refer the one, God is light to his nature, and the other, he is in the light to his works; so Grotius giveth the sense of this phrase, he is in the light, that is, he is conversant in most pure actions; In luce i e. versatur in purissimis actionibus. Grot. in loc. Psal. 145.17. according to that of the Psalmist, The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works, to which agreeth that of the heathen, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, God could not be God, if his actions were not exactly pure and holy. But I rather conceive the intent of these phrases, to be the same, to wit a delineation of God's pure and holy nature, and there are two things which this expression of his being in the light, intimateth concerning it, namely the perfection and immutability of his holiness. 1. There is a great deal of difference between these two expressions to have light in one, and for one to be in the light, the former noteth only some measure of participation, but the latter a complete fruition, this may be clear by an instance, taken from the water, a man that drinketh down a small quantity of water, may be said to have water in him, but when a man is compassed, and covered over head & ears in water, he is then most truly said to be in it. To parallel it with an instance in scripture, every man even the best by reason of the remainders of sin, is said to have flesh in him, but only the wicked man, who is under the power of sin, Rom. 8.8. is said to be in the flesh. Thus, whereas we at best have only some light of holiness in us, God is in the l●ght, so that nothing of the light of holiness is a wanting to him, but he is absolutely, completely, holy. 2. There is not unfitly observed by expositors a discrepancy between these two phrases of walking, Vide Carthus Serrar in loc. and being in the light, walking, noteth a progressive motion, being a fixed residence, we are still passing from one degree to another, and according to the Apostles expression changed into the divine image of holiness, from glory to glory, but he is (to wit eternally, 2 Cor. 3.18. 1 Tim. 6.16. and unchangeably) in the light, in which respect that phrase of dwelling, used by St. Paul, answereth this of being used by St. John. He is and dwelleth in that light, as of majesty, so purity, to which no man can attain, and that from everlasting to everlasting. By what hath been said, you see what is asserted concerning God, we must now consider, what is required of us in the particle, as, namely, a conformity to God's pattern by walking in, as he is in the light. Upon the hearing of this message, I believe many are ready to put forth the question, how can this be? Exod. 14.20. God is so in the light, that in him is no darkness, and our lives like the Israelites cloud, have a dark side, as well as a light, God's holiness is perfect, and unspotted, ours is imperfect, and defective, so that if this be the condition, this supposition can never be a position, and not only few, but none shall be saved. But how harsh so ever this (which is here mentioned) may seem, yet it is no more than what is necessary, indeed when we find St. John not once, but again, Mat. 5.48. Levit. ●0. 7. not only in Metaphorical, but plain terms, calling on us to be pure and righteous as God is, yea Christ himself, requiring us to be perfect, as his Father is perfect, and God himself to be holy as he is holy, we have reason to look upon this addition as of weighty, & needful concernment, and therefore to remove this objection, and clear the genuine sense of this (as) be pleased to observe this threefold solution. 1. There is a double, (as) to wit of likeness, and of a quality, the one respects the kind, the other the degree, that the nature, this the measure of the thing, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our light in which we are to walk, must be like to that in which God is, though the light in which God is, be infinitely brighter than ours, look as it is between the stream and the fountain, the branch and the root, the air and the sun, so it is between God and a Christian, the same water is in the stream that is in the fountain, the same sap in the branch, that is in the root the same light, in the air that is in the sun, though the water and the sap and the light are primarily, & most plenarily in the fountain, the root the sun, indeed to speak Exactly, we cannot call the holiness of a Saint the same with God's holiness, because this, (as all his attributes) is his essence, which is in communicable to any creature, besides his holiness is infinite, and ours finite, and infinite, and finite must needs toto genere distare, differ generically, but the holiness in us, is the image of that holiness in God, and as it were the stamp, and impression of God's holiness upon us, in which regard holiness, is one of those attributes of God, which the schools call communicable, because God is pleased to communicate the likeness of it to his Saints, and therefore they are truly said by the author to the Hebrews, to partake of his holiness, and here by the Apostle John, to walk in the light, as he is in the light. Hebr. 12.10. 2. We must distinguish inter effectum & affectum, actum & conatum, between an effectual performance, and an affectionate endeavour, as for the walking in the light you have already heard, it must not be only in affection, but action. But so to walk, as God is in the light, is that which because we cannot fully attain to, it will suffice to desire and endeavour after. To this purpose is that gloss upon the text, Qui ad ejus similitudinem aspirat. Marlorat. in loc. he is said to walk as God is in the light, who striveth to imitate divine purity. When a Master sets his scholar an exact copy, and bids him write as that is written, his meaning is, not that he should cut all his letters with the same dexterity, and transcribe the lines with the same evenness, that he hath done; but that he should endeavour to come as near it as may be: the same no doubt is the intention of the Holy Ghost in this, and the like scriptures to put us upon a cordial study of following God in the footsteps of his purity and holiness. 3. Besides these no less true than apt solutions, there seemeth to me yet a plainer answer in the words themselves, by observing the difference between these two expressions of walking, and being in the light, it is not said we must be in the light, as he is in the light, but we must walk, as he is, look as he is in the light, so that there is not the least darkness of sin in him, so we must walk in the light, and not indulge ourselves in any sinful work of darkness, so that to walk in the light, as God is in the light, is so to walk in the light, as that we do not walk in, though we be not wholly free from darkness; he than that liveth not in a course of known sin, that leadeth a conversation without any reigning iniquity, as God is without any sin at all: he walketh in the light, as he is in the light, and who will not acknowledge but this is that which every one not only may, but must attain to, who expects these glorious privileges. And now to what should the meditation of this clause serve but to 1. Humble us for our spiritual pride. How usual is it with most of us, to have overweening conceits of our own worth, to think ourselves better than indeed we are, and by reason of selfsufficiency, to make a stop in our proficiency; one special cause whereof, Quomodo pros●cis qui jam tibi sufficis Ambros is that we measure our holiness by a false standard, and do not weigh ourselves in the balance of the sanctuary: we look upon the profane rabble of the world, and presently judge ourselves holy enough, and because we wander not in their Cimmerian Egyptian darkness, conclude ourselves to walk in the light; but tell me, thou that pleasest thyself as if thou wert holy enough, art thou as holy as Paul who calls to the Philippians, and in them to all Christians, be ye followers of me: nay, art thou as holy as the Angels, Phil. 3.17. when yet thy prayer is, that thou mayest do Gods will on earth, as they do in heaven; nay once more, Matth. 6.10. art thou as holy as Christ, as God; whom here the Apostle sets before thee as a pattern. Alas, thou that lookest on thy left hand (them that are worse than thyself) with scorn, didst thou look on thy right hand (those examples that so far excel thee) hast more reason to tremble, thou that castest thine eyes only behind thee, and standest still; didst thou look before thee, couldst not choose but haste forward, stars are glorious things in comparison of candles, but alas how is their splendour obscured when the Sun ariseth; compare thy light with that of the Apostles, Angels, God himself; and be not high minded, but fear. Vide Alex▪ Alens Theol. sum. part. 2. q. 98. gen. 3.5. 2. Inflame us with a spiritual ambition, though our minds must be lowly, yet our aims should be high: only with this caution, not to be great but good. It was indeed the heinous crime of the fallen Angels (as is probably supposed) of our first parents, (as is clearly manifest) that they desired to be as Gods, but it was in point of knowledge, of Majesty, not of holiness; and truly we their unhappy progeny, are too much of the same mind; we would walk in the light of knowledge and glory, as he is in the light; but far be those thoughts and desires from sincere Christians, let us make him our pattern for walking in the light, which he hath appointed us to walk in, to wit, of purity and holiness, and thus let us walk as fast as we can, and aspire as high as we may, till we come to the utmost degree of conformity which our created and finite nature is capable of, and whereas man desiring to walk in the light, of God's knowledge, fell from his estate of innocency, our endeavour to walk in the light of his purity, will restore us to that state of integrity; which here inchoated, shall be hereafter consummated. To end all, put both these parts together, we must walk in the light, as he is in the light, and this double consectary will naturally flow. 1. True conversion maketh a manifest and wonderful alteration, the Poet speaking of a grafted tree, saith. Virg. Eclog. Miraturque novas frondes & non sua poma. It wondereth at those new leaves, and fruits, with which it is adorned, so do Converts themselves, and all that behold them, wonder at the change which is wrought in them; every man by his first birth is stillborn, dead in sin, by his new birth he becometh alive to God; as the Father said of the prodigal, Luke 15.32. this my son was dead, and is alive; and surely what a difference was between Lazarus lying dead in the grave, and Lazarus standing alive on his feet, the same is between a natural and a regenerate man. Every man naturally walketh in darkness, and is a slave to the Prince of darkness, every Convert walketh in the light, as he is in the light, so that look what alteration there is in the same air, by the arising of the Sun, the like is in the same person by the infusion of holiness. 2. That the works of Christianity is attended with no small difficulty. Ah Lord! how light do most men make of their general calling? how easy a matter do they account it to get to heaven, but surely they are such whom the devil casts into a sad sleep, and sootheth up with fond dreams; who can read that general assertion of our Saviour; Mat. 7.14. strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth to life: yea this more particular delineation of that way by the Apostle, Ph●●ip. 2.12. to be a walking 〈◊〉 the light, as he is in the light; and not work out his salvation with fear and trembling. Brethren, if we intent to enjoy communion with God, we must walk, not sit, there is no stepping out of the world's ease, into God's rest; yea, we must walk upwards, ascend to divine perfection, there is no coming to heaven p●r saltum, but per scansum: it is no leaping thither in a moment, in a word, if it be no easy thing to be holy, it must needs be difficult to be happy. Adhuc in pede vel ascens● scalae positus in te deficiens & altitudinem ejus prospiciens debes sursum manus extendere ad Dominum qui est innixus supremae parti scalae, etc. Zu●ph l 2 the spir. Ascens. And therefore let us in a sense of the works difficulty, together with our own impotency, make our addresses to the Throne of Grace, and that both for the light wherein we are to walk, and the feet which may enable us to walk in this light: pray we that he would by his preventing grace infuse the habit of holiness into our hearts, and then by his assisting grace strengthen us, to act that holiness in our lives. Finally, according to the council of that devout ancient, when we first set foot upon the ladder of piety, considering our deficiency and God's excellency; let us stretch forth our hands to him who is at the top of the ladder, Cant. 1.4. saying with the Spouse, draw me, and we will run after thee: so shall we at the last come to him, and be with him in the light of purity and glory for ever. THE FIRST EPISTLE OF St. JOHN. SERM. 13. CHAP. I. Ver. 7. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of jesus Christ his Son, cleanseth us from all sin. THE life of man on earth is a race, and every one in this world a Traveller. The ways in which all men walk, are fitly and fully enumerated to be two, Duae sunt viae una aequitatis altera iniquitatis, etc. Ambros. in Ps. 1. Litera Pithagorae discrimine secta bicorni, etc. the one on the right, the other on the left hand; so much Pythagoras his Y imports the one a strait and narrow way, the other a wide and broad way, so our blessed Saviour plainly asserts; the one a lightsome, & the other a dark path, as S. john here insinuateth. Hence it is that all men who either have been, are, or shall be, are marshalled into two ranks, sheep, and goats, the seed of the woman, and the seed of the serpent, the righteous and the wicked. In Italy after the Guelphs and the Gibellines, Mat. 7.13, 14. Cresol. de virtut. part prima. c. 3. there arose two factions which were called the Albi and the Atri, the white and the black; these two indeed divide the whole world, all men being children of God, or of the devil: such as walk in the light, and such as walk in darkness. These two ways are so directly contrary in their natures, that though a man may go out of the one into the other▪ yet it is impossible he s●ould at once walk in both, and therefore St. John sets the one in a manifest Antithesis to the other. But if we walk in the light, nor are they less contrary in their ends, then in their natures; the one leadeth to life, the other to destruction: so Christ expressly, the one causeth a separation between God and us, and therefore they lie who walking in darkness say they have fellowship with God, the other leadeth to communion with God, and an interest in Christ; so it is affirmed in the words of the Text. But if we walk, etc. Having dispatched the qualification which respects our duty, pass we now on to the Collation, which representeth God's mercy, and that in respect of two excellent benefits here specified, namely fellowship with God, and cleansing by Christ; the one in those words, We have fellowship one with another, the other in those, and the blood of jesus Christ his Son cleanseth from all sin, of each in their order. 1. The first of these benefits, namely our fellowship with God hath been already explicated from the third verse, and therefore I shall not need here to insist upon it. Indeed the phrase (one with another) seemeth to intimate another kind of fellowship then that before handled: namely, that fellowship which those who walk in the light, have one with another; but the connexion will by no means admit this interpretation, this fellowship of them that walk in the light, being an inference from the consideration of Gods being light, and therefore must be understood of the fellowship they have with him. Suitable to this it is that Grotius, and Doctor Hammond, observe the space in the King's manuscript to be so little, Vide Gr●●. D. Hamm●nd i● l●c. that it may more probably be supposed as left for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉▪ But our Greek copies do plainly read it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉▪ and so it may (as Beza and others observe) admit a very fit exposition; Vide Bez. Calv. Se●rar. in reference to God we have fellowship one with another, that is, he with us, and we with him. And truly this is that which we may very well look upon with admiration and astonishment, and that both in the one part, and in the other, when we consider that we have fellowship with him, it may teach us to admire at the exaltation of a Saint, when we consider that he hath fellowship with us, we have reason to wonder at the condescension of God; how may we here make use of St. Paul's words, Oh the height, oh the depth, Rom. 11.33. oh the height of advancemet, oh the depth of his abasement; would we not think that beggar highly preferred, whom a King should admit to fellowship with himself in his Palace, would we not conclude that King did much undervalue himself, who should vouchsafe to have fellowship with the beggar in his cottage, and yet thus it is between God and a Christian: hereafter we shall have communion with him in his Palace, now he hath communion with us in our Cottage. Oh our dignity, oh his dignation, how high are we exalted, how low doth he stoop. The truth is, there is not a more familiar fellowship between the dearest friends, than there is between God and the Saints, in which respect Stobaeus asserts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, that there is a common negotiation and converse between God and pure minds; oh let them rejoice in, Stob. in Ecl●g. Phys. p. 115. be thankful to, and wonder at it. That which is yet further to be taken notice of, is the habitude and relation, which walking in the light, and fellowship with God bare one to the other, for the better clearing whereof, conceive it in this double notion. Walking in the light, is both Medium disponens, and Testimonium firmans, a means disposing the subject for, and a Testimony assuring the person of fellowship with God. 1. If we walk in the light we have fellowship, in as much as walking in the light doth make us fit for fellowship with God: That we may rightly understand this, it will be needful to make use of that known distinction between meritum de condigno & de congruo, condignity which is properly merit, and congruity which is only so called in a large and improper sense. Our walking in the l●ght, hath no worthiness to deserve so great a privilege as fellowship with God, because it is no more than what is our duty, so that when we have done our best, we have done but what we ought; but yet our walking in the light, hath in it a fitness for this fellowship, so that though it do not oblige God,, yet it qualifieth us for this benefit, and that in two respects; inasmuch as 1. It removeth that which otherwise would be offensive to God, and cause a separation; it is very observable, that when St. James speaketh of our drawing nigh to God, and Gods drawing nigh to us he presently addeth, Jam. 4.8. cleanse your hands ye sinners, and purify your hearts ye double minded, thereby intimating that the cleansing from sin fits for approaching to God; now by walking in the light, darkness is expelled, the heart is purified, the hands are cleansed, and so the person fitted for divine communion. 2. It rendereth the person in some measure like to, and so fits for fellowship with God, Aristot. Eth. It is a known maxim of the Philosopher 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 likeness causeth love and love fellowship, where there is conformity, there must needs be congruity, God cannot but take delight in his own image, Acts 13.22. what is said of David, is true of every holy person, he is a man after Gods own heart, he wils, what he wils, and nils, what he nils, and no wonder if there be a friendly communion between God and him. 2. If we walk in the light, we have fellowship, that is our fellowship with God, is assured to us by walking in the light. And if we consider the Antithesis of this to the preceding verse, this construction cannot but seem very genuine, that as for them who walk in darkness, to say they have fellowship with God, is a lie: So on the contrary, they who walk in the light, may truly say they have fellowship with God, the one being an evident, and infallible testimony of the other. To illustrate this briefly, you must know that this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fellowship if taken for a participation of God's sanctity, is the cause of our walking in the light, since till we receive by this participation the l●ght of hol●ness from God, we can never walk in it. Now though science properly so called, is à priori from the cause to the effect, yet our knowledge for the most part and especially in this particular is à posteriori from the effect to the cause, and so this walking in the light as an effect, assureth us of its cause, fellowship with God. The consideration hereof may serve for a touchstone, and a whetstone; and so both rectify our judgements, and quicken our endeavours. 1. Let it be a touchstone, to try the truth of our interest in this fellowship, that so we may give a right estimate of our own condition. It is St. Peter's counsel, 2 Pet. 1.8. Vid Bez grot. ibid. give all diligence to make your calling and election sure, this fellowship my text speaketh of, is that to which we are elected before time, and called in time, but how shall we make it sure, Beza and Grotius both tell us, that in several Greek manuscripts these words are added 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by good works, which are Metaphorically a walking in the light. If then we would not be deceived in the knowledge of our election and vocation, to this heavenly participation, let us measure ourselves by the course of our actions and integrity of our conversation. 2. Let it be a whetstone, to set an edge upon our desires after walking in the light that we may have fellowship with God, surely if we have any belief of a deity and acknowledge him to be the summum bonum chiefest good, we cannot but account it our happiness to have the fruition of him. If then we desire this happy communion, let it be our care to lead holy conversations. The truth is fellowship with God, is such a privilege which as on the one hand it is impossible to deserve, so on the other it is not sufficient to desire, but we must be in some measure fitted for it. There is none of us but would attain this fellowship, only we like not the way that leadeth to it, whereas it is in vain to expect the one, without performing the other, as therefore we seriously desire fellowship with him, let us earnestly strive to walk in the light as he is in the light, and so much shall suffice for the first benefit here assured, pass we on to the. 2. Other which indeed is the foundation of this namely our cleansing by Christ, and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin. For the fuller discussion whereof I shall consider it two ways. In itself as it containeth a positive assertion, the blood of Jesus Christ, his son cleanseth from all sin. In its connexion with the preceding part of the verse intimated in that coniunctive particle and. 1. The plain position of this clause, is the blood of jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin, insignis hic locus (to use calvin's expression) an elegant, Cal● in loc. and excellent sentence, wherein every word hath its weight, so that we might find in it as many parts as words. If you please to allude to a known and apt metaphor, here is observable the Physician, the patients of that Physician, the disease of those patients, the physic for that disease, the operation of that physic, and the efficacy of that operation. 1. The Physician, is jesus Christ the son of God, one who being the son of God, must needs be able and skilful, since he is the Christ, he wants not a call to the office, & as he is jesus, he cannot but be ready & willing to the work, who can desire a better, who would seek after another Physician then him in whom skill, and will, ability, and authority do meet. 2. The patients of this Physician are expressed in the pronoun us conceive it by way of exclusion, us, not the Angels, he is pleased to have no pity on their misery, nor to vouchsafe them any remedy, by way of inclusion, us Apostles, as well as others, none but stand in need of this Physician, and they most need him, who think they have least. 3. The disease of these patients is sin, a disease both hereditary, as to the root of it, which together with our nature we receive from our parents, and likewise contracted by ourselves, upon ourselves, in the daily eruption of this corruption, by thoughts, words and works; A disease that maketh the patient sick, dangerously, desperately sick, even to the death, yea such as must inevitably have brought upon us, not only the first, but the second death, had not this Physician interposed, and undertaken the cure. 4. The physic, which this Physician administereth to the patient for the cure of his disease is blood, and which is the wonder his own blood. Indeed the cause so stood, that as none but this Physician, so nor he but by his blood could effect this cure, and behold, he is content, to part with his own blood for our sakes. 5. The operation of this physic, is by cleansing, indeed such is the excellency of Christ's blood, that it is both a purge, and a cordial, strengthening, and cleansing; none like this to comfort our hearts, none like this to purge out the ill humours of our sins, whereby our spiritual health is restored. 6. Lastly the efficacy of its operation, which appeareth by a double extent. 1. The one in regard of the disease it cleanseth from all sin, that is, whatsoever can be called sin, of what k●nd, nature, Omnipotenti medico nullum vulnus in sana bile, Aug. in Ps. 58. Vide bern serm. 1. the not dom. et 66. the parv. et 13 in Cant. degree soever it be, since the cure of no d●sease can be impossible to him that can do all things. 2. The other in respect of the permanency of this physics virtue, employed in the present tense of the verb, this blood never losing its efficacy, cleansing not only when shed but indeed, both before and after, so that the patriarches and Prophets before Christ, the Apostles who were contemporary with Christ, nay all Christians after him, to the end of the world, may truly take up this saying, the blood of Christ, cleanseth us from all sin. But that I may rather break, then crumble this bread of life, be pleased only to take notice of two general parts in this clause namely. The effect, or benefit itself in those words, cleanseth from all sin. The cause and spring of this benefit in those words the blood of Jesus Christ his son, of the first briefly, of the latter more largely. 1. The benefit itself is cleansing from all sin, for the understanding of which we must know that in sin, there are two things considerable to wit macula, and reatus the stain, whereby it defileth our natures, and the guilt by which it defileth our persons, according to these two, there is a double cleansing, the one of sanctification, the other of justification, nor is it my distinction but St. Paul's, where having mentioned walking as the genus, 1 Cor. 6.11. he presently distinguisheth it into its species, sanctifying and justifying. The one, by subduing the dominion of sin, gradually abateth, and in due time shall by an expulsion of the being, wholly take away the stain of sin upon our natures, the other so taketh away the guilt of sin, that the person is not in God's Sight, and account obliged to suffer the punishment due to it. If you ask which of these is here understood, I answer in a large sense, we may comprehend both, it being true that the blood of Christ hath in itself a moral efficacy to persuade, and withal hath purchased the spirit of Christ, to be annexed to it, which is the efficient cause, of the cleansing of sanctification, in which respects our dying to sin, and redeeming us from all iniquity, are set down as ends; yea effects of Christ's death, Tit. ●. 13. 1 Pet. 2.24. but withal, in a proper sense we are here to understand the cleansing of justification, partly, because the walking in the light before mentioned, includeth in it the purity of sanctification, and partly, because this cleansing is here promised as a privilege to be conferred upon them that walk in the l●ght. To this purpose it is rationally observed, that 1. Where cleansing from sin is required as a duty to be done by us, Isa. 1.16. 2 Cor. 7.1▪ it is to be understood necessarily of cleansing by sanctification, so in that of the Prophet, wash you, make you clean, of the Apostle S. Paul, let us cleanse ourselves; Jam. 4.8. S. James, cleanse your hands, and the like. 2. Where cleansing from sin is prayed for as a mercy, of which we stand in need; it extends to both: P●●l. 51.27▪ 10. as appears in David's penitential Psalm, where he beggeth of God washing, cleansing, purging, and creating in him a clean heart; since though the former principally refer to the cleansing of justification, yet the latter manifestly relateth to that of Sanctification. 3. Where cleansing is promised as a benefit to be bestowed upon us if it is not only yet primarily to be interpreted of cleansing by justification; of this nature are those Evangelical promises we read of in the Prophecies of Jeremy and Ezechiel, jer. 33.8. Ezek. 36.25. and thus I conceive we are to interpret both the ninth and this present verse. According to this construction, the blessing here assured, is that which is elsewhere called remission and forgiveness of sins, why it is expressed by this metaphor of cleansing, shall be (God willing) more fully illustrated in the handling of the ninth verse. Let it suffice for the present, that we have found out the genuine meaning of it, and so pass we on to 2. That which is the chief intendment of this clause, the cause and spring of this benefit, the blood of Jesus Christ his Son. This phrase of cleansing, is both a metaphorical and a legal word, and in both it represents this blood of Christ. 1. As it is a metaphorical word. What water is in the corporal, that is, this blood of Christ in the spiritual cleansing; blood in a natural way, is not cleansing but defiling, and besmearing; and yet what water doth to material, that, this blood doth to the immaterial cleansing; in this respect it is, that as men use to wash themselves in water, so Christ is said to wash us in his blood: to this the promise in Ezechiel properly alludeth, where God saith, Revel. 15. Ezek. ●6 26. Est metaphora deducta ab aquâ quâ quemadmodum abluuntur sor●des corporis ita ●anguine hoc est sacrificio Christi tolluntur peccata n●stra. Lubbert. Adu. Socin. de seru. l. 2. c. 17. Heb●. 9.22. I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and for this end certainly, Christ instituted water as the element in the holy Sacrament of Baptism, that he might thereby signify the cleansing efficacy of his blood. 2. As it is a legal word. What the blood of beasts in the law did tipically, that the blood of Christ doth really, to wit, cleanse from sin. The Author to the Hebrews observeth, that almost all things in the law were purified with blood, and without shedding of blood, there was no remission; thus in the ceremonies for legal uncleanness, there was for the most part blood used, and in their sacrifices for expiation of moral uncleaness; there was shedding of blood, to both which the Apostle alludeth, when he speaketh of the blood of Bulls and Goats, V. 12. and the ashes of an heifer; the blood of Bulls and Goats being shed in their sin-offerings, and the ashes of a slain heifer, used in cleansing those that touched a dead body. And surely what were all these cleansings by blood, V. 24. but types and figures of the cleansing by Christ's blood, for which cause the Apostle manifestly calls these purifyings, patterns of the heavenly things: indeed as the same holy writer saith, it is not possible that the blood of Bulls and Goats should take away sin, so that when expiation of sin is attributed to them, it is only to be understood in a tipical and sacramental sense, as they were shadows, figures, representations of this blood, whereof my Text speaketh; and therefore it is, they all vanished and were abrogated from the time of the shedding of this blood, in which they had their accomplishment, and by which this admirable effect was really and fully performed, the cleansing from all sin. For the better understanding of this precious truth, give me leave briefly to resolve these three Queries. What we are here to understand by the blood of Christ. What kind of causality this blood hath to the cleansing from sin. Whence it is that this blood hath this causality, and when I have thus opened the vein of this clause, I shall the better let out the blood contained it, for your spiritual refreshment. 1. In answer to the first of these you must know that this blood of Christ is here to be taken both metonymically, and synechdochically. 1. Metonymically, Socinus making use of this trope, understandeth by Christ's blood God's new Covenant, in which this benefit is promised; a sense which if admitted, yet according to a right construction, will nothing advance his design. It is true, he maketh it a metonymy of the adjunct, as if the covenant were called Christ's blood, only because it is confirmed by it; but when St. Paul telleth us in general, that all the promises are in him yea, is well as Amen, made, as made good; 2 Cor 1.20. yea when our blessed Saviour in particular calleth it the blood of the new Testament, or Covenant, Mat. 26.28. because it was shed (not so much for confirming the covenant, wherein remission of sins is promised us) for the remission (that is, obtaining the remission) of sins which is promised in that covenant, it plainly appeareth, that if by blood we will understand the covenant, it must be a metonymy; not so much of the adjunct as of the cause, & so it amounts to thus much, that the remission of sin which is promised in the new covenant, is procured by the blood of Christ, which is as much as the orthodox doctrine asserts. But the right metonymy here necessarily to be taken notice of is by the blood, to understand the death of Christ, and this of the cause for the effect; because by the violent effusion of his blood, his death was effected. The better to clear this, take notice that the blood of Christ was shed, according to St. Bernard (who supposeth they drew blood from his cheeks, when they smote him) seven, but rather six several times. Soon after his birth, when at his circumcision they took away the foreskin of his flesh, a little before his death in the garden, when he was cast into that bloody sweat, Vid. Bern. de pass dom. cap. 32. etc. in his scourging, when they ploughed his back with whips, and made long furrows on his shoulders, upon his coronation, when they plaited his head with a crown of thorns, at his death on the Cross, in the piercing of his feet and hands with nails, after his death when his side was opened with a spear, blood and water gushing forth; and truly, though none of these times, his blood was shed in vain, Colos. 1.20. Gutta sanguinis modica propter unionem ad verbum pro redemptione totius humani generis satis fecisset. Extrav. common. l. 5. tit. 9 c. 2. Clem 6. yet it is the blood of the Cross, when together with his blood, he poured out his life, that was the offering for sin, in which respect it is expressly so called by St. Paul: It is indeed by some asserted, that one drop of his blood (by reason of the hypostatical union) might have sufficed for the redemption of the world, but that must be taken cum grano salis: since (supposing at least Gods decree) it was no less blood than his life-blood, that could avail to the accomplishing this expiation. 2. Synecdochically. Socinianizing Vorstius making use of this trope, extends the synecdoche to that which he calls the whole oblation of Christ, and so comprehendeth not only his antecedent obedience, but his subsequent glory, to wit, of his resurrection, ascension, session, and intercession. But inasmuch as the author to the Hebrews expressly saith, that when he had purged our sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and again he entered into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us, Hebr. 1.3.9.12. yea our blessed Saviour himself being ready to up the Ghost cried, it is finished, I shall not noubt to assert, joh. 19.30. but that what concerned the acquisition of this great benefit was then fully performed, though the resurrection with the consequents of it were needful for the effectual application of it to us. This Synecdoche therefore is to be extended only to his passion, one part put for the whole of his sufferings, and so we are to construe it not only of his blood but his body; since as the one was shed, the other was crucified, and as here, his blood cleanseth from sin, so in St. Peter he is said to bear our sins on his body, yea St. Paul ascribeth our reconciliation; both to his blood, 1. Pet. 2. 2●. and to his body, nor yet only of his body and blood, but his soul also in which suffering a subtraction of the Divine vision, he cried out upon the Cross, My God my God, Colos. 1.20.21. Mat. 1.27.46. why hast thou forsaken me, and therefore the Prophet Isay, foretelling his passion, 〈◊〉. 53.10. mentioneth his soul which was made an offering for sin, in a word, not only his blood, and body, and soul, but his whole person is to be included, Gal. 2.20. Eph. 5.2. Tit. 2 11. the passion being expiatory (as you shall hear more fully anon,) in that it was the passion of such a person, and therefore it is often said he gave up himself, and more appositely to our present purpose, Heb. 1.3. is that of the Author to the Hebrews by himself he purged our sins. 2. For the Resolution of the 2. question be pleased to take notice. 1. That the cleansing of our sins is attributed in scripture to God, to Christ, to faith, and all of them have a real and several influence upon this benefit, the principal efficient of this cleansing is God, to whom therefore it is attributed in the 9 verse, the instrument receiving the benefit is faith, and therefore it is said to be through faith, the meritorious cause deserving this benefit at the hands of God for us is Christ's blood, indeed Socinus asserts (with a nihil verius) that God and Christ act in the same way of efficiency, Socin. in loc. only with this difference, God is the principal, and Christ the organical cause, and so God forgiveth by Christ, but whilst he only asserts, but doth not prove it; we may as confidently deny, as he affirmeth: especially when the scriptures express that not per but propter Christum, by, but for Christ we are forgiven, Eph. 4 ●●. 1. Io. 2.12. so our translators render the sense of St▪ Paul's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Christ, sake, and our Apostle in the twelfth verse of the next chapter, saith our sins are forgiven, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for his name sake. 2. More particularly, Christ's blood, is the meritorious cause of cleansing us from sin, inasmuch, as he thereby took our sins upon himself. This is the truth which the Apostle Peter manifestly asserts where he saith: 1 P●t▪ ●. ●4. he bore our sins on his own body on the tree, and presently addeth by whose stripes we are healed. Healing & cleansing are parallel phrases, our sins being the diseases of our souls, of these sicknesses we are healed, of these sins we are cleansed by Christ's bearing them on his body, which, because it was done on high, upon the tree▪ the Apostle useth not barely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth sursum tulit, not only he bore, but he carried up, whereby the sense is not diminished, Vide s●erae I●inerar in ps. super ●e●bum. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but augmented, as having in it a fit allusion to the sacrifices which were lift up upon the Altar. It is very considerable in this respect, that the hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 (like the latin tollo) signify both far, and auferre, to bear and to take away, and both these are used concerning Christ in this particular, Isay. 53.4. Joh. 1.29▪ the one by the prophet Isay, where he saith, he bore our griefs, the other by john Baptist, when he saith; he taketh away the sins of the world, and most aptly because he taketh away the sin from us: by taking it upon himself. To unbowel this precious truth know 1. That Christ bleeding and dying on the Cross stood in our stead and suffered in our room; to this purpose are those expressions, where Christ is said to suffer for us, 1 Pet. 2.21. Io. 11.50. Rome 7.3. to die for the people; for so much the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sometimes signifieth, as when St. Paul wisheth to be an anathema 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, for or instead of his brethren, and when the Apostles are said to be Ambassadors 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for that is in Christ's stead; more clearly to this intent is that phrase of the Evangelist, where Christ is said to give his life a ransom for many, the preposition being not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, which always implieth a commutation, and when it is applied to persons, 2 Cor. 5.20. M●●th. 20.78.2.22. signifieth the coming of one into the room of another, so Archelaus is said to reign in Judea, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, in the rooom of his father Herod. Yea, that this sense is intended where spoken of Christ's sufferings, appears by St. Paul's question, is Paul crucified for you? for if it were only meant for your good, 1 Cor. 1.13. Paul might have been crucified for them, as he tells the Colossians, I rejoice in my sufferings for you, Col 1▪ 24. and therefore crucified for you, must be as much as in your stead, which neither Paul, nor any other could be. 2. That Christ standing in our stead, death was inflicted on him by God for our sins: this no doubt is the genuine meaning of those Scriptures where he is said to be wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities: Isai. 53.1. Rom. 4.25. 1 Cor. 15.3. and again, he was delivered for our offences, he died for our sins. That these phrases cannot properly note the final cause appeareth, in that the end of his death is not our sins, but what is directly contrary to our sins, the destruction of them, who ever said that Physic was taken for death, that is, the avoiding death, but for the disease; the disease being that which necessitateth to Physic, besides to instance yet nearer when we say, a man died for theft, for murder, or treason: what else do we mean, but that those crimes were the deserving cause which brought him to his end. Thus Christ died for our sins, our sins bringing him to his Cross, to his grave; in this sense no doubt it is that the Apostle saith, he (that is God) made him to be sin for us, to wit, at least so far as to be made a sacrifice for our sins, when yet he knew no sin-namely, in himself, and look as the beast in the law was slain and sacrificed in the room, and for the sin of the person that brought it, 2 Cor. 5. ult. so was Christ crucified in our stead, because of our sin. 3. That Christ bleeding and dying for our sins, suffered that punishment which was due to us. It was the commination of God to Adam, Genes. 2.17. Gal. 3.13. Thou shalt die the death. Death then was the punishment due to him and all his posterity for sin, and this death which we must have undergone in our own persons, is inflicted upon Christ. To this purpose it is, that Christ is said by the Apostle to be made a curse: when this, but when he hung upon the tree, for cursed is every one that hangeth upon the tree, so that the curse which the law pronounceth against u●, was laid on him: if it be said that the curse and death which was due to us was eternal, whereas Christ's was temporary. I answer that duration is but a circumstance to the thing, and the reason why on us it must have been eternal, is because our punishment could no other way be infinite, which yet is required for the satisfaction of an infinite offended justice, whereas the case is far different in respect of Christ, as will appear presently. 4. That Christ having suffered that punishment which belonged to us, Heb. 7 2●. we must needs be thereby acquitted and cleansed▪ to this purpose he is called by the Author to the Hebrews, a surety: and look as the surety paying his debt for whom he is bound, dischargeth him from his creditor; so Christ suffering our punishment, freeth us from the obligation to it, which is all one with cleansing from the guilt of sin, and the reason is plain, for since the guilt of sin is its binding the sinner over to the punishment, Christ taking that punishment upon himself, and suffering it in our room must needs thereby cleanse us from that guilt, so that in few words Christ's blood being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a laver became 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a price satisfactory for our debt, hath obtained the forgiveness of it to us, and so we are cleansed. Having in some measure according to the scriptures explained the genuine notion of this causality, I shall not much trouble myself nor you with those farfetched and ieiune inventions of the Socinians, Socin. in loc. whereby they endeavour to elude these truths, and yet I cannot pass by one evasion because it is that Socinus annexeth to this very scripture as if this saying the blood of Christ cleanseth from sin were no more but that his blood declareth us to be, & assureth us that we are cleansed, so that what the Orthodox attribute to the Sacrament, instituted by Christ in commemoration of his blood, that these Heretics attribute to the blood itself, but how incongruous it is to expound this of a declarative cleansing, appeareth in that the Apostle who could best interpret his own language in the very next verse save one, unfolds it by forgiving besides this construction maketh cleansing from sin, to antecede Christ's blood, for if it did not praeexist, Eph. 1 4. Col. 1▪ 24. there not be could any declaring or confirming of it, whereas the scripture, both here & else where, plainly, positively asserteth this cleansing to flow from, & come through the blood of Christ, the consideration hereof no doubt forced Socinus to the finding out of other solutions, and there fore he sometimes asserts, that Christ's blood cleanseth inasmuch as it persuadeth us to a belief, & hope of eternal life, whereby we are induced to holiness of life, Vide Socin de Servat●re. and so our sins are cleansed, but all which is hereby ascribed to Christ's death is only a moral causality, nay rather a mere antecedency, sure it is Christ's resurrection, rather than his death which engenders that faith and hope in us, and it is not imaginable, that the scripture should so often attribute that to the death, which chiefly depends on the resurrection of Christ, add to this (which is very considerable) how remote (if any at all) an influence it is which Christ's blood according to this sense hath upon this cleansing, (for as Grotius hath well observed) the thread must be drawn out to this length. Vide grot. de satisfact. Christi c. 1. ad finem. Forgiveness and cleansing from sin, is conferred upon them that live holily, to live holily, we are induced by a certain faith and hope of the reward, the example of Christ raised from the dead, and exalted to glory for the holiness of his life is a way to beget this faith, & hope, that glorifying and rising his death did necessarily antecede and thus our cleansing from sin is obtained by his blood, but how credible it is that the scriptue should so frequently, so positively, so expressly attribute this cleansing to Christ's blood, and yet the dependence of these one upon the other to be at so remote a distance, and of so slender an energy, let any one who hath but a competent use of his reason Judge, 3. I proceed therefore to the answer of the last question nor need we go further than the text itself to find that, if you would know how this blood becometh so effectual to cleanse from sin, the answer is, because it is the blood of jesus Christ his son. I shall not altogether pass by nor yet insist upon that note which Estius hath upon the blood of his son, Vide est in loc. that in them there is a confutation of three heresies at once, the Manichees who deny the truth of Christ's humane nature since as Alexander said of his wound, clamat me esse hominem, it proclaimeth me a man, we may say of his blood, for had he not been man, he could not have bled, have died; the Ebionites who deny him to be God, since being Gods natural son, he must needs be of the same essence with himself, and the Nestorians who make two persons, which if true the blood of Christ the man, could not have been called the blood of Christ the son of God. That which I conceive here chiefly to be taken notice of is that our Apostle contents not himself to say the blood of Jesus Christ, but he addeth his son to intimate to us how this blood became available, to our cleansing to wit as it was the blood not merely of the son of Mary, the son of David, the son of Man, but of him who was also the son of God. Indeed that it was the blood of an innocent pure unsinning man did much conduce to this work since had he been himself a sinner he could not have cleansed us from our sins, 1 Io. 2.1. 1 Pet. 1.17. and therefore our Apostle in the next chapter joineth these two together Jesus Christ the righteous, the propitiation for our sins, and the Apostle Peter puts these together as of a precious lamb without spot and blemish, to this purpose it is St. Austin saith the blood, because it was the blood of him who had no sin himself, Aug de Trinit. l. 3. c. 15. Leo Ep. 8 3▪ was shed for the remission of our sins, and Leo suitably the pouring out of a just man's blood, for the unjust was effectual to our redemption. But though this was a necessary qualification in this person who did shed his blood for this end, yet that which gave the efficacy, and merit to his blood, was the fullness of the Godhead which dwelled in him personaly, Dames● de fide. l. 3. c. 15. thus Damasen speaking of his deity addeth, thence his passion became of a saving, and quickening virtue, and St. Cyrill expressly, his blood had not been a price for the world's sin, if he had been only man. Indeed Socinus asserts that the dignity of his person added nothing to the value of his sufferings, because the divinity itself did not suffer, but though the Godhead did not suffer yet Godman did suffer, and he who endured the punishment was God, Cyr. de rectan fide ad Reg. Socin. de 〈◊〉 though he did not endure it as God, in these respects it is said they crucified the Lord of Glory, and God is said to purchase his Church with his blood, 1 Cor 2.8. Act. 20.28. and here it is called the blood of jesus Christ his son, and we may as well say it is all one, to kill a King as a beggar, a Father as a stranger, because the mortal wound is directed against the body, not the dignity or affinity. The sum than is this, Christ's deity being personally united to his manhood, giveth an efficacy to his sufferings, hence it is that his person being infinite, the worth of his blood is infinite, and so it became commensurate and adequate both to the infinite demerit of the sin committed by us, and the eternity of the punishment, which was to have been inflicted upon us, and by the same reason that man's sin, being a finite act, yet deserveth an infinite punishment, because perpetrated against an infinite majesty: Christ's death though a temporary passion, cannot but be infinitely satisfactory, because it is the death of an infinite person, Christ jesus the son of God, blessed for ever. And now what other use should we make of this but as both a lookingglass, and an antidote. 1. In this truth as in a lookingglass, let us see these two things the heinous nature of our sins, and the unparaleld measure of Christ's love. Peccati inma●nitas Christi charitas Justin in loc. 1. View oh sinner the heinous nature of thy sins, from which nothing but Christ's blood can cleanse th●e, sin if looked upon in the glass of the law, cannot but appear sinful but when beheld in the blood of Christ, it must needs appear beyond measure sinful: Vide Gualt: hom. in ep. Bern de nat. dom. serm 3. ex consideratione remedii periculi aestimo quantitatem; saith St. Bernard excellently take notice of the greatness of thy disease, and danger in the remedy prepared for the cure of the one, and prevention of the other. Oh how great is that wound, which nothing could heal but the Physician's death. The truth is, Christ's blood in respect of sin, is both aggravating and diminishing: look upon sin in Christ's blood one way; & it appeareth not so terrible because this blood cleanseth from it: look upon it another way, & it appeareth abominable, because it could not be cleansed but by this blood. Tell me oh sinner why dost thou make nothing to defile thyself with that which cost thy Saviour so dear to cleanse thee from, how much rather should thy sins wring tears from thee since they drew blood from Christ? 2. Behold oh Sinner the exceeding love of thy Saviour, who that he might cleanse thee when polluted in thy blood was pleased to shed his own blood. Indeed the pouring out of Christ's blood was eximium charitatis opus, a superexcellent work of charity, hence it is that these two are joined together, and when the scripture speaketh of his love it presently annexeth his sufferings so St. Paul, Gal. 2.20. Rev●l. 1.5. who loved me and gave himself for me, so St. john, who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood. We read, that when Christ wept for Lazarus, the standers by said, Io. 11.36. see how he loved him, surely if his tears much more his blood proclaimeth his affection towards us, thus may we see the bowels of his compassion through the wounds of his passion. The jews were the scribes, the nails were the pens, his body the white paper, and his blood the red ink, and the characters were love, exceeding love, and these so fairly written, that he which runs may read them. I shut up this with that of devout Bernard, Behold, and look upon the rose of his bloody passion, Bern. de pass dom c. 41. how his redness bespeaketh his flaming love, there being, as it were a contention betwixt his passion and affection, this, that it might be hotter, that that it might be redder, nor had his sufferings been so red with blood, had not his heart been inflamed with love. Oh let us beholding magnify, magnifying, admire, and admiring, praise him for his inestimable goodness saying with the holy Apostle unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his blood be honour and glory for ever. Rev 1.5. 2. Make use of this truth as a cordial to revive thy drooping soul, in a time of inward affliction: it is the note of Oecumenius upon the text. Is any one affrighted with the light and sense of sin? vide Oecumen. Aguust in loc. Let this cleansing by the blood of Christ make him confident, and to the like purpose St. Austin, the devil hath put in a caveat. an hand-writing against us, but let us be secure: the blood of Christ hath blotted it out. Me thinks I hear some wounded, broken sinner crying out in despair. Woe is me that ever I was born, my sins are for number innumerable, for measure, unmeasurable, and I am not able to cleanse myself from any, no not the least of them. Oh what mountains of grievous sins lie upon my back, that I am not able to look up, oh what scarlet crimson bloody sins continually sly in my face, that I am not able to behold without desperation, oh that I had never been, oh that I might be no more, whether shall I sly, who carry my guilt still along with me? What shall I do to be eased of this oppressing burden? Ah my sinful soul what will become of thee? Vile wretch that I am, where shall I appear? But stay thou despairing sinner; with poor Hagar in the wilderness, Z●ch. 13.1. thou art crying, weeping, dying, when as behold a well of water is by thee, a fountain of blood is opened for sin, and for uncleanness, thou dost well to bewail thy own sin, but thou dost ill to forget thy Saviour's blood. Thou sayst thou art a great sinner, true, else Christ needed not have shed his blood, thou sayst thou art a great sinner, be it so, yet Christ's blood cleanseth from all sin. Dicitur Christus emundare ab omni peccato quia nullum est tam immane sacinus quod Christi sangnine non potest elli. Justin. in loc. And therefore is Christ's blood said to cleanse from all sin, because there is no sin so great from which it cannot cleanse, what if thy sins be clouds: thick clouds, yet the beams of this sun of righteousness can dissipate them, what though they be mountains, yet this red sea can swallow them, what though they be scarlet sins, yet this scarlet blood can make them white as snow. View the catalogue of those sinners whom this blood hath cleansed, and thou shalt find fornicatours, idolaters, adulterers, effae'minate, abusers of themselves with mankind, thiefs, covetous, drunkards, revilers, extor●tioners have been washed by it, for such saith St. Paul to the Corinthians, 1 Cor. 6.9. were some of ye, but ye are washed: look once again, 10.11. and thou shalt find a blasphemer, a persecuter, (for such was Paul himself) nay murderers, even those who had a hand in the murder of Christ himself, 1 Tim. 1.15. (for such were those converts at St. Peter's sermon) Act. 2.35. cleansed mercifully by this very blood which they shed so cruelly. Sinners, this blood still as it were runs afresh, and the efficacy of it is as full now, as it was at first, only remember that this blood which was shed, cleanseth not unless it be sprinkled, so much David intimateth in that prayer, purge me with hisope, Ps. 51.7. hyssop being that by which the blood of sacrifice was sprinkled, to which answereth faith, Jo. 3.14. whereby our souls are sprinkled with this blood of Christ. The brazen Serpent cured those who were stung with the fiery Serpent, but not without their looking on it: The blood of Christ can cleanse us from all our sins, but not without our applying it. Go then oh sinner in a sense of thy own filthiness to thy blessed Saviour, say to him with the Leper, Math 8 2. Ma●k 9 24. Math. 11.28. Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean, with the Father of the child, Lord I believe, help my unbelief, remember his gracious invitation to come, and his comfortable promise of ease, and be not faithless but believing. Nor needest thou mingle any water with this blood, popish pennances, pilgrimages, indulgencies or any such like inventions of superstitious dotages, this blood alone can cleanse▪ and by joining any thing with it, thou dost what lieth in thee to defile and debase this blood. To him then, and him alone; have recourse with a lowly, yet lively confidence, relying on the merits of his blood, which cleanseth from all sin. 2. You have seen the position in itself, be pleased now to look upon it: in its reflection, on what proceedeth, and thus we may consider it two ways. Either as these words are an answer to some objection, which may be made against the preceding. Or as the preceding words prevent a misapplication which may be made of these. 1. Whereas the Apostle saith in the former part of the verse. If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellwoship one with another. It may be objected though we now walk in the light, yet before we walked in darkness, and will not that hinder our Communion, nay besides, though we walk in the light: yet we still fall into darkness, and will not that make a separation between God and us, to both these we have a clear answer returned in these words. Et maxim apud Johannem causaliter usurpatur. l●r. in loc. Ezek. 18.21.22. 1. As for our past sins, committed before conversion, they shall not hinder this fellowship, because? (so (and) is sometimes taken; especially by S. John) the blood of Christ cleanseth from all sins. To wit, as some expound it (truly though not fully) all past sin, it is the promise of Almighty God, made by Ezechiell, that when the wicked, turneth from his wickedness that he hath committed, all his transgressions that he hath committed they shall not be mentioned to him, indeed the convert himself still penitently remembers them, bu● God mercifully forgets them, and why? the blood of Christ cleanseth from them, whence by the way it is well observed by Zanchy: that it is not our walking in the l●ght; cleanseth from our former works of darkness: but the blood of Christ. Zonch. ibid. Our present obedience is not, cannot be any compensation to God, for our former disobedience, we now do no more than we ought to do, and therefore it cannot satisfy for our former doing what we ought not, and not doing what we ought to do, but the merit of Christ's blood both can and doth expiate our former guilt. 2. As for our present sins, whither continual infirmities; or our particular gross acts, into which we may fall: notwithstanding, we walk in the light, from these upon our repentance, the blood of Christ cleanseth, & so our fellowship with God continueth, it is true we cannot walk so exactly but sin will cleave to us, sin in whomsoever it is, cannot but provoke God to separate from him, I but the blood of Christ cleanseth us from our sins, whereby it is that we still have fellowship with God. Thus doth this sentence at once: both infirmitatis nostrae nos admonere: admonish us of our own weakness, & adversus desperationem munire, Calv. ibid. arm us against those fears which the sins we fall into, by reason of that weakness may prompt us to; whilst we have still a refuge to fly to a rock to lay hold upon, a plaster to make use of, even this blood of Jesus Christ which cleanseth from all sin. 2. There is yet another relative consideration of these words; which would by no means be left out, as being that which may serve like the angels flaming sword; to keep of impenitent sinners from coming to the tree of life. Brethren, this is a very comfortable doctrine which you have heard of Christ's blood cleansing from all sin, and I doubt too many will be ready to lay hold on it, to whom it doth not yet belong; when therefore you apply this comfort, take with you the condition, if we walk in the l●ght as he is in the light; the blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin. And remember that this hypothetical proposition is equivalent to an exceptive, unless we walk in the light the blood of Christ will not cleanse us. Hence then impenitent presumptuous sinners, here is bread indeed; but not for Dogs, a pearl, but not for swine. The comfort of this text is precious; but not common, and though that his blood is able to cleanse all: yet it only will cleanse them that walk in the light. It is the strange conceit of many, that all is so done for them, that nothing needs to be done by them, whereas Christ's blood so cleanseth from sin, that we must walk in the light, it is the horrid presumption of some, that though they live in sin, they shall be cleansed by Christ's death whereas his blood cleanseth only such as walk in the light. Oh then, let us not deceive ourselves with vain hopes, Christ hath borne our sins, we must not therefore think to lay what load upon him we please: he only taketh away their sins, who cast away their sins. Christ's death is a plaster for wounded sinners, but we must not presumptuously wound our selves: in hope that this plaster will cure us. Finally, Christ's blood is a rich treasure, to defray the debts of humble sinners, and to bear the expenses of such to heaven: but there is nothing allowed for wanton prodigals, who spend freely, and sin lavishly, upon the account of Christ's merits: and therefore to end all, be sure in reading, and applying to join the beginning of the verse with the end. If we walk in the light the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin. THE FIRST EPISTLE OF St. JOHN. SERM. 14. CHAP. I. Ver. 8, 9, 10. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. THat vision which Moses saw of a bush burning in the fire, Exod 3.2. Ignis in Rubo symbolum est sapientiae quae consistit in cognition D●i & nostri lap. in Exod. Vide Gualt. in loc. is symbolically applied to instruct us in that most exquisite wisdom, the knowledge of God and ourselves, nor unfitly, since flaming fire is a fit emblem of God's purity, and the thorny bush of man's iniquity. This sight me thinketh St. john presenteth us within this Chapter, if you please to cast your eyes on the sixth verse you may behold the fire, a delineation of God's holiness, who is light without any darkness, here in these verses you may meet with the bush, a declaration of man's sinfulness. It was the prayer of a devout Ancient, Domine noverim te, noverim me. Lord let know thee, let me know myself; this aught to be the prayer, the study of every Christian to know God's purity that we may admire him, ou● own impurity that we may abhor ourselves, no wonder if St. John having acquainted us with the one, here minds us of the other. If we say we have no sin, etc. After the Preface contained in the first verses, we entered into the body of the Epistle, wherein we have taken notice of the Text, and the Commentary. The Text wherein is comprised the main subject of the whole Epistle is set down in the three preceding verses. That being handled, we are now to enter upon the Commentary as it is enlarged in the remaining part of the Epistle. There are three principal terms in the Text, to wit, fellowship with God through Christ, which is denied to them who walk in darkness, and assured to them who walk in the light. To one of these three (as will appear by the handling) every thing in the following part of the Epistle belongs. But that which our Apostle begins with, and most insisteth upon, is walking in the l●ght; his chief drift being to chalk out the steps of this way to divine communion, in which he often collaterally describeth them who walk in darkness. The words which I have now read, contain one, and that which is both the first and the last step of a Christians walking in the light, namely an acknowledgement of his sins, contrary to which, they who walk in darkness, instead of acknowledging their faults, justify themselves as if they had no sin. For the more methodical handling of the words, be pleased to tade notice in them of two general parts, A confutation of the arrogant begun in the eighth ingeminated and amplified in the tenth verse. A consolation of the penitent briefly, but fully laid down in the ninth verse. Begin we with the confutation, Gen. 1. wherein we have considerable The truth implicitly asserted. The error explicitly confuted. The first of these will justly take up this hour's discourse; it is that, which is though implicitly, Part 1. yet manifestly asserted; and since accords to that Geometrical maxim, Rectum est index sui & obliqui, that which is strait, discovereth not only itself, but that which is cro●ked; so by the clear apprehension of this truth, we shall the better discover the odiousness of this error. The truth plainly laid down in these two verses, is, That all men are sinners; and that not only before, but after conversion: for if there be no truth, nay, God's word is not in them, who say they have no sin, it must needs be a true saying, and consonant to God's word, That all men have sin. It is a truth which you see consists of two parts, though the latter be principally here aimed at, and chiefly to be insisted upon. 1. All men before conversion are in a state of sin: Gal 3.22. thus S. Paul saith expressly, that the Scripture hath concluded all men under sin, nor can we understand this note of universality too largely, it being true not only of all sorts of men, but all men of all sorts; that either have, are, or shall be. Indeed, all men by corrupted nature, are so far from having no sin, that they have no good: and therefore that complaint of the Psalmist is enlarged by the Apostle, as true, of all, both jews and Gentiles; P●▪ 14.1 Rom. 3▪ 12. they are all gone out of the way, they are become unprofitable, there is none that doth good, no not one: but the truth of this is so evident, that I shall not need to expatiate upon it. All men even after conversion continue sinners: indeed by grace we cease to be wicked, but not to be sinners. It is the note of St. Hilary, upon these words, thou hast trodden down all them that err from thy statutes, Ps. 119.118. Si enim peccatores spe●ne●et omnes utique sperneret quia sine pecca to nemo est Hilar. in Ps. 118 that we are not by them that err, to understand all sinners, but wicked Apostates: for if God shall tread down all sinners, he must tread down all men, because there is no man without sin. That this truth is here intended and asserted by St. john in these words, will appear, if we consider, 1. The connexion of this with the precedent verse, which evidently seemeth to lie thus. The Apostle there affirmeth, that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth them who walk in the light, from all sin. Whereas it might be objected on the one hand, that they who walk in the light have no sin, and therefore need not the blood of Christ to cleanse them, our Apostle here tacitly returneth answer, letting them know that even they who walk in the light, are not altogether free from sin, and therefore have continual need of cleansing by Christ's blood: and whereas it will be said on the other hand, if the benefits here mentioned stand upon such terms of walking in the light as he is in the light, We who have darkness mixed with our light, cannot hope to be partakers of them: our Apostle here preventeth it by acquainting us, that it was far from his intent by this phrase to exact unspotted purity, or a perfect freedom from all sin. 2. The persons in respect of whom he maketh this supposition, to wit, himself; and the rest of the holy Apostles. Indeed I do not deny but that the aim of our Apostle in these words was to confute those in his time, who living in wickedness, & thought themselves pure, but withal, it is manifest that the argument by which he confuteth them is drawn a majori ad minus, from the greater, to the less. If we ourselves, (St. John and the other Apostles) cannot say, much less might the Gnostics say, that they had no sin, for doubtless the Apostle would never have made the supposal in such persons, if it were not thus far true, that supposing even they should say, they had no sin, they did but deceive themselves: and as his meaning at the 6. verse, by putting the reproof in his own person, is to assert that if he or any of the Apostles should walk in darkness, and yet say they have fellowship with God, even they would be found liars; so it is his intention here to affirm, that if he or any of the Apostles should challenge to themselves this immunity from sin, they would be found self cozeners, yea injurers of God himself. This truth which I am now to handle, hath met with many Antagonists, and therefore I shall the more largely and distinctly unfold it in these ensuing propositions. 1. This non exemption from sin is affirmed, not only de praeterito, but de praesenti; in respect of time past, but present: indeed we find both tenses used by our Apostle in this matter, Soc. in loc. vorst. in loc. Grot. in loc. the present in the 8. the preterperfect in the 10. Vorstius, and Grotius in this, (as in too many other places,) tracing the footsteps of Socinus, would expound the former, by the latter, Praeteritum pro praesenti. Ambr. de Abr. l. 1. c. 8. as if the present tense used in the 8. verse, were to be understood of the time past, the tense of which is expressed in the 10. and so refer both to the state of Christians before their conversion to the faith: but I know no reason why we may not as well expound the 10. by the 8. as the 8. by the 10. besides, it is an usual hebraeisme, which kind of phrase our Apostle much followeth, to put the preterperfect tense, for the present, & therefore it is more rational to expound those words, we have not sinned, by those we have no sin, than these by those, Non dicit Joannes si pec at●●n non habuerimus sed habemus. etc. Aug. de perfect. Justitiae. 1 Io●. 3.9.5.18. and so this assertion is verified concerning all Christians not only before, but after conversion, & indeed this is not mine, but St. Augustine's note upon the 8 verse. St. John doth not say, if we say we had, but have no sin; indeed there are two places in this epistle, which seem to contradict this construction of these words; the one where he saith, he that is borne of God cannot sin, and the other not much unlike, where he saith, that which is borne of God sinneth not. What the full sense of these Scriptures is, I shall (God willing) insist upon, in their proper placest for the present, In quantum à Deo nati sumus non peccamus. &c Aug in Ep. it may suffice to answer, either with St. Austin, that he who is born of God, sinneth not, to wit, as he is born of God. Regenerate men being therefore subject to sin, because but in part regenerate, and that holy men fall into sin, is because of the remainders of the old man, not so far as their natures are renewed, or else, as St. John seemeth to expound himself, in the one place, that he who is born of God, doth not sin, that is, doth not commit sin, which being a synonimous phrase with working iniquity, is only true of unregenerate persons; and in the other place, that he who is born of God, sinneth not, that sin of which he there speaketh in particular, namely the sin unto death, notwithstanding which, it still remaineth as a truth, that even they who are borne of God cannot say they have no sin at all. 2. This total immunity from sin is denied not only of ordinary, but eminent, even the holiest Saints that have been, are, or shall be. The We of whom my Text speaketh, were the Apostles, who as they were dignified in office above others, so no doubt they obtained greater measure of grace than others; yea, he that includeth himself in the number was St. John, Quis sine aliquo peccato sine aliquo vitio cum clamet qui s●pra pectus Domini recubuit etc. Aug Ep 29. add Hieron. 2 Kings 10.3. who of all the Apostles was most beloved of Christ, and as St. Austin excellently, Who can say he is without sin, when he that leaned in the bosom of Christ, saith, If we say we have no sin. Indeed as Jehu wrote to the rulers of jezreel in another case, look out even the best and meetest of your Master's Sons, I may say in this, look out even the best and holiest of God's children, & see, if any of them can, or dare wholly acquit themselves from sin; the truth is, as that forementioned Father saith, If we shall ask all the Patriarches, Aug. contr. Pelag. Epist. ad Bonifa●. Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, de sepissi dum in hoc corpore degerent una voce concorditer responderent, they would with one consent say of themselves as living on earth, in these words; If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. To this purpose is the observation of Beza, and Zanch. upon the text. Bez. in loc Zanch. in loc Consider who it is that here speaketh, and that in his own person: who then can be excepted out of the catalogue? It is true, there is one whom he calleth in the next chapter, jesus Chr●st the righteous, who is most justly to be excepted; of him it is said, He did all things well: Mark 7.37. Joh. 8.46. Himself maketh the challenge, Which of you can convince me of sins? he was no doubt altogether free from the least spot or stain of corruption, but as for any other exception, this general rule admits none. I know the papists contend very earnestly, that the Mother might be exempted, as well as the Son, asserting her to be free from all kind of sin. It is true, Exceptâ sanctâ virgine de quâ propter h●norem D●mini nullam pro●sus quam de peccatis agitur habere volo quae st●onem etc. Aug de Nat & Grat. Excepto 〈◊〉 mediatore Dei & hominum. etc. Id. de pers. J●st. Luc. 1.47. St. Austin in one place speaking of the saints sinfulness doth except her, but not in their sen●se, as if she were not a sinner, but for the honour of Christ, he would not have her mentioned as a sinner, and therefore elsewhere he is clear, and express, that all are sinners, except the one only mediator between God and man; nor need we fear to injure the blessed Virgin in joining her with the rest, when as herself calling Christ her Saviour, acknowledgeth herself to be a sinner: indeed that her conception of Christ should be without sin, was needful, but that she her self should be without all sin, was not necessary, nor doth the Scripture, or the ancient Church affirm. Clement. Alexandrinus is express, only the word is without fault, and St. Basil, the Scripture beareth witness only to one that he knew no sin, Cl. All padag. l. ●. c. ult. Bas. hom. de poenit. Tertul. de orat. c. 7. & Tertullian expressly, our Lord commandeth his disciples to pray, forgive us our trespasses, as knowing himself only without sin. I shut up this with St. Ieroms saying, If there be any who may attain to this state of perfect purity, he must be holier than any, nay then all the Apostles. 3. This perfect freedom from sin is not denied, Hieron. adv. Pelag. de suturo but de praesenti, of the future, but only the present time. Our Apostle doth not say, If we say we shall have no sin, nay it is an undoubted verity, there will be a time when we shall sin no more, yea, when sin shall be no more: As man in his created estate had a posse non peccare, a possibility of not sinning; so in his glorified condition he shall have a non posse peccare, an impossibility of sinning. But now, as in his fallen estate, he cannot say he doth any good, so in his renewed condition, he cannot say he hath no evil. Alexander Alensis starteth an objection of Pelagius seemingly very acute, Alex. Al. pars 3. quaest. 61. art. 5. nay solid, that either God would have us without sin, or he would not; to say he would not have us without sin, were to deny his nature, contradict his word, which calleth upon us to sin no more. If he would have us without sin, then surely we may be so, since the Divine Will cannot be conversant about impossibilities. To which he returneth this answer, and that very aptly to our present purpose, God would have us without sin, quantum ad futurum statum, as to the future, but not as to our present state. And if you desire a fuller untying of the knot, be pleased to know, that 1. Voluntate praecepti, God calleth upon us to be perfect as he is perfect, Math. 5.48. Jam. 1.21. and requireth us to lay apart all filthiness, nor is it unjust for him to command that which we might once have done, but now through our own default cannot, and so is impossible, not per se, but per accidens, in its own nature, but accidently, yea in wisdom he commands men not to sin, Aug. de peccat. merit. et remiss l. 2. Id. de perfect. J●stit. though he know they cannot but sin, that in the disobedient he may punish, not the cannot, but the will not, thereby glorifying his justice, and in the obedient, he may reward the willing to do what they cannot, and so glorify his mercy; in a word, the design of these precepts is to teach us what we ought, not what we can, to set the mark before us which we must shoot at, though we cannot reach to it till we come to Heaven. And therefore 2. Voluntate decreti, God's decree is that we shall gradually come to perfection, and here endeavouring to attain, hereafter attain what we endeavour. To this purpose it is that the Church which Christ is said to present to himself, Eph. 5.27. not having spot or wrinkle, is called a glorious Church: to intimate saith Chemnitius excellently, That then, and not till then, the Church shall be without spot, Chemnit. exam. Concil. Trident when she is glorious, and that is, when it shall be triumphant, and appear with him in glory. 4. This impeccability is not denied, as that which might not have been, but as that which supposing God's council, cannot be. Aug. de peccato● mer. & ●emiss. l. ●. S. Austin moveth the question whether it be possible for a man assisted by grace to be without sin, and resolveth it affirmatively, nor can it be gainsayed, but that if God had so pleased, he might have restored his Image to man perfectly at his first conversion, or he might have conferred such extraordinary grace (as a pecuilar privilege) upon some particular men, whereby they should have been free from all sin. God neither hath commanded any thing which was impossible in itself for man to do, nor is it impossible for God to assist a man fully to perform what he commands: but what need we dispute of God's power, when we know his purpose: 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Gr. Naz. hom. jact patr. divine decree hath placed impeccability beyond the reach of any mere man in this life, there cannot be any one named that hath been, and we may surely conclude, there never will be any one on whom such a prerogative shall be conferred. From hence S. Jerome hath well reasoned against Pelagius, It is in vain to assert such a power which never is reduced into act, and to say a man may do that which yet no man could ever do, yea (as he doth) to say a man might be without sin, Hier. adv. Pelag. dial. l. 1. Id. ad Chesiph. adv. pelag. Ro●. 7.19. if he would, when the blessed Apostle cryeth out, The good I would do, I do not, and the evil I would not do, I do, is foolish, and absurd, yea, heretical and impious. 5. There is a great deal of difference between these two phrases, Habere peccatum & Haberi a peccato, to have sin, A●g. de nat. & great, l. 6. c. 2. and to be had by sin, to the one is required only the presence, to the other the dominion of sin: There are many that can say, nay, all truly regenerate persons may say, they are not had by, and under the possession of sin, but yet they cannot say, they have no sin, remaining in them; the weakest Christian is not under the reign, and the strongest is not without the being of sin: aliud est non habere peccatum, Id. in ep. ad. Gal. aliud non obedire desideriis, it is one thing not to have sin, and another not to obey sin. He that obeyeth any sin, and yet saith he is a saint, deceiveth himself, and he that is a saint, should he say he had no sin, would but deceive himself likewise. 6. It is not a possibility of freedom from gross, scandalous, enormous sins which is here denied, H●c inter peccatum distat & crimen quod omne crimen peccatum etc. Greg. Mor. l. 21. c 9 Absque vitio quod graece dicitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hominem esse posse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e sine peccato esse neminem. Hier. adv. pelag dial. l 2. Phil. 2.15. L●c. 1.6. Aliud est esse sine peccato▪ aliud esse sine querelâ. etc. Aug. de perfect. J●st. Id. in Joh. tr. 41. but from any sin whatsoever. St. Gregory maketh a distinction between crimen and peccatum, that though every crime is a sin, yet every sin is not a crime, and proportionably many in this life are without crime, but not without sin. To the same purpose St. Jerome asserts, that a man may be without that which the Greeks call malicious wickedness, and yet not free from sinful spots: and not much unlike, St., Austin where he saith, It is one thing to be without sin, and a-another to be without blame. We may read of men without crime, without blame, but of none without sin▪ It is the Apostles council to the Philippians, that they should be harmless, without rebuke; and accordingly it is said of Zachary and Elizabeth, that they walked in all the commandments of the Lord blameless: and no doubt there are many godly men who lead such lives that the world cannot tax them, nor they themselves with any known gross wickedness, but still they want not infirmities cleaving to them. When therefore St. Paul saith of the Saints▪ that they are free from sin, it is an inchoate, not a consummate liberty, and a freeedome from great, not all sins, as St. Austin appositely, the truth is, to be without sin is the holiness of Heaven: to be without gross sin, the holiness of earth. 7. It is not a possibility of freedom from this, or that particular sin, but from all sin that is here denied. There are several sins which godly men may say they have not; nay there is not any one particular great sin which a man may not, through divine assistance, be able to avoid; Alex Al. p. 3. quaest. 62. art. 5. Ex 〈◊〉 partibus p●t●st esse ex omni non nisi in resurrecti●ne ca●nis. Aug. exp●s. in ep. ad Ga● but to say, We have no sin at all in no kind nor respect, were arrogancy in the holiest person: this is the position of that great schoolman, A man may shun any sin in particular, but not sin in general, and his instance excellently illustrateth it. If there be an 100 leaks in a ship, it is easy to stop any one of them, but difficult to stop them all; we may be in a great measure, and in many respects, No●anter dicit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pr●p●i● ergo loquitur de peccato ut ita dicam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 habituali & pe●petu 〈◊〉 inhaerente. Ger. loc. come. de peccato. Ma●. 7.11. Per conditionem communis nobis originis etc. Hilar. ibid. Sine culpà in mundo esse non potest qui in mun dum cum culpa veni●. Greg. hom 39 in Evang. 2. Co●. 4.16 Pr●●ecto qui de die in diem re novatur ad huc no●dum t●tus est renovatus etc. Aug. de peccat. mer. &. remiss. l. 2. c. 7. but not in all, free from sin, till the resurrection of the flesh. 8. Lastly these two expressions, the one of hav●ng sin, the other of having sinned, are not improbably referred by interpreters, the one to original, and the other to actual sins, and accordingly I shall demonstrate the truth of this doctrine in respect of both. 1. If we say we have no sin, (that is no original sin) remaining in us, we deceive ourselves. That our Apostle here intends original sin, is probable, because he useth the singular number sin, not sins, as if it were some special sin he pointed at; and likewise because of the phrase of having, which intimateth, that he speaketh of that sin which is as it were habitual and innate in us. It is not unworthy our observation, that Christ speaking to his own Disciples, calls them evil; and St. Hilaries note upon it, is, that the reason of this appellation was in respect of that common stain of natural corruption which did still adhere to them. Indeed we all, bringing sin with us into the world, cannot be without it whilst we are in the world; it is the Apostles expression, that we must be renewed daily, and it is St. Augustine's gloss, that therefore we are but in part renewed, and so the old man is still ab●ding in us. Indeed according to that known elegant expression of St. Bernard, this sin is weakened, but not plucked up; cast down, but not cast out▪ subjugated, but not extirpated in the best of God's saints. Hence the doleful sigh, and sorrowful complaint of the holy Apostle, Bern. in. ps. qui hab. Serm. 10. Oh wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death? knowing (saith that devout Father) that he should not be loosed from the root of bitterness, Id. de advent. Serm. 6. Dom. law of sin, till he was loosed from his body; nor could this sin which separateth between God and us, be separated from him, till his soul was separated from his body. It may be here objected what is by the Romanists asserted, that concupiscence in the regenerate is no sin; and so, though they have concupiscence, yet not therefore sin▪ to insist upon this controversy would be a digression, it is enough, that whilst they only account it paenam and fomitem; a punishment of sin, and as it were the fuel of sin. St. Paul no less than fourteen times calleth it by the name of sin, in the 6.7. and 8. chapters to the Romans. Rom. 6.7.8. ch●pters. It may perhaps further be objected what is generally agreed to, that baptism be coming an instrument of regeneration, washeth away original sin: & therefore why may not regenerate baptised persons say, they have no original sin? But the schools answer to this objection is very full, that Sacraments are administered to the person, & therefore the person is free from the guilt, whilst yet still the nature is defiled with the stain of original sin; & whereas it may be retorted, that if the sin remain, the guilt cannot be abolished, guiltiness being an inseparable adjunct of sin: I answer, that the ●eatus simplex, guilt abstractively considered, is not taken away: but as redundans in personam, concretively considered, it is taken away, so that this guilt shall not be imputed to the person whilst yet there are some remainders of the sin in him, so that he cannot say truly he hath no sin, to wit, no original corruption. 2. If we say we have not sinned by actual transgressions, we deceive ourselves▪ Is. 32.13. that expression of the prophet, upon the land of my people shall come up briers & thorns, is not unfitly moralised by St. Gregory to this purpose, since the briers and thorns of iniquity are to be found growing in the land of God's people, the hearts and lives of God's saints. Greg. mor. l. 17. c. 10. Quis inveniatur ita immunis à culpâ ut in eo non ha bea● vel justitia quod culpet, vel misericordia quod remi●tat. Leo epiph. Serm. 7. 1 King. 8.46. James. 3.2. Cypr. de orat. dom. Excellently to this purpose saith L●●, who is found so void of fault, that there is not in his life, what justice may blame and mercy pardon? it is the position of Solomon in his prayer upon his supposition, If they sin against thee, for there is no man that sinneth not; and the assertion of St. james including himself in the number, who yet was called james the just, In many things we offend all; yea our blessed Saviour prescribeth it as part of a form of prayer, for his own disciples, Forgive us our trespasses; and as St. Cyprian well noteth, to check any high conceits of our sanctity, he mindeth us of our daily sins for which we have need daily to ask pardon. Indeed as St. Gregory aptly, we must know there are some faults not to be avoided by the most righteous persons; such are those delicta quotidianae incursionis, Tertull. de pud●cit. as Tertullian calls them, sins of quotidian incursion, to which all men are subject: yea in respect of these it is St. Ambrose his complaint, Ambros. de Apolog. david. unus quisque nostrum per singulas horas quam multa deline 〈◊〉? in how many things do every one of us offend every hour? Cypr. l. d. no wonder if St. Cyprian assert, opus est nobis quotidiana sanctificatione; We have need of renewed sanctification; that as we sin daily, so we may be daily purged by repentance; nay that the wise man makes the challenge, P. ●. 20.9. who can say I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin? We can neither ascribe what purity we have to ourselves, nor yet attribute perfection to our purity. To illustrate this more distinctly, consider 1. Even the external conversation of the best men is not exactly pure. The life of a Christian is as it were a book, his birth the Title page, his Baptism the Epistle Dedicatory, his years the leavs, and his actions the lines in those leaves, and there are some lines in the leaves of the fairest life, which by reason of their errata, are legenda cum venia, to be looked upon with a favourable eye, since if God should examine our acts with a severe eye, Aug. confess. l. 9 c. 13. woe would be to the most commendable life, as St. Augustine excellently. 2. Put the case that a man were free in respect of his external actions, yet who is free from internal motions? though thy hands were perfectly clean, Leo de quade ages. Serm. 3. yet thy heart is not. To be free from all titillations, and motions, is not for this life, which is a continued temptation: that expression of our Saviour, joh. 13. ●0. He that is washed, need not, save to wash his feet, is fitly alluded to by St. Bernard, for our present purpose, Bern Serm. de coenâ dom●. He is washed, whose head, that is, his intentions, and hands, that is, his operations, are clean. But our feet, which are lusts and affections, whilst we walk upon the dust of this world, continually need washing. 3. And yet further, though one might arrive at such a perfection, 1 Cor. 4.4. as to say with St. Paul, I know nothing by myself, yet as he saith of himself, he could not thereby be justified. Indeed it is most probable, that the Apostle there speaketh only in respect of the discharge of his calling, concerning which he knew nothing by himself, for which he was blame worthy: but take it in the largest extent, that he knew nothing by himself in the present bent of his heart, and course of his life, yet he as well as David, and so every Saint, hath reason to pray, Cleanse me from secret sins; many things being sins, which yet we know not to be so▪ Ps. 19 ●2. and there being much filth, and uncleanness in our hearts, which by reason of their deceitfulness we are not able to discover and find out. 4. Finally, Our holiest services are full of infirmities, so that if we say, we have not sinned in the best duty that ever we performed, Exod. 28.38. we deceive ourselves. This was visibly represented, where Aaron the high priest, a type of Christ, was to bear the iniquity of their holy things; and it is not improbably conceived as the assertion of Solomon, when he saith, There is not a just man on earth that doth good, and sinneth not, that is, who sinneth not in the good he doth; Ecles. 7.20. yea it is the confession of the Church, All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; upon which St. Bern●rd, Is●. 64.6. Bern. Serm. 5. de verb. Isaiae. Gers. de consol. l. 4. Our righteousness though upright is not pure, unless we think ourselves better than those who uttered those words; and Gerson upon the same Scripture, infers, Who dare then boast of his righteousness before God? No, brethren, there is a worm in our best fruits, dross in our purest gold, smoke in our brightest fire, spots in our most beautiful & splendid performances: our graces are not without their defects, our duties not without their defaults: who finds not his knowledge d●mme, his faith weak, his love cold, his zeal remiss? Who may not complain of dulness: deadness, wandringnes in his devotion? Who ever could say, he loved God with all his heart, with all his soul, with all his might, and with all his strength? & ex hoc vitio non est justus super terram, by reason of this defect no man can be perfectly just upon earth: Aug. ep. 29. for though a negative imperfection (such as there was in Adam as created by, if compared with God) be no sin, yet a privative imperfection, (such as is now in our best righteousness) undoubtedly is. It is no fault for a thing not to be so perfect as another is, but it is a fault for a thing not to be so perfect as it ought to be; and therefore because no grace existing in us ariseth to that degree, no duty performed by us is exactly according to the manner which Gods law requireth, it must needs be a sin: where then it is said of any person by God himself, that they are righteous, as of Noah, Job, and others, I'm d● ope●um Imper. l. 11. c. 22. it is to be conceived, saith the learned Chamer, as a testimony given of them according to the indulgence of mercy, not the rigour of justice; Id. ibid. and where the works of godly men are called good works, though they are absolutely called good works, yet they are not absolutely good, since as St. Gregory saith of himself, so may every Saint, Greg. Mor. l. 8. c. 8. My ●vill actions are purely evil, but not so my good actions; indeed, we must distinguish of sins per se, & per accid●ns, the good actions of wicked men are not sins in themselves, but as performed by them: we must further distinguish between sinful actions, and sin in an action; the good works of the godly are not sinful works, but yet they have sin in them: so that to sum it up, the best actions of bad men are turned into sin, and the best actions of good men are accompanied with sin: so that none can say, no not in respect of their good duties, We have not sinned. And yet I do not hereby assert, what some do too rigidly, that a man sinneth in every action he doth; there are some actions done by men that are not humane, but natural, and those cannot be said to have sin in them; besides, there may be in a renewed man some sudden emanations of the will as regenerate, antecedencies to the conflicts and lustings of the will as corrupt, and those may be conceived as sinless, but still all deliberate actions must needs have some sin cleaving to them. As for those doctrines therefore which assert a possibility of keeping the law, of an unsinning estate in this life, I say (as Jeremy upon Hananiahs' prophecy of the speedy deliverance to the Jews) Amen, Jer. 28.6. the Lord do so; Oh that we might be so perfect! but still I must assert with St. Austin, it is a state, magis optandus quam sperandus, to be desired, Aug. de pelf. Just. yea and endeavoured, but not to be hoped for in this life; and here with St. John, If we say we have no sin: if we say we have not sinned, we deceive ourselves. To apply this doctrine. It is worthy to be considered by three sorts of persons, The wicked, the weak, the strong. 1. Let wicked men take heed how they abuse this doctrine, it is too usual a consectary, which ungodly wretches draw from these pr●mises, If the best cannot say they have no sin, no wonder if we commit sin: and they think it a sufficient excuse for their flagitious wickedness, every man hath his faults, would you have us chaster than David? soberer than Noah? have not the godliest fallen into sin? so that as we may say of many rich men, It were happy for them if they did believe that error of Pelagius to be true, an impossibility of rich men's salvation, since it would divert them from Earth to Heaven, whereas because they may lawfully care for the things of the earth, they care for nothing else: the like we may say of many wicked men, It were happy for them they did believe Pelagius his error in this particular to be true, That men might be without sin: sure, because they hear no man can be without sin, they think themselves safe enough, though they live in sin. But oh thou foolish sinner, knowest thou not that though no man can be without moats, yet good m●n are without beams? they have infirmities, but they are free from enormities? knowest thou not that though no man can be altogether without sin, yet he is best that hath the least? Vitiis nem● sine nascitur, optimus ille qui minimis urgetur Flac●. and every good man striveth to his utmost against all sin; and therefore take heed how thou cheat thyself with these false reasonings. 2. Let weak Saints hence comfort themselves against the stir of their lusts, the sense of their infirmities, and their daily frailties, which they find accompanying them; it is too usual with tender consciences, to be too harsh to themselves; and because they find much sin, to conclude, that they have no grace. Indeed it is good to be jealous of our own hearts, still to suspect our graces, our duties, lest they be counterfeit: but withal, we must take heed how we censure them to be counterfeit, because they are imperfect. There may be good gold where there is much dross, burning fire hid under many ashes, and the truth of grace may be in that heart which is sensible of various and strong lusts; indeed these burrs of sinful corruption as they cleave to us, so they should prick us; our manifold imperfections and infirmities, should be the matter of our grief, but not of our despair; we cannot be too bitter against our sins, even the least; yet we must not be too severe against our selves, because of those lesser sins which we cannot be rid of: if the holy Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, could not, whilst on earth, say they had no sin, no wonder if thou groan under the weight of many sins. 3. Let strong Saints be hence admonished to be 1. Lowly in their own eyes: That God will not have his Saints altogether free from sin in this life, is not opus impotentiae, but sapientiae, from want of power, but abundance of wisdom: and one special reason why the godly have sin still adhering to them, is to keep them humble and poor in spirit: Indeed Pelagius scoffs at this as a great absurdity, that sin should be a means to prevent sin, as if fire could put out fire: but St. Austin answereth him fully, Aug. de nat. & great. c. 28. that it is no unusual thing for a Chirurgeon to cure a grief, by causing grief; putting his patient to pain, that he may remove his pain; and we may answer him in his own instance, That fire is the way to fetch out fire. The truth is, it is not the remainder of sin, but the sense of those remainders which is a means to humble us, and abate that spiritual pride, which is too apt to arise, even from our graces; and look as grace accidentally causeth the sin of pride, so our sins accidentally cause the grace of humility: when therefore we are at any time apt to pride ourselves in our gay feathers, let us look upon our black feet; and as with one eye we behold the good that is done by us, so with the other, the evil that remaineth in us. Ga●. 6.1. 2. Charitable towards their brethren. If thy brother be overtaken in a fault, restore him with a spirit of meekness: give to thy neighbour's actions the allowance of humane frailty, and be not too rigid in censuring other men's faults. If they offend in one thing, perhaps thou art more guilty in another; if they fall to day, thou mayst tomorrow; the same corruption that hath led another aside, is still in thee; and (if grace withdraw) will soon prevail over thee; indeed, if you practise the former duty, you will soon learn this, pride and censoriousness are ever companions, and he that is lowly in his own esteem, will be charitable towards others. 3. Watchful over their own hearts: indeed, he that carrieth gunpowder about him, had need beware the least sparks of fire: what cause have we to take heed of every temptation who are at best so prone to be led into it? Happy is the man (saith Solomon) that feareth always; no doubt, he sinneth least, that most feareth lest he should sin; it is Jobs saying of himself, according to the vulgar Latin, verebar omnia opera mea, job 9.23. I did fear all my works; let the best do so, fear themselves in all their actions, lest they should fall into sin. 4. Frequent in prayer to God; for this shall every one that is godly prey to thee, saith David: for this, Paal. 32.6. what because of his sins? and who? not the wickedest, but the godly in this respect have cause to pray; Vide Aug. ibid· and for what should he pray? surely for renewed pardon, for increase of grace, and for the perfection of glory. We cannot say we have no sin: Oh then let us pray with David, Enter not into judgement with thy servant oh Lord; where there is a double emphasis observable, it is not ab host, but à servo; though God's servant, yet he would not have God to enter into judgement with him: and again, ne intres, it is the very entrance into judgement, that he dreads and prayeth against; not only do not proceed, but do not so much as enter; when we have done our best, we have need to crave for mercy. Again we cannot say, we have no sin, let us pray for more grace, Vide Hier. adv. Pelag. Aug. de lit. & Sp. c. 36. that we may every day have less sin; so doth Paul in effect, when he confesseth himself not to have already attained, but resolveth to reach forward: we must never cease to hunger and thirst after greater measures of righteousness, till we are wholly and perfectly without any stain of sin; Luke 17.5. and therefore we must continually say with the Apostles, Lord increase our faith, and all other graces of thy spirit in us. Finally, since we cannot now in this life say we have no sin, how should we pray and sigh, and long to be possessed of that future felicity? indeed, in this respect only it is lawful and commendable to desire death, that we may be free, not from pain or misery, but from sin and iniquity, upon this ground we may, we ought, and the stronger we are in grace, the more earnestly we should groan for the day of our perfect redemption, when we shall be clothed with unspotted purity, perfect felicity, and that to all eternity. AMEN. THE FIRST EPISTLE OF St. JOHN. SERM. 15. CHAP. I. Ver. 8.10. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there is no truth in us. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. IT is one of the sage counsels which the wise man giveth, Turn not to the right hand, nor to the left, P●o●. 4.17. remove thy foot from evil: the genuine and literal sense whereof, no doubt, is that we must keep the strait way, which God hath chalked before us in his word, not in the least declining on either hand, Declinare ad dexteram est prosperis efferri ad sinistram adversis deprimi. Hug. but withal, there are several allusions, and profitable applications made of these words by the Ancients: Hugo taketh the right hand as an emblem of prosperity, to which we must not turn, by being too much l●f●ed up, and the left hand of adversity, which we must not turn to, by being too much cast down; vene●oble ●ed● resembleth by the right hand, Declinare in sinistram est st●ltitiae se dedere in dextram plus sape●e quam sapere oportet. Bed. In dextram declina●e est seip. sum decipere dicendo se esse sine peccato etc. Aug. de peccat m●r. & remiss. l. ●. c. 25. Via regia deducit inter d●o extrema, etc. 〈◊〉. in loc. 〈◊〉, to which we must not turn by being wise above what is written, and by the left hand, folly, to which we must not turn by giving ourselves up to its dictates; once more to our present purpose, according to St. Austin. To turn to the right hand, is▪ by saying we have no sin, to deceive ourselves; to turn to the left hand, is to go on in sin, and yet think ourselves safe, and our condition happy. Both these our Apostle warneth us of in this Chapter, and it is not mine, but Aretius his observation, where he saith, the King's high way lieth betwixt two extremes, the one whereof is to will a continuance in our sins, the other to acquit ourselves from having any sin, the former of these which is secura delectatio peccati, a secure delight in sin, is that which is sharply reproved at the sixth verse, which calleth those liars who walk in darkness, live in wickedness, and yet boast of communion with God; the latter of these which is superba justitiae presumptio, proud presumption of our own righteousness, is no less severely condemned in these verses, letting such know how vainly they cozen themselves, and highly they injure God, If we say we have, etc. Having already dispatched the first branch of the confutation which is the truth implicitly asserted; proceed we now to the second, which is the error expressly refuted: for the handling whereof be pleased to observe these two things, The opinion wherein the error consists, and that is set down in the beginning of the eighth and the tenth verses, If we say we have no sin, if we say we have not sinned. The arguments by which it is refuted, and dissuaded, drawn from The folly of it, in that we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. verse eighth. The impiety of it, in that we make God a liar, and his word is not in us, verse tenth. Begin we with the opinion itself, Part. 1. which we see is not singly mentioned, but ingeminated; as if our Apostle would hereby insinuate, that it is at once both a very common and very dangerous disease, no less spreading then deadly, infecting in some degree or other, the greatest part of men, of Christians. The manner of committing this moral error, is saying, which refers both to the tongue and the mind; saying, is not only peculiar to the lips, every thought is interpreted by God a saying; the heart may cry when the tongue is silent, and we may say when we do not speak. Hence it is, that though this be not our open assertion, or outward protestation, yet if it be our inward thought, our secret imagination, we shall be found guilty before God. The truth is, this error is managed several ways; some say it with their tongue, and not with their heart, they cannot but be convinced of their own hypocrisy, and yet b●ast of exact purity, their consciences secretly nip them with the sense of guilt, yet they pretend to the highest form of Saint-ship. Some say it with their heart, and not with their tongue; they are not so impudent as to profess it, yet they proudly conceit it; yea whilst with their lips they say, in general they are sinners, they think themselves pure: Finally, some say it both with heart and tongue, the conceit is so strongly fixed in their minds, that they are not ashamed to utter it, proclaiming themselves to be without sin, and all these are here included; so that if we say it with either, or both, we are among the number of those who are here charged. The matter of this error, is a denying that we have sin, or that we have sinned: which yet is capable of a double construction, Either, that we have not sinned in respect of this or that particular action; thus, when we deny the fact as not done by us; like that Adulteress, who wiped her mouth and said, I have done no evil, P●o. 30.20. or acknowledging the fact, we deny it to be a fault, and that we have sinned in doing it, as Jonah, jonah 4.9. who said, I do well to be angry, we run into this error. And surely if it be bad, non dicere peccavimus, not to say we have sinned, by acknowledging, it is far worse, dicere non peccavimus, to say we have not sinned by justifying our faults. Or, that we have not sinned, yea, have no sin at all in our whole course; that our ways are right, our doings pure, our conversations unblamable, not only before men, but God; this is that which our Apostle here no doubt chiefly intendeth, and therefore in this sense I shall handle it. That there are such, and that in all ages who soothe up themselves with such conceits, is no difficult matter to demonstrate: Solomon the wise observed it in his time, when he said, P●o. 30.12. There is a generation of men that are pure in their own eyes, and yet they are not washed from their filthiness: in very deed, they were filthy, and yet in their own eyes they were pure; they did nothing but sin, and yet said, they had no sin: and truly what generation of men hath there been, wherein this generation hath not been? yea, it is not improbably observed, that therefore he calls them a generation, because they have still succeeded one after another, as generations do. Indeed there are two things to which hypocrites are very prone, to s●y they have those graces which they have not: so did the Church of Laodicea say, Rev. 3.17. she was rich and increased with goods, and had need of nothing, yet she was poor, and blind, and naked. To say they have not that sin which they have, So did the Jewish Church against whom the Prophet Jeremy declaimeth, jer. 2.25.35. for saying, I am not polluted, I have not followed Baalim: and again, I am innocent, therefore the anger of the Lord is turned from me: our blessed Saviour speaking of the Pharisees, calls them the whole, when he saith, the whole need not the Physician, but the sick; not that they were so in reality, no, Mat. 9.12. they were full of bruises and sores, but in their own apprehension, conceiting themselves to be free from that soul-sickness, and spiritual disease of sin. To the same purpose it is, that elsewhere he calls them the just ones, which need no repentance; these self-justiciaries imagining themselves to have no sin, Luke 15.7. thought that they needed no repentance. Of the same arrogant temper was that young man in the Gospel, who said to Christ concerning the Commandments, All these have I kept from my youth, Mat. 19.20. since to keep all the Commandments, is as much as to be without sin, there being no sin, where there is no breach of the law. This opinion the Gnostics against whom S. John especially levels this confutation had concerning themselves, as if they only were the perfect Christians, and fancying that they were no more polluted by the wickedest actions, than the Sunbeams are by the dunghill; of this tribe was Novatus and his followers, concerning whom S. Cyprian saith, that he thought himself and his disciples to be gold, Cypr. de Novat. when as in truth they were brass, or as the Father's phrase is, Golden Calves; not much unlike to these were the Cathari, who had that name given them from the high estimation they had of their own purity, whilst they were full of poison, and therefore are compared by Epiphanius to the Basilisks, which though a venomous creature, hath a royal name; Epiphan. adv. haer. T. 1. haer. 49. little better are the Antinomians; who account repentance a legal duty, affirm that God seeth no sin in them, nay, are so audacious, as to say they are as righteous as Christ, and yet worse are the Familistical Ranters of this age, who impudently assert, that what soever they do is no sin, and all these say at least in effect, they have no sin; for you must know that a thing may be said two ways, formally or interpretatively, explicitly or implicitly, directly or indirectly; and thus as the Atheist saith, there is no God: not only when in plain terms, he denieth a deity, but when he denieth to God those things which are the essence of a deity; in which respect, to say God is not true or just, or omniscient, is to say there is no God: so the Justiciary saith, he hath no sin; not only when he saith it expressly, Psal. 14.1. but when he saith that which amounts to as much: in which regard, to say we keep the Commandments, we need no repentance, God beholds no sin in us, whatsoever we do is no sin, is all one with saying, we have no sin; and although there are few, very few who flatly deny a deity, yet many who do it by a circumlocution. So, though there are but few who deny themselves to be altogether without sin, yet (as appeareth by what hath been already said) there are many who say that which is virtually to deny it, and so are justly chargeable with the opinion which our Apostle here declaimeth against, If we say we have no sin. Having in some measure discovered wherein this opinion consists, Part. 2. it remaineth that we now proceed to manifest the erroniousnesse of it, that we may be dissuaded from it: and to that end consider we the arguments which our Apostle here useth, of which 1. The first is the folly of it, in that by so saying, We deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us: where we have two expressions, the one principal, the other collateral, annexed by way of confirmation: the point our Apostle layeth down is, that in saying we have no sin, we deceive ourselves; and the proof he adjoineth is, because there is no truth in those that say so. 1. In saying we have no sin, we deceive ourselves; this self-conceit is a self-deceit. It is at first view a strange assertion that a man should deceive himself; if a man would deceive, it were more probable he should deceive an enemy than a friend, a stranger than a kinsman, one that is afar off, then near to him; nay there is inbred in every man a love of himself: yea, proximus quisque sibi, every one is nearest to himself: and is it to be imagined, that he would deceive himself? for a man to kill another, may sometimes be (at least be accounted) valour, but to kill himself can be thought no other than madness; for a man to deceive another, may by worldlings (at least) be esteemed craft, policy, wisdom, but for a man to deceive himself, must needs be adjudged mere folly, and yet thus it is with all wicked men, to whom by reason of corruption, it is natural to be unnatural, whilst by doing what is sin, they kill themselves; and by saying they have no sin, they deceive themselves. Indeed as the Prophet Jeremy saith, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Jer. 17.9. there being a mystery of iniquity in our corrupt minds, P●o 20.17. the heart is sometimes in Scripture metaphorically described by the belly, and truly there are not more twist and fold in the guts of the belly, than there are turnings and, windings in the heart of man, by which we are too too witty to cozen ourselves: no wonder if the wise man saith, he that trusteth to his own heart is a fool; and that it was the prayer of St. Austin, Pro. 23.16. Custodi libera me de meipso Deus, Lord deliver me from myself? 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, is an excellent rule, remember to distrust, especially thyself; and ever keep a narrow watch, Epictet and a jealous suspicion over the dictates of thy own heart, which is so prone to deceive thee. Among those many things whereby we are apt to deceive ourselves, none more frequent than this which our Apostle here specifieth, whereby we are well conceited of our own innocence; the truth is, we have such an inordinate self-love, that it is no wonder we fall into self-flattery: they say in Optickes, that if the object be too near the eye, we cannot rightly discern it; we are very near and dear unto ourselves, and therefore it is we discern not the sins that are in ourselves; Every way of man, saith Solomon, is right in his own eyes; indeed, therefore it is right in his own eyes, because it is his own way. Prov. 21.2. The eye which seeth all other things, beholdeth not itself. hence it is, that whilst we spy moats in others, we see not the beams in our own eyes, and so deceive ourselves, in saying we have no sin. Indeed there want not other impostors who are ready enough to put tricks upon us. The devil, that old Serpent, that grand Juggler, is very busy to delude us, and that in this kind: it is his great design to make us believe those things not to be sin, which are so; and to think our selves not to have those sins we have. Besides, the world, a cunning deceiver, is very willing to soothe us up in a good opinion of ourselves. Nay, there want not false teachers, cheaters rather, who persuade their followers (at least) that they are the Saints, the pure, the godly party; whereas they act those things which even Heathens would blush at. But the truth is, were it not for ourselves, none of these could deceive us; were we faithful to our own souls, they could not betray us: we are willing to be deceived, yea, to deceive ourselves in the matter of our own goodness, and that because 2. The truth is not in us. Indeed, where ever there is deceit, there is falsehood; since to be deceived, Decipimar specie recli. H●r. is to apprehend a thing otherwise than it is, or to take a thing to be that which it is not; True, there must be some show of truth, it must seem to be that which we take it to be, or else how should we be cheated? but there is no reality nor truth of the thing, else it could not be a cheat: will you know then how men come to say they have no sin? they seem so in their own eyes, and thereby deceive themselves: but indeed it is not so, there is no truth in their conception; and so it must needs prove a deception. Look as when a man deceiveth another, it is by a verbal or a real lie, presenting that which is not; Veritatem non esse in aliquo est aliquem mentiri. Zanch. i● loc. so it is when a man deceiveth himself, in which respect one expounds this negative by the positive of lying, the truth is not in us; that is, we lie to ourselves, in saying we have no sin. It is not unfitly here taken notice of, that our Apostle doth not say, There is no humility, but there is no verity in us: Indeed, one cause, why we deceive ourselves in saying we have no sin, is the pride of our spirits: a proud man hath only one eye open, both in respect of his neighbour, and himself; of his neighbour, he hath one eye to see his spots, but not his beauty, his faults, but not his gifts; of himself; he hath an eye to see his beauty, but not his spots, his gifts, but not his faults, and so becometh a self deceiver. In this regard our Apostle might justly have said; there is no humility in those, Aug. Sent. 365. Eccles. 7.16. who say they have no sin. Indeed as St. Austin occasionally speaking of those words, Be not righteous overmuch, and understanding it of a self conceited righteousness, truly asserts, it is not justitia sapientis, but superbia praesumentis, The righteousness of the wise, but the pride of a presumptuous man: but that it may appear, that that which causeth even the holiest to accuse themselves of sin, is not only the lowliness of their minds, but the truth of the thing; and that according to St. Cyprians speech, Cyp●. ●e ●pere. & altemus. he that thinketh himself innocent, is not only proud, but foolish; yea in plain terms, a liar, therefore he saith there is no truth in us. It is the question of the wise man, Who can say, Prov. 20.9. I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin? and such a question, to which none can return an affirmative answer: who can say it, and say it truly, and not be untrue in saying it? since both to ascribe that purity which we have to ourselves, and to ascribe that purity to ourselves which we have not, Bez in loc. Quis ●●is sicac●ipiend●m putat ut dicat●r propter humilitatem n●n qui● ita verè est. Anathema sit Milevit. Concil. Aug de nat. & great c. 34. are manifest and odious untruths. To this purpose it, is what Beza observes, that these words are spoken by St. john, not only for modesty, but truth's sake; yea a council hath pronounced an anathema against any who shall assert that this was spoken only in humility, but not because so in truth: suitable to which is St. Augustine's note upon these words, St. john doth not say, If we have no sin, we extol ourselves, and there is no lowliness in us, but we deceive ourselves, and there is no truth in us, since thus to say is not only to lift up ourselves with an high conceit of that purity which we have, but to flatter ourselves with a misconceit of that purity we have not. To explicate this clause in its fullest latitude: know there is a double truth, which may be denied to those who thus say; truth of grace in their hearts, and truth of knowledge in their minds. 1. There is no truth of grace in our hearts, if we deceive ourselves by saying we have no sin: it is the note of Ghis●erius, occasionally upon these words, that the sense of this clause, Gh●sler▪ ●n Jerem Aug. confess. l. 5 c. 10. is as much as we defile ourselves by this conceit, and it argueth a want of truth and sincerity in us. St. Austin acknowledgeth it an heinous sin, that he did not account himself a sinner, nor is there a surer brand of hypocrisy, than this foolish arrogancy; indeed, good men are sometimes apt to deceive themselves in a contrary way, by denying the grace of God which is bestowed upon them, saying in the bitterness of their souls, they have no faith, no love, no repentance, when yet both in the sight of God and others, these graces appear to be in them: It is a self deceit, which must be taken notice of, and avoided as an act of ingratitude; but yet it is an error of the right hand, and therefore the more tolerable: but this which my text speaketh of, is of another nature, and that which only wicked men are subject to, who though they live in sin, yet deny sin to be in them: sincere Christians oft times think themselves worse, but only Hypocrites think themselves better than they are, and so being just in their own eyes, they become unjust. 2. But that which is the genuine sense, (as hath been already intimated) is that there is no truth of knowledge in our minds: truth in the mind is the congruous & adaquate conceit of the understanding to the thing, and therefore this conceit being not adequate, but opposite, no● congruous, but contrary to the thing, is justly charged with falsehood. This will the better appear, if we look into the rotten foundations of this perverse opinion, which are no other than misapprehensions, misconstructions, or false reasonings. The word which St. James useth for deceiving ourselves, is very significant to this purpose, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, 〈◊〉. ●. 21. which is to deceive ourselves by false argumentation, this is very evident, in this self dece●t my text speaketh of, which is grounded not upon syllogisms framed by reason, but paralogis●●s made by fancy. Thus this conceit that we have no sin, is in 1. Some, from a misunderstanding of the nature of Divine concourse, to human actions; as if because in him, m●n l●ve, move, and have their being, therefore whatever they do, God doth it in them, and so they can have no sin, not distinguishing between the physical entity, and the moral obliquity of the action, nor considering that he who maketh an horse to go, doth not therefore make him to halt in his going. 2. Others, from a strange fancy of I know not what nature within us distinct from us, to which our sins are to be attributed, and so we are acquitted: such were those falsi & fallentes sancti, deceived and deceitful Saints, of whom St. Austin speaketh, Aug. c●ns. l. 5. c. 10. Jam. 1.14. who said it was not they that sinned, but another nature within them, whereas St. James saith, When a man is tempted, he is drawn aside of his own lusts. 3. Many, from a misconceit of what is sin, whilst they think nothing is in its own nature evil, but only according to men's opinions of it: so that what St. Paul saith concerning meats, they say of actions, I know and am persuaded, by our Lord jesus, Rom. 14.14. that there is nothing unclean of itself, but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean▪ this was as Iren●us informeth us, the lying Doctrine of the Gnostics, and Carpocratians, whence they concluded, J●en. ad v. haere●. l. 1. c. 24. that nothing they did was sin, not considering that not our opinion, but God's law is the rule both of good and evil. 4. Too many, from a misapprehension of the nature of justification, as if it were an utter extinction, where as it is only a non imputation of sin, as to punishment; as if because Christ is made to us of God righteousness, so far as to cover us from his revengeful, Rom. 14. 1●. therefore it must be also from his omniscient eye; as if because we are made righteous by Christ, we must be as righteous as Christ; whereas our Apostle here plainly tells us; that though Christ's blood cleanseth us from all sin, yet we cannot say we have no sin. 5. Very many, from a misconstruction of the true meaning of the law. S. Paul saith of himself, that he was alive without the law, Rom. 7.9. to wit, in his own opinion, before the law came to him in a right representation; no doubt that which made the Pharisees think themselves pure, and the young man brag of his obedience, was that they knew not the spiritual intent, and comprehensive extent of the laws: and truly thus it is still with many civil, and moral justiciaries, who think themselves careful observers of the law, and are ready to answer for themselves to every commandment: they think they fulfil the first, in that they only acknowledge the true God, the second, in that they never bowed to an Image, the third, in that they do not use to swear by God, the fourth, in that they are constant goers to Church on the Lord's day, the fifth, because they honour and respect their natural parents, give the Minister good words, and wish well to their King, the sixth, because they never killed any man, the seventh, because they are no whores, nor rogues, the eighth, because they never cut a purse, or broke open an house, or robbed on the high way, the ninth, because they never gave in false evidence to the judge, or jury, and the tenth, because they were never sick for Naboths vineyard, not considering, that the law in every precept doth not only forbid a sin, but command a duty, and that it doth not only reach to the outward work, but the inward thought, to the act itself, but the attendants, occasions, and whatsoever hath affinity with it. Indeed besides these, it were easy to reckon up many more mistakes, which are in men's minds about the corruption, that cleaveth to their nature●; the examples of those who are abominably vile, the success and prosperity God is pleased to vouchsafe them in their ways, all of which will be found, if weighed in the balance of the sanctuary, very l●ght, and therefore since this saying we have no sin, is itself a misconceit, and ariseth from false reasonings, well might our Apostle say of such, there is no truth in them. And now what improvement shall we make of all that hath been said of this particular, but to dissuade us from this vain, false, wicked deceiving ourselves with an opinion of our own righteousness? Alas, though thou deceive thyself, thou canst not cozen God; thou thinkest thyself fair as Absolom, he seeth thee foul as Thersites; whilst thou esteemest thyself amiable, thou art in his sight, a Leper, a Lazar, full of sores; the truth is, thou art never a whit the less, nay, thou art the more sinful in Gods, because thou art sinless in thine own; besides, it is no less than thy soul's welfare, that is endangered by this deceit; and how great is that danger? we account that Patient desperate, on whom a mortal disease is seized, and yet he saith he is not sick: is not this thy case? thy soul is spiritually sick, and thou knowest it not; this conceit is that which at once both hindereth our repentance & pardon, & therefore must needs be exitial; he that is not sensible of his sickness, will not seek after a remedy; nor will he that saith he hath no sin, look out for a pardon. All reproofs, threatenings, admonitions, have no influence upon his spirit; he feareth no punishment, but goeth on securely: and indeed by this means he is without the compass of pardon, as St. Augustine and St. Bernard excellently; Qui negat se ●alere peccatum non h●c agit ut peccat●m non haber●t. sed ut ●●niam non accipiat. Aug. de civet. Dei. l. 13. Excl●●it miseriae dissimula●io misericordiam, nec dignatio habet locum ubi fuerit praesumtio dignitatis. Bern. Psal. 50.21. presumption of our own dignity, excludeth divine mercy; and he that denieth he hath sin, doth not make himself the less sinful, but the less capable of forgiveness: nay let me add this, that though thou mayest thus deceive thyself for a while, yet the time is coming, when thou shalt be undeceived to thy shame, and horror and confusion. It is the threatening of Almighty God to the sinner, that thought God was like him, sinful; and it belongs as well to him that thinketh he is l●ke God, sinless, I will set thy sins in order before thee. Who can express what horror seized upon ruined Babylon, which had said, I sit as a Queen, I shall see no evil? the like shame shall sit upon the face of hypocrites, which say they have no sin, when God shall set their sins in order before them. Oh then be not so injurious to yourselves, as to harbour this self-deceit; you think it self-love, but indeed it is self-hatred, there being no worse enemy than a seeming friend, a base flatterer; and that you may no longer be thus deceived, be true to your own selves, and labour to have your minds enlightened, your judgements rectified, that you may pass sentence upon yourselves according to truth; be much in examining yourselves, searching your hearts, trying your ways, and that impartially: the truth is, we deceive ourselves, because we do not see ourselves; we do not see ourselves, because we do not search ourselves; and we cannot search ourselves, unless we have the candle of divine illumination: pray we therefore that the eyes of our understandings may be opened, and thereby the truth of saving knowledge conveyed into us, that we may no longer be such fools, as to deceive ourselves by saying we have no sin; and this so much the rather, because it is not only an injury to ourselves, but to God, which leads me to the 2. Second argument, which is the impiety of this opinion, in that hereby we make God a liar, and his word is not in us; and this is represented by a double character, to wit, the blasphemy and the infidelity of those who say thus, their blasphemy, in that they make God a liar, and infidelity, in that his word is not in them. 1. We make him a liar, a very vehement and urgent expression, how earnest is our Apostle in confuting this error. Magnâ verbo●um vehementiae prop situm urget. Fer. Numb. 23.19. Heb. 6. 1●. Indeed this phrase at first reading may seem harsh; the thing which it asserts being in a proper sense impossible, we make him a liar, it cannot be, God is not a man that he should lie, or son of man that he should repent saith Balaam; and again, it being impossible for God to lie, saith the Author to the Hebrews. Indeed, If God should either do what is evil, or speak what is false, Mat. 5. Hebr. he could not be a God: but beloved, though God cannot be a liar, we may be said to make him so, no really, but interpretatively, when we do as much as lieth in us, to make him so; look as an Adulterer looking upon a woman to lust after her, though she be not defiled, is said to commit adultery with her in his heart, and as Apostates are said to crucify the Son of God afresh, Matth. 5 28▪ Heb. 6.6. not that he who is possessed of his crown, can again be brought to his Cross, but that such sinners do what in them lieth, to bring him to it: so self-justitiaries, though they cannot justly fasten the least lie upon God, yet they do what they can to make him so: perhaps indeed this is not that which they directly intent, but yet it is that which must necessarily follow upon their saying, and therefore this brand is justly fastened upon them. This will further appear, if we consider what God hath said both in his laws, and in his Gospel, his law accuseth all men of sin, his Gospel offereth pardon of sin to all men, so that law and Gospel affirm (at least implicitly) that all men have sin, if therefore (as they say) they have no sin, God must be a liar in both: indeed the dilemma is manifest, either they must be liars, or God; their saying must be false, or Gods: since there is an apparent contradiction between them, God saith all men have sinned, and they say we have not sinned; no marvel if our Apostle charge them with making God a liar. See hence at once both the pride and the danger of these pharisaical hypocrites, Dum non vult hypocrita se accusare peccati mavult Deum accusare mendacii· Zancb. Rom. 3.4. their pride in that rather than accuse themselves of sin; they dare to accuse God with lying, and lest any blot should lie upon their purity, they go about to slain God's veracity. Thus, as it were inverting those words of St. Paul, Let God be true, and every man a liar; they say, Let God be a liar, so we may be pure and true. How dishonourable, and therefore provoking this must needs be to God? we may guess by our selves, our proverb saith, the lie deserveth a stab; we cannot in words offer a man a greater injury then to give him the lie; and can we think that God himself doth not take it as an high affronts, from those who go about thus to make him a liar? Yes certainly, and all such proud wretches shall know it is an evil thing to cast so great a dishonour upon God, and whilst they condemn God unjustly as a liar, he will one day condemn them justly as liars, in deceiving themselves, and having no truth in them, yea as blasphemers, in making him a liar, and as unbelievers in that. 2. His word is not in them, by word here some understand Christ who is called at the first verse the word of life, V. 1. and so his word is not in us, is as much as Christ is not in us if we thus say, this is the rather observable, because many who say they have no sin, pretend to have Christ in them, and be in Christ; yea that therefore they have no sin, because Christ is in them, and they in him; whom the Apostle according to this construction here plainly contradicteth: and indeed it cannot be otherwise, since where ever Christ is, there is his Spirit; and where the Spirit of Christ is, there is a divine light discovering to a man the darkness that is in him, and effectually, convincing him of his own sinfulness. But though this be a truth, I do not conceive it the truth of this clause, and therefore with the generality of the best interpreters; I understand it in the proper and usual sense, not for Christ the word; but for the word of Christ, vide est. Zanch Menoch▪ gleyr, in 〈◊〉. not the word which is God, but the word of God; And thus it will not be amiss to consider this clause, both in i●s self and in its reference. 1. Consider this clause in its self, and that which we have to inquire, is, what our Apostle meaneth by this phrase? negatives are best known by the affirmatives, as privations are by habits, and therefore by knowing what it is for the word of God and Christ to be in us, we shall learn what this meaneth, the word is not in us. The word is then said to be in us; when according to Christ's phrase, in the Gospel, it doth take place in us, Io. 8.38. quid est ergo non capit in ●●bis non capit corvestrum etc. Aug. in joh. ●●. 41. (〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being there according to Camerarius, as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉) and find entertainment with us, and surely than it taketh place in us, when it taketh place in our hearts, as it did in David, who saith Thy word have I hid in my heart. The word is then said to be in us when according to St. james his phrase it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an engrafted word, and that is, when, james 1.21. as the tree being opened, a graft is set deep into it, Acts 16.14. and so becometh one with it, or rather it one with a graft, so our hearts being opened (as Lydias, was) the word is deeply imprinted in it, and it sweetly closeth with the word. If yet more particularly you ask how this is done? I answer in one word by believing, when the mind giveth a clear assent, and the will a full consent to the word, than it is received by, and dwelleth in us, so interpreters paraphrase, Non amplecti●r, non intelligimus, non retinemus veram ejus doctrinam, His word is not in us, that is, we do not understand and embrace by faith, the true Doctrine of his word. And that this is S. John's meaning in this place; we need no other expositor than himself in his Gospel, where he bringeth in Christ, saying, ye have not his word among you, For him whom he hath sent, you believe not, thereby plainly intimating that to have his word abiding in us, joh. 5, 37. is to believe in his word. Look how Christ himself is said to be, and to dwell in us, So is his word, now the Apostle Paul's expression is full, of Christ's dwelling in our hearts by faith, Ephes. 3.17. indeed on Christ's part, the Spirit, and on our part Faith maketh the union, between him and us, and both these, 1. Thes. 1.5. concur to the inbeing of the word, when the word is received as St. Paul saith of the Thessalonians, in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance to wit of faith. To end this, be pleased to know that there is a great deal of difference between these two, his word among us, and his word in us, his word is among us, when published, and made known to us, but it is not in us, unless received and believed by us, and therefore (my brethren) let us not content ourselves with the former, but labour to find the latter, It is very observable what St. Paul saith of of the Colossians. The Gospel is come unto you, and bringeth forth fruit in you, which it could not do were it not engrafted, Col. 1.5. Heb. 4.2. and therefore the Author to the Hebrews saith of the jews, The word did not profit them, because it was not mixed with faith in them that heard it, Oh beloved it may be truly said of us, that Gospel is come to us, but is it in us? doth it bring forth fruit in us? Sic est sermo dei esse debat fidelibus Sic ut ●isci hamus etc. Aug. tr. 42. in Joh. St. Austin excellently compareth the word to an hook, which then taketh the fish when it is taken into the fist, so the word when it is taken into us by faith, then taketh us, and that not to our ruin, but safety, and St. james when he speaketh of the word as able to save our souls, calls it the engrafted word, to teach us how necessary it is to our spiritual and eternal profit by the word that it should be in us, the truth is, it were far better never to have had the word among us, than not to have it in us, that this light had never shone in the midst of us, if it be not set up in the candlestick of our hearts, and therefore let it be our prayer, that the Gospel may come to us, not in word only, but in power, that the seed of the word which is sown and scattered among us, may be hid in us. Finaly that it may please God to give unto us increase of grace, that we may hear meekly his word; receive it with pure affection, and bring forth the fruits of the spirit. 2. But further consider this clause in its reference and ye shall find according to a several reference, several things not unworthy our observation. It is not amiss to compare the end of the eighth, and of the tenth verse together, in the one it is said, the truth is not in us, the other, his word is not in us, and if (as doubtless we may) we look upon these as synonimous phrases; we may observe that what he calleth truth in the one, he styleth God's word in the other; joh. 17▪ 17. Eph. 1.13. Col. 1.5. jam. 1.18. and so it amounts to that which our blessed Saviour himself elsewhere asserts, Thy word is truth, in which respect it is called by St. Paul, and St. james, the word of truth; and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 eminently and primarily, indeed it may be said of many words that they are true, but only God's word, is the word of truth, yea truth itself, consonant to this it is, that the psalmist calls the words of the Lord pure words, and compareth them to Silver purified in the fire seven times, that is fully perfect: Ps. ●2 6. so as there is not the least dross of error in them, Indeed when we consider whose word it is namely his word, who as he is the first being; so he is the first truth, we cannot but conclude that it must needs be altogether true, & therefore if we would have an answer to pilate's question, what is truth, the text giveth it, it is God's word, and if you would know when doctrines are true, joh. 19.11. this word is the only sure touchstone, and therefore the prophet Isay calleth to the law, and to the Testimony, If they speak not according to these it is because there is no light; Isay. 8. ●3. (to wit of truth) in them. 2. If we put these two clauses together, We make him a liar, and his word is not in us. We learn how heinous a sin Infidelity is, in that it puts so high a dishonour upon God as to make him a liar, this clause His word is not in us, manifestly is added as a confirmation, of the former, therefore we make him a liar, because His word is not in us, and His word is not in us, when it is not believed by us, so that not to believe God's word, and to make him a liar, are all one. Hence it is, that our Apostle in his Gospel saith, He that believeth, sets to his seal that God is true, joh. 3.33. 1 joh. 5.10. and else where in this Epistle, he that believeth not God, maketh him a liar, because he believeth not, look as among men, if we tell a man we believe not what he saith, we in effect tell him he is a liar, so when we do not receive the truth of God's word, we put as it were the lie upon God, and now tell me how in excusable, nay abominable is the sin of infidelity, in excusable, because that which we are required to believe is no other than truth, and abominable, because by not believing we make God a liar. 3. Lastly, put the beginning and the end of this verse together, If we say we have not sinned, his word is not in us, Aug. de perfect. Justit. c. 32. every self Justiciary, as St. Augustine's phrase is, contrarius est divinae scripturae, is so far from having God's word in him, that he is directly contrary to God's word, and so to say we have no sin; appeareth to be no other than an odious, and damnable error. If then we would not be infected, with the poison of this error, let us always have by us, nay in us, that powerful antidote of God's word, let us be careful to study that we may understand it, and by it our own sinfulness, let us often behold ourselves in it, as in a glass, which knoweth not how to flatter, so shall we no longer deceives our self, and dishonour God, by saying we have no sin, and so much shall suffice to be spoken of this confutation: Let us every one make it our supplication, that the Word which hath now been heard by us with our outward ears; may through his grace be grafted inwardly in our hearts, to bring forth the fruit of an holy life, and withal of a lowly mind to his praise and glory through Jesus Christ our LORD. SERM. 16. THE FIRST EPISTLE OF S. JOHN. CHAP. I. Ver. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. THere are two sorts of persons among others observable in the Church, namely glorioli, and infirmi, presumptuous hypocrites, and weak Saints, those are commonly lifted up with an opinion of their own righteousness; these are usually cast adown with an apprehension of their own sinfulness, those boast themselves to be the best of Saints, Vide Aret. in loc. and these abhor themselves as the worst of sinners: Finally, those think themselves to have no sin, and these account themselves to be nothing but sin. Hence it is that God's Ministers (though they must not be double tongued yet) must speak in different language; to the arrogant, words of terror; to the penitent, words of support; must use both hands, with the r●ght hand lifting up them that are cast down, and with the left hand casting down them that are lifted up; of both these our Apostle sets us a pattern in the three last verses of this Chapter, lancing the sores of proud justiciaries, with the knife of reproof, in the eighth and tenth verses, and pouring oyl● of comfort into the wounds of humble confessors in the tenth verse, If we confess our sins, etc. Not to trouble you with multiplicity of divisions, be pleased to observe in the words three generals, A duty conditionally required in those words, If we confess our sins. A mercy annexed to that duty in those, To forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The certainty of that mercy, demonstrated in those, he is faithful and just. These are the three boughs of this tree of life, out of each of which sprout so many branches, and groweth so much fruit that it will ask many hours the gathering. At this time I shall enter upon the 1. Duty conditionally required, for the handling whereof be pleased to consider it two ways, Gen. as it is Materia praecepti, the matter of a Commandment. Cond●tio promissi, the condition of a promise. In the former I shall unfold the nature and exercise of this duty, wherein it consists, how it is to be managed. In the latter I shall discover the necessity and utility of it, as being that whereof the absence excludes, and the presence includes forgiveness. The former will be as the directive part instructing you in, and The latter as the persuasive part, exciting you to the performance of it. The dispatch of the first consideration, will lie in answer to four questions. What it is which we are to confess. To whom this confession must be made. How this confession must be performed. Who they are that must thus confess. Quest. 1. What it is we are to confess, the answer to which is in these two words, Our sins, and there are three steps, by which I shall proceed in the handling of it, sin, sins, our sins, must be confessed by us. 1. Sin must be confessed. Divines do not unfitly take notice of a threefold confession. Fidei, laudis, peccati, of faith, of praise, of sin; a declaration of the truth we believe, mercies we receive, sins we commit; the first is an act of courage, the second of gratitude, the last of repentance; concerning all of these, the word in the Text is used by S. Paul in reference to the confession of faith, where he joineth believing with the heart, Rom. 10.10. and making confession with the mouth together; by the Author to the Hebrews, H●b. 13 15. in reference to thankfulness, where this very word is rendered giving thanks; and by S. John here in respect of sin, If we confess our sins. It is that indeed which both sin and the sinner very much shun; sin is so ugly, that it loveth not to appear, and being a work of darkness, cannot endure the light; besides, the sinner is so much in love with his sin, that he is not willing to bring it forth: that expression of the Prophet Hoseah, Hos▪ 10.13 Sept. You have ploughed wickedness, is rendered by the Septuagint, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉▪ you have concealed wickedness, and not unfitly, because the end of ploughing is, that the seed may be cast into, and hid in the ground: this is the practice of wicked men, to keep close their sin: they hide their talents in the napkin of idleness, and their sins in the napkin of excuse; indeed it is a disease our first parents were sick of, no wonder if we be infected; and therefore Jobs expression is, If I have hid my sin as Adam; Job 31.33. if we are not so proud as to say we have no sin, A●g. in Ps. 30. Nae ●u verecundiâ bonus ad delinquendum expandens f●ont●m ad deprecand●m subducens. ●ertul. de poeni●. c 10. Theod. de pro●id. lib 10. Be●● ep 18●. Friv●l● nimis ●egmen quaeris anima misera, etc. G●frid Tilman in Gen. c. 3. Ambros. in Psal. 118. Serm. 21. Tertul. de poenit. c. 6. Ven●at fori● mortuus, i. e. culpam confiteatur peccat●r. Greg. in Evang. h●m. 26. R●go v●s per illum Dominum quem occulta non fall●nt de finite v●lne●a●am ●egete c●nscientiam, etc. Pa●ia●. paraen. ad poeni●. P●al. 37.5. Am bros. ibid. yet we are not so humble as to say we have sin; with the Pharisee we can brag, what sins we are not guilty of, but we will not confess the sins we are guilty of. Men love as S. Augustine's phrase is, clamare mer●●a▪ but tacere p●cca●a, to proclaim their good, but conceal their evil deed's; vain glory puts them upon the one, but shame forbids them the other: indeed when sin is to be committed, shame is absent; and when it is to be confessed, shame is present. Oh take we heed of this shameful shame in hiding our sins, which is at once both cursed and va●n, non pudenda pecca●i c●nsessio sed perpetratio, it is a shame to act sin, but not to acknowledge it; shame is a good bridle to keep from sin, but a bad cover to hide it. S. Bernard calls it a foolish, dishonest, injurious modesty; thou art not ashamed to defile thyself, and yet thou art ashamed to be made clean; indeed it is a shame, whereof thou hast reason to be ashamed, since as it doth much hurt, so it can do no good, as to that which thou desirest, all excuses are but fig-leaves and paper-covering; wicked men as St. Ambrose saith excellently, in affectu habent abscondere non in effectu, desire to hide, but cannot fulfil it; God, saith our Apostle, is light, and therefore there is no concealing or darkening any thing from him: the reason saith Tertullian, why God commands us to confess our sins, it is not that he may know them, but that it may appear we know, and are sensible of them; oh than let me say to you (to use S. Gregory's moral) as Christ did to Lazarus, come forth by the confession of your sins. I beseech you (in the words of an Ancient) by that God to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom nothing is hid, that you do not skin over your wounded consciences. That of the Psalmist, commit thy way to the Lord, is rendered by the vulgar, Revela viam Domino, Reveal thy way, and by S. Ambrose understood of revealing our sins to God: indeed since it is impossible to cover, why should we not discover our sins? conceal not that which God knoweth already, and would have thee to make known: it is a very ill office to be the Dev●l● Secretary: oh break thy league with Satan by revealing his secrets, thy sins to God. 2. As sin in general, so sins in particular must be confessed: an implicit confession, is almost as bad as an implicit faith: it is not enough to acknowledge our sins by wholesale, Luke 18.13. but by retail. True it is, a general confession may be penitent; such no doubt was the Publicans, wh●n he said, 1 Tim. 1.13.15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 etc. Chris●●. hebr. c. 12. Bella●m. de paen. l. 3 c. 4. God be merciful to me a sinner: but a penitent will not content himself with a general confession, and therefore S. Paul as in one place he calleth himself at large a sinner; so in another, he particular●zeth his sins of blasphemy, and persecution and injury against the Saints: thus doth a true penitent sit, or rather kneel down to draw his own picture in all its black lineaments: To this purpose it is well observed in the Text that our Apostle doth not say, Si confiteamur nos peccatores sed peccata nostra, If we confess ourselves sinners, but if we confess our sins, whereby is intimated a particular acknowledgement of those sins whereof we are guilty. Zanch. in l c. To open this more fully, I shall enlarge it in a threefold variation: we must confess our sins in respect of their number, measure, merit. 1. In confession of sin, we must enumerate the several sins which we have committed, as he in the Comedian said, that he had invited two guests to dinner, Philocrates, and Philocrates, a single man, but a double eater, so shall every man by examination find himself, though a single person, to be a double, nay a treble sinner. Confession, what is it but a setting our sins in order, and that is to be done by a distinct and particular enumeration? 1 Sam. 16.11. In this case, as Samuel said to Jesse, Are here all thy children? so we must conceive that God saith to us, Are here all thy sins? and as good not confess any, as not bring forth all. Indeed this must be understood with this limitation, so far as we know and can remember. There are some sins which we act, and know not that they are sins: there are other sins which we have perhaps so often committed that we are not able to remember them, and surely what we cannot either know or remember, it is impossible to recount; so that particular confession must reach only to known sins, and in those to the kinds and the actings only, so far as we can call them to m●nd, and yet more especially, if the sins wherein we have walked, or which we have acted, have been scarlet crimson sins; for so we find the Israelites particularising Idolatry, and David his murder, and Shechania●, Judg. 2.10. P●. 51.13. ●zr. 10 3. the people's unlawful mixtures ●n marriage: briefly, though we cannot exactly recount all our sins, yet we must not wilfully om●t any sin in our confessions, there being the same reason of confessing all as any, because every sin is an offence to God, and a breach of his law. 2. In confession we must aggravate our sins by confessing, not only the kinds and acts (so far as we remember) but the circumstances of our sins. Pelba●t. de ●●nfess. Indeed as Pelbartus well observeth; there are some circumstances of sinful actions, which are impertinent, and neither l●ssen nor heighten our sins; these are not to be mentioned, there are other circumstances which may somewhat lessen our sins, but those a penitent will not much insist on, only those circumstances which do heighten his sins, or by their badness change the kind of his sin, and render it of a more heinous nature; he is careful to acknowledge. When a man confesseth his sin, he becometh a witness against himself, and therefore he must on the one hand confess nothing but the truth, (for though as job sacrificed for his sons upon an if may be they have sinned, Job 1.5. so a man may charge himself before God upon suspicion, yet, he is not to accuse himself of what he is not guilty) and on the other hand, he must confess all the truth, and keep back nothing which may aggravate his fault. Indeed it is our great fault in our confessions, we perhaps spit out some sins, but others we hide under our tongues, we acknowledge something of our crime, but yet we would make the best of it we can: if the sinner do not say, non feci, or non malè feci, I did not do the fact, or I did not ill in doing it, yet he is too often at non multum malè, 't was not very ill done. Me thinks that of Aaron is very observable to this purpose who in confessing the Idolatry of the Golden Calf, useth a mincing expression, Exod. 32.34. there came out this Calf, as if it had happened rather by chance, than art, and there were little or no fault in him, but the temper of a true penitent is far otherwise, he looketh upon his sins as the greatest enemies; nor can a malicious person, so spitefully set forth the faults of his enemy, as he will his own: besides he knoweth that extenuating sin, aggravates, and aggravating, extenuateth it, that as a charitable man gathereth by scattering, so a penitent lesseneth his sin, by acknowledging it great. Hence it is that the confessions recorded in Scripture, are full of exaggerating expressions (as may appear in those of David, and Ezra, and Daniel) setting forth not only the nature, 2. Sam. 24.1. Ezra. 9.6 Dan. 9.5. but the greatness of their sins. 3. Finally, in confession we must acknowledge the guilt and desert of our sins, not only what we have done unjustly, but what we deserve to suffer justly: thus we must confess as our sins, so the punishment due to us by reason of those sins, how we deserve to be stripped of all God's mercies, and to have all the curses written in his book inflicted on us, this is that the Scripture calls a Judging ourselves; when we do not only arraign and accuse ourselves unto God by a confession of the fault, 1 Cor. 11.31. but judge and condemn ourselves, by a confession of the punishmen●t and so we find in daniel's acknowledgement, not only we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly, but to us, Oh Lord God belongeth confusion of face, as it is this day. Dan. 9.5.7. ●. 3. Once more, as sins, many sins, so our sins, must be confessed: Aug. in ps. 51. it is St. Augustine's note upon those words of David, I acknowledge my iniquity, non intueor alios, I do not pry into other men's faults to publish them, but I acknowledge my own offences. To enlarge this in a threefold consideration: we must confess, 1. Our own sins principally. Indeed we find the people of God confessing public, as well as private sins; the sins of their princes, their priests, as well as their own, not only the sins of their contemporaries, but their progenitors, we have sinned with our Fathers, Psal. 106.6. but still they chiefly insist upon their own sins. When Gods Servants confess the sins of others, it is upon one of these two reasons, either because they have been theirs, or lest they should be theirs, sometimes other men sins become ours, and fit it is, that as we have been partakers with them in their sins, we should be in repentance, and if they do no●, yet we must confess their sins, inasmuch as our hand hath been in them: again, The sins of others when public, if not confessed, and bemoaned by us become ours: it is not enough for us that we do not join with, but we must mourn for the abominations of others, but still principally our own sins must be ou● greatest trouble, and the matter of our confession. 2. Our sins to be our own. Many in confessing oft times transfer their sins upon others. These brats are so ugly, that when they are brought forth, we are loath to own them, but lay them at others doors. Eve chargeth her sin upon the Serpent, the Serpent beguiled me, Adam upon Eve, nay in plain terms upon God, Gen. 3.12.13. The woman which thou gavest me. St. Austin upon those words of David, confitebor adversus me iniquitates meas domino, I will confess my sins against myself unto the Lord, observeth, ●hat many confess their sins, not against, but for themselves, not to, but against the Lord, how usual is it with wicked men to accuse not only the devil, but God for the sins which they commit, laying them upon fate and destiny, upon the stars and climate, upon their constitution and complexion and the like? but the truth is as Agamemnon said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 neither Jupiter, nor the destinies, nor the furies, but it is a man's self that doth him the mischief, and therefore the true penitent layeth his sins at his own door, and taketh shame upon himself by reason of them. 3. Those sins which are most especially our own. The prophet Isay saith of himself and the people, Isa. 53.6. We have all like sheep gone astray, and turned every man to his own way, thereby intimating that as all men go in a wrong way, so every man hath his own way, in which he wandereth. It were easy to instance in countries, in persons, how there is some sin, which is as it were more especially beloved and practised by them. Pliny writeth of some Families that had privy marks on their bodies peculiar to those of that line, and every man hath as it were a privy sin, which is most justly called his, but if we will confess our sins aright, we must not leave out that sin, nay our chiefest spite must be against it according to David's resolve, I will declare mine iniquity, and be sorry for my sin. And so much shall suffice in answer to the first question, Ps. 38.18. which respects the object of our confession. Quest. 2. To whom confession of sins is to be made, is that which next in order calls for a solution: True it is, we have no express and direct, but yet we have a collateral and implicit answer in the text, and though it is not said, If we confess our sins to God, yet it will easily appear that it is so intended. Indeed it cannot be denied but that 1. Our sins against the second Table as they are wrongs and injuries to our neighbour, aught to be confessed to him, in this sense St. Augustine interprets that of St. James, confess your faults one to another, Aug. in jam 5.6. joh. 11▪ 56. and without doubt it is implicily required by our blessed Saviour, when he bids a man before he offer his gift to go and be reconciled to his brother, if he have aught against him, Matth. 5.23.24 to wit by (at least) making an acknowledgement of the wrong he hath done him. 2. Our sins having been open, and so become scandalous, aught to be acknowledged to the Church where of we are members, this is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which was used in the primitive times of which Tertullian and others of the ancients speak. A piece of discipline, Tertull. depaenit: which it were heartily to be wished, were still in use that notorious, offenders might be brought to a public acknowledgement of their sins. 3. Our sins when they are not only in themselves gross but to our consciences burdensome may, nay aught to be confessed to a faithful, pious, discreet minister. The truth is. There are many excellent benefits which hereby accrue to the penitent as Zanchy hath well observed, Zanch in, loc. such as are the helping forward of his humiliation, faith & repentance, the obtaining from the minister more suitable, particular and direct counsels, more spiritual and fervent prayers both for, and with him, and withal upon the signs of his true contrition accompanying that confession, the comfortable sentence of absolution; and therefore, though I do utterly dislike the doctrine of the Romish Church, which asserts a particular enumeration of all our sins to the priest as necessary to remission yea in (her last conventicle, rather than council, pronounceth an anathema to all, Concil. Trident Sess. 14. Can. 7. who shall deny this particular sacramental confession ro the priest, to be of divine right, yea though I abhor the practice of it as used among them, by the priest, as a stratagem to untie the people's purses and a pick lock to open the secrets of states, by the people, not as an hedge, but a gap to make way for future commissions with more freedom after they have (as they suppose) cleansed themselves by confession, Yet I could heartily w●sh, that the right use of private confession to the priest were revived and practised, since I am confident that as many having secret disease's p●rish, for want of revealing them to an able Ph●sitian; so may sin sick souls, either wholly miscarry or however, sadly continue and increase their inward wounds for want of making known their case to some faithful minister. But the confession which our Apostle, here intends is (no doubt) only in reference to God, for besides that, it is a confession to be made by the Apostles, and so the minister's themselves, as well as the people, it is clearly intimated, that this confession must be made to him who is just and faithful to forgive, and that is only God: indeed, this confession is that which must accompany all the rest, when we confess the wrong to man, we must confess the sin to God; Ps. 32.4. L●k. 15.18. when we acknowledge the scandal to the Church, still we must acknowledge the sin to God: finally, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad Hebr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 etc. Chrisost. T.C. hom. 5. when we confess too, our confession must not be ●erm●nated in the Minister, and though it be made before him, yet it must be directed to God. The truth is those confessions without this, are not available, but this may, nay will be without those, if God deny the opportunity of them, indeed it is God who is ●ither mediately, or immediately injured, it is God's law which is directly violated in all sins, and therefore to him, they must be confessed. Thus David said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and the prodigal resolveth to go to his Father and say, Father I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and St. Chrisostom● adviseth, yea beseecheth the people, to acknowledge the●r sins continually to God, to confess them before the judge, praying if not w●th their tongue yet their hearts, and so much be spoken in answer to the second quaere. How this confession must be performed, is next to be resolved: Q●. 3. to which end be pleased to take notice of the Antecedent, Ingredients, and consequent of a right acknowledgement. 1. There cannot be agnitio if there be not cognitio peccati, an acknowledging, unless there precede a knowledge of sin. David puts them together. P●. 5●. 3. I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me, ●f our sins be not before us how can we set them before God? and therefore to the right exercise of this duty, th●re is required a praevious examination of our hearts, inspection into our lives, that we may be enabled to see our sins: he that hath not yet asked himself that question, quid feci? what have I done can never make the confession? sic feci, thus & thus I have done: & in this respect I would though not require, yet advise it as a pious and prudent practice, and that which I doubt not but many Christians have found benefit by, to keep a constant daily Catalogue as of mercies received, so of sins committed. 2. The Ingredients of this confession, are many and such as well deserve our observation. A right confession of sin must be 1. Free and voluntary, not a confession upon the rack, or the gallows, extracted merely from sense of pain and smart of the punishment: we read of confessions made by Pharaoh and Saul, Exod. 10.16. 1 Sam. 15 24 but it was when Judgement either feared or felt compelled them to i●. Many cast out their sins by confession as Mariner's do their war●s in a storm, wishing for them again in a calm, a true confession must be ingenious, and must come like water out of a spring which floweth freely, not like water out of a st●ll which is forced by fire. 2. Cordial and sincere, confession to men is a work of the voice, but to God of the hea●t, and that so peculiarly, as oftimes the heart alone is sufficient without the voyc● but never the voice without the heart, many men's confessions come from them as water, runs through a pipe they leave no impression, their hearts are not affected with what they confess. O let us learn to be in good earnest, with God, remembering that as prayer for mercy, so confession of sin must not be only a lip labour, since then instead of offering the calves of our lips, we shall but offer the lips of calves. 3. Penitent and abasing. This is that which puts forth itself in a Three fold affection of shame, of grief, of hatred, we must confess 1. With shame. This was Ezrahs' temper when he saith oh my God I am ashamed, Es●· 6.6. Host 14.2 and blush to lift up my face to heaven, to be ashamed to confess is bad, but to confess with shame is good those words of the Prophet so will we render the the calves of our lips, are by velasques expounded of penitent confession, Velasqu. in Phil, c. 30 v. 10. Annot. 2 which whilst it brings by shame redness into the che●ks, as it were le's out the blood of the sacrificed calf, by the knife of repentance. Luke, 18.13. Ps. 38.18. 1 Sam. ●7. 6. job. 16. 20· P●. 119.1, 6. jer. 9.1. 2. With grief. Thus the publican for shame, stands a far off, not daring to lift his eyes to heaven, & for grief smiteth his hreast. David doth not only say, I will declare, but I will be sorry for my sin, the people of God, in the day of their confession not only say we have sinned but draw water and pour it out before the Lord, in token of contrition. we should in confessing sins have our hearts so affected that our eyes with Job may pour tears before God that with David rivers of tears may run down our eyes; yea we should wish with jeremy, that our head were water, and our eyes a fountain of tears. But however nun stillabit oculus noster, if we cannot pour out shall we not drop a tear, or at least if we cannot shed a tear, let us breathe forth a sigh for our sins, it is only the heart broken with godly sorrow, that sends forth a true confession. 3, With hatred, confession is the soul's vomit and look as what the stomach vomits, it loathes, yea therefore it casts it up, because it loathes it, so must we confess our sins, with an holy indignation against, and detestation of them. There are beloved too many, who declare their sin, Isaiah. 3.9. but it is to use the prophet Isaiahs' comparison as Sodom, with impudence, they made a sport of acting and they make a ●east of confessing their sins these are they who according to St. Paul's expression glory in the●r shame, mention their sin not with sorrow, but joy, hatred, Phil. ●. 19. but delight, boasting of the wickedness they act, it is a confession which is attended with dedolent impenitency: but the penitent confession, is of a contrary nature, ever accompanied with a shameful grief and loathing. 4. Believing and fiducial, that must be like the confession, not of the malefactor to the judge, but of a sick man, to the Physician, we read of Cain, and judas confessing, but it was rather a desperate accusation, than a penitent confession, Daniel as he acknowledged to them, belonged confusion, so that to God belongeth mercy; Dan. 9.5. thus must our most sorrowful acknowledgement be joined with some comfortable hope, of, and trust in divine mercy. 3. The consequent of this confession, must be dereliction were it only to confess our fault, when we have done it, it were an easy matter, but if Solomon may be St. john's expositor, it is not only to confess, but forsake sin, Pro. 82.13. and therefore interpreters truly assert, that confession is here put synecdochically, for the whole work of repentance, Peccat●rum confessi●●yned●●hicè universam penitentiam hoc l●ce significat. Vorst in loc. it being not enough for us to confess the sin we have committed, but we must not commit again wilfully the sins we confess. indeed it is very sad to consider how generally defective, men's confessions are as to this particular. Many (as Fulgentius, excellently) being pricked in conscience confess that they have done ill, and yet put no end to their ill deeds, they humbly accuse thmselves in God's sight of the sins which oppress them, and yet with a perverse heart rebelliously heap up those sins, whereof they accuse themselves. F●lgent. de Rem. peccat. l. 1. c. 12. The very pardon which they beg, w●th mournful sighs, they impede with their wicked actions: they ask help of the Physician, and still minister matter to the disease, thus ●n va●n endeavouring to appease him w●th penitent word●, whom they go on to provoke by an impenitent course: ●ook● how Saul dealt with Dav●d, ●. S●m 24.16. ●7. 26.2. one whi●e confessing hi● injustice towards him, and soon after persecuting him in the wilderness, so do men with God▪ you know the story of Pharaoh who one day saith, I have sinned and promiseth to let Israel go, and the next day hardeneth his heart, and refuseth to let them go, and this practice is too too frequent: our repentance is a kind of chequer work, black & wh●te, wh●te and black: we sin, and then we confess, we confess & then again we sin. But o● beloved, what will it avail you to vomit up your sins by confession, if you do it only with the drunkard to make way for pouring in more drink, committing new sins, nay with the dog, you return to your vomit, and lick it up again. It is excellent council that is given by St. Ambrose, Ambros. de penitent. l. ● c. 7. et c. ●1. Aug▪ h●m. 41. Fulgent de Remiss. peccat l. 2 c. 16. job. 34.32. oh take we heed that the devil have not cause to triumph over our remedy as well as our d●sease, and that our repentance be not such as needs a repentance. Indeed as Fulgentius appositely) Then is Confession of sin, Available when it is accompanied w●th a separation from sin, and the practice of th● contrary duty; and therefore what our Apostle saith of Loving, 1 joh. 3.18. let me say of confessing, confess not in tongue or in word only, but indeed, and in truth, by endeavouring to forsake those sins which we confess, not only saying, I have done iniquity, but cordially, a●ding, I w●ll do so no more. I● 1. ●6. Aug. Se●m 66. de Temp. hom. 4▪ I end this, with that note of St. Austin upon those words of the Prophet. Wash you make you clean. He only washeth and is clean, who sorrowfully acknowledgeth passed, and doth not again willingly admit future sins, and so much shall serve, in dispatch of the third question. 4. Come we now in a few words to the last, which is, who they are that must thus confess●, & that is intimated in the word we, To confess 〈◊〉, Qu. 4. is that which belongs not only to wicked and ungodly men but to St. john and such as he was, good, nay, the best Christians, and that in a respect of their 1. Past enormities. True pen●tents, love still to rub upon their old s●res. Psa. 25.9. David in his psalm deprecateth the sins of his youth, our old sins call for new confessions, and this holy men do upon several considerations. 1. To keep down the swelling of spiritual pride, which is apt to arise in the best saints. King Agathocles, by drinking in ●arthen vessels, to mind himself of his original (which was from a potter) kept himself humble, so do good Christians by remembering and acknowledging their heinous sins before conversion. 2. To gain further assurance of the pardon of these sins▪ Faith in the best is apt to faint, and fears to arise in their minds, but the renewing of confession and contrition supports faith and expels fear. 3. To strengthen themselves the more against relapses into those sins. The best men want not temptations to the worst sins, especially those which before conversion they were accustomed to, & lived in, but every new confession is as it were a new obligation upon a man, not to do it any more. 4. To inflame their souls with greater measure of love to God and Christ. The sense of sin is a great indearment of mercy, and the confession of sin renew●th the sense of it: indeed we must not comm●t s●n abundantly that grace may abound the more, but we may and aught to confess s●n abundantly that grace may abound & be the more precious to us, for these reasons it is that good Christians, are frequent in confessing their old s●ns, but besides they have new matter of co●●ession in respect of 2. Their present infirmity, not only all that are wicked, but all that are sinners, are bound to confess their sins, and (as you formerly heard) the best whilst they continue here are sinners; whilst the ship is leaking, the water must be pumped out: as the room continually gathereth soil, so it must be daily swept, and the stomach which is still breeding▪ ●ll humours, must have vomits administered. The line of confession must be drawn out as long as the line of sinning, and that is as long, as the line of living. To shut up therefore, we may by this see what kind of Saints those are, who are altogether for high raptures of gratulation and admiration, but think themselves past confession and humiliation, and therefore you shall observe their prayers to have little or no mixture of acknowledgement of sin; To all such I shall say as the Emperor did to the Arch-Puritan Acesius, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Erect thy ladder, and climb alone upon it to heaven; for our parts (my brethren) let confession of sins be as the first, so the last round in that ladder to heaven, by which we expect and endeavour to ascend that Celestial Habitation. THE FIRST EPISTLE OF S. JOHN. SERM. 17. CHAP. I. Ver. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. THat Covenant which Almighty God hath made with fallen man in Christ Jesus, is not unfitly called by Divines, a Covenant of Grace, free grace being the impulsive cause from within, moving God to make that Covenant. But though it be of grace, yet it is still a Covenant, and therefore as in all Covenants, there is a mutual obligation on both parties, between whom the Covenant is made, so is it in this, wherein is signified as what God will do for us, so what he will have done by us. Hence it is that we find not only in the Law but Gospel, commands, as well as comforts, precepts as promises; yea, these promises still proposed conditionally: for so we may observe among other places in this Chapter, and particularly in this verse, wherein remission is annexed to confession. If we confess our sins, he is faithful, etc. Having already dispatched the duty in an absolute consideration, as it is the matter of a precept, we are now to handle the relative, as it is the condition of a promise: the prosecution of which shall be done two ways, 1. Negatively: it is not a cause, but only a condition of the promise, and therefore it is not said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, because, but if we confess our sins: indeed if confession be a cause of remission, it must be either meritorious or instrumental, but it is not, it cannot be either of these. 1. Confession is not, cannot be a meritorious cause of forgiveness, it is satisfaction, not confession which merits remission, and therefore with men, forgiveness upon mere acknowledgement, is an act not of equity but of charity; in this regard the merit of remission is Christ's, not ours, his blood whereby he hath made satisfaction, not our tears which are only the concomitant of confession. True it is, there is a congruity in confession, inasmuch as it maketh us fit for, but there is no condignity to render us deserving of this mercy of forgiveness. It may perhaps be here inquired why since the commission of sin is meritorious of punishment, the confession is not of pardon? for if the sin be therefore of so great a desert, because against God, why shall not the acknowledgement be of as great merit, because to God? The answer to which is justly returned, partly that whereas our Commissions are purely sinful, our confessions are not purely penitent, since even when we confess our sins, we sin in confessing, partly, that whereas the demerit of the fault is chiefly respectu objecti, in regard of the person to whom the injury is done, the amends for the fault is respectu subjecti, principally considerable in respect of the person by whom it is made: and hence it is that though the sin committed by us, be of infinite demerit, because against an infinite justice, yet nothing done by us, can be of infinite merit, because we are finite persons. 2. Confession, is not the instrumental cause of forgiveness: to clear this the more, be pleased to know, that there is a great deal of difference between that which is merely conditional, and that which is so a condition, as it is withal an instrument: that may be a necessary condition, which is only required to the qualification of the subject on whom the thing is conferred, but that which is not only a condition, but an instrument, hath some kind of influence, into the Production of the thing, which is conferred, and this being well observed, will serve excellently to clear that Orthodox doctrine of justification by faith alone, we are justified, (a chief ingredient, whereof is forgiveness of sins) only by faith, not by repentance, not by charity, nor by any other grace or work, because it is only faith which concurreth as an instrument to this work, in as much as it is the hyssop sprinkling the soul with the blood, the hand applying to the soul the righteousness of Christ, for which we are forgiven, and justified: and hence it is, that the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Rom. 3.25. is only used concerning faith, he is the propitiation for our sins through faith, and we are justified by faith; Gal. 2.16. whereas it is never said, we are justified by confessing, or forgiving, or repenting, though yet still these are conditions of justification, and forgiveness, in as much as they are necessary qualifications, required in the person whom God doth justify, and to whom sin is forgiven. 2. Affirmatively, it is a condition, and that both exclusive, and inclusive. 1. It is an exclusive condition, this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, is as much as, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this si as nisi, if otherwise not, there is no forgiveness to be had, without confession, though it be not that for which, no nor yet by which, yet it is that without which no remission can be obtained. I think it is needless to dispute what God could do by his absolute power, it is enough he cannot do ●t by his actual, because he will not; & truly though the●e is no need of any, yet there is abundant reason of this divine pleasure, since it is that which his justice, his purity, and his wisdom seem to call for. Justice requireth satisfaction, much more confessiion. If God shall pardon them which do not confess, but conceal, and go on in sin, it would open a gap to all profaneness and impiety, which cannot consist with his purity; finally, it cannot stand with God's wisdom, to bestow mercy, but on them that are in some measure sitted for it, and we are not, cannot be sitted for remission, till we have practised confession. None are fitio● mercy, but they who see the●r need of it, hunger after it, and know how to value it; whereas if God should offer pardon to an impenitent, he would scarce accept it, how ever he would not prise it. It is confession which maketh us taste the bitterness of sin, and so prepareth us for a relish of the sweetness of forgiving mercy. The exclusivenesse of this condition is that which Solomon expresseth, when he opposeth hiding to confessing, and as he assureth mercy to the one, so he flatly denyeth it to the other, P●o. 28.13. he that hideth his sin shall not prosper: and to this purpose it is that Almighty God threateneth, Host 5. ult. I will go and return to my place till they acknowledge their offence and seek my fa●e, in which done●, is manifestly intimated a nisi, until, that is unless they acknowledge, I will not vouchsafe my gracious presence to them, yea this is that which David found verified in his own experience, where he saith, when I kept silence, Psal. 32.3.4.5. quid peccatorum confessio nisi quaedam vulneris ruptio Greg. Mag: my bones waxed old, day and night thy hand was heavy upon me, I acknowledged my sin and thou forgavest: unless the sore be opened, and the corrupt matter let out, the party cannot be healed; when the ague breaketh forth at the lips, than there is hope of its cessation. If the Apostume break, Febris cum f●ris e●●●pit spem a●●e●t, desinendi Ambrosin P. 3●. Quando Ap●stema convertitur ad interiora causa m●rtis ad exteriora, possibile ad salutem pe●ven●●e Summ. C●●c●on. Nisi quis animi sui vitia cognov●rit & ●●is prop●●i c●nfessione prodide●it, 〈…〉 non 〈…〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 3 〈◊〉. st●machus. si v●●uerit relevatur etc. Orig. in Ps. 37. P●o. 18.21. ●ertull. de p●●nit c. 8. Vide Vela●●. ●. Phi. Chrisost de ve●●. Isayae. H●●. 3 Vt qui p●opria v●bis non 〈◊〉 ●lagitia ●ànatur 〈…〉 ●●s●um qui eadem De●●uerit confessus absol▪ vitur. Sidon Apoll. l 4. ep. 14. Math. 22.12. and come not forth at the ears or mouth, the patient is but a dead man; till that which oppresseth the stomach be cast up, there can be no ease, and unless there be a penitent laying open of our sins before God, by self accusation, it is in vain to expect his absolution. Those words of the wise man, Life, and Death, are in the power of the tongue, are not unfitly morallized by one to this purpose, if our tongues keep silence, nothing but death to be expected; i● they speak in humble acknowledgement, life is assured. This is the course of the court of heaven, directly contrary to the courts on earth, as St. Chrisostome, and others, have observed▪ with men, confession is the ready way to condemnation, with God, there is no other way to remission▪ he that doth not conceal his offence, from the judge, is sure to suffer, he that doth endeavour to hide his sin from God, shall surely suffer; so the sentence was against the speechless offender: take him, bind him hand and foot, cast him into utter darkness, there shall be weeping, and gnashing of teeth. 2. It is an inclusive condition, such as where ever it is found, the benefit is certainly conferred: this supposition, may truly be turned into a position, this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 verily Godwill forgive th● who confess their sins. It is not, an it may be God will forgive, or an, who knoweth but he will forgive? but a surely he will forgive: there is not only a possibility, or probability, but a certainty of remission to confessing sinners. St. Bernard to this purpose taketh notice of a book which God keepeth as it were in heaven, and saith appositely quod ibi ser●bit transgressio, delet confessio, what sin writeth in, confession blotteth out of thaet book●: hence it is that we find God himself prescribing this, as the ready w●y to forgiveness, his ministers assuring pardon, upon the performance of this, so Nathan did David, yea, sinners, actually obtaining pardon upon this: so did David, and the Prodigal: & which is observable, Bern. de Inter: dom. c. 37. Num. 5.6.7. Jer. 3.12.13. 2 Sam. 12.13. Ps. 32.5. Luk. 15.18. in both those penitents God's remission seemed as it were to prevent their confession, and interpose itself between the purpose and the performance of it. David only said, He would confess, and God forgave; and the Prodigal said, I will arise and go, and whilst yet he was a great way the Father runs to meet him. Velox confessio vel●cior medicina. Eucher: And now if any shall say, we have set upon this course, but not yet found this comfort, we have confessed our sins, and they are not (at least in our apprehension) forgiven. I answer, perhaps thou hast not been serious, and ingenious in thy confession: thou hast confessed some sins, but not all; or thy confessions have not been so cordial and penitent, as they ought to be: and no wonder, if failing in the right performance of the condition, thou dost not find the accomplishment of the promise▪ but if thy endeavours have been sincere, in confessing thou must then distinguish between the real condonation, and the sensible manifestation: thy sins may be forgiven in heaven, and yet not in thy conscience, as God many times heareth prayer, and yet the petitioner finds no answer; so he pardoneth sin to the penitent; and yet he doth not know of it; and therefore still it remaineth as a truth, remission is undoubtedly annexed to confession, tantum valent tres syllabae peccavi, saith St. Austin, of so great force are those three syllables, Aug. hom. 41. in the latin, three words, in the English when uttered with a contrite heart, I have sinned, to obtain forgiveness of our sins To end this therefore, and so dismiss the first General of the text, What an engagement and encouragement should this be to the practice of this duty? 1 The necessity should engage us, might pardon be had upon any other terms, this might be dispensed with, but it cannot be, there is not only necessitas praecepti, a necessity by virtue of a command (though truly God's bare command, is a sufficient obligation, and therefore Tertullian accounts it boldness to dispute of the good of repentance, Tertull. de penitent when as we have a precept enjoining it) but there is necessitas medii, a necessity in reference to the end of forgiveness and happiness: there being no other means or way wherein it is to be obtained, since by concealing of, and indulging to our sins, we exclude God's indulgence. 2. The utility should encourage us: were it only God's honour, which is hereby advanced, it should be a prevailing motive: confession of sin, though it publish the ill qualities of the peccant, yet it hath this good quality, that it ascribeth to God his divine attributes, omniscience, acknowledging it were in vain to hide from him that seeth already: mercy, since it were madness to make confession, where we conceived no compassion; justice, which we acknowledge might utterly consume us; patience, which is the only cause that vengeance did not presently follow our sins; finally power, that there is no way to fly from him, but to go to him, in humble confessions. To this purpose, St. Austin tells us, est confessio laudantis et gementis, there is the confession of the thankful, Aug: in Ps. ●1. & of the sorrowful; nay the confession of sin is a confession of praise; yea, bis Deum laudamus ubi pie nos accusamus, by taking shame to our selves, we give double glory to God. But if zeal for God's glory will not induce us, yet love to ourselves should oblige us, since as it is God's honour, so it is our comfort, he hath the Glory, we have the good, his is the praise, ours is the profit, we being truly entitled to, & qualified for the blessing of remission; for this reason no doubt it is that the Devil striveth what he can, of all duties, to hinder us from this of confession, lupus apprehendit guttur ovis, Summ. the Wolf catcheth at the throat of the sheep, that is the devils aim to stop our confessions, Concionat because he knoweth how advantageous the performance of it will be unto us: indeed, therefore he would not have us to accuse ourselves, that he might accuse us; but according to St. Ambrose his council, praeveni accusatorem tuum, Ambros●e in Ps. 35. let us be wise to prevent him, and the mo●e he dissuades us from, let us with the greater fervency set upon this duty, which as it is acceptable to God, because it exalts his glory, so it is profitable to us in obtaining our pardon Nor let us only be engaged, and encouraged to the duty itself, but to the r●ght manner of performance; it is that upon which, as it were, our everlasting comfort depends, and therefore, how careful should we be so to manage it, as we may not miss of our comfort. wouldst thou then that God should ignoscere, cover, do thou, agnoscere, discover thy sins: wouldst thou have no sin unpardoned? let no sin be unconfessed: if thou wouldst not have God impute thy sins to thee, do thou charge them upon thyself: wouldst thou have God to spare thee, do not spare thy sins, wouldst thou speed well in the Court of heaven? tell the worst tale thou canst against thyself, wouldst thou have him freely to forgive? do thou freely acknowledge: wouldst thou rejoice, and glory in his pardoning love? confess thy sins with sorrow, grief, and hatred: wouldst thou have him put away thine iniquities far from him? do thou put thy iniquities far from thee: finally, wouldst thou have him to cast thy sins for ever behind his back? do thou often set them before thine own, and his face, ever remembering, that if we condemn our selves, he is ready to acquit us; if we lay our sins upon our selves, he is willing to lay them upon Christ; if we confess our sins, he is just, and faithful, to forgive and so I am fallen upon the Gen. 2. Mercy annexed to the duty, set down in these words, To forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness In the discussion whereof, I shall take notice of three particulars, each of which are doubly expressed The object, called by those two names, sin, unrighteousness. The Act, characterized in those two metaphors, forgive and cleanse The extent of the act; in reference to the object, intimated in the plural number, sins, and expressed in the universal particle, all unrighteousness. 1 The object of remission, is here described by two names, and both of them very significant. 1. The first is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the most usual word, by which sin in general is called, it answereth to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the hebrew, and pe●catum, in the Latins, and cometh no doubt from the verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, which is as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, to shoot besides the mark, whence Suadas defineth it to be, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and deriveth it from (●) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and, Suid. in 〈◊〉. A. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if it were, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. It is very observable to this purpose, what we read in the book of judges, concerning those seven hundred chosen men of Benjamin who could sling stones at an hair's breadth, and not miss: judg. 7. ●0. where the Hebrew word for miss, is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereby is intimated to us what the nature of sin is; namely a amissing the mark. God, beloved, hath proposed to man a mark, to wit, glory and felicity, which by sin we fail of, according to that expression of the Apostle, All have sinned, Rom. 17.23. and come short of the glory of God: where the greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 alludeth to those, who come short in running to the goal, both amount to the same, and let us see how sin maketh us come short of the goal, and shoot besides the mark of bliss: and no wonder, since according to our Apostles definition, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, sin is a transgression of the law, Sic. paradox. c. 3 to which agreeth Cicero's definition of peccatum, that it is, transilire lineas, as God hath given man a scope to aim at, so a rule to walk by; as he hath proposed an end, so he hath appointed a way, but sin misseth of both: hence it is that sinners are said to go astray, as sheep which wander from the fold; and sin is compared to darkeness, which causeth the traveller to step aside; so fitly is it here called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a deviating aberration from the right rule or scope. 2 The second is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, a word, which is sometimes used in a strict notion, Vide fulgent de Remiss: peccat: l. 1. c. 12. Rom. 1 18. for one kind of sin, to wit, injustice towards man: in this sense, it is contradistinguished to ungodliness, by St. Paul, where he saith, The wrath of God is revealed from heaven, against all ungodliness, and unrighteousness of men. But again, sometimes it is taken in a larger notion, as applicable to every sin; for as the Moralist distinguisheth of righteousness, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Theog. it is particular and universal, which universal righteousness containeth in it all virtues; so we may distinguish of unrighteousness, and so in a general sense it comprehendeth all sins. Thus it is said of the Romans, before conversion, they did yield their members as weapons of unrighteousness to sin, according to this latitude, Rom. 6.13. Heb. 8.12. it is to be taken in the promise, where God saith, I will be merciful to their unrighteousness; & here in the text, which assureth, cleansing, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dem●st. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. from all unrighteousness: and therefore though we may with Demosthenes, distinguish between these two, by the one understanding a voluntary, the other, an involuntary fault, or with Turrianus, upon the text, by sin understand lesser, & by unrighteousness greater crimes; yet I rather conceive both of equal extent; Tur●●an. in loc. nor is it without just reason, that all sin is called by the name of injustice, whether you consider it in its nature or its effects▪ 1 Look upon the nature of sin: it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, and therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, a missing the mark, and he that doth so, shooteth wrong, a swerving from the right rule, and therefore must be crooked. It is one of the definitions; we meet with in St. Austin, of sin. It is a will of getting, or keeping, what justice forbids. The statutes of the Lord are right, saith David; the commandment is just, Peccatum est v●luntas assequendi v●l retinendi quod justitia vetat Aug: de dua●. anim: adun Man: c. 11. Ps. 19.8. Rom. 7.12 saith St. Paul; and therefore, sin, which is a breach of it must needs be unrighteousness. 2 Behold the effects of sin, what injury it doth both to God, and to the sinner. 1 Sin is unrighteousness towards God, denying him his dae, and robbing him of his honour; true it is, God's internal essential glory is inviolable, but sin depriveth him of that external glory, & honour which the creature by worship and service ought to give to him, and though it cannot actually, yet it doth intentionally, and therefore interpretativ●ly, injure the divine Majesty: in which respect God complaineth, Amos. 2.16. that he is pressed under sin as a cart under sheaves; and it is truly said, omne peccatum est quasi deicid 'em, sin doth as much as in it lieth commit murder upon the sacred deity. 2 Sin, is unrighteousness towards ourselves: Pro. 8.36. he that sinneth against me, saith wisdom, wrongeth his own soul; and that is the greatest wrong a man can do himself, it being such a loss, as no gain can countervail; Matth. 16.16. for what will it profit a man, saith our blessed Saviour, to gain the whole world, and lose his own soul: it is not unfitly observed that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the greek, which signifieth loss, cometh from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the hebrew▪ which signifieth sin, sin ever bringing loss, and doing the greatest injury to him that committeth it. And now, beloved, what other use should we make of these considerations, but that we learn so to look upon sin, as the Scripture represents it, that we may loathe, and abhor it. Alas? whatsoever pleasure thou mayest have in it, it is but the pleasure of sin; what ever Mammon thou mayest get by it, it is but the Mammon of unrighteousness; and therefore when the seeming delight and profit may allure thee, let the real obliquity and iniquity of it, affright. thee A morally just person, would not wrong a man of a penny to get a pound: and why wilt thou wrong both God and thy self for a little present emolument, and contentment? Let not then sin any longer deceive thee, but remember what names are given it in God's dictionary, and in those names, read its nature, that thou mayest hate to commit that which is so irregular, and unjust, being therefore characterized, by these two titles of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sin, and unrighteousness. 2 The act of remission, wherein the benefit consists, is expressed in two metaphors, forgiving and cleansing, and cometh next to be considered. Indeed, some expositors refer these two phrases, to two several acts, and so conceive this promise to consist of two parts; to wit, justification, and sanctification: thus Beza calleth cleansing another benefit distinct from that of forgiving. Bez. in loc. And truly it is not to be denied, but that 1 Justification and sanctification, are inseparable concomitants; indeed they are not to be confounded, but withal they ought not to be severed, distinguished they must be, divided they cannot; and therefore they are fitly called twines in the womb of free grace; Bern. in Cant. Serm. 37. to this purpose, saith St Bernard, where sin is pardoned, the gift of sanctity is conferred: & in this respect St. Austin saith, that remission of sin, maketh men good trees; hence it is that we find those two frequently joined together by St. Paul, Aug. de verb. dem. Serm. 12. 1 Cor. 36.26. Ezeck. 36.26. Micah 7.19. you are justified, you are sanctified, by the prophet Ezechiel, I will cleanse you from all your iniquities, and I will give you a new heart; and by the prophet Micah, I will subdue their iniquities, and cast them into the depth of the Sea. 2 This phrase of cleansing, serveth very fitly to represent the work of sanctification, whereby the filth of sin is more and more removed, and therefore many times it is set forth in scripture by this metaphor; so when David prayeth for a clean heart, Ps. 51.10. and St. Paul exhorts to cleanse ourselves, we are no doubt to construe it of sanctification. 2 Cor. 7.1. Upon these considerations, I shall not quarrel with any, who so interpret it here, but I conceive it more rational, in this place, to refer both to one, and by cleansing, understand the same with forgiving, and that because 1 It is very probable, that St. john attributes the same thing here to God, as the principal efficient, which he ascribeth at the seventh verse, to Christ, as the meritorious cause; now the cleansing there spoken of, as hath been already manifested, and evidently appeareth, is that of justification. 2 It is very incongruous, to make the sam● thing, both the condition, and the matter of a promise: indeed, that which is the condition of one promise, may be the matter of another, but the same thing, cannot be the matter and condition of the same promise; now the cleansing from sin, which is an act of sanctification, consists, though not only, yet partly in the confession of sins, which is the condition of the promise. Upon these considerations, I shall handle both these metaphors, as belonging to one and the same benefit, nor is it unusual with the holy Ghost, in scripture, to repeat the same things, under various notions; yea so choice is the matter, here promised, that it cannot be sufficiently expressed, and assured to us: no wonder that it is ingeminated, to forgive, to cleanse. And indeed so emphatical are both these phrases, that though they are one and the same in sense, yet I shall handle them severally, as they lie in order 1 The first word we meet with, is Forgive; a word that is of all others most frequently used; if you inquire into the plain meaning of the greek word, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, it is as much as to dismiss, or sen● away, or let alone: thus when God forgiveth sin, he lets the sinner alone, and as it were, dismisseth his sin, removing it (according to the Psalmists expression) as far from him as East from the West: Ps●. 1●3. 12. if you observe the use of the word, you shall find it applied three several ways, to the acquitting of one that is accused, the releasing of one that is imprisoned, and the discharging of one that is indebted, each of which (especially the last) serve to set forth this benefit. When Agesilaus wrote to the judge, in the behalf of Nicias, he used this phrase, If he have done no wrong 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, acquit him, ●f he have done wrong; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 acquit him for my sake, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉▪ however, acquit him, this is that which God, Plut. 〈◊〉. doth, in forgiving, acquit the sinner from the accusations that are laid against him, by sin, & Satan. Our blessed Saviour, quoting that place of the Prophet, maketh use of the noun of this verb to preach 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 deliverance to the captives, Luke 4.18. as if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, and thus doth the pitifulness of divine mercy in forgiving loose the captive sinners who are tied and bound with the chains, and fetters of their sins. In the parable, of the Lord, and his servant, who ought him many talents, this word is used to express the Lords forgiving the debt to his servant; and this is the sense, in which the scripture, Matth. 1●. 27. most frequently useth the expression: and therefore in the Lord's prayer, where forgiveness is expressed, by this word, one of the Evangelists expressly joins with it, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 debts, forgive us our debts. Matth. 16.12. And now according to this notion of the word, there are two things; it represents to us what sin doth, and what forgiveness doth. 1 What sin doth: it maketh a man a debtor: grave vocabulum debitoris, Ambr. de T●b. c. 7. saith St. Ambrose, the name of debtor is very unpleasing; yet such is every sinner, a debtor to God's justice, by reason of the breach of his law: indeed man, as a creature, was a debtor to God's authority commanding, but withal, he was able to pay that debt to the full, and therefore it was no burden, nor misery; whereas man, as a sinner, is a debtor to God's justice punishing, and this such a debt, as he is never able to satisfy; and therefore must lie in prison for ever. It is a proverb in Suidas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 once red with blushing at the time of borrowing, Said in litt. A and ten times pale for fear of paying: Augustus would fain buy his pillow who was so much in debt, as conceiving it was good to sleep on. How can a sinner sleep securely who is indebted so deeply? 2 But that which is here chiefly considerable, is what forgivenenesse doth: indeed it lets us see that wherein the nature of this blessing consists, whereas sin making us debtors to divine justice, obligeth us to the suffering of eternal punishment, forgiveness, taketh off this obligation, and consequently the punishment itself, so that look as a forgiven debtor is freed from whatsoever penalty his debt did render him liable to: yea from being so much as liable to the penalty, so is the forgiven sinner from the punishment itself, which is the remote term, and the obligation to it, which is the proxime term of pardon; Dimi●●●●e peccatum non est h●m●●uam puri●e, Ans. ●ar Deus 〈◊〉. l. 1 ● 12, Aug. in Ps. 32. Durand in Sententis in this respect it is that Anselm saith, to forgive sin is not to punish it, and St. Austin to the same purpose, it is Gods not marking inquity, so as to inflict the penalty due to it, and the Schools, to remit the sin, is not to impute it so, as to punish it. For the fuller opening this truth, know 1 On the one hand, there is a great deal of difference between these two, to withhold the execution off, and to withdraw the obligation to the punishment: it is one thing, for a creditor to give day of payment, and another thing to cancel the bond: indeed the phrase used by Moses, of God's forgiving his people from Egypt, until now, Num. 14, 19 seemeth chiefly to intend his sparing to punish them, but that is forgiveness, in a larger, and improper sense, according to the genuine notion, there is a vast difference between forgiving and forbearing mercy. As learned Davenant, upon those words, Coloss. 3.13. Daven. Issued forbearing & forgiving one another, hath observed, that there is far more in the latter, than in the former; since a man may forbear revenge, merely for want of ability, or opportunity, so is it true (though not upon the same ground,) in respect of God, his forgiving, is far more than his forbearing; and therefore this latter he vouchsafeth even to those who go on in sin; but the former only to them who confess the●r sin; since whereas by the one, it is only he doth not as yet, by the other, it is that he will not at all punish. 2 On the other hand, there is a great deal of difference betwixt afflicting for sin, and punishing for sin, properly so called: for though the meritorious cause of both be the same, In sili●s damnationis vindicat i●atus in silios gratiae vindicat propitius Aug. de peccat. mer. et remiss l. 1. c. 36. to wit, sin, yet the impulsive cause from within, is different, that, from an anger mixed with love: this, from mere anger, and purely judicial wrath; besides, the final cause, is far different, that is for emendation of the person, this is for satisfaction of the law, and so whereas that is medicinal, this is exitial. That God doth afflict his own people for sin, yea for sin after it is forgiven, is a case so clear, that it cannot upon any just reason be denied. The Antinomians do but discover their own blindness, whilst they deny that God seeth sin, so as to correct it in justified persons: that instance of David is pregnant, whom the prophet tells, 2 Sam. 12. as it were with one breath, that God had forgiven his sin, and yet for that sin the child must die; that of the Psalmist, concerning the Isralites, Ps▪ 99.12. is very plain, Thou wast a God that forgavest their sin, though thou tookest vengeance of their iniquities: finally that of the Corinthians, is no less apposite, who though they were forgiven, 1 Cor. 11. and therefore should not be condemned with the world; yet were judged, and chastised of the Lord, for their sin, of unworthy receiving the holy sacrament. But still, though God do afflict, yet he doth not punish for sin, those whom he forgiveth; unless as all afflictions may in some sort be called punishments: and the reason is plain, because punishing for sin, is in a war of revenge, and Satisfaction; which are directly opposite to forgiveness; and we may as well say, that ● judge can at the same time pardon a malefactor, and execute him, as that God can punish when he forgiveth: indeed, because those eternal miseries, have most properly in them, rationem paenae, the nature of satisfactory punishment, therefore forgiveness chiefly consists in taking off the obligation to that, according to St. Paul's Phrase, 〈◊〉▪ 8.1. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ jesus: but yet it is no less true, that the obligation to temporal, as well as eternal punishment: is taken off, so that though the same outward miseries seize upon pardoned, as well as unpardoned sinners, yet n●t in the same way, as hath been already intimated, and therefore though God, do inflict many miseries, of life, yea death itself upon forgiven sinners to make them feel the smart of sinn●, watchful, how they run into sin, and to declare his justice against sin; yet not in the least, to satisfy his justice upon them for sin; that being already most fully (as I shall hereafter show) performed by Christ. 2 You see the significancy of the first word, and thereby the nature of the thing, pass we on to the second, which though the same, as to the thing, with the former, yet wants not its peculiar emphasis. That distinction of Divines, concerning remissio culpe & paenae the remission of the fault, and the punishment, may not unfittly be made use of, for a distinct reference of those two expressions, the former of forgiving more properly refers to the remission of the punishment, though yet it includeth the fault, as a creditor cancelleth the bond, doth thereby, remit the debt it self: this latter of cleansing, chiefly refers to the remission of the fault, which defileth though it include the punishment, because it is of that defilement which is contracted through the guilt of sin. And now as in the former, so in this expression we have two things considerable, what unrighteousness doth, and what pardon doth. 1 What unrighteousness doth it maketh the sinner filthy and polluted in God's sight: sins, as they are debita, debts▪ so they are said to be remitted, and blotted out; and as they are sordes, filthy, so they are said else where to be covered, and here to be cleansed. Oh then how odious is an unpardoned sinner in God's sight? It is very observable, how Almighty God describing the sinful state of rebellious Israel, Ezech. 16. Ps. 14.1▪ borroweth a metaphor from a ch●ld that is not swaddled, but lieth polluted in its blood▪ & the Psalmist, speaking of wicked men, saith, They are corrupt, ●nd become abominable; where the former word i● borrowed from a dead carcase: and truly, ● child in its blood, is not more loathsome to our eyes, a carcase on the dunghill is not more noisome to our smell, than a sinful wretch▪ is in God's eyes, and to his nostrils. 2 What forgiveness doth: it cleanseth the sinner. An expression that must not be strained too much, as 〈◊〉 (according to the doctrine of the Church of Rome) the pardoning of sin were an utter extinction and abolition of it, as cleansing doth wholly take away filthy tru● it is, where sin is forgiven, the filth of sin is in some measure, and shall at last be wholly removed, but that is only the effect of glorification, not of justification, or sanctification: and indeed, as if our Apostle would prevent any such inference from this Phrase, we find him subjoining, if we say we have not sinned, as before wh●n he speaketh of Christ's cleansing, he addeth if we say we have no sin, so that sin is therefore said to be cleansed, not that the filth of it doth not remain, but that it shall not be imputed to us. If then you would have the intention of the Holy Ghost in this Phrase, when applied to forgiveness, take it thus, look as a man when he is cleansed from filth, is as if he had been never defiled, so a sinner, when pardoned, is in God's account, as if he had never been a sinner, not but that God seeth him to be a sinner still, because the spot of corruption remaineth in him, but that God will no● deal with him as a sinner, nor impute it to him for condemnation; in this and no other sense, are those expressions to be construed, when God saith the iniquity of Israel shall be ●●ght for, and shall not b●e found; and he will cast all the●● sins into the depth of the Sea, 〈…〉. micah ●. 1● Isa. ●. 1●. P●. ●1. 7. and to come near the phrase of my text, that he w●ll make scarlet crimson sins, a● white as snow, ●nd wool, and that David saith of himself, when God shall have purged him with hyssop, I ●hall be● whiter than snow, that as to the matter of guilt, it shall be all one as if they had never been polluted with any such sins. Nor is this all that this expression carrieth in it, but further, look as a man being cleansed is amiable, and l●vely in the eyes of beholders, so is a pardoned sinner in Gods: he is not only freed from punishment, but accepted into favour, Host 14.2. as fully at peace and amity with him, as if he had never offended him: hence it is that the Church joineth these two together, take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: or as some read it, and do us good▪ to this purpose it is the schools say of remission of sins, it is not only oblativa mal●, but collativa boni, a remotion of guilt, but a collation of good. So that in sum, a pardoned sinner is cleansed, that is, as to those great intents, and purposes, of delivering him from the wrath to come, being fully reconciled to him, bestowing the sonship, and inheritance upon him, he is in God's account, as if he were perfectly pure, and unspottedly innocent, nor had ever committed any sin against him▪ And now what should these considerations kindle in every one of us? but 1. An earnest desire and longing after this benefit: oh my brethren, no misery like to that of sin, which maketh us filthy and abominable, yea which engageth us to a debt we can never pay; no mercy l●ke to that of pardon, which sets us free from debt, and maketh us pure in God's sight. Oh wretched man that I am (saith the sensible sinner) who shall discharge me from this debt? if thy sins are forgiven, thy debt is discharged. Oh that this sin had never been, oh that I had never done it, saith the sorrowful sinner; thy sins, i● cleansed, are as if they had never been committed▪ Poor penitent; poor did I say? rich blessed penitent; thou art vile and filthy in thine own eyes; I but thou art pure and clean in Gods: thou chargest thy sins home upon thy own account, but God will not call thee to account for them; so that whereas Rachel mourned for her children because they were not, thou mayest be comforted concerning thy sins, because they are not: with what boldness may the forgiven sinner look death, and hell, and Satan, in the face, no● fearing the arrest of the Sergeant, nor the horror of the prison, nor the cruelty of the Jailor? with what confidence may a cleansed sinner come before God's face, not doubting of acceptance and audience? no wonder if the Psalmist break forth into that sweet acclamation, blessed, o● according to the Hebrew, Oh the blessednesses of the man whose iniquity is forgiven, Psal 32 1. and whose sin is covered. And now (me thinketh) every sinner considering the misery on the one hand, and felicity on the other, should cry out in words much like those of the conve●t Jews, Men and Brethren, what shall I do to have my sins pardoned? Tell me I beseech you, what man in chains would not be at liberty? what debtor doth not long to be discharged? what malefactor desireth not to be acquitted? what leper craveth not to be cleansed? what diseased person is not restless till he be healed? & how is it that we who by reason of sin are all these in a spiritual sense, do not breathe and pant after the remission of our sins, which healeth, acquitteth, ransometh, discharg●th, and cleanseth? nor should these meditations only kindle desires, but 2. Quicken serious and diligent endeavours of attaining this pardon in the way which God hath prescribed, and in this respect the mercy assured layeth upon us a great obligation to perform the duty required. It is true, confession of sins in a right manner is a difficult task, I, but the forgiving and cleansing of sin is an excellent benefit; the sweetness of the one maketh abundant amends for the bitterness of the other; surely to him that feeleth the weight and burden of his sins, the yoke of repentance cannot bu● b● light, and to him that knoweth the preciousness of an healing pardon, the vomit of confession cannot be displeasing. There is yet one th●ng more remaining in this 〈◊〉 general, Pa●●▪ 3 and that is the extent of the act in reference to its object, expressed by the plural number sins, and the universal particle all. Indeed I must prefix a limitation of this extent, and it is that which St. Paul hath done to my hand, Rom. 3 2●▪ this forgiveness is of sins that are past, not of sins to come: when a wicked man turneth from his wickedness (saith the Prophet Ezechiel) all the transgressions he hath committed shall n●t ●e mentioned, not those he shall commit, 〈◊〉▪ 1● 22. t●ll by actual repentance he turn from them. I no where read God hath made such a Jubilee as one Pope did, who gave a pl●●ary indulgence, not only for sins past, but before hand, for sins to come a long time after: it is true, both things past and future are present to God, and therefore the decree of pardon extends to all times, but still the execution of that decree the actual issuing out of that pardon, is done time by time: indeed when a sin is pardoned, it is perfectly pardoned, so that it can be no more forgiven than it is, but as sin is successively committed, so it is successively forgiven; doubtless our blessed Saviour would not have commanded us to renew our prayers for forgiuness, if God did not renew forgiveness upon our penitential prayers: what need we any other arguument then that which my Text affordeth, if we confess our sins, he forgiveth our sins? What sins? Surely those that we confess: & not till they are confessed▪ now whoever antedated confession? indeed it were not penitency but impudence for a man to confess a sin before he hath committed it, since whereas true confession is accompanied with a resolve of forsaking, this would be attended with a purpose of renewing our sins, since then a man is not in a capacity of pardon, till he have made confession, nor of confessing a sin till he have committed it; it plainly appeareth that God doth not antedate his pardons, but till sin be past, pardon is to come. This being pr●m●sed, we need no● doubt to affirm, when God pardons one sin, n● one sin is left unpardoned. Larga Dei bon●tas ven●am non dimid●ab●t, the acquittance which mercy gives, is not in part, but in full: indeed i● God shall pardon some sins and not others, he would at the same time be a friend and an enemy, and we should be at once both happy and miserable, which are manifest contradictions; besides, God doth nothing in vain, and it were in vain to cleanse from any, if not from all sins; one leak unstopped will sink the ship, Mat. 18.31. Is. 38.17. Ps. ●1. 3 one sore not healed, may kill the body, and one sin unpardoned may destroy the soul; no wonder that the Scripture still useth a word of extent: thus it is said in the parable, the Lord forgave his servant all his debt: thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back, saith Hezek●ah, and wash me throughly from my sins, and blot out all mine offences, so David prayeth. To enlarge this comfortable truth, be pleased to observe both the ways of expression here used, and accordingly take it in a double variation. 1. Sins in the plural number: he doth not only forgive one, but many; nor doth he only forgive once, but often; he will abundantly pardon, saith the Prophet Isay; or according to the original, Is. 5●. 7. he will multiply to pardon; the Rabbins say, that if a man sin thrice, it is pardonable, but not the fourth; God is far more rich in mercy, he that cast out a legion of devils, will cast out a legion of sins, he that bids us forgive our brother not only seven times, Mat 1●▪ 22. but seventy times seven, will certainly be as abundant in forgiving us; the Sea can as easily drown an whole Host of men, V. 24 as twenty soldiers; and where God forgiveth sin, he casts them into a Sea: the Lord in the parable forgave his servant not one, or ten, or an hundred, but ten thousand talents: were all the sins of the world the sins of one man, yet they were to his mercy, but a drop of a bucket to the Ocean. 2. All unrighteousness, of what degree●●ever ●●ever: all manner of sin and blasphemy, 〈…〉 shall be forgiven (saith our blessed Lord) yea that the sin against the Holy Ghost is irremissible, it is not for the malignity so much of the sin, as the sinner, because he that once commits it, can never penitently confess it, not only pence but pounds, moa●s but beams, mi●●s, but talents, are within the compass of remission; there is a necessity of pardon to the least, and there is (one excepted) a possibility of pardon for the greatest sin: Christ cured all manner of diseases, 〈…〉 and God cleanseth all manner of sins, the foulest rags may become white paper, and mercy crosseth not only the black, but the red lines of our scarlet sins out of God's book; to this purpose it is, that in the name of God proclaimed by Moses, he is said to forgive iniquity, transgression and sin, where though there be neither the plural number, nor an universal particle, yet there is a threefold noun which answereth both, & is not unfitly expounded, as extending both to original & actual, & to great, as well as small sins. And now (my brethren) what abundant consolation doth this afford us against the sense of our manifold and mighty sins? 〈…〉 so that we may well take up the challenge of St. Paul, who shall lay any thing to our charge? Rom. 8.3. what singular admiration should ravish us in the apprehension of this, multa & m●●na mis●ricordia, manifold and great mercy? saying with the Prophet Micah, Mic. 7 18. Who is a God like unto thee, that taketh away iniquity, and passeth by the transgressions of the remnant of his heritage? what exceeding gratulation should flow from us, if at any time God give us assurance of this general pardon? exciting ourselves with the Prophet David, Bless the Lord, P●. 103. ●, 2.3 oh my soul, and all that is within me praise his holy name, who forgiveth all thy iniquity, and healeth all thy diseases. Only let me close up with a needful caution, God forgiveth and cleanseth all our sins, but it is, if we confess them; and as we expect that his remission, so he expecteth that our confession should be proportionable to our comissions; now our confession is then answerable when our sorrow which ever attendeth confession, is in some measure correspondent to our sins: believe it (brethren) the pardon of many, of gr●at sins, is not to be had upon the sam● easy terms, with that of infirmities, and seldom offences; as our sins are more, our tears must be more, as our transgressions are greater, our humiliations must be deeper. If our offences have been not Gnats but Camels, our sorrow must be not a drop but an ocean; Scarlet sins call for bloody tears, and if Peter sin heinously, he must weep bitterly. If then thy former life hath been a cord of iniquity twisted with many threads, a writing full of great blots▪ a course spotted with various, and those grievous sins, multiply thy confessions, and enlarge thy humiliations, double thy fastings, and triple thy prayers; pour out thy tears, and fetch deep sighs: in a word, iterate and aggravate thy acknowledgements, though yet as the Apostle saith in another case, I say in this, grieve not as without hope, that upon thy sincere and suitable repentance, divine goodness will forgive thee thy sins, and cleanse thee from all unrighteousness. THE FIRST EPISTLE OF S. JOHN. SERM. 18. CHAP. I. Ver. 9 If we confess our sins, he is just and faithful to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. THe Text is a promise, and promises are the most comfortable part of Scripture, the whole word of God, 1 Pet. 2. ●. is according to Saint Peter's metaphor, sincere milk, and these are the cream of that milk: according to St. Paul's similitude, a treasure, and these are the pearls of greatest worth in that treasure; 2 Cor. 4.7. according to David's comparison a light, and these are the brightest beams of that light; Psal. 119. 100LS. in them all our good is centained, by them all our hope is sustained, through them all our comfort is attained. The promise of the Text is one of those which 〈◊〉 Apostle Peter calls exceeding great and precious promises, 2 Pet. ●. 4. because of that which is an exceeding great and precious blessing, the remission of our sins: that which is the sole spring of our comfort, so that all waters which flow not from this spring, though they may be sweet in the mouth, will prove bitter in the belly; that which is the Queen of mercies, so that wheresoever she goeth, a train of blessings attend upon her: since if sin be pardoned, we have grace from, peace with, access to, joy in God; yea all needful comforts both for this life, and that which is to come. But though the Text contain a promise, and the promis● a blessing of so great a value, yet if it were not as sure in the performance as it is sweet in the promise, we could not with joy draw water out of it. And therefore he lets us see, this Well of salvation is d●gged so deep, that the water cannot fail; this fabric of comfort is founded so strong, that it cannot fall, if we be not a wanting to ourselves in fulfilling the condition; God's justice & fidelity will not suffer him to be a wanting to us in performing the promise, for if we confess our sins, he is faithful & just to forgive, etc. Gen. 3. It is that part of the Text I am now to handle, the certainty of the mercy in those words, he is faithful and just. To assertain us of the effect, our Apostle mindeth us of the causes: and here are two sorts of efficient causes set before us; the principal in the word he, and the internal impulsive in those words, faithful and just: and surely when we consider both quis, who it is, that conferreth this benefit, and qualis, how faithful and just he is, we may certainly conclude, the accomplishment of it: of each therefore in their order. The principal efficient cause of remission is He, and if you ask who this he is, Part. ●▪ you must look back, and you shall find it to be him, with whom we hav● fellowship, who is light 〈◊〉 self, and so no other than God himself. And indeed such is the nature of this blessing, that if he did not do it, none else could, it being not only his act, but his prerogative, and so his only act to cleanse and forgive a sinner, I, even I am he (saith God himself) that blotteth out thy transgressions, Isaiah. 43.25. by which reduplication he intendeth an appropria●tion, as if he had said, I, and none but I; Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity, (saith the Prophet?) by which is no doubt intended both an affirmative, and a negative, the one that whosoever pardoneth must be a God, Micah. 7.18. the other that there is no God like to him for pardoning, and therefore indeed whatever else besides him is called God, is no God. In this doubtless, Mark. 2 7. Luke 5.21. Ambros. de Sparke ●. l. 3. c. ●9. Cyr. Alex. Thesaur. l. 2. c. 4. those Pharisees spoke truth, though with a malicious intention against him, who is the truth: when they said, who can forgive sins but God alone? and therefore from that very position S. Ambrose proveth the Deity of the holy Ghost, and S. Cyr●l most properly, the Deity of the Son of God. And indeed i● must needs be only in God's power to forgive, because it is only against him that the offence is committed; it is no doubt a clear truth, that only he to whom the injury is done can remit the doing of it: now David saith, and most fully, Against thee, against thee only I have sinned, nor is that only true, Psal. 51.4▪ because he (being a King) was accountable to none but God, for what he had done: but because sin properly so called, is only against him, of whose law it is a breach, and that is, God himself. Thus S. Cyril argueth, It belongeth only to God to loose men from their sins, Cyr. in l. de rect. fid. ad Regi●. for who can free from the transgression of the law, but the Author of it? and accordingly S. Cyprian, let no man cheat and delude himself, only God must show mercy; Cypr. de lapsis. since the servant cannot grant an indulgence for the fault, which is done against his Lord. Sin is a spot in God's sight, and none can hide it from him, unless he pleaseth to turn away his face. It is a debt in God's Book, and who dares to blot any thing out of his Book, but himself? If any man shall pretend to forgive another's debt, he offereth a double injury, to the debtor, by deceiving him with false hopes, and to the creditor, by usurping his power: hence it is, that we find those exclusive propositions frequent in the ancients, S. Chrisostom often, none can forgive sin but God alone; to forgive sin belongeth to none other; Chrisost. in 2 Cor. 3. h●m. 6 1 Cor. 15. h●m. 40. Greg. in Ps. poenit. Optat. centr. Donat. l. 5. Exod. 34.7. Is. 48.11. to forgive sins is possible to God alone. And Gregory the great, Thou who only sparest, thou who alone forgivest: And Optatus, It is only God's act to cleanse and make white our scarlet sins, this is a part of God's name, which is incommunicable, because an expression of his nature, he is the Lord, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin; an emanation of that glory, which he saith, he will not give to another. That which may seem to contradict this truth, is that power which the ministers of the Gospel have in the point of forgiveness, insomuch that our blessed Saviour expressly saith, Joh. 20.23. Whose sins you remit, they are remitted. To clear this scruple, be pleased to know, that 1. Whatever power the priest hath of forgiving, it is then only effectual, when the person is rightly qualified: we are stewards, and must not be like the unjust steward, str●ke out our Master's debt without his leave, or otherwise then according to his prescription; we are Ambassadors, & therefore have not power to proclaim war or conclude peace between God and man, according to our own discretion, but his direction, to wit, upon the testification of (that which we at least probably conceive is) unfeigned repentance; and therefore saith Tolet well, quoth in terra sacerdos, Tolet. in Joh. in coelo Deus, What the Priest doth on earth, is ratified in heaven, but clavae non ●rrante, not when he turneth the key the wrong way, so that if the confession of the penitent be not sincere, the absolution of the Priest is invalid. 2. But further, the power which a Priest hath upon penitent confession of forgiving, Aug. in Joh. Tri. 5. is but ministerial, not magisterial; ministri sunt pro judicibus baberi nolunt, they are only Ministers, not Judges, so St. Austin, it is the King that grants the pardon, they are only Officers that bring it. If you desire more particularly to know how far the power of a Minister extends to forgiving, I answer briefly. 1. They have power by virtue of their office to intercede with God for sinners, and therefore the sick person is to call for the Elders of the Church, that they may pray for him that his sins may be forgiven him. Jam. 5.14.15. 2. They have the word of reconciliation committed to them, wherein the promise of pardon is revealed and exhibited: by them the holy Sacraments are administered, which are the means of conveying pardon to those that are rightly qualified, to which purpose it is that F●rus saith appositely, Minister's forgive sins inasmuch as they are instrumental, Fer. in joh. in those several Ordinances by which God remitteth sin. 3. They have authority of releasing those censures which have been passed upon sinners, for the scandal given by their flagitious practices to the Church. 4. Finally, they have power particularly to declare that God hath forgiven their sins, in whom they observe the signs of repentance, as they pray us to be reconciled to God; so they may assure us upon our contrition that God is reconciled to us, 〈◊〉 per se 〈…〉 debi●●m 〈…〉 salvant dimis●i●nem ●act●m ●ssenden●. 〈…〉. 18. Fer. in 〈◊〉 In remitte●d●s & retine●di● 〈…〉 & ●ffici● habent Evangelici qo●● sublett legales sa●erdotes in●●randis leprosis. 〈◊〉. dist. 18. l 4. L●turg. ●f the Church of England. thus Durand asserteth that God forgiveth by himself, releasing us from the bond of our sins, and the Priest absolveth by declaring that remission to be granted. And F●rus though a Jesuit, saith, that man doth not properly forgive, but only assure that God hath forgiven, look as the Priest in the law was said to cleanse the leper, because he did pronounce him clean (saith the Master of the sentences) so do the Ministers of the Gospel forgive, b●cause they pronounce to us that God forgiveth, and in this sense our Church understood it: and therefore saith in the form of absolution, he hath given power and commandment to his Ministers, to declare and pronounce to his people being penitent, the absolution and remission of their sins. Thus the Ministers are instrumental in this work, and their power, as appear by what hath been said, is partly declarative, and partly operative; but stil● the princial efficient conferring this benefit, is God, and God alone. The use therefore which we are to make of this truth, is for direction and imitation. 1. Be we directed whither to address ourselves for pardon in the sense of our sins, with the prodigal, let us resolve to go to our Father, and after Dav●ds pattern, let us implore God's mercy. Indeed since God hath set Ministers in his Church for this end, that by their help we may obtain the pardon of our sins, and the comfortable assurance of it; we must not neglect, much less despise their assistance; and whereas what others do only in a way of charity, they do in a way of authority, having power committed to them for this end, we must prefer their help before what private Christians can afford us. In which respect I dare boldly affirm that many people want that comfortable sense of the pardon of their sins, which they might attain to, did they consult with a faithful Minister, declare their sins together with their repentance to him, earnestly and humbly desiring a declarative absolution from him. But yet before, and above all other means, let us seek God by prayer, and wrestle with him for this great mercy: our Church hath taught her Ministers when they absolve to prefix a prayer to Christ, that he would absolve a poor penitent: and as you desire absolution from the Minister, so you must direct your prayer to God, that he would speak peace to you, so much the rather because though he is pleased ofttimes by his Ministers, to give case to burdened sinners, and accordingly we are to make use of them for that end, yet the conscience can find no ease from the Minister, unless he be pleased by the inward testimony of his spirit, to seal a pardon to it; so true is that of Elihu, when he giveth quietness, who then can make trouble? job· 34.29. and when he hideth his fa●e, who then can behold him? 2. Be we exhorted to imitate God in this gracious act, he forgiveth our sins against him, let us forgive the injuries others do against us, this was S. Paul's counsel to the Ephesians, and that upon this very ground; Be you kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you; where the (as) is both modal and causal. Eph. 4.32. As, to wit in the same manner as God doth forgive us, we must others. Indeed the parallel holds not every way, for whereas God doth not forgive sins, but to those that confess and bemoan them, we are bound to forgive those who do not confess, but persist in their offering wrong to us, according to the precept of blessing them that curse us. And this by the way would be taken notice of, Ma●th. 5.44. in Answer to that Socinian argument against satisfaction from the parallel of God's forgiving and man's, since by the same reason that they say God should forgive without satisfaction, because he requires man to do so, they may as well say he should forgive without confession. It is not then in every respect, that this similitude agrees; bu● as God, when he forgiveth is fully reconciled, forgetting all that is past, as if it had not been without any desire of, nay, resolving against all future revenge, ita purè & perfectè, Anselm. in Ephes. so purely & perfectly saith Anselm, ought we to forgive our brethren. And as thus in the same manner, so likewise on this ground, and so the (as) is causal, because God for Christ's sake forgiveth us, we for God's sake ought to forgive one another; we find the Lord in the parable wroth with his servant, to whom he had pardoned all his debt, because he was so cruel not to forgive his fellow-servant, and we pray in the Lord's prayer, for forgiveness of our trespasses as we forgive others; so necessary a connexion is there betwixt these two, Matth 6 12. 18 ●2. that our forgiveness is a condition of Gods, and Gods is to be a cause of ours. Thus God doth seem as it were to put it in our power, whether or no we will have our sins forgiven, by making our forgiveness a condition of it, and as at first he made us after his own likeness: so he still taketh care, that we may become like to him. And surely as it is God's goodness to require no more from, than what he performeth to us; so is it but reason we should at his command perform that to others, which we expect from him; and so much of the first, the principal efficient Herald 2. The internal impulsive causes here specified are two, 1 King. 7.15. 2 Cron▪ 3.18 Cant. 4.5. Zech. 4.11. to wit, God's faithfulness and justice, and these I may well call the two pillars which (like Jachim and Boaz) support our faith, compare to the two Cherubin's which look toward the mercy seat, whence pardon is vouchsafed, resemble to the two olive trees, whence floweth the oil, or the two breasts, which yield the milk of heavenly consolation to troubled consciences. 1. The first here mentioned is God's fidelity, he is faithful: for the opening whereof be pleased to observe, 1. That God hath made many promises of forgiving sins, and cleansing from iniquity to those that acknowledge them; Qui or are ●os 〈◊〉 etc. Cypr. de orat. dom. to this purpose St. Cyprian saith, Christ teaching us to pray for, assures us God hath made promise of forgiving our trespasses: Indeed God hath no where promised peccan●●●rastinum, to morrow to the peccant, but every where poenitenti veniam, pardon to the repentant; If my people shall humble themselves and pray, I will hear from heaven and forgive their sins: 2 Chro. 7.14. so we read in the Chronicles, ●et the wicked forsake his way, Is. 55.7. Ezek. 18.21.22 and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon: so runs the promise in Isaiah. If the wicked will turn from all the sins that he hath committed, all his transgressions, they shall not be mentioned to him, so saith God by the Prophet Ezechiel. Thus I might bring forth a jury of textual witnesses to prove this assertion, but those already mentioned, may suffice in stead of all. 2. Know therefore further, that in whatsoever God hath promised, he is faithful; and that both in respect o● intention and execution. 1. Of intention, inasmuch as his promises are the declaration of his purpose, revelation of his decree, and manifestation of his good will towards poor sinners; God hath spoken nothing but what he meaneth, he doth not outwardly pretend to forgive, and inwardly meditate revenge, but his words are the true characters of his thoughts. 2. Of execution; inasmuch as his promises are not only Yea, but Amen, made; but made good; 1 Kings 8▪ 25. as God hath a mouth to speak, so he hath a hand to fulfil whatsoever he hath spoken: that nam● Jehovah (which is as it were a proper name) signifieth not only his being of himself, but his giving a being to all his promises, and therefore whereas God had made a promise to the Patriarches of the land of Canaan, yet inasmuch as the accomplishment was not in their days, it is said, Exod. 6▪ ● He was not known to them by his name Jehovah: as God saith nothing but what he meaneth, so he saith nothing, but what he do●h; and as his heart thinketh, so his hand ac●●th; what his tongue speaketh: he many times performeth more, but never less than he promiseth. And now both these being put together, that God hath promised pardon, and his promise is stable: well might St. John say, he is faithful to forgive, this being that which his faithfulness in keeping promise obligeth him to. Micah 7.18.19. It fitly observable how the Prophet Micah joineth these two together, He will cast our sins into the Sea, and he will perform his truth to Abraham: as if God could not perform his truth, except he cast our sins into the Sea; so that look as if we pray, he is faithful to hear, if we mourn, he is faithful to comfort, so if we confess, he is faithful to forgive. Indeed the glory of God is much concerned in his being faithful to forgive, not only because of the thing itself, since if it be the glory of a man to pass by offences, much more is it of God; but likewise because of his word which is passed for granting a pardon, and therefore cannot be recalled, retarded, impeded; for if God doth promise any thing which he doth not effect, it must be either for want of wisdom in foreseeing what might be done to prevent it, or for want of power to effect what he intends, or for want of stability, as if his mind were changed, and his good will altered, any of which if they could be fastened upon God, were an high dishonour, and but to imagine them is blasphemy; that therefore it may appear his wisdom is infallible, his power irresistible, his will unchangeable, and so his name may be glorious, he must be faithful in accomplishing, as all other, so this promise of forgiving. And now there are two graees which this fidelity of God should teach us, namely, fidelit as & fides, faithfulness & faith. 1. What obligation doth God's faithfulness lay upon us to be faithful, and that both to him and one another. 1. To him, as he hath promised to forgive us, so we have promised to give ourselves to him; as he hath promised to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, so we have promised to him in our Baptism to cleanse ourselves by renouncing th● world, th● flesh and the devil: and now, is God faithful to us, and shall we be false to him? he is a God keeping Covenant, and mercy with us, and shall we be a people not steadfast in our Covenant with him? 2. To one another: let us not speak fair, and yet have seven abominations in our hearts; but since the tongue is the heart's herald, let it ever declare the Master's message, yea let not only our affections but actions keep even pace with our expressions: we must not be open mouthed, and close fisted, long tongued, and short handed, to make golden promises, and leaden performances; like the nobleman who had two chests; the one whereof he called promise, that was ever open, thither he sent all his petitioners, and there they only found hope; the other he called performance, that was always locked, Eph. 6.1. and no key would open it, but necessity; far be this from true christians, who must be followers of God, and that especially in a faithful discharge of their promises. 2. What encouragement doth God's faithfulness give to our faith? Sarah judging him faithful that had promised, believed, and that against hope: since God is abundant in truth, we may well be abundant in confidence. Heb. 11.12. Indeed God's fidelity should draw out the actings of our faith, and the acting of faith will as it were draw forth God's fidelity. Very observable to this purpose is that expression of the Psalmist, Psal. 31.19. Oh how great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee, which thou hast wrought before the sons of men for them that trust in thee? In the former clause, God's goodness is said to be laid up, in the latter to be wrought: goodness is laid up in the promise, wrought in the performance; and that goodness which is laid up, is wrought for them that trust in God: and thus as God's faithfulness engageth us to believe, so our faith as it were engageth God's faithfulness to perform the promise. More particularly, let this consideration strengthen faith in believing the pardon of our sin, upon our performance o● the condition. Ah thou despairing sinner whoever thou art, what dost thou hereby but question, nay deny Gods faithfulness? so that what our Apostle saith in the next verse, of those who say they have not sinned, the same may I say of them, who say their sin is greater than can be forgiven, they make God a liar: little dost thou think, how whilst thou darest not (as thou conceivest) misapply the promises; thou callest the truth of God in question, and thereby offerest to him an high indignity. But consider thou drooping soul, what provision God hath made against thy infidelity. To assure thee of his fidelity, thou hast his word, nay more than so, his oath (as I live saith the Lord) nay more than so, both in writing, & that writing hath Seals annexed to it, namely the holy Sacraments; how mayest thou confessing thy sins, plead with God upon all these? and as jacob used this argument, Lord thou hast said thou wouldst do me good, so mayst thou, Lord thou hast said, thou hast sworn that thou wilt forgive the sins of them that turn to thee. Gen. 3●. ●2. I have thy hand for it in the Scriptures, thy seal in the Sacraments, so be it to thy servant, according as thou hast spoken and sworn, and written, and sealed. 2. That which next cometh to be considered, is God's justice in those words, he is just: not to mention all the interpretations which expositors give of this word, I shall only acquaint you with three, and insist upon the last, as being (at least in my opinion) most congruous. 1. Some interpreters make faithful and just to be synonimas, therefore he is faithful and just, because it is just he should be faithful; in this respect the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth truth, is by the Septuagint translated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that signifieth righteousness, Vide Span●e●. e●ercitat. nor is it without reason because it is a righteous thing to be true▪ before a man maketh a promise, he is free to make it or not, but when he hath made it, Ca●thus. lap. S●c. in loc. he is not free to keep it or not; by promise a man becometh a debtor, and for one to pay his debt, is no more than just. Indeed this is not exactly true in regard of God, because we never so fully perform the condition, but it is justly liable to exception, yet after a sort it is that which he accounts himself engaged to in point of justice, to perform all his promises, and therefore though it is mere mercy which maketh, it is justice which fulfilleth the promise. This interpretation Socinus layeth hold on, hereby to evade the doctrine of satisfaction, which this word according to its proper sense doth clearly ●avour. But the design of the Holy Ghost being in these words to strengthen our weak faith in believing the pardon of sin, I conceive we shall do best to expound the words in that way which may most conduce to this end, and that is as affording not only a single, but a double prop to our faith, from a double attribute in God, and therefore I wa●e this interpretation. 2. Others there are who distinguishing these two, understand by justice, Grot. Illyr. in loc. mercy; so Grotius here saith, I interpret just to be good, gentle; and Illyricus observeth that righteousness is sometimes taken for benignity, and clemency; in this respect i● is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth mercy, is sometimes by the Septuagint rendered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉▪ that signifieth righteousness: agreeable hereunto, the Greek word for alms is by the Syriach rendered righteousness: the merciful man's bounty is by the Psalmist, 〈◊〉. 6.1. Ps●●. 11●. 9. ● Cor. 6.10 Psal▪ 100L. 17.116.5.51 12. and St. Paul called righteousness; yea upon this account mercy and righteousness, gracious and righteous are joined together; and David promiseth if God would deliver him from blood guiltiness, he would sing aloud of his righteousness. And now according to this interpretation we see another impulsive cause of forgiveness, namely, the grace, mercy, & clemency of God. Among others there are two Greek words (by which pardon is set forth) that excellently confirm this truth, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Col. 2.13. the former by St. Paul, which coming from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, signifieth to forgive freely, and intimateth free grace to be the spring of pardon; the latter by the Author to the Hebrews, Heb. 8.12. in that quotation of the Prophet, I will be merciful to their sins, and their transgressions: which is by showing mercy to the sinner, in the forgiveness of his sins; so that we may hence learn, to what we are to ascribe the pardon of our sins; merely the good will, and grace and mercy of God. Indeed we shall still find all those benefits (especially spiritual) which we receive attributed to mercy; the regeneration of our nature; 2 Pet. 1, 3. Tit 3.5 Luc. 1, 76 according to his mercy he hath begotten us; the salvation of our souls, according to his mercy he saved us; and the remission of our sins through the tender mercy of our God: oh let us admire the bowels of love, the riches of grace, the treasures of mercy which are manifested in pardoning and cleansing our sins. 3. But though this interpretation may be received, yet since it is a good rule in expounding Scripture, to keep to the proper meaning of the words, if there be not very good reason to the contrary, and there being no reason why we should here recede from, I have chosen rather to adhere to the literal sense of the word Iust. For though it be true that 1. The commission of sin deserveth punishment, and therefore justice which giveth every one their due, calls for the punishing, not the remitting of sin, and 2. The confession of sin cannot (as hath been before asserted) deserve pardon, because it is no proportionable compensation of the offence. Upon which grounds it appeareth, that this justice which forgiveth, cannot be in respect of us, yet it still is a truth in regard of Christ, God is just to forgive; so that a Gualt●r well, he cannot but forgive, unless he will be unjust to his own Son, Gualt. in l●c. and inasmuch as our Apostle in the foregoing verse save one, expressly attributes this cleansing to Christ's blood, this interpretation of justice is doubtless most genuine and congruous. To clear briefly and perspicuously this sweet truth of pardoning justice; be pleased to know, that 1. The maledictory sentence of death denounced by the law against sinners, was inflicted by God upon Christ, this is that which the Prophet Esay positively asserts, where he saith, the chastisement (that is, the punishment called a chastisement, because inflicted by a father, and only for a time) of our peace was upon him; and again, he was oppressed, Is. 53 5.7. and he was afflicted, which according to the genuine sense of the original is better rendered, it was exacted, to wit, the punishment of our sin, and he was afflicted, or he answered, to wit, to the demand of the penalty. It may be here enquired, how it can stand with God● justice, ●o infl●ct punishment upon the guiltless? and if this doubt be not cleared, we shall stumble at the threshold, and the foundation of this pardoning justice will be laid in injustice: and truly when we find God saying, the soul which sinneth shall die, Ezek 18. ●. and asserting those who condemn the righteous as an abomination to him, it is hard to imagine how he can himself justly punish the innocent for the nocent. To remove this scruple, consider 1. That God did inflict death on Christ is undeniable, and who may question the justice of his actions, when as things are therefore just, because he wills them to be done, whose will is the supreme rule of justice? 2. There cannot be a more necessitating reason of Gods afflicting Christ by death then this: so that if it be not just for God to inflict it upon him on this ground, it is much less upon any other: That Christ should die for the confirmation of his doctrine, was needless; it was done sufficiently by miracles. To make way by death to his glory, was not necessary; he might have been translated, as were Enoch and Eliah. To die only as an example of patience and fortitude to his followers, is a far less cogent cause, then to die as an example of God's justice and severity against sin; nor need he have died for that end, since the death of any of his Apostles might have been exemplary in that kind: Finally, had he died only for the declaration of God's immense love to us, and not for the demonstration of his severe justice against sin, whilst he had been so loving to us, he had been little other then cru●l to Christ; There wan●ed not other ways to declare his tender affection to mankind, but there was no other way to declare his impartial justice against sin: so that since the inflicting of death on Christ as a punishment, carrieth with it a more urging inducement then any other cause assigned, and since the less cause there is of inflicting death upon any, the greater must needs be the injustice in the inflicter; it evidently followeth that there is nothing can so much clear the justice of God in this act, as (that which the Orthodox asserts to be the cause of it) his undergoing the penalty due to our sins. 3. But further, Christ becoming man is joined to us in nature, and undertaking in our behalf, is conjoined to us by suretyship; and in sensu forensi, a judicial construction, one with us. We see in humane Courts the Law taketh as much hold of the surety as of the debtor: and why then should it be unjust for God to punish Christ engaging for our debt? indeed upon this account the Messiah, though innocent, became (after a sort) guilty, not as guilt noteth a due deserving of punishment in respect of sin, either personally inherent, or at least naturally imputed; but only so far as it noteth an obligation to the punishment in a judicial way, 2 Cor. 5.20. as being our surety, in which respect that phrase of St. Paul is very apposite, he was made sin for us. 4. Lastly, to put all out of doubt. The undergoing this punishment, was Christ's voluntary Act, who as he had power, so he wanted not will to lay down his life. He was not sent for this end without his own consent; as God laid, so he took our iniquities upon him; the curse to which we were subject (saith Theodorus) he assumed upon himself, Tre●d. disp. l. 5. c. 5 Gr●m●r. l 3. c. 13 Arnold. de Sept. verb. tr. 1. of his own accord, the death that was not due to him, he underwent, that we might not undergo that death which was due to us, saith S. Gregory; he made himself a debtor for us, who were debtors, and therefore the creditor exacts it from him, saith Arnoldus▪ now Volenti non ●it injuria; so the moralist most truly, if another will voluntarily substitute himself in the room of a malefactor, though the inferior Judge who is bound by the law cannot, yet the superior Governor may without injustice accept of it. When therefore God saith, the soul that sinneth shall die, he only sets forth the ordinary course of his providence, which impedeth not but that Christ being ready to die in our stead who had sinned, God being the supreme Ruler and Judge, might most justly inflict it on him. 2. This punishment thus inflicted on Christ, is a plenary satisfaction to God's justice. It is true, this word satisfaction is not formally expressed in Scripture, yet there are equivalent phrases; such among others is that phrase so often used of redeeming, and as if the Holy Ghost would prevent that Socinian Exposition of (redimere pro aliqu● modo liberare) redeeming, as if it were only in a large sense, no more than delivering, it is St. Paul's express phrase, ye are bought with a price, and that this price may appear to be of full value, it is opposed to, 1 Cor. 6. ult. 1 Pet 1.18.19. and advanced above corrupt gold and silver by the Apostle Peter: nor is it any infringement to the merit of this price and worth of this satisfaction, that the suffering of Christ was not every way the same that we should have undergone; since it is all one whether the debt be paid in the same coin or no, so it be to the full value. Vide Cal●v. 〈…〉. Christ suffered the punishment of our sins, as Calovius well observeth, though not Se●undum identitatem omnimodam, yet per aequivalentiam, the same in every respect, yet equivalent to it: Indeed what satisfaction could justice demand more than infinite, and the suffering of an infinite person, could not be less: whence followeth 3. In the last place, that God's justice being satisfied for our offences, it cannot but remit those offences to us. As the creditor cannot demand that of the debtor, which the surety hath already paid: so nei●her can God exact the punishment of us which Christ hath suffered, and therefore it is just with him to forgive and cleanse us. The case being thus cleared, it will be altogether needless to inquire whether it had been injustice in God to forgive without satisfaction. St. Augustine's determination is very solid, there wanted not to God another possible way (and if it were unjust, A●g. de Tri●it. l. 13. c. 10. it were impossible) but this of satisfaction was most agreeable to divine wisdom: before God did decree this way, it might be free to have used it or not; but in decreeing, this seemed most convenient, and after, it became necessary: so that there can be no remission without it: and however it might not have been unjust with God to have forgiven without, yet we are sure it is most just with him to forgive upon satisfaction. There is only one objection which remaineth to be answered, and it is that, which seemeth to carry a great deal of strength in it, namely, that forgiveness is a free act in God springing from grace and mercy; and if it be of grace, how can it be of justice? that which is of grace is freely done, and might justly have been otherwise; that which is of justice, there is a necessary obligation to the performance of it: and what more opposite? besides that which addeth the greater force to this argument is, that remission and satisfaction are altogether inconsistent. A man cannot be said to forgive that debt which he is fully paid; so that plenary satisfaction, leaveth no place for remission. To remove this doubt, you must know that things in their own nature opposite, may according to different respects concur to the same work, and therefore forgiveness of sin may be an act both of mercy and justice in a several reference. In respect of us, it is an act of mercy, mere mercy, and therefore we are said by St. Paul to be justified freely: in respect of Christ, it is an act of justice, and therefore he is said by the same Apostle in the same place, Rom. 3.24.25. Vide Orig. T●let. in Rom. to set forth Christ a propitiation to declare his righteousness. In these different considerations it is, that remission and satisfaction are consistent, inasmuch as the satisfaction was by Christ, not us, and the remission is to us, not Christ. For the further clearing of this answer, be pleased to observe, that 1. This satisfaction was neither performed nor procured by us: we did not, could not do it ourselves▪ we did not desire, could not obtain it at the hands of Christ; it was no other than God himself: the injured person who provided, and that no other than his own Son to perform this work: if a creditor should of his own good will appoint his Son to pay the debt, might he not be said to forgive the debtor? and would it not be interpreted an act of benignity? though therefore God sent his Son to satisfy for our sins, yet he is truly said to remit it to us; and though upon satisfaction, it is an act of justice, yet it was mercy which afforded the way and means of accomplishing this satisfaction. 2. This satisfaction, though tendered by Christ, might not have been accepted by God; to this purpose it is which Grotius excellently observeth, G●●t. d● sa●is●act. that one man be discharged by the punishment of another, there must intervene an act of the supreme Governor, and that no other than an act of grace: for the law requires that the punishment should be infl●cted on the person offending, and accordingly justice might exact the penalty from the person himself: so that notwithstanding satisfaction be made by another, yet there must be a gracious act, which in respect of the law is relaxation, and of the offend●r remission. That therefore God is pleased to accept from Christ what he might in justice have required of us, is from no other cause than his gracious clemency, and in this respect it is, that the case between God and a sinner is not like that between a creditor and a debtor: but a King and a malefactor; because if the debt be paid, whether by the debtor or the surety, it matters not: nor can the creditor receiving the debt, from whomsoever it be, if upon the debtor's account, be said to forgive him his debt, whereas the malefactor is bound by the law to suffer in his own person, and therefore the King accepting another in his stead, is truly said to pardon him, as dispensing with that which his law in the rigour of it did requir●. To sum it up, Remission and satisfaction are not repugnant, when that satisfaction is accepted which might have been refused, and when the person who receiveth the benefit, is no way contributory to the performing of it; now both these are manifest in Christ's satisfaction: for that which we do (and not that neither of our selves, but by God's grace) is only to the applying, not at all to the performing of this satisfaction; and though Christ's satisfaction was so full, that it could not be excepted against, as to the aequivalency, nay, redundancy of its value; yet God might not have accepted of it in our behalf, had he not so decreed of his mere goodness. By all which it appeareth, that there is a sweet contemperation of justice and mercy in this work; so that we may truly say in the remission of our sins; Psal. 85. 1●. righteousness and peace meet together, and kiss each other; whilst justice hath satisfaction in the punishment of the offence, and mercy showeth itself by appointing Christ to make this satisfaction, and accepting of it in the sinner's behalf, whereby he is as to himself, freely and graciously, as to Christ, justly and righteously remitted. And surely this being well considered, every crevice will be stopped, at which despair might creep in. When a sinner is sensible of sins, there is nothing more affrighteth him then the meditation of God's justice; but see, Christ having made satisfaction, that justice which was before a cause of fear, becometh a support of our hope, and when tha● which only could discourage us, is a ground of comfort; what can terrify us? If then at any time upon remembrance of the guilt of sin we begin to faint, considering that God is just to hate and punish sin committed, let us upon remembrance of Christ's satisfaction, which God hath accepted in behalf of all believing and penitent sinners, be established and quieted in our minds, considering that God is just to forgive sin confessed. Indeed the debt being paid by Christ, God's very Justice, (as I may say with reverence) would trouble him, if he should not give in the bond, and give out an acquittance. The pardon of believers sins is as it were the wages of his obedience, a legacy he bequeathed at his death, yea the end of shedding his blood, so that as the wages of an hireling detained, the Will of one that is dead (having left wherewithal to satisfy) unperformed, yea, the blood of one suffering in another's s●ead, if that party should notwithstanding be executed▪ must needs cry, and that aloud for justice; which is hereby very much violated. So would Christ's death, & that even against God himself, if he should not grant a pardon to them that beleevingly and penitently confess. Go then thou burdened sinner to God with boldness, and in an humble confidence sue out thy pardon, not only at the throne of grace, but the bar of justice, in these or the like expressions, Lord, thou hast punished my sins in thy Son, wilt thou punish them in me? Thou hast accepted that suffering of thy Son as the punishment of my sin, and therefore thou canst not in justice exact it of me, for this were to punish twice for one offence, which thy justice cannot but abhor. To close up with a needful admonition, very fit to be annexed to this ample consolation; that the dogs may not eat the children's bread. As God is faithful and just to forgive the sins of those that confess them, and to cleanse them from all unrighteousness; so he is no less faithful and just to punish their sins who conceal and continue therein, and condemn them for all their unrighteousness. God (beloved) hath denounced as many severe threats against the impenitent, as he hath pronounced comfortable promises to the penitent; and his faithfulness no less strongly binds him to perform the one, than the other; Christ hath satisfied God's justice for the sins of penitent confessors, in which respect it is just with God to forgive them, but he hath not satisfied for impenitent committers in which respect it is just with God to punish them in their own persons for their iniquities: and therefore let the one tremble, whilst the other rejoice in these divine attributes of justice and fidelity. And thus through God's assistance I have finished the first Chapter, of this first Epistle, wherein you have heard Christ's divinity and humanity illustrated, the Gospel's excellency and certainty demonstrated, hypocrisy detected, piety encouraged, arrogancy confuted, and repentance comforted: ● Tim. 3. 1●. so that what St. Paul saith of the whole Scripture, I may justly apply to this Chapter, It is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for Correction, and for instruction in righteousness; for doctrine, in the great mystery of the Gospel, for reproof of licentious christians, for correction of arrogant justiciaries, and for instruction in righteousness, by teaching us to confess our sins, and walk in the light. I have nothing further to add, but only my prayers for you, and desire of your prayers for me; mine for you, that this Chapter which is profitable in itself, may become so to you, by th● mingling of faith and obedience, with the reading, hearing, and meditating on it; yours for me, that I may through God's providence, continuing my health, and his spirits assistance enlightening my mind, be enabled to proceed in handling the subsequent Chapters, so as may be to his glory, my comfort, and your profit, Amen. THE FIRST EPISTLE OF St. JOHN. SERM. 19 CHAP. II. Ver. 1.2. My little children, th●se things write I unto you that ye sin not; and if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. WHat a disease is in the body, that sin is in the soul; nor are mali humores, ill humours more pernicious to the one, then mali mores, bad manners are to the other: and indeed these are as more, so far more dangerous than those, by how much the part affected is more noble. In this respect they who are appointed to watch over the people's souls, are not unfitly called spiritual Physicians; and as Luke a Physician of bodies was one of the Evangelists, so all the Evangelists, Apostles, and all Ministers are Physicians of souls. Upon this account we find this holy Apostle as in this whole Epistle, so in these verses performing the part of a careful and skilful Physician: Morbi perniciosi●res plures. que sunt animi quam corporis. Cic. 3. Tusc. for whereas the whole body of Physic is divided into two parts; namely, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the one whereof is for preventing, & the other for curing diseases; here we have this ghostly Physician prescribing to his Patients (whom he calls little children) in both these kinds, giving them a preservative to keep them from sin; and a restorative in case of falling into sin: My little children, these things I write unto you that you sin not, and if any man sin, etc. Pertinet capitis hujus initium ad finem 〈◊〉, Ma●l●r. in loc. Vide Ill●r. ibid. These two verses might very well have been annexed to the foregoing Chapter, because the matter of them is pertinent to, yea depends upon that which immediately precedeth, as Marlorate, and Illyricus have both truly observed; for whereas in the end of the former Chapter, the Apostle insisteth upon three things, remission of sins, as being the foundation of fellowship with God, confession of sin, as being the first step of walking in the light, and saying we have no sin, which being opposite to confession, is a step of walking in darkness, our Apostle in these verses doth but further amplify, explain, and confirm these several parts; letting us know that the confession of sin he speaketh of, is such as puts on not sinning, and yet we cannot so not sin, as to say we have no sin, and that the comfort of our remission dependeth upon Christ's Advocateship, and propitiation. In the words we have two generals considerable, namely, A caveat entered, which requireth care against sin in those words, My little children, these things I write unto you that you sin not. A comfort annexed which discovereth the cure of sin in the following words, and if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for our sins only, but the sins of the whole world. In the Caveat we have observable, A friendly compellation, my little children. A faithful admonition, these things I write to you that you sin not. In the comfort we have considerable, A disease or danger supposed, if any man sin. A remedy or succour proposed, we have an advocate, etc. and he is the propitiation for our sins, etc. At this time only of the first general, and therein begin we with the Friendly compellation, my little children. These three words in the English, are but two in the Greek; and accordingly we may observe a word of Declaration, who they were, little children. Appropriation, whose they were, My little children. 1. He calls them little children, and that not once, but often, very often in this Epistle, and here, yea not, only here, but in the most places he so styleth them upon a double ground. 1. Because though not in a carnal, yet spiritual way; they were little children: what the Proverb saith of old men, is true of all good men, they are twice children, by Generation, and Regeneration, as when they first partake of the humane, so when they participate divine nature, they become little children. 2. Because being regenerate, they were to be as children; our blessed Saviour puts these two together, Matth. 18.3. 1 Pet. 1.23.2.2. Vide Hilar. in Matth. Amat Deus infantiam humilitatis magistram innocentiae regulam, etc. Leo. except ye be converted and become as little children, intimating that all converted persons become such, and St. Peter calleth upon those who were born again, to be as new born babes; indeed in little children are the shadows of many graces and virtues, which are really found in the regenerate. Little children cry after the dug, an image of spiritual thirst after the word, are solicitous for nothing, a lesson of dependence upon divine providence, are content with a little, a document of temperance; lie upon the ground, a shadow of humility; give willingly of their meat to their play-fellows, a representation of liberality; have no fraud nor deceit in them; an emblem of sincerity, bear no malice, are soon pacified, a dictate of placability and charity; are harmless and inoffensive; a monitor of innocency. It were easy to multiply parallels in this kind; and truly inasmuch as little children put us in mind of these duties, and thereby of avoiding the contrary sins of pride, covetousness, injuriousness, guile, malice, wrath, disobedience, contempt of God's word, hypocrisy, and all uncharitableness; our Apostle here intending to dissuade from sin in general, which includeth all these particulars, fitly bespeaks them in this phrase, little children. 2. It is further observable, that he calleth them my little children, and this both in respect of a real (though spiritual) relation, and also by way of a metaphorical, yet apt allusion. 1. My little children, in real relation, God having no doubt made him an instrument of converting many of them to, and strenghthening all of them in the saith; this spiritual affinity have all true christians to their Ministers. Indeed primarily they are Gods children, being (as the phrase is frequent in this Epistle) born of God; in this respect it is that St. James saith, Of his own good will begat he us, and St. Peter blesseth the God and Father of our Lord jesus Christ, for begetting us again; and thus indeed Ministers as well as people (if believers) are God's children. But still secondarily, the people are the Ministers children; for whereas God is the principal▪ they are the instrumental causes of forming Christ in the hearts of their auditory, and as the instruments of their natural being do, so no less justly the instruments of our spiritual being, may call us their children. To clear this a little further, you may please to consider that the word of truth is the means whereby we are begotten to a spiritual, and nourished to eternal life; in which respect S. Peter compareth it both to seed and to milk, the seed by which we are born again, 1 Pet. 1.23.2.2. Vide Cl. All poedag. l. ●. c. 6. and the milk by which being born we are fed; now the preaching of this word is committed to the Ministers of Christ, and they are sent and appointed by God for this end, to publish the doctrine of salvation to men, no wonder if St. Paul writing to the Corinthians, 1 Cor. 4▪ 15. Gal▪ 4 19 1 T●es. 2.7. resembleth himself to a Father; and tells them, I have begotten you in Christ jesus through the Gospel, to the Galathians, compareth himself to the Mother, and using this phrase of the Text, my little children; giveth this as the reason, of whom I travail in birth again till Christ be form in you: and to the Thessalonians likeneth himself to a nurse that cherisheth her children. Thus Ministers are Fathers and Mothers to those who are converted, and so as it were begotten and brought forth, and nurses to them who are confirmed, and it were so as educated and brought up by their labours. Upon this ground it was that Paulinus writing to Delphiuns, Paulin. ep. 15. by whom he was baptised and instituted in christian doctrine, saith to him, Tu nobis à Dom●no, & in Domino Pater factus, you are under, and in God, a Father to me. And (oh beloved) that every soul in this congregation might be able to say of me, my Father; oh that I might be able to say of you, my children; why? tell me why do you enforce us to complain with the Prophet, we labour in vain, and spend our strength for nought? when, oh when will you by receiving this celestial seed, Is. 49.2. make us joyful Fathers and Mothers? surely what Abraham in another case said to God, What wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, that we say to you in this, Gen. 15.2. what will you give us? reverence, maintenance, I but all this is nothing, if we go childless; 14.21. our desire is (like that of the King of Sodom to Abraham) give us your souls, that we may give them to God, and as Isaiah prophesieth concerning the Messiah, He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: so this is our prayer to God, and desire of you, that we may see the travail of our souls in the conversion of yours; Is. 53.11. then, and not till then shall we be satisfied. Oh that you would do us this honour, afford us this comfort by your spiritual birth, and growth under our ministry, that we may be able upon this real ground to call you, as here St. John did those to whom he wrote, My little children. But further, we may conceive, our Apostle using this appellation by way of allusion, thereby to teach them, Implicitely, how they ought to look upon him, to wit, as a Father. Explicitly, how he did look upon them as his children. 1. By calling them his children, he teacheth them to look upon him as their Father, and not only in respect of his age, (for so old men are styled by the younger, but his office (for so superiors are called by inferiors) and accordingly behave themselves as children; in his second and third Epistles, he giveth himself the title of an Elder, being an Elder he was a Ruler, and therefore to be owned as their Father. 2 Kings 5.13.2.12. Naaman being a Ruler in Syria, is called by his servant, My Father. Elijah being a Prophet in Israel is called by Elishah my Father. Micah said to the Levite, Thou shalt be a Father and a Priest to me, and surely St. John being an Elder, Judg. 17.10. nay more than so, an Apostle, aught to be accounted by them as their Father. Thus tacitè dignitatem suam ind●cat, saith one upon these words, here is a tacit insinuation of his dignity and the authority he had over them, J●stin. in loc. whereby they might be minded of their duty, and that both towards him and his writings. 1. Towards him, a duty of reverence, filio semper honesta & sancta persona patris videri debet, saith the Civil law, the person of the Father ought to be venerable in the son's eye, when Alexander was asked why he did so highly respect Antipater? answered, because he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 instead of a Father to him; upon this account it is, Mal. 1.6. that Ministers may expect, and the people ought to give them a filial respect. It is God's argument to the Priests that despise his name, a Son honoureth his Father, if then I be a Father, where is mine honour saith the Lord of Hosts, it may be the Priest's argument to the people that despise their persons, If we be your Fathers, where is our honour? 2. Towards his writings, a duty of obedience, Hear ye children the instruction of a Father saith Solomon, Prov. 4.1. indeed whose instruction should children hear, if not their Fathers? so that our Apostle in calling them his children, intimateth what an obligation lay upon them of conformity to his writings, and following those Counsels which were thereby given to them. 2. But lastly, by calling them his little children, he expresseth how he looks upon them, to wit, with most endeared affections. 1. He declareth his love and care of them, in that he calleth them his children. He letteth them see that it was no less than a paternal and maternal love which he did bear to them, Father, saith Tertullian, Tertul. de ●rat. c. 2. Eurip. is not only appellatio potestatis, but pietatatis, a word of power but of love, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 said the Poe●. All living creatures love their young ones, love many times doth not ascend from children to parents, but it usually descends from parents to children; such an affection had S. john to those to whom he wrote. 2. And yet further, Joh. 13.33. Non ex su●●psius magnificati ne, sed charita●is magnitudine. Cartha●. in loc. he sets forth the dearness of his love in that he calleth them his little children, it was the language of his loving Master to his disciples, and he learned it of him as being full of sweetness. Indeed sometimes diminutives are words of contempt, and scorn but sometimes of tender respect, & no doubt this was the reason of our Apostles using this diminutive, not out of a supercilious contempt, but an affectionate esteem of them. Clemens Alexandrinus hath observed that all little things are most regarded and delighted in. Vide Lorin. ibid. Cl. All poedag. l. 1. c. 5 Gen. 33.13. Filii diliguntur at filioli tenerè amantur. Tol. in Joh. Is. 42.17. Summi amoris Gualt. in loc. Patenter indicat charitatem Justin. ibid. There is in us a kind of sympathy with, and care of little things. It was Jacob's phrase to Esau, that he must have regard to the tender children, and young cattle in his journey. Besides parents though they love all, yet especially their little children, let the other shift for themselves, but their little ones they will be sure to take care of; can a woman forget her sucking child? is the question of God himself, the sucking little babes are carried in the arms, dandled on the knee, fed at the breast, and though the mother may love her ●lder children, as truly, yet not so tenderly; no wonder if interpreters conceive this expression as a word of greatest love, and manifesting his singular care of their good. Thus he who was the beloved disciple, showeth himself a loving pastor, and as he was dearly beloved of his Master, so his flock was dearly beloved of him, nor was this only the temper of S. john spirit, but of the rest of the Apostles, 2 Cor. 12.15. Phil. 1.5. especially S. Paul who therefore tells the Corinthians, how gladly he would spend, and be spent for them, calls God to record how earnestly he longed after the Philippians in the bowels of jesus Christ. Indeed to all to whom he wrote he still expresseth his entire affection, one of those titles which the holy Apostles use in their Epistles is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the vulgar rendereth and not unfitly, Charissimi, and our translation dearly beloved, nor are we to imagine this a verbal compliment, but a real expression; as they called them, so they accounted them their dearly beloved. We read concerning Aaron, that he was to bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgement upon his heart, so did those holy Apostles in a mystical sense; nay, S. Paul saith of the Corinthians, Exod. 28.29. 2 Cor. 3.2. that they were an Epistle written in his heart. Let the same mind be in all Ministers towards their people, that was in St. john and the other Apostles, Non minus vos diligo quos genui ex Evangelio, quam si suscepissem conjug●o, said St. Ambrose. I love you no less whom I have begotten by the Gospel, then if I had begotten you in matrimonial conjunction, pro officio sacerdotis omnes christianos filiorum loco diligimus, saith St. Jerome, Ambros. de offic. l. 1. c. 5. Hier. ep. 9 we love all christians as our children, and this we do by reason of our office, which obligeth us to it, and if all, much more those over whom divine providence hath placed us, and let our love show itself to be a parental love by the purity, vehemency, and activity of it, that as parents love their little children not for their own, but the children's sake, with a great measure of affection, not sparing any cost, pains for their good: so let us love our people, not theirs, but them, not coldly, but fervently, not lazily, but diligently watching, fasting, praying, preaching, and every way endeavouring their spiritual good. To end this first particular. It is not unworthy our observation and imitation, that this holy Apostle being to press upon them a duty first expresseth his affection; and the better to make way for his counsels, coucheth them as it were in sweet and pleasing language, Vide Est. Fer. in loc. verbis non duris, sed ad admodum blandis utitur ut eo facilius persuadeat: he useth not harsh and rough, but sweet and soft words; he well knew that the Sunbeams, have a greater influence than the boisterous winds, and those whom sincecerity, hardness, meekness softeneth. He well knew that if he could persuade the people of his love to them, he should the better gain their observance of his advice; since that cannot but be be well taken, which appeareth to be spoken in love. For this reason it is, that this and other such compellations, as brethren and beloved, are frequently made use of by the Apostle; yea, that we find them so often entreating, beseeching, persuading that by their gentle expressions they might win upon those to whom they wrote. My doctrine (said Moses) shall drop as the rain, Deut. 32.2. my speech shall distil as the dew (to wit in a mild and gentle manner) and indeed so it did; for like a tender nurse he sings to the froward child, reproving Israel's ingratitude in a song. Thus you see how as God did once to Elijah so the men of God to the people have for the most part come in the still voice; and surely it becometh well all God's Ministers to write after these copies, and to endeavour, that by affectionate expressions and alluring phrases, they may prevail with those to whom they preach. Indeed since we are Messengers of the word of truth, we must abhor lying flattery, but withal, since we are Ambassadors of the Gospel of peace, we must use persuading lenity, and bespeak the people in the most loving, insinuating phrases, as here we see St. john▪ did, calling them my little children. And let this suffice to have been spoken of the friendly compellation, which seemeth very fitly to make way for the Faithful admonition. These things I write to you th●● you sin not, Part. 2. wherein there are two particulars further to be taken notice of. The matter of the admonition in these words, that you sin not. The motive enforcing it as the end of what he wrote in those words, these things I write unto you. 1. Begin we with the matter of the admonition which is not to sin. That I may the better illustrate what is the true & full meaning of these words, I shall entreat you to observe these ensuing particulars, and those, such as the comparing of this clause with the three last verses of the former Chapter manifestly prompts to 1. In the end of the preceding Chapter, our Apostle tells those who say they have not sinned, that they make God a liar, by which it appears that this, sin not, is to be understood de futuro, in reference to time to come; as if he should say, though you have sinned heretofore, yet sin not, that is, abstain from sin hereafter, and thus this admonition is the same with that of God by the Prophet Isay, cease to do evil. by the Prophet Ezechiel, Isay 1.16. Ezech. 18.31 Joh. 5.14.8.11. cast away all your transgressions, and of Christ to the impotent man whom he had healed, and to the woman which was charged with adultery, sin no more. It was one of the prohibitions given to the Nazarites, that they should not drink vinegar; but what need of this, Numb▪ 6 3. Acetum bibunt qui post vitae sanctitatem in ve●ustatem praeteritorum vitiorum labuntur & corruption veteris nequitiae delectant●r Rab. Num. 16.37. when as the sharpness of the liquor is enough to dissuade from drinking it; the literal reason whereof was no doubt, because it came of the wine and strong drink, but Rabbanus maketh a moral application of it apt to our present purpose, where he saith, they drink vinegar who return to the oldness of their past sins, of which every spiritual Nazarite must beware. It is not unfitly observed to this purpose by Mendoza, concerning God's command of turning the rebels censers into broad plates, which were fastened to the altar for a covering, that this might he one reason, that those censors might more●e ●e employed in that sacrilegious way; for whereas had the censors remained, and not been beaten into plates, or if beaten and not fastened on the Altar, they might have been easily again abused; now they remained as memorials of their sins, and yet no way was left for misemploying them afterwards, and surely what should this but teach us how solicitous and careful we should be, though we have done iniquity, to do so no more, and though We have sinned, yet not to sin hereafter. 2. But further in the ninth verse, of the former Chapter, he adviseth confession of sin, and here he addeth, sin not, as if he would say, as you confess your sins past, so sin not for time to come; indeed this is both the truest and the safest, the most real, and the most comfortable part of repentance, wash you, make you clean saith God by the Prophet, Is. 1.15. Au●. de Temp. Serm. 6●. he washeth and is clean, saith St. Austin, qui praeterita plangit & iterum non admittit, who bewaileth sin committed, and doth not commit sin bewailed. Our confessions our prayers, our tears, our purposes may be hypocritical; it is our actual forsaking of sin, which evidenceth the truth of all the rest. True repentance doth not only decline the Accusative case by acknowledging sin, Poenitentia non s●lum vulnus praeteritum sanat, sed & ultra animam non sinit peccato vulnerari. Orig. h●m. 8. in Num. and the Vocative by calling upon God for pardon, but the Ablative by putting sin away, and thus (according to origen's phrase) as it healeth those wounds that have been made, so it taketh care that the soul be not wounded again. Indeed this is the great mistake of very many, they content themselves with a general confessing sin, and formal ask of pardon, and still they add sin unto sin, but alas this is only fingere, not agere poenitentiam, to pretend, not practice penitence; optima poenitentia vita nova, the repentance of the life, by dying to sin is the very l●fe of repentance. 3. Lastly, In the eighth verse of the former Chapter, our Apostle saith, if we (in which number he include● himself, and consequently the holiest men) say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and yet here he writeth to them not to sin; two clauses which seem irreconcilable, but may be solved up by a double answer. Either thus sin not, that is, endeavour that you may not sin at all hereafter; though this cannot be the event, let it be your intent, the success, let it be your design, in execution, let it be in intention; sin not (saith Bede) that is, let us take heed how we add to the frailty of our flesh by our neglect, and therefore let us strive to the utmost we can, that we may be free from all sin, Vide B●d. Calv. in lo●. and to this purpose is Calvin's glisse, when he saith, by not sinning he meaneth, that as far as humane weakness will permit, we should abstain from all sin. 2. Or thus, sin not, that is, be sure you sin not de futuro, again, as you did de preterito; in the days of your unregeneracy; as if he would say though you cannot but sin still, yet sin not so as you did before. To enlarge this in a double reference. 1. Quoad genus, not in the same kind. Sin not, that is, beware of those gross sins, scarlet iniquities, in which before you lived. And thus, though it is possible a regenerate person may commit some great sin, in which he formerly wallowed, yet it is not impossible for him wholly to avoid sins of that nature; nay, this is that which God expects and requireth of us, that though our garment will be spotted, yet it may not be rend in pieces; and though we cannot be without failings, yet that we should be without scandalous falls. 2. Quoad modum, not in the same manner as before you did, not with that fullness of deliberation, freeness of consent, strength of resolution, frequency of action, which you sinned with in times past. We cannot but sin, but we must not delight in, give up, accustom ourselves to the commission of sin, it was David's prayer, keep back thy servant from presumptuous sin, and it is every good man's practice, Psal. 19.12. to keep himself by God's grace from sinning presumptuously. And thus much shall serve to be spoken of the matter. Proceed we now to the motive, enforcing this admonition, Part. ●. and that is because this was the end of his writing these things. The prosecution of this lieth in the various reference of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, these things here spoken of. Indeed we may very well understand it both in a general, and a particular reference. 1 It may have a general respect to the whole Epistle, and so we are to take notice of one principal end why he wrote this Epistle, that he might take them off from their sins. And thus here is intimated both finis scribentis; and finis Scripturae, the end of the writer, and the end of the writing; and that one and the same their not sinning. 1. I write these things that you sin not, that was his aim and scope in his writing, nor was it only his, but that which all the men of God in all their writings and preachings aimed at, and therefore you still find them harping upon that string, repent; and shooting their forked arrows at sin. jer. 23.14. Ezech. 13.18. Indeed the false Prophets, as God complaineth by Jeremy, did strengthen the hands of evil doers, but the true Prophet's endeavour was to restrain them, the false Prophets as ezechiel's phrase is, did sow pillows under their armholes, but the true plucked them away. Go up and prosper was the voice of the lying Prophets to Ahab, If thou return in peace, the Lord hath not spoken by me saith Micaiah, 1 King. 2●. 12.28. flattering Ministers lull the people asleep, but faithful ones awaken them out of their sins: oh let us herein approve ourselves sincere by striking at, and labouring to beat down sin in all our discourses. Tota doctrina huc spectat, etc. Zanch. in loc. 2. These things I write unto you that you sin not, this was the end of all that he wrote, nor is it only the end of his, but all the writings of the Apostles and Prophets, so that the whole Scripture is given us among others for this end, that we might not sin. If we look into holy writ; we shall find precepts, reproofs, threatenings, promises, histories; and sin not, is that to which they all tend. The precepts are clear as glasses to discover sin. The reproofs as faithful monitors to mind us of sin. The Threats as strong cords to bind us from sin. The promises as gentle antidotes against sin, and The Histories as memorable monuments of the sad effects of sin. To this purpose it is, that God's word is compared to a fire, which purgeth away the dross: to water which cleanseth away the filth, jer. 23. ●9. Revel. 22·17. Hebr, 4.13. and to a sword with a double edge; the one whereof is to cut the heart of a sinner for sin, and the other to cut sin in the heart of a sinner. Oh my brethren, as these things are written by those sacred penmen, so let them be read, heard, pondered, and observed by us for this end, that we may not sin. These things are written in God's book that we may not; and if these things be written in our hearts, we shall not err. The Psalmist proposeth it to young men, and in them to all men as an excellent help against sin, Psal· 119.9. wherewith shall a young man cleanse his ways? by taking heed thereto, according to thy word; and presently after he sets down a probatum est, from his own practice and experience, I have hid thy word in my heart, that I might not sin against thee. Ver. 11. When therefore we are to encounter with any sin, let us go to the brook of holy writ, and thence choose out five smooth stones, a precept, a reproof, a threat, a promise▪ an history; put we them in the scrip of our hearts. Let us throw them with the sling of faith, against the forehead of Goliath; our lust whatsoever it be, so shall we be enabled to overcome; for these things are written that we sin not. Besides thls general, there may be a more particular reference of this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, these things to the things which precede in the end of the former, and immediately follow in this Chapter. For whereas he had in the foregoing verses; delivered the doctrines of an impossibility of being without sin, of a possibility of pardon of sin, & that upon confession, & besides, he was presently to mention the comfortable doctrines of Christ's interceding to God for us, Vide Fer. Na●g●rg. in loc. and reonciling us to G●d, well knowing how apt men are, and how ready they would be to make these doctrines encouragements to sin; he thought it necessary that this caveat should be put after the one, and set before the other; whereby the misconstruction and misapplication of these precious truths, might be prevented, and according to this reference here is something employed, something expressed. That these things which were written, would be perverted by some for the encouragement of themselves and others in sin. That these very things which would be so perverted, were written by him, that they should not sin. 1. Our Apostle no doubt foresaw how these things which he wrote, would be abused, and therefore thought this caveat very needful; for how apt are men to reason in this or the like manner. If we can never come to say we have no sin, what need we care though we have sin? that which no man can avoid, why should we go about to withstand? and thus from a necessity take to themselves a liberty of sinning again. Again, If God will forgive sin upon confession, what need we fear the commission, if he is ready to forgive all sin, what need we care how many and great sins we run into? we can confess as oft as we offend, and God will forgive as oft as we confess. Once more, If Christ will be an Advocate, and propitiation, when we have sinned, why should our sins trouble us? There is a plaster provided for our wounds, what need we fear to wound ourselves? and since Christ will free us from sin, let us sin freely. Thus as the best of actions, so of expressions are subject to misconstructions, nothing can be done so exactly, nor written so tightly, but a wicked eye will pry, and censure, and slander; a vitiated stomach turneth all its meat into choler, a venomous spider sucketh poison out of the sweetest flower, and men of corrupt minds will strengthen themselves in sin, from pure and heavenly truth:; as they make the good gifts of God conferred on them, so the good word of God published to them, fuel for their lust. St. Peter saith of many unlearned and unstable souls, that they wrest the Scriptures to their own perdition; to wit, by making them patrons of error, no less do profane men by making them fautors of sin; 2 Pet▪ 3.16. and the metaphor there used is very emphatical, borrowed from the stretching of men upon the rack, and as those who are racked, are ofttimes made to confess what they never did, so these cause the Scriptures as it were to speak what they never meant. Oh let us take heed of learning this hellish sophistry, beware we of putting foul glosses upon the fair Text; It is very ill to make a sinister construction of our neighbour's words, but far worse to misinterpret Gods sayings, and we cannot more abuse these writings, then to make them speak any thing which is either untrue, or impure. And because it is that to which men are so prone, oh let Gods Ministers take heed how they deliver these things too largely and loosely, without their due caution; it is Ferus his note how wary S. John is in delivering the sweetest doctrine of remission, and reconciliation by Christ, Vide Fer. in loc. no less is S. Paul when he handleth the doctrine of justification, and so ought we in delivering those sweet Gospel verities so to propose them, as that wicked men may not hereby take occasion to let loose the reins to all licentiousness. 2. But further to prevent this mistake, he plainly asserts that these very things were written by him, that men might not sin. Those very doctrines which wicked men abuse to countenance looseness, directly tend to persuade strictness. When the Apostle saith we cannot be altogether without sin, what should that teach us, but to be so much the more careful, and watchful, since we daily gather filth, we had need to take the more pains in cleansing ourselves. If I cannot shoot fully home, when I have done my best, I had need draw the arrow as far as I can, that I may come the nearer to the mark. Because my best knowledge is mixed with some ignorance: have I not reason to study hard, that I may attain the more knowledge? seeing do what we can we shall slip; is there not cause of the more wariness that we may not fall, or at least not often? these things if we say we have no sin, if we say we have not sinned, are written, that we sin not. Again, when the Apostle saith if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive; for what is this confession required, but that we might not sin? the truth is, confession is required not so much in reference to sin past, either to inform God of, or make him amends for it, but chiefly in reference to sin for time to come, that hereby being the more sensible of the offence, guilt, shame, and grief, attending, we may be both enraged and engaged against it; he that by confession condemneth himself for his sin, is thereby obliged to condemn sin in himself, and the end of acknowledging our sins is, as that the sinner may be absolved, so that the sin may be executed. Once more when the Apostle saith, God forgiveth and cleanseth from all unrighteousness, and Christ is our Advocate and propitiation for our sins; these are sweet, yet strong arguments to dissuade from sin. Gospel-truths favour the sinner, but not the sin; they reach forth an hand of succour to us, but it is to pluck us out of the mire: they are a plaster not to skin, but to heal the sores. Very apposite to this purpose is that of S. Paul, The grace of God which bringeth salvation, hath appeared to all men, teaching us, that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world: 2 Tit. 11.12. pardoning and reconciling love, cannot but 1. oblige to thankfulness, and it were a very ill requital for pardoning an old, to offer a new injury; Nos qui credimus sanguine filii Del expiari peccata n●n possumus. non sollicitè à peccato nobis cave● Arnob. adv. gent. l. 7. 2. Excite, love, and love must needs make us careful not again to displease, no wonder if Arnobius saith We who believe that our sins are expiated by Christ's blood, cannot but be cautelous how we plunge ourselves into the guilt of sin again. Oh let us study the purity of Evangelical doctrines, let us get spiritual enlightened understandings, that we may judge aright of these truths. Having these promises saith Saint Paul, let us not defile, but cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God: then, 2 Cor. 7.1. and not till then, are Gospel-verities rightly understood and believed, when we use them not only as cordials, to revive our drooping spirits, but as purges, to expel our corrupt humours; for these things I write to you, (saith our Apostle here) that you sin not. SERM. 20. THE FIRST EPISTLE OF St. JOHN. CHAP. II. Ver. 1. Part. 2. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. PResumption and despair, are two destructive rocks, upon either of which, if the ship of the soul dash, it is split in pieces; they are the two dangerous praecipices upon which whosoever steps, saileth headlong into hell. Finally, these are the two deviating extremes from the golden mean, to which he that turneth, must needs perish. Indeed one of these is the more common, to wit, that of presumption, in which respect (alluding to that expression of Saul and David) we may say, 1 Sam. 18. despair hath slain its thousand, but presumption its ten thousand; yet though the poison of the one be more spreading, the venom of the other is no less endangering; yea both where they seize, are deadly: whilst presumption is an enemy to pepentance, and despair to faith, that deceiveth with vain hopes of mercy, this tormenteth with hellish fears of Justice: Finally, the one hurrieth the soul on into sinful courses: and the other keepeth the soul back from laying held on spiritual comforts. Good reason why the Scriptures afford us antidotes against both these poisons; and here S. John like a skilful Pilot, a wise guide, a faithful friend, warneth those to whom he wrote of both these rocks, advising them that they should neither go on presumptuously in their sins, nor yet mourn despairingly when they had sinned. My little children, these things I mrite unto you, that you sin not, and if any man sin, we have an advocate, etc. Having dispatched the caveat, proceed we to the comfort, and therein begin with the 1. Disease or danger supposed in those words. Part. 1. And if any man sin. The right understanding of this clause, depends much upon the genuine sense of the Verb, sin. To which end you may please to observe a threefold signification of it in Scripture. 1. To sin, is as much at to live in sin, and so respects the general course of a man's conversation; In this sense I conceive that of S. Paul to Timothy, is to be understood Them that sin (that is, saith Calvin, 1 Tim. 5.20. Calv. ibid. qui dissoluti vivunt, who obstinately go on in sin) rebuke openly; for those who sin, though grossly, at first, are to be rebuked privately, and upon persisting openly. It is very observable to this purpose, how the Apostle useth those two phrases as synonimous, continuing in sin, and sinning; Rom. 9▪ 1.15. for so he puts the question in the beginning of the sixth Chapter, what then? shall we continue in sin? and afterwards in the same Chapter, what then? shall we sin? 2. To sin, is as much as to do some gross act of sin, and so respects particular falls in the course of a man's life; in this sense Joseph maketh these two parallel phrases, doing great wickedness, and sinning against God. Thus when job saith of his sons, Gen. 39.9. job 1.5.2.20. It may be they have s●nned; and where it is said of job, in all this he sinned not, and when the question is put concerning the blind man, who sinned? this man or his parents? is to be interpreted of some gross and heinous offence. 3. To sin, is as much as to do any thing dissonant to that exact rule which the law of God sets before us, and so refers to frailties and infirmities in this sense (no doubt) is that assertion of the wise man to be construed; there is no man that doth good and sinneth not, If you ask which of these is here meant, Eccles. 7.20. I answer 1. The former of these acceptions is by no means here to be allowed. Christ is not, will not be an advocate for them that continue in their sins; he saith himself expressly, I pray not for the world, to wit, lying in wickedness; the world of unbelievers: impenitent sinners have no interest in Christ's intercession, and indeed it is very observable to this purpose, how our Apostle phraseth this clause, so as that wilful sinners might have no hold of it. For, observe 1. it is set down in conjunction with sin not, so much the particle And, intimateth, implying, that only those who make conscience of the caveat, have a share in the comfort, and if any man sin, to wit, who endeavoureth not to sin. 2. It is set down with an if, he saith, not because we cannot but sin, (though this, as you shall hear presently, is his meaning) but if any man sin, as if he would intimate, that the sinning he speaketh of, is not a resolute, but a casual sinning; if any man sin, that is, if it happen that any man sin, to wit, besides his bent and course. 3. It is not in the future tense, if any man shall sin, lest that might be an encouragement to a man in future indulging to his sins, no, but in the second Aorist, if any man sin, being only intended to prevent despair in men when they have sinned, so that I must at the entrance of this paradise, place a flaming sword to keep the tree of life, whereby presumptuous sinners may not gather the fruit which groweth upon it. The bread of this Scripture is very nourishing, but it is not common, we must not sin as much as we please, as long as we list, and think to put it on Christ's score, to wallow in the mire, and expect his blood shall cleanse us, to renew our provocations, and still find him our propitiation, multiply our rebellions, & make use of him as an advocate to plead for us▪ no, let us not deceive ourselves, this si quis is not so large as to take in them that sin, that is, serve sin, & live in it. 2. The second of these acceptions may warrantably be admitted, as at least an orthodox sense of these words, and so the verb sin in the former clause, and this may be construed identically, or differently; either thus, I write these things that you sin not, to wit, continue not in your sins, and if any man sin, that is, having left, do fall into sin; and so the construction is divers; or thus, I write these things that you sin not, that is, take heed of gross sins, and if any man sin, that is, happen to commit some gross act of sin, & so the sense of the verb in both clauses is the same, & according to this interpretation, here is manifestly implied a double possibility, the one of regenerate persons falling into gross sins, and the other of obtaining pardon for them. 1. According to this construction, the conditional particle (〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if) importeth a possibility for them who are converted to fall, and that into a gross sin. Indeed there is no sin so small which a convert doth not abhor, and yet there is scarce any sin so great, which he may not commit; it is true, on the one hand it is possible for him to live without, but on the other, it is as well possible for him to fall into, even a scandalous crime; doubtless what hath been, may be, & therefore when we find in Scripture eminent Saints marked with notorious spots, we may justly conceive them incident to any as well as them. Whilst grace is defective. and temptations are strong, it is no wonder if sometimes corruptions get the mastery, and we not only step aside, but fall foully; very needful in this respect are those counsels of S. Paul. 1. Brethren if a man be overtaken with a fault, ye that are spiritual, Gal. 6.1. restore such an one in the sp●r●t of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted, ille hodi●, ego cras, was a devout saying of a good man, he is fallen to day, and I may to morrow; and therefore if thou standest whilst another falleth, thankfully acknowledge thy Father's goodness, but do not proudly disdain thy brother's weakness, Again 1 Cor. 10·12. 2. Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall. He is a wicked sinner who presumeth on God's mercy, and he is a proud Saint who presumeth on his own strength: whilst we are here, temptations will enter upon us, and we may enter into temptation. When we have acted a sin, we may fear too much, if it be such a fear as ends in horror and despair; but we cannot too much fear, lest we should sin. Since as the former is flagellum, a scourge of the bad; so the latter is fraenum, a bridle to the good: nor is there a better preservative from, than the fear of falling. But further it is well observed, that this expression, if any man sin, Zanch. in loc. is elliptica oratio, an elliptic speech, and there is somewhat employed, which may be thus supplied; let him not despair or cast away all hope of pardon, and so we see that there is a possibility of pardon for such sins. It is the erroneous opinion of the Novatians, that sins committed after Baptism are unpardonable, and this chiefly grounded upon that of the author to the Hebrews, where he asserts it impossible for them who fall away (after enlightening and partaking of the holy Ghost) to be renewed again by repentance; Heb. 6.3.4. in answer to which (though some interpret 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, to be no more than 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 expounding impossible by difficult yet) I conceive we are to understand the falling away, not of a gross fall into a particular sin, but a malicious Apostasy from the christian Religion, which crucifieth the Son of God afresh, and puts him to open shame, as if he were an impostor and seducer, not the world's Redeemer; a sin which being always joined with impenitency, rendereth renewing impossible 〈◊〉 such persons. Notwithstanding which, Tertul. de 〈◊〉. there remaineth a possibility of pardon for particular sins, into which baptised and regenerate persons fall, in which respect repentance is fitly called by Tertullian, Secunda tabula post nausrag●um, a second plank for them, who after they are bound for heaven, are shipwracked by the storm of some violent temptation, and therefore though gross falls are to be matter of deep humiliation, yet not of deadly desperation. 3. Lastly, the third which is the most comprehensive acception and proper signification of the word is by some, and not improbably conceived to be the most genuine construction of it in this place; Si quis fragilitate 〈◊〉 ●●averit. Cajet. in loc. Si de infirmitate vita subrepserit pe●catum, etc. Aug. in loc. in this respect the conditional particle is as much as a causal, and aliquis equivalent to omnis, if any, that is, because ev●ry man sinneth. Indeed it w●re to be desired that this supposition might never be a position, but understanding it of infirmities, it not only may, but will be so long as we live here, and therefore as Solomon having made an Hypo thesis, if they sin against thee, presently addeth a Parenthesis, 1 King. 8.46. and that by way of an Epanorthosis (and there is no man that sinneth not) so it might here be in like manner annexed; if any man sin, as who is there that doth not sin: this being (as hath been heretofore proved) incident to the best Saints. Indeed, time was, when there was a possibility of not sinning, to wit, in the state of innocency: time shall be, when there shall be an impossibility of sinning, namely in the state of glory: but in this present state of grace, there is both a possibility of sinning grossly, and a necessity of sinning in some degree. These daily infirmities though they cannot be avoided, yet must be bewailed, the burrs of corruption which cleave to us, must prick us. These Cananites which we cannot expel, must be thorns in our eyes, and pricks in our sides; with David we must pray, Lord cleanse me from secret sins; Psal. 19.12. Rom. 7. ult. with Paul we must complain, Oh wretched man that I am, but yet though they be our grief, they need not be our terror; matter of sorrow they ought to be, but not of despair: ever remembering that there is balm in Gilead, a remedy appointed for these unavoidable diseases, and so I am fallen on the Part. 2. Remedy proposed, we have an advocate, etc. Before we enter upon the particulars, something would be observed in general, and indeed it is well worthy our consideration, that the Apostle prescribing a remedy for our sins, sends us to Christ as him in whom alone our comfort lieth: Aret. in loc. extra nos, rapit nos, saith Aretius aptly; he taketh us from ourselves, that he may fix us upon Christ: Indeed he requireth, that if we sin, we should confess our sins; but still we must have recourse to Christ as an advocate for us, and a propitiation for our sins; he calls upon us before to walk in the light, but withal minds us of the blood of Christ, as that which must cleanse us; none more for repentance and holiness of life, then St. John, yet still he would have us by faith rely on the efficacy of Christ's merits. The truth is, he that relieth on Christ, buildeth upon a rock, but he that resteth on his own performances; buildeth upon the sand & as on the one hand we must not think to rest by faith on Christ, and neglect our duty; so on the other, we must so perform our duty, as still by faith to rest on Christ. The truth is, our own performances are so accompanied with defects, that they cannot afford full consolation. We confess & pray, & repent, but alas these very duties need an advocate; so that as Noah's dove found no rest for the sole of her foot till she came to the Ark, no more can we find any heart's ease, soul's rest, till we come to Christ, and this be spoken in the general. More particularly we may observe two ingredients in this remedy, namely, Christ's intercession and reconciliation, the former in the end of the first, and the latter in this second verse. The first ingredient is Christ's intercession in those words, we have an advocate with the Father, Part. ●. Jesus Christ the righteous, wherein there are two things observable, The quality, what it is, we have an advocate. The efficacy, how prevalent it is in respect of The person with whom, the Father. The person who, Jesus Christ the righteous. The first thing to be discussed, is the Quality of this Ingredient, and to that end we must inquire what this meaneth, that Christ is called an Advocate. The more clearly to unfold this comfortable truth, I shall proceed by these steps. 1. The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here used, Aret. in loc. is attributed in Scripture both to Christ and the Spirit, but when it is attributed to the spirit, it is rendered by comforter, when to Christ by advocate, and not without reason, since the spirits work is to speak comfortably to us, and Christ's to plead powerfully for us; indeed whensoever this title is given to the holy Ghost, it is either in respect of the world, and then it noteth his pleading for God with men by way of conviction, or in respect of believers, Jo. 16.7.8.14 19 Rom. 8. ●8. and then it noteth his encouraging them in all their distresses, and enabling them by strong groans, to plead with God for themselves, but when it is given to Christ, it importeth his taking our cause upon himself, and undertaking to intercede with God in our behalf. 2. This will the better appear, if we consider that advocate is verbum forense, a judicial word, so that look as in all such proceedings, there is the guilty, the accuser, Morem & consuetudinem fori exprimit. the Court, the Judge, and the Advocate; so is it here, Heaven is the Court, man is the guilty, Satan the accuser. God is the judge, and Christ the Advocate, and look as the advocate appeareth in the Court before the judge to plead for the guilty against the accuser, so doth Christ before God in heaven, to answer whatsoever the devil can object against us. 3. But further, as Christ is here called an advocate, so is he elsewhere a judge; thus St. Peter saith, that Christ commanded the Apostles to preach, Acts 10.42. and testify that it is he whom God hath ordained to be judge of quick and dead. Indeed both these in respect of different times, and his several offices are aptly verified of him. 1. Now being ascended to heaven, he is an advocate; at the last day when he descends from heaven, he shall be a judge; how comfortable is this meditation to believers, that he who is now their advocate, is hereafter to be their judge; and if he vouchsafe to plead for them at the bar, he shall certainly pass sentence for them upon the Bench. 2. There is a twofold office which Christ undertaketh, in respect of which these are truly attributed to him, Judex est Christus cum residet advocatus cum assurgit. Ambros. in Psal. 118. ●ct. 20. Maxim. in pentecost. h●m. 1. the one Regal, and the other Sacerdotal, as King, he shall one day sit as a judge; as Priest he now stands as an advocate at God's hand, by his Kingly power he shall execute the one, but of his Priestly goodness he vouchsafeth the other: and thus whilst as a King, he can and will himself confer, yet as a Priest, he obtaineth of the Father remission of our sins. 4. It is not unworthy our observation, that as Christ is here called by S. john an advocate, 1 Tim. 2.5 Gualt. in loc. so by S. Paul a Mediator, unus utriusque nominis sensus, saith Gualther; the sense of both is one and the same, but yet there is som● difference to be observed between them. Christ is a mediator both in respect of his person and office, both b●●cause he is a middle person, Isidor. Hiszal. orig. l. 3. c. ●. and because he mediateth b●●tween God and man, whereas he is an advocate only? respect of his office. Again he is a mediator in respect of all his offices, an advocate only in respect of his Sacerdotal. Finally a mediator, inasmuch as he doth both deal with God for man, and with man for God; pacifying God towards man, bringing man to God, obtaining favour with God for us, and declaring Gods will to us, but an advocate only inasmuch as he intercedeth with God, and pleadeth our cause in heaven. Mediator then, is as it were the genus, and advocate the species; it being one part of his mediatorship, that he is an advocate. Bez. in loc. I shall end this with Bezaes' distinction, who observeth that Christ is called a judge in respect of our adversaries, a mediator in reference to God, and an advocate in regard of us, judging our enemies, mediating with God, and pleading for us. 5. We may not unfitly here distinguish between a patron and an advocate, between a defender and an interceder; the one undertaketh to justify the fact, Aug. ep. 55. the other only to prevent the punishment of the fault. If any man sin; far be it from Christ to be a patron, to defend the fault, but he is an advocate to deprecate the guilt. In the end of the verse he is called jesus Christ the righteous, and therefore non nisi justam causam suscepit, he cannot maintain a bad cause; but though he abhors to plead for the sin, Serrar. in loc· yet he will for the sinner, and though he dare not excuse the commission, yet he intercedes for the remission of the offence. 6. Lastly, when Christ is said as an advocate, to intercede, we are not to fancy a supplicating voice, Non supplicium moro Calv. Est. Vide Naz. orat. 4 the Theol. Heb. 9.24. and bended knees; no, it suiteth not with the Majesty of Christ in heaven. But that which Christ doth as an advocate, is (according to the Apostolical phrase) his appearing for us in that celestial Court, as an Advocate doth for his Client in humane judicatories. To open this more fully, be pleased to know that the advocateship of Christ consists in a fourfold presentation. 1. Of his person in both nature's divine and humane, his and ours as our Sponsor and Mediator, in this respect he liveth in heaven, Heb 7.21. saith the Apostle, to make intercession, as he lived on earth to die, so he liveth in heaven to intercede for us, presenting himself as one that hath made satisfaction for our offences: hence it is, that there is not only a ptesentation of himself, but 2. Of his merit, as the High Priest entered into that holy of holies, with the blood of the sacrifice, so is Christ entered with his own blood, and as there was once for all an oblation of it upon the Cross, so there is a continual presentation of it in heaven; He●. 12. ●4. in this respect his blood is said to speak better things than Abel's: for whereas Abel's blood did from the earth imprecate, Christ's in heaven deprecates vengeance: indeed quot vulnera, tot ora, how many wounds, so many mouths to plead for sinners, thus action is the best part of this Orator, who intercedeth by showing his wounds, his pierced hands and feet, his opened side, his bruised body. As a Mother entreating her son openeth her dugs and breast, so this Son interceding with his Father, Vide Greg l. 6 ep. 25. Ambros. in Ps. 118 oct. 20. Aug. in P. 25. presenteth his blood and his wounds. When AEchylus the tragedian was accused, his brother Amyntas coming into the Court, opened his garments, showed them cubitum sine manu, an arm without an hand lost in their service, by which he obtained his brother's discharge; So doth Christ for us, by showing to the Father as once he did to Thomas, his wounds, and his side: in which respect Calvin saith well, that Christ's intercession is nothing else but a perpetual application of his death; Calv. in loc. though yet withal we must conceive, that in Christ's Advocateship, there is not only a presentation of his person and merits, but 3. Of his will and desire in our behalf, Christ interceding by the virtue of his blood, doth not beg in a precarious way, but yet he signifieth his will; and if you would know what his will is, I answer it is; That the pardon which his blood hath merited, may be granted and assured to, That the spirit which his death hath purchased, may be given for the strengthening of, That the salvation which by his sufferings he hath wrought, may in due time be conferred on all his members: besides all which, this Advocate makes a presentation. 4. Of our prayers and supplications which we make in behalf of our selves and others, and the prayers of the Church which she maketh in our behalf. Preces sacrificii sui odore sanctificat, saith Calvin, Cal. in loc. he perfumes our prayers with the odour of his sacrifice, and so presents them to his Father; in this respect he is as it were the Master of requests, Revel. 8.3. Ephes. 3.12. Joh. 16 23. and the angel (in the revelation) with the golden censer, and we are said to have boldness of access through him, and he assured his disciples that whatsoever they did ask in his name, should be given them. I end this first part. Leu. ib. Lapide observeth that an advocate appearing in the behalf of guilty persons, is to do three things. To allege what may satisfy the law, and yet the guilty person escape. To present the humble confessions and entreaties of the nocent, and withal to interpose his own desires and requests to the judge in the delinquents behalf; in all these considerations Christ is our advocate, as you have already heard; he as it were allegeth his sufferings as a satisfaction of the law for our sins, he tenders our penitent acknowledgements and prayers for pardon to the Judge, yea he declareth it to be his own, no less earnest than just desire; that for his sake our sins should be forgiven us. And now that you may see he is according to Tertullia's phrase, exorator, a prevailing orator, Tertul. de pudicit. l. 2. c. 19 be pleased to take a view of 2. The efficacy of this intercession, and that in respect 1. Of the person with whom he is an advocate, The Father. To unfold this, know 1. First, that the Father is properly the name of the first person in the sacred Trinity, and accordingly with Carthusian we are so here to understand it, though not excluding the other persons; Carthus. in loc. indeed all the three persons being offended, when any sin is committed, Christ is virtually an advocate with them all, but yet because he cannot be said properly to intercede with himself, and lest he might be thought inferior to the spirit, if an advocate with him, therefore his intercession is set forth as expressly directed to the Father? And inasmuch as the other persons have the same essence, and therefore will with the Father, Christ in being an advocate with him, is also with them. 2. But further, the Father relateth to the Son, whence the Arrians argue, ●hat as the advocate is inferior to the judge, Philip. 2.6. so the Son is to the Father, when as yet St. Paul saith, he thought it no robbery to be equal with God, that is, the Father, In answer to which 1. It may, and that orthodoxly be returned by way of concession, that the Son is inferior to the Father with this restriction as Son, and the Father as Father; look as though the essence be the same, yet the persons are really distinct one from the other, so I know no reason but that we may assert, though the persons have an equality, because an identity of essence, yet as persons they are inferior one to the other: this solution St. Basil maketh use of to clear those words, my Father is greater than I, whilst yet he was equal with his Father; nor is it any infringement to the truth, Bas. in illa verba. nor encouragement of the Arrian heresy, to assert, that whereas the Son of God, as God is equal with, yet as Son, he is inferior to the Father. 2. But letting this go, you may please to take notice, that the Son of God is advocate with the Father as mediator, and he is mediator not as God, nor as man, but as God-man: upon which consideration he may be truly asserted inferior to the Father: hence the Son of God his becoming man, is called an emptying himself (for so St. Paul's phrase signifieth) whereby he that is equal with, became in our nature subordinate to, and so capable of, being advocate with the Father. 3. Lastly, The Father is a comprehensive expression, and may have reference both to the advocate, and the guilty, and so either his Father or our Father. Indeed God is the Father of Christ, and the Father of all believing penitents, in a very different respect, whilst he is Christ's Father by Generation, ours only by Regeneration; Christ's by natural begetting, ours by gracious adopting, Christ's primarily, ours mediately, in and through him; Vide Ambros. l 3. de virginit. Aug. in johan. and therefore our Saviour saith not, I go to our, but to mine and your Father, because he is otherwise Christ's then ours, but yet he is ours as well as Christ's; and these words the Father may well take in both, as having a strong influence into the efficacy of the intercession. 1. With The, that is, Christ's Father, the Advocate, is the judge's Son, and therefore the Father is illius amantissimus, dearly affected towards him, and cannot but grant his desire, surely he that saith to us, This is my well beloved Son, hear him, will himself hear him upon that very account: as the sufficiency of Christ's death depends upon his Godhead, so the validity of his intercession upon his Sonship, when God saith concerning Christ, Mat●h. 3.17. Psal. 2.10. thou art my Son, there presently followeth an Ask of me and I will give thee; I and my Father saith Christ are one; so that God can as well deny himself as his son; add to this. 2. With The, that is, our Father, the guilty are the judge's children, & therefore the Father is erga nos clementissimus, most indulgent towards us, and in this respect the advocate likely to speed; great is the love of parents, ventowards their offending children, witness that of David to Absalon, especially when they return, witness that of the F●ther to the prodigal, pro maximo delicto paululum supplici● satis est patri, Terrent. adv. a few stripes will serve with a Father for a great offence; nay, any intercession will prevail with a Father to withhold his correction. Yea, how often will a Father desire another to step in and intercede for his child, I say not (saith Christ) to his disciples, that I will pray the Father for you, Joh· 16.27. the Father himself loveth you, as if there were scarce any need of this mediation; however no doubt but that this being the pleasure of the Lord, it shall prosper in his hand, and God's heart being prepared, Christ's suit must needs be granted. To shut up this first consideration. jacob the younger brother obtained the blessing from his Father in the garments of Esau the elder. Christ the elder obtaineth ●he blessing at the Father's hands for his younger brethren, no wonder if the brother pleading for brethren, and that with the Father, become an effectual Advocate, and so much the rather, considering 2. The person who it is, and how fitly he is qualified for this office, being jesus Christ the righteous. This word righteous, is capable of various acceptions, which accordingly Interpreters make use of. 1. Righteous is sometimes as much as merciful, and thus jesus Christ the righteous, that is, gracious, and therefore ready to become an advocate for us; Heb. 1.17. Mishez. in loc. to this purpose it is, that the author to the Hebrews calls him a merciful High Priest, one who having compassion on us and our infirmities, is willing to plead our cause before God. 2. Righteous is sometimes as much as faithful, and so jesus Christ the righteous, that is, in performing his promise when he was on earth; Socin. ib. he promised his disciples, I will pray the Father, and now he is in heaven to perform it. 3. Righteous, is as much as just, and so jesus Christ the righteous, Hug ib. that is, in doing us right; if we retain him for our advocate, he will not be withdrawn from pleading our cause by any means what ever. 4. But lastly, Righteous is as much as holy, innocent, so we find them joined together concerning Christ, Calv. whom the Apostle Peter calls the Holy and just one, and so Jesus Christ the righteous is as much as pure and innocent, And this both in respect of himself and us. Act●. 3.24. 1. In himself, he is righteous, because blameless, one who is altogether free from sin. It is well observed by the learned Chamier, That the Apostle saith not, we have a righteous advocate Jesus Christ, Cham de satiss. l 23. c. 12. but we have an advocate Jesus Christ the righteous. And therefore this term righteous signifieth not so much, rationem fungendi officii, as ipsius officii fundamentum, the manner of performing this office, as a qualification rendering him fit to undertake it, and so is most properly referred to his innocency, since he could not have been an advocate, If he had not been in this sense righteous. In this respect it is that Ferus saith truly, verè necessaria cond●tio, Vide Fer. Est in loc. this is a condition necessarily requisite, since, If he had had any sin of his own to answer for, he could not have pleaded for us, neque enim idoneus advocatus qui ipse sit reus, as Estius saith excellently, He can be no fit advocate for another, who himself is guilty. But yet this is not all, he is Jesus Christ the righteous or innocent not only in himself but also. 2. In respect of us, Inasmuch as he maketh us righteous, cleansing us from the guilt of our sins. To this purpose saith Illiricus, he is called ●he righteous, vide Illi●. Cajet. Lor: Gualt. in loc. not so much in a passive, as an active sense, and Cajetan observing the following words, he is the propitiation, saith ecce justitia Jesu Christi, herein is the righteousness of Jesus Christ our advocate, that he maketh us by his propitiation righteous, & so is enabled to plead our cause. To this effect it is that Lorinus observeth, He is such an advocate, as satisfieth the judge, not only by reason, but reality, interceding by virtue of a price paid. And hence it is, that though he findeth both us and our cause unjust, yet (which no other advocate can do) he maketh both us and it righteous, so that though we by reason of our sins are unworthy of pardon, yet Christ pleading his satisfaction, rendereth us worthy, and our cause just. And no wonder if being thus every way righteous, he become an effectual advocate, and thus much shall suffice for the Explication of this choice ingredient in this divine remedy, We have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous. To end it in a brief application, and that by way of 1. Consolation, the Greek word here used (as Vorstius well observeth) may be rendered either advocate, Perinde est. s. advocatus. s. consolator. Vorst. in loc. or comforter, since inasmuch as Christ is an advocate, he is a comforter to all penitent sinners. If you please read over the Text again and take the words asunder and you shall find that every word breatheth comfort. 1. We, it is not you, but we St. John includeth himself in the number of those sinners, who need Christ an advocate, Maluit se in numero pone●e peccatorum etc. Aug▪ in loc. and therefore we may be the less discouraged in the sense of our infirmities. And again it is not I, but we, he excludeth not others from having an interest with himself in Christ the advocate, and therefore every penitent moy apply this comfort to himself, which is so much the more comfortable because it is we. Have, it is not we may, but we have, a burdened conscience cannot be satisfied with a perhaps, nor will it hang upon uncertainties, this comfort of Christ's intercession is certain, and therefore positively asserted, nor is it spoken of as a thing past, but present, not we had, but we have, and indeed it is so in the present tense that we now may as truly say we have; as St. John then, yea so long as there shall be penitents on earth, there will not want this advocate in heaven, so true is that of the Author to the Hebrews, Hebr. 7.21. he ever liveth to make intercession, that is to be. An advocate, It is true we want not accusers that will be ready to lay our sins to our charge, Satan without, and our own consciences within, ready to bring an endictment against us, nor have we any merit of our own to plead before God for us, but we have an advocate to stand and appear for us, and that With. Many times a cause miscarrieth in humane courts, by reason of the advocates absence, but of this their is no fear in our advocate, for he is at the Judges right hand and so still ready upon all occasions as it were to put in a word for us to the Father; not the Judge, but the Father to render our hope of prevailing so much the more firm, Vox dulcissima patris verum facilitatem indecat. Fer. this sweet word of Father implying not only a passibility, but a facility of obtaining, so much the rather considering that it is The Father, and so capable of a reference both to Christ and us, he that is our advocate is not a servant a friend but a Son, and so the Judge's chiefest favourite, we for whom he is an advocate, are not slaves, or strangers, Vide Bellarm. de ascens dom. or enemies, or only servants, but Sons, though too dificient in our obedience, and can we imagine that the suit should not speed, nay further this advocate whom we have with the Father is jesus that signifieth a Saviour, and he that vouchsafeth to be our Saviour will not stick to be our advocate, conc. 35. Heb●. 7. ●3. yea that he may save as the Apostles phrase is to the utmost, he will leave no way unatempted, as by his passion, so by his intercession by the one purchasing salvation for, by the other applying it to us, nor need we doubt that he will be thus every way a jesus to us, when we observe that he is the Christ, a word that signifieth anointed, and indeed so he was to all his offices among the rest to that of his priesthood, and so this part of it which consists in intercession. Anointing carrieth in it both designation to, and preparation for an office; all that were anointed, being thereby called to, and furnished with abilities for the office to which they were anointed, our advocate therefore being Christ, is both a legal, and skilful advocate, called to the bar, invested with gifts, and therefore knoweth how to plead and that our joy may be full, take in the last words. Righteous, and therefore he will not deceive us in our trust, or fail our expectation, though an advocate be able, & knowing, yet if he be not just, our cause may miscarry, but this advocate is so righteous: that he cannot be perverted, nay he is righteous, and therefore can stand in God's sight to plead for us, whereas were he himself nocent, he must flee from the face of the judge, and being unable to answer for himself, could not undertake our cause. Once more this advocate is jesus Christ The righteous, because so exactly, perfectly without the least spot, we know how far the intercession of Abraham, Moses, and other righteous men have prevailed, yea St. james saith The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much, I●mes. 5.16. and that not only for himself, but others, & surely then much more must the intercession of him who is the righteous one be effectual. Yea perhaps (as Origen observes▪ Orig. hom. 8. in Num. ) Therefore Moses obtained so much of God in Israel's behalf that we might not be faithless, but confident in our advocate jesus Christ the righteous. Aug. in loc. And now oh thou drooping sinner, let me bespeak thee in S. Augustine's language, Thou committest thy cause to an eloquent Lawyer and art safe, how canst thou miscarry, when thou hast the Word to be thy Advocate. Let me put this question to thee, if when thou sinnest, thou hadst all the Angels, Saints, Confessors, Martyrs, in those celestial mansions to beg thy pardon; dost thou think they would not speed? I tell thee, One word out of Christ's mouth is more worth, than all their conjoined entreaties. When therefore thy daily infirmities discourage thee, or particular falls affright thee, imagine with thyself, that thou heardest thy Advocate pleading for thee, in these or the like expressions; Oh my loving and affectionate Father, look upon the face of thine anointed, behold the hands and feet, and side of thy crucified Christ, I had no sins of my own for which I thus suffered, no; it was for the sins of this penitent wretch, who in my name sueth for pardon; Father, I am thy Son, the Son of thy love, thy bosom who pleads with thee; it is for thy child, thy returning penitent child, I plead, that for which I pray, is no more than what I paid for; I have merited pardon for all that come to me: Oh let those merits be imputed, and that pardon granted to this poor sinner. Cheer up then thou disconsolate soul, Christ is an Advocate for thee, and therefore do not despair, but believe, and believing rejoice, and rejoicing triumph, and triumphing, take up that bold challenge of St. Paul, Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect? it is God that justifieth, who is he that condemneth? it is Christ that died: yea rather, that is risen again, Rom. 8.33.34. who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 2. Council, and that in several particulars. 1. Since we are so well provided, seek we not elsewhere; it is not unfitly observed to this purpose, that St. john saith not, we have advocates in the plural number, but an advocate in the singular; Zanch. in loc. this being Christ's peculiar prerogative. Indeed the Papists have coined a distinction between Mediator redemptionis, and intercessionis, a Mediator of redemption and intercession, appropriating the former to Christ, attributing the latter to the Virgin Mary, and the rest of the glorified Saints, but the advocateship, and the propitiation are here by our Apostle joined together, and accordingly our Church in the close of one of the Collects, putting mediator and advocate together, prefixeth an exclusive particle to both, through our only mediator and advocate jesus Christ our Lord. I deny not, but that the Saints in heaven p●ay for the Church on earth, but though they pray for her in general, yet not for her paeticular members, whose sins and wants they are strangers to, and therefore cannot pray for, and that they pray for the Church; it is, ex charitate ut fratres, non ex offic●o ut mediatores, by way of charity, not authority; as friends, not as advocates. And whereas it is another subterfuge of the Romanists, that though Christ be our only mediator with the Father, yet we may make use of the Mother; and the rest to be our advocates to Christ; besides, that in their prayers, they expressly desire the Saints to pray to God for them, even in respect of Christ, it is both vain and impious. Vain, because it being his work to reconcile us to God; there is no need of any to reconcile us to him, and though an advocate be needful to the judge, yet what need of an advocate to the advocate: nay indeed, when Christ bids us come to him, to wit, ourselves; what an impious contempt were it of his command, to go to him by a proxy. It may perhaps be here objected, if we may not desire the prayers of the Saints in heaven, why do we of those on earth? 1 Thes 5.24. Cypr. ep. ●6. how is i● that St. Paul calleth upon the Thessalonians to pray for him, and St. Cyprian in an Epistle to the Roman Confessors, craveth their remembrance of him in their prayers, and nothing more usual with christians, then thus, both by word and writing, to beg one another's prayers? but beloved, this we desire of one another not as advocates, but only as fellow-helpers; and hence it is, that whilst as members we pray each for other, we all in our prayers acknowledge Christ to be him who doth, and must entreat for us all. In sum, there is a great deal of difference between a christian-desiring of their prayers, who know our persons, Vide Aug. in loc, to whom we may signify our wants, and a religious invocation upon them for their prayers, who are both ignorant of us and our necessities. Let then the Apostatised Rome seek to Angels and Saints, we will only make mention in our prayers of the name of jesus Christ, as him on whose intercession we depend and rest. 2. Since he is an advocate for us with the Father, let us be advocates for him with the world, let us plead his cause, vindicate his honour, speak for his Gospel, intercede for his members; it is but that to which gratitude obligeth, to do for him: (as far as we may) what he doth for us, and so return like for like: indeed he can and will plead his own cause, nor doth he stand in need of our help, but he taketh it kindly, when we express our thankfulness by becoming advocates for him. 3. That when we sin, Christ may be our advocate, Id. ibid. let us be sure to arraign and accuse ourselves; it is St. Augustine's advice, continually censure and condemn thyself, so mayest thou come boldly in confidence of thine advocate. Indeed I may here fitly make use of those words towards the end of the former Chapter, if we confess our sins, he is our advocate to plead for pardon: in one word, Let us with penitent hearts, on all occasions go to him, and humbly entreat him that he would entreat for us; he desireth no more than to be desired; prayer is the only fee this advocate expects. Let us therefore confess, and confessing, pray to the Father in his name; yea to himself, that he would pray to the Father, and let us not doubt but he will perform what we desire, and obtain what we expect, the forgiveness of our sins; and not only so, but in the end, that which is the end of our faith, the salvation of our souls. SERM. 21. THE FIRST EPISTLE OF St. JOHN. CHAP. II. Ver. 2. And he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. IT is one of those excellencies which are common both to Law and Gospel, that they require purity of heart, and holiness of life; sin not, is the voice both of Moses and Christ, Prophets and Apostles: Indeed since they were holy men who wrote, and that as moved by the Holy Ghost it was impossible but that all their writings should tend to the advancing of holiness. It is one of those excellencies which are peculiar to the Gospel, that it provideth an Anchor in case of a storm, a rock of succour in shipwreck, a refuge whether to fly when we are in danger; indeed the Law doometh the transgressor to the curse, and there leaveth him hopeless, helpless, remediless; Accursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Law to do them, Galath. 3.10. so runs the comminatory sentence in which the sinner being involved, hath no way left (by the Law) of escaping, but must inevitably perish; whence it is, that the legal ministration is called by the Apostle the ministration of death, 2 Co●. 3.7. but by the Gospel cometh glad tidings of pardon, and propitiation to disconsolate sinners, and whilst we are sitting in the darkness of despair by reason of our sin, breaketh in upon us with beams of comfort from the Sun of righteousness; thus as it saith, sin not, so withal, if we fall into sin, it saith, despair not; a careful endeavour against sin it requireth, yet when we have sinned, it leaveth us not without hope, but directeth us to Christ as an intercessor and reconciler, for so we find St. John here in those words, which may therefore be truly called the Epitome and sum of the Gospel, My little children, these things I write unto you, &c, We are now come to the second Ingredient in this Remedy, to wit, the reconciliation wrought by Christ, and this in the second verse, and he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world, concerning which choice, and amiable benefit, we have two things set before us. The nature of it, wherein it consists in those words, and he is the propitiation for our sins. The extent of it, how far it reacheth in those words, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world; each of which may well take up an whole discourse. At this time only of the former, Gen. 1. expressed in those words, and he is the propitiation for our sins. Before I enter upon the matter, it will be needful to take a little notice of the connexion of the clause implied in the particle And. A word which may be considered either merely as conjunctive, or as causal. 1. If we read it only as a conjunctive particle, it lets us see that Christ being an advocate becometh a propitiation, indeed the work of reconciliation according to a different notion belongs both to Christ's sacrifice and his intercession, the meritorious purchase of our peace belongs to his sacrifice, the effectual application of it to us belongs to his intercession, the shedding of his blood upon the cross, was that which wrought reconciliation for all that should believe in him, the presenting his blood in heaven, is that which obtaineth the actual collation of this benefit, upon them who do believe in him. This was excellently tipified under the Law by the blood, Levit. 16.17. and the incense which the Priest made use of in the atonement, the former prefiguring Christ's suffering, and the latter his advocateship by both which the propitiation is made. It is that which we have reason to take notice of for our comfort, that Christ is such an advocate, as hath not only affectum, but effectum; a desire to do us good, but accomplisheth it, as doth not only satagere but efficere, undertake, but perform; as he intercedeth for us when we sin, so he finds acceptance and he propitiat●th God for our sins: oh let it be our wisdom to address ourselves to him as our advocate when we have offended, & let us not doubt of being reconciled. 2. We may yet further look upon this and as a causal particle, signifying after the Hebrew use for, and so it lets us see what giveth the efficacy to Christ's intercession (to wit) his propitiation; this will the better appear, if we consider that 1. This propitiation for our sins was merited by Christ's blood, and therefore God is said to set him forth a propitiation through faith in his blood, and Christ is said to make peace through the blood of his cross; Rom. 3.25. Colos. 1.20. Nititur haec 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unicâ sacrificii vi & ●. Bez. in loc. indeed there can be no propitiation of wrath without satisfaction of justice, and there can be no satisfaction of justice without shedding of blood, whereby the punishment was suffered, which justice required. 2. Christ maketh intercession in the virtue of his blood, our salvation is obtained; first pretio, and then prece, by laying down a price, and then pleading the payment before God, so that what was once offered, is continually presented. 3. Christ being a propitiation, and so our advocate must needs speed; whilst a man is angry, it is in vain to move him for a favour, but his anger being appeased, there is hopes of success, especially when he pleads who was the means to pacify him; thus stands the case between God and Christ and us, God being incensed against us. Christ taketh the chastisement of our peace upon himself, whereby God's wrath was pacified, and he who wrought this reconciliation on earth it is that appeareth for us in heaven, and therefore let us not doubt of the power of this advocate, who cannot but effectually prevail, because he was the propitiation for our sins. Having viewed the context, let us look upon the clause itself, wherein there is a double truth, the one implicate, the other explicit; to wit, sins provocation, and Christ's pacification. Our sins incense the wrath of God against us, that is implied Jesus Christ the righteous is the propitiation for our sins, that is expressed Of the former briefly, because it is but intimated of the latter more largely and fully. 1. Sins provocation is manifestly couched in this clause, and accordingly taken notice of by Interpreters, Innuit nos nostris pec●atis Deum nobis infensum reddidisse. Zanch. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Chrys. hom. 3, in Colos. since there were no need of a propitiation for, if there were no provocation by our sins, it is the note of St. Chrisostome upon the phrases of reconciling and making peace, in the Colossians, that the one implieth an enmity, the other a war; & the same may be made here, the propitiation supposeth wrath. And as it is here intimated, so it is elsewhere asserted by S. Paul to the Romans, when he saith, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven, against all unrighteousness and ungodliness of men, and consequently, against men for all their unrighteousness and ungodliness; in this respect it is, that he calleth all men by nature children of wrath, and why this? Rom. 1.18. Eph●s. 2.3. because they are born in sin. Indeed God made man (as Solomon's phrase is) upright, and so long as he stood in that integrity, there was pax amicitiae, a peace of amity and friendship between God and man, Eccles. 7. ult. but they sought out many inventions, by which God was most justly provoked to anger. Thus at first, and ever since sin hath proved the makebate, the k●ndle-coale, that incendiary between the Creator and his creature. And how can it be otherwise? since there cannot but be enmity where there is contrariety, and there is nothing more contrary to God then sin, nay, there is nothing contrary to him but sin, it is opposite to him in his pure nature, it robbeth and spoileth him of his glory, it transgesseth and rebelleth against his Law, and therefore must needs incur his displeasure. It is observable in Scripture. that as members, so senses are after the manner of men attributed to God, and sin is represented as offensive to every one of them. It grateth his ears, and therefore he complaineth of the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah, it disrelisheth his taste, Gen. 18.20. Gal. 4.6. Amos 2▪ 13. in which respect it is compared to leaven, and that especially for its sourness; it oppresseth his feeling, according to his own expression. I am pressed under you, as a Cart is under sheaves, it disgusteth his smell; for which cause sinners are said to be corrupt, where the metaphor is borrowed from a rotten carcase, which stinketh in the nostrils of a man. Psal. 14.1. Finally it offendeth his sight, and therefore he is said to be of purer eyes then to behold iniquity, Hab. 2.13. to wit, without fury. It is a meditation that should convince us of 1 The odious nature of sin, Are any persons more abominable than the contentious Solomon, justly declameth against him that soweth discord among brethren; Prov. 6.19. that beatitude of our Saviour, carrieth in it according to the rule of contraries a curse, Cursed are the peace breakers, for they shall be called the children of the Devil. But (oh my brothers;) how accursed, Matth●w▪ 5.6. and hateful a thing is sin, which hath broke the peace; not between man and man only, but God and man, and hath sown discord between, not only brother and brother, but father and son, Oh that this thought might stir up in us a zealous indignation against sin, God forbid, that that which is his hate, should be our love, that that should find favour with us, which provoketh his wrath against us, nay rather since sin displeaseth God, let it displease us, and let our anger wax hot against that which causeth his wrath to wax hot against us. 2 The miserable estate of a sinner, because he is under the wrath of God, coelestis ira quos premit miseros facit, Divine anger is an unsupportable burden, Sen. Trag. Herc. the sinning Angels are not able to stand under it, but fall immediately from heaven, the great men, the mighty men cannot abide it, but cry to the mountains fall on us, and to the hills couver us, no wonder if the Psalmist put the question, Who may stand in thy sight, when once thou art angry? jude v. 6 Revel. 6.15.16. Psalms, 76.7. And now tell me sinners, have not we most justly incurred this sore displeasure, hath not God both by the sin of our nature & transgressions of our life been provoked against us from our mother's womb to this day, If one sin be sufficient fuel for this fire, what a flame of wrath burneth against us, whose sins have been numerous, or rather innumerous? All which being serously pondered; me thinketh grief, and anguish, trembling and astonishment, horror and amazement should take hold of us. David feeling some drops or sparks of this anger, Psalms 38.3. saith there was no rest in his bones by reason of it, truly if we do not feel, we have cause continually to be in fear, not only of drops, but floods, sparks, but flakes of this vengeance, how can we be secure and quiet? And if there be any awakened conscience, wounded soul which cryeth out, what shall I do? I answer, God's wrath is unsupportable; but not unavoidable, it cannot be endured; but it may be prevented, we are not able to stand under it, we may fly from it. And that by flying to him; whom my text speaketh of, as the propitiation, and so I am fallen on the Explicite verity, which is here plainly and directly laid down. 2. Christ's pacification, He is the propitiation for our sins, It is both assertive, and exclusive, carrying it both an affirmative, and a negative, He is, and none but He, or He only is the propitiation of both which in order. 1. He is the propitiation, God's wrath towards man sinning, is pacified by Christ suffering, the Rabbins say of the Messiah, that when he cometh, he shall be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a reconciling man, and the Apostles assertion is express, We have peace with God, Rom. 5.1. through Jesus Christ our Lord, it is the Testimony which the Father gave concerning Christ at his Baptism, This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased, M●●th. 3.17. by which latter clause is (according to Euthymius, In quo hominib●s bona volui. E●thymius. Cajetan and others) expressed that favour which God in Christ beareth towards us, as he is in himself beloved, so in him God is with us well pleased. According to that of St. Paul, He hath made us accepted in the beloved, Habeo in eo compla●entiam ad rediviendum et reconciliandum genus humanum. Cajet. Eph●. 1.5. and therefore accepted; because reconciled, wel-pleased in him because his wrath is appeased by him towards us. Among other resemblances by which Christ is set forth in Scripture, that of a stone is one, and very apt to our present purpose. Since as in respect of Satan, He is lapis triumphalis, a stone of victory and triumph dashing that Goliath in the forehead, so in respect of God, 1. Pet. 2.5. he is lapis foedificus, a stone of league and amity, such as that between Laban and jacob, or rather lapis angularis, Psal. 118.21. a corner stone, for as this uniteth the wal●, which were one separate from the other, together, so doth he unite, and that not only jews and Gentiles to one another, but both to God. This is that truth which the Apostle Paul planly asserts in those Scriptures which speak of reconciliation to God, thus he saith, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, and again, 2 Cor. 5.18. Christ is said to reconcile both (to wit Jew and Gentile) unto God in one body by the cross, and again, It pleased the Father by him, Ephes. 2.16. Colos. 1.19. ●0. having made peace through the blood of his cross to roconcile all things to himself, It would not be passed by what is by Socinians objected, against these Scriptures that they speak only of our being reconciled to God, not of Gods being reconciled to us, and so prove not any pacification of divine wrath by Christ's death, whence it is that they understand this reconciling of us to God, to be no more than the turning of us from sin to God by true repentance. But to vindicate this great truth, and that as asserted in those Scriptures be pleased to consider briefly that Though the phrase only run in this strain, the reconciling us to God, yet it doth not therefore follow that the reconciliation is only on our part, and not on Gods, nay rather the one involveth the other, since if we were not sinners, there were no need of reconciling us to God, and being sinners, there is no less need of his being reconciled to us, unless we will say, that sin doth not provoke him, which is to deny him to be a God, And though this reconciliation being mutual, doth no less imply Gods to us, then ours to him, yet it is very fitly thus expressed, because God is the pars offensa, the party offended, and man is pars offendens, the party offending, he that offendeth another, is more properly said to be reconciled to him whom he hath injured, than he that is offended; in which respect Christ adviseth him who bringeth his gift to the altar, If he remember his brother have aught against him to go and be reconciled to his brother, Mat. 5.23.24. and St. Paul wisheth the woman that departeth to be reconciled to her husband, as having by departing offended him. 1 Cor. 7.11. But as the reconcililing of a woman to her husband, & a trespasser to his brother is the pacifying▪ the one of her husband's anger, the other of his brother's displeasure, justly conceived against them; so the reconciling us to God is the appeasing of his wrath towards us, which for our sins was incensed against us. And that this is St. Paul's meaning appeareth plainly in one of those forecited places, where the manner how God in Christ reconcileth us to himself, 2 Cor. 5, 19▪ 21. is expressed to be his not imputing our trespasses, and Christ in whom we are thus reconciled, is said to do it, by being made sin for us, It is not therefore our turning from sin to God, but Christ becoming a sacrifice for our sins, and Gods not imputing our sins to us for his sake which is our reconciltation to God, and inasmuch as it is God who being offended receiveth us again into favour; therefore it is ascribed to him as his act, and because it is Christ who hath by his death appeased God's anger, therefore it is attributed to him, and so the clear meaning of our Apostle, appeareth to be the same with that which here S. john asserts, and intends when he saith of Christ, He is the propitiation for our sins. And because the Socinians (being resolved to make all Scripture stoop to their reason) endeavour to pervert this text as if it were only a delivering us from the wrath to come upon impenitents, by turning us from our sins. Give me leave to set before you the genuine sense of this word which our Apostle here useth, and that both in its native, signification, and legal allusion. 1. If we consider this word in its native, signification, we shall find that the verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 (whence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Text cometh) in all writers both sacred and profane, Vide Grot. de Satis. Poets, Orators, Historians, as the learned Grotius hath observed: signifieth to appease, or pacify, or render propitious; and is usually construed with an accusative expressing the person whose anger is pacified. Indeed there is one place in the Hebrews: where being joined with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the plural accusative it is rendered to expiate the sins of the people, Hebre. 2.17. but either the use of the word there must be altogether different from its sense of perpetual signification, or it must signify such an expiation, as tends to a pacification, & so it is all one whether you read it here, He is the expiation, or He is the propitiation, since the one depends on the other, and by expiating our sins, it is that He propitiateth God towards us. 2. If we consider this word in its legal allusion, we shall find a double reference which may be made of it. 1. To the mercy-seat, which covered the ark where the law was, whence God gave answers, and from which he showed himself propitious to the people, whereof we read in the book of Exodus. Hence the Seventy, Exod. 25.27: and the Auth●r to the Hebrews from thence call it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, a propitiatory, to this the Apostle Paul manifestly alludeth, Hebr. 9.5. where the very same word is used, when he saith, Him hath God set forth a propitiation, Rom. 3.25. and possibly St. John in this word, might have the same reference. Indeed Christ may well be called the propitiatory, or a propitiation in allusion to the mercy-seat, since, there is a fit analogy between them. For as it covered the Law, so Christ the transgressions of the Law; as thence God gave answers, so by Christ his Evangelical Oracles are revealed; and as from thence God showed himself propicious, so is he in Christ well pleased; but in this last analogy (in which respect it was called a propitiatory, and serveth to our present purpose) though there is a fitness, yet not a fullness; for whereas the mercy-seat is called the propitiatory, only because it had vim declarativam, a declarative virtue to signify, Christ is the propitiation, as having vim effectivam, an operative energy to procure divine favour, and therefore was God pleased to manifest himself benevolous from the mercy-seat, because it was a type of Christ, in whom he is propitiated towards sinners. In vain therefore do the Socinians confine the antitype to the type, as if that Christ must be in no other sense a propitiation, than the mercy-seat was; since it is sufficient to make a type that there be in some things a similitude, though not in all things an equality, nor is it any wonder if there be more energy in the body, then in the shadow, since the shadow is but a resemblance of the body. 2 Besides this allusion, which no doubt is most congruous, to S. Paul's phrase, there is another more suitable to this of S. John, and that is in reference to the Sacrifices of expiation, & atonement. Almighty God in the Law appointed both the burnt-offering for sin in general, and trespass-offerings for particular sins, by which being offered up, he became appeased towards the sinner. Now all those Sacrifices did look at Christ, and the atonement which was made by them, was not as considered in themselves, but as they did typify Christ's death, and the propitiation to be wrought by it. That those sacrifices did all of them typify Christ, seemeth to me an undoubted truth, and that among others for this reason, because by Christ's death, they were abolished, and became mortua dead, yea soon after, mortifera; not only dead, but deadly, upon this account, that to continue those Sacrifices, was to deny Christ. That whatsoever efficacy those Sacrifices had towards atonement, was only in reference to Christ, must needs follow upon the former, since as when the antitype is accomplished, the type ceaseth, so the vigour of the type, whilst inbeing, is from its relation to the antitype; in this respect it is that under the legal administrations, the people offering Sacrifices, were minded of Christ, and believing in him, and God was propitiated by those Sacrifices, as they did prefigure, and so as it were mind him of Christ to be offerred up a real, and effectual propitiation. To close up this, it would not be passed by, how emphatical our Apostles expression is, in that he doth not only say of Christ he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, a propitiatour, but the propitiation itself, that is, victima 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the propitiatory Sacrifice. Indeed he is both the Priest, and the Sacrifice, the propitiator, and the propitiation; according to which is that of Origen, Orig. in Rom. God hath set him forth a propitiation through faith in his blood, that by the Sacrifice of his body, he might render God propitious to men. In one word, (to speak after the Schools) inasmuch as Christ by his death did removere peccatum, take away the guilt of sin, which causeth the enmity, Aquin sum. Pars. 3. q. 49. art. 4. and offer sacrificium Deo acceptissimum, offer up a sacrifice most grateful to God, he might be truly said to be the propitiation. There is only one objection which carrieth in it a show of reason, and therefore calls for a solution; It is drawn from those Scriptures, joh. 3 16. 1 joh. 4.9. in which Gods love to mankind is set down as the cause of sending Christ into the world, whereas if Christ's coming into the world to die, did propitiate God for our sins, this love of his towards man should be the effect, not the cause; and those Scriptures should have run thus, not, God so loved the world that he sent, but, God sent his Son into the world that he might love it, and not in this was the love of God manifested, but by this was the love of God procured, to wit, the sending his only begotten Son. To untie this knot, you may please to know that these two assertions are not irreconcilable; Gods love to us moved him to send Christ to die, Christ's dying moveth him to love us: Indeed the love of God to man is in one respect the cause, and in another the effect of Christ's death, and that thus it appeared to St. John is plain, in that he puts these two together in one verse, he loved us, 1 joh. 4.10. and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. To clear the truth hereof, briefly observe these distinctions. Aquin. Pars. 3. q. 49. art. 4. 1. Man fallen is to be considered (say the Schools) two ways, either quantum ad naturam, or quantum ad culpam, as made by God, or marred by sin; he loved us as the work of his hands, and that love was the cause of sending Christ, he hated us as transgressors of his Law, and Christ by making satisfaction removeth that hatred, and obtaineth his favour, 2. There is a twofold love of God towards man. The one of commiseration and benevolence; Affectus ●●m miserationis sive benefaciendi voluntas, affectus conjunctionis & amicitiae. Cal●v. Socin. proflig. Amor benevolentiae & ordinativus. Amor complacentiae & collativus Arnold. job 41.7.8. whereby he was reconcileable, yea, himself appointed the way of reconciliation, and this love was the cause of Christ's death. The other of friendship or complacency, whereby he becomes actually reconciled, and so conferreth all good upon us, and this love is the effect of Christ's death: It is observable concerning the friends of Job, that God said to them, My wrath is kindled against you, therefore take seven bullocks, and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt-offering, and my servant Job shall pray for you, for him will I accept; wherein it appeareth, God so far tendered them as to acquaint them with his wrath, and the means of pacifying it, but his wrath was not removed till those means were used. An enemy may so far love as to propose and offer conditions of peace to his adversary, but till those conditions be accomplished and performed, there is no amity between them: so is it in this case, though God loved us so as to propose, nay, indeed to perfect the means of reconciliation, yet still he is not actually reconciled to us, but only in and by those means, the chief whereof is Christ's passion. The sum of all than amounts to this; God considered without respect to Christ, was though iratus, yet placabilis, actually angry, yet so as that there was a possibility of appeasing it, he was not so far provoked with men, as with the Angels, for whom he would not appoint nor accept a ransom, but still it is only in and through Christ, that he becometh placatus, actually appeased toward sinners. 2. He only is the propitiation for our sins, only Moses must go up to God in the mount, none but the High Priest must enter with the blood into the holy of holies; Christ alone must mediate with God for man: Indeed there was not, could not be found in heaven or earth, any one fit, or able to undertake this work. This will the better appear, if we consider, that whosoever would become a propitiation for our sins, must both be free himself from all sin, and be both capable and able to undergo the punishment of our sins. 1. He must be free from sin, and therefore we could not propitiate God for ourselves; can it be imagined a Rebel should pacify the King towards himself, or fellow-rebels? whatever we could do, whilst in our sins, were but evaginato gladio pacem peters, seeking for peace with a drawn sword in our hand against our Sovereign; indeed the good works of them that are in Christ, do placere, but not pacare; please, not appease, and that only as died in Christ's blood; but as we are in a state of sin, nothing we do can please, much less pacify he Almighty. The truth is, Fer. in loc. (to use Ferus his similitude) All the works we do are in themselves but as a ring of iron, and could not so much as gain acceptance, were it not for faith, which sets into them as it were the precious gem of Christ's merits. 2. He must be capable and able to bear the punishment of our sins. There can be no propitiation for, without expiation of sin, the expiation of sin is by suffering the punishment; and the sin being committed against an infinite Majesty, the suffering by which it is expiated, must be of infinite value; in these respects it is impossible that any or all the Angels, though holy and just, should propitiate God for out sins: since as Angels, they were not capable of the punishment; and though they should have assumed humane nature, yet being but finite creatures, the worth of their sufferings could not be infinite, only Christ in himself being altogether pure, and therefore called jesus Christ the righteous; in the end of the former verse, and being both God and man, and so able as God, and capable as man of undergoing such a penalty as should by reason of the infiniteness of his person, be of infinite merit, is the propitiation for our sins. To end this, The propitiation here spoken of may be considered several ways, and accordingly it may have several causes, as decreed, published, applied, purchased. The decree and intention of this propitiation, is the work of the whole Trinity, though especially attributed to the Father. The declaring and publication of it is the work of Christ's Ministers, to whom is committed the word of reconciliation. The effectual application of it to every one in particular, is done principally by the Spirit, and instrumentally by faith. But still the purchase and procuration of it, is only by the blood of Christ: nemo praeter illum, nemo cum illo, there was none besides him, there was none to joyn● with him, he alone did undertake and accomplish the work of reconciliation. Having briefly, and I trust in some measure clearly explicated the explicit truth of this clause, give me leave in a few words to apply it. Scelesti in animum inducunt suum. J●vem posse placari omnibus hostiis. Plaut. 1. In the sense of God's wrath for our sins, whither should we go but to Christ for reconciliation; far be it from us to think we can pacify God for our sins by our prayers, or tears, or alms; in all which, Gods severe eye of justice would find matter of provocation; far be it from us to place our hopes of God's favour towards us in the merits and mediation of Saints or Angels, who themselves are beholding to this Mediator; the truth is, Propter filii meritum mater invenit gratiam, The Mother's peace was made by the Son's blood, and therefore to him, and him alone let us have recourse, as our only Peacemaker. And would you know how to go to him? I answer, by faith; accedit qui credit, he cometh to, who believeth on Christ; and as there is no propitiation but through him, so there is no propitiation through him to us, but by laying hold on him, in which respect the Apostle doth not only say, God hath set forth Christ a propitiation through his blood, but through faith in his blood, and therefore being sensible of divine pleasure, let us embrace Christ in the arms of our faith, that God for his sake may be propitious to us. 2. In the confidence of this propitiation wrought for us by Christ, how infinitely should we account ourselves obliged to our blessed Jesus? the more to imprint this meditation upon us, consider 1. What the benefit is which Christ hath procured, propitiation for our sins, a benefit which hath many blessings to attend upon it, such as are acceptation of our persons and performances, nearness of union, and fullness of communion with God, boldness of access to the throne of Grace, peace of conscience, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Christ saith to every believing soul that hath an interest in his propitiation, in words much like those to his disciples, Be of good cheer, joh. 16.33▪ I have pacified the Father's wrath towards thee. God saith to every such person for whom he hath accepted Christ's propitiation, in words much like those to Ephraim: It is my dear Son, it is my pleasant child, jer. 31.20. though I spoke against thee, I do earnestly remember thee, I will surely have mercy on thee; and 2. Who are we for whom Christ vouchsafed to become a propitiation? Jonathan stood between Saul's fury and David, a good reason, Saul's rage was causeless, David was innocent, but God's anger was just, and we were offenders: the people mediated between Saul and jonathan, when he tasted of the honey, but jonathan had offended ignorantly; we have been wilful presumptuous Rebels. Abigail pacified David's wrath against Nabal, but he was her husband, Hester diverteth Ahasucrus his rage from the jews, but they were her countrymen; but lo Christ becometh a propitiation for our sins who were strangers, not allies, enemies, not friends, enemies to him as well as the Father, and yet for our sins he propitiateth. 3. When there was no other way left of propitiation, he undertaketh it, I looked (saith Christ) and there was none to help, I wondered that there was none to uphold, therefore mine own arm brought salvation. Is. 63.5. If all those glorious Angels had with united endeavours, sought to reconcile God to man, it could not have been accomplished. As God faith in another case, Though these three men, Noah Daniel and job, Ezek. 14.14.20. were in the land, they should deliver but their own souls, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters: so he seemed to say in this, Though Gabriel, Michael, yea, all the Myriads of Angels, had not only entreated, but in assumed bodies suffered, they should not have propitiated my wrath towards one man for the least sin. And as Elishah said to Ahab, Were it not that I regard the presence of jehoshaphat, I would not look towards thee, nor see thee; 2 King. 3.14. so God saith to us, Were it not that I regard the passion and intercession of my Son, I would not vouchsafe the least look of grace or favour towards you. 4. That Christ might be the propitiation for our sins, he was pleased to offer himself a sacrifice; joh. 20.19.20 our blessed Saviour appearing to his disciples after his resurrection. Said, Peace be to you, and showed them his hands and his feet, as if he would say? See how dear your peace cost me. Thus the case stood, we had offended, God was provoked, wrath was ready to strike us, Christ steps in and taketh the blow upon himself, and so by his suffering God is pacified towards us. And now putting all these together, that when none could, Christ would, and that undertake so great a work as the reconciling offended justice; and when no other means would prevail, but blood and death, Christ should be willing to lay down his own life; and this for our sins, who were so unworthy of the least regard: oh tell me, i● each of these severally, much more all jointly be not strong obligations of love, and thankfulness? How should every believing sinner in the apprehension hereof, break forth into these or the like ejaculations! Dearest jesus, didst thou procure thy Father's love to me, and shall it not engage my love to thee? didst thou snatch me as a brand out of the fire of God's wrath, and shall not I be inflamed with affection towards thee? the propitiation which thou hast wrought for me was undeserved, nay, undesired; shall it be altogether unrequited: It is true, I cannot recompense, but surely, I will acknowledge it; I will love, and bless, and praise thee for it; saying, in words much like those of the Angels, Worthy is the lamb that was slain a sacrifice, and so a propitiation for my sins, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. SERM. 22. THE FIRST EPISTLE OF S. JOHN. CHAP. II. Ver. 2. And he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. words amiable as beauty to the eye, harmonious as music to the ear, sweet as honey to the taste, and joyous as wine to the heart, who can read them, and not be affected? hear them and not be ravished? meditate on them and not be delighted? believe them, Fer. in loc. and not be comforted? Diligenter observanda cordibusque inscribenda sunt haec verba, saith Ferus aptly. These words deserve to be written, yea engraven upon the tables of our hearts, as containing in them that which cannot but afford unspeakable joy to the wounded conscience. The person spoken of is jesus Christ, whose very name is as a precious ointment, the thing spoken of is a pacification between God and sinners, than which no perfume can be sweeter, finally this benefit is set forth as obtained by this person, not for a few, but many some, but all, and so like the light diffusing itself through the whole world, and therefore I trust since we are all concerned in, we shall all be diligently attentive to this precious Scripture, And he is the propitiation for our sins etc. Having already unfolded the nature, we are now to handle the extent of this excellent benefit, which is expressed two ways. Negatively, and not for ours only Affirmatively, but also for the sins of the whole world. 1. A word of the former, not for ours only, it is that which lets us see the nature of faith. True faith applieth; but doth not appropriate, or if you will it doth appropriate, but it doth not impropriate to itself, a believer so maketh Christ his own, as that still he is, or may be another's as well as his, and the reason of this is. Partly, in regard of the nature of the object which is such, that it is capable of being communicated to many, as well as few, for as the air is a means of refocillation▪ the sun an instrument of illumination, and the sea a place of navigation, for the people of our country, and yet not ours only, those being things so communicative, that every one may have a share in them, nor is one man's or people's enjoying, an hindrance to another, so is Christ a propritiation for the sins of St. john and the rest of believers then living, but not for theirs only, he being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a common good, and his propitiation such as that the participation of it by some, doth not at all impede others from having the like interest. And partly in respect of ●he temper of the subject, this being the frame of a believers spirit, that he would have others partake of the same benefit with himself. The Apostle St. Paul saith of faith that it worketh by love, Gal. 5.6, and accordingly as faith brings Christ home to itself, so the love by which it worketh is desirous he might be imparted to others. To this purpose it is observable, that that Holy Apostle when he speaketh of a Crown which shall be given to him, ● Tim. 4.8. presently addeth, and not to me only: as here St. john for our sins, and not for ours only. To wind up this, whereas there are two objections amongst others, made against the applying act of faith, as if it were a bold presumption in regard of Christ, and an uncharitable excluding of others from having the same benefit, to say he is ours, and that he is the propitiation for our sins, both will be found no better than calumnies, since on the one hand; faiths particular application is within the bounds, and according to the tenure of the Gospel-promise, and therefore it's no presumption, and on the other hand, faiths applying Christ to ourselves, is not thereby to withhold him from any other, and therefore it is no uncharitableness, for whilst faith saith, He is the propitiation for our sins. Love addeth, and not for ours only. And so much, or rather so little of the Negative, pas●e we on to the 2. Affirmative clause, But also for the sins of the whole world, favores ampliandi, is a rule in the civil law, favours are to be extended to the utmost, Naogorg. so doth our Apostle here this benefit of Christ's propitiation▪ Amplificatio est misericordiae dei, it is an amplification of God's mercy; and Christ's merit, and that 1. Implicitly, in respect of the object, since, Christ did not pacify God only for the original sin of our natures, but the actual sins of our life, and not only for one, but for all kind of sins. The sins of the whole world, are a world of sins, what a numberless number of sins are every day committed in the world, yea what sin is there so vile, so heinous, which cometh not within this latitude, the sins of the whole world, so that this propitiation extends itself, not only to one, but many, lesser, but greater sins, not the multitude, nor magnitude of all the sins which are acted in the world, can exceed the virtue of Christ's propitiation, and therefore though the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be elliptically cut of in the Greek, both it and its substantive are fitly supplied in our translation for the sins of the whole world. But further this enlargement, is chiefly to be considered. 2. Explicitly in regard of the subject, the persons to whom this propitiation belongs, Matth. 2●. 28. and it is set forth with the fullest advantage that may be. Indeed there are divers phrases, by which this universality is represented, 2 Cor. 5.14. Sometimes it is sa●d He gave his life a ransom for many, and that is opposed to a few, more than this, 1. Tim. 2.6. it is said that He died for all, and that He gave himself a ransom for all, yea the Author to the Hebrews saith, Hebre. 2.9. He tasted death for every man, not only all in general, but every man in particular, in like manner the usual phrase of the Scripture, when it speaketh of the subject of reconciliation, Joh. 3.16. 2 Cor. 5.19. 1. Joh. 4.14. ●nd salvation is in the comprehensive word world, God so loved the world, God was in Chhist reconciling the world, and again in this Epistle, Him hath God sent to be the Saviour of the world, and yet as if this were not large enough to this extensive substantive, is here in the text annexed an universal adjective, whilst he saith not only the world, but the whole world. That this is so must be granted, or else the Scripture must be denied, which hath so frequently and plainly asserted it, The only thing to be inquired is, in what sense this is to be understood, and how it is verified. I well know there is much dispute among learned and Godly men, about the interpretation of this, and such like Scriptures. For my own part, I have a reverend esteem of many of them, who hold the several opinions, and I could heartily wish, that such questions having much to be said either way, both from Scripture and reason, might be more calmly debated than they are by some; and the assertors on either hand less censorious each of other. That which I shall now endeavour, is (according to the measure ●f light, I have received by prayer, reading, meditation, and conference,) positively to acquaint you what I conceive to be truth, and show you how far we may safely extend, and so how we may genuinely expound this clause, He is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world. To this end, Let your attention go along with me, whilst I shall prsoecute two or three distinctions. 1. This assertion, Christ is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world, Dist. 1. may be understood, either exclusively, or inclusively, and in both considerations it is in some respect or other true. 1. To say, Christ is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world exclusively, imports thus much, That there is no propitiation for the sins of the whole world, but only by Christ, and thus we may take the whole world in its full latitude, pro omnihus & singulis, and need not fear to assert that there never was, nor will be any man from the first Adam, to the end of the world, who did, shall, or can obtain propitiation for his sins except through Christ. Deut. 4.24. Indeed God (according both to Moses and Paul's phrase) is a consuming fire, Hebr. 12.29. and all mankind being fallen in Adam, is as stubble and straw to that fire which must needs be consumed by it, if Christ's blood did not prevent that consumption by quenching the fire of his displeasure. Hence it is that S. Paul saith expressly, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, 2. Cor. 5.19. thereby intimating, That were it not for Christ, the world could not be reconciled to him. To this purpose it is that the Apostle Peter speaking of Christ, useth a negative proposition, Acts. 4.12. neither is there salvation in any other, and enforceth it with a strong confirmation, for there is none other name under Heaven, given among men whereby we must be saved, where that expression under Heaven is very observable, as comprising in it the whole earth, which is under Heaven, with all the inhabitants therein. It is the promise of God to Abraham, That in his seed, should all the nations of the earth be blessed, Gen. 22.18. that seed St. Paul expounds mystically of Christ and Lyra's gloss is quia nullus consequitur salutem nisi per Christi benedictionen, Gal. 3.8. Lyr. ib. because none can attain eternal life but through Christ's benediction, and not much unlike is Bezas' note on this place. Christ is the propitiation for the whole world, Beza in loc. ut noverimus nusquam esse salutem extra Christum, that we may know salvation is not to be had any where without Christ. From hence it is that may be inferred, which elsewhere is expressed, that since there is no propitiation but by Christ, none can partake of this propitiation, but by faith in him, and the strength of the inference is built upon this foundation. Whosoever have propitiation by Christ, must be in Christ, and therefore St. Paul saith of the Ephesians, whilst Heathens they were without Christ, Ephes. 2.12. and presently addeth in the same verse, having no hope; as if he would say, There is no hope of Salvation for them that are without Christ. None but they who believe in Chirist, are in Him, and therefore the Apostle saith, Christ dwelleth in our hearts by faith, and those two phrases; being in the faith, Chap. 3.17. and Christ being in us, are used by him in one verse, as one expository of the other. The result of both which propositions is, 2. Cor. 13.5. that seeing there is no propitiation without Christ, and without being in Christ, none can obtain that propitiation, but they who believe in Him, agreeable to which it is that St. Paul saith, God hath set him forth a propitiation through faith in his blood, Rome▪ 3.25. Indeed this must be rightly understood, and to that end qualified with these distinctions of seminal, and actual, of implicit, and explicit faith, and of faith in Christ, as to come, and as come. Christ is no doubt a propitiation for all circumcised and baptised children dying in their infancy; who yet cannot actually believe in him, but they have after an extraordinary way the spirit of Chr●st conferred on them, and so the seed of faith and all other graces in them. Christ was no doubt a propitiation for those before his coming, as well as us, all of whom only believed in him, as to come, and many of whom had but only an implicit, not a clear and distinct faith in the Messiah, nor will I undertake to determine what degree of knowledge is necessary to that Faith in Christ, which is necessary to an interest in this propitiation; but still I say with the Author to the Hebrews, Heb. 11.6. without faith it is impossible to please God, and that faith is not only to believe that God is but to believe that he is a rewarder of them that seek him, which cannot be without some knowledge of Christ; since it is only in an Evangelical sense, that he is a rewarder, and as he is no rewarder of any that seek him, but for Christ's sake, so none can rightly believe him a rewarder, who is altogether ignorant of Christ. Indeed when our blessed Saviour saith, This is life eternal, joh 17.3. to know thee the only true God, and jesus Christ Christ whom thou hast sent; what doth he but as it were define eternal life by the knowledge of God and jesus Christ; this knowledge being both the way and the end, that wherein it consists, and that whereby it is obtained, and more fully, when he saith, God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, 3.36. that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish; what doth he but set down believing in Christ, as the way, whereby the whole world must escape perishing. Finally, when St. Paul speaking of jew and Greek, maketh calling on the name of the Lord Christ, the means of salvation, 〈◊〉. 10. ●. 13.14. and annexeth believing in, as necessary to the calling on him; what doth he but intimate, that without believing in him, there can be no salvation. By all which we may see how miserable the condition of all those is, who have no interest in Christ by faith; if no interest in him, no propitiation by him, John 3.36. & if no propitiation by him, there can none be had elsewhere; & therefore john the Baptist saith of every unbeliever, The wrath of God abideth on him; a burden so heavy, that it must needs press down to hell. And which followeth upon this, we may see what great reason we have to pity and pray for all Pagans and Infidels, to whom Christ, and propitiation by him, is not so much as revealed. Indeed, that heathens who never heard of Christ, shall be condemned for not believing in him, I believe not; the light of nature will be enough to render them inexcusable: but how they not at all hearing, and so not at all believing in him, should be saved by him, I cannot see by any light of Scripture: that those among them whose lives have been eminent for moral virtues, might have Christ by some extraordinary way made known unto them, and so be brought to faith in him, I am willing to hope, however that God's wrath is not so hot against them as others, yea, that it shall be more tolerable for them then many who are in name Christians, I confidently assert; but how without Christ, and any knowledge of him, they should obtain propitiation, and so salvation, I know not; the only charity which we can and aught to exercise towards them who are now alive, is to commiserate the●r condition, and pour out our supplications, that God would cause the light of the knowledge of Christ to sh●ne in upon them, who at present sit in darkness and the shadow of death; and so much for this interpretation. 2. The more generally received, and indeed most genuine exposition of these words, is by way of inclusion, according to which the sense is, that Christ is a propitiation not only for some, but all, even the whole world. 2. To understand this aright, be pleased to know further, that this phrase the whole world, may be taken either more strictly or largely, Distinct. ●. according to a double consideration of this propitiation, either in respect of its actual efficacy, or virtual sufficiency. 1. These words, he is the propitiation may be thus construed, he is actually and effectually the propitiation, yea, inasmuch as it is joined with his advocateship, it is very probable this is our Apostles meaning, since Christ is effectually a propitiation to them, for whom he is an advocate; and if so, this whole world must be construed in the same sense, in which world is used by S. Paul, where he saith, the fall of the jews is the riches of the world, that is, Rom. 11.12, 15. as it followeth in the same verse, the riches of the Gentiles; and again, the casting away of them, the reconciling of the world: so here he is the propitiation, not for our sins only, (who are jews) but for the whole world; to wit, the Gentiles in all parts and ages of the world who believe in him; and it will appear so much the more rational, by the world here to understand the Gentiles; if we consider that the our here spoken of, most probably refers to the jews; for St. john who was a jew, would rather have said, your then our, had not they to whom he wrote, been jews as well as he: & this is further evident by the 7th ver. where he saith, that they to whom he did write, were such as had heard (●o wit what he wrote) from the beginning, Verse 7. and those were the jews, to whom Christ was first sent, and preached. According to this construction, the sense of this Scripture will be best explained, by parallelling it with those two texts in the Gospel, the one concerning Cataphas', of whom the Evangelist saith, he prophesied that jesus should die for that nation, joh. 11.51.52. and not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad, the other Christ's own words, in that excellent prayer wherein he saith, neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word. joh. 17.20. Thus Christ is the propitiation not only for us who are of the jewish nation, and live in this present age, but for them also of the Gentiles, who now do, or hereafter to the end of the world, shall believe in him. And however the number of them that believe, and have Christ effectually a propitiation to them, is still but small comparatively, in which respect it may seem strange they should be called the whole world, yet considering that whereas before Christ came, the believers of the Old Testament were only to be found in jury, (some few, very few Proseyltes of the Gentiles excepted) now since Christ's death, the believers of the New Testament are to be found (as St. Austin speaketh) among all sorts of persons, in all nations, at some time or other, Aug. in Epist. and so dispersed through the whole world; as they congruously are called in our Creed the Catholic Church so here by S. john, Populus Dei habet plenitudinem suam etc. Ambr. de vocat. Gent. l. 1. c. 3. the whole world; to which purpose is that excellent speech of St. Ambrose, The people of God hath its fullness, and there is as it were a particular generality, whilst all men are taken out of all men, and a whole world is chosen and saved out of the whole world. This exposition of these words as it appeareth not to be irrational, so it wants not the consent of many Interpreters, not only modern but ancient. The design of St. john (saith Calvin) in these words, is no other than to assert this benefit of propitiation common to the whole Church. Lest he should be thought by saying, our, Vide Calv. Bez. in loc. to restrain Christ's propitiation only to the Jews, he addeth the whole world, so Beza. Besides these neoterics, we find this to be St. Augustine's interpretation, speaking occasionally in one of his Epistles upon this Text, As (saith he) the whole world is said to lie in wickedness because of the tares, Aug. ep 48. so Christ is said to be the propitiation for the sins of the whole world, because of the wheat which groweth throughout the whole world. Yea, the Greek Fathers render this very sense of these words; so Oecumenius upon the Text itself. This he saith, either because he wrote to the Jews, Oecumen. in loc. that he might extend this benefit to the Gentiles, or because the promise was not only made to those in that time, but all that shall come after them. Cyr. in joh. l. 11. c. 8. So St. Cyril comparing this Scripture with that of Christ's in the Gospel, I pray not for the world, reconcileth them, by affirming that where St. John saith, the whole world, he means them that should be called of all nations through faith, to righteousness and holiness. That which according to this construction we are to take notice of, is, the largeness of God's grace to the times of the New, above that to those of the Old Testament: They who since the coming of Christ, partake effectually of his propitiation, are of all sorts and ages of the world; to which purpose is that acknowledgement which the four and twenty Elders in the Revelation make to Christ, Revel. 5.19. Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. Among other resemblances, M●l. 4 2. Vide Ambros. P●. 11●. Christ is compared by the Prophet Malachy to the Sun, and among others for this reason, because like the Sun he communicates light, heat, life to all parts of the world, and therefore he saith of himself, I am the light of the world; and again, I give life to the world. It is well observed that, the first promise of Christ, the seed of the woman was not made to Abraham the Father of the jews, joh. 6.33.8.12. but to Adam the Father of the whole wo●ld; and whereas the jews call Christ the Son of Abraham, and the Son of David, who were jews, Christ usually calleth himself the Son of m●n, which taketh in Gentiles as well as jews. In this respect it is well taken notice of, that the place of Christ's birth, was domus publici juris, not a private house, but an Inn, which is open for all passengers, and that not in a chamber, but the stable, which is the commonest place of the Inn; for though every guest hath his chamber private, yet the stable is common to them all? to mind us, that He who was borne, should be a common Saviour to high and low, noble and base, rich and poor: besides, the superscription upon his Cross was written as St. Cyril and Theophylact observe, Cyr. in joh. l. 12. c. 10. Theoph. in Luc. not only in Hebrew, the language of the jews, but in Greek and Latin, the languages of the Gentiles; and the Cross was erected not within the city, but without the gate; to intimate saith Leo, ut crux Christi non Templi esset Ara, sed mundi, that it was not an Altar of the Temple, Leo de pass. Se●m. 8. but the World: Indeed what part of the world is it that Christ's propitiation reacheth not to? S. Basil putting the question why the world was redeemed by a Cross, maketh this answer, Basil in 〈◊〉 11.12. that a Cross hath four distinct parts, which represent the four parts of the world; to all which, the efficacy of the Cross reacheth. Cypr. de pass. An emblem of this truth St. Cyprian hath found in the four letters of the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, which is given to Christ, which letters are the first of those Greek words, which signify the four corners of the world; and St. Austin in Christ's garment, Io●. 19.27. Aug. in 〈◊〉. Tr. 118. of which St. john saith, the soldiers made four parts, to each soldier a part, which he conceiveth to figure the Church, gathered out of the four parts of the world. Indeed this was Gods promise to his Christ, Ask of me, and I will give thee the utmost parts of the world for thy possession; and to his Church, I will bring thy seed from the East, Ps. 2.8. 〈◊〉. 43.5.6. and gather thee from the West, I will say to the North, Give up, and to the South, Keep not back. From this assertion it appeareth that the Church is (in i● self considered) a great multitude, and especially the christian in comparison of the jewish Church. We read of Noah, that he blessed his two sons, Sem and japhet; Gen. 9.29. the former a type of the jews, & the latter of the Gentiles: now concerning japhet, he saith, God shall enlarge him, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem, to intimate, saith St. Hierome, the enlarged multitude of the Gentile believers; Hier. qu. Heb▪ Is. 54.2, id. in Is. and the same Father upon these words of the Prophet, Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations, spare not, lengthen thy cords, strengthen thy stakes, saith, hoc intelligitur de Ecclesiarum magnitudine, this is to be understood of the greatness and multitude of the Church, by reason of its spreading over all the world. It is well worthy our observation, that whereas the Temple of Solomon had only one gate, the court of the Gentiles which compassed the Temple had four, 1. Chron. 9.24.26.13. yea, the City of the new Jerusalem an emblem of the Christian Church hath not four, but twelve Gates; three at every corner, Revel. 21.13. and these never shut, to intimate what a continual confluence there should be to Christ from all parts of the Earth. And surely beloved, Hoc probè novisse multum prodest, it concerneth us much to meditate on this truth, Gualt. in loc. whereby as the pride of the Jews is humbled, so the hope of the Gentiles is erected. Indeed since it belongs to the whole world, it may well be matter of great joy, and that such a joy as may put us upon thankfulness for this grace of God which hath appeared to all men, Tit. 2.14. and bringeth Salvation. That cloud which was at first but the breadth of a man's hand, 1 Kin. 18.44. hath now covered the face of the Heavens; that contemptible stone cut out of the mountain, hath filled the whole earth. Dan. 2.35. Christ is as well a light to lighten us Gentiles, as the Glory of his people Israel; nor is he a propitiation for the Jews only, Luke. 2.32. but for the whole world of them that believe in him. 2. But further, these words, He is the propitiation, may be construed in respect of the virtue and sufficiency of his propitiation, according to which notion the whole world is to be taken in a more comprehensive construction. Dist. 3. To unfold which be pleased to take notice of a double sufficiency, the one intrinsical, or natural, arising from the worth and value of the thing, the other extrinsecall, and positive arising from the ordination and institution of God, suitable to which this phrase, the whole world is to be more or less extended. 1. Christ's propitiation is sufficient as to its natural value; for the sins of the whole world, comprising not only men, but Angels. There is (no doubt) merit enough in the blood of Christ to pacify God for the sins of the devils as well as men, and the reason is plain, because the value of Christ's passion depends primarily on the dignity of the person suffering, so that the person being infinite, the value of his passion must be infinite, and since an infinite merit can have no limitation, we may truly say, He is a propitiation sufficient for the whole world, containing as well spiritual as earthly wickednesses, yea not only for one, but a thousand worlds, yea as many millions, as we can imagine. Nor doth the dissimilitude of the nature which Christ took, and in which he suffered to the angelical hinder, but that his death might in itself be sufficient for Angels, if God had so pleased. For what crime of any creature whatsoever can be so heinous, for the expiating of which, the shedding of the blood of God cannot suffice? and if Christ obtained confirmation for the Angels that stand (as the Learned generally acknowledge) that he is not a propitiation for the Angels that f●l is only from God's pleasure, not any want of dignity and sufficiency in the price which was paid by him. 2 But when the schools speak of Christ's dying for all sufficiently, and accordingly some Expositors interpret this expiation sufficient for the sins of the whole world, it is as the Learned Davenant hath excellently observed, Carthus. Serra in loc. & solidly proved another kind of value, to wit, such as ariseth from divine ordination, and thus (though we must exclude Angels, and consider men, only as viatores, whilst they are in the way since (as S. Bernard truly, Sanguis essusus super terram non descendit ad inferes. Bern. in Cant. Serm 75. ) The blood of Christ which was shed on earth goeth not down to hell) yet) we are by the whole world to understand omnes & singulos, all and every man that hath been, is, or shall be in the world so that we may truly assert. It was the intention of God giving Christ, and Christ offering himself to lay down such a price as might be sufficient, and so upon Gospel terms applicable to all mankind, and every individual man in the whole world. To unfold this truth aright, I shall briefly present two things to your consideration: 1. A price may be said to be sufficient, either absolutely, or conditionally; a price is then absolutely sufficient, when there is nothing more required to the participation of the benefit but only the payment of the money; and thus we are not to conceive of God's ordination, that Christ's death should become an actual propitiation without any other intervenient act on our part; He died not in this sense for any, much less for all; when therefore we say, God would that Chr●st should lay down a pr●ce sufficient, and so applicable to every man, it is to be understood in a conditional way, upon the terms of faith and repentance. And hence it is, that though Christ dying, suffered that punishment which was designed to be satisfactory for the sins of every man, yet God doth justly inflict the punishment upon the persons of all them who are not by faith partakers of Christ's death, because it was intended to satisfy for them only upon condition of believing. 2. Know further, that though God intent Christ's propitiation conditionally applicable, aequè, as well to every, as any man, yet he did not ex aequo, equally intent it for every man; it is one thing to say, He is a propitiation, not for our sins only, but for the sins of the whole world, and another thing to say, He is a propitiation as fully for the sins of the whole world, as He is for ours. It is observable in Scripture, that some places speak of Christ laying down his life for his sheep, john 10.15. Gla. 5.25. and giving himself for his Church, and others of Christ's dying for all, and tasting death for every one; in one place, He is called the Saviour of the body, and in another, v. 23. the Saviour of the world, nor will it be hard to reconcile these, ● joh 4.9. if we distinguish of a general & a special intention in God, that the fruit of his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, love to mankind, this of his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, good will to some particular persons by the former, he intends Christ's propitiation applicable to all, Christus passu ●s est pro 〈…〉 nobis tamen specialite● 〈…〉 Amb▪ 〈…〉 sufficienciam sed 〈◊〉 electis 〈…〉. P. Lumb. dist. secunda. lit. h. Joh. 3.16. Isa 53.10. H●b 8 22 23. by the latter He decreth it to be actually applied to some, according to this it is that S. Ambrose saith, Christ suffered generally for all, and yet specially for some, and Peter Lombard, Christ offered himself on the Altar of the Cross for all, as to the sufficiency of the price, for the elect only, as to efficacy, because he effects salvation only for them that are praedestina●ed. Suitably hereunto it is, ●hat Divines conceive a double covenant to be intimated i● Scripture, the one universal, and conditional, the other special and absolute, the one made with all, and every man upon these terms, Whosoever believeth in Christ, shall not perish, the other made with Christ concerning a seed which He should see upon making h●s Soul an offering for ●in, to whom He promiseth not only Salvation by Christ upon condition of believing, but the writing his law in their hearts, whereby they are enabled to perform the condition and so infallibly partake of that salvation. By all which it appeareth, that notwithstanding God's special affection, and decree of election whereby he hath purposed this propitiation shall be actually conferred upon some, we may truly assert, God hath a general love whereby He hath ordained the death of Christ an universal remedy applicable to every man, as a propitiation for his sins, ●f he believe and repent. And hence it is, that this propitiation as it it is applicable, so it is annunciable to every man, Indeed as God hath not intended, it should be actually applied, so neither that it should be so much as a●●ually revealed to many men, but yet it is as applicable, so annunciable, both by virtue of the general covenant God hath made with all, and that general mandate He hath given to his Ministers of preaching the Gospel to all, so that if any Minister could go through all the parts of the world, and in those parts singly from man to man, He might not only with a conjectural hope; but with a certain faith, say to him, God hath so loved thee, that he gave his only son, that if thou believe in him, thou shalt not perish, and that this is not barely founded upon the innate sufficiency of Christ's death, but the Ordination of God appeareth in that we cannot, may not say so to any of the fallen Angels for whom yet as you have already heard Christ's death is intrinsically sufficient. And now what should the meditation of this truth afford us but matter of 1 Admiration at the riches of divine love to all mankind, and which rendereth it so much the more wonderful, that whilst it is conferred on the whole world of men, it is denied to Angels. That God should cause his wrath to smoke against those spiritual and noble creatures the Angels, and appoint a propitiation, a ransom for such crawling worms, sinful dust and ashes, as men are, is it not to be admired at? Amb●●s. in Ps. 118. St. Ambrose speaking of these words, the whole earth is full of thy mercy; puts the question, Why is it not said the heaven as well as the earth? and returneth this Answer; because there are indeed spiritual wickednesses in high places, sed non illae ad commune jus indulgentia Dei remissionemque pertinent peccatorum, but the remission of God, and propitiation of Christ belongs not to them; well may we in this consideration take up those words of the Psalmist, Psal. 8.3. H●b. ●. 6. quoted by the Author to the Hebrews upon this very occasion; Lord, what is man that thou art so mindful of him, and the Son of man that thou visitest him. 2. Consolation to all despairing souls, it is an excellent saying of Leo, Effusio pro in●ustis sanguinis 〈◊〉 ●am p●tens est, etc. Leo de ●ass. Serm. 12. c. 4. The effusion of Christ's blood is so rich and available, that if the whole multitude of captive sinners would believe in their Redeemer, not one should be detained in the tyrant's chains. Who art thou then that sayest Christ died not for thee, and will not be a propitiation for thy sins? when the door is open by God, why should it be shut by thee? when God is ready to receive thee, why shouldest thou reject Christ and cast away thyself? view the Text well, and tell me if the whole world do not include thee? surely, omne totum continet suas parts, omnis species sua individua, every species includeth its individuals, every whole its parts; it is both Calvins and Gualters note upon the word world, Vide Gra●●. Calv in loc. that it is so often repeated, ne aliquem à Christi merito exclusum pu●aremus, so Gualther, that we should not think any one excepted, ne quis omnino arceri se putet modo ●idei viam teneat; so Calvin, lest any one should think himself excluded, if he walk in the path of believing. Believe it, never any miss of propitiation for want of merit in Christ, but of faith in themselves; why should I give myself over, when my Physician doth not? so long as I am one of the whole world, and my particular sins are not so great as the sins of the whole world, I will not cast away all hopes of propitiation. 3. Caution, that we do not hence presume of a propitiation without application. St. John saith, he is the propitiation for our sins, and for the sins of the whole world; but we cannot infer, he is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world; therefore he will be for ours, though we live as we list. Alas brethren, you have already heard this propitiation; as it is universal, so it is conditional; habet quid●m in se ut omnibus pro sit, sed si non bibitur non medetur; Prosp. ad Vincent. object. prim. Ambr●s. de fide ad Grat. l. 4 c. 1 Id in Ps. 118. Oct. 5. this cup of salvation hath that in it which can benefit all, but if no drinking of it, no healing by it. If thou dost not believe saith St. Ambrose, Christ did not descend for thee, nor die for thee, to wit, so as effectually to save thee, and in another place, more aptly to our present purpose; if any one doth not believe, he defraudeth himself of that benefit which is so general; indeed, by reason of this condition it falls out, that though Christ be a propitiation for the sins of the whole world, yet it is not the whole world, no nor the greater, no nor an equal part of the world, but a third, a fourth part, a remnant, a little flock, partake of this propitiation, and therefore we have a great deal of reason to fear and tremble, lest we miscarry, and have no share in this propitiation, which is so universal. 4. Exhortation, that since Christ is a propitiation for the whole world, we labour to make sure our own share in this universal good, it had been little comfort to St. john, that he could say Christ is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world; if he could not have said, he is the propitiation for our sins: that known saying is in this case too often verified▪ later dolus in universalibus, men deceive themselves whilst they rest in generalities, content not thyself to know that Christ hath died for the world, but strive to be assured that thou shalt be saved by his death, it will be a sad trouble at that day for thee to think, I had a price in my hand, but I made no use of it, I might have obtained propitiation by Christ, but I neglected it, there was a remedy prepared, but I contemned it. And therefore let our great care be to gain an interest in, assurance of this propitiation to our own souls, that what it is in itself, it may be to us, and it may be for our sins efficiently, what it is sufficiently not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world▪ FINIS. A TABLE of the material Truths in this Treatise. A. ADvocate, How affirmed of Christ, how of the Holy Ghost. 351. how Christ's Advocateship differs from his Mediatorship. 352. He the only Advocate. 363. wherein it consists. 354. with whom he is an Advocate. 356. what giveth efficacy to it. 357, 369. he is no Patron of sin, though advocate for sinners. 353. he is no Advocate for them that continue in sin. 346.347. we must be advocates for Christ. 365 Afflictions compared to darkness. 151, 152. Christians rejoice in them. 110. the Word of God comforts in them. 118 for sin inflicted even on forgiven persons. 294. Ambition spiritual commendable. 192. Angels. Christ's death in some sense sufficient to redeem the fallen Angels. 397. yet not applicable to them. 400. Anger; Gods how terrible. 371. sin the cause of it. 369, 370. Antiquity; a note of verity. 80. what kind of Antiquity is so. 81, 82. Apostles; the meanness of their outward condition. 133. their integrity and unblameableness. 71. Christ's witnesses. 21. their continual converse with him. 64, 65, 66. why needful. 67, 68 B. BLood of Christ how taken in Scripture. 205. how often shed. 206. how it cleanseth from sin. 207, 208. C. CHildren. Regenerate persons must be as such. 327. they must reverence their parents. 330. Christ. Why called the Word. 37, 38, 39, 40. The subject of the whole Scripture. 42. how, the life the eternal life. 44, 45, 46 His eternal subsistence from the beginning. 53, 76. Truly man. 68 God and man in one person. 69, 212. How he was visible. 67. His excellent preaching. 64. His unspeakable dignity. 6● His fitness for the work of our Redemption. 54. promised before sent. 43. our miserable condition without him. 46, 391. In what respects said to be righteove. 395. The only Refuge of a wounded conscience. 350. The Parable between him and the Mercy-Seat. 375. His great love to sinners. 215. No fellowship with God but through him. 98. no salvation but through him. 388. Christians, their dignity. 102. their charity in desiring others may partake with them. 86, 87.385. what is done to them reflects on Christ. 101. Christ to be manifested in their lives. 60. Church, the Christian in itself a great multitude. 393.395 Civility, how differenced from sanctity. 182, 183. Cleansing from sin twofold. 27, 28. the causes of it. 208. Commandments of God, joined with promises. 131. how conversant about things impossible. 228. many think they keep them all. 252. Communion with God and Christ, and the Saints; see fellowship. Confession threefold. 264. of sin necessary to remission, and how. 280, 281, 282. it brings glory to God. 285. benefit to us. 283. The devil an enemy to it. 285. it must be particular. 266, 267▪ chiefly of our ouwn sins. 269. to whom to be made. 271, 272. its antecedent, ingredients, consequent. 273, 274, 275. to be performed by the Holiest. 227. Conversion maketh an alteration. 192, 192. others must be desired by us. 87. Conversation of Christians ought to be exemplary. 179. Covenant of Grace double, one general; the other special. 399. D. DArkness fourfold. 150. Death of Christ in our stead, for our sins, our dischrge. 209, 210. what gave the merit to i●. 213, 214. no benefit by it to wicked men. 219. Deceive. Man apt to deceive himself. 246. the more need to where of it. 253, 254. there are many deceivers. 246. Despair. Antidotes against it, Christ's blood two. 216, 217. his Avocateship. 360, 361. his propitiation. 381. especially the undversality of it. 400. despair and presumpt on two dangero●us rocks. 344. E. EPistles; their use. 12. Exordium's; the properties of them. 18. Excuse men apt to make for their sins. 268. by transferring the fault on others. 269. the sins of the godly, no excuse for the wicked. 276, 237. F. FAlls. Saints nay fall grossly. 347. fear of falling, a preservative. 348. Father, when applied to God, how taken. 50. how God is our Father, and how Christ's. 357. Father's love to their children. 333, 357. Faith, the Christians spiritual sense. 74. the means of fellowship with God. 85. it applieth, but doth not appropriate Christ. 38▪ no salvation but by faith in Christ. 389, 390. greatly oppugned by the devil. 126. it is neither unmannerly nor uncharitable. 386. the only instrument of pardon. 281. Faithfulness; Gods in performing his promises. 310, 311. ground of faith. 313. man's required in imitation of Gods. 312. Fellowship between Saints. 83. with God and Christ, wherein it consists. 91, 92, 93. we may have it as well as the Apostles. 84. how with the Father. 94. how with Christ. 95, 96, 97. earnestly to be desired. 109. the difficulty of attaining it. 197. impossible to men continuing in their sins. 167. Forgiveness of sin, the nature of it. 292, 293. why called cleansing. 296, 297. God's prerogative. 304.305, 306. God's faithfulness obligeth him to it. 312, 314. It is just with God to forgive sin, and how. 316, 317. mercy the impulsive cause in respect of us. 315. it is only of sin past. 299. it's universal extent. 300, 301. how consistent with afflictions for sin. 294, 295. how different from forbearing. 293. earnestly to be longed after. 298. man's required in imitation of Gods. 308, 309. Forsaking sin to be joined with confession. 275, 276. The truest part of repentance. 335. how far it is required. 337. G. GEntiles as well as Jews, capable of the m●rit of Christ's death. 393, 394. Gnostics, their impurity. 167. their pretences of purity. 245. God, all good in him. 111, 112. why compared to light. 137, 138. how manifesting himself in the incarnation. 58. no author of sin. 142, 144. Gospel, why called the Word of life. 30, 31. its excellency above the law. 33.129, 366. accidentally the savour of death. 34. chiefly promissory. 129. a doctrine of joy. 115. its Antiquity. 78, 79. its doctrines, made by wicked men encouragements to sin. 340. whereas they are arguments against sin. 341. though a refuge when we have sinned. 366. Grace; the difference between sincere and counterfeit grace. 182, 183. see holiness. H. HEathen, their condition to be pitied. 392. Hide our sins from God we cannot. 265. Holiness, Gods, why compared to light. 139, 140. all holiness from him. 141.187. man's holiness why resembled by light, and by what light. 181, 182. how it fits for fellowship with God. 198. Humility maketh men low-conceited of themselves. 249. she remainders of sin in us should make us humble. 238. Hypocrites the worst of sinners. 148. sharply to be reproved. 149. they are best conceited of themselves. 148. they say, they have no sin. 244, 245. they pretend to fellowship with God, 163, 164. the most miserable men. 175. the contrariety of their conversation to their profession. 172. I. Iesuites'; their Arrogancy in assuming that title to themselves. 95. Ignorance compared to darkness. 151. affected, damnable. 170. Image of God what it is. 92. Imitation of God required. 189, 190. Incarnation, why called a manifestation. 55, 56. why the second person incarnate. 57 Infidelity, it maketh God a liar. 360. Infirmities, to be altogether without them the privilege of heaven, 228, 229.349. they accompany our best duties. 234, 235, 236. they hinder not fellowship with God. 218. they ought to be bewailed. 350. but yet must not too much discourage us. 239. John his humility. 9 prudence. 10. innocency. 11. his first Epistle, the scope of it. 2, 3, 124, 125. the comprehensiveness of it. 4, 5, 6, 7. why culled Cathalick. 14, 15, 16. Joy, it is that which all men seek after. 106. Christianity doth not abolish it. 113. the difference between worldly and spiritual joy. 108, 109, 110. Spiritual joy is fixed on God and Christ. 107, 111, it supports in all afflictions. 110. Judge; how Christ both judge and Advocate. 352. we must nat judge according to outward shows. 165. our own frailties should make us judge charitably of others. 238, 239, 348. Justice of God appears both in forgiving penitents, and punishing of the impenitent. 322, 323. Justification and sanctification inseparable. 290. Justiciaries, their self-conceit. 244.245. the causes of it. 251, 252. K. Knowledge not available without practice. 185, it must be communicated to others. 24. of God, how to be attained, 143. of sin, an antecedent to confession. 273. L. LIfe Eternal to be sought after. 4. how great the joy of it. 112, 113. in what respects through Christ. 45. Light threefold. 180. Love of God to man threefold. 377, 378. Lie, wicked men fasten on God 255. hypocrisy a real lie. 172, two things concur to a lie, 166.169. three sorts of lies. 173. M. MEan things made choice of to be Christ's instruments, and why, 133.134. Mediatorship only belonging to Christ. 98.99. how different from his Advocateship. 352.353. Men ranked into two sorts. 196. Metaphors must be familiar. 135, 136. Ministers must be sent. 25. they must be assured of the truth of what they deliver. 73. what they declare to others, must be received from Christ. 132. they must give every one their due. 137, 138. their language must be plain. 39 their aim is to beat down sin, 338. they must use mildness in their instructions. 333.334. fathers to the people, and how. 328. their great love to the people. 331, 332. their care of, and joy in the people's welfare. 119, 120, 123. they must seek the people's benefit. 85, 86. to be honoured, and reverenced, and obeyed. 32, 330, 331, how far confession to be made to them. 271. what their power in forgiving. 307. Morality how different from Sanctity. 182.183. N. NAme; it is prudence sometimes to conceal it. 10. O. OBedience; the properties of it represented by walking. 184. Omniscency, God's attribute. 138. Original sin remaining in the best. 231, 232. P. PApists, we dare vie with them in the point of antiquity. 82. Pardon of sin, see forgiveness. Precepts. See commandments. Presumption the grounds of it. 162. the difference between presumptuous sinners, and weak Saints. 262. Christ's universal propitiation no just cause of it. 401. Pride Spiritual, what should abase it. 103. Profession without practice a lie 170.173. the loose conversation of professors, how great a dishonour to God, Religion, and injury to themselves. 174, 175. Promises; their worth. 130. benefit. 43, 303. free, and yet conditional. 130. Punishment of the guiltless, how consistent with God's justice. 316, 317. of the Godly, how consistent with forgiveness. 294. Purposes without performance unavailable. 186. Propitiation. See Reconciliation. Christ is the propitiation. 369, 374, 377. the several causes of it. 380. R. REeconciliation is of God to man, as well as man to God. 370, 371. merited only by Christ. 378. attributed both to his sacrifice and Intercession 368. God being our Father very willing to it, 357. Redemption in what sense universal. 395, 396. Religion Christian continually proposed. 75. Reproof must be plain. 147. gentle. 149, 150. with respect to the difference of sinners. 148. how profitable. 16 Resurrection of Christ how proved. 97. S. SAcrament of the Lords Supper, no corporal presence in it. 69. Sacrifices all looked at Christ. 376. Saints may fall grssoely. 347, 348. Salvation, only by Christ. 388, 389. Satisfaction, made by Christ to God's justice. 318, 319. how consistent with remission. 320, 321. Scriptures, their fullness, sufficiency. 8.116. they consist of three parts, 1. The certanty of Apostolical writings. 70, 71. God's mercy in giving them to us. 13.28. Some parts more useful than others. 145. fullness of joy afforded by them, 141. to be read by the vulgar. 116, 117.118. Senses; the velid●ty of a testimony from them. 32. Shame, when of confessing sin, bad. 265 Sin. To sin how taker in Scripture. 345. it is a wand'ring. 287. why called unrighteousness. 288, 289. it maketh a man a debtor. 292. it rendereth us filthy in God's sight. 296. the souls sickness. 325. compared to darkness. 152, 153. the great guilt of it. 214. the only makebate. 369, 370. God cannot be the author of it. 142. all men by nature sinners. 226. The holiest not without it here. 226, 227, 228, 229. from gross sins they may be free. 230. the sins of the godly no excuse for the wicked▪ 233, 234. Christ a propitiation for the greatest sins. 387. Son how destinct from, and one with the Father. 51, 52. to be worshipped as the Father. 58. how inferior to the Father. 356. T. TEstament, the difference between the New and the Old. 33.41. our happiness, who live in the times of the New. 41, 42. Trinity illustrated by the metaphor of light. 136. Truth three fold. 170. to do the truth what. 171. W. WAlking what it imports 154. Watchful we ought to be, because prone to sin. ●39. Wicked men delight in sin. 155. make it their course. 156. grow worse and worse. ibid. their miserable estate. 158, 159. they cannot have communion with God. 186. Witness, how many ways we bear it to Christ. 23. Word of God, a great mercy that it is written. 13, 28. the rule of truth. 259. as it is among us, so it must be in u●. 257, 258, a preservative against sin, and accordingly to be made use of. 338, 339. Words nothing without works. 18●. World made by Christ. 40. how 〈…〉 the whole world. ●9●, ●99. Writing, the advantage of it. 26. ERRATA. PAge 12. line 36. read 〈◊〉. p. 15. l. 17. 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉. p. 17. l. ●. s. we. r. was. p. 22. l. ●. bls. the, and. r. receive. p. 23. l. 21. r. credit. p. 24. l. 32. r. errand p. 39 l. 2● r. ●●struse. and l. 30. r. Gospel p. 36 l. 35. f. their, r. word. p. 80 l 21. bl the (.) and ● are it in l. 12. after have. p. 86. l. 3. marg. f. 〈…〉 de. p. 108. l. 7. r. ●oye●. p. 109 l. 15. r. these. p. 119. l. 35. r. here. p. 120. l. 22. bls. afterward. p. 12●. l. ●7. r. hardly. p. 127. l. 10 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1●. r. he before presently. p. 129. l. 19 r. here. 36. r. a before promissory p. 100 l. 10. marg. r. ment●mur. p. 168. l. 18. bls. the (:) p. 201. in the Tit. 〈…〉. l. 25. r. case. p. 203 l. 27. r. it is it. p. 204. l. 3. after clause r. 〈◊〉. p. 205. l. 34. after us r. as. p. 207. l. 6. after to r·s give. l. 7. r. doubt. p. 209. l. 11. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 211. l. 3. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. l. 23. r. could not be l. 33. f. sure r. since. p. 212. l. 25. aft●r upon r. those words. p. 215. l. 32. r. sight p. 223. l. 10. r. according. l. 13. bls. so. l. 35 set the figure 2. p. 224. l. 30. bls. at and. p. 226. l. 35. r. scipsi●. p. 227. l. 16. r. sense. p. ●29. ●8. marg. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. p. 246. l. 9 after and r. as. p. 257. l. 26. f. a r. the p. 259. l. 22. after the r. truth. p. 261. l. ●. for his r. Gods. p. 271. l. ●5. bls. the (,) after notorious. p. 275 14. ●. that r. 〈◊〉. p. 276. l. 24. after su● bl. the (,) p. 283. l. ●5. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉▪ p. 284. l. 1●. after sincere bls. (,) p. 287. l. 15. f. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. f. sua r. su●m. f. 〈…〉. p. 288. l. 15. m. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉▪ p. 289. l. 36. transfer the (.) from aff●ight to thee. p. 293 l. 3. f. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 295. l. 34. r. cancelling. p. 333. l. 24. bls. ad 27.28. f. sincerity r. severity. 28. f. hardness r. hardeneth. p. 338. l. 23. r. as clear glas●e. p. ●42. l 28. after excite bl. the (,) p. 345▪ l. 3. r. repentance. p. 346. l. 7. r. it is. p. 351. l. 6. f. this r. the. p. 355. marg. r. lap. p. 358. marg. r. Mestrez. p. 361. marg. d. verum. r. indicat. p 362. l 9 bls. 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