A Key Opening Mysterious Texts of Scripture, Collection of sermons 5 · Sermon 52
THE REWARD OF PATIENCE. THE LII. SERMON.
PHILIP. 2.9.
Wherefore God hath alſo highly exalted him.
Right Honourable, &c.
THe drift of the bleſſed Apoſtle in the former part of this chapter, to which my Text cohereth, is to quench the fire-bals of contention caſt among the Philippians by proud and ambitious ſpirits, who preached the Goſpel of truth not in truth and ſincerity, but in faction, and through emulation: (Phil. 1.15.) Some indeed preach Chriſt out of envie and ſtrife. This fire kindled more and more by the breath of contradiction, and nouriſhed by the ambition of the teachers, and factious partaking of the hearers, Saint Paul ſeeketh to lave out, partly with his owne teares, partly with Chriſts bloud, both which he mingleth in a paſſionate exhortation at the entrance of this chapter: If there be therefore any conſolation in Chriſt, if any comfort of love, if any fellowſhip of the ſpirit, if any bowels of mercies; fulfill yee my joy, bee yee like minded, having the ſame love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through ſtrife or vaine glory. Look not every man to his owne things, but every man alſo to the things of others. Let the ſame mind be in you, which was alſo in Chriſt Jeſus: who being in the forme of God, thought it no robbery to be equall with God: But made himſelfe of no reputation, &c. In this context all other parts are curiouſly woven one in the other, only there is a bracke at the fifth verſe, which ſeemes to have no connexion at all with the former: for the former were part of a zealous admonition to brotherly love and chriſtian reconciliation, add this to voluntary obedience and humiliation: in thoſe he perſwaded them to goe together as friends, in this to give place one to the other: in thoſe he earneſtly beſeecheth them to be of one mind among themſelves, in this to be of the ſame mind with Chriſt Jeſus. Now peace and obedience, love and humility ſeeme to have no great affinity one with the other; for though their natures be not adverſe, yet they are very divers. Howbeit, if ye look neerer to the texture of this ſacred diſcourſe, ye ſhall find it all cloſely wrought, and that this exhortation to humility, to which my Text belongeth, hath good coherence with the former, and is pertinent to the maine ſcope of the Apoſtle; which was to re-unite the ſevered affections, and reconcile the different opinions of the faithfull among the Philippians, that they might all both agree in the love of the ſame truth, and ſeeke that truth in love. This his holy deſire he could not effect, nor bring about his godly purpoſe, before he had beat down the partition wall that was betwixt them: which becauſe it was erected by pride, could be no otherwiſe demoliſhed than by humility. The contentions among the people grew from emulation among the Paſtors, and that from vaine glory. As ſparkes are kindled by aſcending of the ſmoake, ſo all quarrels and contentions by ambitious ſpirits: theaJudg. 5.16. diviſions of Reuben are haughty thoughts of heart. A high conceit of their owne, and a low value and under rate of the gifts of others, uſually keep men from yeelding one to the other upon good termes of Chriſtian charity. Wherefore the Apoſtle, like a wiſe Phyſician, applyeth his ſpirituall remedy not ſo much parti laeſae, to the part where the malady brake forth, as to the cauſe, the vanitie of the Preachers, and pride of the hearers, after this manner: Chriſt humbled himſelfe, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Croſſe: therefore they who deſire to be affected and liked of him, muſt be like affected to him, and not exalt themſelves above others in pride, but rather abaſe themſelves below them in humility; not behave themſelves as lords over the faith of others, but rather demeane themſelves as ſervants for Christs ſake; not purſue ambitiouſly the glory of this world, but account it the greateſt glory to partake with Chriſt in the infamy of the Croſſe. How unfit and incongruous a thing is it in contention to preach the Goſpel of peace? in rage and choler to treat of meekneſſe? in malice and hatred to exhort to Chriſtian love and reconciliation? in pride to commend humility? in vaine glory to erect the Croſſe of Chriſt? that is to deny the power of it in ſo declaring it. Yet if they will needs bee ambitious, if their affections are ſo ſet upon glory and honour that nothing can take them off, let them take the readieſt courſe to compaſſe their deſire, which lyeth not in the higher way they have choſen, by advancing themſelves, but in the lower way, which Chriſt took by abaſing himſelfe. For glory is of the nature of a Crocodile, which flyeth from them that purſue it, and purſueth them that flie it, as S.bHom. 7. ad. Philip. foreign, &c. Chryſoſtome excellently declareth it: Glory (ſaith he) cannot be attained but by eſchuing it; if thou makeſt after it, it maketh away from thee; if thou flyeſt from it, it followeth thee; if thou deſireſt to be glorious, be not ambitious; for all truly honour them who affect not honour: as on the contrary they hold a baſe opinion of ſuch as are ever aſpiring to honour, and that for the moſt part without deſert.
Two weighty reaſons wee have in this verſe to incline all Chriſtian minds to obedient humility or humble obedience, a patterne of it and the reward thereof: he humbled himſe…fe ſo low, therefore God exalted him ſo high. Of the patterne moſt lively drawne in the life and eſpecially the death of our Saviour, I have ſaid ſomething already, and ſhall more hereafter; yet can never ſay all. As Socrates ſpake of Philoſophy, that it was nothing but meditatio mortis, a meditation upon death, we may of Divinity, that it is in a manner nothing elſe but meditatio mortis Christi, a meditation on Christs death: for the learnedeſt of all the Apoſtles would be knowne of no other knowledge that he had, or much eſteemed but this, I c1 Cor. 2.2.deſire (ſaith he) to know nothing but Jeſus Chriſt, and him crucified. dLib. 7. nat. hiſt. c. 2. Gen… Aſtoma radices florum ſecum portat, long…ore itinere, ne deſit olfactus.Pliny deſcribeth unto us a ſtrange kind of people in Africa, that had no mouthes, but received all their nouriſhment at their noſtrils (which is nothing elſe but ſweet ſmells and fragrant odours) who if they are to take any long journey, provide themſelves of great ſtore of flowers, and ſweet wood, and aromaticall ſpices, leſt they ſtarve by the way. I will not warrant the narration, becauſe I know it is a caſe over-ruled in Ariſtotles philoſophy, that ſmells nouriſh not; but the application I can make good out of the Apoſtle, who calleth the Goſpel and the Preachers thereof odorem vitae ad vi…am, a ſavour of e2 Cor. 2.16.life unto life. Though the naturall life be not, yet the ſpirituall is nouriſhed by odours & ſavours. And howſoever we are not in our bodies, yet in our ſoules we are Aſtomi, and, like thoſe people of Africa, rec…ive nouriſhment from ſweet trees and roots. The ſweet root we are alwayes to carry about us, is the root of the flower of Jeſſe: the ſavoury wood we are to ſmell unto, is the wood of the Croſſe, that is, the tree of life in the midſt of our Paradiſe. It is the ladder of Jacob whereby we aſcend into heaven, it is the rod of Aaron that continually buddeth in the Church, it is the Juniper tree whoſe ſhade killeth the Serpent, it is the tree which was caſt into the waters of Marah and made them ſweet: no water ſo bitter, no affliction ſo brackiſh, to which the Croſſe of Chriſt giveth not a ſweet relliſh.
But to proceed from the eff…ct of Chriſts paſſion in us, our comfort and ſalvation, to the effect of it in himſelfe, his glory and ex…ltation, expreſſed in the letter of my Text, Wherefore God hath alſo highly exalted him.
Wherefore. Although there can be no cauſe given of Gods will, which is the cauſe of all cauſes; yet (as Aquinas teacheth us to diſtinguiſh) there may be ratio rei volitae, a reaſon of the thing willed by God: for God, according to the counſell of his owne will, ſetteth divers things in ſuch an order, that the former is the cauſe of the latter; yet none of them a cauſe, but an effect of his will. For example, in that golden chaine drawne by the Apoſtle, Whom he hath fRom. 8.29.predeſtinated thoſe he hath called, whom he hath called he hath juſtified, whom he hath juſtified he hath glorified: predeſtination is a cauſe of vocation, vocation of juſtification, juſtification of glorification; yet all of theſe depend upon Gods will, and his will upon none of them. In like manner, God hath ſo diſpoſed the cauſes of our ſalvation, that Chriſts incarnation and humiliation ſhould goe before his glory and exaltation, & the one bee the meritorious cauſe of the other: yet neither of them is cauſa voluntatis divinae exaltantis, but ratio exaltationis volitae; neither of them a cauſe of Gods will exalting, but the former the reaſon of Chriſts exaltation, as willed by God.
God. Though Chriſt roſe of himſelfe, and, as himſelfe ſpeaketh, reared up the temple of his body after it was deſtroyed ratione ſuppoſiti, yet ratione principii it is moſt true, God raiſed him up: and therefore the Apoſtle ſaith elſe-where, that he wasgJohn 2.19. raiſed by the right hand of God, that is, divine, power; but becauſe this divine power was his owne, and eſſentiall to him as God, he may be truly ſaid alſo to have raiſed himſelfe.
Hath highly exalted. Above the grave in his reſurrection, above the earth in his aſcenſion, above the heaven in his ſeſſion at the right hand of his Father. In the words highly exalted there is no tautologie, but an emphaſis, which is all one as if he had ſaid, Super omnem altitudinem exaltavit, ſuper omnem poteſtatem evexit, he exalted him above all highneſſe, he gave him a power above all powers, and a name above all names.
Him. It is deſputed among Divines, whether this him hath reference to Chriſt, conſidered as God or man: that is to ſay, whether he was exalted according to his humane nature only, or according to the divine alſo. Some later Expoſitors of good note, and by name Mr. Perkins on the Creed, reſolve that Chriſt was exalted according to both natures; according to his humane, by laying down all infirmities of mans nature, and aſſuming to himſelf all qualities of glory: according to his divine, by the manifeſtation of the Godhead in the manhood, which before ſeemed to lie hid. But this ſeemeth not to be ſo proper an interpretation, neither can it be well conceived how that which is higheſt can be ſaid to be exalted; but Chriſt (according to his divine nature) is and alwaies was, together with the Holy Ghoſt, moſt high in the glory of God the Father. It is true which they affirme, that the Deity more manifeſtly appeared in our Saviour after his reſurrection than before, the rayes of divine Majeſty were more conſpicuous in him than before; but this commeth not home to the point. For this manifeſtation of the Deity in the humane nature, was no exaltation of the divine nature, but of the humane. As when the beames of the Sunne fall upon glaſſe, the glaſſe is illuſtrated thereby, not the beame; ſo the manifeſtation of the Deity in the humane nature of Chriſt, was the glory and exaltation of the manhood, not of the Godhead. I conclude this point therefore, according to the mind of the ancient and moſt of the later Interpreters, that God exalted Chriſt according to that nature, which before was abaſed even unto the death of the Croſſe: and that was apparently his humane. For according to his divine, as he could not be humbled by any, ſo neither be exalted: as he could not die, ſo neither be raiſed from death.
Having thus parced the words, it remaineth that we make conſtruction of the whole; which confirmeth to us a principall article of our faith, and giveth us thus much to underſtand concerning the preſent eſtate of our Lord and Saviour, That becauſe being in the forme of God, clothed with majeſty and honour, adored by Cherubins, Seraphins, Archangels and Angels, he diſ-robed himſelfe of his glorious attire, and put upon him the habit and forme of a ſervant, and in it, to ſatisfie for the ſins of the whole world, endured all indignities, diſgraces, vexations, deriſions, tortures and torments, and for the cloſe of all death it ſelfe, yea that cruell, infamous and accurſed death of the Croſſe: therefore God even his Father, to whom he thus far obeyed, and moſt humbly ſubmitted himſelfe, hath accordingly exalted him, raiſing him from the dead, carrying him up in triumph into heaven, ſetting him in a throne of Jaſper at his right hand, inveſting him with robes of majeſty and glory, conferring upon him all power and authority, and giving him a name above all names, and a ſtile above all earthly ſtiles, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, giving charge to all creatures of what rank or degree ſoever in heaven, earth, or under the earth, to honour him as their King and God, in ſuch ſort that they never ſpeake or thinke of him without bowing the knee, and doing him the greateſt reverence and religious reſpect that is poſsibly to be expreſſed.
In this high myſterie of our faith five ſpecialties are remarkable:
1 The cauſe, Wherefore.
2 The perſon advancing, God.
3 The advancement it ſelfe, exalted.
4 The manner, highly.
5 The perſon advanced, him. Begin we with the cauſe.
Wherefore. That which was elſewhere ſpoken by our Saviour,hLuk. 14.11. He that humbleth himſelfe ſhall bee exalted, is here ſpoken of our Saviour, hee humbled himſelfe to ſuffer a moſt accurſed death, therefore God highly exalted him to a moſt bleſſed and glorious life. We are too well conceited of our ſelves, & gather too much from Gods love and gracious promiſes to us, if we expect that he ſhould bring us by a nearer way and ſhorter cut to celeſtiall glory, than he did his onelyonly begotten Son; who came not eaſily by his crowne, but bought it dearly with a price, not which he gave, but rather for which hee was given himſelfe. His conqueſt over death and hell, and the ſpoyles taken from them, were not Salmacida ſpolia, ſine ſanguine & ſudore, ſpoyles got without ſweat or blood-ſhed; for he ſweat, and he bled; nay he ſweat blood in his ſtriving and ſtruggling for them. Wherefore if God humble us by any grievous viſitation, if by ſickneſſe, poverty, diſgrace, or captivity wee are brought low in the world, let us not bee too much dejected therewith; we are not fallen, nor can fall ſo low as our Saviour deſcended of himſelfe immediately before his glorious exaltation. The lower a former wave carrieth downe the ſhip, the higher the later beareth it up: the farther backe the arrow is drawn, the farther forward it flyeth. Our affections as our actions are altogether prepoſterous and wrong: in the height of proſperity we are uſually without feare, in the depth of miſery without hope. Whereas if we weighed all things in an equall ballance, and guided our judgement, not by ſight, but by faith; not by preſent probabilities, but by antecedent certainties: we ſhould find no place more dangerous to build our confidence upon, than the ridge of proſperity: no ground ſurer to caſt the anchor of our hope upon, than the bottome of miſery. How ſuddenly was Herod, who heard himſelf called a god and not a man, deprived of his kingdome & life by worms and no men? whereas David, who reputed himſelfe a worm and no man, was made a King over men. Moſes was taken from feeding ſheepe, to feed the people of God: but on the contrary, Nebuchadnezzar from feeding innumerable flockes of people, ſhall I ſay to feed ſheepe? nay to be fed as a ſheepe, and graze among the beaſts of the field. O what a ſudden change was here made in the ſtate of this mighty Monarch? How was hee that gloried in his building of great Babel brought to Babel, that is, confuſion? he that before dropp'd with ſweet ointment, feaſted all his ſenſes with the pleaſures of a King, hath the dew of heaven for his oyntment, the flowry earth for his carpets, the weeds for his ſallets, the lowing of beaſts for his muſick, and the skie for his ſtar-chamber. How great a fall alſo had the pride of Antiochus, who riding furiouſly in his chariot againſt Jeruſalem, was thrown out of it on the ground, and with the fall ſo bruiſed his members, that his fleſh rotted and bred wormes in great abundance?i2 Mac. 9.8, 9. Hee that a little before thought that hee might command the waves of the ſea (ſo proud was he beyond the condition of man) and weigh the high mountaines in a ballance, was now caſt on the ground, and carryed in an horſe-litter, declaring unto all the manifeſt power of God. So that the wormes came out of the bowels of this wicked man in great abundance; and while hee was yet alive his fleſh fell off with paine and torments, and all his army was grieved with the ſtench. ThekXen. Cyr. paed l. 3. foreign, &c. King of Armenia, who had beene formerly tributary to Cyrus, underſtanding that that puiſſant Prince was engaged in a dangerous warre with Croeſus, worketh upon this advantage, rebels againſt Cyrus, and maketh himſelfe an abſolute Prince. But within a few dayes Cyrus having got the conqueſt of Croeſus, turnes his forces againſt this rebell, taketh him, his wife and children priſoners; yet upon his ſubmiſſion, above his hope and expectation, both giveth him his life and his crown, and putteth him in a better ſtate than ever hee was. Whereupon that proud captivated, and humble reſtored Prince, acknowledging his treachery and folly, ſaid, O how doth the wiſdome of heaven over-ſhadow the providence of mortall men? how little are we aware of what may betide us? how glaſsy are our ſcepters? how brittle our estate? The other day when I made full account to have made my ſelfe a free abſolute Monarch, I lost both liberty and crowne; and this day when I gave my ſelfe for gone, and looked every houre to have had my head ſtrucke off, I have gained both pardon, liberty, and my crowne better ſettled than ever before. Such examples are ſo frequent, not onelyonly in the ſacred Annals of the Church, but alſo in profane ſtories, that a Philoſopher being asked what God did in the world, anſwered, foreign,lHeſiod. l. 1. foreign, &c. he abaſeth noble things, and ennobleth baſe; hee turneth Scepters into Mattockes, and Mattocks into Scepters; hee maketh hovels of palaces, and palaces of hovels; pulleth downe high things, and raiſeth up low: agreeably to the words of the Prophet Eſay, mEſa. 40.4.Every valley ſhall bee exalted, and every hill brought low.
Whence notwithſtanding we are not to inferre. That God is more the God of the vales than of the hills, or that hee better eſteemeth the low cottage of the beggar, than the high turrets of Princes: hee taketh no pleaſure in the fall of any, much leſſe of his deare children. It is not their broken eſtate, but their contrite heart; not their poverty in goods, but in ſpirit; not their lowneſſe of condition, but their lowlineſſe of minde, which hee approveth and rewardeth, giving honour to that vertue which aſcribeth all honour to him. The Apoſtle ſaith not, becauſe Chriſt was humbled and put to ſo cruell and ſhamefull a death, therefore God highly exalted him; but becauſe hee humbled himſelfe. Which reaſon of the Apoſtle may bee confirmed, or at leaſt illuſtrated by other paralle'd texts of Scripture:nPro. 29 23. The pride of a man ſhall bring him low, but the humble ſpirit ſhall enjoy glory. oPro. 18.12.Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, but before glory goeth lowlineſſe. pJob 22.29.When others are caſt downe, thou ſhalt ſay, I am lifted up, and God ſhall ſave the humble: and,qLuk. 1.52. Hee hath put downe the mighty from their ſeat, and hath exalted the lowly and meeke. Yea to honour and exalt them hee humbleth himſelfe, andrEſa. 57 15. commeth downe to dwell with them: for thus ſaith the high and lofty One, that inhabiteth eternity, whoſe name is holy; I dwell in the high and holy place: with him alſo that is of a contrite and humble ſpirit, to revive the ſpirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. When a Prince rideth in progreſſe how much are they graced at whoſe houſe hee lieth but for a night? how far greater honour is done to the humble ſoul, with whom God lodgeth not for a night or abideth for a few dayes, but continually dwelleth? what can there bee wanting where God is, in whom are all things? how will he furniſh his houſe? how will he ſet forth his rooms? how gloriouſly will hee beautifie and decke his cloſet and cabinet? I know not how God can raiſe the dwelling of the humble ſoule higher, who by his dwelling in it hath made it equall to the higheſt heaven: I dwell, ſaith hee, in the high and holy place, with him alſo that is of a contrite and humble ſpirit. There is no more difference betweene the ſeat of the bleſſed above the heavens, and the caves of the pooreſt ſervants of God under the earth, than between two royall palaces, the one higher the other lower built, but both equally honoured with the Court lying at them. In the weighing of gold the lightſHorat. car. l. 1 Attollunt vacuum plus nimiò verticem. pieces riſe up, but the weighty beare downe the ſcale; and ſurely they are but light who are lifted up in a ſelfe-conceit, but they who have true worth and weight in them are depreſſed in themſelves, and beare downe towards the earth. Looke wee to the wiſeſt of all the Philoſophers, hee was the modeſteſt; for his profeſſion was, Hoc ſcio, quod nihil ſcio; This I know, that I know nothing. Looke wee to the learnedeſt of all the Greeke Fathers, Origen, hee was the moſt ingenuous; for his confeſsion was, Ignorantiam meam non ignoro, I am not ignorant of mine owne ignorance. Looke wee to the moſt judicious and induſtrious of all the Latine, SainttAug. epiſt. ad Hieron. Auſtine, he was the humbleſt; for even in his heat of contention with Jerome hee acknowledgeth him his better, Hieronymus Presbyter Auguſtino Epiſcopo major eſt, though the dignity of a Biſhop exceed that of a Prieſt, yet Prieſt Jerome is a better or a greater man than Biſhop Auſtine. Looke wee to the beſt of Kings, David, hee was the freeſt from pride;uPſal. 131.1, 2 Lord, ſaith hee, I am not high-minded, I have no proud lookes, I doe not exerciſe my ſelfe in great matters, or in things too high for mee: ſurely I have behaved and quieted my ſelfe as a child that is weaned of his mother, my ſoul is even as a weaned child. Look wee to the nobleſt of all the*Theodoſius. Romane Emperours, his Motto was, Malo membrum eſſe Eccleſiae quàm caput Imperii; I account it a greater honour to bee a member of the Church than the head of the Empire. Looke wee to him that was not inferiour to the chiefe Apoſtles, ſurnamed Paulus (as ſome of the Ancient gheſſe) quaſi paululus, becauſe hee was leaſt in his owne eyes, not worthy to bee called an Apostle, as himſelfe freely*1 Cor. 15.9 Eph. 3.8. confeſſeth. Look we to the mirrour of all perfection, Chriſt Jeſus, in whom are all the treaſures of wiſedome and grace, he ſetteth out humility as his chiefeſt jewell;xMat. 11.29. Learn of mee, ſaith he, that I am meeke and humble in heart. The raine falleth from the hils, and ſettleth in the vales; and Gods bleſsings in like manner if they fall upon the high-minded and proud, yet they ſtay not with them, but paſſe and ſlide from them downe to the meeke and humble, where hee commandeth them to reſt. The reaſon is evident why the humbleſt men are beſt; for grace alone maketh good, and a greater meaſure thereof better: nowyJam. 4.6. God reſiſteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble; and to the more humble the more grace, becauſe they more deſire it, and are more capable thereof. For the more empty the veſſel is, the more liquor it receiveth; in like maner the more empty wee are in our owne conceits, the more heavenly grace GodzMat. 11.25. infuſeth into us. To him therefore let our ſoules continually gaſpe as a thirſty land, let us pray to him for humility that wee may have grace, and more grace that wee may be continually more humble.
Lord, who haſt taught us that becauſe thy Son our Saviour being in the forme of God humbled himſelfe, and in his humility became obedient, and in his obedience ſuffered death, even the moſt ignominious, painfull, and accurſed death of the croſſe; thou haſt exalted him highly above the grave in his reſurrection, the earth in his aſcenſion, above the ſtarres of heaven in his ſeſsion: eſtabliſh our faith in his eſtate both of humiliation and exaltation, and grant that his humility may be our inſtruction, his obedience our rule, his paſsion our ſatisfaction, his reſurrection our juſtification, his aſcenſion our improvement of ſanctification, and his ſeſsion at thy right hand our glorification.
Amen. Deo Patri, Filio, & Sp. S. ſit laus, &c.