Twenty-Five Lectures Upon the Lords Last Sermon and Conference, Lecture 5
THE FIFT LECTVRE, OF CHRISTES DOCTRINE BEFORE HIS PASSION.
IOHN, CHAP. xiiii. VERS. 16.17.18.
16 And I will pray the Father, and hee ſhall giuegive you another Comforter, that hee may abide with you for euer,
17 Euen the Spirit of Trueth, whome the worlde cannot receiue, becauſe it ſeeth him not, neither knoweth him: but yee knowe him: for hee dwelleth with you, and ſhall bee in you.
18 I will not leaue you comfortleſſe, but I will come to you.
WEE hauehave heard (Beloued Brethren) in this Chapter, how the Lord Ieſus, being to leaue the world, to aſcend to his Father, hath ſet himſelfe partly to comfort his Diſciples, who were ſad for his departure, (and ſundry argumentes of conſolation hath hee giuen them) and partly to exhort them. The firſt exhortation ye heard, was, That they ſhould belieue in him, and that the Father was in him, and hee in the Father: That is, that hee and the Father were one in ſubſtance, glory, and Maieſtie: and that the Godhead dwelt in the nature of man bodilie: And to proue this, hee vſed an argument taken from the workes that hee wrought: At leaſt, belieue mee, ſayeth hee, for the verie workes ſake which I worke: That is, Suppoſing there vvere none other argument to mooue you to belieue that I am in the Father, and the Father in mee; yet let the verie workes, wherein the properties of God are ſo clearlie manifeſted, mooue you to belieue. Another argument hee ſubjoyneth, more perſwaſiue, If yee belieue in mee, ſayeth the LORD, yee ſhall worke the workes that I worke: And I ſaye more, Yee ſhall worke greater workes than yee hauehave ſeene mee working. Thereafter hee layde downe the grounde of this: For I goe, ſayeth hee, to my Father: and I ſhall come againe, in my full power, to you, and ſo worke greater workes by you, than I wrought by my ſelfe. Then hee layde downe another grounde, of the great and wonderous workes that they ſhoulde worke: The grounde is Prayer, whereby they ſhould draw out of Heauen that wonderfull power: and whatſoeuer they ſhoulde a…ke of him, they ſhoulde gette it. Thereafter hee came to the next exhortation, To obey him, and keepe his Commandements. Now when he hath craued obedience at the handes of his Diſciples, hee letteth them ſee in the wordes which we hauehave read, that they ſhall not ſerue him for nought. No man ſerueth the Lord for nothing: but hee getteth a thouſande times better than hee giueth. What ſhall I doe to you, ſayeth the Lord, when ye ſhall be doing this? I ſhall meete you, and I ſhall pray my Father, and hee ſhall giuegive you a Comforter, to comfort you, euen the Spirit of Trueth: and that not for a daye, or a yeere, but for euermore, to abide with you while I come againe. Then he telleth who it is that comfortes them: It is the Spirit of God. Now becauſe theſe are great and weighty wordes, let vsus conſider them: I marke firſt here, that theſe words import this: The Lord Ieſus, ſo long as hee abode with his Diſciples, and gaue them his bodily preſence, comforted his Diſciples: they had conſolation in the ſight of his bodily preſence. Ioh 6.67. vvhen the multitude had fallen away, the Lord ſaith, Will ye leaue me alſo? Peter ſaid, Lord, vvhere ſhall vve go to, for thou haſt the words of eternal life? So it appeareth, that all the joye the Diſciples had in the worlde, vvas the ſight of their Lord, becauſe they ſaw more than other men in him. Iohn ſayeth, chap. 1. verſ. 14. We ſaw him full of grace & truth: And his words were ſo ſweete, that they conceiued an vnſpeakeable joye, vvhen they heard him ſpeake. So, I ſay, he vvas their comfort ſo long as hee vvas among them. What did hee more? It appeareth vvell, hee kept them as they had beene Children, from the aſſaultes of the Deuill, and from the malice and affliction of men. This appeareth well in the ninth Chapter of Matthew and the fifteenth verſe, in the complaint of the Diſciples of Iohn the Baptiſt: We, ſay they, faſt and mourne continually, but your Diſciples are in joye. The Lord anſwereth, Can it bee, that the Children of the Marriage Chamber, can mourne, ſo long as they ſee the Bridegroome? That is, ſo long as they hauehave mee, they ſhall not mourne, they ſhall hauehave joye, and they ſhall feele no perſecution. Another thing yee maye ſee heere: When the Lord Ieſus vvas taken out of the vvorlde, the Diſciples beganne to bee afflicted, and to bee toſſed to and froe: for the vvordes importe this, They ſhall gette another Comforter than mee. So if they ſhall get another Comforter, they ſhall hauehave neede of another Comforter. The time ſhall come, ſayeth the Lord, vvhen the Bridegroome ſhall depart, and then they ſhall gette leaue to faſt and mourne.
And to drawe this to vsus: Nowe vvhen the Lord is abſent, the Deuill, and the Wicked in the vvorlde, maketh their vantage of it. The Deuill ſeeing the Lord Ieſus in the Heauen, and his poore members heere in the Earth, goeth about like a roaring Lyon to deuour them: And the Wicked of the vvorlde, ſtriue to cutte off the members of the Lord Ieſus before his comming. And the Deuill vvas neuer more buſie, than nowe hee is: and howe farre hee hath preuailed in the abſence of the Lord, miſerable experience can teſtifie nowe, in the dayes of Antichriſt, when darkneſſe hath croppen in ſo, into the Kirke of Ieſus Chriſt. And this Age telleth vsus, howe buſilie the Deuill worketh by his members, to ſuppreſſe the Goſpel of Ieſus Chriſt in his abſence. But we learne this comfort out of this place, Howbeit the Lord bee abſent from vsus according to his bodily preſence, (yea, hee is as farre from vsus, as the Heauen is from the Earth;) yet the Lord leaueth not his owne without a Comforter. This is generall: There are none that appertaineth to him, but if hee take one comfort from them, hee will giuegive them another. This is vnpoſsible, That the members of the Lord can want all comfort: if he take away one, he ſhall giuegive thee another: and if hee take away thy Children, or Wife, or Husband, or Friends, hee ſhall giuegive thee another comfort, as the Lord comforted his Diſciples in his abſence: So, I ſay, howbeit he be in the Heauen, he will not leaue his owne without comfort: but hee ſendeth downe his Spirite, to worke joye in the heartes of men and women: and the more glorious he is, ſitting at the right hand of the Father, the more powerfull will his Spirite bee. When the Lord was in the Earth, his glorious power appeared not: but as ſoone as the Lord Ieſus paſſed vp to Heauen, and entered into that place of Majeſty, then it mightily appeared. So nowe, the power that commeth out from the Lord Ieſus, is more powerfull than when he was in the Earth: And as the force of his holy Spirit becommeth greater, it muſt followe, that that conſolation that commeth from him nowe, muſt bee greater than the comfort that the Diſciples found when he was walking with them bodily.
To open this more deeply: All comfort that commeth from Chriſt, it is all by his Holy Spirit. This is a ſure ground: The comfort that al the Fathers had, before the Lord came in the nature of man, it was all by the holy Spirit: That Spirit of Chriſt, gaue that comfort to Abraham, to Dauid, and to the reſt. Come to the time when hee came into the worlde: The comfort the Diſciples had, was by his Spirite and Doctrine: and they in whome the Spirite wrought not, had no comfort in his ſight. The Iewes, the Phariſees, had no comfort in him. Come on yet: After his Aſcenſion we knowe all this by experience, The comfort wee all hauehave, is by his holy Spirite: and none hauehave joye, but they that hauehave this Spirite. And to come on yet farder: When wee ſhall come to Heauen, the joy we ſhall hauehave, ſhall be by the working of his holy Spirit. In a word: All the joye of the creature, ſhall bee by the holy Spirit. It is not ſo much the preſence of the Lord, as it is the holy Spirit, that worketh joye in the heart. Then this muſt followe: The greater force and effect the Spirite hath, the greater is the joye: This is true. But after the paſsing vp of the Lord Ieſus to Heauen, in full glory, his Spirite had a greater force than before: For before it was ſaide, The Spirit was not yet giuen: And after hee ſaieth, It is good I depart, for otherwayes ye ſhall not get the Comforter. So I ſay, the Spirit hath greater force now, than he had then, becauſe the Lord is in his full glory in the Heauen.
Brethren, all this conſolation we hauehave by the holy Spirit now, ſhall be nothing in compariſon of that, that we ſhall get, when we ſhall bee drawne neare hand him. Then thoſe beames of grace, thoſe glances of glory, that ſhall ſtrike from him, vvhen wee ſhall get a ſight of his glorious Majeſty: that ioye that ſhall ſhine from him, ſhall ſurpaſſe a thouſand times all the ioy we ſhall get in this world. Lord, how great a thing it is to be beſide Chriſt, glorified nowe in the Heauen! The Lord vvill transforme the creature in that ſame glory, as Paul ſpeaketh, 2. Cor. 3.18. So this is our joy, to awaite on the fulfilling of that ſame ioye: and it miniſtreth ioye vntounto vsus, to vvaite for that perfection of glory: and bleſſed is hee that hath this exſpectation: I vvarne you to looke for his comming: and bleſſed is hee vvho looketh for his comming in glory.
Wee hauehave to note in the Text, vvho it is that ſhall giuegive this Comforter: Hee ſaith, The Father ſhall giuegive another Comforter. It is ſaid in the next Chap. verſ. 26. The Sonne giueth the Comforter. Howe is it then ſaide, The Father ſhall giuegive him? There is no contradiction: for both theſe ſtand vvell together: The holy Spirit commeth from the Father, and from the Sonne: but this is the difference, the holy Spirit commeth from the Father, as from the Fountaine: for the Father is the Fountaine of the Godhead. Next, the holy Spirite commeth from the Sonne, as the ſeconde perſon: both the Father and the Sonne are at the giui… … Spirite, but they differ in order: and therefore the Lord himſelfe ſaith, That hee vvill ſend his Comforter from his Father. It is to be marked heere, The Lord attributeth to the Father the ſending of the holy Spirit: Yea, I ſay farder, Ye ſhall ſee in the vvhole Goſpel, the Lord ſpeaking of the Redemption of man, to aſcribe it to the Father, as to the Fountaine. All the graces that proceede from him, hee aſcribeth them to the Father. That is to learne the world, All our Redemption, and all our grace, is from the Father. Wee muſt vnderſtand, that all grace commeth from the Father, as from the Fountaine: that wee ſhoulde giuegive the glorie of all to him: for hee vvho is the beginner of all grace, hee muſt bee the ender. The Apoſtle conſidering this, hee ſayeth, Of him, and thorow him, and for him, are all thinges, to him be glorie, and praiſe and honour, for euer, Rom. 11.36. The Lord Ieſus goeth before, and giueth the glory to the Father: and biddeth vsus giuegive the glorie of our Redemption to the Father: but not forgetting the Sonne, for the Father, and the Sonne, and the holy Spirite, hauehave their owne glory in all their workes: The Father, as the Fountaine: the Sonne, as the Mediator: the Holy Spirit, as the Comforter. Nowe let vsus ſee, howe the Spirit is giuen, and howe hee is gotten: Hee is gotten by the meanes of the Lord Ieſus: when hee was in the worlde, hee was euer praying for grace and mercy to the world. And in the ſeuenteenth Chap. ye ſhall ſee his prayer to the Father: and that prayer ſhall remaine to the end of the world, and it ſhall neuer goe out of the minde of the Father. This grace of the Holy Spirite is gotten firſt by the death of Ieſus Chriſt: and next, by the earneſt prayer and interceſſion of IESVS. Ere euer man or woman gotte that Spirite, it behooued the Lord IESVS to buye him, vvith his precious bloode: And if God had not died, the vvorlde had not gotten the Spirite. What dow a man, and hee vvere a King, and hee gette not that Spirite? The LORD meriteth that Spirite by his death. Ere euer we gette that Spirite, hee hath merited it: yea, and CHRIST muſt riſe againe, and muſt paſſe vp to Heauen, and bee glorified, and there hee muſt bee an Aduocate, and there ſitte at the right hande of the Father, and make interceſsion to his Father, to giuegive this Spirite to his owne Choſen, before they can gette him. So, yee ſee howe harde a thing it is, to gette the Spirite of GOD: the vvorlde thinketh it none harde thing to gette that Spirite. The Spirite of GOD vvill not come vponupon a man ſleeping: No, before that Spirite enter into the ſoule, there muſt bee a ſeeking, morning and euening, to gette him. So ſayeth the LORD, Bleſſed bee they who hunger and thirſt for righteouſneſſe, for they ſhall bee filled. Matth. 5.6.
Nowe to goe forwarde: Hee commaundeth his Spirite to abide with them for euer: As hee woulde ſaye, Hee ſhall bee vvith you not for a daye, or a weeke, or a yeere onelyonly: but in all your temptations, and in all your afflictions, this Spirite ſhall bee vvith you: hee ſhall neuer leaue you. All the thinges in the vvorlde ſhall not ſeparate thee from CHRIST, and if thou hauehave this Spirite. Howe ſhalt thou finde this? None ſhall take your joye from you. (Iohn, Chapter 16. Verſ. 22.) If thou findeſt joye in thy calamitie, that is a token of the preſence of the Spirite. There is no death can ſeparate thee from CHRIST: but the greater oppreſsion thou lyeſt vnderunder, and the greater the paine bee, the more ſure ſhalt thou bee of the Spirite, the more ſhall hee comfort thee, the greater ſhall thy joye bee. The Martyres, vvho hauehave beene burned in the fire, hauehave felt this. This is a falſe Doctrine, that the Spirite of Chriſt can departe cleane awaye from them who hauehave once gotten him: for, as it is vnpoſsible that the death and interceſsion of Chriſt can bee of none effect; ſo as vnpoſsible is it, that the Spirite of God can bee taken awaye from them that hauehave once receiued him: And as Ieſus Chriſt, vvho is that foundation vvherevpon all grace is builded, (for in him all the promiſes of God are Yea, and Amen. 2. Cor. Chap. 1 verſ. 20.) cannot bee ouer-throwne; no more can theſe graces, that are builded vponupon him, be taken away. The Spirit, when he is angered, and grieued in any perſon, hee will hide and with-drawe himſelfe for a while, but neuer fully nor finally: for thereafter, by repentance, he will vtter himſelfe againe: As wee may ſee in the perſon of Dauid, Pſal. 51. This then is our comfort, that the Spirit will neuer leaue vsus: And therefore let vsus ſeeke to be in Ieſus, that thorow him wee may hauehave this Comforter to abide vvith vsus for euer.
Nowe in the next vvordes, the Lord ſheweth to them who is this Conforter whome they ſhoulde hauehave in his abſence, and hee pointeth him out in his proper name, and hee calleth him the Spirit of Trueth. The Spirite of God is called the Spirite of Trueth, becauſe, as wee hauehave heereafter, hee inſtructeth men and women in all trueth. And in the 16. Chap. verſ. 13. Hee leadeth vsus in the way of trueth and verity: We are all out of the way, till he leade vsus in the way of ſaluation. There is neuer man nor woman, who is not naturally full of vanity, and his heart full of lies: no trueth, chiefly in the way that leadeth to life and ſaluation: The ſpirit of errour occupieth naturally the heartes of men and women, vntill this bleſſed Spirite enter into their heartes. The name is to bee marked: Firſt hee is called the Comforter: Secondlie, the Spirit of trueth: The one of theſe is the cauſe of the other: And the Spirite of GOD is the Comforter, and miniſtreth comfort to the ſoules of men and vvomen, becauſe hee is the Spirite of veritie: For, Brethren, this knowledge of God is the grounde of all comfort: and vvithout the knowledge of our ſaluation, there is no comfort in this life: When the Spirite of God entereth into the ſoule of a man or woman, he firſt beginneth to let the creature ſee the ſinfulneſſe that lieth in nature, the miſerie, death, and damnation that followeth on ſinne: The firſt knowledge we can hauehave, is to knowe vvhat we are by nature. So the firſt worke of the Spirit of Veritie, is when he letteth a man or woman ſee, that hee is but ſinfull, and dead vnderunder ſinne. The ſecond point of knowledge that the Spirite vvill leade thee vntill, hee vvill let thee ſee mercy, in thy deliuerance from ſinne and death. The beſt ſight that euer a miſerable creature ſawe, and the ioyfulleſt: this ſight vvill bee accompanied vvith ſuch a ioy, as the heart of man cannot expreſſe: As the ſight of ſinne was heauy, ſo this ſight of grace & mercy in Ieſus Chriſt, is ſweet: yea, the ioyfulleſt ſight that euer the creature got. The third point of knowledge he vvill leade thee vntounto, is, hee vvill let thee ſee the vvay howe thou ſhouldeſt meete that mercifull God, and vvhat ſhoulde bee thy duety for ſuch a mercifull deliuerance. If any man or vvoman hauehave this Spirit of Verity, he muſt ſee theſe three things: and if they ſee not theſe three, they vviſt neuer what vvas the Spirite of Verity. Looke vvhat followeth on theſe three ſights: all the ioye in the vvorlde: the heart vviſt neuer vvhat ioye vvas, vvhile then. If one had all the riches in the vvorlde, all the pleaſures in the vvorlde, if they vvant the Spirite, they vvant that true ioye, in death, in life: hee that vvanteth that Spirit, can hauehave no ioy vvhen death commeth to him, and the vvorld leaueth him: how can he reioyce? no, he cannot. So, vvouldeſt thou hauehave ioye, and chiefely in the houre of death, (and that is a ſad houre) when the vvorlde is leauing thee, and thou leauing it: (for thou muſt leaue it) Get this bleſſed ſight, and this Spirite of Verity, and hee ſhall vvorke comfort in thy ſoule, both in thy life, and in the houre of death.
Now againe the ſecond time he aggreageth this benefite, (for the benefite of the ſoule cannot bee aggreaged enough) before he aggreageth it, in that it ſhould abide vvith them for euer. Now he aggreageth it from the condition of the vvorld, and hee ſayth, Hee is ſuch a Spirit, that the worlde cannot receiue. The aggreaging of this benefite to the ſoule▪ is by oppoſition to the vvorlde: The vvorld, ſayth the Lord, receiued not this Spirit of Verity, vvhom yee ſhall receiue. It hath a great force, the Spirite of GOD, vvhen hee vvoulde amplifie the grace that the Choſen gette in the vvorlde, vſeth to ſette downe a grace oppoſite to the worlde, vvho getteth not this grace, but in place of it, getteth miſerie. So in the threeſcore Chapter of Eſay, and the twelfth Verſe, hee ſayeth, The Lord ſhall riſe vp, and make the beames of his merciemercy to ſhine vponupon his owne. Hee ſetteth not downe this ſimplie, but to let them ſee the greatneſſe of the benefite, hee ſubjoyneth an oppoſition: And darkneſſe, ſayeth hee, ſhall couer the Earth, and groſſe darkneſſe the people: but the Lord ſhall riſe vp to ſhine vponupon thee with the beames of that his mercy, and his glory ſhall bee ſeene vponupon thee. This is done, that the godly ſhould ſee the greatneſſe of the mercy of God towards them.
One contrary will make another the better to be knowne. Brethren, wee ſee this all: the aduerſaries vſe this argument againſt vsus, Your Kirke is contracted in little boundes, and your Profeſſion is but narrow, and fewe imbrace it: where yee finde one who profeſſeth as yee profeſſe, ye will find an hundreth who contemne your Doctrine: So, ſay they, becauſe the multitude imbraceth it not, it is not the true Light. But theſe wordes condemne them. The Lord ſayeth, The vvorlde cannot receiue the Spirite of Veritie: They ſay, The vvorlde muſt receiue the Spirite of Veritie, or elſe it is not the Spirite of Veritie. So, to ende this: Wee muſt bee ſo farre from that, to count the leſſe of this bleſſed Light, and of theſe whome the Lord vſed as inſtrumentes, after hee had taken them out of the darke Kingdome of the Antichriſt, to make this Light ſhine like the Sunne: that euen by the contrary, wee muſt count the more of it. And it is an argument, that it is the Trueth: becauſe the Lord will not communicate it with the multitude. And woe is the ſoule that neuer ſaw this Light. Precious thinges are but rare: The more pecious a grace bee, euermore ſince the beginning of the worlde, it is the rarer. No man getteth this Light communicated to them, but thoſe ſecret ones, whom the Lord hath choſen. And we one day ſhall bleſſe this Light, that euer we ſaw it.
The worde is to bee marked: The worlde cannot receiue him. This worde importeth, that the fault wherefore the worlde receiueth not▪ this Spirite, is not in the Spirite, but the fault is in the vvorlde it ſelfe, vvho vvanteth the hand, and ſo neither will nor can receiue ſuch a grace. The Lord in his worde offereth to all men indifferentlie this Spirite: and, as it were, by his vvorde knocketh at the heartes of men, and women, to receiue ſuch a gueſt. There is none of vsus who heareth this glorious Euangel, but the Lord knocketh at the doore of his ſoule, to take in this Holy Spirit, to dwell with him. But looke howe hee is anſwered: All receiueth not this Spirit, and all hearts are not opened to take him in: yea, very fewe there bee, who take in this Spirite in their heart, when they heare this Euangel. Take heed, there is no grace nor welfare, without this Spirit: and howe can the heart bee glad without him? Yet they are few who get him. To ſpeak the trueth, There is no man nor woman who is naturally borne to receiue this Spirit of God. The naturall man, ſayth Paul, is not capable of the thinges that are of God, 1. Cor. 2.14. So by nature, all men and women are alike. Then who maketh the difference, ſayth Paul to the Corinthians? What haſt thou, that thou haſt not receiued? (1. Cor. 4.7.) Then if there bee a difference of men, it is not by nature: for by nature all men refuſe this Spirite. The Lord of Heauen, who offereth this Spirite to the worlde, in ſome hee will make him to worke effectually with ioy: in others, when he offereth the Spirit, he maketh the heart hard: and vvhen the worde beateth at it, it will reſiſt, and fight with both the handes, to holde backe the worde. So Steuen (Act. 7. verſ. 51.) ſaith of the Iewes, Yee reſiſt euer the holy Spirit. The multitude euer ſtriueth to holde out the Spirite out of their heartes: and the more the Spirit bee offered, the harder is their heartes. Well, it lieth in no mans hand to giuegive this Spirite, or to take it: There is no free will in the heart, but it is of the free will of God. So, when wee heare the worde, our whole endeuour ſhoulde bee to looke to him from whom the Spirit commeth, and ſay, Lord, it lieth not in my power, of my ſelfe, to receiue this Spirit: but, Lord, open thou mine heart, as thou openedſt the heart of Lydia, to receiue this Spirit.
Now to goe forwarde: Hee ſetteth downe the cauſe wherefore the world was not able to receiue this Spirit: Hee ſayth, The world cannot receiue him, becauſe it ſeeth him not, not knoweth him not. When wee know a thing perfectly, it is good for vsus: the knowledge will waken a deſire in our heartes to hauehave it, and to brooke it. Againe, by the contrary: And it were neuer ſo good a thing, and neuer ſo meete for vsus, and we hauehave no knowledge of it, wee will not hauehave a deſire of it: yea, and it were Heauen it ſelfe: (for the common ſaying is true, Ignoti nulla cupido) The Lord ſayth to the Samaritane woman, Iohn, 4.10. And thou kneweſt that gift of God that is offered to thee this day: and thou kneweſt him who aſketh thee drinke; thou wouldeſt ſeeke of him, the water of life. The Lord meaned, ſhee asked not the water of life, becauſe ſhee knew it not: but when ſhe knew the ſweetneſſe of that water, and taſted of it; that Well of Iaakob, which ſhee thought ſo precious before, ſhe left it behind her, and ran into the Towne, and proclaimed that grace. But to come to the particular: And a man knew how great a grace the Spirit were, he would giuegive all the things in the worlde, for a gripe of him, and for a taſte of his ſweetneſſe. But a man who knoweth not the Spirit of Chriſt, (for the worlde knoweth not, what grace is in that Spirite of Chriſt: ſo the miſknowledge of the Spirit, maketh the contempt of the Spirit) that man hath no deſire of him. Woe to that ſoule that cannot ſaye, Lord, indue mee with thine holy Spirit: for it is a ſure thing, that thoſe who want this Spirite, they hauehave not Chriſt: for Chriſt is poſſeſſed by his Spirite: and when hee is out of the heart, there Chriſt is away. Euer ſeeke knowledge of God, and of Ieſus Chriſt, and of the holy Spirit, as yee would bee ſaued hereafter: And euer when yee heare any ſpeaking of this bleſſed Trinitie, bee buſie to vnderſtand what is ſpoken: Knowledge worketh a thirſt of grace: and, ſayeth the Lord, Matth. 5.6. Bleſſed is hee who hungereth and thirſteth for righteouſneſſe, for he ſhall be filled. What would a man ſeeke, but his fill? In this life they ſhall get a taſte of that water of life, and heereafter they ſhall get a ſatietie: For as Dauid ſayth, Pſal. 16.11. In thy face is fulneſſe of joy, and at thy right hand are pleaſures for euermore. So, ſtriue to get a knowledge, for it worketh a deſire: and knowledge growe not, deſire cannot grow.
When hee hath laide downe the grounde, wherefore they were not able to receiue the Spirit of God; the Diſciples, who looked to the eſtate of the worlde, might hauehave ſaide, This eſtate of the world is miſerable: What, Lord, is our eſtate? Lie we in blindneſſe and ignorance as the worlde doeth? The Lord meeteth this, and ſayeth, Yee knowe him, and the worlde knoweth him not. And hee addeth the reaſon, He bideth with you. And he then maketh a promiſe to them of a farder acquaintance of the Spirit of God with them: he ſayeth, Hee ſhall bee in you. And then in the verſe following, to confirme vsus, hee repeateth it, and ſayth, J ſhall not leaue you comfortleſſe: That is, I ſhall come againe to you in my Spirit. The firſt thing wee hauehave to marke: When the Diſciples hauehave heard of the miſerable eſtate of the worlde, they are carefull to vnderſtand their eſtate, whether they bee like to the worlde, or not: and as they are carefull to vnderſtand, ſo the Lord is carefull to make them vnderſtand it: This vvorld is miſerable now, the multitude is hardened, lying without the ſheepe-folde of the Lord: So when we heare of the darkneſſe of the worlde, as of the Iewes, the Turkes, and Pagans, yea, euen to amplifie and extende this to the kingdome of Antichriſt, and of the Papiſtes alſo, for they are but miſerable: I ſay, and I proclaime, in the Name of the great God of Heauen, and in the ende they ſhall ſee it: glory in their knowledge as they will, they ſhall be caſten out in darkneſſe. When wee heare of this, I ſay, ſhould we heare of it ſecurely, as if it belonged not to vsus? Or ſhould wee ſet our eyes only vponupon the worlde? No, wee ſhould ſet our eyes vponupon our ſelues, and trie our owne eſtate, and ſaye, Lord, what am I? HaueHave I ſought grace? Shall I get Heauen? This ſhould be our care, to ſee that we be not like the world: And if we be carefull, as the Diſciples were, to ſearch our eſtate, and to trie our knowledge of the holy Spirit, the Lord will be ready to anſwere, as he anſwered them: & he will ſpeake to thee by thy conſcience, Thou art not like to the worlde: Bleſſed art thou, thou haſt the knowledge of the holy Spirit. When we heare of the world, all is but miſery, multitudes lying in blindneſſe and ignorance: when we heare of this, wee ſhould not rejoyce of this, but wee ſhould bee carefull of our ſelues, and ſay, Lord, let me not bee like the world: but let mee hauehave a knowledge of the Lord. No, wee ſhould not rejoyce in the miſery of the multitude, but lament for it.
The ſecond thing I marke, is the waye, to come to the knowledge of the Spirit of Chriſt: Wee know all this, Brethren, when a man is acquainted with another man, and haunteth with him, the man will knowe his familiar, and knowe his power: and let them ſpeake, they will know other: So acquaintance will make knowledge. Well, wouldeſt thou know the Spirit of Ieſus Chriſt, be acquainted with him: for there is no knowledge without familiaritie: and hee muſt dwell with thee, night and day, ere thou knowe him. Barreſt thou him out, thou▪ wilt neuer know him. So the way to know him, is onelyonly dwelling with thee, hee muſt dwell in thine heart, and then he will let thee ſee ſuch a power, the like whereof thou neuer ſaweſt: euen the illumination of the ſoule. So he dwelling, and working within thee, thou ſhalt know him. Our Leſſon is, Dwell with vsus who ſo will, and let vsus dwell with whome wee vvill in this worlde, and if it were with Kinges, and wee dwell not with the Spirite of CHRIST, and hee dwell not into vsus againe, vvee are but miſerable in our dwelling. So, let men looke what euer they bee doing, that the Spirite of CHRIST bee with them: ſleepe they, vvake they, goe they to their bedde, looke that hee bee with them. And in one worde, looke that hee bee a companion with thee; for otherwayes, and thou hadſt all the vvorld with thee, thou art but a miſerable ſolitary body.
The wordes following: I will not leaue you Fatherleſſe, but I will come to you. It is the ſame thing in effect hee ſpake of before, to confirme them: I will not leaue you like Fatherleſſe Children. And man wanted Father and Mother, and all his Kinne, and all moyen worldly, (look how precious a thing it is to hauehave the Spirit of Chriſt) and hee were caſten out into the Wilderneſſe, and he hauehave the Spirit of God, hee is not alone, hee wanteth not a good guide in this worlde: the Spirit of Ieſus is with him, and hee ſhall louelove him, that in the greateſt dangers in the worlde, hee ſhall ſaue him: and ſuppoſe hee loſe his life, hee ſhall get a better life: and ſuppoſe hee hauehave a battell, hee ſhall triumph: and ſuppoſe hee die, and the body bee diſſolued into duſt, the Spirit ſhall not leaue the duſt, till hee lift vp the body, and place it in the Heauen. Dauid, Pſal. 146. verſ. 5. ſayeth, Bleſſed is he who hath the God of Iaakob for his helpe, vvhoſe hope is in the Lord his God. It followeth not, thou haſt not a Father, therefore God will bee thy Father: or, thou wanteſt a Mother, therefore God will bee thy Mother. It will not followe, It will not bee vvant, that will make GOD to bee thy Defender: this muſt bee, that Dauid ſayeth, Ere euer GOD bee the GOD of the Fatherleſſe, the Fatherleſſe muſt hope in him, and the Widdow muſt leane to him. Woulde the Stranger and the Fatherleſſe hauehave God with them, let them leane vponupon God, and the Heauen ſhall fall, ere this leaning ſtocke fall: Our hope muſt bee in God.
Now on the other part, Brethren, this riſeth on theſe vvordes, Let a man hauehave his Father, and his Mother, and all the vvorld, yet vvant he this companion, the Spirit of Chriſt, to accompany him, to goe with him, hee is euer Fatherleſſe: And hee were a King, and hee were riding in the middeſt of his troupe, and Gunnes and Canons about him, hee is but ſolitary, and Fatherleſſe, and vvithout a Guarde, and a preye to the Deuill, and to his enemies. Experience teacheth vsus this, in all ages the greateſt men hauehave fallen down miſerably, vvho vvanted this Spirit to be their guarde. In one vvorde, Let all the vvorlde guarde a man, and GOD guarde him not, hee hath no guarde: All thinges are nothing vvithout GOD, and GOD is all thinges. As yee vvould bee ſaued in this life, and in that life to come, neuer reſt, night nor day, vvithout yee finde the companie of this Spirite: and ſay, and it vvere but this vvorde vvhen yee riſe, LORD, let thy Spirit riſe vvith mee, and accompany mee the vvhole daye: and LORD, let mee hauehave his bleſſed ſociety, that I may bee defended from mine enemies. In this broken band ſhould vvee not take vsus to him, vvho hath power to defende vsus? and ſhould vvee not bee acquainted vvith him, vvho vvill not leaue vsus? And ſeeing there is none of vsus, vvho findeth not in our ſelues a thouſand vvantes, and that vvee are ſubject to many dangers: and ſeeing hee hath promiſed the preſence of his Spirite, to all vvho vvanteth and crieth for grace, vve ought eueryevery one in theſe troubleſome dayes, to ſeeke the preſence of this Spirit, to ſupplie all our vvantes. To this Spirit, vvith the Father, and the Sonne, bee all honour and glory, for euermore. Amen.