Twenty-Five Lectures Upon the Lords Last Sermon and Conference, Lecture 14
THE XIV. LECTVRE, OF CHRISTES DOCTRINE BEFORE HIS PASSION.
IOHN, CHAP. xvi. VERS. 13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20.21.22.
13 Howbeit, when hee is come which is the Spirite of trueth, hee will leade you into all trueth: for hee ſhall not ſpeake of himſelfe; but whatſoeuer hee ſhall heare, ſhall hee ſpeake, and hee will ſhew you the thinges to come.
14 Hee ſhall glorifie me: for hee ſhall receiue of mine, and ſhall ſhewe it vntounto you.
15 All thinges that the Father hath, are mine: therefore ſaide I, that hee ſhall take of mine, and ſhew it vntounto you.
16 A little while, and yee ſhall not ſee mee: and againe, a little while, and yee ſhall ſee: for I goe to the Father.
17 Then ſaide ſome of his Diſciples among themſelues, What is that hee ſayeth vntounto vsus, A little while, and yee ſhall not ſee mee: and againe, a little while, and yee ſhall ſee mee: and, For J goe to my Father?
18 They ſaide therefore, What is this that hee ſayeth, A little while? wee know not what hee ſayeth.
19 Now Ieſus knewe that they would aske him, and ſaide vntounto them, Doe yee inquire among your ſelues, of that I ſaide, A little while, and yee ſhall not ſee mee: and againe, a little while, and yee ſhall ſee mee?
20 Verily, verily, I ſay vntounto you, that yee ſhall weepe and lament, and the world ſhall reioyce: and yee ſhall ſorrow, but your ſorrow ſhall bee turned into ioye.
21 A woman, when ſhee trauelleth, hath ſorrowe, becauſe her houre is come: but as ſoone as ſhee is deliuered of the childe, ſhee remembreth no more the anguiſh, for ioye that a man is borne into the world.
22 And yee now therefore are in ſorrow: but J will ſee you againe, and your heartes ſhall reioyce, and your ioye ſhall no man take from you.
WEE heard the laſt daye (Beloued Brethren) howe the Lord, in that long diſcourſe and ſpeach which he continueth with his Diſciples, a little before his departure out of this worlde: after hee had forewarned them of their afflictions, and had gentlie reprooued them, and comforted them, by telling them, that it was good for them, that hee did aſcend, for then hee ſhould ſend them the holy Spirit, hee entered into a profound doctrine, concerning the holy Spirit, whome hee was to ſende to his Diſciples after his departure to Heauen. Hee ſhewed them what the Spirite ſhould doe, chiefely in reſpect of the obſtinate worlde, and the Iewes, who would not belieue: when hee ſhall come, hee ſhall conuict them of three thinges: The firſt is, of that ſinne, the greateſt ſinne in the worlde, the ſinne of Infidelitie: The next is, that Ieſus Chriſt, whome they eſteemed to bee an vnjuſt man, the holy Spirit ſhall conuict them, that that Chriſt is the holieſt in the world: The third thing, that he is not only juſt and holy, but he is the glorious Iudge of the worlde: And that ſhall appeare in this chiefely, that he hath condemned the Deuils. When he hath dipped into this doctrine, hee cutteth it off, ſaying, I hauehave manie things to ſpeake to you, whereof ye are not capable.
Then, leſt the Diſciples ſhould hauehave beene offended with him, that hee would not goe forwarde in teaching them: in the firſt wordes of this Text the Lord meeteth this, and hee comforteth them with a promiſe, That when that Spirit ſhall come, which is the Spirit of trueth, he ſhould leade them in all kind of trueth, and inſtruct them in all thoſe thinges which the Lord ſpake not to them. In this Text the Lord continueth his ſpeach of the holie Spirite, and of thoſe thinges hee ſhould doe in the worlde. This appeareth of the firſt wordes wee hauehave read, that the Lord would hauehave his Diſciples to vnderſtand, that the holy Spirit ſhould be a more profitable Teacher to them, than Chriſt himſelfe was by his owne voyce before his Paſsion: and therefore hee remitteth farder doctrine to the Spirite. It is better to hauehave the Spirite of Chriſt, without Chriſtes bodilie preſence, than to hauehave the preſence of Chriſt, not teaching thee inwardlie by the Spirite: Yea, I ſaye more, It is better to hauehave the voyce of a poore ſimple man, ſpeaking to thee, in the Name of Ieſus Chriſt, together with the holie Spirit, than to hauehave the preſence of Ieſus Chriſt himſelfe, and his outward voyce, if thou hauehave not the Spirite. What auailed it to the obſtinate Iewes, who belieued not into him, that they ſawe him, and heard him? It had bene better, that they had neuer knowne him. It is not the voyce that doeth the turne, but the powerfull working of the holie Spirite: the holie Spirite reformeth the mindes. If the voyce of CHRIST were ſounding among you this daye, (as ſweete as it is) it would doe you no good without the Spirit: Therefore take not ſo much heede to the man who teacheth outwardlie, as to the Spirite: and as yee would be ſafe, as yee heare that outwarde teaching, ſtriue to feele the Spirit of Chriſt inſtructing, illuminating, and mollifying your hearts: other wayes it were far better for you, neuer to heare a word.
Yet to marke the words more narrowlie: hee ſaieth, That Spirit, which is the Spirite of trueth, ſhall leade you in all trueth: that is, Concerning your ſaluation. In ſtiling the Spirite, hee giueth an argument, wherefore hee ſhall teach them the trueth, Becauſe he is the Spirite of trueth: the true Spirite can teach nothing but the trueth. If a man or woman, therefore, woulde bee inſtructed by that Spirite of Trueth, and woulde bee ledde into all Trueth, then let this bee ſetled into their heartes, That that Spirite which ſpeaketh, is true: Yee knowe that no man will credite another in weightie matters, without hee knowe hee bee true: Euen ſo, if this opinion bee not ſetled into thine heart, that he is true, thou will neuer belieue the Scriptures of God.
To goe to an higher ground: If one would be inſtructed in the trueth by the Spirite, hee muſt hauehave a louelove to the verity, and deſire to knowe the verity: where there is no louelove of the trueth, there muſt be an hatred of the trueth: Hee who is not with mee, is againſt mee. And where the Deuill findeth ſuch an heart, hee is effectuall in it in all vanities: becauſe, (as Paul ſaieth, 2. Theſſal. 2. verſ. 9.) where men hauehave not a louelove of the trueth, God giueth them ouer to belieue lies, that they might bee condemned, and carried into perdition. So as thou wouldeſt liue, hunger for the trueth; as a man hungereth for temporall foode: then when this appetite is wakened, ſettle this perſwaſion in thine heart, that that holy Spirit who ſpeaketh, is true: then the heart of man and woman will drinke in the doctrine of the trueth, with greater ſweetneſſe and joye, than euer any hungry man hath had in eating Meat.
Yet the words would be better marked: He ſaith not ſimply, he ſhall leade them in the trueth, but in all trueth: there ſhall bee no point of trueth, but hee ſhall inſtruct you therein. It will not bee a piece of the trueth that will fill the heart: but the ſinner that wold be ſafe, would vnderſtand the whole way to ſaluation: hee can neuer be ſatisfied to drinke in the trueth: and the more hee drinketh in, he deſireth aye to drinke more. This is the diſpoſition of a ſinner, who hath taſted how ſweete that Milke of the word is, as Peter ſaith, 1. Epist. Chap. 2. verſ. 1.2. This place letteth vsus ſee, that it was not onelyonly a part of the trueth, that was committed to the Miniſterie: they receiued not an imperfect doctrine, but the whole Myſterie of ſaluation was reuealed and laid before them: and that which they receiued, they deliuered againe faithfully. Paul ſaith, Act. 20. verſ. 27. I hauehave not hid any thing from you, but I hauehave ſhowne you the whole counſell of God: And whatſoeuer thinges the Apoſtles preached in the world with their mouth, all in effect and ſubſtance they wrote with their hands, to the weale of the Kirke: and there is not one point, which either concerneth Gods glory, or mans ſaluation, but in effect we hauehave it regiſtrated in the Olde and New Teſtament. Away with the vnwritten verities: whatſoeuer was preached, all is regiſtrated to the weale of the people: And If all the Apoſtles were this daye preaching, they woulde not preach one worde in effect, but that which wee hauehave already regiſtrated. I will affirme that before God, the holy Spirite will not teach any thing to the heart, but that which is written in the Old and Newe Teſtament: Yea, more, true fayth will drinke in none other thing, but that which is within this compaſſe of the worde: and if thou drinkeſt in any other thing than this, I affirme before God, thou neuer hadſt true fayth: Let no Spirit bee pretended to this: let no fayth be pretended to this. Away with thoſe Papiſts, who commend ſo highly the vaine traditions of men, and vnwritten verities: they hauehave no true fayth: It is only the Spirit who leadeth vsus in all verity. Then he giueth them the reaſon, Becauſe that Spirit ſhall not ſpeake of himſelfe: but whatſoeuer hee ſhall heare, that ſhall hee ſpeake. As if hee had ſaid, Yee will credite me: and I aſſure you, that Spirite will ſpeake nothing, but that which hee hath receiued of mee. Whatſoeuer the Spirite of God teacheth the world, while as hee is in the Heauen, hee receiueth it out of the mouth of Ieſus Chriſt. And farder: whatſoeuer thing the Lord ſpake during the time he was in the world, hee receiued it out of the mouth of the Father. Looke this harmonie of teaching among the glorious perſons of the Trinitie: He ſaith not one thing, and he another, as men doe: The Father beginneth, and hee ſpeaketh: then the Sonne ſpeaketh the ſame: and the holy Spirit ſpeaketh nothing, but that which the Father and the Sonne hauehave ſpoken. Looke the worde and decreet of our ſaluation: It is a concluſion giuen out by all the three perſons of the Godhead. If it bee ſo, certainly the worde of the Goſpel of Ieſus Chriſt, it muſt be a thing of great authoritie: For that decree which is laide in the Kings Counſell, hath a great authoritie among the Subiectes: and the worde of the Counſell, is greater than the word of the King only. If this be among Kinges in the earth, of what authority ſhould this be, that commeth from the decree of the glorious Counſell of that bleſſed Trinitie, in reſpect whereof, all the Kinges of the earth are but droſſe? Nowe would to God the heartes of men could ſee this great authority of this worde! So this worde muſt craue a great fayth. The King would be angry if his decree were not credited: then what judgement ſhall abide vsus, wormes, if wee belieue not the decree of the glorious Trinitie? I ſaye this before God, The contempt of the Goſpel of Ieſus Chriſt, bringeth on with it, the heauieſt iudgement in the worlde. And if ſuch a contempt of the worde in this Land continue, an heauy iudgement no queſtion, ſhall light vponupon them, who hauehave not credited ſuch a decree. Iohn, 12. verſ. 44. Therefore ſeeing the word of the Goſpel is of ſuch authoritie, let all men who would ſee Heauen, ſtriue to belieue it in their hearts: or elſe, if they belieue not, an heauie judgement ſhall ouer-take them: let them beware.
In the ende of the verſ. hee bringeth in more particularly what the Spirit ſhall teach: Hee ſaieth, Hee ſhall ſhew you the thinges to come: that is, The thinges which ſhall followe after my departure, mine aſcenſion, and glorification: the thinges which were acquired by his death, and applied by his reſurrection, as remiſsion of ſinnes, juſtification, and life eternall, hee ſhall teach you them inwardlie, and hee ſhall ſeale them vp into your heartes: For after the Lord had ſuffered in the earth, then grace came downe, then remiſsion of ſinnes came downe, that free righteouſneſſe of Chriſt came downe, and life euerlaſting came downe, as alſo extraordinarie gifts came downe, as the gift of Propheſie, the gift of healing, of working of miracles, of ſpeaking ſundry languages, &c. for why? when the Lord Ieſus was filled with glory, of that fulneſſe the members heere in the earth receiued their part: and grace for grace came downe, as it was propheſied, Hee went vp on high, and led captiuitie captiue, and gaue giftes vntounto men. And all theſe things gaue he by the holy Spirit, illuminating the mind, and working powerfull in the heart: for other wayes what auaileth it to hauehave remiſsion of ſinnes, life, glory, and happineſſe for euer, effected? Except the Spirit of Ieſus Chriſt accompany the word, illuminate and mollifie the heart, all ſhall bee of none auaile. Therefore, againe I bid you, as yee would liue, ſtriue to feele that Spirite working into you.
Now in the next verſ. hee taketh vp ſummarily the effect of all that the Spirit ſhall teach them: He ſhall glorifie me. What is it the Spirit is doing? and what is it wee are doing? and whereto is all this preaching? All is to glorifie Chriſt: If thou bee not an inſtrument to glorifie Chriſt Ieſus, thou ſhalt hauehave no part of glorie with him. He giueth the reaſon wherefore the Spirit ſhall glorifie him, Becauſe the thing hee ſhall ſhew you, hee ſhall hauehave it in commiſſion from me. If the ſpeaches of an Ambaſſadour be not to the honour of his Prince, hee is but a Traitor. The Sonne was ſent as an Ambaſſadour from the Father: therefore hee glorified the Father, as he ſpeaketh, Chap. 17. verſ. 7. So the holy Spirit is ſent from the Sonne: therefore hee ſpeaketh all to the glory of the Sonne. But this would be well vnderſtood, how the Spirit of Chriſt glorifieth Chriſt vponupon the earth: Who giueth the Spirite? who ſeeth him? or who heareth his voyce? How then glorifieth the Spirit the Lord? The Spirit glorifieth the Lord Ieſus, by the Miniſterie of the Goſpel, and by the mouthes of ſimple men, thinke of them as yee will: except by the mouthes of men, yee ſhall neuer finde the Spirit glorifying the Sonne, ſeeke where yee will: If wee ſpeake anie thing, wherein God is not glorified, ſay wee are but liars, and the Spirit of Chriſt is not into vsus. If wee begin to ſpeake of Purgatorie, and of the merites of men, of interceſsion of Sainctes, ſaye wee are but lyars: If wee drawe you from that onelie merite of Chriſt, ſaye that the Spirit of God ſpeaketh not by vsus, but the ſpirite of Antichrist: for heereby are the ſpirites diſcerned; hee that teacheth Chriſt onelie, ſpeaketh by the Spirit of Chriſt: but hee who teacheth anie thing beſides Chriſt, hath the ſpirit of the Antichrist, 1. Ioh. 4. verſ. 2.3. And this is the ſpirit that teacheth the Pope, and his Clergie, and therefore goe away from them, or elſe yee will bee deceiued: and one day yee ſhall ſee this juſtified, and this day yee ſhould heare with your eares the Lord crying, Away out of Babylon, as thou wouldeſt bee ſafe, and ſee Heauen: I hauehave cryed this oftentimes.
It might hauehave beene ſaide, Shall not the Spirit reueale that doctrine hee hath receiued of the Father? Hee meeteth that now, and ſaith, Whatſoeuer things the Father hath, are mine. Marke this: It appeareth verie well out of this place, that the holy Spirit is ſent immediatelie of the Sonne, and that he hath his direction of the Sonne our Sauiour: this may comfort vsus: indeed the Father ſendeth him, but by the Sonne, and therefore it is ſaide, Hee ſhall ſende him in my Name: and againe, Whom I ſhall ſend from the Father. Now that which I ſpeake of the Spirit of Ieſus Chriſt, I vnderſtand it of the Apoſtles, and of all the faithfull Miniſters in the Kirke. Wee hauehave all our commiſsion immediatelie from our Lord Ieſus Chriſt: ſo the ſillieſt Miniſter that is faythfull, hath not his calling from the Father immediatelie, but from the Sonne. Epheſ. Chap. 4. verſ. 11. Hee therefore gaue ſome to bee Apoſtles, and ſome Prophets, and ſome Euangeliſtes, and ſome Paſtours, and ſome Teachers. And Paul, ſpeaking of himſelfe, calleth himſelfe the Apoſtle of Jeſus Chriſt: and he addeth to, by the will of the Father: whereby hee telleth vsus, that hee was ſent immediatelie from the Sonne, and mediatelie from the Father. What is the grounde of this? The Father hath giuen his Sonne all power in Heauen and in Earth: hee hath kept nothing from him: All thine is mine, as it is ſaid in the next Chap. verſ. 10. And vponupon this it commeth to paſſe, that the holie Spirite commeth immediately from the Sonne, and all the Apoſtles and Miniſters in the Kirke are immediately from him: and euen now hee ſitteth like a King, at the right hande of the Father. I ſpeake not this, as if I affirmed, that the Father had put off all power from himſelfe, wee muſt not thinke ſo: no, no, for afterwardes hee ſaith, All mine is thine: ſo this hurteth not the Father: And therefore theſe thinges which are giuen to the Sonne, remaine in the Fathers handes: But the Sonne is the Store-houſe of all grace: and when the Father would giuegive grace, hee taketh it out of the treaſure of the Sonne, and giueth it to vsus by the hand of the Sonne. The Father hath his glorie, the Sonne hath his glorie, and the holie Ghoſt hath his glorie: but wee glorifie the Father, as the Fountaine of all benefites, the Sonne as Mediatour, and the holie Spirite as our Sanctifier: and wee giuegive them all one equall glorie amongſt themſelues, becauſe they are equall in Glorie and Majeſtie. Therefore, let vsus glorifie the Father, the Sonne, and the holie Ghoſt, in this bleſſed Trinitie, who liueth and reigneth world without ende.
Nowe to goe forwarde: After hee hath fore-warned his Diſciples of his departure, and hath comforted them againſt that time; promiſing, that after his departure they ſhould receiue the Comforter, to wit, the holie Spirite: and therefore hee hath ſpoken much of the holie Spirite that ſhoulde come vntounto them: Nowe in theſe wordes hee continueth on in the ſame purpoſe, and hee fore-warneth them of his departure, and hee ſayeth, A little while, and yee ſhall not ſee mee: meaning, that hee was to depart out of this worlde. Then hee comforteth them in the next wordes, Againe, a little while, and yee ſhall ſee mee: meaning, that after his departure, hee ſhould come againe in his Spirite, and by his Spirite hee ſhould giuegive them his preſence: and hee giueth the reaſon of this his preſence: for, ſaieth hee, J goe to my Father: that is, I am to paſſe vp to the Heauen, and am to bee glorified, and the Heauen ſhall not containe my glorie, but it ſhall come downe to the Earth: my Spirit, wherewith I ſhall be filled, ſhall come downe to you. For albeit that Chriſt merited, by his death, all benefites to vsus, yet they come not to vsus but by vertue of his Reſurrection, Aſcenſion, and Glorification: for hee merited all thinges to vsus, as a Prieſt, humbled on the earth: but hee communicateth to vsus the benefites which hee merited, as a glorious King.
Nowe, Brethren, yee may ſee this of theſe wordes, That the LORD hee neuer taketh his preſence from his owne altogether: if hee will take awaye his bodilie preſence, (as indeede preſentlie wee hauehave not his bodilie preſence,) hee will recompence it with his ſpirituall preſence: for this is a ſure thing, The Godlie heere on the Earth, cannot want ſome ſight of CHRIST; they cannot liue without ſome preſence of IESVS CHRIST: No, there cannot bee a Kirke without ſome preſence of him: For firſt, Howe is the Kirke made heere vponupon the Earth? Who maketh the ſeparation? Who but IESVS CHRIST? Hee letteth ſuch a number hauehave his preſence, and ſanctifieth them by his holie Spirite, and ſo maketh a Kirke: And if there were not a continuance of his preſence, the Kirke coulde not ſtande. There is not a member of the Kirke, that coulde ſtand in holineſſe, if it pleaſed the LORD to withdrawe his preſence. Wee hauehave holineſſe, not of our ſelues, but of the Spirite of the LORD IESVS CHRIST: and if hee withdraw his Spirit from vsus, wee would become as prophane as the moſt wicked of this worlde. So all our grace, and all our ſtanding, commeth of the Spirit of Ieſus. Then marke this: By what vertue receiue wee the Spirit of Ieſus, and that preſence of Chriſt by his Spirit? Wee receiue it in a word, by vertue of his glorious Reſurrection, Aſcenſion, and Glorification in the Heauens: for nowe being in the Heauens, hee is full of glorie: All the Angels in Heauen are nothing comparable to him in glory: the Heauens are not able to containe his glory. Now the head being full of glory, a portion commeth downe from him, and in ſome meaſure, glorifieth the members: And as Iohn ſayeth, Of his fulneſſe wee all receiue a part, Chap. 1. verſ. 16. And to the Epheſians, Chap. 4. verſ. 8. Hee paſſed vp to the Heauens, and filled vsus all with his grace: and ſo by the paſsing vp of Chriſt to the Heauen, wee receiue the holy Spirit. Therefore, when thou conſidereſt the Reſurrection and Aſcenſion of Ieſus Chriſt, it ſhould moue thee to take a triall, whether thou haſt gotten the fruit of his Reſurrection and glorification, to ſee if thou haſt gotten his holy Spirite in ſome meaſure, or the graces of his holy Spirite: for the Apoſtles, by his Reſurrection and Aſcenſion, had hope that they ſhould receiue the holy Spirite, and his graces; and ſo they did in effect. And if thou find that thou haſt not gotten the Spirit in no meaſure, no illumination, no reformation of thy corrupt nature, ſore may thine heart be: for in reſpect of thee, in vaine is hee riſen, and glorified. Therefore, as thou wouldeſt bee partaker of his glory, ſtriue to gette his holie Spirite, ere thou goeſt out of this worlde, or elſe thou ſhalt neuer get light nor life in the world to come. Farder, hence wee may ſee the Lord leaueth neuer altogether his owne Kirke: for if hee giuegive not his bodilie preſence, yet hee will giuegive his ſpirituall preſence: for without his preſence, his Kirke, his Sainctes on earth cannot …aue a being: for by reaſon of his preſence, the Kirke hath her beginning: for what, I pray you, is the Kirke elſe, but a ſocietie of men and women ſeuered from the reſt of the worlde, by the preſence of that holie Spirit, whereby they are ſealed? Thus farre hath he partlie fore-warned them of his departure, & partly comforted them. It followeth in the Text Then ſa…d ſome of his Diſciples amongst themſelues, What is this that hee ſayeth vntounto vsus, A little while, and yee ſhall not ſee me, &c. They are mooued at theſe wordes: and ſome of them begin to whiſper amongſt themſelues at the wordes which the Lord ſpake. Yee ſee here a marueilous ignorance of the Diſciples of Chriſt: hee hath beene ſpeaking to them ſo long, and yet they vtter a great ignorance. It is a wonderfull thing to ſee how blinded and how hardened a man will be, before hee hauehave receiued the holie Spirit, at the preaching of the Goſpel, euen at ſuch voyces as would pierce ſtocks and ſtones: Yet a man hearing with reaſon & ſenſe, will conceiue no more of things heauenly, than the ſtockes and ſtones. I tell you this, that no wordes, no preaching, if there be no more but wordes and preaching, can make any man to conceiue heauenly thinges: yea, no admonition, no threatning, no iudgement if there be no more, ſhall make the hardned heart to be the better. The blindeſt thing in the world, is the heart of man. So except the inward Teacher come out of the Heauens, & illuminate & mollify the heart, al the preaching of the world ſhall do the hart no good, but rather euil: ſo that thou mayſt ſee this to be true, that the naturall man is not capable of the things that are of the Spirit of God: but whē it pleaſes the Lord t' accōpany his word with his Spirit, thē two words ſhall do more good, than a whole preaching before: & th' Apoſtles of Chriſt, after they got this Spirit, profited more in one day, than all their dayes before. So albeit thou heare many preachings, except thou hauehave that inward Doctor into thine heart, all auails not. Therfore carry that inward teacher into thine hart, & chāge him neuer: ſo if thou want him, run to this preacher, or that, if thou waſt hardned before, thou ſhalt be ſo ſtill. A ſound in the eare wil do no more good than a blaſt of wind, without the Spirit. It follows, Now Ieſus knew. &c. He perceiues them wel enough, and of what thing they were debating: He anſwereth them gentlie, I know, would he ſay, what ye are thinking and inquiring: and then hee teacheth them more gently. Might not the Lord hauehave bene angry with them, who vnderſtood him not at the end of the Preaching? But the Lord, as it was propheſied of him, Iſay. 42. hee quenched neuer the ſmoaking Flaxe, nor brake the bruiſed Reede: he was euer about to intertaine grace, and not to put it out. All Teachers may take their Leſſon here: they ought not to caſt off people, howbeit they get no fruit of Preachinges: let euer that worde bee driuen into their eares, and let aye that ſeede bee ſowne: for he hath the Spirit, and he will giuegive him when hee pleaſeth: and let both the auditor and the Preacher pray to God, to giuegive the Spirit. It is true indeede, the ſeede of the worde of God will lie long lurking into the heart: but at laſt, the Spirit will put to his hand to the worde, as yee heard, Iohn, 14. verſ. 16. and will make the worde to fructifie, and to bud out; not onelyonly to the illumination of the ſoule inwardly, but alſo to good workes outwardly. Bee thou euer ſowing that bleſſed ſeede, bee euer preaching, and then commit the ſucceſſe of all to God.
When hee hath made a preface to them, yee ſee thereafter with what great lenitie hee inſtructeth them, both concerning his departing, and concerning his returning: Hee inſtructeth them by the effects both of the one and the other, and they are theſe: The firſt is, Yee ſhall weepe and lament: The other is, The worlde ſhall rejoyce: Theſe are the effects of his departing. Then he declareth his returning by the effect, But your mourning ſhall bee turned into ioye: That is, I ſhall come againe, and then ye ſhall hauehave matter of joye. Ye ſee here a very effectuall kinde of teaching: Hee ſpake this of before, but nowe hee ſpeaketh the ſame thing more effectually. To ſpeake of things barely, and to propone them ſimply, it is not ſo effectuall to mooue the mindes of the hearers, as to declare the ſame by the effectes following: that taketh a greater roote and impreſsion in the heart: As for example, When wee are fore-telling, that by all appearances, the Lord Ieſus is to depart out of this Land, for wee are not worthie of him, albeit this mooue vsus; yet this mooueth vsus more, when it is ſaid, It ſhall come to paſſe, that thou ſhalt mourne thy ſelfe, thou ſhalt weepe: nowe laugh on as thou wilt, wo…full ſhall be thine ende, and ſhame and confuſion ſhall light vponupon thee: I denounce this to thee, in the Name of God. And againe, yee thinke it a light thing to ſaye, The Lord Ieſus ſhall come: but to ſaye, Thou who mourneſt, ſhalt rejoyce, when hee ſhall come; that mooueth more. But nowe to come to the matter: Yee ſhall weepe and lament, and the world ſhall rejoyce: Some ſhall be weeping, and ſome laughing: this is the difference. Yee ſee the departure of Ieſus Chriſt, is a ſorrowfull thing to the godly: when Chriſt is awaye, the godly are in ſorrowe: the pleaſure of the godly, is aye in the preſence of Ieſus Chriſt: and therefore when they ſee that they want his preſence, they ſee nothing but matter of ſorrowe: and giuegive them all the pleaſures of the worlde, if they miſſe the Lord awaye, they will hauehave no joye: And by the contrary, place them in all the ſorrowes in the worlde, if they get a ſight of Ieſus Chriſt, they gette joye enough: But on the other ſide, the wicked and the vngodly, who neuer taſted how ſweet the Lord was, neuer rejoyce, but when they want the Lord Ieſus out of their ſight: they hauehave no pleaſure in his preſence: they hauehave neuer pleaſure to heare of Chriſt. What is the cauſe of this? They neuer wiſt what Chriſt meaned: they neuer wiſt what the Lord was, and neuer felt of his ſweetneſſe, and of the joye that is in his preſence: and therefore they hauehave no pleaſure, but when they want him: And becauſe they cannot gette their wicked will, when Chriſt is preſent, they hate him: for where Chriſt is, (becauſe he is the light of the world,) hee layeth open all wickedneſſe, and maketh it manifeſt: All the happineſſe in the worlde, is in the face of Chriſt: therefore reſt neuer till thou taſte of him, if thou wouldeſt be happy. And againe, miſerable is that man, who hath not taſted of that ſweetneſſe, and of that grace that is in the Lord. Therefore, as thou wouldeſt come to Heauen, I warne thee yet againe, reſt neuer, till thou gette that reſt in Chriſt, and that ſweetneſſe that is in him.
Let vsus ſee the effect that followeth on his preſence, he ſaith, Your ſorrow ſhall be turned into joy. He ſpeaketh of that preſence by his Spirit: for after that Spirit is once entered into the ſoule, hee worketh faith, and openeth the eyes of the darke ſoule to ſee Chriſt, as in a mirrour: when the face of Chriſt is borne vp in the worde, howbeit, ſaith Pet. 1. Epist. Chap. 1. verſ. 8. we ſee him not, yet belieuing, we rejoyce with a ioye vnſpeakeable and glorious. So that darke ſight of him, worketh into the ſoule an exceeding joye when wee belieue. I graunt indeede, that as there is no joye in this life, but it hath ſorrowe with it; ſo our joye in Chriſt hath heauineſſe with it: it is imperfect heere: but it is better for thee to hauehave a meane portion of that joye, than all the joyes in the worlde: yea, the very diſpleaſure of the faythfull, is ſo farre from that to hinder the joye, that by the contrary it wakeneth vp the joye in the ſoule: Looke the 2. Epiſt. to the Cor. Chap. 5. when the ſoule is heauieſt for ſinne, then it findeth ſuch joye, as they would not giuegive for all the joyes in the worlde: and when this joye is wakened, it ſwalloweth vp all ſorrowes: as in the 8. Chap. to the Rom. And in the end of the 15. Chap. of the 1. Epiſt. to the Cor. ſaith the Apoſtle, After this life, mortalitie ſhall be ſwallowed vp of immortalitie, and death ſhall be ſwallowed vp in victorie: and all teares ſhall bee wiped away from their eyes, Reuel. 7. verſ. 17. And then they who hauehave ſorrowe with joye heere, ſhall hauehave joye without ſorrowe for euer. Looke about you, looke within you, or without you, yee ſhall ſee nothing but matter of joye. So yee ſee the effects of the departure of the Lord, and of his returning againe.
Nowe heereafter hee maketh this doctrine, of the ſorrowe and joye of the godly, more ſenſible, by a familiare ſimilitude, and it is taken from a woman trauelling: A woman when ſhee trauelleth, ſayth hee, is in dolour, becauſe her houre is come: but when ſhee is deliuered of the Childe, ſhee remembereth no more her dolour, for ioye that a man is borne into the worlde. Then in the laſt verſ. hee applieth it: Nowe yee are in heauineſſe, and yee are trauelling, and that is, becauſe I am to depart from you. The Diſciples tooke heauilie with the away-going of CHRIST: But I ſhall ſee you againe, and yee ſhall ſee mee, and get my preſence by my Spirite, and yee ſhall reioyce, and it ſhall bee ſuch a ioye, that all the worlde ſhall not bee able to take it awaye. The worlde maye take thy life from thee, but neuer ſhall they take that joye from thee: Who ſhall ſeparate vsus from the louelove of Chriſt?
Two thinges are heere to bee marked the nature of the dolour of the godlie into this worlde, wandring from their Lorde, as Pilgrimes, and the nature of their ioye: The nature of their diſpleaſure, is like the dolour which a woman hath in trauelling: So the Apoſtle, Rom. Chap. 8. verſ. 21. he compareth the languor of the dumbe creatures and elementes, after the comming of the Lorde Ieſus, to a woman trauelling. The dolour of a woman trauelling is verie painfull: but yet it is profitable. Why? Becauſe that paine bringeth out a birth: So a woman in trauell hath hope, not onelie to bee ſaued from that paine, but alſo to hauehave a Childe. So, hope in paine, will hauehave joye mixed with it. To applye this: It is euen ſo with the diſpleaſure of the godlie, into this their Pilgrimage, awaiting for their life, which CHRIST will bring downe to them at his comming. 2. Corinth. Chap. 5. Looke what dolour Paul vttereth: hee ſighed vnderunder a burden, hee deſired to ſlit away, and to goe to dwell with the Lord: Albeit it be but a paine, yet it tendeth to a pleaſure in the ende, to a birth: and in the middeſt of dolour, they hauehave an hope; and with the hope, they hauehave joye. So a godly man in ſorrowe, will hauehave the greateſt joye in the worlde: albeit the joye of the godly bee with heauineſſe, yet that joye is vnſpeakeable. The diſpleaſure of the vngodly is not ſo: indeede the Scripture (as in the firſt Epiſtle to the Theſſal. Chap. 5.) compareth it vntounto a woman trauelling: but this is an hopeleſſe paine: What recke if that ſoule had hope, that that paine ſhould ceaſe: but they ſhall neuer looke for a birth: well were it to that ſoule, that that body could bee turned to nothing, after ſo manie thouſand yeeres. The ſorrow of the godly is with hope and joye; but the ſorrowe of the wicked, is without hope. Ieſt not with Hell: it is an horrible thing to fall into the handes of a conſuming fire. Hee ſayeth, When ſhee hath borne her birth, ſhee remembereth not her trauell, becauſe ſhee hath borne her birth; Euen ſo, when wee addreſſe our ſelues to Heauen, thronging thorowe this worlde, wee muſt prepare our ſelues to goe thorowe thornes and brieres, thorow temptations outwarde and inwarde: (a man who would goe to Heauen, he ſhall not put downe his foote without a thorne, or ſome offence:) But when wee are come to the Heauens, then wee ſhall get ſuch a birth of joye, that wee ſhall remember no more the temptations of the worlde: and then wee ſhall finde that ſaying of Paul to bee true, 2. Corinth. 4. verſ. 17. The momentaniall light afflictions ſhall worke an infinite weight of glorie: the ſoule ſhall bee ſo occupied with joye into the Heauens, that wee ſhall count nothing of all afflictions by-paſt. This is true, howbeit wee cannot feele it now ſenſiblie, but once wee ſhall finde it in a full meaſure, if wee appertaine to Chriſt. The Lord therefore in the meane time, graunt vsus a fore-taſting of it, that wee may ouercome all temptations and difficulties, till wee obtaine the full poſſeſſion thereof, in Ieſus Chriſt: To whome, with the Father, and the holie Spirit, bee all honour, praiſe, and glorie, for euermore: AMEN.