Twenty-Five Lectures Upon the Lords Last Sermon and Conference, Lecture 8
THE EIGHT LECTVRE, OF CHRISTES DOCTRINE BEFORE HIS PASSION.
IOHN, CHAP. xiiii. VERS. 27.28.29.30.31.
27 Peace J leaue with you: my peace I giuegive vntounto you: not as the world giueth, giuegive I vntounto you. Let not your heart bee troubled, nor feare.
28 Yee hauehave heard howe I ſaide vntounto you, I goe away, and will come vntounto you. Jf yee loued mee, yee would verily reioyce, because J ſaide, I goe vntounto the Father: for the Father is greater than I.
29 And now I hauehave ſpoken vntounto you, before it come; that when it is come to paſſe, yee might belieue.
30 Heereafter will J not ſpeake manie thinges vntounto you: for the prince of this world commeth, and hath nought in mee.
31 But it is, that the worlde may knowe, that I louelove my Father: and as the Father hath commanded mee, ſo I doe. Ariſe, let vsus goe hence.
IN the beginning of this Chapter, Brethren, Chriſt began to comfort his Diſciples againſt the time hee was to with-drawe his bodily preſence from them: and he continued a while in comforting them: and then after he beginneth to exhort them, Firſt, to belieue in him: and next, to obedience to keepe his Commaundementes: and hee inſiſted chiefely in this, That they ſhould keepe the worde hee ſpake vntounto them in his abſence. Now in the beginning of theſe wordes wee hauehave read, the Lord returneth againe to that conſolation that he began with: to wit, That they ſhould not bee troubled in his abſence. The argu…ent is taken from that peace hee leaueth with them: Seeing I leaue peace with you, what need yee to bee troubled? Weigh the wordes, for they are weighty, Peace I leaue you, ſayeth the Lord: No queſtion hee alludeth to that common faſhion of ſalutation that was vſed amongſt the Ieweſt in their meetinges and departinges, wherein they wiſhed peace one to another: by the which word they vnderſtood all kind of proſperitie, in thinges earthly and heauenly. So the Lord would ſay, I am now to depart from you, but I leaue ſomething behind mee to you, to wit, my bleſsing & proſperity for euer. Now leaſt it ſhould hauehave bene thought, that he left peace vntounto them no other wayes, than the men of this world vſe to do, he ſubjoyneth, My peace I giuegive you. There is an emphaſis in theſe wordes, My peace, and I giuegive you it: As the Lord would ſaye, Men may well wiſh peace to men: but it lieth in no mans hands to giuegive peace: there is no Angel in Heauen able to giuegive peace: but I, ſayeth the Lord, ſhall giuegive you it: I am not only, ſayth the Lord, a wiſher, but a giuer: There is no man able to giuegive his owne peace, becauſe no man hath peace to giuegive: Men may wiſh peace from God, as to the Philipp. 4.7. It is called the peace of God. None of the Apoſtles will ſay, My peace: but the peace of God: and therefore hee is called the God of peace, Rom. 16.20. The Lord Ieſus hath peace to giuegive, as the Father hath peace: Yea, more, he would ſignifie by this peace, not a common ſort of peace, but an inwarde peace of conſcience, the reſt to the ſoule of a ſinner, that peace that paſſeth all vnderſtanding, Philipp. Chap. 4. Verſ. 7. The reſt of the ſoule, as ye may reade in Matthewes Goſpel, Chap. 11. Verſ. 29. where Chriſt ſayeth. Come vntounto mee all yee that are weary, and laden, and I will eaſe you, and yee ſhall finde reſt to your ſoules. Take this peace away, there is no reſt to the ſoule. This peace is called Chriſtes peace, becauſe it floweth from him immediately till vsus, that wee may hauehave a good conſcience, that we may hauehave aſſurance of the remiſsion of our ſinnes: for herein ſtandeth chiefelv a good conſcience, when it ſayeth, thy ſinnes are freely forgiuen thee. Wee knowe this good conſcience ſtandeth in fayth thorow the blood of CHRIST. Take awaye the blood of CHRIST, there is no conſcience that is good. Heb. 9.14. The blood of Chriſt purgeth our conſcience from dead works, to ſerue the liuing God: that is, it purgeth vsus from our ſins. So ye ſee this, that all the joy of the ſoule floweth from the blood of Chriſt Ieſus: and therefore worthily he calleth it his peace, becauſe it commeth thorow his blood: vvithout the which peace, there is no reſt, howbeit yee had all the peace of all the Princes of the worlde: Let the Traytors hauehave the Kinges peace, and let them vvant this peace; let them paſſe as they will, they hauehave no peace.
Yet he inſiſteth the third time, and ſubjoyneth, Not as the worl…e giueth, giuegive I it. He marketh the manner of the giuing, and maketh an expoſition of the giuing of it. Worldly men will take vponupon them to giuegive peace, but the worldes peace is but for a faſhion: the mouth will wiſh peace, and the heart will curſe: this is the peace of the world: That peace of the world is ſo fectleſſe, that ſcarcelie vvill a man wiſh that peace from his heart. As the Lord woulde ſay, I ſpeake not only with my mouth, but from mine heart I wiſh it, and I ſhall effectuate it indeede. A man may wiſh well, but it vvanteth effect. Yee ſee now this three-folde repetition. Will yee vveigh the words, yee ſhall finde a wonderfull intier louelove, and vnſpeakeable heartineſſe, vttered by the Lord in his Farewell. Theſe vvords let vsus ſee, that he not only leaueth peace and louelove behinde him, but his very heart. Beſides all the grace wee hauehave of Ieſus Chriſt, they who louelove Chriſt, they hauehave his heart. Looke how tenderly he loueth faythfull men: howbeit hee bee in the Heauen, yet he leaueth them his very heart, and inwarde affection: there is an vnſpeakeable louelove.
Now when he hath taken his good-night, he concludes, Seeing I hauehave left you peace, and I giuegive you it, vvhat then needeth you to bee troubled? Marke then this concluſion: Where the peace of the Lord is not, there the ſoule of man hath no reſt, there is nothing but trouble and griefe there. It is true, great ſinners, vvho vvill hauehave no part of Ieſus Chriſt, vvill hauehave ſome kind of reſt, and who vvill bee ſo merry as they? (Bloody murderers, vvicked blaſphemers, and vile adulterers, vvill by appearance hauehave peace.) But, Brethren, this is but a falſe peace▪ and aſſuredly it is better a thouſand times, to hauehave an vnquiet and reſtleſſe ſoule, than to hauehave a ſecure life: for a ſenſeleſſe carnall ſecurity, is a ſure token of a ſudden judgement to come▪ Paul, in his firſt Epiſtle to the Theſſalonians, Chap. 5. Verſ. 3. ſayeth, When they ſay, there is peace and ſafety, then ſhall come vponupon them ſudden deſtruction, as the trauell vponupon a vvoman with child, and they ſhall not eſcape. The loune will bid cloze the yates, and bid watch: let him bid as hee vvill, the judgement of God ſhall not paſſe by him, and his yates ſhall not holde out the wrath of God, but it ſhall come on him, as the paine commeth on a woman in the time of her birth. So, in one vvorde, they who want this peace, they hauehave no peace: No peace to the wicked, Iſai. 57. By the contrary, vvhen the Lord Ieſus giueth peace to the heart of a ſinfull man or woman, vvhoſe heart is troubled, then the heart of a ſinner hath peace. I put the caſe, that a man were in great danger, euen at deaths doore, yea, and he were in the fire; and the Lord Ieſus giuegive him his peace, and ſaye, I giuegive thee my peace, then the ſoule ſhall be in exceeding joye. Tyrantes hauehave marueiled, that the Martyres who ſuffered for Ieſus, ſhould hauehave had ſuch a joye as they had. So, if the Lord Ieſus will once ſay, My peace I giuegive you, then the ſoule will reſt on him with ſuch a joye as is vnſpeakeable. So the Apoſtles felt this indeede. In one vvorde, the peace of Ieſus Chriſt guardeth the ſoule, and maketh it ſure: as Paul ſayeth to the Philipp. Cha. 4. Verſ. 7. Thus farre now hath the Lord comforted his Diſciples.
Nowe in the next Verſe hee beginneth to ſpeake more ſharply, and hee, as it were, findeth fault with them, that they loued him not well enough: and they vttered it, in that they were ſo grieued and diſpleaſed at his departure. This forme that the Lord vſeth, teacheth vsus this, that in comforting of heauy hearted ſinners, (Who ſhould bee comforted, but the heauy hearted?) thou vſe gentle reproofes: for the heart that is heauy and ſad, vvill hardly take conſolation, but will delite in ſadneſſe. Looke howe yee ſhall comfort them: not to holde vp the heart aye with comfort: but reproue it with ſome piece of ſharpneſſe, as it were. So Dauid in the 42. Pſal. verſ. 11. vvhen he findeth himſelfe carried away with a vehement affection of ſorrowe, and ouer farre caſten downe in his exile, he ſayth, Why art thou caſten downe, my ſoule? and why art thou diſquieted within mee? vvait on God, for I will yet giuegive him thankes, &c. So wee ſhould preſſe downe the affection with a reproofe, as the Lord doth here. Hee layeth downe the ground of his reproofe, I tolde you, J would goe away, and I tolde you, I would come againe in my Spirit: and now I am to depart to my Father. Now, he ſaith, yee louelove me not, becauſe ye rejoyce not that I am to goe to glorie vvith my Father: for my Father is greater than I: that is, I goe to be partaker of that glory which the Father hath▪ and when as yee are ſad at my departure, ye vtter that yee enuy my glory. Marke the wordes: Heretickes who a…leadged that Chriſt was a God, but created in time, and not equall with the Father. Though they got a great vantage out of this place, The Father is greater than J: The Fathers of olde exponed this place well, That it was to be vnderſtood of the humane nature, and not of the diuine. Yet there is another expoſition of this, that is, That this place is not ſo much to bee vnderſtood of the nature of Chriſt, as of his office: The Godhead of the Lord Ieſus, the Sonne, being equall with the Father, taketh an office vponupon him, by the which he becōmeth inferiour to the Father: to wit, hee becōmeth Mediator: The office ſtandeth in this, He taketh vponupon him the fleſh of a ſeruant. Next, he becōmeth obedient, yea, euen to the death of the Croſſe, in that nature: ſo in reſpect of this office, he maketh himſelfe inferior to the Father. By this we muſt not gather, that he was inferior to the Father in perſon, Majeſty, or eſſence; howbeit in office hee was vnequall & inferior to the Father: For as that reuerent Father Cyrillus ſayeth, Miſſiò & obedientia non tollunt aequalitatem potentiae, & eſſentiae. Therefore ye ſee, the Heretickes, as namely, Arrius, out of this place hauehave no ground for that blaſphemous hereſie. But conſider yet more narrowly what the Lord ſaith, And ye loued me, ye would hauehave reioyced, in that I ſaid, J would depart. As he would ſay, The very wordes that yee turne to your diſcomfort & ſorrow, ſhould hauehave bene mater of joy and comfort. There is neuer a word that the Lord ſpeaketh to his owne, no, neuer one, but in them all is matter of joye: howbeit the words will ſeeme ſharpe, yet all the words of the Lord that he ſpeaketh to his, tende to their joye and conſolation: and all they that louelove the Lord Ieſus, ſhould conſtruct all the deeds & words of the Lord to their comfort: let him take away worldly riches, honour, health, friendes, life it ſelfe, &c. all ſhould work comfort to them. But, brethren, we are ſo corrupt & blind by nature, that we ſee not the Lords purpoſe, & what he is doing to vsus: & we make the words of the Lord, wherin we ſhould take pleaſure & ioy, to be mater of diſpleaſure, I ſpeak not this, to take away ſenſe of the ſharpneſſe of the Lord, & to cōmend Sto…ke ſenſleſnes: but herin we fail, that ſadnes is without ioy & cōſolatiō. Now the Lord craues this, that with bitternes we ſhould taſte ſweetnes: indeed heauines is the comlieſt thing that can be in a Chriſtian, & ſadnes becōmeth a ſinner well: but in the mean time there ſhould be joy in the ſoule. 1. Theſ. 5.16. Reioyce euermore. He findeth no fault with them, that they were ſad, but becauſe they would receiue no comfort. He ſaith, Jf ye loued me, ye wold reioyce, because I ſaid, I go to the Father▪ One who loueth another truly, will reioyce in the weale of the other. LoueLove bringes a rejoycing: he or ſhe that loues Chriſt, that gets greateſt joy in the hart, as enuy eats vp the hart of man or woman, in whom it is: one who loues another, will reioyce at the good eſtate of the other, at his proſperity, riches & honor: one who loues the Lord Ieſus well, rejoyces to ſee him glorified: & that ſhold be our joy to ſee the Lord Ieſus glorified, & his kingdome aduanced: & curſed be thou who laughs at the down-throwing of the kingdom of the Lord Ieſus: no, they who loues God, will curſe all their kin: & as he ſayes here himſelf, they who louelove the Lord Ieſus, their delite ſhall bee to ſee him glorified. Th' Apoſtles not taking ſuch ioy as they oght, to ſee him glorified, their louelove was prepoſterous: no doubt they loued him intierly, Peter loued him, Iohn loued him; & the reſt loued him; yet the Lord ſhewes that their louelove was with a great ignorance, & the fleſh was mixed with it, it was not ſincere. So let vsus tak heed to our louelove: not only to that louelove we beare to Chriſt, but euen to men, man to wife, parents to children, we ſhould take heed that it be a true louelove, and not a prepoſterous louelove: I call it not a true louelove, that hath nothing but ſadnes with it for the death of another: whē a Chriſtian goes to ioy, and when we are ſad for them, then we vtter an enuy in our heartes of their glory. Indeede wee ſhould not want naturall affection: and wee may hauehave diſpleaſure for the want of our brother: but looke that diſpleaſure bee not for thy brothers joye, and that hee is participant of that glorie with Chriſt, and the hope of that Reſurrection. The remembrance of the aſſembling of the Sainctes of God, to meete their Head in the Cloudes, ſhould cauſe thee rejoyce. The Lord lift vp our heartes to the Heauen from this earth, whereon we are ſo fixed: and make vsus to waite continually for that bleſſed aſſembly of the Sainctes; that when hee commeth in the cloudes, we may be carried to remaine with him in ioy for euer.
Now in the words following the Lord ſetteth downe the ende of his ſpeaking to his Diſciples, and chiefely of this, that he forewarneth them that hee was to depart. Heere is the chiefe ende, That they ſhould belieu… in him, that hee was that promiſed Meſsias, the Sonne of God: & when they ſhould ſee the accompliſhment of all his ſayings, that they ſhould belieue. The whole word of God leads vsus to this, that men ſhould belieue in Ieſus Chriſt, there is not a word ſpoken in the Scripture, but it leads vsus to Chriſt, whether the Lord ſpeak of things to come, as in the Prophets, or of things done, as in the Evangels, all tendeth to this, to leade vsus to Ieſus Chriſt, to belieue in him: They who get not this end in the word, they get no fruit of the word. Hee ſayth not, Theſe things I tolde you before the hand, that ye ſhould belieue: But he addeth, I hauehave told you them before the hand, that when they come to paſſe▪ ye ſhould belieue. The perfection of fayth ſtandeth not in fore-telling, but in accompliſhment. It is true, the fore-ſpeaking of the thinges of Chriſt to come, hath force to worke fayth in the heartes of men and women: All the godly men and women before Chriſt, had nothing but fore-telling of Chriſt, that hee was to come into the vvorld: and vponupon theſe fore-tellings they belieued. So the predictions of Chriſt in all time wrought fayth in the heartes of the Fathers of olde: But fayth then is confirmed and made ſtronger, vvhen the euent anſwereth to the prediction: And therefore wee vvho nowe liue, hauehave greater matter of fayth and conſolation, than they had who liued vnderunder the Lawe: they had but the predictions of Chriſt, but we now vnderunder the Goſpel, hauehave not only the predictions, but alſo the accompliſhment of all that was ſpokon & fore-told by the Prophets: And therefore Chriſt comparing vsus to the people of old, (Luke, 10.23.) ſayeth, Bleſſed are the eyes that ſee theſe things which ye ſee: I ſay to you, Many Kinges and Prophets deſired to ſee theſe things that ye ſee, and yet ſaw them not. And againe, Abraham longed to ſee my dayes, John, 8.16. In very deede, vvee hauehave a great bleſsing, vvho are come into the worlde ſince Chriſt came: But here is the fault, We cannot apprehend that joye and happineſſe. The Apoſtle conſidering this, hee ſayeth, Rejoyce continually, 1. Theſſal. 5.16. Wee neuer conſider the gra…e vvhichwhich we hauehave vnderunder the Goſpel.
When he hath ſet downe this ende, the Lord appearingly concludeth this conference with his Diſciples: Heereafter I will not ſpeake may thinges to you: And hee giueth the reaſon: for why? The Prince of this worlde commeth: My ſpeach is cut off, becauſe the Deuill is come againſt mee, vvith all his force: and hee is come like a Burrio, to execute that which the Father ordained to be done from all eternity. Marke: as the houre drewe neare, vvhen the Lord ſhould hauehave laide downe his life for the world; ſo the Deuils drew neare, vvho were appointed to execute that turne: and they began to aſſault him very buſily: and aſſault him not only by the wicked inſtrumentes, as Iudas, Pilate, and the Iewes, but the Deuill, and all the whole force of Hell, in their owne perſons, ruſhed out vponupon Chriſt, and eſpecially when the Lord Ieſus hung vponupon the Croſſe: at that time chiefelie hee had his combate with the Deuils Bee not deceiued, Hee ſuffered not onelie that paine in bodie, and wrath of his Father; but at that inſtant hee had a battell with all the Deuils in Hell, for they thought to hauehave wracked him then, and to hauehave triumphed ouer him, and by his wracke, to hauehave wracked all men, and to hauehave diſgraced the glory of God: for in Ieſus Chriſt, is all the glory of God, and all ſaluation of man. Paul in the ſecond to the Coloſſ. Verſ. 15. ſayeth, That Chriſt vponupon the Croſſe triumphed ouer the powers of Hell, and made an open ſhewe of them: and this importeth, that they ruſhed on him on the Croſſe, that they might ouer-come him. Chriſt fighteth with all the powers of Hell on the Croſſe, and taketh all the power from them, and openlie in the ſight of the worlde hee leadeth them captiue, after the manner of a victorious Conquerour. Yet ere wee leaue this, we ſee another thing: As the houre drewe neare, as the Deuils drewe neare, with the houre of Ieſus Chriſt, What doeth hee? Goeth hee to eſchewe them? Goeth hee out of Hieruſalem, as hee did of before? Goeth hee to hide himſelfe? No, no: But as the houre drewe neare, and as the Deuils drewe neare, ſo the Lord Ieſus meeteth death, and the Deuill, and draweth neare to them, and willinglie putteth himſelfe into their hands, knowing it was the will of his Father, Hee is as readie to die, & offer himſelfe, and put himſelfe into their hands, as they were bent to ſeeke him. This is our leſſon: When the Lord giueth vsus tokens, that Death is at hand, as Age, ſickneſſe or afflictions: for they are ſummondes to warne vsus: What ſhoulde wee doe? Should wee abhorre from it? No, goe forwarde, and bee readie to imbrace death: goe to him, and meete him, and take a gripe of him: as hee imbra…eth thee, ſo imbrace thou him: for death is nothing elſe, but a paſſage to joye: when thou abhorreſt death, thou abhorreſt that porte to glorie, and eternall life.
Now I goe forward: It might hauehave beene ſaide by his Diſciples, What? Hath the Deuill ſuch a power ouer thee? Art thou ſo vanquiſhed by him, that thou muſt breake of ſpeach? The Lord meeteth this, and ſayth, He hath nought in me: That is, For all his cōming againſt me, he ha…h no power or juriſdiction ouer me: thinke not, that the prince of this world hath ought ouer me: the prince of this world, or rather the tyrant with his tyranny cōmeth in by ſinne: Sinne entereth not ſo ſoone, but as ſoone hee bega… to reigne: & where ſin is, there is his power: But would the Lord ſay, in me he ſhall find no matter of his kingdome, therefore hee hath no power ouer me. Another generall: It is not ſeemly that the inferior ſhould hauehave power ouer the Superio…: But ſo it is, the Lord Ieſus is God, and the Deuill is his inferior; therefore hee hath no power ouer me. He aſſaileth him, becauſe he had our burden vponupon him. Nowe marke one thing: The holy Spirit in the Scripture, New and Old, vvhere he ſpeaketh of the ſuffering of Chriſt, he is very carefull to note theſe circumſtances, that Chriſt ſuffered nothing but that which God decreed. In the Acts, 24. Chap. What could they doe to him, but that which thy counſell had decreed? Another: vvhen it commeth to the execution of the decree, the Spirit maketh God to bee the Agent, vvho decreed it. Looke the eight Chapter to the Romanes, Hee ſpared not his owne Sonne, but hee gaue him to the death. What was the Deuill, but an inſtrument in the hande of God? The holy Spirit telleth vsus this alſo, that the Lord Ieſus ſuffered willingly: as willing was the Lord Ieſus to ſuffer, as was the Father to giuegive him. Iohn, 10. verſ. 18. No man taketh my life from mee: I hauehave power to lay downe my life, and to take vp my life againe. Gal. 1.2. Heb. 9. Hee offered himſelfe. Wherefore is it that the ſuffering of Chriſt is ſet downe with theſe particular circumſtances? The firſt reaſon is, The Spirit of God will let vsus ſee, that in the ſuffering of Chriſt there is no diſgracing of the glory of God: indeed if he had ſuffered againſt Gods will, and his decree, then God had beene diſgraced: but when wee knowe it was not againſt Gods will, there is no diſgracing of the glory of God. Another is, If the Croſſe of Chriſt had bene againſt Chriſts owne will, it had bene a great diſcomfort to men and women, and had beene a great offence to the worlde. Laſt, the willingneſſe of the Sonne to ſuffer, letteth vsus ſee that the ſuffering of Ieſus Chriſt, was obedience to the Father. When a man doeth a thing willingly, becauſe it is the will of God, offereth vp his life willingly, and dieth willingly, there is obedience: But let him die ten thouſand deaths, if he doe it not willingly, it is none obedience: I ſuppone that the Son of God had not ſuffered willingly, wee would hauehave had no ſaluation: the obedience ſtandeth not only in ſuffering, but in that he died ſo gladly, ſuffered ſo willingly, with ſuch a louelove, to powre out his life for the world: as yee may reade in the 53. Chap. of Eſay, Hee was like a Lambe before the Shearers. So when wee looke to the death of Chriſt, let vsus not looke to his death ſo much, as to his patience & willingneſſe.
In the laſt verſe the Lord ſetteth downe the ende of his ſuffering, wherefore he putteth himſelfe into the handes of the executers: I doe this, that the worlde may know, that I louelove the Father. This is the end: Wee ſee firſt in this end, the ground of the obedience and ſuffering of Ieſus Chriſt. What needed him to be ſo obedient, and to deject himſelfe ſo farre? Yee may take it vp in one worde: All this obedience proceeded of an vnſpeakeable louelove he bare to the Father: It is true, the louelove of the ſaluation of man moued the Lord to this obedience alſo, no doubt: and this vnſpeakeable louelove moued him to giuegive his life for them. But marke yet, this place letteth vsus ſee, the chiefe ground of his obedience was not the louelove of the world, but the louelove of the Father. Paul, 2. Philipp. 5.6.7.8. ſpeaking of the obedience of Ieſus Chriſt, letteth vsus ſee, and pointeth out that humiliation of Chriſt as proceeding of that louelove he bare to the Father: Let that affection, ſayth he, be in you, that was in Chriſt Ieſus; who being in the forme of God, thought it no robbery to bee equall with God: but hee manited himſelfe, and made himſelfe of no reputation, in taking vponupon him the ſhape of a ſeruant, and in that ſhape hee became obedient to the Father to the death of the Croſſe. That obedience then flowed from the louelove he bare to the Father. Yee would thinke it a great matter to two kinges, the one of them as great as the other, if one woulde ſerue the other in a worldly ſeruice, yee woulde thinke it a great louelove the one bare to the other: The Lord Ieſus being equall with the Father in glory, humbled himſelfe to the Father. What followed on this obedience? As hee dejecteth himſelfe thorow louelove to obey the Father, ſo the Father loueth him vnſpeakeably. Paul (2. Philipp. verſ. 9.10.11.) letteth vsus ſee the effect of this louelove: hee exalteth him to a wonderfull ſublimitie, and hee giueth him a Name aboue all the names of the worlde, That at the Name of IESVS, all thinges in Heauen, and in Earth, and vnderunder the Earth, ſhould bow their knee: or elſe, if they will not bow, they ſhould bee broken.
Now, Brethren, to draw this example to our ſelues, wee hauehave this leſſon to learne: What is the ground of true humilitie? (I ſpeake not of fained humilitie, but of true lowlineſſe, which is the beſt vertue in a Chriſtian man: Learne of mee, ſayeth Chriſt, that I am humble and lowly in heart, Matth. 11.29.) not only of obedience to Superiors: for Chriſt biddeth thee bee obedient and ſeruiceable, not onelyonly to Superiors and equals, but to inferiors, and each one to another. What is the ground of this humilitie? Euen the louelove of the heart: and a man hauehave true louelove in the heart, hee will not care how lowlie he be in the world. So when ye ſee a ſober Chriſtian, point him out, and ſay, There is a louing hearted Chriſtian. Would yee knowe what followeth on humilitie▪ and lowlineſſe? Obedience. What followeth vponupon obedience? They who in louelove humble themſelues, to exalt others, and obey them, ſhall find that God will meet them with louelove, and exalt them. Wherein ſtandeth the band of louelove? When eueryevery one preferreth another to himſelfe. Heerein ſtandeth humilitie: humilitie beginneth with louelove, and endeth with louelove. By the contrarie: What is the ground of pride? A fooliſh ſelfe-louelove, when a man taketh pleaſure in his owne corruptions, and hath a conceit of himſelfe, and an hatred and diſdaining of others. Wherewith is it met? With a mutuall hatred and diſdaine: That man who is proude, ſtinketh both in Gods noſe and mans: and as humility intertaineth peace amongſt men, ſo pride breaketh the amitie and louelove, and rents the body of Chriſt: ſo that pride is the moſt vnſeemly thing in any man, and it is a note of them who perteine not to Chriſt. Striue euer to be like Chriſt, in being humble: and hauehave louelove in thine heart. But what is the chiefe ende of the ſuffring of Chriſt Ieſus, and of his humiliation? The Lord ſets it down in theſe words, That the world may know that the Sonne loueth the Father. Indeed this is one end, yea, the chiefeſt which we ſhould all conſider. Another is, that we may know, that Ieſus Chriſt hath loued vsus. Looke in, thorowe the body of Chriſt into the heart: looke not to the nailes, and to the woundes of his ſide, but to that heart of his: and chiefely to that infinit louelove that the Sonne hath borne to the Father. Thou mayſt ſay, What aduantage is it to mee to know that obedience of the Sonne to the Father, and that louelove? When thou ſeeſt that Sonne of God equal with the Father, how hee humbled himſelf ſo lowly, that no creature in Heauen, or in earth, Angel or man, euer humbled himſelfe ſo as the Sonne; It ſerueth thee to this ende, to learne thee who is a creature, and who is but a ſeruant, to humble thy ſelfe before God, and to glorifie thy God: And indeede, albeit there be many thinges to moue vsus to humilitie, yet and a man get not the ſight of that humiliation of Ieſus Chriſt, he ſhall neuer be truely humbled. Paul, in his ſecond Chap. to the Philipp. to ſtirre vsus vp to humilitie, he bringeth in the example of the humilitie of the Sonne to the Father. Ye will aske, HaueHave we any profit of this, that we be humbled to the Father? Haſt thou no profit in glorifying God? Neuer one ſerued ſuch a Maſter, and neuer one got ſuch a glory, as they ſhall get, who glorifie God. Was Chriſt exalted highly? Thou ſhalt bee alſo exalted. I aske then, Wherein ſtandeth thy miſery? and wherein ſtandeth thine happineſſe? There is the only joy that the creature hath: when it hath humbled it ſelfe to the Father, it obeyeth him, it glorifieth the great God the Creator: And herein ſtandeth the happineſſe of man, euen to hauehave his heart looſed to glorifie the Lord: The godly finde this in experience. And by the contrary, when the faythfull ſoule is locked vp, and hath no pleaſure to glorifie God for his graces, albeit it had neuer ſo great aboundance of all things in the world, yet it counteth the ſelfe to be in great miſery. Paul (Rom. 7.) feeling this rebellion in him thorow the remains of ſinne, crieth out, Miſerable man that I am, who ſhall deliuer me frō this body of death? Indeed if thou make rebellion to God, if thou hadſt all the pleaſures in the world, thou art miſerable. Felicity is, when the heart is looſed to ſerue God: for the end of gifts, ſpirituall & temporall, is to glorifie him: and miſery is, wh…n the heart is locked vp in hardnes & rebellion to God. God giuegive vsus grace to ſee this, that we may be inſtant with God, to get o…r hearts looſed▪ to glorifie him; and ſo hauehave that felicity which is only true felicity, through Ieſus Chriſt: To whom, with the Father, and the Spirit of grace, be all praiſe, honour, and glory, for euer. Amen.