Fellowship with God, Sermon 4
SERMON IV·
1 Joh. 1.2.
—Which we have seen, &c.
THere is a gradation of certainty here, hearing himself speak, is more then hea…ing by report; but an eye-witness is better then ten ear-witnesses, and handling adds a thi…d assurance; for the sense of touching gives the last and greatest evidence of truth. It is true, that the sense is properly correspondent to sensible things, and of it self, can only give testimony to his Humanity; yet I conceive these are here alledged for both, even also to witnesse his glorious …nd Divine Nature▪ which though it did not … under sight and handling, yet it discovered it self to be l…tent, under that visible covering of flesh, by sensible effect…, no lesse, then the spirit of m…n, which is invisible, manifests its p…e…ence in the body, by such operations sensible, as can proceed from no other principle: And the…e…o…e, this faithful witness adds, which we have looked upon; which relates not only to the outward attention of the eyes, but points at the inward intention, and affection of the heart: our senses did b…ing in such strange and marvellou… object… to our minds, that we stood gazing, and beheld it over and over again, looked upon it with …eason, concluding what it might be; we gave intertainment to our minds, to consider it wisely and deliberatly, and fastned our eyes, that we might detain our hearts, in the consideration of such a glorious person. From this then ye have two things clear; one is, that our Lord Jesus Christ was a true man, and that his Disciples had all possible evidence of it, which the History more abundantly shews; he conversed with them familiarly, he eat and drank with them, yea, his conversation in the world, was very much condescending in outward behaviour, to the customes of the wo…ld, he eat with Pharisees when they invited him; he refused not; but he was more bold with Publicans and sinners, to conve…s with them; as being their greatest friend: He was uncivil to none; would deterr none through a rigid austere conversation; and indeed, to testifie the truth o… his Humane Nature, he came so low to partake of all humane infirmities without sin, and to be subject to extraordinary afflictions and crosses, as to t…e eyes of the world it did quite extinguish his Divine Glo…y, and bury i… in misbelief. This wh…h we speak of, as a testimony and evidence th…t he w…s m…n, was the very grand stumbling-block and …ffence of the Jews and Gentiles; which they made use of as an evidence and certain testimony that he was not God: the evidence of the one seems to give in evidence to the other. But let us con…ider this, for it is a sweet and pleas…nt S…bject, if our hearts were suitably framed to delight in it, that there was as much evidence to the conviction of all mens senses, of his Divine M…jesty, as of his Humane Infirmity: and t…t there a…e two concu…ing evidences, which enlig…tens one another; which we shall shew, p…rtly …om his own wo…ks and miracles, and partly from the more then miraculous successe and progresse of the Gospel a…ter him.
For the first, Iohn testifies, that not only they saw the baseness of his outward shape, but the glory of the only begotten Son of God, full of grace and truth, Joh. 1.14. Iohn the Baptist sent some of hi… Di…ciple…, bec…use of their own unbelie…, to enq…ire Jesu…, Art thou he, or look we for another? And what answer gave he them? What reason to convince them? Go (saith he) and tell what ye h…ve seen and heard, that the blind s…e, the l…m… w…lk, and the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, th… dead are raised, and the poor re…eive the G…spel: And blessed is he who ever sh…ll not for my outwa…d unseemlinesse, and basenesse, offend; But go by that, in to the glory that shines out in such works. It is said in Luke 7.21. that the same hour he …ured many: Befo…e he spoke in answer, he answered them by his deeds; he gave a visible demonstration of that they doubted of: For they could not but see a power above created power in these work…, which surpasse Nature and Art: so many wonderful works done, so often repeated, be…o…e so many thousands, even many of his watchful and observant enemies; and all done so easily by a word, i…finit cures for number and quality wrought, which passed the skill of all Physitians; Devils dispossessed, life restored, water converted into excellent wine, without the maturation of the Sun, or help of the Vine tree; a little bread so strangely enlarged to the satisfaction of many thousands, and more remaining then was laid down; the winds and seas obeying his very word, and composing themselves to silence at his rebuke; and infinit moe of this kind; Are they not in the common apprehension of men, of a degree superiour to that of nature? Who could restore life, but he that gave it? Whom would the Devils obey, but him at whom they tremble? Who could transubstantiat water into wine, but he that created both these substances, and every year by a long circuit of the operations of nature, turns it into wine? Who could feed seven thousand with that which a few persons would exhaust, but he that can creat it of nothing, …nd b… whose wo…d all thi… … wo…ld sta…ted out of nothing? Nay, let us suppose these thing… to be done only by divine assistance, by some peculiar divine infl…ence, then certainly, if we consider the very end of this miraculous assistance of a creature, th…t it was to conf…m the Doct…ine delive…ed by him, and make such a deep impression of the t…uth of it in the he…t… of all, that it cannot be …ooted out; this being the very genuine end of the wisdom of God in such works, it must need… follow, that all that which Christ revealed, both of himself and the Father, of his own being with him from the beginning, of his …eing one with him, and being hi… eternal Son; all this must need… be in…allibly t…ue; for it is not supposible to ag…ee with the wisdom and goodnesse of God, to manifest so much of his infi…it power and glory, in so extraordinary a manner, to bear testimony to an impostor or deceiver. The…efore though no mo…e could be at first exto…ted f…om an enemy of Ch…ist▪ D…ct…ine, but that such mighty works did shew forth themselve…, which could not be done, but by the Divine assistance an… extraordinary help of God: yet, even …rom that con…e…ion it may be strongly concluded, that seing there was no other end imagin…le of su…h ext…aordin…y assis…ance, but the con…irmation of hi… new Doctrine, and that of hi… Divine Natu…e, being one of the chief points of it, it must need… in…o…ce, that he was not only helped by God, as M…ses, but that he was God, and did these things by his own power. By this then it appears that though after so many Prophesies of him, and exp…ctation… from the beginning, we see but a man in outward appearance despisable, and without comlinesse and form; yet if we could open the eyes of our …ouls, and six them upon him, we behold as through some small crainies, Majesty shining in his misery, power discovering it self in his weaknesse, even that power that made the world, and man too: He was born indeed, yet of a Virgin, he was weak and infirm himself, yet he healed all others infirmities, even by his word; he was often an hungred, yet he could feed five thousand at one time, and seven thousand at another, upon that which would not have served his Disciples, or but served them; He was wearied with travels, yet he gave rest to wearied souls: At length himself died, and that an ignominious death, notwithstanding he raised the dead by his word, and at length he raiseth himself by his own power. All this is included in this, we have seen and handled; we saw him gloriously transfigured on the Mount, where his countenance did shine as the Sun, and his raiment was white as light, and two, the greatest persons in the Old Testament came out of Heaven, as it were, to yeeld up the administration of shadows to his substance: and we saw the Heaven opening in the sight of many thousands, and heard a testimony given him from Heaven, This is my beloved Son, hear him: And then when he wa… b…ied, and our hope with him, we saw him …isen again, and our hope did …ise with him, and then …ome of …s handled his si…e…, to get …ull pe…swasion; and all of us eat and drank and c…nve…sed with him fourty dayes: and to make a pe…iod, at length we saw him ascending up to Heaven, and a Cloud receiving him a… a Ch…iot, to take him out of our sight. Thu…, th… W…rd was made fl…sh, and dwelt among us, and we …a…e seen his glo…y, as …f the only beg…tten Son of God.
But besides that which the life and death of Jesus Christ carries ingraven in it of Divinity, there is one miracle, which may be said to transcend all that ever was done, and it is one continued wonder since his resu…rection, even the ve…tue and power of that crucified Saviour, to conquer the world, by such unsuitable, yea, contra…y mean… and instruments. Heathenish Religion was spread indeed universally th…ough the wo…ld, but that was not one Religion, but one name; for as many Nations, as many fancied gods, and in one Nation many. And true it is, that M…humet…nism hath spread it self far; but by what mean…? only by the power of the sword, and the terrour of an Empire. But here is a Doctrine contrary to all the received custom…, and imbred opinions of men, without any such means p…evailing throughout the world. Cyrus, when he was about to conquer neighbouring Nations, gave out a Proclamation, If any will follow me▪ if he be a foot-man, I will make him an horse-man, if he have a Vill…ge, I will give him a City, if a City, I will bestow on him a Countrey, &c. Now mark how contrary the proceeding of our Lord is: Go and preach (saith he) Repent ye, for the Kingdom of God is at hand. Here is his Proclamation, Repent ye. And, if any man will be my Disciple, let him take up his …ross and follow me, and deny himself W…at disp…oportioned mean…? and yet how infinitly greater successe? Cyrus could not gain the Lacedemonians to his side for all that, but Christ, though poor, despised and contemptible, while alive, and at length thought to be quite vanquished by the most shameful death, when he is lift up upon the Crosse, to the view and reproach of the world, he draws all men after him: He, by a few fishermen, not Commanders, nor Orators, perswades the world, and within a few years that crucified Lord is adored further and wider then any Empire did ever stretch it self. All the power, majesty, and successe of Alexander could nev…r perswade the Nations, no, not his own followers to adore him as God: But h…re one nailed to the Crosse, Crowned with Thorns, rejected of all men, and within a little space adored, wo…shiped, suffered for throughout the Nations, yea, Kings and Emperours casting down thei… Crown… at his feet, many thousands counting it their honour to die upon that account. And do not the Trophies of these Apostolick victories remain to this d…y, in every co…ner of the wo…ld, after so many hun…ed yea…, in so many different, a…d so far dist…nt N…tio…? th…t s…me N…me p…e…ched, …nd all k…ee… bo…in… to it. These things conside…ed, how much done, and by mean… wo…e then nothi…g, it t…a…cends all the mi…cles th…t ever the world wond…ed at. N…w, my beloved, these things I m…nti…n …or this end, that ye may be pe…sw…ded upon sure ground…, that he who is pre…c…ed unto you, is God able to save you, and according to the evi…ence of these grounds, ye may believe in him, and give that co…dial assent to these eve…lasting t…uths, an… that welcome inte…tainment to …im in your heart that become…. I think certainly there i… ve…y little even o… this solid assent and perswasi…n of the Go…pel in the hearts of the m…t p…t; because they t…k… things or name… …ath…r implicitly, and never se…iously consider what th… believe, and … grounds. But … a more pleasant or profitable meditation th…n this, if we would enter in a serious consid…ation of the truth and certainty of these thi…gs we have received. O how would such evid…nce open the he…rt to …n intire and full closu…e with them, and embracement of them.